Halftime Induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame
courtesy of the Redwings High School Athletics
Marijuana is bad for Michigan youth
courtesy of Leslie Kinnee, Public Information Officer, Mid-Michigan District Health Department
What do Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. all have in common? Several years ago they all legalized recreational marijuana. Michigan now has the opportunity to learn how legalization has affected those states so that we can make better decisions.
Hopefully, most people agree that kids and teens need protection from marijuana. The parts of the brain involved in addiction are not fully formed until a person is in their early-to mid-20s. In other words, younger brains are more susceptible to addiction. At least one in six adolescents and one in 11 adults who use marijuana will become addicted.
When it comes to accessibility, most young people in states with legalized marijuana say it is “very easy” for them to get. States with legalized marijuana are seeing an increase in use by youth and teens. In areas with legalization, the number of teens who have used marijuana in the past month has continued to rise more than any other area in the United States. Colorado has the highest number of youth admitting to trying marijuana for the first time, which has increased sixty-five percent since marijuana was legalized. Even as the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and all other drugs combined has declined, more high school seniors in Colorado are using marijuana than they were a decade ago.
Marijuana use by our youth will have lifelong harm. Teens who use marijuana at least once a week are more likely to have problems with their learning, memory, math skills, and reading skills. They are also less likely to graduate from high school. Further, teens and young adults who use marijuana are more likely to have serious mental health problems such and anxiety, depression, psychosis, and Schizophrenia.
Data also tells us that teens who use marijuana are more likely to go on to use other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, and the younger they are when they first use marijuana, the more likely they are to use other drugs.
Marijuana has become a very difficult and confusing topic. Opinion and fact can be hard to separate.
For an excellent nonbiased, nonpartisan review of both sides of the argument, given by nonprofit professional researchers, see www.procon.org. Please learn the truth about recreational marijuana before you decide what is best for the future of Michigan.
Lansing Region Grows by 70,000 people
The United States Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on September 14, 2018 announcing the addition of Shiawassee County to the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) traditionally made up of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. The addition of Shiawassee County will convert the “Tri-County” region to a four-county or quad region, raising our regional population from 477,656 to 546,102, well over the magical half a million-person mark considered a key milestone for continued economic growth.
President and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), Bob Trezise, indicates this development is a significant turning point for our region. “If you want more revenue for parks, roads, fire, police, charity, places of worship; if you want more retail and restaurant choices, more and better entertainment, you must have more in-migration of people in to your community,” said Trezise. “Michigan, and all of us, have struggled with this. Nothing else works if you don’t first have robust population growth. So, thankfully, our MSA was one of two modest population growth areas in Michigan in the 2010 US Census, and the 2017 US Census said that Grand Rapids and Lansing were the two leading major city population gain centers in Michigan. Now, we add another important, statistical piece to this puzzle, we add to our community people from Shiawassee County.”
Trezise also indicated the addition of Shiawassee County to the regional MSA strengthens the region’s ability to compete for business and talent due to a variety of factors tied to population growth. “One, from a marketing perspective, we now get to market ourselves as a legitimate population of more than a half a million people. Secondly, it may open up our entire region to receiving increased grants and other resources based upon our larger population. Finally, it’s real. The reason why Shiawassee County was moved into our MSA is because a significant enough portion of their population is commuting and working regularly in Lansing/East Lansing. They are, in reality, our friends and neighbors. They live in beautiful Shiawassee County, but many are physically here, every day. So, it is most important for us all to join together–stronger together as we say here at LEAP. This opens the door to many new opportunities for all four counties.”
“Shiawassee County has had a history of success with regional partnerships, and we are extremely excited to add another one, made possible by this new MSA designation. There are great things happening in the Lansing region, as well as a top-notch economic development organization in LEAP, and we look forward to exploring collaborative opportunities in the coming weeks and months,” said Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership President/CEO Justin Horvath.
For more information about LEAP, please visit www.purelansing.com.
A Look Back – Harr’s Jewelry
by Barry Clark Bauer
Harr’s Jewelry was a place we could shop at for Religious items besides Jewelry. That’s Roy Harr in the vest with his back to us.
This downtown location is gone now, and they’ve moved the store into the old Paradise Appliance and TV Store on N. Whittemore St.
Letters – CASA welcomes new advocates
The Voice for Clinton County’s Children welcomed new CASA Advocates to our amazing team.
Thank you for providing a voice to Clinton County’s Children who are in foster care.