Prescription drug abuse requires ongoing monitoring, education and support from parents, educators and community. In a 2015 survey of local Placer County youth, the No. 1 place 9th and 11th graders report the usual source of prescription drugs or over the counter medications “to get high or stoned” was in their “own home.”  Age 14 was the average age of onset for those using non-prescribed medications.

Save the Date: April 30, 2016 from 10 am – 2pm, Placer County will be holding a Prescription Drug Take-Back Event to help reduce youth access to harmful prescription medications in our county. Locations and other details will be posted by April 1st. and will be included in our April newsletter. Download fact sheet

The second annual Placer County Youth Impact Awards recognize high-school-age community leaders, innovators, volunteers, and against-the-odds achievers! Last year’s inaugural Youth Awards exceeded expectations and this year promises to be even better! If you know a youth that deserves recognition for making a difference in our community, ask them to apply – tell them why you respect what they are doing, they will be flattered.

To participate in the 2016 Youth Impact Awards, students complete a very simple online application found on the Youth Commission’s website at www.placeryouth.com. Submissions will close the evening of April 4, 2016 at midnight. The five award categories are leadership, community service, applied knowledge and talents, overcoming adversity, and a group impact award. Each category will announce one $200.00 award recipient, and all applicants will receive recognition at a celebration dessert at 7 pm on Sunday, April 24th.

Beyond giving deserved recognition, the awards counter a common societal misconception of teenage apathy. Additionally, by sharing the stories of diverse and creative ways that our communities’ youth make a difference, youth learn about possibilities and more young people are inspired to get engaged. As a community that works hard to foster healthy youth, it is noteworthy that volunteerism doesn’t just help others, but brings many benefits to the youth volunteer such as gaining experience, expanding one’s network,  developing real world skills such as problem solving, fundraising, or public speaking, and even improving mental/emotional health! So spread the word on the Placer County Youth Impact Awards! 

On February 25th, the Coalition for Placer Youth hosted a film screening of “The Other Side of Cannabis” and held a panel presentation of local recovery experts and people in recovery for marijuana addiction. Yes, marijuana addiction is real. Health educators and drug free coalitions across the country are focused on the impacts of marijuana on the developing teen brain, which is not fully developed until age 25. There is no long-term research on the effects of today’s more potent marijuana on the teen brain; but addiction is a real experience for many and impacts families. Learn more

Social media has elevated teen and family exposure to emotional feelings and issues that impact the family. In a 2015 survey of local youth, 62% of 11th graders reported being “a lot” or “always stressed” when they were asked how much stress do you have in your life. Sixty percent of 9th and 11th graders agreed that the number one reason why teens their age use alcohol or drugs is to help them deal with the stresses they feel from school, family, or friends and to help them deal with feelings such as anger, sadness or worry. Supporting parents to understand today’s adolescent world better with tools to improve parent-teen communications is valuable. On April 9th, Joanna Jullien, Banana Moments Foundation founder is holding a symposium with three impactful speakers to assist parents in opening communication and building relationships of trust with their teens. Learn more about symposium

Representatives from Coalition for Placer Youth (CPY), Coalition for Auburn and Lincoln Youth (CALY), and the Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County recently returned from CADCA’s 26th Annual National Leadership Forum where they joined more than 2,700 substance abuse prevention specialists and advocates from across the country to attend our nations premier training event for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers.

“We were so excited to be able to spend several days with other similar organizations from across the country, learning and honing our prevention skills so our community can be a better place; one that doesn’t suffer from the harms of drug and alcohol abuse,” says Ariel Lovett, Coalition Director. “We returned re-energized with new strategies under our belt to tackle drug use in Placer and Nevada Counties.”

CADCA’s Forum covered a range of topics – from the importance of preventing youth marijuana use and underage drinking to how to address the misuse and abuse of prescription medications and the heroin and opioid epidemic.

Coalitions heard from several federal leaders including Michael Botticelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy, DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, and Dr. Bertha Madras.

Dr. Bertha K. Madras, PhD, Professor of Psychobiology, of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School addressed the importance of using science to inform the public about marijuana's harm in her keynote presentation.

"This is not a war on drugs. It's a defense of our brains,” and “Addiction is the only preventable brain disease” said Madras.

Chuck Rosenberg discussed the urgency of addressing the heroin use and prescription drug abuse epidemic sharing that “in 2014 more than 47,000 people died from overdose, more than the number of people killed in car accidents. And we know that 4 out of 5 people that use heroin started with abusing prescription medications”.

A marijuana working group of county staff is holding two upcoming educational Town Hall meetings in March on proposed marijuana ordinances. The first meeting on March 9th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in Auburn at the Placer County Board of Supervisors chambers and the 2nd one is March 16th from 6:30-8:00p.m. at the Rocklin Event Center (off Sunset). Learn more