TO: Mayor and Council Members
Marlene Best, City Manager
Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney
FROM: Annette Ortiz, CMC, City Clerk
DATE: June 8, 2022
SUBJ: Updated Council Meeting Materials – June 8, 2022
NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT:
The attached correspondence for Non-Agenda Public Comment was received and is provided for your consideration.
From: Barbara Gordon
To: John Minto; Rob McNelis; Laura Koval; Ronn Hall; Dustin Trotter Subject: Non-agenda Public Comment
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 8:35:52 AM
Dear City Council Members,
We all experience different levels of mental health as we go through life. In fact, 50% of us will experience a mental health challenge in our lifetime. I work with young people and according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suicide is a leading cause of death among young adults in the United States.
I wanted to share a recent study published in Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) conducted by NIDA who analyzed data from more than 280,000 young adults ages 18-35 showed that marijuana use was associated with increased risks of thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), suicide plan, and suicide attempt.
The number of adults in the US who use marijuana more than doubled from 22.6 million in 2008 to 45.0 million in 2019, and the number of daily or near-daily users almost tripled from 3.6 million to 9.8 million in 2019.
As a society we have normalized and commercialized the use of marijuana. To protect our young people, we need to better understand the associations of marijuana use as a contributing factor to suicides.
It’s important that cities implement policies that foster good mental health which enables people to realize their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and have happy relationships with others.
Thank you, Barbara Gordon
From: Rebecca Rapp
To: Clerk Info; Dustin Trotter; John Minto; Laura Koval; Ronn Hall; Rob McNelis Subject: Public Comment for tonight"s meeting 6-8-22
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 4:14:39 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 concerned parent and public health educator coming to bring to your attention an article out of the WSJ this week correlating marijuana use, especially highly concentrated THC marijuana products, and violence.
This highly important information has been given much-needed educational coverage via several news programs. And
politicians are listening. The article states that the public needs an honest discussion of marijuana’s social and public-health risks, which include mental health problems, resulting in violence.
Studies show that the risk of perpetrating violence was more than twice as high for young adults who used marijuana.
Kevin Sabet, former drug policy advisor to the Obama
administration stated, “reports confirm that marijuana poses a significant health risk, especially to our children. This is a problem driven by legalization and the sale of high-potency products that get in the hands of young people.”
I would encourage you to take a close look at how marijuana businesses negatively impact communities, especially young people, Parents like me are grateful that Santee does not permit marijuana businesses.
Thank you