‘Easy access’ of marijuana top problem in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff

• Reprints

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:10AM

The Speak Up Coalition voted on four priority reasons why it believes area teens are using marijuana.

The 32 individuals who attended the session on Feb. 2 whittled down the laundry list of reasons and agreed that “easy access” was the top cause for youths in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood to use marijuana.

“It is easy to get and there are plenty of places to smoke it without getting caught,” Speak Up Executive Director Betty Frank-Bailey said.

“Stress and anxiety” was voted by the group as the second biggest reason why youth smoke marijuana in the community, following by a growing sense of “social acceptance.”

“There are many factors leading marijuana to become more socially acceptable both on the adult and youth level,” Frank-Bailey said.

The group agreed there is a growing sense that it’s okay to smoke marijuana.

“There’s a lot in the media, on TV, that glorifies marijuana in many cases,” Frank-Bailey said. “And there’s a national movement state-by-state to legalize marijuana for medical use.”

‘Harmful effects’

The fourth and final cause the group identified as the largest contributing factors to pot smoking by youth is a “lack of perceived harm,” they agreed.

“People believe marijuana is a natural product. It’s a plant, so they think it’s not harmful,” Frank-Bailey said. “They don’t have the facts on what we’ve learned about marijuana and its harmful effects. Marijuana does have addictive qualities.”

The coalition -- which recently marked its five-year anniversary -- welcomed 16 Lake Bluff Middle School eighth-graders who attended last week’s meeting with LBMS Principal Nathan Blackmer, as part of a school social studies “Project Citizen” assignment, in which they selected alcohol and drug use by youth as their topic of study.

Having youth involved in the discussion added an important element to the meeting.

“They participated, they voted, and they certainly have the perspective,” Frank-Bailey said.

Brenda Marwede, a local parent who attended the coalition meeting for the first time on Feb. 2, appreciated the teens’ perspective.

“I went to learn more about the coalition and was excited hear from the eighth-grade students that were attending,” Marwede said. “Anytime we have the opportunity to hear from kids, we can gain valuable insight.”

The students showed a passion to help and knowledge of the problem, Marwede said.

“The coalition was listening and their goals will be more effective because of it,” she said.

The group started brainstorming specific strategies to meet each of the four priorities. At the next meeting, the action teams will identify one or two strategies to work on as a team.

The group will meet next from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 1 at Lake Forest High School West Campus, 300 S. Waukegan Road in Lake Forest.

Marwede encourages others to attend.

“I was impressed with the coalition’s involvement with the community,” she said. “It seems the coalition has made it a priority to listen and go where the community needs them most.”

The Speak Up Coalition was formed in December 2006 to significantly reduce the level of underage drinking and other drug use among local youth.