What can parents do to prevent teen drug use?

Over at Seattle Children's Teenology 101 blog, Dr. Yolanda Evans announced a free upcoming parent education night about how to prevent teen substance use:

Date: March 24, 2016

Location: Wright Auditorium in Seattle Children’s Hospital

4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Time: 6:30pm -8:30pm

Panel Participants: 

Lisa Chinn, Mental Health & Chemical Dependency professional

Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

Dr. Suzan Mazor, Attending Physician, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Toxicology

Rachel & Joseph, parents of a college sophomore

Jon Huber, Seattle Police Department Impaired Driving Coordinator/Trainer

Coalition meets March 8

Prevention WINS General Coalition Meeting 
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 
8:00am-9:30am 
Roosevelt High School – 15^th Ave NE & 66^th Street - Room #108 
Sign in at the main office

Agenda

1. Welcome and review of agenda

2. Introductions

3. Roosevelt High School snapshot

4. Roosevelt High School Health Advisory Council student presentation

5. View from Sweden – Patrick Widell, Detective Superintendent
6. Presentation: Impacts of Legal Marijuana on Our Public Health-What we know now
7. Washington Poison Center - Train the Trainers update

8. DFC business
1. Action Plan Year 6 Committees and Workgroups update
2. YMPEP update
3. DFCMe semi-annual reporting
4. Washington Department of Health Marijuana update – May 3^rd
5. Budget update

9. Community Education Committee report

10.  CBS affiliate KSTW Community Partnership with Prevention WINS   

         

11.  Sharing & Announcement: Prevention WINS & Children’s Preventing Teen Drug Use parent panel – March 24, 2016

Prevention WINS meeting are open to all who are interested in preventing teen drug use!

Illegal tobacco sales to minors at highest level since 1997

From the Washington State Department of Health:

More than 17 percent of Washington’s tobacco retailers illegally sold tobacco to minors in 2015, according to the annual Synar Report. Washington’s 2015 retailer non-compliance level is the highest it’s been since the state began tracking in 1997, when the rate was 19.8 percent. If the rate exceeds 20 percent, the state could lose federal funding for drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention and treatment.

Teen access to tobacco can lead to a lifetime of addiction: “It is unacceptable that more than one in six retailers are illegally selling tobacco to minors,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “When kids get their hands on tobacco, it can lead to a lifetime of addiction, poor health, and early death. In our state tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death. Tobacco retailers need to follow the law and help us grow the healthiest next generation.”

Reporting illegal sales: Compliance checks are conducted by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board as well as Public Health – Seattle & King County. Working with local law enforcement, underage teens try to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products at randomly selected retailers. Clerks who sell tobacco to minors can be fined up to $100. Retail owners can be fined up to $1,500 and may have their license revoked for up to five years.

While official youth checks determine the rate of illegal sales, anyone can report a violation on the state Liquor and Cannabis Board website. 

Prevention funding cuts taking a toll: State agencies are convening to review retailer compliance issues statewide and to recommend outreach and education activities to address the problem within current budget parameters. Historically, retailer education was done in concert with other CDC best practices and was managed by local public health departments, but funding for these activities was cut in 2009.

Doctor's advice for preventing teen marijuana use

Over at the Teenology 101 blog, Dr. Yolanda Evans provides parents with tips and links to resources to help them prevent marijuana use among their children. Some of the advice shared includes:   

- Start talking early – teens who use marijuana often start by age 14. Parents should start having an ongoing conversation about drugs by 4th or 5th grade. 

- Set clear guidelines – establish clear, specific, and consistent rules about marijuana and other drugs. This can be part of a broader conversation around expectations of things like chores, curfew, showing respect for family members, following law and school regulations. 

- Keep lines of communication open. Eat dinner together, do fun activities together, communicate in whatever way your child does (Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, texting, etc).

One of Seattle Magazine's 2016 Top Doctors is a leader in substance use prevention

Seattle Magazine this week released their list of 2016 Top Doctor's and Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital and long-time Prevention WINS member, is among the physicians recognized. In particular, she is recognized for her work with high risk adolescent behavior and substance abuse.

In addition to being a part of youth marijuana use prevention campaigns encouraging parents to talk to their children and co-authoring a guide for parents, she is featured in short videos available on YouTube. Here is one of them.

We all have a role to play in preventing teen drug abuse

Thank you Group Health Pharmacy for posting the Prevention WINS Mind Your Meds posters in your waiting rooms!

Upcoming coalition meetings: All are welcome!

The Prevention Works in Seattle (Prevention WINS) coalition's mission is to prevent youth drug use in NE Seattle. The coalition meets every other month and is open to anyone interested in preventing teen drug use. Upcoming meeting dates are:

• March 8, 
• May 10, 
• July 12, 
• and September 13. 

For additional information about meetings, contact the Prevention WINS Coordinator.

Why talking with children early about drugs is important

Over at the Teenology 101 blog, Dr. Yolanda Evans posted information about teens at risk for driving under the influence (DUI) or riding with a drinking driver (RWDD). Here are a few excerpts:

When teens were in middle school, more positive beliefs about marijuana and a stronger belief in their personal ability to resist marijuana use were associated with an increased risk of DUI/RWDD. 

When surveyed in late middle school, adolescents who drank alcohol only, who perceived their friends were drinking, or those who spent more time with teens who were using marijuana all had higher risk of DUI/RWDD 2 years later. 

How can parents translate these findings?

• Early encounters with substance use can increase their risk years later of DUI/RWDD for tweens and teens in middle school. Parents should start discussions early about drugs and alcohol.
• Set the expectation that alcohol and drug use (including marijuana) is not acceptable.  

Read all of this Teenology 101 post here.

Documentary examines local underage marijuana culture

Washington and Oregon adolescents and young adults talk about the local marijuana culture in the video below. Dr. Leslie Walker, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital, provides the medical perspective. Toward the end, the video calls for the expansion of research-based prevention programming.

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.