Panel To Discuss Effects, Risks Of Marijuana To Somerset County Teens

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Today, there are 25 states, including New Jersey, that have legalized medical marijuana. Many teens now view it as a safe recreational drug, but what are the facts? What effect does marijuana have on the developing teenage brain?

Somerset County Freeholder Brian D. Levine invites parents, middle school and high school students to a panel discussion, titled “The Blunt Truth: The Effects of Marijuana on the Teen Brain,” which will focus on the impact of marijuana on the developing teenage brain, negative consequences and the science behind it.

The county Office of Youth Services will host the panel discussion on Thursday, March 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Somerville Middle School, located at 51 West Cliff St.

To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/theblunttruthpanel. Walk-ins are welcome. Free drawings will be held for two Echo Dots, donated by Safe Communities Coalition of Hunterdon and Somerset.

Topics will include the effects of marijuana on the teenage brain, law enforcement’s assessment of the local situation, consequences and recovery.

Participating in the panel discussion will be Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Professional Addiction Counselor Paul Lavella Jr., Somerville High School Psychologist Danielle Zurawiecki and Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies Program Coordinator Ricki Arvesen.

This program is sponsored by the Somerset County Youth Services Commission, Somerville Public School District, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, EmPoWER Somerset, the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse and the Safe Communities Coalition of Hunterdon and Somerset.

For more information, contact Cindy Britt, Somerset County Youth Services, at (908) 704-6352.