2. What does Adams County Prevention
Partnership do?!
• Group of professionals, community leaders,
parents, and youth working to prevent
underage drinking and drug use in
Adams County
• Provide community education to parents,
adults, and youth; sponsor community events
• Online resources
3. Parent Workshop Overview
1. Marijuana – what it is/does, why it’s a
problem
2. Adams County Numbers
3. Signs of Use in Your Teens
4. Group Discussion
5. Ways to Start Talking to Your Teens
6. Questions & Wrap-up
7. Gift Card Drawing
4. Facts About Marijuana
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug
and its use comes with physical, mental, and
behavioral effects. Marijuana users have
been known to develop a dependency.
Marijuana is smoked in hand-rolled joints,
or through pipes or water pipes called
bongs. It can also be used to make tea or
mixed into foods.
NIDA 2012
5. What is it About Pot?!
• Along with euphoria,
relaxation, and heightened
senses, marijuana impairs
a person’s ability to form
new memories
• Makes you less
coordinated and lose
balance
• May induce delusions,
hallucinations, and panic
6. What is marijuana dependence?
Long term marijuana use can lead to
dependence; that is, people have difficulty
controlling their drug use and cannot stop
even though it interferes with many aspects
of their lives. About 1 in 6 people who start
using as teens will become dependent,
which increases 25-50 percent if they use
daily.
NIDA 2012
7. How it can affect school, work,
and social lives…
• Negative effects on attention, memory, and
learning that last days or weeks after use
• Lower grades and more likely to drop out
(research shows regular use can drop IQ up to
8 points, which can never be regained…)
• Marijuana users self-report lower self-
satisfaction and achievement
NIDA 2012
8. Medical Marijuana
Medicinal use of marijuana has
been researched and hotly
debated for years. The
cannabis plant has the potential
to relieve pain, control nausea,
and stimulate appetite. There
are FDA approved drugs in the
UK and Canada using THC.
Today’s drug contains 5-10 times the amount
of THC than was present 40 years ago.
9. Why not regulate like Alcohol?
To claim that communities need to regulate
marijuana, like they do alcohol, doesn’t do
much to protect your teens – Alcohol
continues to kill more people each year than
all other drugs combined. Given the fact that
we haven’t done such a great job controlling
alcohol, what makes us feel we can do any
better with marijuana?
10. Legal Consequences:
• It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to use or
possess marijuana
• Under Colorado law, any transfer to a minor is also a felony
punishable by 2 – 4 years in prison and a fine of $2,000 –
$500,000. Any sale within 1000 feet of a school or public
housing area increases the penalties to 8 – 24 years in
prison and a fine of $10,000 to $1,000,000.
• ‘Cultivating, selling, or distributing marijuana violates
federal law…[persons] in violation, are subject to…potential
prosecution’
• The largest worry is that increased availability (which
comes with legalization) historically leads to increased use
11. How many Adams County middle
school students have an adult in their
life who wants them to do their best?
A.8 of 10
B.5 of 10
C.7 of 10
D.9 0f 10
12.
13. Adams County students think how
many of their peers are
smoking cigarettes?
A. 5 out of 10
B. 7 out of 10
C. 4 out of 10
D. 8 out of 10
14.
15. What percentage of Adams
County High School students
are using marijuana?
A.55%
B.85%
C.30%
D.45%
16.
17. Behavioral Signs of Pot Use:
• Lack of motivation or ambition for activities that once excited
the user.
• Performance in school or in the workplace will begin to decline
• Withdrawal from the family
• Drastic change in peer group – An addict will often abandon
peer groups in favor of those who share similar desires and
behaviors, namely those engaging in drug use.
• Personal hygiene may begin to suffer as he or she is less
concerned with their public appearance.
• Depressive style of mood. Marijuana addicts manifest many of
the same characteristics as those suffering from depression. An
addict will have a flat affect and mood; he or she will appear
lazy and day-to-day functioning will start to deteriorate on
every major life level.
• Reluctant, avoidant behavior
18. Physical Signs of Pot Use:
Unlike alcohol, where the signs of use are often overt
and overwhelming, a marijuana user can often conceal
their use in the event that they are under scrutiny,
often with such simple remedies as a quick shower or a
few drops of Visine.
However, there are still some physical characteristics
that can be used to identify if a loved one is using
marijuana, available below:
– Bloodshot eyes
– Slowed speech
– Averting eye contact or an unsteady gaze.
– May be able to detect the smell
Caron.org
19. Discussion Topics
1. “It’s legal. Anyone can smoke it.”
2. “Since it’s legal, I can’t get into trouble for
using it.”
3. “It grows in the ground and it’s legal, so it’s
not that bad.”
4. “Marijuana is safer than alcohol, and
alcohol kills a lot more people.”
20. What Can Parents Do?
TALK WITH YOUR KIDS!
It is one of the most powerful tools you can use
to protect and connect with them.
What is your biggest
goal this year?
What is your perfect
day?!
What things do you like
most about yourself?!
What are four
things you cant live
without?
If money wasn’t
an issue, what
one thing would
you do for your
brothers and
sisters?!
21. What Can Parents Do?
• Be Honest, Ask Questions, Keep it Simple
– Build trust with your children by answering their
questions and turning the awkward ones into
teachable moments
• Use the media (i.e. celebrity drug overdoses, the
movie you’re watching, or the news)
• Ask your neighbors, other parents, family
members, and school staff to help!
http://imgoingplaces.org/about-us/ acppco.org 2013
22. Don’t Play the Blame Game
• “Don’t feel bad if you didn’t see
the warning signs until your child
was in trouble or until someone
told you about the problem.”
• “In getting help for a child who is
using drugs, the first thing to do is
to try not to blame yourself or your
child.”
23. Questions?!
Can you tell us an organization or group
we should get in contact with!?
Please fill out the evaluations and grab
info on your way out about Adams
County Prevention Partnership!
Editor's Notes
Moreover, a study of over 300 fraternal and identical twin pairs found that the twin who had used marijuana before the age of 17 had elevated rates of other drug use and drug problems later on, compared with their twin who did not use before age 17.Similar to the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeping difficulties, craving and anxiety.A. Cessation of cannabis use that has been heavy and prolonged (i.e., usually daily or almost daily use over a period of at least a few months; however withdrawal symptoms have been observed among those with less frequent, but chronic use patterns)B. Three (or more) of the following develop typically within a week after Criterion A: 1. irritability, anger, or aggression 2. nervousness or anxiety 3. sleep difficulty (e.g., insomnia, disturbing dreams) 4. decreased appetite or weight loss 5. restlessness 6. depressed mood 7. at least one of the following physical symptoms causing significant discomfort: stomach pain, shakiness/tremors, sweating, fever, chills, or headacheC. The symptoms in Criterion B cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.D. The symptoms are not associated with another medical condition and are not better accounted for by another psychiatric disorder.
Long term study compared people of similar backgrounds and income levels, current and former long-term heavy users vs control group (not more than 50 times in life) and significant differences were found: fewer of the heavy users of cannabis completed college, more had yearly incomes of less than $30,000
Today’s drug contains 5-10 times the amount of THC than was present 40 years ago.
This is what Amendment 64 does:Allows people 21 years old or older to have up to one ounce of marijuana and can use it at their home or propertyAllows someone 21 years old or older to grow up to 6 marijuana plants at their home or property Asks the state of Colorado to come up with rules for growing and selling marijuana
Things Teens Say…And Things You Can Say Back “It’s legal. Anyone can smoke it.” Colorado voters decided that it should be legal for adults 21 and older to use marijuana, like some adults use alcohol. It doesn’t mean it’s safe to use and people have to be careful with it, just like they do with alcohol.“Since it’s legal, I can’t get into trouble for using it.” You can definitely get into trouble since you’re still under 21, and remember that it is still illegal in most other states in the country and by federal laws. Know that if you choose to use it, you can get in trouble at school, with the law, and even get arrested. This decision could really impact your future goals in a bad way. “It grows in the ground and it’s legal, so it’s not that bad.” That’s not true. There are lots of other legal drugs that can be bad for your health. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are legal for Colorado adults to use, but that doesn’t mean they are always safe. And they’re not safe or healthy for any teens. Using marijuana affects your memory, your ability to learn, and your ability to make good decisions. “Marijuana is safer than alcohol, and alcohol kills a lot more people.” People can die a lot of ways from using drugs, and alcohol is also a drug. With alcohol, some people die from using too much, which is why I don’t want you to use alcohol either. Just because we don’t see people dying right away from marijuana use doesn’t mean it’s healthy or safe. What I really want you to know is that all drugs are bad for you in different ways and none of them are safe or healthy.
Be specific in explaining ways to incorporate media links with discussions
