Behavioral Health Services and Fort Bend Regional Council partnered together to host the Hidden in Plain Sight: Youth Substance Use Crisis Training. This 4 hour training took place at the Gus George Academy and hosted roughly 75 participants. The training had guest speakers that included, Dr. Peter Stout—President and CEO of Houston Forensic Science Center, Leandra Henderson—Prevention Program Director, Fort Bend Regional Council on Substance Abuse, Inc., Riley Owczarzak, MPH, CHES,--Project Coordinator for Fort Bend Community Prevention Coalition, Leonard Marshall, MA, LPC, LCDC—Substance Abuse Services Supervisor, Fort Bend Juvenile Probation, and Dr. Philip Kerne—Division Director, Fort Bend Juvenile Probation. The training covered:

Youth drug trends

Decoding social media

Hidden in Plain Site: Mock Teen Bedroom

Youth Substance Use & Mental Health

Some interesting, and alarming, facts learned throughout the training include:

• From Jan 2021-Dec 2021: 9,134 drugs were identified from the Houston Forensic Science Center and:
  • 3,866 were methamphetamines
  • 1,803 were cocaine
  • 1,033 were marijuana/cannabis
  • 969 were pharmaceuticals
  • 540 were not controlled
  • 244 were phencyclidine or phenylcyclohexyl piperidine
  • 213 were heroin/opium
  • 193 were bath salts (cathinone)
  • 144 were miscellaneous
  • 129 were synthetic cannabis
• Amazon sells drug paraphernalia, making it deliverable for same day/next day shipment
• Marijuana is still illegal in Texas and a major differentiation is the marijuana flower plant is a misdemeanor and the marijuana cartridge is a felony
• Research suggests that CBD is a precursor of THC in e-cigarettes
• Top apps used for illegal sales:
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • Telegram
  • Facebook
• Social media influence includes:
  • Through the use of social media advertising, ATOD industries can market to youth, despite the fact that direct marketing to minors is against the law.
  • Teens have access to marketing strategies that don’t count as ads – THE LIKE FEATURE and algorithms.
  • Teen boys are more likely than teen girls use YouTube, Twitch and Reddit, whereas teen girls are more likely to use TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
  • Influencer marketing was considered as the most widespread and trendiest’ communication strategy used by companies.
  • 70% teens say they trust influencers more than regular celebrities.

Behavioral Health Services continues to establish relations with community partners and agencies to fulfill the needs of children and their families in Fort Bend County. Should anyone want to learn more about Fort Bend County Behavioral Health Services, click HERE!