Dear Mercy Parents and Guardians:

 

We are pleased to announce that in partnership with the St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Mercy High School will host a parent awareness program, Drugs 101: What Parents Want to Know. Please join us on February 21 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm in the Media Center to learn the signs, symptoms and current trends of teen drug use, including vaping/e-cigarettes usage.

 

Vaping/ e-cigarette use is a rising trend with teenagers. The 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 16 percent of high school kids vape, surpassing cigarette use in teenagers. E-cigarettes or vapes should be considered a gateway substance as they can also be used to deliver other drugs. A study published in the medical journal, Pediatrics, found that 1 in 5 high school students used e-cigarettes to vape concentrated THC extracted from marijuana, called hash oil. Vaping hash oil, which is analogous to "freebasing marijuana" causes an intense rapid high and increases the risk of addiction. It also increases the risk of severe side effects such as panic attacks and hallucinations.

Register here for this free workshop that will provide you with the tools to identify teenage drug use, and the skills to engage your child in conversation. A highlight of this program is a staged teenager's bedroom set-up for adults to observe and attempt to identify the obvious, and not so obvious drug related paraphernalia.

 

We hope you are able to join us for this invaluable awareness program. We thank you for allowing us to work in partnership with you for the health and safety of your daughter.

Sincerely,

Mercy Administration