By Iman Bakhit
Staff Writer
South Bay parents were informed about teenage usage of marijuana at the Hermosa Beach Parent Chat located at the Hermosa Beach City Hall Chambers on Dec. 1.
Community Liaison at the Clear Recovery Center Howard Barker, Manhattan Beach City Prosecutor Joan Jenkins and Hermosa Beach Police Captain Milton McKinnon volunteered to answer questions about teens and the dangers they might face such as bullying and rowdy partying. This event’s main topic was the legalization of marijuana.
“The smell of marijuana smoke or even abusing it is allowed, offends me,” Baker said. “However, the people of California have voted in favor of marijuana, and the new challenges that come with it will start to come about in our society.”
Clear Recovery Center official website.
Smoking marijuana will not be prohibited in public, Jenkins said. If someone is caught smoking they will be given a citation along with four hours of counseling and ten hours of community service.
Joan Jenkins and the Manhattan Beach Juvenile Diversion Problem – Looking Out for Our Kids.
“In my city, smoking in public is absolutely unacceptable,” Jenkins said. “Smoking marijuana in public is still considered a felony.”
Another topic of conversation at the chat was the teenage usage of edibles. Edibles are marijuana that is baked in goods such as cookies or brownies. Edibles pose as a risk for children because they might unintentionally eat them, physician specializing in addiction medicine Mary Eno said.
“What really gets me emotional is the spike of admissions in children who had unintentional ingestion of marijuana,” Eno said. “One edible is enough to put a child in the Intensive Care Unit.”
The Hermosa Beach Parent Chat had approximately twenty attendees and it was accessible on live video set up by the Hermosa Beach City website. This event was made possible through funds from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention and Control.
“I don’t think any of the kids I meet realize how precious they are,” Jenkins said. “They need to be protected by themselves and others and that if they ever have a problem, they know that they can always go to their parents for help.”
Click here to see more photos from the Parent Chat.
Hermosa Beach Parent Chat – The Hermosa Beach Parent Chat, which was held in the Hermosa Beach City Hall Chambers on December 1st, gave South Bay parents a chance to ask and be informed by Community Liaison at the Clear Recovery Center Howard Barker, Manhattan Beach City Prosecutor Joan Jenkins and Hermosa Beach Police Captain Milton McKinnon about subjects ranging from bullying to rowdy partying. This Parent Chat primarily focuses on the parents’ concern about the legalization of marijuana and how it will affect the city and their teenagers.
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