Preventing underage marijuana use

UpdatedJune 8, 2016

The Commission is working with state agency and community partners to prevent underage marijuana use in Washington State. Voters passed Initiative 502 in 2012, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over. The Commission has heard concerns regarding I-502 implementation and is working to educate parents and families about the new law. Preventing underage marijuana use is a key goal of Results Washington, Gov. Inslee’s data-driven continuous improvement system.

Below are resources for the public and a summary of CAPAA’s efforts to help prevent underage use of marijuana.

Resources

Information for Parents

Know the Facts Cards

• English, Cambodian/Khmer, Chinese, Korean, Lao, Mien, Samoan, Tagalog, Vietnamese

• Order free copies of the Know the Facts Cards

A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Underage Marijuana Use

• English, Spanish

• Order free copies of the Parent’s Guide

Websites

• Learn About Marijuana Washington (UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute)
• Start Talking Now (Washington Healthy Youth Coalition)
• Underage Marijuana Use Prevention Toolkit (Department of Social and Health Services)

Community Resources

Grant Opportunities

• Washington State Department of Health Marijuana Prevention and Education Program(due Dec. 23, 2015)

• Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Community-based Prevention Services(due Dec. 15, 2015)

Advocacy

• Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Advocating Together

Prevention

• Neighborhood House

 

Recovery Services

• Asian Counseling and Referral Service

• International Community Health Services

• Washington Poison Center Washington Recovery Help Line

• Washington Asian Pacific Islander Community Services

 

 

 

More Resources

Educating the Public

• Recreational Marijuana 101 (Department of Health, as presented to CAPAA on March 21, 2015)
• Marijuana and E-Cigarettes: Facts teens can use to make health choices (Department of Health)

Implementation of Initiative 502

• Implementing Initiative 502 (ACLU of Washington)

 

Research

• Assessing Opinions about Marijuana:Insights from Teens and Parents in Washington (Department of Health commissioned focus groups) Healthy Youth Survey

• Department of Health Fact Sheet for I-502 Implementation

• Department of Social and Health ServicesImplementation Plan Overview

• State Agency Roles and Contacts (Department of Social & Health Services)

Public education

• Printed and distributed 8,000 copies of translated marijuana education cards in the following languages: Chinese, Korean, Lao, and, Vietnamese;
• DistributedA Parent’s Guide to Preventing Underage Marijuana Use to community-based organizations that serve APA youth and families;
• Education of community members at events and community meetings; and
• Use of ethnic radio, TV, and newspapers about the new law.

Advocacy

• Held public board meetings on preventing underage marijuana use;
• Request collection of disaggregated data on the Healthy Youth Survey to ensure policymakers understand how marijuana use affects AAPI youth;
• Coordination with the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Advocating Together(APICAT) to ensure community concerns are brought to state policymakers;
• Coordination with Department of Health and Department of Social & Health Services to ensure public education and prevention efforts are culturally and linguistically appropriate;
• Updated Governor Inslee at Sept. 2014 Results Washington Review (clip below); and
• Submitted letter to lawmakers during the 2015 legislative session regarding adequate funding for youth substance abuse treatment, prevention, education, research, and community health to reduce underage marijuana use.