Substance Use
Describes the impact drugs have on a child’s life & how drug industries target children. Teaches students to manage their feelings without relying on drugs.
Big marketing budgets, bright colored packaging and candy flavored substances create an allure that draws kids into a perceived lifestyle that users are cool, fun and safe. Kid’s social media feeds are full of promotions, competitions and challenges for Vaping, THC, hard seltzers, prescription drugs and more. Direct access to kids creates a platform to introduce and scale substance use at a magnitude that has never been seen before. It is important to acknowledge how the market of substances and subsequent marketing of these substances has changed to understand what is needed to better educate our youth on the realities of substance use.
Lesson Expectations:
Provide real examples of tactical methods used by drug companies to successfully target kids. Understand the physical and emotional differences that substance use has on a child’s brain vs an adult brain. Discuss the dangers of highly concentrated (vape juice, THC, Alcohol) substances and associated “serving sizes”. Prepare communities to identify the different ways that marijuana, vape, drug and alcohol industries are trying to infiltrate young minds.
Goals
Give youth and parents factual information about substance use and how clever campaigns are successful in covering up the harm. Discuss the path from gateway drugs, along with the new marijuana and vape use concerns. Be aware of the economic, social, and emotional impact that substance use causes. Understand how legalized drug use leads to illegal substance abuse and open discussions on how substance use changes a young user’s dreams and goals and alters their appearance and emotional intelligence.
Objectives: As a result of this course students will be able to:
• Identify substances being used and abused by teens
• Break down the marijuana and vape industries campaign practices
• Recognize the differences on the brain between teen and adult substance use
• Know the emotional and social path from substance use to abuse
• Give best practices to avoid a path of drug use
• Find other ways to fit in, feel good and forget feelings without substance use
• Empower youth to value their life, dreams, and goals over quick fixes
Big marketing budgets, bright colored packaging and candy flavored substances create an allure that draws kids into a perceived lifestyle that users are cool, fun and safe. Kid’s social media feeds are full of promotions, competitions and challenges for Vaping, THC, hard seltzers, prescription drugs and more. Direct access to kids creates a platform to introduce and scale substance use at a magnitude that has never been seen before. It is important to acknowledge how the market of substances and subsequent marketing of these substances has changed to understand what is needed to better educate our youth on the realities of substance use.
Lesson Expectations
Provide real examples of tactical methods used by drug companies to successfully target kids. Understand the physical and emotional differences that substance use has on a child’s brain vs an adult brain. Discuss the dangers of highly concentrated (vape juice, THC, Alcohol) substances and associated “serving sizes”. Prepare communities to identify the different ways that marijuana, vape, drug and alcohol industries are trying to infiltrate young minds.
Objectives
As a result of this course students will be able to:
• Identify substances being used and abused by teens
• Break down the marijuana and vape industries campaign practices
• Recognize the differences on the brain between teen and adult substance use
• Know the emotional and social path from substance use to abuse
• Give best practices to avoid a path of drug use
• Find other ways to fit in, feel good and forget feelings without substance use
• Empower youth to value their life, dreams, and goals over quick fixes
Goals
Give youth and parents factual information about substance use and how clever campaigns are successful in covering up the harm. Discuss the path from gateway drugs, along with the new marijuana and vape use concerns. Be aware of the economic, social, and emotional impact that substance use causes. Understand how legalized drug use leads to illegal substance abuse and open discussions on how substance use changes a young user’s dreams and goals and alters their appearance and emotional intelligence.
