Marijuana & Alcohol Use in Livingston County: A Focus on Holiday Safety
Contact:
Amy Johnston
Community Collaborative Planner
810.772.4827 | ajohnston@cmhliv.org December 3, 2021
Marijuana & Alcohol Use in Livingston County
A Focus on Holiday Safety
The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Workgroup of the Human Service Collaborative Body is a partnership of local substance use agencies who work together to create a continuum of services and supports for people experiencing addiction and recovery.
Marijuana – MSP Lt. Derrick Carroll says, “We have seen an increase since it [marijuana] became recreational instead of just medical.” State Police compiled data for 9&10 News. “We wanted to compare apples to apples, so we took the same time period prior to recreational use being legalized, when it was just medical marijuana. To a timeframe after, with recreational use. That’s when we saw a spike in crashes.”
“It is an increase of 140% of total crashes with marijuana use… And a 430% increase in injury crashes involving cannabis use.” But it’s not just those types of crashes that hit a high – the numbers also show a 640% increase in property damage accidents.
In November 2020, a proposal was placed on the ballot in Pinckney to end the ban on marijuana businesses. With 54.3% of the vote the measure was approved. Recently, the Planning Commission in Pinckney approved a developer’s plan to have three different types of marijuana business uses at the site of the old Pinckney Elementary, including a growing operation, a processing facility and a retail component. The City of Brighton has begun exploring having marijuana related businesses. The City Council has asked the planning commission to look into having 2 recreational businesses and 2 testing facilities within the city limits.
As marijuana becomes more accessible in Livingston County, it is important to understand the negative impact it has on youth. Marijuana now comes in goodies that are appealing to youth, such as candies and cookies. Marijuana also comes in more concentrated forms, known as wax, dabs, and oils. This more concentrated form is not like it was back in Grandma and Grandpa’s day. Instead, today’s marijuana has 217% more of the psychoactive ingredient THC than it did as soon as 1995. Marijuana use directly affects the brain and quadruples the risk of developing psychosis, as well as doubles the risk of developing depression or bipolar disorder.
Keep kids safe and lock up marijuana! Local agencies are providing lock boxes free of charge to encourage safe storage of marijuana products. Making marijuana less accessible will prolong the age of first use, which will decrease the likelihood of becoming addicted to the substance. To get involved in prevention activities, check out: Livingston County Community Alliance. In case of accidental use or ingestion of marijuana products, call the Poison Control Center immediately at (800) 222-1222.
Alcohol – To help businesses follow guidelines, but also stay open, last summer state legislation passed which established social district permits allowing businesses to sell alcoholic beverages to costumers that can consume them in public spaces that are deemed a “social district.” These social districts could be on sidewalks or in parks. Two local municipalities in Livingston County, Howell and Brighton, now have social districts.
Social districts could open the door to accessibility to youth, as there could be less supervision in a park or on a sidewalk. Young people who drink alcohol are more likely than adults to drink to get drunk, becoming more dependent on alcohol that adults. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), youth who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21, the legal drinking age. In Livingston County, alcohol is the number one drug of choice for teens, with age of first use reported by the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth (17-18) to be 13 years old. Decreasing accessibility and drinking alcohol as a social norm, will prolong the age of first use, hopefully decreasing the amount of Livingston County population that is considered excessive drinkers.
A headline From Bridge MI Magazine, says “Stuck at home, Michigan turns to alcohol amid COVID: Sales jump 20 percent” shows that alcohol consumption has increased in Michigan during the COVID pandemic. In addition, the highest-volume store in the state, the Costco in Brighton, had liquor sales climb 67 percent during the height of the pandemic lockdown. It is notable that according to the 2021 County Health Ranking Indicators Livingston County has a higher rate of binge or heavy drinking (23%) than the State of Michigan (21%).
“Many of us look forward to celebrations during the holidays, yet it is also a time when some people are more likely to drink beyond their limits than at other times of the year. Some people will suffer adverse consequences that range from fights to falls to traffic crashes,” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
This holiday season understand the risks of drinking and marijuana use, please protect youth from accessing alcohol and marijuana, and celebrate safely!
The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention workgroup has additional resource specific to Livingston County. These include: Fact you should know about marijuana and how it affects youth, Underage Alcohol Use in Livingston County Fact Sheet, Opioids in Livingston County Fact Sheet, Electronic Cigarettes Fact Sheet, and the Recovery in Livingston County Fact Sheet.
To obtain more information, contact Amy Johnston at 810.772.4827 or at ajohnston@cmhliv.org.
###
