Underage drinking is dangerous. NIAAA reports a range of risks and negative consquences because it:

• Interferes with brain development

• Causes many deaths among youth, including deaths from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, alcohol overdoses, falls, burns, drowning, and suicides

• Causes many injuries

• Impairs judgment and can lead to poor decisions about taking risks, including unsafe sexual behavior, drinking and driving, and aggressive or violent behavior

• Increases the risk of being the victim or perpetrator of physical and sexual assault

• Can lead to other problems, including trouble in school or with the law.

• Drinking alcohol also is associated with the use of other substances.

• Increases the risk of alcohol problems later in life: Adults ages 26 and older who began drinking before age 15 are 5.6 times more likely to report having alcohol use disorder (addiction) in the past year then those who waited until age 21 or later to begin drinking

Alcohol Resources:

• Click to see data

• National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• Responsibility.org

• Alcohol Justice

Marijuana/THC Produces Short- and Long-Term Adverse Health Effects (Volkow, et al.):

• Effects of short-term use

  • Impaired short-term memory, making it difficult to learn and to retain information

  • Impaired motor coordination, interfering with driving skills and increasing the risk of injuries

  • Altered judgment, increasing the risk of sexual behaviors that facilitate the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases In high doses, paranoia and psychosis

• Effects of long-term or heavy use

  • Addiction (in about 9% of users overall, 17% of those who begin use in adolescence, and 25 to 50% of those who are daily users)

  • Altered brain development

  • Poor educational outcome, with increased likelihood of dropping out of school

  • Cognitive impairment, with lower IQ among those who were frequent users during adolescence

  • Diminished life satisfaction and achievement (determined on the basis of subjective and objective measures as compared with such ratings in the general population)*

  • Symptoms of chronic bronchitis

  • Increased risk of chronic psychosis disorders (including schizophrenia) in persons with a predisposition to such disorders

Marijuana/THC Resources:

• Partnership to End Addiction’s Marijuana Talk Kit

• One Chance To Grow Up

• IASIC, the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis

• Parent Movement

• Johnny’s Ambassadors

• Mind Over Marijuana

• Every Brain Matters

Like cigarettes, nicotine delivery devices, including vapes/e-cigarettes are unhealthy for youth

• Nicotine, like other substances, harms the developing brain

• Nicotine can also worsen anxiety symptoms and amplify feelings of depression.

“No matter how it’s delivered, nicotine is harmful for youth and young adults.

— Office of the US Surgeon General

What About Vapes? It’s All Connected.

• An analysis conducted by the Institute for Behavior and Health showed students who vaped were much more likely to use other substances than their peers who didn’t vape:

• Among 12th graders who vaped in their lifetime, 96% used other substances

• Among 12th graders who vaped in the past month, 82% used other substances

Vaping Resources:

• CDC & US Surgeon General: Talk with Your Teen About E-Cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents

• US Surgeon General: E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults Fact Sheet

• US Surgeon General: Advisory on E-Cigarette Use Among Youth Talk with Your Teen About E-Cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents

• Vaping: The Hit Your Brain Takes

Fentanyl is driving overdose deaths

• Over 107,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in a 12-month period ending in December 2021, largely due to illicit Fentanyl

• Criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills like oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like Adderall®

• Ironically, criminal drug networks are also mass-producing fake illicit drugs. The active ingredients in common illicit drugs like cocaine, MDMA, heroin, etc. are being replaced with Fentanyl. The entire business model of the illicit drug trade has changed because of how inexpensive Fentanyl is to manufacture and distribute.

• Just one of these fake pills or one snort of fake illicit drugs can be deadly

• Fake prescription pills and other illicit drugs are easily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them available to anyone with a smartphone, especially youth

Fentanyl Resources:

• Just Think Twice

• Talking To Your Kids Tip Sheet

• What You Think You Know Resource Sheet

• Natural High - Fentanyl PSA Film

• Students in Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland created a PSA in English and Spanish to warn their peers about fenanyl: PGCPS PSA - Fentanyl, PGCPS PSA - fentanilo

"Misuse of prescription drugs means taking a medication in a manner or dose other than prescribed; taking someone else’s prescription, even if for a legitimate medical complaint such as pain; or taking a medication to feel euphoria (i.e., to get high)" - NIDA

• Not only are legally prescribed medications diverted and misused, but illicitly produced fake pills are made to look like legal Rx drugs and in fact often contain illicit Fentanyl, which can be deadly

• Take precautions in your own home by locking up medications and safely disposing of unused medications.

• Find a safe disposal location near you

Misuse Of RX Drugs:

• Safe Med Storage Download