Medical Marijuana Union County - Ohio Central Ohio Located 30 min. from Columbus 52,000 population Mostly rural
Marijuana Use Data 4.4% of Union County students tried marijuana before the age of 13 for the first time 7.6% students reported using at least once in the past 30 days (Combined) 16% of 11 th 7.3% of 9 th 1.2% of 7 th 5% of Union County adults reported using marijuana in past 6 months [Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2016] [Community Health Assessment 2015]
How Wrong Do Your Parents And Friends Feel It Would Be For You To Use … Parents Friends About Percentage of Respondents (%) 93.1 100.0 equal to 92.1 90.8 tobacco 82.4 76.2 80.0 71.8 70.0 54.2 60.0 40.0 20.0 0.0 Tobacco Alcohol Marijuana Prescription Drugs
How much do you think people risk harming themselves if they use... 100.0 Less than 90.0 all other 90.4 88.2 drugs 80.0 Percentage of Respondents (%) 70.0 69.7 69.2 60.0 50.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Tobacco Alcohol Marijuana Prescription Drugs
Marijuana Vote in Ohio Ballot Issue 3, proposed by ResponsibleOhio PAC failed November 2015 Would have granted a monopoly for the commercial production and sale of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes “Marijuana of the Millionaires”
Ohio HB 523 – Medical Marijuana June 2016 Ohio becomes 25 th state to legalize marijuana Establishes a Medical Marijuana Control Commission Medical marijuana in oils, tinctures, “plant material”, edibles & patches No smoking of marijuana and no sale of “whole leaf” marijuana No home grow THC content between 3% and not to exceed 70% Allows approved physicians to recommend to individuals 18+ or caregivers 90 day supply, allows for 3 renewals within one year with follow up visit 19 recognized conditions (may add more) Ohio Rx Reporting System Closely tied to state Medical Board and Pharmacy Board
Taking Action Be the “local expert” on national, state and local efforts Build credibility with your elected officials by providing information to them about your work and your stance Provide presentations to inform groups of the impact to them Find out the “rub” in your community Keep issues down to main points Create a Position Paper that reflected concerns Assisted local organizations and government bodies on crafting resolutions and looking for sample ordinances / language
In Process City Council passed 1 year moratorium for all cultivation, research and distribution centers Remain very active in social media on main issues Work with local hospital and physicians on education Meet with other villages and County Commissioners on impact to grow areas
Contact Information Holly Zweizig Union County Drug Free Coalition holly@mhrbuc.org 937-642-1212 www.ucdrugfree.org Like us on Facebook
Medical Marijuana Riverhead, New York Eastern Long Island 75 min. from NYC 33,500 population Suburban within agricultural context 35,000 acres of farmland
Riverhead Youth Marijuana Use Past 30 Day Marijuana Use Among Riverhead High School Students 35 30 25 Percentage (%) 20 15 10 5 0 10th Grade 12th Grade 2014 17.1 25.1 2016 17.9 32.5 [Prevention Needs Assessment, 2014 & 2016]
62% of RHS 12 th graders report that they do not believe they are putting themselves at risk if they smoke marijuana once or twice a week. 48.1% of RHS 10 th graders report that they do not believe they are putting themselves at risk if they smoke marijuana once or twice a week. Riverhead Central School District Students’ Past Month Marijuana Use vs. Perceived Risk of Occasional Marijuana Use (2016) 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Grade 6 Grade 8 Grade 10 Grade 12 Past 30 Day Use Perceived Risk
New York’s Compassionate Care Act The act was passed in July 2014 and dispensaries opened across the state in January 2016. Each Registered Organization (RO) has one manufacturing facility and four dispensing facilities throughout New York State. Smoking and edible products are not permitted. Patients may have up to two caregivers that are allowed to purchase and have the medical marijuana in their possession. As of June 15, 2016, Suffolk County has the highest number of active certifications (732), which accounted for 15% of all certifications in New York State.
Timeline of Events May 2015: Local grower seeks to become one of New York’s five authorized medical marijuana manufacturers. June 2015: Town board declines to pass resolution of support for Ivy Acres’ proposed medical marijuana growing site. August 2015: NYSDOH announces its selection of the five Registered Organizations to be authorized to grow and dispense medical marijuana in New York State. Ivy Acres was not among the five selected. Columbia Care NY LLC announces that they are opening a dispensary on Route 58 in Riverhead, less than ½ mile from Riverhead High School. Town board proposes moratorium, which results in a huge community outcry.
Map
Timeline of Events August 20, 2015: Riverhead News Review publishes editorial
Timeline of Events September 2015: Public hearing on moratorium takes place. Columbia Care recruits dozens of protesters that attended the hearing to speak out in support of medical marijuana. Columbia Care, PBMC, & the town propose to work together to find a new site in Riverhead for the dispensary that is further away from the school district. October 2015: New site is proposed. This site draws neighborhood opposition. Town board gives Columbia Care the green light to open in the new site. January 2016: Medical marijuana dispensary opens. Government sector representative for our coalition cuts the ribbon.
What Worked? We considered our efforts a success because we were able to have the town move the dispensary to a place that is not within close proximity to our school district. Here is what helped us achieve this effort: Staying informed on the evidence-based facts that support our position • Communicating with Town Board members, stakeholders, and other • community members about these facts Talking to our evaluator and other coalitions from different states that • have experienced similar issues Standing our ground with confidence & not giving up! •
Unfortunately, we still have a medical marijuana dispensary in our town. Here are some of the barriers as to why we could not block the dispensary: Lack of knowledge & support among community members Heated election year among town board members Only reaching out to local people for support & not other prevention professionals across Long Island Getting our message across to the community through local media outlets Counting on media and government sector representatives to support our position Columbia Care’s strong & deceiving marketing strategy
Takeaways/Lessons Always ask for more than you want It’s a local issue, until it isn’t People may agree with your stance, until they have to say it publicly Everything happens within a political context
"Finally We're #1 Clip"
Contact Information Riverhead Community Awareness Program, Inc. Felicia Scocozza, LMSW Kelly Miloski, MPH Director@RiverheadCAP .org Prevention@RiverheadCAP .org 631-727-3722 X102 631-727-3722 X106 RiverheadCAP.org Like us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: @RiverheadCAP
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