Contact Information:
Julie Vann,
City Council Member, City of Beavercreek 937-657-4773
vann@beavercreekoh.gov
Mental Health Recovery Board and Greene County Combined Health
Presents a two-hour symposium about
MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND THE IMPACTS TO THE CITY
Hosted by: The City of Beavercreek
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BEAVERCREEK, OH – Beavercreek Council Member Julie Vann, Mental Health Recovery Board, and Greene County Combined Health will present Medical Marijuana and the Impacts to the City, an informational session plus Q&A hosted by the City of Beavercreek at the Lofino Center, 3868 Dayton Xenia Road, Beavercreek on Monday, April 30th 2018 from 7 PM – 9 PM with a team of professionals to share information about:
- Current local status. Beavercreek City Manager Pete Landrum will provide an update about local applications, the moratorium, and zoning limitations for marijuana.
- Ohio legislation: who, what, when, where. Tony Coder, Ohio Association of Community Behavioral Health Authorizes and Ohio Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee Member will provide an update about Ohio law components, i.e. what forms of medical marijuana will be allowed, where it will be sold, who will be authorized to prescribe, which diseases/conditions qualify, and how patients will be identified as eligible.
Additionally, Gary Moore, CEO of Pelican Technologies a small niche software developer that uses RFID tags to track individual marijuana plants (quality control).
- Impacts on businesses and employees. Karen Pierce, Managing Director of Policy Development & Training, Columbus, will present a “cliff notes’ summary of key issues that employers and employees face because of Medical Marijuana. She will also announce the
full presentation will be presented to Greene County Safety Council in June, also a two- day course for businesses to develop a drug-free workplace policy with optional second- chance policy will be available.
- Impacts on families and children. Social norms are changing. Half the states in the USA allow at least medical marijuana. The long-term effects of use are unknown, but use while the brain is developing can have negative effects. How will we protect families and children from naively getting involved?
Dr. Tim Callahan, Director of Mental Health Services for Greene County Educational Service Center will talk about the revolution and paradigm shift in how schools are serving the social, emotional and behavioral needs of students. Callahan says, “Prevention programs are already in place in most Greene County Schools because of recent grant funding. We are lowering risks of developing addictions by helping grow and nurture children’s brains, by teaching, promoting, and modeling self-regulation.”
- Updates from State legislators. Rick Perales, State House District 73 Representative will share an update about issues that might delay the September 8th implementation of Medical Marijuana in Ohio. Bob Hackett, Ohio Senator is a Member of the Ohio House Mental Health Caucus and was a member of the 10-member Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review that thoroughly evaluated 2016 rules proposed by the Ohio Pharmacy Board and Department of Commerce relating to the oversight of marijuana in Ohio.
Ohio was the 25th state to pass a comprehensive medical marijuana program, even so, the federal government continues to consider marijuana an illegal drug. Medical Marijuana will be available throughout Ohio on September 8th, 2018, if current plans and timelines are upheld.
Residents want to further understand potential risks, problems and impact when medical marijuana is made available in our community. Beavercreek City Council members became involved to pull together experts so that the residents can be better informed about the impact of medical marijuana on our community.
Council Member Julie Vann says, “It is better to plan ahead and prevent problems, rather than just sit back, wait and respond. City Council members must work with all of the stakeholders because we want to prepare ourselves for many of the unanticipated things that will happen. Therefore this community symposium was organized jointly with Mental Health Board, and Public Health. Together the agenda was built with many speakers with expertise in the field. The Beavercreek population is well educated and likes to be informed. As all the issues and topics are shared, we will have greater appreciation for the complexity of the impacts on our culture, schools, businesses and families. Together maybe we can minimize the problems and be adequately prepared.”
Dr. Greta Mayer, CEO of the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Clark, Greene & Madison Counties stated that, “Guarding our brain health is just as important as safeguarding our physical health.” The Board coordinates funding for prevention, treatment, and recovery support services to reduce the impact of mental illness and addiction in the region. Mayer explained that, “Exposing our brain to drugs, including marijuana, poses risk for problematic use and dependence. While we need further study on marijuana’s long-term effects, we know that compared to adults, young people who use marijuana are about five times more likely to develop a substance use problem.” Marijuana use also increases one’s risk of developing mental health problems. “Our Board is committed to investing in effective prevention strategies to ensure our communities understand the health and safety risks of marijuana use and to reduce overall marijuana and other drug use, especially among vulnerable populations, when medical marijuana becomes available."
Melissa Howell, CEO for Greene County’s Combined Health District says,” Greene County Public Health's mission is to prevent disease, protect our environment, and promote healthy communities and wellness in Greene County. We are reviewing the information coming from other states showing the effects on the community. Our involvement is to help inform and educate our communities from the lessons learned in other states.”
This meeting is open to the public. At the end of the evening there will be a short question and answer period.
For questions or further information contact
- Julie Vann, City Council Member, City of Beavercreek, 1368 Research Park Drive, Beavercreek, OH 45432, vannjulie@att.net, 937-657-4773
- Dr. Greta Mayer, CEO, Mental Health Recovery Board for Clark, Greene, and Madison Counties, 1055 East High Street, Springfield, OH 45505, greta@mhrb.org,
Kirsten Bean, Health Education Program Manager, Greene County Combined Health District, 360 Wilson Drive, Xenia, OH 45385, kbean@gcph.info 937-374-5600