News & Events

“Talking About Cannabis (For Teens): A Youth Prevention Toolkit” Available Online

RICHMOND – The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) is excited to unveil a new educational resource geared towards teenagers. “Talking About Cannabis (For Teens): A Youth Prevention Toolkit” is now available on the CCA’s website.

According to the 2021 Virginia Youth Survey conducted by the Virginia Department of Health, 3.5% of Virginia high school students tried cannabis for the first time before the age of 13. The survey also found 13.3% of Virginia high school students currently use cannabis.

The new toolkit covers topics such as:

• Cannabis laws
• Effects of cannabis on the brain and body
• Events, celebrations, and milestones
• Peer pressure and refusal skills
• Peer leadership

The new youth prevention toolkit complements the parent toolkit the CCA released in September.

“In our outreach efforts, stakeholders consistently told us they wanted resources addressing the risks of underage cannabis use,” said Jeremy Preiss, the CCA’s Acting Head and Chief Officer of Regulation, Policy, and External Affairs. “This toolkit responds to that community interest. It’s important teenagers get the facts in order to make responsible and healthy decisions to not engage in underage cannabis use.”

“Talking About Cannabis (For Teens): A Youth Prevention Toolkit” is one of several educational resources available on the CCA’s website. To see more public health and public safety resources, visit cca.virginia.gov/resources.

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