Oakland County State of Affairs

Poisonous mind altering substances have entered our state through law changes, over prescribing and illicit substances have entered Michigan and the U.S. When mind altering substances increase in an area - accidents, suicides, homelessness, runaways, prostitution, violence, human trafficking, theft, arrests and sicknesses increase due to the high/drunk deceiving effect a mind-altering substance has on a person. Marijuana is a mind-altering substance. https://www.facebook.com/Deceiving-Mind-Altering-Substances-108941933885096. When a person is suffering from a physical addiction “unrecovered" (without protected recovery and support), a person sometimes reaches for another mind-altering substance to deal with hard withdraw, as such, addiction increases. Substances have increased in variety and poisonous strength. Marijuana, the most widely used drug by teens has increased in poisonous strength, marijuana THC dabbing is more than 2000% times more potent then what adults experimented with 30 years ago. Marijuana THC increased as much as 2,567% in a 80% THC marijuana extract or wax or oil between 1990 and 2013. Each time a teen vapes one of these it is equal to smoking twenty-six 1990 joints in one setting, daily users are increasing, this is what they are using daily, 💔exponentially addictive, it no longer takes years to get addicted, it happens the first try - this is why it is important to protect teens, put lids on mind-altering substances so there is no over-flow. Colorado leads the nation in first time marijuana use by those aged 12–17, representing a 65% increase in adolescent use since legalization https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6312155/ Colorado also leads the nation in daily users (people who are addicted, smoke daily because it hurts if they do not smoke it, that is addiction, it hurts). Teens are getting addicted to this, have struggles none of us can understand. If they do not receive help as a teen, they continue to get older at the same time illicit deadly substances are in the young crowd which someone might suggest an illicit substance offers relief, the results are devastating.

Table above is 2013-2018 see how this compares to report a year earlier Oakland County report 2013-2017 five year report.

We can strengthen people, give them numbers to know these substances are deadly and strengthen them, pare them up with God's words, bible studies, healing sources. Please let us know if you have suggestions or ideas. We also think it is a good idea to strengthen laws to support people instead of substance use.