Today is "Talk With Your Kids About NOT Using Marijuana Day" in WA

Governor Jay Inslee proclaimed today, April 20, 2016, as "Talk With Your Kids About NOT Using Marijuana Day".

Parents have the greatest influence on a child's decision about drugs, including marijuana and alcohol. In fact, teens who learn about the risks from their parents are 50% less likely to use drugs than kids who do not.

The Start Talking Now website provides parents with information about how to start the conversation about drugs. A parent guide produced by Seattle Children's Hospital provides parents with information about how to help their children make healthy decisions, including the decision not to use drugs.

Baked goods & desserts top the list of approved marijuana-infused products in WA

Of the marijuana-infused products approved by the Liquor and Cannabis Board, who are to reject products that are especially appealing to children, baked goods and desserts make up most (68%) of the market according to the recently released Washington State Marijuana Impact Report.

Baked goods include cookies, brownies, scones, biscotti, muffins, and bread. Desserts include chocolate, caramels, truffles, brittle, fudge, and mints. The February edition of the Marijuana News Bulletin included a picture of a baked good called UHi?

Other marijuana-infused products listed include sugar packets, milk chocolate malted balls, and root beer hard candy.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Poison Center reports an increase in marijuana-related calls to their helpline. The Center takes calls from throughout the state that range from accidental exposures/ingestions to potential overdoses involving an array of substances. Among those substances is marijuana and among people exposed to marijuana, 45% were youth in 2014.

Since 2012, Poison Center calls related to marijuana-infused products have significantly increased.

More marijuana stores to be allowed in NE Seattle - Updated

Last month, Mayor Ed Murray proposed new zoning rules to loosen restrictions on where marijuana retail stores may be located in Seattle. Under the proposal, the 1,000-foot buffer around playgrounds and schools would remain in effect while buffers around other places frequented by children, such as day care centers, libraries, community centers, transit centers, and arcades, would be reduced to 500 feet, approximately 1-2 city blocks. The new rule would establish an additional 1,650 acres for retail locations. The proposal would also create a minimum distance of 500 feet between retail outlets.

What does that mean for NE Seattle?

With the proposal, the Mayor's Office released two maps: one showing the current zoning rules and possible locations for retail marijuana shops and one showing the additional areas that would be allowed under the proposed legislation. The map below shows the NE Seattle areas (in yellow) that would be appropriately zoned for marijuana stores under the proposal. 

Red Circle = 500'/1,000' buffer for existing marijuana retailers; Green Cross = 500'/1,000' buffer for existing medical marijuana retailers; Green Area = Areas where retail marijuana is not allowed under licensing restrictions; Grey Area = Areas where retail marijuana is not allowed under zoning restrictions; Yellow Area = Estimated areas where retail marijuana would be allowed.

If the proposal is adopted by the City Council, additional areas in NE Seattle that would be zoned appropriately for marijuana retailers are:

• Along Lake City Way NE,
• Around Northgate Mall, 
• Around University Village, 
• Along NE 45th Street and the beginning of Sand Point Way NE,
• Along NE 55th Street. 

 The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal on Tuesday, December 15.  

UPDATE 12/16/2015: The City Council Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee approved the proposal with an amendment allowing two pot shops to open next to one another. Publicola reported on the committee's debate regarding the impact of the policy on communities of color.

"Why I Don't Smoke"

The Southeast Seattle P.E.A.C.E. Coalition and the Southeast Asian Young Men's Group at ACRS present: "Why I Don't Smoke."

Why I Don't Smoke from SE Asian Young Men's Group on Vimeo.

Teens' positive views of marijuana and alcohol associated with future DUI

Check out Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson's blog post about why it's important to talk with children in early middle school about marijuana and alcohol.

Here's an excerpt:

New acronym for me this week: RWDD. It’s “Riding With a Drinking Driver.” Not a drunk one, but someone who has been drinking . . . A study out yesterday in Pediatrics is worth a quick mention to any parent or any adult or any family doc or any pediatrician or any nurse practitioner or any medical assistant or any coach or any teacher that has contact/supervision/leadership/influence with a teen. The study, conducted on middle school students in the Los Angeles area, found that positive beliefs about marijuana at age 12 were predictors of later getting a DUI or RWDD when a new teen driver 4 years later. Translation: middle school is a wild time of transition and the time we should check in about marijuana’s lack of safety and risks associated with alcohol. Researchers conclude that 6th grade is when we should be talking with our tweens, that “positive beliefs and ability to resist marijuana in early adolescence, not actual alcohol and marijuana use, had the strongest association with DUI  and RWDD ∼4 years later.”

Dr. Swanson talked about how positive views on marijuana and alcohol are associated with future DUI on King5:

 

New WA marijuana legislation & its impact on local youth

During this year's state legislative session, two bills were adopted that make changes to the marijuana systems in Washington. Below is a summary as they relate to youth in NE Seattle.

Cannabis Patient Protection Act (5052)

• Eliminates medical marijuana businesses.
• Requires the newly re-named Liquor & Cannabis Board (LCB) to increase the number of marijuana retail licenses they issue.
• Creates a voluntary medical marijuana registry. Those who register as medical marijuana users are exempt from the marijuana excise tax. With a medical marijuana authorization card, people can possess more marijuana than they can without one.

Comprehensive Marijuana Market Reforms (2136)

• Permits local jurisdictions to reduce the buffer between marijuana businesses and community centers, transit centers, libraries, arcades, and child care centers from 1,000 feet to 100 feet. The 1,000 foot buffer between schools and marijuana businesses remains.
• Allows retailers to have an additional sign identifying their business and trade name.
• Prohibits consumption in a "public place" instead of "in view of the public".
• Eliminates the 25% excise taxes on marijuana producers (growers) and processors and increases the excise tax on retail marijuana sales to 37%.
• Provides some marijuana tax revenue to local jurisdictions based on retail sales and population.

Local Impact

• More businesses: LCB likely will increase the number of marijuana business licenses for Seattle.
• Smaller buffer zones: The City Council likely will reduce the 1,000 foot buffer between marijuana businesses and places where children frequently congregate.
• Business clusters: Since most of Seattle is zoned as single family residential, which is off-limits for any marijuana business, marijuana businesses likely will continue to be clustered along large arterials and in only certain areas of the city.
• Businesses in a few neighborhoods: In NE Seattle, areas that could see more marijuana businesses include the University District, Lake City, Northgate, and Jackson Park.
• Continued public use: Since most tickets for using marijuana in public are given to people in the greater Downtown area, the public use definition change likely will have little impact on NE Seattle. It is unclear if the public place definition will change enforcement of the law during festivals like Hempfest.

What Prevention Science Tells Us

• Research has repeatedly shown that the more places that sell alcohol, tobacco, and fast food in a community the more likely teenagers are to consume those products.
• Research has repeatedly shown that taxes on cigarettes and alcohol decrease youth use of those products.
• Substance use prevention coalitions are proven to reduce population-level adolescent drug use rates. This is especially true when schools that are part of coalitions implement evidence-based curricula, such as Life Skills Training and Project Alert.
• Most teenagers who use alcohol and marijuana report getting the drugs socially, mostly from friends. 

Teenagers and marijuana-infused foods, beverages

In this news story, Lisa Sharp from Seattle Public Schools and Yolanda Evans from Seattle Children's Hospital discuss the consumption of marijuana-infused foods among adolescents.  The story highlights the need to educate parents about marijuana-infused products and marijuana concentrates.

Liquor Control Board to limit marijuana-infused products appealing to children

Today, the Washington State Liquor Control Board adopted emergency rules adding a requirement that all marijuana-infused products, packaging, and labeling be approved by them.  The rules are to clarify the types of marijuana-infused products the board will allow to be produced and sold.  The board's issue paper on the emergency rules states:

"Many marijuana-infused products on the medical marijuana market today are appealing to children.  Products such as lollipops, gummy bears, and cotton candy are very appealing to children too young to read a label."

To gain approval from the board, marijuana processors must submit a picture of the product, its label, and packaging to them.  The board will not approve products that appeal to children.

Marijuana-infused products that look like foods and beverages that children commonly eat and drink have been a concern for Prevention WINS members even prior to the I-502 vote.  Concerns were expressed to the Liquor Control Board during their rule-making process and as they developed recommendations for reconciling the recreational and medical marijuana systems.  During rule-making, Prevention WINS included the following in our letter to the board:

Recently, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Pediatrics discussed the increase in unintentional ingestion of marijuana among children in Colorado.

As the Board knows from experience, many flavored malt beverages are fruit flavored and particularly attractive to minors. In one survey about underage drinking, when asked what one type of alcohol drink they would most prefer, 30% of teens said “alcopops” (the term used to describe these flavored alcoholic beverages – a combination of “alcohol” and “pop”).

In the past, the Board has banned the sale of certain alcohol products because of the high likelihood that the products are attractive to minors. A similar ban should be placed on marijuana-infused products that are attractive to minors and resemble products primarily consumed by children. Examples of such products, many of which currently may be sold in medical marijuana access points, include but are not limited to:

• Snow-cones,
• Hard candy, lollipops, and cookies shaped like animals, people, cartoon and other characters, Christmas trees, snowmen, stars, etc.,
• Soda-pop,
• Juice,
• Candy bars,
• Pop-Tarts,
• “Gummy” candies shaped like worms, bears, etc.

Some flavored tobacco and alcohol products are also banned because of their potential to attract young people. The Board should ban marijuana products containing flavorings such as fruit, candy, and vanilla.

The emergency rules also include guidelines regarding serving sizes.  The new rules read:

"Marijuana-infused products in solid form that contain more than one serving must be scored to indicate individual serving sizes, and labeled so that the serving size is prominently displayed on the packaging."

"Marijuana-infused products must be homogenized to ensure uniform disbursement of cannabinoids throughout the product."  

Public health regulations for marijuana

An article published in the April 17, 2014 edition of the American Journal of Public Health discusses why public health regulations are needed when establishing a legal commercial marijuana system. 

Based on research findings for preventing teen alcohol and tobacco use, the authors suggest implementing the following regulations for an emerging marijuana market:

• Keeping prices artificially high;
• Restricting and carefully monitoring licenses if a state monopoly is not established;
• Limiting the types of products sold;
• Limiting marketing;
• Restricting public consumption. 

Limiting outlet density: public health benefits

The Washington State Liquor Control Board marijuana rules limit the amount of marijuana retailers that may open in communities.  Twenty-one stores will be allowed in Seattle, which is in line with how many liquor stores were in Seattle prior to privatization.  Limiting outlet density is a proven way to reduce underage drinking and other public health harms associated with alcohol.  The article elaborates by stating, “ . . . studies from various disciplines converge in showing a strong positive relationship between alcohol outlet density and alcohol misuses as well as unintentional injuries and crime.  The evidence is so strong that several national and regional health organizations . . . have included recommendations related to licensing restrictions in prevention plans.”

Limiting outlet density: Saving tax dollars

The article goes on to say, “Keeping the number of licenses small also helps control the cost of regulating these new businesses and enforcing compliance (because there are fewer entities to oversee).  Fewer licenses make it easier for the government to keep close records on each licensee, making it easier to discover anomalies in their books that could indicate diversion to underground markets.”

Limiting products sold

Since it is difficult to expand regulations once a market is fully established, the authors suggest that products attractive to youth be strictly limited from the get-go.  “If governments wait to try to impose such product restrictions or leave the industry to regulate itself, the outcome could be problematic, as profit motive will likely dominate decisions rather than consumer safety.”  Both the alcohol and tobacco industries make products that are attractive to youth including sweet-flavored cigarettes, nicotine products, and alcohol.   Currently, marijuana rules in our state do not ban sweet-flavored or other products that may be attractive to youth. 

Restricting public consumption

The authors promote limiting public consumption of marijuana based on studies about youth tobacco use and restrictions on public tobacco use.  “ . . . Clean indoor air laws targeting public places that youths tend to congregate . . . are associated with reduced initiation and self-reported use of cigarettes among children and adolescents.  Even broad workplace clean indoor air laws . . . have been shown to influence the smoking behaviors of youths by influencing antismoking norms.”  While the use of marijuana “in view of the public” is against Washington State law, it remains to be seen how the law is interpreted by local jurisdictions and enforced.  In Seattle, public use of marijuana results in a verbal warning for the first violation and a $27 fine after that.  

Liquor Control Board will hold lottery for marijuana retail licenses later this month

The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) today announced that they will hold a lottery to select the apparent successful applicants for marijuana retail licenses April 21-25.  The lottery will produce a list of applicants that the agency will use to continue its retail licensing process. The WSLCB is expected to post the list of applicants for each jurisdiction in their website’s public records section on May 2 and they expect to begin issuing retail licenses no later than the first week of July.

Initiative 502 directed the WSLCB to limit the number of marijuana retail stores by county. In its rules, the WSLCB limited the number of stores statewide to 334. The City of Seattle is allocated 21 retail stores, similar to the number of liquor stores in the city prior to privatization. 

There are multiple requirements for licensure such as the applicant must have a business location that is not within 1,000 feet of a school, park or other area specified by Initiative 502 as places where children congregate.  The City of Seattle adopted zoning regulations that prohibit marijuana businesses from locating in residential areas, neighborhood business zones, and historical areas. 

Limiting how many retail outlets are allowed in a geographic area is a science-based method for preventing  youth substance use.  Multiple studies indicate that restricting the number of businesses that sell alcohol or tobacco in a neighborhood is one way to prevent youth access and use of the drugs.  The same is expected to hold true for marijuana.  

How to address an increase in students attending school under the influence of drugs?

On Wednesday, March 19, 7-8:30 p.m., Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, will provide parents with information about how marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs affect teen health and development and what parents can do support healthy teen decision-making.  This parent education forum will be held at Roosevelt High School, 1410 NE 66^th Street. 

The event is part of a multi-pronged approach to address an increase in Roosevelt High School student use of substances, particularly marijuana, during school hours.  According to a letter that was sent to families of RHS freshmen, this year the school is “experiencing an increase in students being under the influence and/or in possession of marijuana/alcohol at school or school related activities.  In fact, our discipline incidents with respect to marijuana/alcohol use are double what they were this time last year.” 

Roosevelt High School is not unique.  Other Seattle high schools are reporting an increase in students attending school under the influence and an increase in the number of vaporizers confiscated.  (Vaporizers may be used to ingest THC or nicotine – both prohibited on school grounds.)  As noted in an earlier post, Seattle students attend school under the influence of drugs at rates higher than the King County and State averages.

Marijuana public consumption bills sent to City Council

Bills about pubic consumption of marijuana and public smoking were discussed during yesterday's City Council Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee meeting.



Discussion about Council Bill 117989 regarding public consumption begins at around 57:00 and Council Bill 117998 regarding public smoking begins at around 74:00.

To strengthen the public consumption bill so that it supports public health goals for helping youth access substance abuse-related services they may need, two items should be changed.

1. The bill should specify how the law will be enforced among minors.  While the first “Whereas” in the bill states that Initiative 502 legalized adult possession, the ordinance does not specifically distinguish between the enforcement of marijuana laws among adults (21 and older) from enforcement among minors (20 and younger).  

For example:

~ The bill states, “A person who violates this section is guilty of a class 3 civil infraction under RCW Chapter 7.80.”  The word “person” should be replaced with “adults 21 years old and older” since the law is different for minors.  Minors are to be referred to the King County Juvenile Diversion program and are not to be charged with a civil infraction.  The diversion program can help at-risk teenagers link with drug education or treatment services that may be needed.  

~ The bill  states that SPD intends to “provide a first warning for persons violating the provisions”.  Since the police play such an important public health role when it comes to linking teenagers to the substance abuse services they may need, warnings should be given to adults who are 21 years old and above but minors under the age of 21 should be referred to the King County Juvenile Diversion Program. 

Any City ordinance dealing with the enforcement of minors in possession of alcohol should be updated to include marijuana.  To reduce community risk factors for underage use and to link at-risk youth with services they may need, these laws should be enforced and the policy of referring youth to the diversion program should be followed.  

2. Define public use:  Council Bill 117989 states, “It is unlawful to open a package containing or consume marijuana, usable marijuana or a marijuana-infused product in view of the general public.”  Though the fiscal note attached to this ordinance says that the intent is to bring marijuana laws in line with alcohol laws, the language is different than alcohol-related language that states that public use of alcohol is illegal.  The ordinance should define what is meant by “in view of the general public” so that it is clear to citizens what will be enforced and what won’t be enforced when it comes to marijuana use outside of personal residences.  

Adult behavior impacts youth behavior.  All children, even teenagers, look to adults to determine how they should act.  One of the reasons tobacco smoking rates are down among youth is because they are not exposed to adults smoking tobacco as much as they were prior to the many smoke-free policies adopted throughout our communities.  The same holds true for alcohol and other drugs – the more teenagers see use as a normal part of adult life, including public life, the more likely they are to use the substances.  

Both bills were referred to the full Council.

Pot shop stings won't be enough to prevent marijuana availability among teenagers

Availability and norms are two of the strongest predictors of youth marijuana use.  An article in the Seattle Times discusses one form of availability (or, if you want to use the Department of Justice’s terminology: “distribution”): availability through buying marijuana in stores, expected to open in the middle of next year.  

Teenagers obtain marijuana from friends

What the article does not discuss is the primary way that youth who use marijuana actually get marijuana: through personal connections.  According to results from the 2012 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the most common way that Seattle high school students who use marijuana get marijuana is from friends.  About as many of these high school students report getting marijuana from their home as they do from a medical marijuana retail access point. 

One ounce of marijuana
Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 

Distributing an ounce of marijuana

Though substance abuse treatment providers have been witnessing an increase in youth using edible and vaporized marijuana products, I am going to use the “traditional” form of marijuana  as an example.

If a parent, older sibling, or older friend buys an ounce of marijuana (the legal limit for a sales transaction), it looks something like the photo on the left.  From a quick Google search about how many joints can be made from an ounce, it appears as if the number is anywhere from 30 to 100 joints with 50 to 60 being the most common answer.  This means that a consumer who buys an ounce likely will not use the entire stash at one time leaving quite a bit of marijuana left-over.  This is similar to liquor -- most people who drink alcohol do not drink an entire bottle of vodka all at once.  So, what happens to the left-overs?

If it belongs to a parent, will it end up in a cabinet, waiting to be used again?  We know with alcohol and with prescription medications, this can be a significant source for youth.

If it belongs to an older sibling or friend of a teenager, what stops them from sharing it with people under the age of 21?  Or selling it to them?  Lately, community members have been sharing stories of people taking liquor orders from teens and then stealing or buying it for them.  What prohibits people over the age of 21 from taking marijuana orders from minors and buying it for them? 

These are a few examples of availability that will not be addressed by the Liquor Control Board (LCB) conducting sting operations in pot shops.  These are examples of availability that are much more likely to be a problem than teenagers buying pot in stores.

So, while it’s essential that the LCB keeps an eye on pot shops to ensure they don’t sell to minors, policy makers and communities need to do more to curb availability.

More about the predictors of youth marijuana use

In the previous post, I provided an overview of a recent presentation about how marijuana availability and norms are strong predictors of youth use of the drug.  The information was based on a presentation given during a recent symposium at the University of Washington.

The presentation ended with a closer look at how new state marijuana laws may affect levels of risk for marijuana use among teenagers.  UW researchers predict that both availability and norms will change.  They point out that parenting behaviors, including parent use, may change.

When looking at increased marijuana availability among youth, researchers not only point to stores and the likely commercialization of marijuana similar to the commercialization of other legal drugs and consumable goods.  They also predict that more adults who are parents will use marijuana, making the drug available in the home.  With the proliferation of non-smoked forms of marijuana, public use of these hard-to-detect products may result in increased availability among youth.  

Since marijuana-infused foods have become more available through the medical marijuana system, it is expected that they will become more available in the I-502 system, as well.  If adults in a household keep marijuana-infused ice-cream in the freezer, how will it be differentiated from regular ice-cream and away from kids?   

The presentation concluded with discussion about implications of increased availability and norms favorable to marijuana use and what can be done.  Strategies to reduce home and social access were discussed.  Communities will need to monitor norms around use.  Availability and norms may be increasingly important risk factors that those of us who work to prevent youth drug use will need to address in our communities.  

A parent's guide to preventing underage marijuana use

This week, Prevention WINS released Now that marijuana is legal in Washington . . . A parent’s guide to preventing underage marijuana use. 

The booklet is written by Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Kevin Haggerty, Associate Director of the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington.  Dr. Walker is a leader in adolescent medicine, especially adolescent substance abuse, and Dr. Haggerty is a leader in adolescent substance abuse prevention. 

The booklet includes information about:

~ Marijuana and teen health.

~ What parents can do to prevent teen marijuana use.

~ What the new law means for minors.

The goal of the booklet is to provide parents of children in grades 6-8 with tools they can use to prevent underage marijuana use.  Messages are prevention-oriented and are similar to what parents learn in Guiding Good Choices.  

The booklet is not a drug education resource.  It does not contain information about specific types of marijuana products.  A good source for drug education resources is the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute's marijuana website and clearinghouse. 

Page 8 of the guide includes a few resources that parents may access for more information.  It is by no means an exhaustive list and it focuses on NE Seattle.  It was intentionally kept short so that people could write in or affix stickers with their local resources.    

For more information about the booklet, please contact the Prevention WINS coordinator.

Resources for parents for preventing teen drug use

Last night, a group of NE Seattle parents whose children attend Eckstein Middle School and Roosevelt High School got together to socialize, connect, and share information.  The group has been getting together for several years -- ever since a few of them took a Guiding Good Choices class at Eckstein.  Guiding Good Choices, and other evidence-based substance abuse prevention programs for parents, encourages parents to stay connected with one another and to support each other in keeping their children away from drugs.

The Prevention WINS coalition offers a variety of drug prevention "tools" for parents.  Videos featuring Dr. Leslie Walker are among them.  Here is one about networking with other parents.

Online Resources

·         PreventionWorksInSeattle.org includes a Parenting Tips & Tools page

 ·         Facebook: Facebook.com/Prevention.WINS helps parents stay connected

Classes & Guest Speakers

·         Parenting programs at Eckstein Middle School including Guiding Good Choices and the Strengthening Families Program.  

·         Start Talking Now –presentations for parents of 5^th grade students in NE Seattle.  Prevention needs to start early and is especially important during transitions, such as the transition into middle school. 

·         Sex, Drugs & Facebook – information for parents of middle school, high school, and college students about social media and drugs and how to promote healthy Internet use.

Print Resources: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Underage Marijuana Use  (To be posted to PreventionWorksInSeattle.org by 11/15/13.) 

For more information about any of these resources, please contact the Prevention WINS coordinator.

Preventing underage marijuana use: What we can learn from tobacco prevention funding

"Fifteen years after tobacco companies agreed to pay billions of dollars in fines in what is still the largest civil litigation settlement in U.S. history, it's unclear how state governments are using much of that money," according to a recent NPR story.

The story goes on to report about what happened to tobacco settlement funds that were supposed to go toward tobacco prevention programs.  For instance in Mississippi, "What happened as the years went by, legislators come and go, and governors come and go . . . so we got a new governor and he had a new opinion about the tobacco trust fund . . . So a trust fund that should have $2.5 billion in it now doesn't have much at all . . ." 

"And it's not just Mississippi . . . all across the country hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to states, and the state have made choices not to spend money on public health and tobacco prevention."

Tobacco funding in Washington
Washington State is no different.  As the following chart from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids shows, only a fraction of the total state tobacco revenue -- from the Tobacco Settlement agreement and tobacco taxes -- is spent on prevention.

From the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

Historically, Washington funded tobacco prevention largely through the Tobacco Prevention and Control Account, which included a portion of the revenue raised by a 2001 voter-approved 60 cent per pack cigarette tax increase. The ballot initiative dedicated the new revenue to the state’s Basic Health Plan, to tobacco prevention and cessation, and other existing programs that were already funded with tobacco tax revenue. The initiative required the state to spend at least $26.24 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation beginning July 1, 2002.  In the 2009 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature changed this law and diverted tobacco tax money to the general fund.  

Marijuana revenue: Will history repeat?
Last week, I blogged about how our state plans to spend marijuana revenue dedicated for teen drug abuse prevention.  However, there is no guarantee that these funds will not be diverted to the state's general fund in a few years.  Though influential people and lawmakers currently say that underage marijuana prevention is essential for making our new marijuana system work, especially considering the U.S. Department of Justices guidelines, there is nothing preventing a reversal of course in a few years.

With the elimination of our state's Community Mobilization program, it's clear that the legislature does not prioritize teen drug abuse prevention even if the availability of the second most commonly used drug among teens is about to increase significantly.

What prevention programs will be funded with marijuana revenue?

How will marijuana revenue earmarked to fund youth substance abuse prevention be spent?  This was the topic of a community forum hosted by the Washington Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery (DBHR) in Seattle last week.

First of all, revenue from marijuana taxes will go to fund the Liquor Control Board to run the marijuana system; the Healthy Youth Survey; cost-benefit analysis of the legal marijuana system and its impacts on our state; and web-based public education.

After these items are funded, a variety of other things will be funded, including youth substance abuse prevention.

Prevention funding will go to already established coalitions funded by DBHR; to Native American tribes that receive prevention funding; and to establish new coalitions in communities at high risk for youth marijuana use.

In Seattle, two established coalitions receive funding from DBHR -- one in the Garfield High School community and one in the Aki Kurose Middle School community.

As the plan stands right now, no money will be allocated for school-based prevention-intervention counselors or prevention programs unless a DBHR-funded coalition exists in the school's community.

The full presentation may be viewed by clicking here and the handouts may be viewed by clicking here.

Are alcohol & marijuana social host laws right for our community?

National Electronic Seminar: Social Host Laws: The Good, the Bad and the Changes

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Noon-1:15 p.m.

To register, click here.

Since the 1990’s local and state governments have passed laws designed to hold those who provide alcohol, or enable the consumption by providing an environment in which a minor can consume alcohol, responsible for their conduct. These “social host” laws are often different and unique to the communities they serve.  (In fact, WA communities may want to consider social host laws for marijuana as well as alcohol.) 

This webinar will take a retrospective look at the different social host approaches used by cities, counties and states. Laws that have survived as well as those that have been struck down by the courts will be examined and the challenges proponents of social host legislation face in the future will be discussed.

New video provides clarity about what new marijuana law means to teens

Check out the new video created by the Mercer Island Communities That Care Coalition that provides some clarity about what Washington's new marijuana law means for teens.