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Help the Hills presents program on marijuana use

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Photos by Katie Turpen.

What if your child came home one day and told you some of their friends at school had started experimenting with pot? 

It is these questions and more that were addressed on Tuesday, Aug. 18 when Help the Hills presented “Marijuana: Hashing Out Fact From Fiction” with Dr. Shannon Murphy. The event took place from 6-7:30 p.m. in Tyson Hall at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. Topics included use among teens, recreational verses medical use and the physiological impact of marijuana use. 

“We are on the cusp of great change when it comes to preventing drug use in our children,” Murphy said. “I speak to you through a pediatric lens and also as an advocate for families, parents and communities.”

Murphy, Homewood resident and mother of three, is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics (AAP) and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Practice Advisory Committee for Adolescent Substance Use and is regional coordinator of the Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). 

She was selected by the AAP to work on a national committee to develop a toolkit for physicians to aid in the identification, intervention and referral of adolescents at risk for mental health and substance abuse issues. SAM is a team of mental health and public health officials, doctors, treatment providers, prevention specialists, teachers, law enforcement, and community members working to educate the public on the health issues and safety concerns associated with marijuana.

Murphy began her talk by going over the basics of marijuana. Marijuana is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of leaves, flowers, stems and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main psychoactive chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

The plan contains about 400 chemicals and affects the brain, heart and lungs. It can impair cognition, memory, attention, emotions and sensory input.

Murphy emphasized that it is a myth that marijuana is harmless and not addictive. She expressed that tolerance and risky behavior begins at a young age, which is why teens need as much information as possible to make informed decisions.

“Using marijuana at a young age on a regular basis has great potential to create neuronal change later on in life,” Murphy said. “Legal does not equal safe. We need to tell our children that.”

Murphy spent a great deal of time during her presentation discussing the legalization of marijuana and its effects on communities. Marijuana is currently legal in Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Washington D.C. 

Other topics of Murphy’s presentation included the deadly combination of combining alcohol and pot, the possibility of a contact high and marijuana as a medicine. 

“If kids start asking questions, parents need to speak strongly and tell them the message has not changed. Marijuana use is still addictive and harmful, and its use has serious consequences,” Murphy said. 

Help the Hills, an initiative of Leadership Vestavia Hills, was formed in an effort to foster open dialogue with parents, educators and community leaders about drug and alcohol use among youth. The organization hopes to provide information, tips, and strategies to help parents have mature conversations with their children about these topics. This event was the first Help the Hills event of the 2015-2016 school year. 

For more about Help the Hills, visit leadershipvestaviahills.com. For more information on Murphy’s presentation, visit drugabuse.gov or learnaboutsam.org.

Tips for talking to your teens

Dr. Shannon Murphy says that perceived harm, availability and social norms are the key factors that drive adolescent drug use. Murphy shares advice for parents looking to talk to their children about drug use.

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