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Junior council member urges practical, harm-reduction substance education for Delco teens
Summary
Leah Consiglio, a junior council member, told Delaware County Council students want more practical harm-reduction education about vaping, alcohol and THC, reporting survey results that show gaps in emergency recognition and a preference for realistic, support-focused instruction.
Leah Consiglio, a member of the county’s junior council, presented research and a student survey to Delaware County Council on Dec. 10 arguing that current substance-use education fails to equip teens with practical skills. Consiglio focused on vaping, alcohol and THC and cited PACE 2023 data alongside her own survey.
Key findings she reported: students understand basic health risks but lack practical knowledge; roughly 40% of surveyed students did not understand that binge drinking can be more dangerous than long-term use; about 20% were not confident they could recognize an emergency; and 84% wanted more harm-reduction education. Consiglio said students want "honest support and practical tools" rather than fear-based lectures.
Council members thanked Consiglio for elevating student voices and several members said the findings will inform outreach and prevention work. The presentation was delivered during the meeting’s junior-council segment; no formal county action resulted directly from the presentation.
Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the public presentation recorded in the meeting transcript.
