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Calvert County health staff brief commissioners on cannabis risks, youth depression and summer safety
Summary
Calvert County health officials presented state and local data on adult and youth cannabis use, enforcement challenges for impaired driving, rising calls about youth exposures, and planned school-based prevention and outreach, and asked commissioners to support continued education and coordination with law enforcement.
Jennifer Moreland, Calvert County director of community resources, told the Board of County Commissioners on June 17 that the county health department is tracking cannabis use and its public-health and public-safety effects and is expanding prevention work in schools and with young adults.
Moreland summarized Maryland law and regulation — including the Maryland Cannabis Administration’s framework for licensed dispensaries — and presented county and state survey results showing shifting patterns of use. She said 15.6% of Calvert County high school students reported cannabis use in 2023 versus a statewide 14.4% figure, while noting limitations of small-sample, self‑reported data at the county level. Moreland also cited Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data showing higher reported adult use among younger adults and groups with lower educational attainment.
Why it matters: Commissioners pressed for clarity on enforcement and impaired-driving tools. Local officials said the lack of a roadside test for cannabis impairment leaves law enforcement with limited options and that DRE (drug recognition expert) evaluations are resource intensive. The sheriff’s office told staff it has performed a small number of DREs since legalization and found it difficult to isolate cannabis impairment from use of multiple substances.
Key details and context: Moreland reviewed short- and long-term health effects the department highlights for residents: slowed reaction times and impaired decision‑making that increase driving risk, possible acute reactions (nausea, anxiety) that can require emergency care, and evidence that adolescent brain development can be affected by regular use. She cited addiction-risk estimates presented in the briefing: about 1 in 10 adults who use cannabis develop cannabis use disorder and roughly 1 in 6 adolescent users do so. She also said Maryland Poison Control calls related to youth exposures have risen in recent years, with the 13–19 age group and the 0–5 age group generating the highest counts of reported exposures.
Data limits and requests: Staff told commissioners that some county BRFSS estimates are suppressed because sample sizes are small; Moreland and commissioners agreed that state sales data from licensed dispensaries would be a useful, complementary source. The department agreed to request sales figures and to invite the sheriff’s office to present on enforcement and DRE capacity at a follow-up session (staff scheduled law-enforcement participation for a July presentation).
Planned prevention and outreach: Moreland described current school‑based services and a fiscal‑year 2026 grant application to expand a three-tier school prevention model (universal prevention, targeted supports, and intensive services). She said the health department will continue outreach to parents, partner with schools for education sessions, and extend messaging to the 18–20 age range. The department promoted the state “be cannabis smart” resources and recommended continued joint messaging with law enforcement and schools.
Summer safety reminders: The presentation closed with non‑cannabis public‑health precautions — tick checks and Lyme disease prevention, and animal‑bite reporting and rabies‑vaccination advice for household pets.
What’s next: Commissioners asked staff to share enforcement practices and sales data in the department’s July follow-up, and to continue coordinating the school‑based prevention grant application and public outreach.
