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Attention on prevention Community members digest data and seek solutions to substance abuse By Jason Starr Observer staff
A mix of Rotarians, students, school administrators, parents and town officials gathered in the Williston Central School cafeteria last Wednesday to tackle a touchy topic: what to do about the rise of “vaping,” the prevalence of pot (in light of state legalization) and the perennial battle against alcohol use among teens and preteens. It was a facilitated forum that interspersed speeches with small, roundtable discussions. Spearheaded by the Town of Williston and the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club — with support from the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance, the Champlain Valley School District and the Williston Observer — the event was billed as the start of a community effort to reduce substance abuse. “The topic is extremely important,” selectboard member Ted Kenney said at the outset. “A whole community has to be on board, and that is what we are trying to do tonight. It affects our entire community, so our entire community has to be a part of it.” Christine Johnson of the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance offered school district-level data to define the problem at Champlain Valley Union High School. Data came from a “risk behaviors” survey that Vermont students take every other year. The most recent available data is from the 2017 survey and showed the percentage of students engaged in risky behav-
iors had dropped since 2015. For example, 4 percent reported driving drunk, compared to 6 percent in 2015; 12 percent reported driving stoned compared to 16 percent in 2015; 10 percent reported riding with a drunk driver compared to 18 percent in 2015; and 15 percent reported riding with a stoned driver, compared to 21 percent in 2015. Marijuana use dropped to 21 percent from 24 percent, according to the survey, and use of electronic smoking products (vapes) had decreased to 6 percent from 18 percent. However, school officials expect a significant jump in marijuana and vape use when the 2019 numbers are released. Use of e-cigarettes in schools has boomed in the last two years. The devices can be loaded with nicotine or pot and hardly emit a smell when smoked, making it easier for students to get away with using them at school. The advent of edible marijuana products has also made it harder for teachers and administrators to prevent use. The legalization last year of adult possession and cultivation of a limited amount of marijuana is having an effect as well, said Christine Lloyd-Newberry, the Champlain Valley School District’s director of integrated wellness. When there is a perception of approval from adults, she said, rates of use among kids rises. “Use rates are about to start climbing,” she predicted. Students from CVU and Burlington High School attended the event. In a breakout discussion, the Burlington students called into question the validity of youth risk behavior survey data, saying that students who use substances don’t take the survey seriously and see PREVENTION page 2
Observer photo by Al Frey
Champlain Valley School District Director of Integrated Wellness Christine Lloyd-Newberry discusses substance use data regarding CVU High School students last Wednesday at Williston Central School.
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