Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Among Students
Is Not
A New Problem
Do the best you can until you know
better. Then when you know better,
do better.
Maya Angelou
The risk of providing a keg of beer to an underage child
for a party where it will be given or sold to…when you
think of the risk, it’s as high as you can get. The risk of
harm couldn’t be any higher. This is something you just
don’t do.
Judge Robert Travers 2008
Illinois Social Host Law
• Providing alcohol or a space where underage drinking
occurs is a Class A Misdemeanor and you can be fined
a minimum of $500
• If a minor is seriously injured or killed during one of
these parties, or after they leave, the adult that
provided the alcohol and/or owns or rents the space
could become a Class IV felon
McLean County Junior High and
Bloomington-Normal High School
Students
Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Illinois Youth Survey 2012
70%
60%
50%
Alcohol Use in
Past Year
Marijuana Use
Past Year
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
6th
8th
10th
12th
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
Past 30 Day
Alcohol Use
Past 30 Day
Marijuana
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
6th
8th
10th
12th
40%
35%
30%
Binge Drinking
(Past 2 Weeks)
25%
20%
Rode in Car with
someone under the
influence
(Past Year)
15%
10%
5%
0%
6th
8th
10th
12th
McLean County Junior High and
Bloomington-Normal High School
Students
Access to Alcohol and Marijuana
Illinois Youth Survey 2012
90%
80%
70%
Reported Sort of
Easy to Very Easy
to Access Alcohol
60%
50%
40%
Reported Sort of
Easy to Very Easy
to Access
Marijuana
30%
20%
10%
0%
6th
8th
10th
12th
The Risks Associated with Alcohol Use
can be both
Immediate and Long-term
The known consequences are….
Increased Illicit Drug Use
Teens who drink are over 22 times more likely to
use marijuana and 50 times more likely to use
cocaine than those who never drink.
Increased Sexual Activity and
unprotected sex
Nearly one-quarter of high school students used
alcohol prior to their last sexual experience.
Violence
Annually, approximately 700,000 students are
assaulted by other students who have been drinking
and about 100,000 students are victims of alcohol
related sexual assault or date rape.
Bad Grades
Alcohol use in teens can result in lower scores on
vocabulary and memory tests as well as visual and
spatial tests. Alcohol and other drug use disturbs
sleep cycles, which again affects learning and
memory.
Increased risk of alcohol
addiction
90% of addictions have roots in the teen years.
Adolescents who drink before age 15 are four times
more likely to develop alcohol dependence than
those who begin drinking at age 21. An adolescent
may become addicted to alcohol in as little as 6-18
months.
Traffic Accidents
Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens and
over one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol
related.
Impaired Mental Health
Frequent heavy use of alcohol has been associated
with low self-esteem, depression, conduct disorders,
anti-social behavior, and anxiety in adolescents.
Marijuana
A growing concern
Marijuana is outpacing alcohol as a
public health problem
THC
Tetrahydrocannabinol – Psychoactive component
1995 – mean of 3.75%
2013 – mean of 13%
Concentrated forms – 70%
E-cigarettes – 15-30%
High THC levels associated with
paranoia and psychosis
ER Admits
2004 – 66,000
2011 – 129,000
Higher potency accelerates addiction
Easier to get high = more vulnerability to addiction
40%
35%
30%
25%
Past Year
Marijuana Use
Past 30 Day
Marijuana
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
6th
8th
10th
12th
70%
60%
50%
40%
Admits for
Alcohol Abuse
Admits for
Marijuana Abuse
30%
20%
10%
0%
% of 15-19 Seeking Rehabilitation
(2010-2015)
Additional consequences of marijuana use
during the teen years include
Longer lasting cognitive effects for a teen,
potentially even irreversible
Research suggests marijuana use during the teen years
creates structural changes in two regions of the brain
Amygdala - Fundamental in processing emotions, memories and fear responses
Nucleus Accumbens – Core of Motivation, pleasure & pain, every decision you make
Can lead to an 8 point drop in IQ
Is strongly correlated with…
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety
• Depression
“The effects of substances are more
permanent on the teen brain. They have more
deleterious effects and can be more toxic to
the teen than in the adult.”
Frances Jensen, The Teenage Brain
Brain development is not complete until the
mid-twenties
A few important things to know are…
Everything a teen experiences is felt more intensely
than someone with a fully developed brain.
Music
Drugs
Sweets
The brain is going through a period of
heightened neuroplasticity.
It is a time of great opportunity and tremendous risk
The region of the brain responsible for decision
making, impulse control and goal setting is still
developing in your child all through high school and
beyond. And, this is the first area impacted by alcohol
causing further impairment to an area already
underdeveloped.
Teens are more resilient to the sedative
effects of alcohol
• Motor coordination is not as impacted
•
Tend to drink more without understanding how their thought
processes are impacted and don’t realize response time is
compromised
• Tend to not have hangovers
•
Don’t experience severe enough consequences to teach them
not to do it again
The brain is not fully myelinated causing slower
processing and longer lasting impacts.
Cold Cognition - Developed
Hot Cognition – Still Developing
“It is like driving a car with a sensitive gas pedal and
bad brakes.”
Laurence Steinberg, Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence
Teens do not approach risk like adults
• Court Risk
• View Risk and Reward different from adults
• Varies by situation and is dependent on who a
teen is with
It is a hard line to walk in helping or hindering
development as children become adults. We don’t want
to be overly restrictive or too trusting
We move from being our children’s:
Teacher (1-7)
Facilitator (8-13)
Coach (14-21)
Your child is not only looking to you for guidance, they
know if you are watching them.
Parent Alcohol Monitoring: Would be caught by
parents if:
• You drank some beer, wine or liquor (e.g., vodka, whiskey, or gin)
without your parents’ permission
12th
10th
8th
Might
be
Caught
Never
be
Caught
Might
be
Caught
Never
be
Caught
Might
be
Caught
Never
be
Caught
Parent Alcohol Monitoring: Would be caught by
parents if:
• You rode in a car driven by a teen driver who had been drinking
10th
12th
Might be
Caught
Never be
Caught
Might be
Caught
Never be
Caught
Parent Communication about Drugs: In the past year,
have your parents/guardians talked to you about
alcohol:
6th
8th
Yes
Yes
No
No
Don't
Remember
Don't
Remember
Parent Communication about Drugs: In the past year,
have your parents/guardians talked to you about
alcohol:
10th
12th
Yes
Yes
No
No
Don't
Remember
Don't
Remember
Talk with Your Teen
• Frequently talk AND LISTEN
• Use “teachable moments”
According to the Century Council, 83% of
youth ages 10-18 years old, cite parents as
the leading influence in their decision to
drink or to not drink.
The Seven Steps for Home:
1. Set clear no alcohol and marijuana
rules
2. Establish consequences
3. Enforce and follow through
4. Review rules regularly
5. Know where they are
6. Know who they are with
7. Know what they are doing
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