Prevention First’s Cannabis Policy Resource Center (CPRC) provides education, training, expert-led webinars, resources, and tools on data-supported policies and strategies to prevent youth cannabis use, reduce youth access to cannabis, and promote healthy community behaviors.

Contact Jake Levinson to learn more about how the CPRC can assist you!

Cannabis Policy Resource Center

Training Events

Our training events (in person and virtually) are offered throughout the fiscal year. To find the next scheduled event, search below. Training on demand (self-paced) can be found via search or browsing through the online training and recorded webinar descriptions below. 

Live Training: Classroom (In Person or Virtual) and Webinars

 

The Alcohol Retail Environment: Emerging Hazards to Public Safety

Over the past decade, the U.S. alcohol retail landscape has changed drastically with the introduction of new types of ready-to-drink products – many with high alcohol content – the co-branding of alcohol and soda brands, and the emergence of THC-infused beverages. Additionally, shifts in marketing and sales practices, influenced by technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic, have raised substantial concerns about underage access and overconsumption. This presentation will explore these evolving trends, offering insights into recent research on product marketing and the implications for public health and policy development.

Dr. Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His work, including more than 90 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 100 scientific presentations, has helped influence the development of laws and regulations from the local- to federal-levels. He is one of the nation’s leading public health experts on “supersized” alcopops and derived intoxicating cannabis products (such as delta-8 THC). His related publications illustrate how these harmful intoxicating substances are made appealing and accessible to young people. His research has been cited in reports by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as featured by BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Search below for upcoming events.

Online Training

Collaborating with Key Stakeholders

This online course will increase participants’ knowledge and skills in building relationships and collaborating with key community stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and engaging key stakeholders, building relationships, getting stakeholders on board, and convening local coalitions.

Register

The Dynamic Adolescent Brain

This online training will increase participants’ knowledge of how the teen brain develops, how adolescent brain development differs throughout various stages, and how adolescent brain development influences adolescent thinking and behavior. The impact of early life trauma and racism will also be explored. Participants will examine their beliefs and attitudes about adolescence and how they affect their work with youth. This training will also highlight the value of authentically partnering with young people.

Register

IISUP I: Welcome to Prevention

IISUP I: Welcome to Prevention is a self-paced, online course introducing participants to youth substance use prevention. Participants of this course will explore why prevention matters, including the rates, effects, and consequences of youth substance use. Participants will also examine milestones and trends of substance use in our society over time, how prevention efforts have evolved throughout history, and the components of effective prevention. This course consists of six modules. Estimated completion time for the entire course is 3 hours. The estimated completion time for each module is 30 minutes.

Register

Recorded Webinars

CEUs are offered for many CPRC live events but not for recorded webinars.

Cannabis Impaired Driving, Prevention, and Policy

This webinar was recorded on March 23, 2023. No CEUs are offered for recorded webinars. The proportion of cannabis impairment involved in traffic crashes and injuries has been on the rise. In this webinar, Dr. Ashley Brooks-Russell examines the association of cannabis impairment with injury prevention policy.

View Recording

Community Response to Cannabis Legalization: The Illinois Experience

Community Responses to Cannabis Legalization: The Illinois Experience is hosted by the Great Lake PTTC, featuring Prevention First’s Jake Levinson and Brandi Young. The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act went into effect on January 1, 2020, making retail cannabis sales legal in Illinois. In this webinar, we describe the main features of the legislation, provide a snapshot of the current cannabis landscape in Illinois, and highlight some of the ways the state’s prevention system and local communities are responding.

View Recording

Dirived Intoxicating Cannabinoids Public Health Issues and Policy Solutions

The webinar explores the rapid proliferation in the availability and use of derived intoxicating cannabis products, including delta-8 THC, HHC, and THC-A. The session will include information about the harms of using synthetically derived cannabis products, the predatory marketing practices used to target youth, and the challenges states have faced in trying to regulate these products. Information is provided on the legal language and related advocacy and enforcement needed to effectively address this issue at the federal, state, and local levels. The presentation is followed by a discussion regarding strategies to support related public health efforts.

View Recording

Engaging Youth in Prevention

This is a recorded webinar. No CEUs are offered for recorded webinars.

Presenters: Kellie Henrichs, Randyl Wilkins, Kathy Murphy, Jody Heavilin, and Jacob Levinson

This webinar will share effective strategies that have been shown to engage youth in meaningful prevention efforts. Please take a moment to complete our post-webinar evaluation! Upon completing the webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the importance of authentic youth engagement 
  • Recognize opportunities to engage youth in prevention work 
  • Highlight ways youth can benefit from being involved in prevention work 
  • Identify how to recruit youth for prevention work  

View Recording

Introducing the Cannabis Policy Resource Center: Comparing Alcohol & Cannabis Policies and Respective Public Health Outcomes

Join the Cannabis Policy Resource Center (CPRC) in partnership with Advocates for Human Potential as we explore some of the critical differences between alcohol and cannabis. Our knowledgeable and experienced speakers will compare alcohol and cannabis policies and discuss the respective public health outcomes. We will end the webinar with an Ask the Experts session!

Recording Coming Soon


Live Webinar

The Alcohol Retail Environment: Emerging Hazards to Public Safety

Thursday, January 30, 2025
02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Online
Description

Over the past decade, the U.S. alcohol retail landscape has changed drastically with the introduction of new types of ready-to-drink products – many with high alcohol content – the co-branding of alcohol and soda brands, and the emergence of THC-infused beverages. Additionally, shifts in marketing and sales practices, influenced by technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic, have raised substantial concerns about underage access and overconsumption. This presentation will explore these evolving trends, offering insights into recent research on product marketing and the implications for public health and policy development.

 

Dr. Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His work, including more than 90 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 100 scientific presentations, has helped influence the development of laws and regulations from the local- to federal-levels. He is one of the nation’s leading public health experts on “supersized” alcopops and derived intoxicating cannabis products (such as delta-8 THC). His related publications illustrate how these harmful intoxicating substances are made appealing and accessible to young people. His research has been cited in reports by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as featured by BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Read More
Online

Collaborating with Key Stakeholders

Online
Description

This online course will increase participants’ knowledge and skills related to building relationships and collaborating with key community stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and engaging key stakeholders, building relationships and getting stakeholders on board, and convening local coalitions.

Read More
Online
THIS EVENT IS PART OF THE ILLINOIS INTRODUCTION TO SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION (IISUP) SERIES

IISUP I: Welcome to Prevention

Online
Description

IISUP I: Welcome to Prevention is a self-paced, online course introducing participants to youth substance use prevention. Participants of this course will explore why prevention matters, including the rates, effects, and consequences of youth substance use. Participants will also examine milestones and trends of substance use in our society over time, how prevention efforts have evolved throughout history, and the components of effective prevention. This course consists of six modules. Estimated completion time for the entire course is 3 hours. Estimated completion time for each module is 30 minutes.

Read More
Online

The Dynamic Adolescent Brain

Online
Description

This online training will increase participants' knowledge of how the teen brain develops, how adolescent brain development differs throughout various stages, and how adolescent brain development influences adolescent thinking and behavior. The impact of early life trauma and racism will also be explored. Participants will examine their beliefs and attitudes about adolescence and how they affect their work with youth. This training will also highlight the value of authentically partnering with young people.

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Alternatives to Suspension for Cannabis Vaping

Online
Description

This is a recording of a webinar on February 6, 2024. No CEUs are offered for this recording.

Vaping has become a significant public health concern, and youth using on-campus challenges schools and communities to create effective policies and response strategies. When intervention is warranted, the use of alternatives to suspension programs has been shown to have a greater effect than removing students from school. This webinar will describe the frameworks of alternatives to suspension programs, demonstrate their effectiveness, and display Stanford REACH’s cannabis vaping alternatives to suspension program, Healthy Futures.

Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher is the Marron and Mary Elizabeth Kendrick Professor in Pediatrics II in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a developmental psychologist with additional training in adolescent and young adult health. She is the founder and executive director of her REACH Lab, the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, the Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit, the Vaping Information, Solutions, and Interventions Toolkit, and Safety First: Comprehensive Drug Prevention Program. She is also the President-Elect of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Funded by the NIH and many foundations, her research has focused on understanding and reducing adolescent and young adult tobacco, marijuana, and other drug use. Her research, committee, and advocacy work have been instrumental in setting policy at the local, state, and national level. She has served as a consultant to several community-based adolescent health promotion programs, participated in three Surgeon General Reports, participated in six National Academies of Science committees, and has been a member on several national campaigns to understand and reduce adolescent tobacco/e-cigarette use.

 

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Cannabis Impaired Driving, Prevention, and Policy - Archived Webinar

Online
Description

This webinar was recorded on March 23, 2023. No CEUs are offered for recorded webinars.

The proportion of cannabis impairment involved in traffic crashes and injuries has been on the rise. In this webinar, Dr. Ashley Brooks-Russell examines the association of cannabis impairment with injury prevention policy.

Click here to view this archived webinar.

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Community Responses to Cannabis Legalization: The Illinois Experience - Archived Webinar

Online
Description

Click HERE to watch Community Responses to Cannabis Legalization: The Illinois Experience hosted by the Great Lake PTTC, featuring Prevention First's Jake Levinson and Brandi Young. The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act went into effect on January 1, 2020, making retail cannabis sales legal in Illinois. In this webinar, we will describe the main features of the legislation, provide a snapshot of the current cannabis landscape in Illinois, and highlight some of the ways the state’s prevention system and local communities are responding.

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Derived Intoxicating Cannabinoids: Public Health Issues and Policy Solutions (Recording)

Online
Description

The webinar explores the rapid proliferation in the availability and use of derived intoxicating cannabis products, including delta-8 THC, HHC, and THC-A. The session will include information about the harms of using synthetically derived cannabis products, the predatory marketing practices used to target youth, and the challenges states have faced in trying to regulate these products. Information is provided on the legal language and related advocacy and enforcement needed to effectively address this issue at the federal, state, and local levels. The presentation is followed by a discussion regarding strategies to support related public health efforts.


 

Dr. Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His work, including more than 90 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 100 scientific presentations, has helped influence the development of laws and regulations from the local to federal levels. He is one of the nation’s leading public health experts on “supersized” alcopops and derived intoxicating cannabis products (such as delta-8 THC). His related publications illustrate how these harmful, intoxicating substances are made appealing and accessible to young people. His research has been cited in reports by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as featured by BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Engaging Youth in Prevention

Online
Description

This is a recorded webinar. No CEUs are offered for recorded webinars.

Presenters: Kellie Henrichs, Randyl Wilkins, Kathy Murphy, Jody Heavilin, and Jacob Levinson

Summary: This webinar will share effective strategies that have been shown to engage youth in meaningful prevention efforts. 

 

Please take a moment to complete our post webinar evaluation!

Upon completing the webinar, participants will be able to: 

  • Describe the importance of authentic youth engagement 
  • Recognize opportunities to engage youth in prevention work 
  • Highlight ways youth can benefit from being involved in prevention work 
  • Identify how to recruit youth for prevention work 

Helpful Links:

YPRC Tip Sheet - Engaging Youth in Your Messaging

TSRC Peer to Peer Traffic Safety Program

APRC Resource - Youth Voice: Educating Elected Officials

APRC Resource - Youth Voice: Educating on Policy

APRC Resource - Strategic Prevention Framework Resource Guide

APRC Resource - Law Enforcement Strategies Guide

ChangeLab Solutions Pathways to Policy

CADCA

 

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YPRC

Prevention First's Prevention Connection

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Recorded Webinar

Introducing the Cannabis Policy Resource Center: Comparing Alcohol and Cannabis Policies, and Respective Public Health Outcomes - Archived Webinar

Online
Description

Join the Cannabis Policy Resource Center (CPRC) in partnership with Advocates for Human Potential as we explore some of the critical differences between alcohol and cannabis. Our knowledgeable and experienced speakers will compare alcohol and cannabis policies and discuss the respective public health outcomes. We will end the webinar with an Ask the Experts session!

View this webinar

Read More
Recorded Webinar

The Layers of Cannabis Policy and Where Prevention Fits In – Archived Webinar

Online
Description

This training provides a focus on cannabis policy and how it impacts and should inform, how we plan, implement, and evaluate our cannabis prevention strategies.

Participants will learn the basic policy literacy skills that are necessary to be aware of and understand the cannabis policies that are passed in your state and communities, including how to inventory those components of cannabis legalization policies that impact the risk and protective factors we have prioritized in our prevention work.

The training examines the different layers of policy: federal, state, municipal, and organizational, and how we can have impact through prevention. Finally, participants will see examples of how we can identify intervening variables and local conditions impacted by state legalization policies, and how we use the strategic prevention framework, and the Seven Strategies of Community Change, to map out prevention strategies to address them.

Presented by Scott M. Gagnon, MPP, PS-C, Associate Executive Director of AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc., and Director of SAMHSA’s New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC).

This is a recorded webinar from June 30, 2022/CEU's are not provided for recorded webinars. 

Click here to view this archived training. 

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