Jo will then share her personal story as the mother of a teen addict. She will show attendees what contemporary cannabis products look like and how they are marketed directly to their children. She will give an in-depth description of how and why adolescent cannabis use is harmful to the developing adolescent brain.

• Understand how to recognize the difference in contemporary marijuana-derived products vs. “old school” weed of the past.
• Learn the impact of cannabis use on the developing, adolescent brain.
• Develop a strategy for how to approach children at different ages regarding substance use along with prevention tools.

Jo McGuire is an advocate for safe and drug free workplaces, families, and communities. Jo is the Executive Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association. She is a national conference speaker, published author, and the President and CEO of Five Minutes of Courage. Jo is also the mother of an addict and shares her story with parents of loss, love, hope, and healing. Jo is a member of the National Marijuana Initiative Speakers Bureau.

Is marijuana a medicine? It’s very confusing. Isn’t it safer than deadly opioids for pain? No one dies of marijuana, right? Learn fact from fiction as Dr. Lev takes you through from glaucoma to seizures dispelling the myths of “medical” marijuana based on science and clinical experience as an emergency physician.

• Learn about the research and indication of using marijuana for pain
• Dispel myths of using marijuana for various medical conditions. 

• Learn the difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana
  
  

Roneet Lev, MD FACEP was the first Chief Medical Officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, 2018-2020. She brought refreshing frontline medical experience to national health policy. She is a nationally acclaimed medical expert and speaker who continues to treat patients in the emergency department and hosts a podcast titled High Truths on Drugs and Addiction. As a mother of four she relates to families who struggle. Lev uses data to drive change and is frequently quoted in print and television media. She runs the popular podcast, HighTruths.com. Dr. Lev is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Johnny's Ambassadors.

In this session, Aaron will cover how semi-synthetic cannabinoids are being derived from hemp to further circumvent the law (HHC, THC-O, Delta-8, THC-P, etc.). You will learn:

* How CBD conversions are done

* What products are available

* The local impact due to availability in gas stations

* The impact of dispensaries on the immediate surrounding community.

Aaron Weiner, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified Psychologist and addiction specialist, who speaks nationally on the topics of addiction, behavioral health, and the impact of drug policy on public health. He earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed his fellowship in Addiction Psychology at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. His perspective is informed by years of experience growing and directing addiction service lines for hospitals and healthcare systems, the current state of medical and psychological research, and his own observations in private practice. Dr. Weiner is the President of the Society of Addiction Psychology, a member of the Physician Speakers Bureau for the National Safety Council, and on the Science Advisory Board for Smart Approaches to Marijuana and Johnny’s Ambassadors Youth Marijuana Prevention.

As a school resource officer, I have seen firsthand the impacts of marijuana legislation, use of marijuana, and ease of access to the drug. Since marijuana use is an issue in our schools, I will be speaking about:

* Marijuana accessibility and different products

* How kids are using marijuana at school and hiding it

* How school resource officers respond to marijuana use at school and handle offenses

* What you can do in a school to prevent marijuana use

Dave Savage is a Deputy Sheriff with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Douglas County, CO. He has worked for the Sheriff's Office for 6 years and has served as a School Resource Officer (SRO) for the past four years at one of the 10 high schools in Douglas County. Deputy Savage started his career in law enforcement following a career in Electrical Engineering, in which he holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. In his current position as an SRO, he wears several different hats handling issues from stolen items, to school fights, to drugs on campus. In addition, Deputy Savage serves as an informal mentor/counselor and a classroom teacher. The best part of his day is when he can have conversations with students getting to know who they really are. Deputy Savage believes SROs play a vital role in building good community relationships between law enforcement and the next generation of citizens. 

This session will teach participants effective ways to engage citizens and key stakeholders in all sectors of their community to ensure youth are better protected from the negative impacts of medical and recreational commercialized marijuana. It will arm concerned citizens and advocates on empowering ways to address today’s most harmful gaps when it comes to marijuana policies, regulations, and education.  It will provide hands-on strategies to effectively coordinate the engagement of elected officials, media, coalition partners, health experts, and concerned parents and educators to secure high-impact youth safeguards. 

• Explore current gaps in marijuana policy, regulations, and education and why they matter
• Highlight proactive ways to better protect youth at the local, state, and national level
• Share community engagement techniques to increase positive outcomes for youth 
• Discuss strategic ways to engage media while educating the community on today’s THC products and potencies

When marijuana is legalized in the next state, the pot industry moves in to claim its next victims: our youth. Learn the truth about how Big Marijuana targets their next generation of addicts, so you are prepared to discuss the harms with your children.

• The economics of weed – the pot industry needs its next addicts
• Contributing factors to marijuana dependence in youth
• Normalization of cannabis
• Tapping emotional connections
• Targeting youth: frequency, media, placement
• Understanding TODAY’S weed and how it’s used

From non-profits to hospitals to private programs, Ben has been a leader inside of many forms of addiction treatment and prevention. From 2017-2020, Ben was a consultant to various treatment programs, state governments, professional and collegiate athletics, and labor. He is now CEO of the Foundry Steamboat Springs, an inpatient treatment program for men in the mountains of Colorado. Ben is a Jr. Fellow at the University of Florida inside of their drug policy institute, a board member for NALGAP (National Association of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender treatment providers and their allies), a Board member at SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a member of the Advisory Council at Johnny's Ambassadors, and faculty at numerous institutes. He is a published author (Weed Inc, Simon and Shuster 2017), and his TED talk “Surprising Truths about Legalizing Cannabis” has been viewed over 2.5 million times.

Throughout the past 35 years I have had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of treatment, hospital, and academic settings. I have worked primarily in the areas of substance abuse treatment, traumatology, marriage and family therapy and inpatient/outpatient psychiatric care. I have worked as both front line treatment staff and program administration. I am currently the Chief Clinical Officer at Foundry Treatment Center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I also consult and present on issues associated with families, trauma, and addiction. I have published in the areas of family traumatology, marriage and family therapy training, and sex therapy in the couples context.