Board of health alerted to dangers of legal THC

By Kevin O’Brien

Marijuana may not be legal in Wisconsin, but products that have the same effect as the drug are currently being sold in stores in Marathon County and regularly used by young kids.

That was the message delivered to the Marathon County Board of Health on Tuesday by a local school resource officer and public health advocates, who urged board members to get involved in efforts to curb the use of marijuana and similar substances among school-aged children.

Because of a provision in the 2018 Farm Bill, the manufacture and sale of hemp-derived products is legal nationwide, and some producers have figured out how to convert those substances to THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis. This has created products such as Delta- 8 and Delta-10, which are sold in stores as candies and drinks. They are similar but separate from CBD (cannabidiol), which does not produce the high.

Andrew Kutchenriter, the school resource officer at John Muir Middle School in Wausau, told the board about two recent incidents involving a student caught with THC vape cartridges at school and another who was clearly under the influence of THC and needed to be taken home by their parents. In the past, EMTs have been called to the school for a student who overdosed.

“We have had some very worrisome incidents happen in the middle school building,” he said.

Kutchenriter said he gets tips on a daily basis from teachers who smell marijuana and suspect students are high, but it’s not always easy to catch kids in the act or find the small vaping devices they use to inhale THC. Officers speak to fifth-graders about the dangers of nicotine, THC and alcohol, but that’s only once a year, he said.

“It’s very difficult,” he said. “We try to be proactive, but that’s not enough.”

Michelle Carr, a behavioral health manager at Bridge Community Health Clinic in Wausau and co-chair of the Marathon County AODA (Alcohol and Other Drugs) Partnership, told the board about the “THC is Changing” campaign, which seeks to educate the public about new cannabis-related substances that have emerged in recent years.

Last year, health department employees visited 17 businesses, including convenience stores and gift shops, that sold “kid-friendly products with THC,” Carr said. She showed the board pictures of various THC-infused candies on shelves that are virtually identical to what kids would normally buy, including push-pops and Rice Krispie treats that her own kids enjoy.

“I thought this picture is just alarming because this is something my kids would want to eat,” she said. “This is something five-year-olds would want to eat if they saw it on the counter, and here it is with THC.”

One of the pictures also showed a sign at the local farmer’s market advertising THC and CBD products, including “sleep gummies” – the popular chewable candy infused with THC.

Carr noted that any form of THC, including the kind in Delta products, will show up on a drug test and could disqualify a youth from sports, activities or school.

Results from a 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated that eight percent of high school students in the county admitted to using THC within the past 30 days, which is lower than the Wisconsin and national average. However, 12 percent students who identify as Hispanic or mixed race reported using the drug, and LGBT students were twice as likely to use.

The longterm effects of using THC, especially at a young age, include impaired judgment and memory and a greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder, Carr said. Using too much of the drug in one sitting can also cause confusion, disorientation, anxiety, nausea, vomiting and “greening out” – similar to blacking out after drinking too much alcohol.

“One of the misconceptions of THC is that you can’t overdose. That is a myth,” she said. “Just like anything we consume, you can have too much of it.”

Carr said talking to kids about THC does not have to be a “long, drawn-out speech,” but a series of more casual conversations as children get older, she said.

“Don’t worry about messing it up,” she said. “Trying to talk about drug use is better than not talking about it at all.”

When asked how kids react to drug-sniffing dogs being used at school, Kutchenriter said the experience can be very intimidating for many young students, but for others, it’s not a deterrent.

“The students who I worry are using THC and nicotine, they don’t take those very seriously,” he said. “Again, it’s very difficult to catch these students red-handed.”

Tuesday’s agenda originally included discussion of a Wood County ordinance that more tightly regulates hemp-derived THC products so that they cannot be sold within 750 feet of a school, playground and other “youth-serving” organizations. It also requires photo identification be shown to prove a customer’s age so THC is not sold to anyone under 21.

Kutchenriter said it’s illegal under state law to sell Delta 8 to anyone under 21, but he has doubts about store employees consistently carding underage customers.

Public health officer Laura Scudiere said there were concerns that the ordinance does not follow statutes, but the board of health could advocate for changes in the laws regarding hemp products. Board members directed Scuidere to bring more information for further discussion at their next meeting.