MPI and San Diego County Office of Education will be hosting a session at this year Southern Region Student Wellness Conference. The session is tilted - Enhancing Community Collaborations to Support Substance Use Prevention.

The session will cover successful collaborations and creation of prevention campaigns that address the current climate of substance use. Fentanyl, vaping products and marijuana are increasingly available and school staff need the proper tools to handle this evolving issue. Attendees will identify new protocols, enhanced data collection tools and community interventions that meet the needs of todays students.

For more information click here.

Indeed, many scientific studies have linked marijuana use to an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. The risk is more than four times greater for people who use high-potency marijuana on a daily basis, compared with those who have never used, according to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry in 2019. One study found eliminating marijuana use in adolescents would reduce global rates of schizophrenia by 10%.

To view NPR article click here.

Most users perceive marijuana as a healthy, natural plant. It's touted as a cure or treatment for pain, anxiety, seizures, and other various ailments. Yet, much of this is false. Dr. Roneet Lev, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and addiction specialist, tells us about what the pot industry prefers to keep to itself.

To view article click here.

IPS and the Center for Community Research, along with the district attorney’s office and the Behavioral Health Services Department in San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency, are joining forces to raise awareness about poly-drug use and driving. The innovative campaign focuses on sensible upstream prevention methods to reduce poly-drug use, increase driver education and promote responsible decisions like the use of ridesharing.

To view full article click here.

Now, consider the exposure of those 6.7 million consumers – and the untold number of cannabis-curious Californians – to Big Cannabis’ battery of attention-grabbing advertisements, such as eye-catching billboards, slick magazine advertisements and provocative digital ads. Think of the consumers, on the receiving end of this advertising onslaught, absorbing the industry’s alluring product-pushing messages without the benefit of counterbalancing them with health warnings about safer-use information.

To view OPED click here.