On Route 109, between Millis and Medway, a billboard advertises Weed App, an app available for anyone who wants to know reliable sources for marijuana. Marijuana isn’t available for sale yet in Massachusetts (that will come later), but in the aftermath of November 8th’s vote to decriminalize marijuana use, sources are laying the groundwork for sales. And Massachusetts teens are watching.
State law prohibits use of marijuana by those under the age of 21, but an age restriction is not a brick wall. Although there are age restrictions in place on the use of tobacco and alcohol, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reports that 7.7% of Massachusetts high schoolers are smoking. The June 2015 Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking states that 26.2% of Massachusetts teens ages 15 to 17 reported drinking in the last month, with 16% reporting binge-drinking. The numbers are even higher for ages 18 to 20, with 59.6% reporting drinking alcohol and 39.9% binge drinking.
Given those numbers, communities are preparing for teens to be faced with the reality of marijuana usage, and the best places to reach at-risk teens are through the schools and through the police force.
Detective/Resource Officer Michelle Palladini is the director of the LEAP Program, an innovative collaboration between law enforcement and the community. “A lot of parents and educators say they’re fighting a losing battle, but we’re not.” Palladini’s program began with King Philip Regional Middle School but has expanded far further. “We’re trying to integrate the police with the schools and the parents to really support the children in happiness, health, safety, and resilience.
The LEAP program emphasizes forming a “village” of support around each child. This support system would involve not only their parents, but also the police, schools, coaches and mentors.
Gabrielle Siraco is an adjustment counselor at Millis High School, where the response the legalization was immediate and well-coordinated. “The principal, Mr. Mullaney, addressed the issue right after it was passed,” Siraco says. “He met with each class, from freshmen though seniors, along with Officer Bickford.” Officer Dale Bickford is the Millis Police Department’s school resource officer.
“They talked about the new law and also clarified that it doesn’t mean marijuana is legal for them,” says Siraco. “The same rules apply: No drugs on school grounds. If a student is found with drugs, they are suspended, and it is brought to the attention of the police.”
But the Millis High School doesn’t end its involvement there. “We are in the planning stages of implementing the SBIRT program,” Siraco says. The SBIRT program, to be rolled out next year, involves Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral for Treatment.
Siraco says, “We already have conversations to educate students about drugs and alcohol through health class, and in high school through advisory group, but SBIRT is a one-to-one conversation. That’s where my role as a counselor comes into play: is this child at risk? Are they in harm’s way? On a case-by-case basis, I have to make that decision.”
Meanwhile, the iTunes store features over 20 marijuana-related apps (in lifestyle and medical) with functions from locating doctors who prescribe medical marijuana to recipes for including marijuana in ordinary food.
In late January, police released a photo of marijuana-laced candy designed to look like Starburst, seized from a student at King Philip High School. Although this was an isolated incident, parents have reason to be concerned.
Because the areas of the brain most associated with impulse control are among the last to complete development, teens face their own specific set of pressures and consequences if they use marijuana. A 2014 study printed in Psychopharmicology by Dr. Staci Gruber demonstrated that brain development is affected by marijuana usage, with marijuana smokers demonstrating higher levels of reported impulsivity than control participants.
Detective Palladini says, “Any child that’s involved needs to have a mental health counselor, someone who’s objective, someone they can confide in, and it’s important that the kids have a nonparent adult they can go to with questions, someone who can mentor them.”
“We can help them connect with someone they can talk to,” Gabrielle Siraco says of her work with Millis students. “For students who need help, the counselors here can have a conversation around how to ask their parents for outside counseling, or even coach them on how to talk with their current outpatient therapist to get the most out of their treatment.”
The Town of Millis held a multi-department meeting on February 14th to coordinate their response to the marijuana legislation, with special attention toward protecting the community’s teens. Millis Town Selectman Jim McCaffrey says, “Our discussion was around what we should be considering in the short run, and what should be the town’s overall approach to recreational marijuana sales. The whole initiative is much broader than establishing rules.”
Citing the needs of teens, McCaffrey discusses what is termed nuisance advertising. “We want to work with retail establishments to be sure that we’re not having window displays that highlight the paraphernalia associated with marijuana use, let alone candy. We don’t want it to entice people.” The town will be holding educational sessions, most likely beginning in April, and a town-wide forum to discuss the issue more broadly.
To read more about the LEAP Program, you can visit http://leapprogram.net/. For more information about marijuana and the developing brain, check out http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/11/marijuana-brain.aspx
Issue Date:
March, 2017
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