The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors approved the use of nearly $200,000 in cannabis tax revenue on education programs meant to prevent county youths from using the drug..
At the board’s meeting, county health officials recommended that the $191,821 of projected revenue from cannabis dispensaries in the county in the 2023-24 fiscal year be allocated to youth tobacco and cannabis use prevention programs.
The funding will go toward the expansion of the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education program, which is currently active in 134 schools in the county. The program is currently limited by state law to only addressing youth tobacco use due to its use of Proposition 56 and Proposition 99 state tobacco taxes.
With the new funding from the county, the program can begin youth cannabis prevention education as early as the fall semester, said Dr. Sefanit Mekuria, a county deputy health officer.
The program currently partners with local schools to create curriculum for tobacco use prevention programs, training staff in prevention methods and planning education sessions for parents and families. The expansion of the tobacco-use prevention initiative was recommended by the county health department due to its existing capacity and reach.
With funds from cannabis-related taxes, the program can use its existing infrastructure to provide cannabis education programs to 61% of schools across the county.
According to documents presented at the board meeting Tuesday, the program expects to cover 100% of school districts in the county by 2026.
“Our Tobacco Use Prevention Education team has the experience, expertise, reputation, reach and existing relationships with school and community partners to support our local education agencies in effectively addressing cannabis use,” said Lynn Mackey, the Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools, in a letter in support of the supervisors using the funding for the cannabis youth education program.
25 comments
Yea, that will work.
Will they be teaching how to use it? Or how you shouldn’t use it?
It has to be how to use it. Get the kids hooked early and keep those taxes coming in so the County Supes can get their cut off the top.
.
Remember, it was purported to be for “medicinal use” when originally passed for legalization by the ignorant voters.
.
Hence, the term “dispensary” for (now) retail sales outlets.
.
Liberals never pass up on an opportunity for tax revenues.
Isn’t there some weird irony in this?
Do they do this with alcohol too?
.
“Prevent county youths from using the drug”? I would think a program to show the problems of abuse of cannabis might be more useful. It’s a drug that calms people, not kill them. Once again, the county “supervisors” show what a clueless bunch they are.
Well put
Cant make this stuff up
Legalize it and then use the money from sales to rehabilitate?What the hell am I missing.You stupid idiots you politicians need rehabilitated.
The County Supes needs to be out picking up trash along county roads.
That’s all they are good for.
I think I’m missing something. The article says the program, by state law, can only address tobacco use; but now that they’ll have more money, they’ll start addressing marijuana use. What happened to the law?
From my reading: The law is still in effect. And the current program cannot address cannabis use, its dollars are earmarked to Tobacco only.
The ~$200k can be used to fund the anti-marijuana along with the already underway and funded anti-tobacco.
Tax dollars are weird, and everything must be traced. If $1 gets misspent it can mean an end to a program. So as much as the existing educators would like to, they weren’t able to address marijuana… until now. They can document time and resources spent for marijuana using the new money, or tobacco using the other tax money.
@AJ
So the law doesn’t require a whole new program to address marijuana……just a whole new money source. Got it, and thank you!
Wow, great idea! I’m sure this will just as effective as “The War on Drugs”, “Just Say No”, “DARE” …., and the zillion other programs that have come and gone through the schools – yet accomplished nothing.
No mention of teaching anything to stay off meth, fentanyl, heroine.
And ……. the worst drug of them all is Marijuana!!! All the “Pot Heads” are living in LaLa Land thinking that it doesn’t do them any harm. Try to find me any hard core “Addicts” that didn’t start out using that addictive “weed”.
Why do you think there’s so many people that don’t want to work at all; or want to work at home so they can do their job with a buzz on?!? Lots of really STUPID people out there that are taking their toll on society’s downfall.
You really need to stop drinking Your tirade only makes sense to you.
No question. Dispensaries are paying a high,tax
Hmmm, didn’t they promise us a bunch of revenue for other things? Be nice if they fixed the roads with some of the money.
How about fixing the roads? Putting cops on the streets?
Drug education programs don’t work. See DARE.. Literally piqued our interest in drugs not a deterrent. Well the cops don’t like kids do anything wrecklessly fun. So drugs must be fun by process of reasoning.
Cognitive dissonance.
Sorta like buying a round of drinks to everyone who reached their one year anniversary of sobriety at the AA meeting
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
THE DOCTOR SAYS, BOTH OF YOUR LEGS ARE PERFECTLY GOOD, NOW LET’S AMPUTATE!
SO YOU CAN NOW APPLY TO MEDICAL FOR TWO PROTHESIS SO THAT YOU CAN WALK.
CRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZYYYYYYYYYYY!
Ironic
Since the Biden administration seem to be intent on building out Fentanyl distribution infrastructure via open borders, they may as well legalize it. Then they can make money on both ends via import and taxation.
Wait a year or two for addict quantity to grow sufficiently, then close the border. Gross profit will skyrocket! No wonder Gavin, Joe, Hunter, and Jim are always smiling.
Comments are closed.