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Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Marijuana: Results of a Public Opinion Survey in San Mateo County <br /> © 2016 BRIGHT RESEARCH GROUP | 3 <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION   <br />Marijuana  is  one  of  the  most  commonly  used  controlled  substances  in  the  United  States.  In   <br />California,  9.2  percent  of  residents  ages  12  and  up  have  used  marijuana  in  the  last  30  days,  and   <br />14.7  percent  have  used  it  in  the  last  year.i  With  several  states  opting  to  legalize  recreational   <br />marijuana,  public-­‐health  practitioners  are  questioning  the  impact  of  legalization  on  residents’   <br />knowledge,  attitudes  and  behaviors  regarding  marijuana.  In  November,  California  voters   <br />approved  Proposition  64,  a  ballot  measure  that  legalizes  recreational  marijuana.   <br />   <br />San  Mateo  County—a  California  county  with  20  city  jurisdictions  and  765,135  residents—has   <br />been  a  leader  in  implementing  prevention  efforts  to  regulate  access  to  and  the  use  of  tobacco,   <br />alcohol  and  other  drugs.  The  county’s  Department  of  Behavioral  Health  and  Recovery  Services   <br />(BHRS)  launched  an  effort  in  early  2016  to  understand  San  Mateo  County  residents’  views  on   <br />marijuana  to  inform  prevention  and  community  education  strategies.  As  a  first  step,  the  County   <br />wanted  to  survey  residents  to  develop  a  baseline  assessment  of  their  knowledge,  attitudes  and   <br />behaviors  regarding  marijuana  use,  and  to  hear  community  priorities  about  potential  local   <br />policies  that  could  regulate  recreational  marijuana  in  the  county.  With  the  support  of  local   <br />community-­‐based  organizations,  BHRS  launched  a  public  opinion  survey  to  elicit  community   <br />input  from  diverse  communities  and  neighborhoods  in  the  county.  This  report  provides  a   <br />summary  of  the  findings  from  the  results  of  this  survey.     <br />   <br />   <br />San  Mateo  County  Behavioral  Health  and  Recovery  Services  offers  a   <br />broad  spectrum  of  services  for  children,  youth,  families,  adults  and   <br />older  adults  in  San  Mateo  County  for  the  prevention,  early   <br />intervention  and  treatment  of  mental  illness  and/or  substance-­‐use   <br />conditions.  BHRS  supports  the  treatment  of  the  whole  person  to   <br />achieve  wellness  and  recover,  and  to  promote  the  health  and  well-­‐ <br />being  of  people,  families  and  communities.  For  more  information,   <br />please  visit  www.smchealth.org/bhrsservices.     <br />   <br />METHODOLOGY   <br />Deployment  Strategy:  To  implement  a  culturally  competent  and  community-­‐driven  campaign,   <br />BHRS  released  a  Request  for  Qualifications  in  April  2016  to  engage  local  community-­‐based   <br />organizations  in  the  development  of  a  marijuana  community-­‐education  campaign  in  San  Mateo   <br />County.  Seven  local  organizations  or  partnerships  of  local  organizations  were  selected.  Together,   <br />these  partnerships  had  relationships  with  and  knowledge  of  the  many  diverse  geographic,   <br />racial/ethnic  and  socioeconomic  communities  throughout  the  county.     <br />8.A. - Page 78