1. TALK Early! TALK Often! – Preventing Marijuana Use by Teens
Sharyn Turner MA,RN
TUPE County Coordinator
Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools

2. Cannabis in the 21st Century
It’s a Whole New Product

3. What do youth believe about marijuana?
Ask parents what youth think about marijuana:
It’s natural
No big deal: 8 out of 10 teens do not believe monthly cannabis use is risky.
Legal
Medical

4. Youth and Cannabis
46% of teens will have tried marijuana by high school graduation.
23% of high school seniors use marijuana regularly.
The perceived harm of marijuana use is on the decline. (Directly effects the increase in use.)
8 out of 10 California teens believe monthly use poses no health risks.
Legalization is adding to the harmless perception of cannabis.

5. THC Levels were between 2-5%
THC: Tetrahydrocannobinol
Psychoactive Ingredient
From the 1960’s-1990’s
THC Levels were between 2-5%

6. In the early 2000’s THC Levels were between 8-10%
Tetrahydrocannabinol
In the early 2000’s THC Levels were between 8-10%

7. In the last decade THC levels in marijuana plants have grown up to 30%
Tetrahydrocannabinol
In the last decade THC levels in marijuana plants have grown up to 30%

8. Psychoactive Ingredient
THC-Tetrahydrocannobinol (psychoactive ingredient)
CBD-Cannabinol is a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits, but does not make people feel “stoned” and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of THC
THC levels have drastically increased while CBD levels have stayed the same
THC:
Psychoactive Ingredient

9. EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY
Metabolism - Your Body
Family History Genetics
Environment 3

10. POT FACTS!
Marijuana's average potency has more than tripled in the last two decades.
Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke
Heavy marijuana use is associated with higher rates of skipping class, lower GPAs, and failure to complete college. 5

11. POT FACTS!
(self defense for the plant)
THC was used as a defense mechanism to keep animals from consuming the plant in the wild.
Individuals may build up a tolerance to weed, the same amount that used to get you “high” may no longer be enough.
THC can stay in your system and be detected in a drug test longer than most other drugs. 5

12. Now listed in the DSM 4 as an addiction

13. CHRONIC USE Teens who use between 10 – 20 times a day.
They will openly admit they need it.
They will use when nervous, anxious or can’t sleep.
Their use has interfered with school, work, family and
relationships.
Marijuana is overwhelmingly the drug of choice for teens admitted into treatment. 4

14. No longer do we just smoke or eat marijuana

15. Evolving Products CONCENTRATES - WAX, BUTANE HASH OIL, EDIBLES
(BUD CONTAINING – 26% THC, CONCENTRATES MAY CONTAIN %)

16. Cannabis Concentrates: THC Levels: 80-90%
Butane Hash Oil (BHO)
BHO is also known as...
Dabs
Budder
Shatter
Wax
Used by heating up the concentrate and smoking the “vape”
“Green Crack” wax
“Ear Wax”
“Budder”
“Shatter”
Hash Oil Capsules

17. DABBING & PARAPHERNALIA
Wax can be dabbed
using paper clips,
dental tools, small
screw drivers and
pens.
Grinders and
blunts, bongs. 8

18. “Secret” Vaporizers JUUL Vaporizer
Teens are good at hiding their devices.
JUUL Vaporizer

19. Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Youth:
“Age Related Risk”
Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools

20. CRITICAL GROWTH PHASES CRITICAL GROWTH PHASES
OF THE BRAIN
CRITICAL GROWTH PHASES
OF THE BRAIN
Critical growth phases take place at the following times in our life:
In Utero
0-5 years
Adolescence (12-25)- The pre frontal Cortex is established. 15

21. WHAT IS THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX?
Executive function describes the activity of a system that manages
other cognitive systems:
Reason
Logic
Problem Solving
Planning
Memory
The prefrontal cortex plays a significant part in directing attention, developing and pursuing goals, and inhibiting counterproductive
impulses.

22. CANNABINOID RECEPTORS
The body’s own cannabinoid system is responsible for connections being made to developing parts of the brain.
Endocannabinoids-Produced by body
Phytocannabinoids- Produced from Marijuana. (THC,CBD)
Introducing foreign cannabinoids causes the body to limit the production of endocannabinoids.
Limits the pathways and connections from forming properly.

23. ADOLESCENT BRAIN
Heavy Marijuana use appears to have a significant effect on adolescents’
brain structure and development.
Increased use may interfere with sleep patterns, increase
anxiety/paranoia and depression.
Source: Jacobus e t a l . ( ) . Functional consequences o f marijuana use i n adolescents. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 18

24. PLENTY OF RESEARCH
Tapert et al. (2007). Functional MRI of inhibitory processing in abstinent
adolescent marijuana users. Psychopharmacology.
Medina et al. (2010). Abnormal cerebellar morphometry in abstinent adolescent
marijuana users. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.
Bava et al (2009). Altered white matter microstructure in adolescent substance
users. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Medina et al. (2007). Neuropsychological functioning in adolescent marijuana
users: Subtle deficits detectable after a month of abstinence. Journal of the
International Neuropsychological Society.
Schweinsberg et al. (2010). The Influence of Recency of Use on fMRI Response
During Spatial Working Memory in Adolescent Marijuana Users. Journal of
Psychoactive Drugs.
Jacobus et al. (2009). Functional consequences of marijuana use in adolescents.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 19

25. Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
EDIBILES
Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools

26. HASH OR HONEY OIL Sprayed onto generic candies Vaped in vape pens
Oil can be whipped into a budder and cooked
into products like brownies, cookies, etc.
Sprayed onto generic candies
Vaped in vape pens
Made into drops known as tinctures 28

27. EDIBLE EFFECTS
May not feel anything for 30 to 60 minutes (on a full stomach may
take nearly two hours to feel full effects).
The high can last 4 to 8 hours while the effects from smoking can
wear off in an hour or less. 29

28. DOSAGE
 A cookie or candy may be meant for multiple doses. 30

29. Edible doses are processed by the liver before
WHY EDIBLES ARE POTENT!
Edible doses are processed by the liver before
entering the bloodstream, THC consumed as edibles produce high levels of 11-OH-THC (active metabolite), while smoked cannabis, goes directly from the lungs to the brain via the bloodstream and does not enter the liver produces lower levels.
This is why the effects of smoked or vaporized cannabis come on faster and diminish quickly.

30. CDC - PSYCHOTIC EPISODE RISK CDC - PSYCHOTIC EPISODE RISK
College Student ate an entire marijuana cookie purchased from a legal pot shop in Colorado. Soon after he began to exhibit what witnesses described as erratic behavior, and reportedly jumped out of bed from his hotel room, and jumped over the balcony railing.
Marijuana intoxication was a contributing factor

31. Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Mental Health
Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools

33. Withdraw is REAL”
Marijuana withdrawal symptoms: anxiety, nausea, sweating, body aches, psychosis

34. AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION
There is no current
Scientific evidence that marijuana is in any way
beneficial for the
treatment of any
psychiatric disorder.
In contrast, current
evidence supports, at minimum, a strong Association of cannabis
use with the onset of psychiatric disorders.

35. Psychosis or Psychotic Episode:
MRI scans of young adult males who smoked marijuana daily (and started at an average age of 15).
The corpus callosum, the bundle of fibers that allow the two hemispheres to communicate and work in a coordinated
way, showed significant impairment.
This impairment is similar to that of a brain affected by Schizophrenia.

36. CANNABIS USE DISORDER DSM-5. Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM) is the standard
classification of mental
disorders used in the U.S. by
mental health professionals.
Marijuana users build up a tolerance to the drug, they either have to increase the amount or switch to harder dugs.

37. Prop 64: What does it mean for our youth?
It is illegal for anyone under 21 to smoke, consume, buy or possess cannabis. 
Teens caught in possession of cannabis will be required to complete drug education or counseling and community service.
Driving under the influence of cannabis is against the law.
Advertising will create a greater challenge for prevention efforts.

38. The Best Treatment is Prevention
The best treatment is still prevention.
Normalizing sobriety is key.
Educating youth in a way that will resonate with their culture.
Educating parents is a key component.

39. Nevada County Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Nevada County Superintendent of Schools