Massapequa Takes Action Coalition (MTAC) continues its new prevention campaign, Kids and Weed Don’t Roll Together, which outlines unique and informative facts and education to help parents talk with their kids about how marijuana use affects their brain, health and safety.
Compared with teens who don’t use, students who use marijuana are more likely not to finish high school or get a college degree (SAMHSA). THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, affects cells throughout the brain, including cells in circuits related to learning and memory, coordination, and addiction (SAMHSA).
Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 in 2013 to 129 people killed in 2019. This equates to one person killed every 3 1/2 days in 2019 compared to one person killed every 6 1/2 days in 2013 (The Legalization Of Marijuana In Colorado: The Impact-Volume 7 September 2020 Rocky Mountain High Intensity). Ten percent of Massapequa's 11th and 12th graders, who drove in the past 30 days, reported driving a vehicle after using marijuana (2018 YDS Survey).
To learn more about the dangers of youth marijuana use, go to mtacoalition.com or like/follow Massapequa Takes Action Coalition on Facebook.