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<\/a><\/p>\nWe believe it\u2019s important for voters to have as much information as possible in order to make
\nthe best decisions for our students and for our community.
\nCounty schools will host two educational sessions on the effects of marijuana on the adolescent
\nbrain, presented by Health Officer Dr. Dean Kelaita, 6-7pm, Thursday, October 13, 2016 at Bret
\nHarte High School Theater and 6-7pm, Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at Calaveras High
\nSchool Theater. Please join us.
\nMarijuana use has been shown to have measurable negative effects on the developing brain. A
\ngrowing number of scientists have concluded that delaying onset of marijuana use by
\nadolescents is critical to protecting our young people\u2019s health.
\nA white paper produced by Ventura County Behavioral Health includes a great deal of research
\nin this area. The article is titled \u201cWhat the Science Says About Adolescent Use of Cannabis\u201d by
\nLinda Gertson, Ph.D. The full article, and all citations, can be accessed via the Calaveras
\nCounty Office of Education website, ccoe.k12.ca.us.
\nA national survey done in 2015 found that more than 47% of Americans aged 12 and older have
\nused cannabis during their lifetime, more than any other illicit drug use. Locally, the Fall 2015
\nCalifornia Healthy Kids Survey indicated that 8% of 9th graders and 22% of 11th graders had
\nused marijuana in the past 30 days. Fifty-five percent of 9th graders and 75% of 11th graders
\nconsidered marijuana \u201cfairly easy\u201d or \u201cvery easy\u201d to obtain.
\nResearch has shown that how young people are when they start using marijuana is a strong
\npredictor of whether they will have a future substance use disorder. Kids who use marijuana
\nduring adolescence are 2 to 4 times more likely to have symptoms of dependence in the first
\ntwo years.
\nMany scientific studies have shown a relationship between early use of marijuana and negative
\neffects on mental ability and educational achievement. A relationship has also been established
\nfor several psychiatric conditions, particularly schizophrenia. The brain does not reach full
\nmaturity until a young person reaches their early twenties, and many complex brain functions
\nare still developing during adolescence.
\nOne study involving more than 6,000 people found that rates of educational attainment were
\nhighest for those who had not used marijuana before age 18 and lowest for those who started
\nusing before age 15. The authors suggested that early use of marijuana may negatively impact
\na young person\u2019s ability to obtain a high school diploma or move into higher education.
\nIn a study assessing the effects of marijuana use on verbal learning and memory, even
\nadolescents with relatively brief exposure to marijuana demonstrated similar memory loss to
\nthat reported in adult long-term heavy users. There was strong evidence of greater memory loss
\nthe earlier marijuana use started.
\nThe authors of several of the studies reviewed in the white paper emphasize the need for
\nprevention or delay of marijuana use in adolescence, and recommend efforts to ensure that
\nmarijuana legislation consider the potentially adverse developmental effects of this drug.
\nClearly, research has shown that it\u2019s critically important to keep marijuana away from children
\nfor as long as possible.
\nSupporters of California\u2019s Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) argue that the initiative protects
\npublic health and safety generally, and potential risks to children and youth in particular.
\nA policy report called \u201cThe 2016 California Marijuana Initiative and Youth: Lessons from Alcohol
\nPolicy\u201d prepared by James F. Mosher, JD, also for Ventura County Behavioral Health, analyzed
\nthe AUMA proposal and compared it to federal best practices developed as a regulatory
\nstructure for preventing youth access to alcohol. The full article, and all citations, can be
\naccessed via the Calaveras County Office of Education website, ccoe.k12.ca.us.
\nWhen voting, we urge Calaveras voters to fully consider its impact on our children.
\nKathy Northington, County Superintendent of Schools
\nMark Campbell, Superintendent, Calaveras Unified School District
\nMichael Chimente, Superintendent, Bret Harte Union High School District
\nDon Ogden, Superintendent, Vallecito Union School District
\nJulia Tidball, Superintendent, Mark Twain Union Elementary School District<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The school superintendents in Calaveras County have come together to share with the public our concerns for the youth of Calaveras County related to marijuana cultivation and accessibility. We believe it\u2019s important for voters to have as much information as possible in order to make the best decisions for our students and for our community. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1599,"featured_media":25649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Logo3.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}