DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Health & Human Services Committee met Nov. 4.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

The Health and Human Services Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Outreach Building’s Conference Room West in DeKalb, Illinois. Chairman Porterfield called the meeting to order. Those Members present were Mr. Tim Bagby, Mr. Scott Campbell, Ms. Rukisha Crawford, Mrs. Karen Cribben, Ms. Maureen Little, Ms. Linda Slabon, Mr. Larry West, and Chairman Chris Porterfield. A quorum was established with all seven Members present.

Others present were Lisa Gonzalez, Greg Maurice, Deanna Cada and her Intern.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

It was moved by Mr. West, seconded by Ms. Slabon and it was carried unanimously to approve the agenda as presented.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

It was moved by Ms. Crawford, seconded by Mr. Campbell and it was carried unanimously to approve the minutes from the October 7, 2019 Committee Meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments made.

APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS TO THE DEKALB COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL ORDINANCE

DeKalb County Public Health Administrator Lisa Gonzalez and Greg Maurice Director of Health Protection joined the Committee to present some amendments to DeKalb County’s Animal Control Ordinance. The Board of Health has reviewed and approved the proposed amendments at their last meeting as well. Ms. Gonzalez shared that in early September she received notification that the State of Illinois passed a law relating to cats and rabies inoculation tags. It was something that the County Health Department was looking into because some Counties have voluntarily added that to their Ordinances but there was not an intention to have to move it forward so quickly accept now for the fact that it is a law it is mandatory. The Committee received the current Ordinance with the proposed highlighted initial changes to reflect the new law that goes into effect January 1, 2020.

The Committee and guests reviewed the proposed amendments and asked any questions or requested clarifications on any issues they felt were unclear.

It was moved by Ms. Slabon, seconded by Mrs. Cribben and approved unanimously to forward the Ordinance to the full County Board recommending its approval.

IMPACT OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION ON HEALTH PROVIDERS / SOCIAL SERVICES / EDUCATION

Ms. Gonzalez thanked the Committee for inviting her to speak on behalf of the Public Health’s side of the upcoming legalization of recreational cannabis. Ms. Gonzalez shared, as many well know, there are still many things changing with the law to this day but what she did know is there is that the Public Health Departments will have no strong enforcement role relating to cannabis. She proceeding through her presentation by providing a PowerPoint that illustrated: General Cannabis Health Impact Information, Marijuana and Youth: DeKalb County Perspective, Additional Public Health Considerations, and Lessons Learned from Colorado.

Ms. Gonzalez shared that in the 1960’s and 70’s the THC Levels found in Marijuana were 2-3% they are now 20-99%. She additionally reviewed the health impacts of cannabis from the CDC and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

In 2018, 88% of DeKalb County High Schools participated in the Illinois Youth Survey which asked: Did you use Marijuana in the past 30 days? 14% of 10th graders used Marijuana and 19% used E-Cigarettes. 25% of 12th graders used Marijuana and 29% used E-Cigarettes. For the 12th graders, among users in the past 30 days, they have used Marijuana by: Smoking it (joint) 92%, Vapor Pen 48%, Edibles 38%, and Other 11%. It was clarified that these are numbers before it has even been legalized within the State of Illinois. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in states without legalized Marijuana, 8.3% of high school seniors report consuming edibles compared to 16.7% of seniors in states in where medical Marijuana is legal.

Other public health considerations and a major one that the County’s Public Health Department will be focused on is Marijuana’s impact on maternal and child health. Given the concern for potential adverse effects on the fetus with maternal cannabis use, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends against the use of cannabis products in pregnant women. Despite this recommendation, Marijuana is being used by pregnant women, sometimes with “permission” of the physician or on the advice of Marijuana Dispensaries.

Ms. Gonzalez reviewed what lessons can be learned from Colorado. She also she has been working with the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium in drafting a letter to the Illinois Department of Public Health with their concerns to address in rulemaking regarding recreational cannabis. Their concerns are: Setting limit to THC concentration, Curtail illegal sales by ensuring adequate recordkeeping, Take precautions to limit black market entrepreneurs, Protect local healthcare providers, Protect the public’s health, Ensure adequate product labeling, Clarify roles and funding for inspection and/or enforcement, and Ensure adequate resources for substance abuse treatment and mental health services.

The Committee discussed recreational cannabis further and how it will affect DeKalb County. Ms. Slabon was a bit concerned that the presentation did not have any details of the positive affects that cannabis can have on the older adult populations with depression, anxiety, loss of sleep, chronic pain, PTSD. She felt having at least one slide that touched on those positive effects would be beneficial. Ms. Gonzalez noted that she has that type of information that she could incorporate into the presentation as well as noted that medical cannabis and recreational cannabis are two completely different topics and that the Health Department currently helps individual’s sign-up to obtain medical cannabis cards.

The Committee further discussed and agreed and requested Ms. Gonzalez to incorporate a slide regarding the benefits of medical cannabis and then forward it on to be send to the entire County Board prior to the Committee of the Whole Meeting next week. The Committee thanked Ms. Gonzalez for her informative presentation.

DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board Director Deanna Cada additionally joined the Committee to discuss the impact of the legalization of cannabis on Social Services. Ms. Cada shared that she reached out to the local social service agencies and asked them what impacts they think they may feel after January 1st when recreational cannabis becomes legal in the State of Illinois.

Ms. Cada shared 12 out of 20 local social service agencies answered her survey. The majority of agencies do not anticipate any change in policy. For agencies that receive Federal Funding, they must maintain Drug-Free Workplaces. A few agencies indicated that they will stop drug testing potential new hired. Their greatest concern is how to test for impairment at work and two of the agencies had not even discussed legalization of cannabis at their agency yet.

As for programming, agencies that work with youth do not anticipate changes in programming. Agencies that receive Federal Funds cannot support or allow use of cannabis for clients, even if medically prescribed. Agencies will provide information to clients on impacts of cannabis use; especially with pregnant/parenting clients and possession while engaged in agency programs.

Lastly, considerations for the Mental Health Board are educational opportunities for agency staff; policy implications such as training, communication strategies, and monitoring and evaluation; organizational policy implications such as housing implications, education, health care, and transportation.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved by Mr. West, seconded by Ms. Little, and it was carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/min19-hhsnov.pdf