News & Events
Much of our work involves measuring the difference others make. Getting involved and making our own difference is also an important part of who we are as individuals and as an organization.
This year on August 21, San Diego will place flags on the County building lawn to represent the lives lost to overdose. The good news, we have fewer overdoses in the County as well as Nationally. There will be a resources fair with several local community groups with tables. A media event will take place at 9am. The actual day for International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is August 31. For more information or to host a table, go to contactus.
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I wanted to let you know that I have accepted an incredible opportunity to rejoin the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), where I will lead public health efforts in shaping national drug policy. This is a true full-circle moment, and I carry with me all that we’ve built together in San Diego. It has been an honor to be part of the prevention community for many years.
I am deeply proud of the incredible collaboration among San Diego’s leaders, providers, and community members, who consistently partner across sectors to make our region a safer, healthier, and more connected community.
Together, we’ve made meaningful strides—including teaching the public about drug interactions with THC and CBD, educating young people, and promoting measures to safeguard public health. Your work is very important and please know that I will continue to share San Diego’s successes on the national stage—and I look forward to staying connected and continuing our collaboration in this next chapter.
With sincere gratitude,
Roneet
Roneet Lev, MD
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The new HIDTA California Marijuana Impact Report is here. The report will be highlighted in a community briefing that will focus on the rising impact of marijuana on public health, including youth mental health, and its potential links to suicide. The data will show trends in cannabis-related hospitalizations, addiction, and psychosis—particularly among youth—this event aims to raise awareness and advocate for urgent prevention efforts.
Data highlights from the report:
In 2022, 43% of suicides among individuals 25 and under in San Diego County involved THC.
Emergency visits due to marijuana rose by 521% in California from 2008 to 2022.
Youth aged 12–17 accounted for nearly 38% of marijuana treatment admissions in 2023.
High-potency cannabis is increasingly linked to psychosis and cannabis use disorder.
CCR and CPHI offered technical assistance and media support for this event.
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Now, researchers are coming to understand the hazards of vapes themselves. In a study from last month, for example, a team of scientists analyzed the mist from popular vapes and found such high levels of heavy metals that one researcher thought their machine had malfunctioned. Other studies have suggested that vaping can affect the heart, lungs and brain.
Data on the long-term health effects is limited, because vapes are relatively new and constantly evolving. Many people who use them are in their teens or 20s; it might take a while before further effects become apparent. Consumers also often use both cigarettes and vapes, which makes it difficult to isolate harms from vaping alone. Vaping is still less common than cigarette use among U.S. adults, 4.5 percent of whom said they vaped in2021. Nearly 8 percent of high school students reported vaping in the last month in a 2024 survey.
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In this survey study of 7612 adolescents, frequent exposure to cannabis posts on social media broadly was associated with solo e-cigarette use, solo cannabis use, and dual use initiation a year later, whereas platform-specific exposure to e-cigarette posts on TikTok was associated with solo cannabis and dual use initiation. Exposure to e-cigarette and cannabis posts from microinfluencers was associated with past-month cannabis use, whereas exposure to e-cigarette posts from friends was associated with past-month dual use; exposure to friends’ cannabis posts was also associated with past-month cannabis and dual use.
Since exposure to e-cigarette or cannabis posts may contribute to adolescent e-cigarette, cannabis, or dual use, improvement of social media community guidelines and greater policy attention to co-use and marketing of e-cigarettes and cannabis may help prevent youth substance use.
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