August 20, 2025 • 42 mins
On today’s episode of Keeping Ashland Healthy, David welcomes back the Prevention Gals from ACCADA. The Board funds prevention/education services in every school district. The prevention/educators talk about what surprised them last year, the dramatic increase in vaping and vape stores, and their goals for the upcoming school year. Learn more about ACCADA’s prevention programming by visiting their website (www.accada.org/) or calling them at 419.289.7675. For more information about the Board, visit us at www.ashlandmhrb.org or call us at 419.281.3139
(Record Date: August 14, 2025)
(Record Date: August 14, 2025)
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome. You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast, a
podcast production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
Ashland County, Ohio. Thanks for joining us, and welcome back
to another episode of the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast. My
name is David Ross with the Mental Health and Recovery
Board here in Ashland County. In the studio, we have
a full house. We've got with us. That's right, the
(00:26):
Prevention Goals. This is the episode everybody likes to listen to.
We've been doing this every year now for several years,
even going back to the days when we were over
at the iHeart Studios, but we've been doing it here
in house for a while. So who are the prevention Goals. Well,
it's Wendy Lemon, It's LeeAnne White, it's Chris Hickey. But
we also have in studio even though we don't have
(00:47):
a microphone or a headset for her, but she's still
here lurking. Suzanne Ford. So there's four prevention educators through
a caada. And because the ACADA director was concerned that
this episode might go off the rails, Rick Ford is
also in the studio. But if we did not give
him a microphone either, because you know, anything could happen
(01:07):
if mister Ford was here on the mic. So thank
you for all of you for making time this morning
to talk about prevention education in Ashland County. You all
are veterans. I know you've welcomed Suzanne who started this
past year and have gotten her up to speed. We're
going to go through some of our normal questions. I
think folks are always curious what your year was like,
(01:30):
and now that we're into the summer months, just getting
ready to start a new school year, the kinds of
things that are on your mind that you're maybe planning
to do that are different than you've done in previous years.
But let me start. Let me always start with introductions
in terms of maybe how long you've been doing this
prevention education work, and then maybe a little bit about
which schools you cover, because a lot of people don't
(01:52):
know we're in all the different school districts. So I'll
just go around the horn. So again, hopefully Wendy remembers
where she went to school, who she is this year. Wendy,
talk a little bit about yourself and what schools and
maybe grades that you're going to be covering this upcoming
school year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Okay. Yeah, I'm Wendy Lemon and this is my ninth
year as a prevention educator. I work with Loudonville Perrysville
School District and Ashland City School District. This year I
should be working with Loudonville and grades K through three okay,
(02:32):
and then in Ashland City I will be doing K
through five.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Wow. Okay, awesome?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And how long you been with AK together?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
This is nine years?
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, it's going so fast, right, no, because I really
cannot believe how fast it's gone.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And Chris Hickey, you might have been around a few years,
talk about own fast.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
So yes, I'm Chris Hicky and I am the prevention consultant.
Been here the longest between my colleagues. But this I
was figuring out this morning. This will be my thirty
third year in the schools.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, I thought it was thirty four because it was
ninety two it was when I started.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So yeah, yeah, she's the queen.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
And so my schools are Mapleton, Hillsdale, Cresview, and I
do some classes at the Ashland Career Center Ashland West
Holmes County Career Center.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
But you know they're changing the name, and I'm very confused.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
Oh I have not heard that.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Yeah, I know they've changed buildings and that was a
little problematic last school year, and it'll be the same
this coming the first semester.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
But they're going to call it the Heartland something.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Oh yeah, that used to be the nursing.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
From out there. Yeah, maybe that's why they're incorporating.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Okay, very good.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Yes, So I've been been around the block a few.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Times in the provincial but I truly.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Have a heart for prevention or I and I always say,
I really do love my job. The last couple of
years it's been a little bit more just trying to
stay one step ahead, a little bit more difficult that way.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
But yeah, yeah, I think we'll talk about some of
those perfect those trends and patterns that I think make
your jobs, all of your jobs particularly challenging in this
day and age. Last, but not least in terms of
intros is Leanne White.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So this is my seventh year, I know, which is
crazy actually like six and a half because I started
like in mid school year my first year. I am
in Lowneville. Seventh through twelve, I am in the Career Center,
and I am at ashleeh Heights School excellent. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Well, and again, as I say, we also have Suzanne
in rick Ford in studio and maybe if somebody can Suzanne,
even if you can shout at how long Suzanne have
you been with Kaiden as a prevention educator and maybe
which which buildings are you in?
Speaker 6 (05:21):
Hi, David, I have been with a KITA. I started
in January, so not too long. But the ladies have
welcomed me and I've learned so much just from observing them.
This past school year I was with Taft doing fourth
(05:43):
and fifth grade and then Ashland Middle School excellent.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yes, well, thank you, thank you, thank you for fill in.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Places where we know we need to get to but
we just don't have the time, gotcha, because all of
us are tech part time, but you can only get
about six seven hours in a school day, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And so yeah, we well.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
A lot of kids to get.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
To right and again, and talking with mister Ford. Over
the last few years, I mean, because of your good
work and because of what's been going on in our
culture and our society and our county, the demand from
the schools has continue to go up, and it did
get to a point where I think Rick said, you know,
after talking with you, it just you guys couldn't get
to all the needs that were being expressed. So that's
(06:31):
when we kind of laid that groundwork. Ver Suzanne the
join the team. So we're glad to have you. So
before we jump in too much, I always like to
ask you what surprised you the year that was last
school year twenty four to twenty five, And when you
think back on this, we're getting ready to start the
new year. But what surprised you or what what did
(06:53):
you not anticipate that occurred last year? In your prevention
education work.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I would say that I'm with the older kids. Yeah,
you know, except for Longville, I'm in middle school. But
you know, at the Career Center, I spent a lot
of time ash in high school. I am shocked by
how many older kids, like I'm talking junior seniors, are
trying to quit vaping. Oh yeah, I have several students
at the career center who are you know. I'll come
(07:22):
I come there about once sometimes twice a month, and
they'll say I'm three days clean, and I'm like that's awesome,
and or they'll say I'm two weeks or I'm just
really shocked on how many kids are trying to quit wow,
because I think they have seen how addicting it is.
And yeah, I mean that's just it's very hopeful.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
That's great. Other things that maybe you noticed in twenty
four twenty.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Four that out definitely agree with Leanne because my work
at the career center, especially if it's on a Monday
and kids are like, I'm struggling. I've god had a
good you know, I had a good week, but then
the weekend came and now I'm trying. So Mondays are
always rough. But what surprised me the most last year,
and Leanne had spoke a little bit about it, they
(08:10):
amounted because I do junior high, high school and elementary too,
but my amount of high school kids talking about hallucinogenics, microdosing,
all of those types, which I was not really expecting.
So I had to kind of like back up make
sure that I was speaking correctly about what things. And
(08:32):
I think that all comes from like media that they're watching,
and there's a lot of buzz about it and what
they're watching on social media platforms, and it's not necessarily
the things that I'm watching.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
So trying to kind of.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Go back and make sure that they have the right information, sure,
because you know, and I was.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
So shocked, like, why are sixth graders asking me about shrooms?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
You know, where did they hear that? Or where have
they seen that? And so we've gotten into some pretty
good discussions there. But that was what was the most
surprising to me.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Last year.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Or Wendy, sorry, So probably the most surprising thing for
me was in a fifth grade class. We do pre
and post tests when we start a class, and in
fifth grade that's when we first like it's it's at
the end the very last lesson. We just begin to
(09:30):
introduce marijuana and talk a little bit about how it
affects the brain and a person's ability to do stuff.
And I think one of the things that really shocked
me was this one student asked me with this question,
which was, how does which which of these things does
(09:51):
marijuana do to the brain? And three of them were like, oh,
it doesn't affect it at all kind of stuff, and
one was, well, it'll slow down your reaction time. And
he raised his hand and he said, I don't understand
which marijuon are we talking about? Are we talking about medical?
(10:11):
Are we talking about like you know the other kind,
and so that kind of surprised me that they at
that age had that understanding of difference. And through a
course that I've been taking this summer, I've been learning
like that really is a misconception and that it really does,
(10:32):
you know, affect.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
That's good because that's on the agenda to talk a
little bit about later. I think, so that young of a.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
N age, that young surprised me.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, I would be surprised as well.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
So I guess I didn't add that. I also go
to the Croc Center during the summer. This is my
second year doing that and that is from five years.
I think their oldest kid is maybe like eleven or twelve,
but this summer, very young kids are well aware of
what marijuana is.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
And yeah, I've had that kids ask like so what
same thing, Like what do we talk? Are we talking
Delta eight?
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:13):
Like wait a second, yeah, you know, like where.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Do you hear that?
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Right? Right?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yes? Well. One of the things that has changed even
since it's because it's only been about a year since
we last recorded. One of the things we just can't
help but notice if you're in National County is the
number of ape shops that have that have opened up. So,
you know, I was thinking and I've talked with folks,
and I just have to imagine, especially the locations, which
(11:41):
we talked a little bit about before we even started recording.
They're close to a lot of the schools, They're pretty
visible in the community. There's a lot more this year
than there were last year. And I just wanted to
ask you all, it just seems like it would make
the work that you're trying to do harder because it
appears to be everywhere. And again, the even though there's
(12:04):
age restrictions. I just have to wonder about, you know,
the vaping, because we talked about last year being more common,
uh just as a as a mechanism in the pouches.
Remember we talked about that last year. But I just
I just do you feel like maybe the acceptance or
the appearance of the acceptance of these vape shops, so
many of them in Ashra County, is it major work
(12:27):
more challenging or and if so, maybe how a little
bit anybody can take that.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I think it just is the it's normalizing it. Yeah,
it's you know, the access to it, because you know,
when that first one popped up, it was oh yeah,
that shop. That shop, well, you know that kind of
became like that stigma, like that shop. Now it's they're
just popping up everywhere, and it's so normal that it
kind of takes away the.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I don't know, like the there's that there's not like
the social stigma. Yeah, yeah, that's acceptable.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Right that it's like acceptable, it's it's normalized. It's here,
it's you know, they're popping up everywhere where. There's kids
walk them by all the time.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
One of the things I've seen with the younger kids,
because I'm just especially at TAFT and it surprised me
last year and again this year just to see they're
angry about it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Oh, tell me more about that one.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
So they when we get to the nicotine topic that
you can see them like they just get this energy
and there did you know? You know, they'll say, did.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
You see it over there?
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Why did they put it near our school?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Why did they do this?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
And what I'm seeing from younger students is actually more
of an understanding that this is not healthy. When I
first started years ago, there was this misconception that this
is just water vapor, it's flavored water vapor, and it's
not going to hurt you. It's not a big deal,
And that seems to be fading. The younger students are
(14:15):
are looking at that as that's really not good for you,
that's bad, you shouldn't do that. And I almost feel
like we see a response from tobacco companies of okay,
that one's past, so now we've got to get the
next thing out there, because this is all about making money.
And that's one of the things, especially as they get
a little bit older, we talk a lot about is
(14:36):
this is a business. This is not like to get
you your rights, you know, and let you do what
you want to do. This is about making money. And
if they can addict you when you're young, they've got
you for a long time.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
And the marketing behind the whole vape culture is huge,
and you know, you go back and it was presented
to the population that this is a healthy alternative.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Where have we heard that before?
Speaker 4 (15:05):
So we go back and look at the history of tobacco,
like forever, you know, back in the nineteen twenties, thirties, forties,
nobody knew that smoking was bad. Right then we find
out smoking is really really bad. So they rebranded themselves
and they came out with smoke lists tobacco, which sounded
good to begin with. And now what do we find
(15:26):
out about smokeless tobacco. It's damaging as well. So then vapes.
And that's where I'm seeing, you know, I've seen a
lot of parents who used to be cigarette smokers who
are now vaping. Who really, we think everybody knows the
dangers of vaping, because that's what we do every day, right,
we try to educate people. But there's this whole culture
(15:47):
of adults raising kids who are vaping. And even though
the numbers for adults is lower than our junior high
and high school kids that vape. When I'm seeing the
kids who are vaping have easy act says to it
because it's in their households, because their parents are thinking, well,
this is better than smoking. And I think that's problematic
(16:07):
because and we say it all the time. What you
say in the classroom, you hope makes an impact, but
it's far less than what they're actually living in their households.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Sure, well, that was encouraging. One need to hear that
there is more of this understanding that these vape shops like,
we don't want to accept them, you know, they're in
our neighborhood and we don't like that. And that's because
you're right. We talked about this two or three years ago.
The education at that time was right, this is just
water vapor. What's the big deal? This is safe. So
(16:38):
you guys have worked hard, I think to help educate
that's not what's going on with fakes, right.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
And I would like to see like our I need
to investigate a little bit more like our city to
pass an ordinance that kids under twenty one, because that's
the legal age to be able to purchase anything, are
not allowed in those stores, right.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
I maybe if they're with an adult, they could go in.
But like I know that vape shop that's right next
to your school, they sell candy bars and soldas, so
kid can buzz in there and just be exposed to
all that. And I think that that should be something
we look at to I mean, that could be one
community thing that we could do ye to reinforce what
(17:21):
we're trying to do in the school exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And that's kind of why I raised the question, because
I thought that the community might be able to do
some things like that, common sense things to make your
job easier. Because if you know, just because they have
things like candy bars and whatnot that young miners can purchase,
does that then allow them to be exposed to all
these other things they can't access? Is it that?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
You know?
Speaker 1 (17:43):
It seems like there should be a way to overcome that.
But that's an interesting point because they draw them in,
I mean to allow them to have entrance for those
things they can buy, but then they're exposed to all
kinds of things they shouldn't be exposed to. And is
that allowable or is there any restrictions on it? And
I don't know either. It's something maybe city council and
the mayor can look into because we just have so many.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
So many what do we think about eight Yeah, and
they're all there.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
They're clustered together, particularly right here our middle school, high school,
Taft College.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
And the one that just went up by the university.
Again was saying they offer a discount if you're a
college student.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Well, something else that was breaking last year when we
were recording, and we didn't really know what the impact
would be was the legalization of recreational marijuana. So for
you know, some years we had had the medical usage
of marijuana, and I remember you talking to the audience
about how you had explained, you know, why that existed.
(18:45):
Who would you know why that was okay? And you
did a lot of that in your education. But then
we knew that once they they legalized recreational use, it
was probably going to again, just like with the baby,
make your jobs a little harder because you're gonna get
questions from the young people saying, well, wait a minute,
wait a minute, didn't they just pass a law. So
(19:05):
has that happened yet where this past year looking back,
that you've had more pushback from maybe the students, particularly
in the marijuana because of the recreational Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
We all kind of just took the stance that we're
going to treat it like alcohol.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
You know, alcohol is legal for anyone over the age
twenty one, and there's a reason for that, and all
the kids are well aware. We talk about it all
the time, and they're like, we know, missus white because
their brain's not developed. And so I take that stance
with marijuana. Yes, it is now legal for you know,
adults over the age twenty one, and there's a reason
(19:40):
for that. It's still not okay for you, right, And
then they bring up the medical Yep, Okay, we know
there are people who do benefit from medical marijuana, just
like there's people who benefit from ADHD meds or anxiety
meds or blood pressure medication. That doesn't mean we all
need to be on it.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And one of the things that I've learned in this
course of summer is that medical marijuana is not necessarily
given like or some of the forms that people take
is not necessarily given it as a dose or this
is how much you take, but you take to feel better.
Well any medicine, that's not how that works.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Right, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
So there are definitely differences, and because of I think
the struggle between states rights and being able to legalize
that and then the federal government saying no.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
There there are no boundaries for this.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
There's no everything got real murky, It really did. And
this confuses a lot of people. And yeah, there's just
a lot of misconceptions and a lot of things that
people don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Did any of your students say anything about, hey, my
neighbor's growing it, or are folks seeing that?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
I mean, I hear those kinds of stories all the time,
you know, Oh, especially I'm in Loundville. Because they've got
the the Mohegan canoeing and all that stuff, and the
dispensary is going up. So I had to clear up
some rumors there. We had a couple of young kids like,
are they gonna sell fetel there? No?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
No, no, no, like.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
So, I mean it's a lot of like they know
it's happening down there, but I think some of the younger
kids are still confused on what a dispensary is and
what's allowed. But yeah, I mean I feel like we
get well stories all the.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Time about I've had a lot more kids disclosed since
it's been legal that their adults in life are using.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
And I was in a small.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Group and I won't say the school, but I was
in a small, small group with five kids, and three
out of the five kids smoke with their parents or grandparents.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
So that's a tough spot to be in as an
educator where you're trying to prevent something that's already in full.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
Having, full blown you know, going on. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
So I've yeah, and that's hard when you're trying to
tell a kid like alcohol, you have to be twenty one.
Same thing with marijuana twenty one because it affects your
brain differently. But again, what they're seeing at home, that
just makes it makes it harder.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
It's really hard to not place judgment on them, you know,
because you don't want to. But it's then to educate
them and.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Say or trying to get past them thinking you're just.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Some old old person. Yeah, that just doesn't.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Get it, you know, as far as you just don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
And I just yeah, yeah, I love how you're using
other substances you mentioned, whether it's psychiatric medications or other prescriptions,
high blood pressure or alcohol. I like how you're using
these other examples where this wouldn't be acceptable either. I
think that's probably helpful for some of these young people,
but for the audience, I mean, just understand the challenges
(22:55):
that these prevention educators are up against. When we legalize marijuana,
when we have vape shops on every corner, it does
make it harder. It does, I think, probably feel to
the young people that we're setting them some kind of
mixed messages. It's okay, but just not okay for us yet.
And that's a that's a tough message for a young
person to kind.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Of And I see this a lot with the younger kids.
They'll ask me questions all the time, just back to nicotine.
You know, I don't understand if we know how bad
this is for us, then why do we let people
do it? And I love their heart, you know, they
absolutely love their heart, but helping them to understand this
(23:37):
is this is the thing we.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Need to know.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
It's a business.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
They're trying to get money, and we're not going to
shut businesses down now.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
But what an interesting practical lesson. We allow adults to
make bad decisions that can that could even harm themselves physically,
but we do allow for that in this country. And
but yeah, for a young person who're like, well, why
would people make decisions that would you know, intentionally cause
they know it's not going to be good for them,
and they do it anyhow.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Yeah, And that's that's kind of one of the approaches
that in the last two three years I've tried. You know,
because you can talk till you're blue in the face
about what marijuana does to your brain, what it does,
what alcohol does to your.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
You know, liver or not. You can talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
I have been trying to focus on like mental health,
like why do you think, why are you trying to
change how you feel, you know, or try to get
them goal oriented, like, how would developing an issue interrupt
your goal?
Speaker 5 (24:36):
Because we know without a doubt that a drug issue
would interrupt any you know, forward movement that you're making
towards a goal that you're passionate about. So trying to
get kids to.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
Like, why why are you like masking feelings for or
why are you looking for what you're looking for?
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Are you just a risk taker?
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And you do get those kids, but the majority of
what I'm seeing junior high high school kids, the number
one reason they think people experiment with any type of
drugs is to deal with emotionals.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yea, And I think that's a bigger issue of our
culture underneath all of it, even for our adults. Absolutely,
and we've talked about this in the past. You know,
we want to avoid pain. We don't want to sit
with it and heal from it. It's a whole lot
quicker to just mask it, ignore it and move on
and trying to it almost feels like what we're trying
(25:30):
to do is work with the kids to change the
culture for the future.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
That next generation. Yeah, absolutely, Well, speaking of next generation,
do you have some plans and goals that you could
share with the audience about this upcoming school here, anything
in particular for each one of you, I'd like to
ask maybe what you would like to see happen, you know,
wide open question. But for this next school year twenty
five twenty six, anybody can start.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
I think my goals are just staying current, staying up
on the I mean my older kids, they keep me
very current. They'll bring up something or we're gonna talk
about this drug and I'm like, next time, because right,
but the hallucinogens is a big one. And I don't
know if it's because of the there's a lot of
(26:18):
documentaries out right now kind of promoting microdosing. There's a
lot of Netflix series like Euphoria that the kids are
watching and that exposes them to a lot more So, Yeah,
just saying current and you're talking about the dangers with that.
And then for the younger kids with me, which I
(26:40):
just only go down to seventh grade, but the safety
of marijuana edibles, which kind of goes back to what
we were just talking about, but I think that's something
that parents, if you are using edibles, you have got
to keep those up in a way because they look
smell and a lot of times one gummy is much
(27:05):
several servings. Yes, yeah, so if a kid comes across
them and oh, we have one.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
I had that happened twice this past school year where
an older kid disclosed I'm talking like intermediate school disclosed
that they had a younger sibling who ended up in
the emergency room because they got into the parents' gummies,
you know. And so that's something that we talk about
in you know, kindergarten, like if you find something in
your house that's not where your medicines are, you know,
(27:34):
but it looks like can it's just yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
And you can say, you know these are mine, do
not eat these? But we know kids, yeah, you say
I can't.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
I'm going to find a way.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
I have had a lot of positive feedback from parents
actually just would have been out in the community and
run into them with our medicine candy board. Oh yeah,
And how much they've thanked me for that because they thought,
I never realized how much this looks like this, and
and my little kids may not realize. And so that
(28:08):
message is now getting reinforced a lot more in homes
with little kids.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Because they're.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
So we have a candy medicine board where we play
a game with the kids at the fair or you know,
any kind of back to school kind of thing. I've
taken it into classrooms where we have, uh, just a
bunch of different things. They're either medicines like you know,
(28:37):
peptobysmal job and stuff like melatonin, and then we have
a candy that looks very similar to that and it
really surprises parents as they are sitting there looking at it, going,
I don't know which is which.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
A lot of times we don't. We have to look at,
we have to look at. I have to refresh my memory.
Once I got it, then I'm good.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
But yeah, if we move it around, yeah, sometimes I
have no idea.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Well, Leanne wants to stay current, Chris Wendy was some
goals or things that you'd like to do this year.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
I have been trying to encourage kids to kind of
self evaluate lifestyle choices and the power that they have
over the choices that they make. That's going to continue,
hopefully through this school year and trying to get kids
focused on goals, being goal oriented, finding something that they
(29:35):
have a passion about, which I'm finding really difficult, Like
my junior high high school kids can't name something that
they're really excited about that there get up in the
morning and they can't wait to get to you know.
And trying to feed the emotional side because if kids
don't have and we see starting when kids start school
(29:58):
that emotional regularly, it just it's hard to do. That
socio emotional thing is so huge. It's because all of that.
If they can't control that, then we leave the door
wide open for experimentation, bad decisions, and on and on.
So that I have been focusing more on like the
kind of like the mental health side. Like one of
(30:21):
the things the energy drinks, Like why are you consuming
so much caffeine in a day? Is it because you
truly have insomnia? Or is it because you were playing
violent video games up until three o'clock in the morning
and you know you're you're sleep department.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Or drinking energy drinks at night at yeah, exactly how
long they drink them round the clock?
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Exactly and no wonder you can't sleep.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
So trying to trying to encourage them to be honest
with themselves and what do you want on a life?
And how would developing a drug problem interrupt that?
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
So that's how that's how I'm kind of approaching my
school year.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Yeah, that's actually follow a lot of the same thing.
I think, especially with the little kids that I'm working with,
like we're building the foundation for what they're going to
do as they get older. And I just I feel
really strongly about each kid knowing their value and that
there is no one, there's no replacement for them, that
(31:21):
they bring something to the community that nobody else brings,
and so helping them understand their value and that they
have they're empowered, they can make decisions, they don't have
to just do what somebody else does, and that they
can even use their power to help their friends make
better choices too, to be the person they were created.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
No, that's good, And let me throw you a curveball,
because we had a really good discussion about a year
ago around screen time and has there you know, maybe
just to update audience, have you noticed any changes, I mean,
just as a refresher, I'm sure or the audience noses,
but our young people, but even our adults, but a
(32:02):
lot of our young people they are spending, depending on
what research you read, upwards of eight or more hours
in front of screens of different types, whether that's you know, computer, TV, phones,
et cetera. And it's just a massive amount of time
and that they're not you know, as the they say,
touch grass, being in person in relationships. Are you seeing
(32:25):
any any changes there are? Are we still where we
were about a year ago?
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Well?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
How much time do you have?
Speaker 4 (32:35):
One of the things that surprised me over the past
couple of years the amount of kids been starting school
and well into fourth, fifth, sixth grade who have speech issues.
And I was just reading something last night they're putting
together that toddlers on screens. That's not how language develops.
(32:57):
And it's not somebody's opinion. It's neuroscience. It's studied that
kids have to have face to face interaction. They have
to see your expressions. And I'm seeing that, you know, kindergarten,
first second grade where having a conversation using words, being animated,
doing anything creative, it's becoming more and more difficult. And
(33:21):
I think that is definitely related to screen time. And
what I notice in the classroom, which I've had to
get much better at. I used to be able to
go in give information, we do an activity or a
worksheet or something and everything was good. Now the attention
spans because we can't possibly go as fast as those
(33:44):
kids can swipe if something doesn't catch their attention in
the first nanosecond. And we've talked about this before on
this podcast. If we have them watch a video about something,
and if it's longer than about two minutes, there's all
this push better and grown. I'm like, oh my gosh,
this video is eight minutes long. And I'm not talking
(34:06):
little kids.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
I'm talking at junior and my high school kids. So
that I think is hard.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
And then all now we're going to be dealing this
year with AI and things that they see that they
think are true, and you know, social media and body dysmorphia.
I mean, oh my gosh, it's such an expansive problem.
And again I would just encourage parents to look at
(34:34):
their own behavior. You know, if you're on your phone
all the time, the kids are going to be on
the phone all the time and just monitoring and that
that's hard. I mean, that's so hard because it's such
a part of our culture.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Now the governors come out and said, you know, school
should you know, separate the kids from their phones. Now,
I don't know if every district has adopted a policy
like put them in a locker or so.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Last year was the first year Loneville they had to
be in their locker and I walked in and I
was like, what is going on this year? Like this
is like really? I mean kids were talking to each other,
a huge shift, a huge shift, and talking to the teachers.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
They were like yeah, I mean interesting.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
There for a while, you know, they had them in
their pockets and you'd have to put them in a
thing on the wall with a number. But then you know,
you can see them like buzzing, and then you'd have
the kids that didn't put it and now it's just
it's in the locker and if we see it out,
it's gone.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Chris Hugh is starting it this year. I can't speak
to Ashland the Career Center. I did not see them.
I think they're allowed in their book bags, they just
cannot bring them out.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
I believe that's what Maples is.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Yeah, but Loneville's was in your locker?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
I like to hear that, because again, that's that's consistent
with the research I've read is there's almost an immediate
change in a return back to more interactions with each
other and again all the benefits that come from that.
Speaker 4 (36:02):
Well, I was thinking how difficult the start of the
school year could be because kids have had time off
and a lot of those kids are going to have
you know, they've been plugged in all summer and then
school starts and they're inactive withdrawal.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
And people don't believe that.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
They're irritable, they're fidgety, there can't concentrate, and it's because.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Absolutely, I listened to a podcast last spring, I think
I sent it, and then read this man's book about
a seven week break he took from all screens and
his job is actually on screens, but he took a
break and he started. Before he put screens away, he
(36:51):
did a brain scan and then at the end did
a brain scan again and there was a healing that
took place instead weeks of his brain and a lot
of it was that social emotional area, that connection to people.
It was firing, whereas before on screens that part of
his brain was just not firing. Interesting, and so there
is so much there's so much neuroscience behind it.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
Yes, absolutely, that's well.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
And it's such a double ed sword because the kids need,
you know, screen time to account because most of the
learning is you know, yeah, all the kids, I don't
know about your schools, but all most of the kids
by to have a chromebook, you know, and everything is
online and that's how they do their homework and all
(37:37):
of that.
Speaker 5 (37:37):
So it's but again, also it's just problematic.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
It's not going away, right, But I think that it's.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
A pendulum kind of like back a little bit.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
Yeah, And I think we have to put boundaries around
it and teach that, like we have to as adults
get it first.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
I've heard because we've heard more and more just my
you know, in my mind, my daily life, heard more
and more parents who have younger children who maybe third, fourth,
fifth grade, who are saying, my kid absolutely is not
getting a phone. They will not have social media until
they are sixteen. Yeah, okay, you know a lot of
the recommend it And that's something that I bring up
(38:17):
in my classes too, is like before you post something,
you know, we always talk.
Speaker 5 (38:21):
About is it true? Is it helpful or whatever? But
is it worthy?
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Right?
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Like does somebody really.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Need to know you just you know, these flaming hot
cheetos or you know, like the yeah, just like is it?
Because then we're minimizing things that are really fantastic, you know,
like something that is really joyful just gets like swiped away,
because along with all the other nonsense.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Ths out there, no one of the things that stuck
with me. A couple of months ago, when I was
talking to a lot of the liaisons, they had talked
to me about the pressure that a lot of young
people feel, even like texting, which I wouldn't have thought
would have been such a high anxiety thing, but the
idea that if you're part of a group text, well one,
are you part of the group text the right group text,
(39:07):
but also like if you don't respond either quickly or
the right way, like they're they're like, there's real pressure.
And I didn't really fully appreciate that. But even something
as simple as texting can be full of a lot
of anxiation. Text the aroung emojis or I had no
idea it was so complicated that you know, you respond
(39:29):
in a certain way within a certain period of time.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
So I can see that being a source of stress
for kids, because you know, if you respond to group
texts and then no one responds to your you'd be
like do I say the wrong thing?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
And are mad at me.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
You can't read body langue, emotion tone, So there's all
these jumping to conclusions and drama.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
And I see that with adults and group text let alone.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Yeah, I talk about that when we talk about kind
of phones and screen time and things like that in
classes that you know, you can text somebody, you can
put something out there on social media, but there is
no the majority of our actual communication is not our words, right,
it's everything else. It's a body language, the tone of voice, everything,
(40:16):
and it's missing.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
One of my kids text me like, why is Grandma
yelling at everything you text? Because it was all capital
letters because Grandma doesn't know how to turn the catac that.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
They were like really upset that, why is Granma yelling
at me?
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Well, Wendy, Leanne, Chris and Suzanne, Uh, thank you for
your time and your expertise and sharing it with us
once again. But before we go, what's if folks need
to get a hold of you for any reason, what's
the best way to do that? Should they call the
main CATA number, because I know you guys are usually
out and about so that.
Speaker 5 (40:55):
The office staff does a great job.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
If somebody needs something, if you call Akato which is
four one nine two, eight nine seven six seventy five.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
And just explain what your need is or what your
concern is, and then they will get that message to
us and excellent, we can contact that person.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
I would you agree with that that's the best way.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Yeah, okay, well, thank you all of you very much.
And mister Ford lurking in the background, we didn't allow
him to disrupt us at all. So until next time,
let's keep Ashland healthy. Thank you for listening to another
episode of the Keeping Ashland Healthy podcast. The podcast is
a production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
(41:37):
Ashland County, Ohio. You can reach the Board by calling
four one nine two eight one three one three nine.
Please remember that the board funds a local twenty four
to seven crisis line through Applese Community Mental Health Center.
It can be reached by calling four one nine two
eight nine six one one one. That's four one nine
two eight nine six to one one one. Until next time,
(41:59):
please join us in keeping Ashland Healthy.
Welcome. You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast, a
podcast production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
Ashland County, Ohio. Thanks for joining us, and welcome back
to another episode of the Keeping Ashland Healthy Podcast. My
name is David Ross with the Mental Health and Recovery
Board here in Ashland County. In the studio, we have
a full house. We've got with us. That's right, the
(00:26):
Prevention Goals. This is the episode everybody likes to listen to.
We've been doing this every year now for several years,
even going back to the days when we were over
at the iHeart Studios, but we've been doing it here
in house for a while. So who are the prevention Goals. Well,
it's Wendy Lemon, It's LeeAnne White, it's Chris Hickey. But
we also have in studio even though we don't have
(00:47):
a microphone or a headset for her, but she's still
here lurking. Suzanne Ford. So there's four prevention educators through
a caada. And because the ACADA director was concerned that
this episode might go off the rails, Rick Ford is
also in the studio. But if we did not give
him a microphone either, because you know, anything could happen
(01:07):
if mister Ford was here on the mic. So thank
you for all of you for making time this morning
to talk about prevention education in Ashland County. You all
are veterans. I know you've welcomed Suzanne who started this
past year and have gotten her up to speed. We're
going to go through some of our normal questions. I
think folks are always curious what your year was like,
(01:30):
and now that we're into the summer months, just getting
ready to start a new school year, the kinds of
things that are on your mind that you're maybe planning
to do that are different than you've done in previous years.
But let me start. Let me always start with introductions
in terms of maybe how long you've been doing this
prevention education work, and then maybe a little bit about
which schools you cover, because a lot of people don't
(01:52):
know we're in all the different school districts. So I'll
just go around the horn. So again, hopefully Wendy remembers
where she went to school, who she is this year. Wendy,
talk a little bit about yourself and what schools and
maybe grades that you're going to be covering this upcoming
school year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Okay. Yeah, I'm Wendy Lemon and this is my ninth
year as a prevention educator. I work with Loudonville Perrysville
School District and Ashland City School District. This year I
should be working with Loudonville and grades K through three okay,
(02:32):
and then in Ashland City I will be doing K
through five.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Wow. Okay, awesome?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And how long you been with AK together?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
This is nine years?
Speaker 4 (02:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, it's going so fast, right, no, because I really
cannot believe how fast it's gone.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And Chris Hickey, you might have been around a few years,
talk about own fast.
Speaker 5 (03:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
So yes, I'm Chris Hicky and I am the prevention consultant.
Been here the longest between my colleagues. But this I
was figuring out this morning. This will be my thirty
third year in the schools.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, I thought it was thirty four because it was
ninety two it was when I started.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So yeah, yeah, she's the queen.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
And so my schools are Mapleton, Hillsdale, Cresview, and I
do some classes at the Ashland Career Center Ashland West
Holmes County Career Center.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
But you know they're changing the name, and I'm very confused.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
Oh I have not heard that.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Yeah, I know they've changed buildings and that was a
little problematic last school year, and it'll be the same
this coming the first semester.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
But they're going to call it the Heartland something.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Oh yeah, that used to be the nursing.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
From out there. Yeah, maybe that's why they're incorporating.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Okay, very good.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Yes, So I've been been around the block a few.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Times in the provincial but I truly.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Have a heart for prevention or I and I always say,
I really do love my job. The last couple of
years it's been a little bit more just trying to
stay one step ahead, a little bit more difficult that way.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
But yeah, yeah, I think we'll talk about some of
those perfect those trends and patterns that I think make
your jobs, all of your jobs particularly challenging in this
day and age. Last, but not least in terms of
intros is Leanne White.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So this is my seventh year, I know, which is
crazy actually like six and a half because I started
like in mid school year my first year. I am
in Lowneville. Seventh through twelve, I am in the Career Center,
and I am at ashleeh Heights School excellent. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Well, and again, as I say, we also have Suzanne
in rick Ford in studio and maybe if somebody can Suzanne,
even if you can shout at how long Suzanne have
you been with Kaiden as a prevention educator and maybe
which which buildings are you in?
Speaker 6 (05:21):
Hi, David, I have been with a KITA. I started
in January, so not too long. But the ladies have
welcomed me and I've learned so much just from observing them.
This past school year I was with Taft doing fourth
(05:43):
and fifth grade and then Ashland Middle School excellent.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yes, well, thank you, thank you, thank you for fill in.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Places where we know we need to get to but
we just don't have the time, gotcha, because all of
us are tech part time, but you can only get
about six seven hours in a school day, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And so yeah, we well.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
A lot of kids to get.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
To right and again, and talking with mister Ford. Over
the last few years, I mean, because of your good
work and because of what's been going on in our
culture and our society and our county, the demand from
the schools has continue to go up, and it did
get to a point where I think Rick said, you know,
after talking with you, it just you guys couldn't get
to all the needs that were being expressed. So that's
(06:31):
when we kind of laid that groundwork. Ver Suzanne the
join the team. So we're glad to have you. So
before we jump in too much, I always like to
ask you what surprised you the year that was last
school year twenty four to twenty five, And when you
think back on this, we're getting ready to start the
new year. But what surprised you or what what did
(06:53):
you not anticipate that occurred last year? In your prevention
education work.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I would say that I'm with the older kids. Yeah,
you know, except for Longville, I'm in middle school. But
you know, at the Career Center, I spent a lot
of time ash in high school. I am shocked by
how many older kids, like I'm talking junior seniors, are
trying to quit vaping. Oh yeah, I have several students
at the career center who are you know. I'll come
(07:22):
I come there about once sometimes twice a month, and
they'll say I'm three days clean, and I'm like that's awesome,
and or they'll say I'm two weeks or I'm just
really shocked on how many kids are trying to quit wow,
because I think they have seen how addicting it is.
And yeah, I mean that's just it's very hopeful.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
That's great. Other things that maybe you noticed in twenty
four twenty.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Four that out definitely agree with Leanne because my work
at the career center, especially if it's on a Monday
and kids are like, I'm struggling. I've god had a
good you know, I had a good week, but then
the weekend came and now I'm trying. So Mondays are
always rough. But what surprised me the most last year,
and Leanne had spoke a little bit about it, they
(08:10):
amounted because I do junior high, high school and elementary too,
but my amount of high school kids talking about hallucinogenics, microdosing,
all of those types, which I was not really expecting.
So I had to kind of like back up make
sure that I was speaking correctly about what things. And
(08:32):
I think that all comes from like media that they're watching,
and there's a lot of buzz about it and what
they're watching on social media platforms, and it's not necessarily
the things that I'm watching.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
So trying to kind of.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Go back and make sure that they have the right information, sure,
because you know, and I was.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
So shocked, like, why are sixth graders asking me about shrooms?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
You know, where did they hear that? Or where have
they seen that? And so we've gotten into some pretty
good discussions there. But that was what was the most
surprising to me.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Last year.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Or Wendy, sorry, So probably the most surprising thing for
me was in a fifth grade class. We do pre
and post tests when we start a class, and in
fifth grade that's when we first like it's it's at
the end the very last lesson. We just begin to
(09:30):
introduce marijuana and talk a little bit about how it
affects the brain and a person's ability to do stuff.
And I think one of the things that really shocked
me was this one student asked me with this question,
which was, how does which which of these things does
(09:51):
marijuana do to the brain? And three of them were like, oh,
it doesn't affect it at all kind of stuff, and
one was, well, it'll slow down your reaction time. And
he raised his hand and he said, I don't understand
which marijuon are we talking about? Are we talking about medical?
(10:11):
Are we talking about like you know the other kind,
and so that kind of surprised me that they at
that age had that understanding of difference. And through a
course that I've been taking this summer, I've been learning
like that really is a misconception and that it really does,
(10:32):
you know, affect.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
That's good because that's on the agenda to talk a
little bit about later. I think, so that young of a.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
N age, that young surprised me.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah, I would be surprised as well.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
So I guess I didn't add that. I also go
to the Croc Center during the summer. This is my
second year doing that and that is from five years.
I think their oldest kid is maybe like eleven or twelve,
but this summer, very young kids are well aware of
what marijuana is.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
And yeah, I've had that kids ask like so what
same thing, Like what do we talk? Are we talking
Delta eight?
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:13):
Like wait a second, yeah, you know, like where.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Do you hear that?
Speaker 4 (11:19):
Right? Right?
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yes? Well. One of the things that has changed even
since it's because it's only been about a year since
we last recorded. One of the things we just can't
help but notice if you're in National County is the
number of ape shops that have that have opened up. So,
you know, I was thinking and I've talked with folks,
and I just have to imagine, especially the locations, which
(11:41):
we talked a little bit about before we even started recording.
They're close to a lot of the schools, They're pretty
visible in the community. There's a lot more this year
than there were last year. And I just wanted to
ask you all, it just seems like it would make
the work that you're trying to do harder because it
appears to be everywhere. And again, the even though there's
(12:04):
age restrictions. I just have to wonder about, you know,
the vaping, because we talked about last year being more common,
uh just as a as a mechanism in the pouches.
Remember we talked about that last year. But I just
I just do you feel like maybe the acceptance or
the appearance of the acceptance of these vape shops, so
many of them in Ashra County, is it major work
(12:27):
more challenging or and if so, maybe how a little
bit anybody can take that.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I think it just is the it's normalizing it. Yeah,
it's you know, the access to it, because you know,
when that first one popped up, it was oh yeah,
that shop. That shop, well, you know that kind of
became like that stigma, like that shop. Now it's they're
just popping up everywhere, and it's so normal that it
kind of takes away the.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I don't know, like the there's that there's not like
the social stigma. Yeah, yeah, that's acceptable.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Right that it's like acceptable, it's it's normalized. It's here,
it's you know, they're popping up everywhere where. There's kids
walk them by all the time.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
One of the things I've seen with the younger kids,
because I'm just especially at TAFT and it surprised me
last year and again this year just to see they're
angry about it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Oh, tell me more about that one.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
So they when we get to the nicotine topic that
you can see them like they just get this energy
and there did you know? You know, they'll say, did.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
You see it over there?
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Why did they put it near our school?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Why did they do this?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
And what I'm seeing from younger students is actually more
of an understanding that this is not healthy. When I
first started years ago, there was this misconception that this
is just water vapor, it's flavored water vapor, and it's
not going to hurt you. It's not a big deal,
And that seems to be fading. The younger students are
(14:15):
are looking at that as that's really not good for you,
that's bad, you shouldn't do that. And I almost feel
like we see a response from tobacco companies of okay,
that one's past, so now we've got to get the
next thing out there, because this is all about making money.
And that's one of the things, especially as they get
a little bit older, we talk a lot about is
(14:36):
this is a business. This is not like to get
you your rights, you know, and let you do what
you want to do. This is about making money. And
if they can addict you when you're young, they've got
you for a long time.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
And the marketing behind the whole vape culture is huge,
and you know, you go back and it was presented
to the population that this is a healthy alternative.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Where have we heard that before?
Speaker 4 (15:05):
So we go back and look at the history of tobacco,
like forever, you know, back in the nineteen twenties, thirties, forties,
nobody knew that smoking was bad. Right then we find
out smoking is really really bad. So they rebranded themselves
and they came out with smoke lists tobacco, which sounded
good to begin with. And now what do we find
(15:26):
out about smokeless tobacco. It's damaging as well. So then vapes.
And that's where I'm seeing, you know, I've seen a
lot of parents who used to be cigarette smokers who
are now vaping. Who really, we think everybody knows the
dangers of vaping, because that's what we do every day, right,
we try to educate people. But there's this whole culture
(15:47):
of adults raising kids who are vaping. And even though
the numbers for adults is lower than our junior high
and high school kids that vape. When I'm seeing the
kids who are vaping have easy act says to it
because it's in their households, because their parents are thinking, well,
this is better than smoking. And I think that's problematic
(16:07):
because and we say it all the time. What you
say in the classroom, you hope makes an impact, but
it's far less than what they're actually living in their households.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Sure, well, that was encouraging. One need to hear that
there is more of this understanding that these vape shops like,
we don't want to accept them, you know, they're in
our neighborhood and we don't like that. And that's because
you're right. We talked about this two or three years ago.
The education at that time was right, this is just
water vapor. What's the big deal? This is safe. So
(16:38):
you guys have worked hard, I think to help educate
that's not what's going on with fakes, right.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
And I would like to see like our I need
to investigate a little bit more like our city to
pass an ordinance that kids under twenty one, because that's
the legal age to be able to purchase anything, are
not allowed in those stores, right.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
I maybe if they're with an adult, they could go in.
But like I know that vape shop that's right next
to your school, they sell candy bars and soldas, so
kid can buzz in there and just be exposed to
all that. And I think that that should be something
we look at to I mean, that could be one
community thing that we could do ye to reinforce what
(17:21):
we're trying to do in the school exactly.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And that's kind of why I raised the question, because
I thought that the community might be able to do
some things like that, common sense things to make your
job easier. Because if you know, just because they have
things like candy bars and whatnot that young miners can purchase,
does that then allow them to be exposed to all
these other things they can't access? Is it that?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
You know?
Speaker 1 (17:43):
It seems like there should be a way to overcome that.
But that's an interesting point because they draw them in,
I mean to allow them to have entrance for those
things they can buy, but then they're exposed to all
kinds of things they shouldn't be exposed to. And is
that allowable or is there any restrictions on it? And
I don't know either. It's something maybe city council and
the mayor can look into because we just have so many.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
So many what do we think about eight Yeah, and
they're all there.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
They're clustered together, particularly right here our middle school, high school,
Taft College.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
And the one that just went up by the university.
Again was saying they offer a discount if you're a
college student.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Well, something else that was breaking last year when we
were recording, and we didn't really know what the impact
would be was the legalization of recreational marijuana. So for
you know, some years we had had the medical usage
of marijuana, and I remember you talking to the audience
about how you had explained, you know, why that existed.
(18:45):
Who would you know why that was okay? And you
did a lot of that in your education. But then
we knew that once they they legalized recreational use, it
was probably going to again, just like with the baby,
make your jobs a little harder because you're gonna get
questions from the young people saying, well, wait a minute,
wait a minute, didn't they just pass a law. So
(19:05):
has that happened yet where this past year looking back,
that you've had more pushback from maybe the students, particularly
in the marijuana because of the recreational Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
We all kind of just took the stance that we're
going to treat it like alcohol.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
You know, alcohol is legal for anyone over the age
twenty one, and there's a reason for that, and all
the kids are well aware. We talk about it all
the time, and they're like, we know, missus white because
their brain's not developed. And so I take that stance
with marijuana. Yes, it is now legal for you know,
adults over the age twenty one, and there's a reason
(19:40):
for that. It's still not okay for you, right, And
then they bring up the medical Yep, Okay, we know
there are people who do benefit from medical marijuana, just
like there's people who benefit from ADHD meds or anxiety
meds or blood pressure medication. That doesn't mean we all
need to be on it.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
And one of the things that I've learned in this
course of summer is that medical marijuana is not necessarily
given like or some of the forms that people take
is not necessarily given it as a dose or this
is how much you take, but you take to feel better.
Well any medicine, that's not how that works.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Right, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
So there are definitely differences, and because of I think
the struggle between states rights and being able to legalize
that and then the federal government saying no.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
There there are no boundaries for this.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
There's no everything got real murky, It really did. And
this confuses a lot of people. And yeah, there's just
a lot of misconceptions and a lot of things that
people don't know.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Did any of your students say anything about, hey, my
neighbor's growing it, or are folks seeing that?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
I mean, I hear those kinds of stories all the time,
you know, Oh, especially I'm in Loundville. Because they've got
the the Mohegan canoeing and all that stuff, and the
dispensary is going up. So I had to clear up
some rumors there. We had a couple of young kids like,
are they gonna sell fetel there? No?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
No, no, no, like.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
So, I mean it's a lot of like they know
it's happening down there, but I think some of the younger
kids are still confused on what a dispensary is and
what's allowed. But yeah, I mean I feel like we
get well stories all the.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Time about I've had a lot more kids disclosed since
it's been legal that their adults in life are using.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
And I was in a small.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Group and I won't say the school, but I was
in a small, small group with five kids, and three
out of the five kids smoke with their parents or grandparents.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
So that's a tough spot to be in as an
educator where you're trying to prevent something that's already in full.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
Having, full blown you know, going on. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
So I've yeah, and that's hard when you're trying to
tell a kid like alcohol, you have to be twenty one.
Same thing with marijuana twenty one because it affects your
brain differently. But again, what they're seeing at home, that
just makes it makes it harder.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
It's really hard to not place judgment on them, you know,
because you don't want to. But it's then to educate
them and.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Say or trying to get past them thinking you're just.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Some old old person. Yeah, that just doesn't.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Get it, you know, as far as you just don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
And I just yeah, yeah, I love how you're using
other substances you mentioned, whether it's psychiatric medications or other prescriptions,
high blood pressure or alcohol. I like how you're using
these other examples where this wouldn't be acceptable either. I
think that's probably helpful for some of these young people,
but for the audience, I mean, just understand the challenges
(22:55):
that these prevention educators are up against. When we legalize marijuana,
when we have vape shops on every corner, it does
make it harder. It does, I think, probably feel to
the young people that we're setting them some kind of
mixed messages. It's okay, but just not okay for us yet.
And that's a that's a tough message for a young
person to kind.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Of And I see this a lot with the younger kids.
They'll ask me questions all the time, just back to nicotine.
You know, I don't understand if we know how bad
this is for us, then why do we let people
do it? And I love their heart, you know, they
absolutely love their heart, but helping them to understand this
(23:37):
is this is the thing we.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Need to know.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
It's a business.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
They're trying to get money, and we're not going to
shut businesses down now.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
But what an interesting practical lesson. We allow adults to
make bad decisions that can that could even harm themselves physically,
but we do allow for that in this country. And
but yeah, for a young person who're like, well, why
would people make decisions that would you know, intentionally cause
they know it's not going to be good for them,
and they do it anyhow.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Yeah, And that's that's kind of one of the approaches
that in the last two three years I've tried. You know,
because you can talk till you're blue in the face
about what marijuana does to your brain, what it does,
what alcohol does to your.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
You know, liver or not. You can talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
I have been trying to focus on like mental health,
like why do you think, why are you trying to
change how you feel, you know, or try to get
them goal oriented, like, how would developing an issue interrupt
your goal?
Speaker 5 (24:36):
Because we know without a doubt that a drug issue
would interrupt any you know, forward movement that you're making
towards a goal that you're passionate about. So trying to
get kids to.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
Like, why why are you like masking feelings for or
why are you looking for what you're looking for?
Speaker 5 (24:54):
Are you just a risk taker?
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And you do get those kids, but the majority of
what I'm seeing junior high high school kids, the number
one reason they think people experiment with any type of
drugs is to deal with emotionals.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Yea, And I think that's a bigger issue of our
culture underneath all of it, even for our adults. Absolutely,
and we've talked about this in the past. You know,
we want to avoid pain. We don't want to sit
with it and heal from it. It's a whole lot
quicker to just mask it, ignore it and move on
and trying to it almost feels like what we're trying
(25:30):
to do is work with the kids to change the
culture for the future.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
That next generation. Yeah, absolutely, Well, speaking of next generation,
do you have some plans and goals that you could
share with the audience about this upcoming school here, anything
in particular for each one of you, I'd like to
ask maybe what you would like to see happen, you know,
wide open question. But for this next school year twenty
five twenty six, anybody can start.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
I think my goals are just staying current, staying up
on the I mean my older kids, they keep me
very current. They'll bring up something or we're gonna talk
about this drug and I'm like, next time, because right,
but the hallucinogens is a big one. And I don't
know if it's because of the there's a lot of
(26:18):
documentaries out right now kind of promoting microdosing. There's a
lot of Netflix series like Euphoria that the kids are
watching and that exposes them to a lot more So, Yeah,
just saying current and you're talking about the dangers with that.
And then for the younger kids with me, which I
(26:40):
just only go down to seventh grade, but the safety
of marijuana edibles, which kind of goes back to what
we were just talking about, but I think that's something
that parents, if you are using edibles, you have got
to keep those up in a way because they look
smell and a lot of times one gummy is much
(27:05):
several servings. Yes, yeah, so if a kid comes across
them and oh, we have one.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
I had that happened twice this past school year where
an older kid disclosed I'm talking like intermediate school disclosed
that they had a younger sibling who ended up in
the emergency room because they got into the parents' gummies,
you know. And so that's something that we talk about
in you know, kindergarten, like if you find something in
your house that's not where your medicines are, you know,
(27:34):
but it looks like can it's just yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
And you can say, you know these are mine, do
not eat these? But we know kids, yeah, you say
I can't.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
I'm going to find a way.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
I have had a lot of positive feedback from parents
actually just would have been out in the community and
run into them with our medicine candy board. Oh yeah,
And how much they've thanked me for that because they thought,
I never realized how much this looks like this, and
and my little kids may not realize. And so that
(28:08):
message is now getting reinforced a lot more in homes
with little kids.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Because they're.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
So we have a candy medicine board where we play
a game with the kids at the fair or you know,
any kind of back to school kind of thing. I've
taken it into classrooms where we have, uh, just a
bunch of different things. They're either medicines like you know,
(28:37):
peptobysmal job and stuff like melatonin, and then we have
a candy that looks very similar to that and it
really surprises parents as they are sitting there looking at it, going,
I don't know which is which.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
A lot of times we don't. We have to look at,
we have to look at. I have to refresh my memory.
Once I got it, then I'm good.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
But yeah, if we move it around, yeah, sometimes I
have no idea.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Well, Leanne wants to stay current, Chris Wendy was some
goals or things that you'd like to do this year.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
I have been trying to encourage kids to kind of
self evaluate lifestyle choices and the power that they have
over the choices that they make. That's going to continue,
hopefully through this school year and trying to get kids
focused on goals, being goal oriented, finding something that they
(29:35):
have a passion about, which I'm finding really difficult, Like
my junior high high school kids can't name something that
they're really excited about that there get up in the
morning and they can't wait to get to you know.
And trying to feed the emotional side because if kids
don't have and we see starting when kids start school
(29:58):
that emotional regularly, it just it's hard to do. That
socio emotional thing is so huge. It's because all of that.
If they can't control that, then we leave the door
wide open for experimentation, bad decisions, and on and on.
So that I have been focusing more on like the
kind of like the mental health side. Like one of
(30:21):
the things the energy drinks, Like why are you consuming
so much caffeine in a day? Is it because you
truly have insomnia? Or is it because you were playing
violent video games up until three o'clock in the morning
and you know you're you're sleep department.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Or drinking energy drinks at night at yeah, exactly how
long they drink them round the clock?
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Exactly and no wonder you can't sleep.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
So trying to trying to encourage them to be honest
with themselves and what do you want on a life?
And how would developing a drug problem interrupt that?
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
So that's how that's how I'm kind of approaching my
school year.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Yeah, that's actually follow a lot of the same thing.
I think, especially with the little kids that I'm working with,
like we're building the foundation for what they're going to
do as they get older. And I just I feel
really strongly about each kid knowing their value and that
there is no one, there's no replacement for them, that
(31:21):
they bring something to the community that nobody else brings,
and so helping them understand their value and that they
have they're empowered, they can make decisions, they don't have
to just do what somebody else does, and that they
can even use their power to help their friends make
better choices too, to be the person they were created.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
No, that's good, And let me throw you a curveball,
because we had a really good discussion about a year
ago around screen time and has there you know, maybe
just to update audience, have you noticed any changes, I mean,
just as a refresher, I'm sure or the audience noses,
but our young people, but even our adults, but a
(32:02):
lot of our young people they are spending, depending on
what research you read, upwards of eight or more hours
in front of screens of different types, whether that's you know, computer, TV, phones,
et cetera. And it's just a massive amount of time
and that they're not you know, as the they say,
touch grass, being in person in relationships. Are you seeing
(32:25):
any any changes there are? Are we still where we
were about a year ago?
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Well?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
How much time do you have?
Speaker 4 (32:35):
One of the things that surprised me over the past
couple of years the amount of kids been starting school
and well into fourth, fifth, sixth grade who have speech issues.
And I was just reading something last night they're putting
together that toddlers on screens. That's not how language develops.
(32:57):
And it's not somebody's opinion. It's neuroscience. It's studied that
kids have to have face to face interaction. They have
to see your expressions. And I'm seeing that, you know, kindergarten,
first second grade where having a conversation using words, being animated,
doing anything creative, it's becoming more and more difficult. And
(33:21):
I think that is definitely related to screen time. And
what I notice in the classroom, which I've had to
get much better at. I used to be able to
go in give information, we do an activity or a
worksheet or something and everything was good. Now the attention
spans because we can't possibly go as fast as those
(33:44):
kids can swipe if something doesn't catch their attention in
the first nanosecond. And we've talked about this before on
this podcast. If we have them watch a video about something,
and if it's longer than about two minutes, there's all
this push better and grown. I'm like, oh my gosh,
this video is eight minutes long. And I'm not talking
(34:06):
little kids.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
I'm talking at junior and my high school kids. So
that I think is hard.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
And then all now we're going to be dealing this
year with AI and things that they see that they
think are true, and you know, social media and body dysmorphia.
I mean, oh my gosh, it's such an expansive problem.
And again I would just encourage parents to look at
(34:34):
their own behavior. You know, if you're on your phone
all the time, the kids are going to be on
the phone all the time and just monitoring and that
that's hard. I mean, that's so hard because it's such
a part of our culture.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Now the governors come out and said, you know, school
should you know, separate the kids from their phones. Now,
I don't know if every district has adopted a policy
like put them in a locker or so.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Last year was the first year Loneville they had to
be in their locker and I walked in and I
was like, what is going on this year? Like this
is like really? I mean kids were talking to each other,
a huge shift, a huge shift, and talking to the teachers.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
They were like yeah, I mean interesting.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
There for a while, you know, they had them in
their pockets and you'd have to put them in a
thing on the wall with a number. But then you know,
you can see them like buzzing, and then you'd have
the kids that didn't put it and now it's just
it's in the locker and if we see it out,
it's gone.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Chris Hugh is starting it this year. I can't speak
to Ashland the Career Center. I did not see them.
I think they're allowed in their book bags, they just
cannot bring them out.
Speaker 5 (35:44):
I believe that's what Maples is.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Yeah, but Loneville's was in your locker?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
I like to hear that, because again, that's that's consistent
with the research I've read is there's almost an immediate
change in a return back to more interactions with each
other and again all the benefits that come from that.
Speaker 4 (36:02):
Well, I was thinking how difficult the start of the
school year could be because kids have had time off
and a lot of those kids are going to have
you know, they've been plugged in all summer and then
school starts and they're inactive withdrawal.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
And people don't believe that.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
They're irritable, they're fidgety, there can't concentrate, and it's because.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Absolutely, I listened to a podcast last spring, I think
I sent it, and then read this man's book about
a seven week break he took from all screens and
his job is actually on screens, but he took a
break and he started. Before he put screens away, he
(36:51):
did a brain scan and then at the end did
a brain scan again and there was a healing that
took place instead weeks of his brain and a lot
of it was that social emotional area, that connection to people.
It was firing, whereas before on screens that part of
his brain was just not firing. Interesting, and so there
is so much there's so much neuroscience behind it.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
Yes, absolutely, that's well.
Speaker 4 (37:16):
And it's such a double ed sword because the kids need,
you know, screen time to account because most of the
learning is you know, yeah, all the kids, I don't
know about your schools, but all most of the kids
by to have a chromebook, you know, and everything is
online and that's how they do their homework and all
(37:37):
of that.
Speaker 5 (37:37):
So it's but again, also it's just problematic.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
It's not going away, right, But I think that it's.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
A pendulum kind of like back a little bit.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
Yeah, And I think we have to put boundaries around
it and teach that, like we have to as adults
get it first.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
I've heard because we've heard more and more just my
you know, in my mind, my daily life, heard more
and more parents who have younger children who maybe third, fourth,
fifth grade, who are saying, my kid absolutely is not
getting a phone. They will not have social media until
they are sixteen. Yeah, okay, you know a lot of
the recommend it And that's something that I bring up
(38:17):
in my classes too, is like before you post something,
you know, we always talk.
Speaker 5 (38:21):
About is it true? Is it helpful or whatever? But
is it worthy?
Speaker 2 (38:25):
Right?
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Like does somebody really.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Need to know you just you know, these flaming hot
cheetos or you know, like the yeah, just like is it?
Because then we're minimizing things that are really fantastic, you know,
like something that is really joyful just gets like swiped away,
because along with all the other nonsense.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Ths out there, no one of the things that stuck
with me. A couple of months ago, when I was
talking to a lot of the liaisons, they had talked
to me about the pressure that a lot of young
people feel, even like texting, which I wouldn't have thought
would have been such a high anxiety thing, but the
idea that if you're part of a group text, well one,
are you part of the group text the right group text,
(39:07):
but also like if you don't respond either quickly or
the right way, like they're they're like, there's real pressure.
And I didn't really fully appreciate that. But even something
as simple as texting can be full of a lot
of anxiation. Text the aroung emojis or I had no
idea it was so complicated that you know, you respond
(39:29):
in a certain way within a certain period of time.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
So I can see that being a source of stress
for kids, because you know, if you respond to group
texts and then no one responds to your you'd be
like do I say the wrong thing?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
And are mad at me.
Speaker 4 (39:44):
You can't read body langue, emotion tone, So there's all
these jumping to conclusions and drama.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
And I see that with adults and group text let alone.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Yeah, I talk about that when we talk about kind
of phones and screen time and things like that in
classes that you know, you can text somebody, you can
put something out there on social media, but there is
no the majority of our actual communication is not our words, right,
it's everything else. It's a body language, the tone of voice, everything,
(40:16):
and it's missing.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
One of my kids text me like, why is Grandma
yelling at everything you text? Because it was all capital
letters because Grandma doesn't know how to turn the catac that.
Speaker 5 (40:29):
They were like really upset that, why is Granma yelling
at me?
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Well, Wendy, Leanne, Chris and Suzanne, Uh, thank you for
your time and your expertise and sharing it with us
once again. But before we go, what's if folks need
to get a hold of you for any reason, what's
the best way to do that? Should they call the
main CATA number, because I know you guys are usually
out and about so that.
Speaker 5 (40:55):
The office staff does a great job.
Speaker 4 (40:57):
If somebody needs something, if you call Akato which is
four one nine two, eight nine seven six seventy five.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
And just explain what your need is or what your
concern is, and then they will get that message to
us and excellent, we can contact that person.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
I would you agree with that that's the best way.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Yeah, okay, well, thank you all of you very much.
And mister Ford lurking in the background, we didn't allow
him to disrupt us at all. So until next time,
let's keep Ashland healthy. Thank you for listening to another
episode of the Keeping Ashland Healthy podcast. The podcast is
a production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of
(41:37):
Ashland County, Ohio. You can reach the Board by calling
four one nine two eight one three one three nine.
Please remember that the board funds a local twenty four
to seven crisis line through Applese Community Mental Health Center.
It can be reached by calling four one nine two
eight nine six one one one. That's four one nine
two eight nine six to one one one. Until next time,
(41:59):
please join us in keeping Ashland Healthy.
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