The Changing Status of Marijuana and Its Implications for Prevention

In this Prevention Talk we will address the implications that the changing status of marijuana has for prevention and how prevention science can help us address these issues through family, media and environmental prevention interventions.  We will have the opportunity to hear from three renowned researchers and experts in substance use prevention: William Crano, PhD, J. Douglas Coatsworth, PhD., and Mallie J. Paschall, PhD.. Each of them will deliver a brief presentation from their field of research, followed by a discussion led by Zili Sloboda, ScD., APSI's president. Questions from the audience are welcome.

Abstracts

Cannabis Legalization and Use Among Youth: Implications for Prevention

Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D.

Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) currently allow medical cannabis use by people at least 18 years old, while 21 states and D.C. allow recreational cannabis use among adults at least 21 years old. The increase in states allowing medical and recreational cannabis use raises concerns about cannabis use and co-use with other substances (e.g., alcohol, tobacco) among underage youth, given the health risks associated with these behaviors. This presentation will examine trends in cannabis use and related beliefs among youth at national, state, and local levels, particularly in relation to legalization of recreational cannabis use. Findings from studies on cannabis and alcohol co-use will also be presented. Implications for the prevention of cannabis use among underage youth will be discussed from the perspective of prevention science theory and findings from previous research on effective strategies to prevent alcohol and tobacco use.

Who, What, Where:  Innovative Implementations of Parenting and Family-focused Interventions.

J. Douglas Coatsworth, Ph.D 

Betsey R. Bush Endowed Professor in Behavioral Health and Associate Dean for Research 

College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Dr. Coatsworth’s talk will focus on recent work that he and others have conducted to extend the reach of evidence- based family interventions by working to ensure these interventions are reaching appropriate populations (Who), are delivering innovative and high-quality interventions appropriate for those populations (What), and are being implemented in settings conducive to uptake (Where).  He will illustrate these issues using results recent studies in the fields of Prevention Science and Implementation science including his own studies of the development and evaluation of an adapted version of the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14, implementation and evaluation of text-based interventions for young adult substance users, and his work on integrating innovative family interventions into health care systems.

An Evidence-Based Discussion of Persuasive Prevention

William D. Crano, 

Professor and Director, Health Psychology and Prevention Science Institute

Claremont Graduate University

My research is focused mainly on finding ways of persuading adolescents to avoid damaging themselves through use of high-risk substances, but the principles apply to adults as well. Despite years of failure, we persist in two major errors – the idea that information alone is a sufficient deterrent, and people can be scared sufficiently to avoid dangerous substances. Reviewing 70+ years of persuasion research provides a good roadmap to better solutions. This presentation details some recent research that takes this literature seriously. My solutions are premised on the idea that prevention almost always involves persuasion (attitude & behavior change), and we know lots about persuasion. Along the way, we’ll consider features of message-source credibility, ambivalence, self-interest, reactance, parental behavior, and a method to enhance the likelihood of success of your persuasive preventive communications.