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                                                                                          April 20, 2022

Dear Be the Influence (“BTI”) Parent,

Spring is here! We hope this newsletter finds you well. Because today is April 20, known as "420" these days, we wanted to give you a quick cannabis update. There always seems to be something new to get educated on when it comes to weed. 

What's "420" and How can I Turn it into a Teachable Moment for My Child?

What's all the buzz about "420"? It all started in Marin County, California with a small group at San Rafael High School in the 1970s, as described here. For some time, each year on April 20, marijuana users have celebrated the day by getting high, the most popular time being at 4:20 pm, which is when the San Rafael group of kids would meet after school to smoke. 420 has become a celebration that has spread across the country and overseas among those who partake.

April 20 celebrations have grown up since those early days of illicit teen pot use. 420 is now a corporate-sponsored national event with free advertising for the billion-dollar marijuana industry and their events and products. Sadly, automobile accident rates soar during 420 and innocent bystanders become victims of the "celebration."

420 isn't just about April 20th or 4:20 pm anymore. It can mean all things related to cannabis. For example, peruse Craig's List for group house or apartment sublets to rent and you'll see plenty "420 friendly" references. 

The bottom line? Today, April 20th or "420", is a perfect opportunity to discuss cannabis with your child. And to help you do just that ...

VIEW THE RECORDING OF TONIGHT'S Book Passage Virtual Event on Today's Cannabis at 5:30 pm with Dr. Timmen Cermak, in conversation with Dr. David Kan. This excellent educational event, took place tonight, on April 20. Tune in here and take notes to discuss with your child, or watch it together. A video recording of the event can be accessed anytime.

Dr. Timmen Cermak, Mill Valley psychiatrist with 40 years of clinical experience, discussed his new book, “My Mind: the Science and Mystique of Cannabis”. Together with UCSF Faculty member Dr. David Kan, these medical experts use science to make sense of the endless debate between advocates and opponents of marijuana. They addressed questions such as: 
  • Why do so many people enjoy marijuana? 
  • What is it doing in our brains?
  • Is it safe for everyone to use?
  • What should we be telling our children?
  • What are the benefits of medical marijuana?
  • How does CBD live up to its hype?
  • And with so much conflicting information out there, how do we begin to make up our own minds about cannabis? 
Dr. Cermak is author of multiple books on cannabis, including “Marijuana: “Whats' a Parent to Believe?”,  with the second edition coming later this year, retitled “What Parents Need to Know about Marijuana”. He also wrote “From Bud to Brain: A Psychiatrist’s View of Marijuana". With his ears to the ground as a local addiction expert who spoke at Redwood High School several years ago, Dr. Cermak is widely respected and was asked to serve on Governor Gavin Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Cannabis prior to California's cannabis legalization ballot initiative.

Be the Influence has been educating about cannabis in our newsletters and website blogs for years. Here's just a few new resources and tidbits of information:
  • Why today's cannabis is no longer "just pot", despite its medicalization and legalization.  
  • How cannabis commercialization has led to more highly potent products to watch out for, from Stiiizy vaping oils and devices knock-off versions of common candies and chips
  • How today's high potency cannabis is an addictive "red carpet" to opioids and other drugs for youth
  • What to do if your child is using cannabis
  • The next "Let's Talk" Community Discussion on "Harm Reduction" - May 4 at 7 pm. 
Please read on! 

What's the Big Deal? Isn't it "Just Pot" - and Safer too because it's Medical and Legal? 
  
Today’s cannabis is “not just pot”. In fact, it’s a completely different drug these days. It can look like the image shown here and come in wax and liquid form. It's not only vastly different than it was 40-50 years ago – but it's also changed dramatically just in the last decade. Contrary to marijuana marketing claims, modern high potency “weed” is not natural, wild grown marijuana. It’s genetically engineered for potency, radically crossbred and hybridized. As a result, it's significantly more powerful, addictive and correlated with all kinds of health problems that did not occur with marijuana of the 1970s and 80s. It is strongly associated with mental illness – anxiety and depression (that can worsen if it exists already), psychotic breaks, schizophrenia (especially if there’s a pre-disposition to mental health issues) and suicide. The research and studies continue to mount which show these real harms. 

The Commercialization of Cannabis: The Array of High Potency Products Entering the Marketplace 

We've described the dizzying array of cannabis products that are constantly coming onto the market. Cannabis legalization and resulting commercialization has resulted in an "arms race” to see who can have the higher THC potency products and bigger market share. It's the "wild west" when it comes to new cannabis products and marketing, with cool names, colorful packaging and flavors designed to appeal to youth. Sound familiar? 

Stiiizy vaping devices appear to be popular in Marin County and contain cannabis oils of up to 85% THC which this California company grows and produces in more than 20 different strains and flavors.

Just yesterday, CNN Health reported on a few of the newest of hundreds of products out there in the medicalized and commercialized market - from knock-off “Nerds Rope Bites, (“Medicated” and “Super Potent Formula”) to Gushers (“Infused” and “Medicated Fruit Snacks”) to Sour Skittles to Doritos (Nacho Cheese of course), Ruffles and Fritos, that are all packaged to look like the real thing. One bag can contain up to 600 milligrams of THC (the gummy cubes that are popular with adults and children alike typically contain 10 milligrams of THC). And the problem with inexperienced users is that it can take an hour to feel the high, causing them to consume more because they don’t feel anything right away.
 
Once they do, however, users can have difficulty breathing, not to mention walking and talking. Emergency room admissions and calls to poison control centers for youth who have consumed edibles like these have skyrocketed across the country in recent years.
 
Is Cannabis Addictive and a “Gateway Drug”?
 
The short answer: Yes. Especially with today’s high potency THC and for youth. If you are going to click on one link or share one thing from this newsletter, make it this excellent recent episode of Banfield, former CNN reporter Ashleigh Banfield’s show, featuring Marin mother Michelle Leopold and other mothers whose children became addicted to high potency cannabis, went on to opioids, and ultimately took lethal fentapills (one girl survived.) As Banfield astutely observed “forget the debate whether marijuana is a “gateway” drug – today’s ultra-potent cannabis is a “red carpet” to opioids and other drugs. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
 
An NIH study published on March 29, 2021 in the Journal of JAMA Pediatrics made a striking finding that cannabis is more addictive than alcohol or tobacco and is comparable to prescription drugs. It  compared addiction rates among nine categories of drugs: alcohol, cannabis, cigarettes, opioid painkillers, stimulants, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and tranquilizers. 

What to Do if Your Child is Using Cannabis.

The best practical guidance to parents on what to do if their child is using cannabis that we've seen is this article by Dr. Crystal Collier on the Every Brain Matters website. If you are concerned that your child is using marijuana, this article is for you.

For additional facts and research about cannabis, consult the following sources:
  • International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis. IASIC is an organization of international experts on cannabis who are guided by medicine and science to provide accurate and honest information that guides decision-making. Their library is extensive and contains over 2,000 peer reviewed medical literature about cannabis translated into terminology that allows for informed decision making by the general public.
     
  • Marin Residents For Public Health Cannabis Policies. This organization was formed last year to educate community members and local government officials and decision makers about the effects of cannabis and retail stores in Marin County. To get educated about what's going on in our back yard or to get involved, check out their website. 
FINAL Let's Talk Community Discussion series of the school year: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 7 pm. 

Mark your calendars and don’t miss this final session on “Harm Reduction” for substance use. What is harm reduction? In a nutshell, it’s all about keeping your children safe and reducing harms from substance use. This event will feature:
  • Jaclynn Davis, author of the Let's Talk booklets, will give an overview and how harm reduction applies across age groups. With a Masters in Public Health and Social Work, Jackie focuses on adolescent health and youth development through her work with local school districts and teaching at Dominican University.
     
  • Rusty Handlin, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a practice in Marin. He works with parents and families to set reasonable agreements regarding homework, curfew, substance use, social interaction, and family rituals. He will provide practical tools for parents to communicate with their children about substances as it relates to harm reduction.
     
  • Talia Harter, a student at San Rafael High School. She has been working with Youth Transforming Justice as a Peer Solutions volunteer for three years and has completed the 6-hour family session of the Substance Safety Skills Harm Reduction. Talia is also member of the Youth Action Team for the County Suicide Prevention Collaborative.
To register, click HERE. There will be simultaneous live Spanish interpretation on Zoom. 

As background, the "Let's Talkbooklet was mailed in August to every 9th and 7th grade parent in Marin County. It is a quick read and is available online in English and Spanish here. MHYP has hosted a series of six community discussions throughout the school year via Zoom with parents of students of all ages. Each session corresponds to a chapter in the "Let's Talk" booklet.

To view any of these past sessions from this school year, click HERE
  • "Understanding Your Pre-Teen/Teen" 
  •  "Just Say Know" 
  • "Parenting Tools to Support Your Teen"
  • "Mental Health and Underage Substance Use"
  • "Policy and Law Enforcement"
The events have been amazing and we highly recommend attending or viewing them all!

BEFORE YOU GO ....

Forward this Newsletter or Refer a Friend (or two)! The more parents who join Be the Influence, the stronger and healthier our community will be. Please talk to your friends about BTI and encourage them to join by either making our Parent Agreement or signing up to receive our newsletters. And please use our Refer a Friend feature or forward this newsletter to let your friends know what they are missing out on! 

Thanks for reading.

—The Be the Influence Committee
 

Copyright © 2018 Be The Influence 


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