Marijuana...It's more harmful than you think!

Gwinnett United In Drug Education, Inc. (GUIDE) is a substance abuse prevention agency whose mission is to mobilize and equip the Gwinnett community with information and strategies needed to promote positive youth development, improve community conditions and address other issues associated with substance use and abuse.

An initiative of GUIDE, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), is a group of high school students from Gwinnett County who come together to learn leadership skills, provide input on various aspects of GUIDE programming and conduct substance abuse prevention projects. Our YAB members are committed to positively impacting the community, as well as making responsible and healthy personal choices. Throughout the school year, YAB members take part in monthly meetings and help plan youth leadership trainings, community-wide events and peer-prevention campaigns designed to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.

The YAB is currently working to reduce the use of marijuana, which is a popular drug among youth. However, many youth are not aware of the harmful effects marijuana can have on the brain and body. According to the 2014 Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services’ Youth Health Survey, 15% of Gwinnett high school students used marijuana in the past 30 days, and only 54% believed that marijuana is harmful. With this low perception of harm, there is a higher chance that youth will try marijuana and participate in other risky behaviors, such as the tradition of skipping school on April 20 (4/20) to smoke the substance.

In order to raise awareness about the dangers of marijuana and encourage youth not to smoke marijuana on 4/20, GUIDE and the YAB are conducting a peer-to-peer awareness campaign titled “Marijuana…It’s more harmful than you think.”

In honor of Global Youth Service Day, the campaign began today at several high schools in Gwinnett County. Global Youth Service Day is an annual event of Youth Service America that takes place over a weekend in April for youth to work together to change their communities through service. This year, the YAB received the Disney Friends for Change grant from Youth Service America to conduct this marijuana awareness campaign.

Today, YAB members set up a booth at their school and asked students to sign a banner pledging to attend school on Monday, April 20 and to not smoke marijuana. They also wore campaign t-shirts to school and provided informational materials and resources to their peers in order to spread awareness.

During the week of April 20-24, GUIDE and the YAB will continue the campaign by providing several Gwinnett high schools with marijuana statistics to show on their morning announcements. These statistics will highlight the harmful effects that can occur from using marijuana. With the media glamorizing this issue, most youth do not realize the damaging effects this illegal drug can have on them. This campaign will help youth understand the real facts and give them the information they need to make healthy decisions, perform well in school and stay safe on the road.

Please join us in heightening awareness of the dangers of marijuana use and encourage youth to make safe decisions. You can also follow us on Twitter to see the campaign in action!

GUIDE, Inc. is a substance abuse prevention agency serving Gwinnett County since 1986. To find out more about us, please connect with us at guideinc.org.