Community Prevention Partners’ Cannabis Initiative works on decreasing youth cannabis use through environmental strategies that get at the root cause of use.

Measurable Objective: By September 2021, there will be a 2% decrease in past 30-day cannabis use, among Santa Cruz County 11th grade youth
-as measured by California Healthy Kids Survey.

“Using marijuana during the adolescent years can have significant impacts on brain development, memory, judgment, perception and motor coordination”

-source: ventura county limits

Strategies Include

• Policy

  • Working with key stakeholders and jurisdictions to develop and implement strong cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and retail cannabis policies to reduce youth use

  • Working with the cannabis industry to develop and implement internal policies and best practices to prevent youth access and use

• Education/Mobilization

  • Working with the cannabis industry to disseminate information about preventing youth cannabis access and information on the impact of misuse. Such as the “Talk It Up, Lock It Up Campaign”

    You can can buy a Valtz Lockbox at Treehouse Dispensary: 3651 Soquel Dr, Soquel CA.

  • Providing information about laws and tips for health and safety.

    State Cannabis Laws
    Santa Cruz County Cannabis Laws
    Santa Cruz City Cannabis Laws

Cannabis Cultivation Employee Training Video Series:
Created by CPP Cannabis Initiative Members with Element Productions

Materials Developed

• Local Stats & Snapshot

• Policy briefs

• Cannabis Fact Sheet

Outside Publications

• Policy Briefs

  • Getting It Right From the Start (Project of the Public Health Institute) for Public Health in Cannabis Policy

  • Protecting our Youth: Options for Marijuana Regulation in CA

  • Marijuana cultivation model ordinance 2015

  • Researching Marijuana’s Medical Potential Responsibility

  • Safeguarding Our Communities. Municipal Regulations of Medical Marijuana Cultivation

• Impacts on Development

  • Marijuana and Your Kids Brain - Video

  • I need My Brain - Video

  • Marijuana and the Teenage Brain

• Links to other Cannabis Resources

  • The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Literature Review by the National Academy of Sciences

  • Marijuana Facts for Teens. Presented in question-and-answer format and targeted to teens, provides facts about marijuana and its potential harmful effects. source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  • Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know. Provides facts about marijuana for parents and offers tips for talking with their children about the drug and its potential harmful effects. source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  • NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana’s negative health effects

To find out about the next meeting, contact: Crystal Gonzalez