Several regional health organizations will present a community education forum on marijuana on Oct. 26 in Northampton.
The forum, free and open to the public, has been scheduled to help educate the public on marijuana-related issues in advance of the Nov. 8 ballot question seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use in Massachusetts.
The University of Massachusetts Health Promotion and Policy Office, Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, and Northampton Area Pediatrics are sponsoring the event. The forum will take place at the Northampton Council on Aging, 67 Conz St., from 7 to 9 p.m.
Speakers include Jo McGuire, co-chair of the International Marijuana Education Committee, who served on the Colorado Governor’s Task Force to recommend Legislative Frameworks for Marijuana Regulation in 2013; Dr. Ruth Potee, a Greenfield-based addiction specialist; state Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to lead the Special Senate Committee on Marijuana and Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.
Panelists will discuss how marijuana affects adolescent brain development, provide an update on the findings of the Massachusetts Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, talk about local and regional efforts underway to prevent substance abuse and take up public health considerations to promote youth health and prevent youth access to marijuana.