Marijuana use up among youth

By Lisa Singleton-Rickman 

There are some trends among today’s youth that boggle even the minds of professionals trained to deal with teen alcohol and drug use.
Take the fact that young clients tell counselors it’s easier to buy a bag of weed than a six-pack of beer.

“We’re seeing much more marijuana use than alcohol now with youth,” said Holly Underwood, a licensed counselor who heads the Riverbend Center for Mental Health’s substance abuse treatment program.

The local trend mirrors what’s happening on the national level.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that throughout 2014, marijuana use remained stable, but the percentage of youth perceiving the drug as harmful went down.

In 2015, nearly 17 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds reported they had used marijuana.

The report showed about 6 percent of 12th-graders reported daily use of marijuana, and 81 percent of them said the drug is easy to get.

The majority of seniors didn’t think occasional marijuana smoking was harmful, with only 36 percent saying regular use puts the user at great risk.

Other misconceptions about the drug persist as well, such as the thought from regular users that there isn’t withdrawal when usage ceases.

“These kids are saying there’s no physical withdrawal and I ask them, ‘How are you sleeping?’ and ‘Are you irritable?’ The truth is, they can’t sleep and they are irritable because their bodies are withdrawing,” Underwood said.

May is National Drug Abuse Prevention month. Riverbend held a series of townhall meetings throughout the month focused on youth drug and alcohol use.

Riverbend Executive Director Bryan Libell said the increasing usage trends among youth will also be a focus during a series of statewide meetings this summer headed by James Perdue, commissioner of Mental Health.

“Marijuana is easy to get to and synthetic marijuana is a huge problem now,” Libell said.

Underwood said the potential for an immediate negative, or even fatal, outcome for teens using synthetic marijuana generally isn’t a factor they consider. She said the clients in her program have no fear of the drugs they use, and about half say they don’t want to change their usage habits.

“The vast majority have a co-occurring diagnosis, such as depression or an anxiety disorder. If we don’t fix that, the drugs don’t go away,” Underwood said. “As for where they’re getting it, they’re finding it in their homes primarily.”

Colbert County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Lee Cox said most of the cases she deals with involve marijuana possession and other controlled substances, as well as prescription pills.
 

“We often see parents allowing kids to do illegal things like alcohol and drugs,” Cox said. “We have to educate the parents.”

She said she also sees the other extreme — parents that often won’t acknowledge their children have a drug problem.

“Parents need to check the kids’ bedroom, watch for changes in appearance, and search their belongings if necessary,” she said. “Early intervention is always best for the child.”

Tre Crume, a youth volunteer who works with the Community Action Agency, attended last week’s townhall meeting in Sheffield in an effort to keep abreast of youth trends regarding drug and alcohol use.

“One of the problems with substance abuse among young people is that it’s socially acceptable, and that makes it even harder to fight,” he said.

Muscle Shoals Superintendent Brian Lindsey said he now hears more about drug use than alcohol use among teens. “Schools have to work hard at providing opportunities for those kids to find something, a niche, to counter that.”

Tuscumbia schools Superintendent Darryl Aikerson said school officials must be proactive in staying abreast of drug and alcohol trends.

“I’ve most definitely seen the decrease in alcohol use and increase in marijuana, synthetic drugs and performance-enhancing drugs,” he said. “It poses problems for the whole family. School systems have to get involved like never before, not only with (drug) testing but prevention efforts, and even in dealing with the long-term effects.”

The legalization of marijuana in other states has contributed to the problem of youth usage.

“Weekly I have someone tell me he’s moving to Colorado where it’s legal,” Cox said. “My standard response is, ‘Well, for now you’re in Alabama and it isn’t legal here.’ ” Cox said the legalization of the drug has created a mindset in teens that it’s harmless.

“It’s a vastly different situation now because it’s being justified elsewhere across the country, and that trickles right on down to us,” she said.

Jackie Milton, a clinical social worker in Florence, leads a weekly support group for those with bipolar and depression disorders. She said at some point most every one of the group participants has used drugs. More often than not, it began with marijuana.

“The drug use and the actual mental illness has to be dealt with together because they go hand in hand,” Milton said. “As for kids, they can’t be underestimated because they are very resourceful. It’s easier for them to get marijuana. Teens can’t go into a store and buy alcohol, yet they can process a hand sanitizer to get the alcohol out.”

Milton said the youngest person she has counseled was 9 years old, a marijuana user.

She said the younger children’s behavior is largely the result of their environment with older siblings or cousins exposing them to drugs and alcohol.

“We just have to be honest with kids and tell them the truth of where it leads,” Milton said. “At such a young age, they can be influenced positively just like they’re being influenced negatively. That’s where we have to try to make a difference.”