April 18, 2024
Local News

Parents Academy debunks 'marijuana myths,' talks teen drug use

By TARAH THORNE

Dr. Andrea Barthwell spoke to Barrington area parents Thursday evening about the dangers of adolescent drug use, specifically marijuana. Dr. Barthwell jokingly called herself the "most conservative liberal parent in the world." The Oak Park resident is a mother of three. "Let the house rules be known, clear and enforced," Dr. Barthwell said. "It's not too late to set the norms." (Tarah Thorne)

BARRINGTON – Having raised three children through their adolescent rebellious years, Dr. Andrea Barthwell can empathize those raising teens.

"It's essential that your child wake up one day and view you as an imperfect parent and reject you," Barthwell said while addressing parents Thursday evening at the Barrington Park District. "They will become self sufficient and re-accept you as an authority figure in their next stage of development."

Bartwell, a former deputy director of Demand Reduction at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, was speaking to Barrington-area parents as part of her Parents Academy lecture series.

Parents Academy is intended to inform parents on how to guide their children through young adulthood, allowing them to discover themselves in a safe, structured environment to ensure that they grow into successful and healthy adults.

Barthwell, of Oak Park, is the founder and CEO of Two Dreams Outer Banks, an individualized addiction treatment program in River Forest. Barthwell said the free lectures are unaffiliated with her job. Two Dreams does not treat adolescents.

School board policy
Overall drug use has too been a hot topic at Barrington 220 school board meetings.

Barrington 220 school board president Brian Battle said the board's policy committee has been researching district-wide student drug testing policy options and an in-depth conversation is scheduled for the next board meeting April 15.

"We keep our policies consistent with state laws, and although there is no state law mandating student drug testing, we've been looking into it and seeing what other school districts have been doing," Battle said.

Battle said the next step in the board's decision making will be asking its policy committee to either defer or pursue student drug testing as a Barrington 220 policy.

It's up to the policy committee to decide when such a policy might take effect, Battle said.

Impact on youth
Debunking what she referred to as "marijuana myths," Barthwell said marijuana is a bigger problem than previously recognized during her Thursday Parents Academy presentation.

"Marijuana stops a child's growth and development right at the point of initiating in the drug use," Barthwell said. "Generally they do not get back on track. Youth marijuana use is critically important to interrupt in order to allow your young person to grow and meet the demands of the adult world.

Barthwell advised parents, "Pay attention to your child's peer group – the four kids your kids runs around with.

"You can preview where your child is headed based on who they associate with. It's impossible to look at your kid objectively, but you can look at their peers objectively."

Barthwell said more adolescents are having a problem with abuse and dependence on marijuana than they are on tobacco and alcohol combined, initiating in marijuana use at an average age of 12 years old, with 50 percent of high school graduates having already used some sort of illicit drug

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, all forms of marijuana are mind-altering, changing how the brain works with more than 400 chemicals. The most active chemical in marijuana, THC, is stored in fatty tissues for days to weeks after use stops. Marijuana effects attention span, memory, focus, timing, movement, coordination and judgment

LEADS, the former Barrington Area Drug Coalition, previously hosted a similar parent discussion on heroin, which Barthwell addressed as being a next stop for marijuana users

"I've seen, interviewed and examined hundreds of thousands of drug addicts since beginning my practice in 1982 and I've never met a heroin addict who didn't start by using marijuana," Barthwell said

Barrington police officer John McGowan said he finds a high school student to be either under the influence, possessing drugs or buying or selling about once every two weeks.

Medical marijuana
Parents at both lectures questioned medical marijuana

The Illinois medical marijuana law approved Jan. 1 excludes minors.
As of April 2, the state Senate approved a bill which would expand the law to include minors and adults with seizure disorders

The four-year medical marijuana pilot system is yet to be up and running as state departments set their rules for the project. To use medical marijuana in Illinois, patients will be fingerprinted, undergo a background check and pay $150 per year to get a special photo ID, according to the plan set by Gov. Pat Quinn

In compliance with the Smoke Free Illinois Act, medical marijuana cannot be used in public or near minors. It will be prohibited on school buses and school grounds.

If you go
What: Barrington 220 school board meeting
Where: Barrington High School Guidance Resource Center, 616 W Main St., Barrington
When: 7 p.m. April 15
Info: Visit www.barrington220.org for information.