As the Massachusetts Department of Public Health scrambles to write regulations for the medical marijuana law that went into effect Jan. 1, towns are preparing for their own kind of scramble amid the prospect of medical marijuana dispensaries in counties across the state. They don’t have long, Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force coordinator Theresa Manning warned the Dukes County commission this week.
Citing a community effort to counter teenage drinking, the Youth Task Force announced last week that a youth behavior survey shows a decrease in alcohol use by Island teens, though the rates are slightly higher than the national average.
But they also cited concern about a rise in marijuana use, saying that the legalization of marijuana has contributed to increased use by teenagers.
With Massachusetts voters being asked in November to decide whether to legalize medical marijuana, the Dukes County Youth Task Force has come out against the proposal, saying it would exacerbate existing marijuana use by Island teens.
“The Youth Task Force feels committed to opposing ballot question three, primarily based on the fact we don’t want there be more access for kids for marijuana,” task force coordinator Theresa Manning told the Gazette.
Study Released by Youth Task Force Shows Drinking Remains Prevalent,
but Fewer Teens Smoke Cigarettes
Survey results released this week about risky behavior among Island
middle school and high school students reveal few surprises about drug
and alcohol use.
The Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force has hired Theresa Manning, who long has worked with children and families on the Vineyard, as youth task force coordinator.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office recently awarded the task force a one-year, $90,000 grant. The grant will be used to target seventh and eighth grade students and their parents as a first step toward mobilizing the Vineyard community in preventing sustained substance abuse.
There’s nothing like a piping hot cup of New England’s finest potage to warm parents to the idea of talking to their kids about drugs and alcohol.
The Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force welcomed its highest turnout yet of seventh and eighth grade parents to this season’s final Chat and Chowder event at the West Tisbury School on Tuesday night. The dinner and discussion were held the previous week at four other Island schools.
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and the Youth Task Force will host a community forum on prescription drug abuse at 5 p.m. on March 21 at the regional high school library conference room.
Guest speaker Dr. Charles Reznikoff, a world-renowned expert on addiction medicine at the University of Michigan heads the agenda, along with a panel that will include a pharmacist and representatives from the police, hospitals, the task force and community services and the treatment community.
