TO: Mayor and Council Members
Marlene Best, City Manager
Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney
FROM: Annette Ortiz, CMC, City Clerk
DATE: May 25, 2022
SUBJ: Updated Council Meeting Materials – May 25, 2022
NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT:
The attached correspondence for Non-Agenda Public Comment was received and is provided for your consideration.
Thank you,
Barbara Gordon
From: Rebecca Rapp
To: Clerk Info; Dustin Trotter; John Minto; Laura Koval; Ronn Hall; Rob McNelis Subject: Public Comment 5-25-22 - May is Mental Health Awareness Month Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 4:41:31 PM
Good evening, Mayor Minto and council members, I’m writing as I cannot attend in person tonight. My name is Becky Rapp, I’m a parent to three teens and a youth group mentor. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I’d like to bring to your attention the unprecedented number of youth facing mental health challenges.
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Phycology, over 5,200 young people commit suicide each year.
We as adults have to ask ourselves why the staggering numbers, and what we can do to prevent them from rising?
It’s been shown that marijuana use among teens and young adults doubles their risk of developing depression and anxiety.
Marijuana has been marketed to young people as an acceptable option for treating anxiety when in fact credible scientific journals show the exact opposite. This type of misinformation is showing life and death results among our young people. Statistics show that daily marijuana users reported having frequent suicidal thoughts. Other negative effects include impaired thinking, lower life satisfaction, poor school performance, and anti-social behavior associated with major depressive disorder.
A recent article in the wall street journal titled “Talking to Teens About Cannabis Gummies as Use Booms” discusses the excessive levels of THC in edible products.
According to the article, Candy like marijuana products have become the main way of getting high for teens. Schools and doctors say that teens are getting high at school on these candies as well as cookies containing THC. Products such as these are significantly compounding mental health challenges.
Please recognize your responsibility to protect youth from the realities of marijuana use and its significant negative effect on mental health.
Thank you