Intoxicating Hemp Products: What You Need to Know

HOTV note: this is a guest post from our friends at BeTheInfluence, a parenting program which seeks to delay adolescent substance use and prevent harmful consequences associated with underage use.

Did you know there’s a relatively new type of drug being sold in Marin that technically any 10-year old can buy?

Anyone, including kids, can now legally access intoxicating hemp-derived cannabis edibles, vapes and other products because of loopholes in federal and California laws. These drugs are poorly regulated and can have very harmful health effects. They are extremely risky to use, especially for youth with developing brains.

Intoxicating hemp-derived products are sold outside of licensed cannabis stores, and can be found in local gas stations, shops and convenience stores - including here in Marin.

They are widely available through online delivery (think Amazon!) and marketed through social media like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

There is no minimum age legal requirement to purchase these products, and these edibles are being manufactured in a wide variety of fun flavors, have catchy names and are sold with bright packaging to attract kids.

They come as drinks, drink concentrates (can be added to water or alcohol), gummies, candies, and cookies.

Perhaps most concerning? They can legally contain astronomical amounts of intoxicating cannabinoids like THC.

Read more on the BTI website to find out

BUST THE BIAS IN MARIN!

Did you know that Mill Valley community members call the police about Black people at nearly 20 times the rate they do about White people? In most of these calls, police find no cause for citation or arrest.

None of us wants to believe we are influenced by racial bias, but all of us have implicit biases. Living in a community where one race predominates can reinforce unconscious assumptions based on race. Police in Mill Valley have seen many instances of this where, for example, a neighbor sees a person of color out for a walk and reports them as suspicious or dangerous solely because of their race. In law enforcement, we call this Bias by Proxy. 

Bias by Proxy is unlawful, it is dangerous, and it hurts everyone.

Read more on the City of Mill Valley site

Continue the Conversation - Recap & Resources

Thanks to all the parents and community members who joined us for last night’s HOTV Continue the Conversation community gathering about supporting teens & their families.


Save the date!

HOTV’s next TEEN-focused event is February 7th at the Mill Valley Community Center

We’re partnering with Marin County Suicide Prevention Collaborative to give teens the tools they need to navigate wellness and mental health in today’s world. They’ll learn how to talk to their friends and peers and support them through tough times. All are welcome - young adults and adults, too.

Join our Teen Activities Committee!

Help find and create healthier, more meaningful evening/weekend activities for Marin teens. Email Cindi Frame for more info.

Event Recap

The event's panel discussion featured three high school seniors and adolescent psychotherapist Heather Johnson, MA, LMFT. Panel members shared their experiences and observations about being a teenager in Marin, particularly around drug and alcohol use. 

Finally, attendees broke into groups to discuss (1) working to organize safe activities for teens on Friday and Saturday nights and (2) how to communicate with your kids to build relationships based on mutual trust and respect to empower kids to make healthy and safe choices.

Key Takeaways

  • Many teens think that in order to fit in they need to drink and/or take drugs - even though a majority of kids aren’t actually using. Many also drink and use because they’re so stressed out.

  • Peer-to-peer drug and alcohol education is the most effective way to inform kids about the impact of their choices.

  • Many teens feel they don’t get enough alcohol education at school or at home, but it would help them to learn about safe limits, how much is too much, etc.

  • Driving under the influence of both drugs and alcohol is much more pervasive than most parents think.

    • Instead of using the phrase "drunk driving", we ALL need to talk about "driving under the influence" to include other substances besides alcohol - including marijuana and prescription drugs.

    • When teens are under the influence, they may not realize they’re impaired, and they think it’s “fine” to drive.

    • Many teens don’t feel they can call their parents for help if they are incapacitated and need to get home.

  • Parenting matters! 

    • When parents create a relationship based on mutual trust and respect with their teens, teens are more likely to be open and honest about what they’re doing. 

    • Parents are important role models for their kids in how they consume alcohol and other substances.

    • Getting curious instead of furious about WHY is more effective than focusing just on the behaviors. 

  • Staying safe!

    • Most teens don’t know when to call 911 and how Good Samaritain laws protect them when they get help for someone overdosing on alcohol/drugs.

    • Many parents and teens don’t know the legal consequences of hosting a party and driving under the influence.

    • Have a plan before teens go out. Talk about who is driving, who will be designated drivers, how they can contact you if they need a ride home, etc.

    • Naloxone/ Narcan -  good graphic on administering, and here’s where you can get free Narcan kits.


Resources


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Together we can create a community where everyone is safe, thriving, and welcome.

Three Steps to Creating Deep Connections with Your Teen

The recent news of a riotous teen party in Mill Valley has many parents wondering what they’re doing right, and what they can do differently in parenting their preteens and teenagers.

No matter where your teen is falling on the spectrum of well-being– whether they’re fully participating in life or shrinking away from it, whether they’re having great academic success or monumental struggles–the most important parenting strategy you can learn is how to communicate in a way that builds deep connections with your child. 

Through deep connections our kids become self-reliant, confident, courageous members of society. Deep connections create a family environment that fosters mutual trust and respect, providing our kids with emotional safety and resilience. 

Here are three communication tools you can begin using right now:

Look beyond and behind behavior to reframe it as information about your teen.

All people are just trying to get their needs met. Always. So get curious instead of furious about your child’s behavior. This new mindset can soften  how you respond to your teen, resulting in a much more peaceful relationship between parent and child. 

Does your teen drop his backpack in the hallway and go right onto YouTube after school? Maybe his brain needs a rest from a long day of learning and managing complex social interactions. 

Do more listening than talking. 

As parents we often believe it’s our job to impart information and wisdom. The truth is asking questions and practicing active listening will make a much bigger impact in your parenting. By doing more listening than talking, we can better know and understand our kids. And you will meet your children’s deep and profound need to be seen, heard, and understood. 

Regulate our own emotions. 

Regulating our own emotions is what enables us to better practice the first two communication strategies–reframing our kids’ behaviors and doing an awful lot of listening. If we practice regulating ourselves when big emotions are bubbling up inside of us, we are so much better able to show up as the moms and dads we want to be. 

Remarkably, when our kids are having big emotions, and we regulate our own, kids naturally uncover their own ability to self-regulate.

You can absolutely begin to build, at this very moment, a stronger, deeper connection with your child by using these communication tools. No matter where you are in your parenting journey, it’s not too early or too late to start becoming the parent you want to be.

For more information on this topic, click here. 

Chris Irvine offers private coaching to parents so their families can thrive during the challenging teen years–and beyond. She is a contributor to the book The Parenting (r)Evolution: Changing the World by Changing How We Parent.

Please visit www.chrisirvine.com to sign up for a monthly newsletter and other content that supports parents who want to be the best parents they can be.

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Don’t Let Saturday Night be the Future for our Kids

On November 10, the Heart of the Village and the Mill Valley Community Center held a community gathering to discuss last weekend’s teen party that ended in chaos and confusion.

THANK YOU to all who attended!

For those who missed it—and for us all—here’s the quick recap and key takeaways.


Let’s continue the conversation!

December 5th, 6-7:30 PM we’ll meet at the MV Community center and brainstorm more solutions.

REGISTER HERE

Huge gratitude to Tam High Principal, Dr. JC Farr, and local educators who helped us understand what happened, the dynamics at play, and how we can take action as a community.

- Aaron Pribble, Tam High Street Law & Psychology Teacher 

- Nathan Bernstein, Tam High Dean of Students and Baseball Coach

- Jonathan Hirsch, Redwood High Teacher, Tobacco Use Prevention

- Matthew LemMon, Tam Football Coach & Social Studies Teacher

Key Takeaways

  • Panel weighed in with a combo of dismay,  “not again” and “not surprised.” 

  • They reminded us there are no “bad’ or “good” kids – there are mistakes, diffusion of responsibility, and bad situations/decisions. 

  • Just as in culture at large, especially post-covid, kids are struggling to respect other humans, and we’ve all developed more unhealthy habits (not just the kids.)

    • Fewer social-emotional interactions and skills, so kids are more likely to blow off steam in unhealthy ways

    • Increased flaunting of authority, rules, law enforcement

    • Decrease in parental boundaries and follow-through

    • Screen time and social media use have exploded, along with FOMO, “Reality-TV” culture, and warped perception about what’s ok, what other kids are actually doing.

  • Saturday night was the convergence of multiple factors:

    • Mob mentality: kids often have to make decisions on the fly about how they’re going to behave. Easiest path is to go along with groupthink.

    • Alcohol and drugs: It’s even harder for kids to make good decisions when they’re in the mix. And at home, how is use and abuse normalized, even if unconsciously? How often do our kids see us opening a bottle of wine to unwind, or overdrinking?

    • Privilege and whiteness: The kids who disrespected the police that night didn’t fear any real consequences. How would it have played out differently with kids of color, some throwing beer cans at police? Would it have ended peacefully?

  • We expect more from our kids and we KNOW they can do better. We all make mistakes – how can we help repair and prevent?



Some Solutions

AT HOME:

  • Communicate our expectations with our kids – ideally before bad habits settle in. Ongoing family values convos about:

    • Parties, substance use, have a plan BEFORE they’re in a situation so they don’t just go along with whatever other kids are doing.

    • Respecting our community, neighbors, the police who are keeping us safe

    • Repair – when we make a mistake or hurt someone, how can we make it right? How can we learn from our mistakes?

    • Rethink our “kids are kids – they’re going to do this stuff anyway” attitude.    

      • Having clear set family boundaries around what’s okay and what’s not MATTERS.

      • If kids see parents being permissive or blaming other kids or adults, it’s a missed opportunity for everyone to take responsibility and learn.

  • Model better behavior for our kids:

    • Moderate screen use

    • Talk about feelings/challenges

    • Moderate substance use—excessive use normalizes it for them

    • Respect others in the community, authority


BUILD TRUST with law enforcement. Organize more opportunities to get to know our local police, SROs, etc.


CREATE OPPORTUNITIES for kids to gather safely and contribute to the community:

  • Basketball and tennis courts?

  • Skate park?

  • Volunteer events? Service projects?

  • Internships/jobs?

  • Let’s brainstorm ideas!


RESOURCES:

Loud shoutout to all the organizations who hosted info tables at the event. Checkout their websites for more resources!

In addition to our speakers and info tables, The Spahr Center and RxSafe Marin distributed kits of Narcan/naloxone to attendees, and trained almost half of attendees in its use.

Other local/teen resources:


Please join us December 5 at the Community Center to continue the conversation!

And share out this email — because it really does take a village.

Together we can create a community where everyone is safe, thriving, and welcome.

sharing her path to progress

Ayana Morgan-Woodard

by Sebastian Ghosh

The fact that, when we asked about the best part about quarantine, Ayana responded “planning” speaks volumes about her as a person. Despite juggling a series of projects and obstacles during quarantine, Ayana has been able to find time to plan—and figure out what she can do to make a difference. 

Ayana Morgan-Woodard, a recent honors graduate of Tuskegee University in Alabama, just moved back to Marin City and is hungry to create change. Growing up in Marin City, Ayana went to Marin Catholic, and after graduating university she enrolled in the Servant Leader Internship program at the Hannah Freedom School. In this program, she and others get trained to become teachers in an environment that emphasizes personal growth and volunteer opportunities. Those who have the opportunity to be part of this special program are given the space, and skills, to give back and interact with kids in their community. 

Being a recent graduate, and coming back from college, Ayana sees Marin City from a new perspective. While it is great being back, she says that Marin City feels different and people see her differently. Through her hard work, Ayana has achieved success with her education, and, empowered by this experience, she wants to teach what she has learned about this process to young people in her community. Ayana wants to serve as both a resource and testimony that different paths exist for young people in Marin City. She believes that one of their biggest challenges is figuring out what opportunities are out there and how to access them. By educating the younger generation, Ayana aims to teach kids what is possible, giving them confidence and self-esteem to go out in their community and into the world. 

Ayana has learned that it can be hard changing people’s mindsets regarding what they are used to seeing in society. Based on these preconceived views, many people in this community do not always know what resources are available, or know how to pursue the same opportunities. While Ayana has set goals for what she wants to achieve, even she finds it difficult figuring out the best way to make these goals a reality. But Ayana remains hopeful, and resources like the Hannah Freedom School help to reinforce her confidence. Most importantly, having her family and friends behind her motivates her to keep pushing for change.

On the flip side, Ayana also wants to address negative views that people outside the community have about Marin City. She feels that most people who don’t know the town well fail to recognize and appreciate the bright minds and powerful people present in the community. While she appreciates the attention she has received, she believes others also deserve that recognition, but don’t often receive it, “People pat me on the back and say how well I’ve done, but guess what? There are more of us that have done it and more that can do it—they just haven’t been given the opportunity to do so.” By advocating for and placing more people from this community in the limelight, Ayana hopes to help change the Marin City narrative. 

Even at this early stage of her work, Ayana has come to appreciate what makes it so rewarding: She strongly believes that the children of her community are the future, and if we can influence them in a positive way it will help bring about change, “If they are listening and learning from me, I am doing something right.” She finds that working with kids can be a nice break from dealing with the adults of the world.

As well as reuniting her community, Ayana hopes to raise Marin City to the heights that many know it is capable of reaching. As we progress through this time of immense change and reform, Ayana welcomes these challenges and wants to play a significant role in improving the world around her. Serving as a mentor and resource for questions and ideas in the community, her goal is to make her experiences more of a normality in the community. While she is not one hundred percent certain how she will take steps to achieve this goal, Ayana is certain that she wants to start with helping the next generation. Ultimately, the goals that Ayana is striving for are not simple, they will take a lot of effort and hard work to accomplish. As the saying goes, “It is a marathon not a sprint.” 

Ayana Morgan-Woodard is currently building a website with community help and resources. In the meantime, she encourages people to reach out.  email Ayana Morgan-Woodard

TAM STUDENTS SPEAK THEIR MINDS

Hosted by Gibran Mims, the Speak Your Mind podcast series strives to inspire change by amplifying the perspectives and experiences of Gen Z people of color.

Gibran recently spoke with students from the Tam High district about their unique and personal experiences in the community and at school, how racism and inclusion is talked about (or not), how they cope and thrive, and what changes they would like to see moving forward.

Now more than ever, these conversations are a catalyst to change and cannot be neglected.

It's time to listen, empathize, and grow together.

Instagram: @thespeakyourmindpodcast, @gibranmims