July 24, 2020

By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Youth marijuana use and the risks that come with it will be explored in an upcoming online town hall event.

The Livingston County Community Alliance is hosting a Town Hall on the Dangers of Youth Marijuana Use on Zoom, Wednesday, August 5th, at 6pm. Local leaders, law enforcement, education and health experts and others will join the discussion to present and answer questions. Panelists include Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy, 53rd District Court Judge Daniel Bain, Hartland Consolidated Schools certified drug and alcohol counselor Nicole Schingeck, and therapist and social worker Edward Knitter. The event will be welcomed and moderated by State Representative Ann Bollin of Brighton Township.

The panel will be providing perspectives and expertise on the changing landscape of marijuana, particularly in light of the 2018 vote that legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older in Michigan. Following their presentations, there will be time for questions from the audience.

LCCA Coordinator Megan Palmer said, in a release, that many parents, teachers, and community stakeholders have concerns about how the new laws will impact everything, and this is a way to provide an informative, open process to address that. Recognizing that teen years are a time of rapid growth, exploration, and risk taking, Palmer said some risk behaviors, like marijuana use can have harmful and long-lasting effect on a teen’s health and well-being.

The event is free and open to the public, but due to limited space, reservations are requested. Registrations can be made at https://dangersofmarijuanatownhall.eventbrite.com