Forum eyes danger to youth in loosening pot laws

SANFORD, Maine - Partners for Healthier Communities and Strategies for a Stronger Sanford, members of the Sanford Strong Coalition, will host a public forum--Marijuana Policy in Maine: The Impact on Public Health and Youth-- on Tuesday October 7^th at the Nasson Community Center's Little Theater located at 457 Main Street in Springvale from 8:30a - 10:30a (The forum is open to the public and no registration necessary). The forum will share timely information about the health impacts of marijuana and explore how public policy has influenced the drug's availability and use in Maine. The Maine Medical Marijuana Program will be explained and participants will be able to get questions answered regarding this program.
The forum will feature nationally known addiction expert, Mark Publicker, MD and Ms. Marietta D'Agostino, a state regulator of medical marijuana in Maine.
While changes in marijuana policy and legal status are gaining attention, little is being said about the impact these shifts have had or will have on public health, especially on the wellbeing of our youth. The fact is that marijuana use keeps teens from doing their best at school, work, and in learning new skills. Because of the problems with attention, learning, and memory that accompany marijuana use during adolescence, teens who use suffer the negative effects on academic performance and possible job prospects. Perhaps even more startling is the link between mental illness and marijuana use: teens who use marijuana weekly or more is at double the risk for depression and anxiety than their non-using peers.
Clouding the conversation of physical and psychological effects of marijuana is the widely-debated discussion of legalization. In addition to the national conversation, Maine's passage of medical marijuana in 2009 has fueled conversations about the legalization, decriminalization, and commercialization of marijuana; however, many Mainers are confused about current laws and policies. As we influence and inform youth behavior, it is important for adults in our community to understand the language, the laws, and the health effects of marijuana.
Mark Publicker, MD, an educator and a passionate advocate for addiction treatment, was named by Downeast Magazine in 2014 as Maine's "Top Doctor in Addiction Medicine." Having practiced addiction medicine for over three decades, he has served as president of the Northern New England Society of Addiction Medicine, a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the American Society of Addiction Medicine magazine. Dr. Publicker is currently developing an educational program on addiction for Maine's health professionals with the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance.
Dr. Publicker will be joined by Ms. Marietta D'Agostino, Program Manager for the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program. Ms. D'Agostino has spent her career mostly in social services, working as a child protective caseworker, a juvenile corrections officer and a jail captain at the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Strategies for a Stronger Sanford, as part of the organization's Drug Free Communities initiative to prevent substance abuse among youth, will co-sponsor the event with Partners for Healthier Communities. Strategies for a Stronger Sanford is a nonprofit organization working to ensure a strong future for the Sanford area by supporting children, youth and their families through fostering a shared community vision and promoting the development of a safe, healthy, and thriving community. Partners for Healthier Communities, your local Healthy Maine Partnership, is a program of Southern Maine Health Care. Both are members of the Sanford community based Sanford Strong Coalition.