Red Ribbon Week
10/23/2024 3:03:00 PM - Behavioral Health

This starts today and will lead into our great American smoke out in November. Copied from CEO and Founder of Johnny’s Ambassadors. Johnny’s story is in the article. Please read when you have a minute.  

RED RIBBON WEEK starts tomorrow and is celebrated annually October 23-31. Red Ribbon Week highlights the importance of living a drug-free life. It presents an opportunity for parents, educators, and communities to reinforce the drug-free messages they share with their children throughout the year. During Red Ribbon Week, youth and adults around the nation pledge to increase their knowledge by learning more about the destructive effects of drug abuse and renew their commitment to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Johnny's Ambassadors submitted the below nationwide op-ed article to newspapers across the country! Please click share for Red Ribbon week to reinforce the destructive effects of youth THC use!

Teen marijuana use impacts educational outcomes

With the rise of legalized marijuana in the U.S., teen use is exponentially increasing. According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) by the Substances Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2,947,000 teens ages 12 to 17 used marijuana in the past year, and 44.38% of them have Cannabis Use Disorder (addiction).

These facts are staggering, yet states are still legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana use. In an October 2024 study done in Canada, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, in addition to mental health risks, teen marijuana use also negatively impacts academic performance and employment.

According to the McMaster University study by Li Wang, there is overwhelming evidence that marijuana use in adolescence is linked to lower school grades, truancy, and dropout rates. Additionally, teen marijuana use lowers the odds for advanced education and employment opportunities and increases issues with the law.

The study found:
* 39% higher odds for lower school grades
* 50% less chance of attaining a high school diploma
* 28% lower likelihood of going to university
* 31% lower odds for getting a college degree
* more than doubling of the odds of dropping out of high school
* more than doubling of the odds of school absenteeism

According to Wang's analysis, these risks rose with the frequency of marijuana use, especially if use began at or before the age of 16. According to Wang, teen marijuana use is now greater than any other illicit drug.

Many parents aren't aware of the impact of today's high potency delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-the active ingredient in marijuana) products. The potency of marijuana in decades past pales in comparison to today's version, where the THC content in concentrates is more than 90%, as compared to the 2% weed of the 60s. The impact on the growing brain is devastating and can have profound implications for mental health and educational outcomes.

With Red Ribbon Week approaching (Oct 23-31), as parents, community leaders, educators, we cannot sit back and accept this as the new norm. We have a duty to help keep kids drug free. Education is a key differentiator in poverty, health, home and community. It is imperative that we take a stand in our schools and communities to prevent youth marijuana use. The long-term negative consequences are limiting the potential of our future-the youth of our society.

Laura Stack is the founder of Johnny's Ambassadors, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to youth THC prevention. Her son died by suicide in 2019 after developing psychosis from marijuana use. Johnny's Ambassadors offers academic resources and presentations for school districts across the U.S. //www.johnnysambassadors.org/education