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SAN BERNARDINO, CA – Since students across the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) returned to in-person learning in August, it’s become evident that the extended COVID-related lockdowns and social distancing during the 2020–2021 school year had an impact on all aspects of youth development, including mental health.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported that mental-health related emergency room visits among children increased in 2020 anywhere from 24 to 31 percent, depending on the specific age range. Published reports suggest that the pandemic has had a negative effect on children’s mental health.

SBCUSD is responding to these concerns with the Roadmap to Reopening and its four guiding principles. Among them is Mental & Physical Wellness, which has already manifested in a focus on social-emotional learning, offering youth mental health first aid training, and a robust school counseling program.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps guide students in developing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, positive relationship, and responsible decision-making skills, which in turn help students cope with change and adversity, build and maintain positive relationships, and learn how to set and achieve goals. These core social skills can help students thrive personally, academically, and professionally throughout their lives.

“We’re teaching students how to be resilient, advocate for themselves and others, and be responsible community members,” said Colleen Williams. director of Student Wellness & Support Services. “When students know how to manage their emotions and be aware of others, we reduce instances of bullying and conflict, but we also help students who are in difficult situations learn to recognize how those situations impact them and when they need to reach out for help.”

Research shows that when schools incorporate SEL, students feel more connected to their peers and adults, do better academically, engage in fewer negative behaviors in the classroom, and have better ways to cope with anxiety and conflict.

While social-emotional learning is an important tool in helping students become more resilient so they are better able to handle life’s challenges, there will always be circumstances that can stress even the strongest person’s mental and emotional health.

The Making Hope Happen Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the District’s educational mission, is stepping in to make sure SBCUSD staff can recognize when that happens and lend a helping hand.

“Every 11 minutes someone dies by suicide, and 18 months of social distancing has been especially hard on our youth,” said Program Coordinator—Mental Health Gerzón Ceseña. “We want to make sure SBCUSD staff have the skills to recognize the signs of mental health and substance abuse issues and get our students the help they need as early as possible.”

The Foundation is offering free Youth Mental Health First Aid training to teachers, principals, and other school staff who work directly with students. Mental health first aid is similar to traditional first aid. People are taught how to evaluate if someone is in need of assistance and how to provide basic aid to keep them alive while waiting for a professional to arrive to do the real life-saving work.

“In collaboration with the Foundation, the Student Wellness & Support Services Department developed the training model for Youth Mental Health First Aid during the COVID-19 lockdowns,” said Foundation Director of Programs & Development Erin Brinker. “They were critical to making this available for teachers and staff, and when Student Wellness had to move on to other projects, the Foundation was proud to step in and offer both the financial support and staff time to keep the program running.”

In addition to making the training available for free to SBCUSD staff, the Foundation is helping schools to coordinate training sessions so that both individuals and entire groups of teachers can be trained, depending on the needs of the school community.

“We feel this is so important that we’re willing to cover the cost of a substitute teacher so our regular classroom teachers have the time to attend the training,” Brinker said. “We know it’s important that our teachers be present in the classroom for the best instruction, but we also know that it’s worth missing a few hours to get this vital training because it may mean all the difference for students suffering from mental health issues, now more than ever.”

Even before SBCUSD switched from distance learning back to in-person instruction, SBCUSD schools considered the importance of mental and emotional health to student learning and overall success in life. Sierra High School earning a RAMP designation was just one piece of evidence for that.

RAMP stands for Recognized ASCA Model Program. ASCA (American School Counselor Association) bestows the title on schools that align their counseling program and services with the ASCA National Model; deliver a data-informed, comprehensive school counseling program; and make a commitment to their school counseling program.

Only 22 schools in California and 130 across the nation received the designation at the 2021 ASCA Annual Conference, held both in person and virtually in July. Since RAMP’s inception, only about 1,100 schools have been honored. The RAMP designation is valid for five years, meaning Sierra High will retain the honor through 2026.

“These are services and supports that SBCUSD can offer students and families that other smaller school districts or charter schools may not be able to provide,” Superintendent Doc Ervin said. “Partly it’s due to the resources we have, but more so it’s because our staff, from the top down, truly care about the whole child.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Prof. Anthony Castro does everything he can to make learning math as easy as pi.

Castro finds that a lot of students enter his classroom believing that math is difficult, and they are learning things they won’t ever need to use, saying and it “in large part due to the examples that textbooks we use,” he said.

Castro wants his students to discover “the joy of mathematics,” and does so by “teaching the content in a manner that engages them.”

“Want to know how to beat a car dealership? Want to know how to buy a house? Want to be a millionaire?” he said. “This can all be done through the math content we are required to teach in our courses.”

These real-world examples motivate Castro’s students to learn, and there’s no better reward than when he sees them overcome “the obstacle of math,” he said.

“Many students ‘feel’ they are not good at math,” he said. “Being ‘good’ at math is just a misconception, I tell them. We just have to find a way to attack the material that works for you.”

His lectures are anything but boring — Castro jokes that he is fueled by Mountain Dew, and he brings that energy and sense of humor into the classroom. By making the subject fun, it opens up a new perspective for his students, and they no longer see math as “a challenge that they struggle to beat.”

“I’ve had so many students tell me that they understand math because of the way I presented it to them,” he said. “I tell them, ‘I didn’t take your test. I didn’t study for you. I didn’t do your homework for you. This was all you. And now that you know how to take down a challenge, don’t ever let one stop you again from being successful.”

Castro is an SBVC alumnus and graduated from Middle College High School in 2008.

“When I first came to Valley College, I didn’t know of my abilities to succeed in college, or how far I wanted to push my education,” he said. “The faculty and staff here at the campus poured their passion for student success into me. This care changed my own personal perception and instilled a confidence in me that I had what it takes to succeed in college.”

Armed with his associate degree at 18, he was able to earn his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) at 20. His love of math and drive to help others led him to become a math professor, and he started working full-time at SBVC in the spring of 2016.

“This is an opportunity for me to have an impact on thousands of students’ lives by the time I retire,” Castro said. “I take this responsibility very seriously and I give my heart to show all my students their potential.”

He still remembers his SBVC professors that “brought out my potential and always believed in me,” he said.

“It’s is an honor to work side-by-side with these amazing professors now. At each stage of my journey, they were there for me, and they still support me as their colleague now,” Castro said. “This is the main reason I am a professor. I have the opportunity to do what my professors did for me.”

Castro was named one of SBVC’s Outstanding Professors for 2021, and this is a testament to “the love I have for this campus,” he said.

“I pour my heart into each lecture and student I teach because I know what it means to have someone in your corner,” he said. “And my students know they have someone that has their best interest at heart with me as their professor.”

When he is not teaching, Castro enjoys working out, cars and finding the best burritos. He is a self-described “workaholic,” and said he wants to “make a change in the math world on how we teach math.” He is currently developing a YouTube channel, Instagram account and college course on mathematical finance, with the goal of starting “the conversations that we should re-evaluate what math we should be teaching students.”

Castro is constantly striving for more, and wants his students to know there’s nothing they can’t do, as long as they are willing to put in the time.

“You want to know the secret to success?” he said. “When no one is watching, you are working. And you are working to be the best version of yourself. I can only teach you so much in the classroom. I can only pass on so much of my skills. But you don’t want my skills, you want to bring your touch into this world.”

He suggests studying ahead of what is being taught in class and watching YouTube videos to learn more about a subject. This can continue beyond the classroom, he said

“Study to learn more skills to reach the top of your profession,” Castro said. “Be humble, reach out to people above you in your career to learn how to make it to the top. Learn from the best and then make that career your own.”

Castro doesn’t see failure as a setback, because “it awakens a beast in me to reach a new level,” he said. Struggles he had during college to understand some material made Castro realize that it is okay to fail, and pushed him to “study like I never had before.”

After countless hours of hard work, he earned a 4.0 in his upper-division math classes and graduated with departmental honors.

“I could have taken that defeat and said no, I’m not good at math, this is the best I can do,” Castro said. “If you are my student reading this or not my student, don’t you ever think that this is the best you can do. The only limits you have are the ones you put on yourself. And if you need anything, my student or not, I’m here to support you.”

Castro invites all SBVC students looking for advice or encouragement to email him at acastro@valleycollege.edu. “We can bring out your beast mode as well!” he said.

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

Last month, Lawrence Lucas, founder of the United States Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees (USDA-CME), testified before the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.

Lucas said racism is the prime reason there are just a little over 400 Black farmers in California.

“The income of Black Farmers has been drastically reduced and the amount of wealth that has been taken from Black farmers is tremendous,” Lucas said. “What you would call reparations, we call justice. It is why you must do what you have to do in California to right the wrongs suffered by Black people.”

Lucas is not the only one concerned about mounting evidence that documents a long history of race-based discrimination in American agriculture.

The United States Department of Agriculture recently created the Equity Commission (EC) to study racial discrimination and government policies that have disempowered Black farmers, depleted their wealth and nearly wiped out their presence for over 100 years.

EC will advise the Secretary of Agriculture by identifying USDA programs, policies, systems, structures, and practices that created barriers to inclusion or perpetuated racial, economic, health and social disparities.

USDA-CME was founded in 1994 to address discrimination within the USDA, which Lucas referred to as the “Last Plantation” during his testimony. The coalition also focuses its work on the historical loss of Black land and how government policies deprived African Americans of generational wealth.

The EC is expected to issue a preliminary report and provide “actionable recommendations” within the next 12 months, and a final report to be finished within two years.

“The Equity Commission is taking important steps to dismantle barriers historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a Sept. 24 statement.

Lucas said despite the USDA’s efforts to address decades-old discrimination practices, he does not see it “getting any better” for Black farmers. Non-Black farm producers are fighting back in the courts, Lucas said.

“You have White farmers, who own most of the land and get all the benefits from the land; they are the ones now bringing court cases around the country. They are saying that it’s discriminatory to have debt-relief for Black farmers,” Lucas said.

The CME’s biggest accomplishment is its involvement in securing debt relief for Black farmers as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The ARP package included a multi-billion-dollar fund for socially disadvantaged farmers throughout the United States.

The coalition has worked alongside U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to create the Justice for Black Farmers Act, which will provide even more aid to socially disadvantaged farmers.

Of the approximately 70,000 farms in California, more than 90% are White-owned or White-managed and fewer than 1% are Black-owned or Black-managed, according to the 2017 federal agriculture census.

The 2012 census reported that California had 722 Black farmers. By 2017, that number had decreased to 429. Nationally, there are 45,508 Black farmers or 1.3% of all farmers according to the 2017 agriculture census. Their properties account for 0.5% of the country’s farmlands.

In contrast, about 14% of all U.S. farmers in 1920 were Black, according to that year’s agriculture census. At the time, there were 925,708 Black farmers. Nearly all of them farmed in Deep South states. Lucas blames the USDA for the depletion of Black farmlands over the last century.

However, the USDA says it is in the process of reversing harmful policies and taking restorative action for programs that affected the progress, financial stability, and productive livelihood of Black farmers.

“We are serious about our efforts to end discrimination across all areas of the Department and to improve access to services for key stakeholders,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh in a statement.

In March, the U.S. Congress passed a $4 billion debt relief program for farmers of color to address past discrimination in USDA programs.

The debt relief program was passed as part of the ARP. It includes funding to pay off USDA loans held by 16,000 Black, Native American, Alaskan Native, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic and Latino farmers.

Claiming discrimination, a group of White farmers have filed a dozen lawsuits against the program including one class action suit. Preliminary injunctions by three courts have momentarily blocked the program from issuing funds from the program.

According to Khubaka Michael Harris of the California Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (CBFAA), “The debt relief was written in a way to help Black folks, but it is not just for Black folks. That’s why it’s in the courts. It was written where anybody who is a farmer can say, ‘Hey, I’ve been affected by COVID, too.’ Then, you are going to say that this money is just earmarked for Black folks? Now, the legislators have to go back to write in a language that targets underserved communities.”

Based in Sacramento, CBFAA advocates for socially disadvantaged California Black farmers, and agriculturalists of color nationwide.

Lucas said it is actions such as the lawsuits that “deny Black farmers their dignity,” “a right to farm,” and deny Black farmers the “right to the same programs and services that White farmers get in this country.”

In California, farming is classified under the term “agricultural activity.”

The state defines it as “the harvesting of any agricultural commodity, including timber, viticulture, apiculture, or horticulture, the raising of livestock, fur bearing animals, fish, or poultry, and any practices performed by a farmer or on a farm are also agricultural activities.”

“That goes for licensed cannabis farmers too,” Harris said. “If you cultivate cannabis you are a farmer in this state.”

Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, titled “The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans,” was a law created to investigate the history of slavery in the United States, the extent of California’s involvement in slavery, segregation, and the denial of Black citizens their constitutional rights.

The nine-member task force is expected to hear more testimonies from Black farmers in California, including producers from the Central Valley.

“I see what all of you in California are doing is what needs to be done across this country,” Lucas said during his testimony. “It is the courage of your governor and the courage of the people on this reparation committee to take on this daunting task of talking to other people about their pain and suffering. Black farmers are suffering.”

CABINDA/ANGOLA – 09JUN2010 – African farmer to watering plantation.

Local Las Vegas professional beauty school, the Cosmetology Institute of Las Vegas (CILV), donated 20 wigs handmade by school students and completed several complimentary beauty makeovers to local breast cancer survivors during its 5th annual “Wig-A-Thon” event on Friday (11/5) afternoon.

Spearheaded by Denise Dixon, longtime philanthropist and founder of The Cosmetology Institute, the heartfelt charity event touched the hearts of many. During the uplifting “Wig-A-Thon” event, The Institute’s beauty students provided four breast cancer survivors, three of which were currently still battling the horrific disease, with complimentary handmade wig installations as well as makeup, nail and hair services. Emotions ran high from the survivors, students and school instructors as the survivors were overcome with joy and gratitude, even being invited to come back for ongoing complimentary wig maintenance services as needed.

Additionally, through its partnership with the American Cancer Society of Nevada, CILV donated 16 handmade wigs to be gifted to women.

“The American Cancer Society is grateful for the continued support of the Cosmetology Institute of Las Vegas,” said Angela VanBrackle, executive director of American Cancer Society of Nevada. “Providing wigs to those undergoing treatment is a great boost to self-confidence to those women and being able to share in the moments of them receiving the wigs is inspiring. With our strong partnerships with several cancer treatment centers here in the Las Vegas valley; we are able to distribute the donated wigs to those in need.”

Additionally, 18 women received on-site mammograms at the event from the Nevada Health Centers Mammovan, a mobile, medical 3D mammogram station, that was stationed at The Institute during the Wig-A-Thon. Determined to give back for this special cause, The Institute paid for all uninsured recipients to receive the same-day mammograms. In honor of her family members recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Dixon will also donate $1,000 to the Nevada Health Centers Mammovan to thank them for their support.

The “Wig-A-Thon” event concluded with lunch in the courtyard with the breast cancer survivors, staff and students, complimentary catered by Kountry Boi Catering & BBQ, and a heartwarming award ceremony praising the participating students.

About Cosmetology Institute of Las Vegas 

The Cosmetology Institute of Las Vegas opened in 2015 to serve the Las Vegas community with a professional beauty school and outlet aiming to lift up disenfranchised youth, especially BIPOC, in need of professional skills, direction and career opportunity within the beauty industry. CILV offers young students an educational facility with affordable tuition, professional training, and the necessary skills to start and maintain their own business. Programs include: cosmetology, esthetics, hair design and nail technology. The school received National Accreditation in 2019 and has since seen hundreds of graduates. CILV was founded by Denise Dixon, a small business owner, serial philanthropist, author, and community advocate in Las Vegas. Dixon’s mission is to pay it forward and give other women and minorities in her community a helping hand via CILV and its related scholarships, grants, programs and events.

For more information on the Cosmetology Institute of Las Vegas, please call 702-756-2208, visit the school at 3249 W. Craig Rd., #100, North Las Vegas, 89032, or browse their website at CILV.com. Follow them on social media at facebook.com/CosInsLV and on Instagram at @CILVegas.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—.) To the people who know and work with him, Carl M. Dameron is a dynamic, hard-driving, award-winning advertising, and public relations expert with more than 30 years of success helping organizations and people throughout California meet their goals.

He is also a cancer survivor. In this edition of SoCal Voices, Carl shares the story of starting and growing his company, how he dealt with his cancer diagnosis and offers sage advice for anyone facing a challenge.

Watch here: https://www.socalvoices.com/episodes/carl-cameron

Website: dameroncommunications.com

Instagram: @carldameron

Twitter: @carldameron

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DameronCommunications

Dameron Communications services include: advertising for television, social media, radio, newspaper, magazine, and billboards, web sites, direct mail, mobile web applications, and email.  They also deliver award winning public relations press releases, press conferences, media relations, television programs, web sites, opinion editorials, promotions, event creation and management, government relations and community relations.

For more information on Dameron Communications call Carl M. Dameron @ (909) 534-9500.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — — The Television Academy Foundation today announced applications are open for its 2022 Internship Program in Hollywood for college media students nationwide.

Paid internships are offered for graduate and undergraduate college/university media arts students for the spring and summer of 2022. Internships may be in person, hybrid or remote, depending upon the opportunity, and are subject to change. As a condition of employment, the Academy Foundation will require all in-person or hybrid work interns to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

The prestigious program gives students in-depth and hands-on professional experience in a variety of television careers and professions at prominent Hollywood studios and production facilities. Internship categories include animation, cinematography, program development, directing, editing, interactive media, news and writing.

Among the career-advancing opportunities available is the Foundation’s distinctive “Star Trek Command Training Program,” in association with CBS Studios, which offers students an immersive professional experience within the Star Trek franchise.

Exclusively for Southern California college students, the Foundation also offers the Diversity and Inclusion Unscripted Internship Program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds interested in nonfiction television careers. In addition, internships for foster youth in the greater Los Angeles area, provided through an endowment gift from Dick Wolf’s Wolf Family Foundation, are available.

“The Foundation’s Internship Program is in a class all its own,” said Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “For over 40 years, it’s offered students from across the country the chance to get relevant job experience and network in the entertainment capital of the world. We urge media arts students to apply for this program, which has jumpstarted careers for so many industry professionals.”

Finalists for these coveted opportunities are selected by members of the Television Academy; final selections are made by participating host companies. The program is designed to train, inspire and open doors for diverse and highly motivated students who might not otherwise have access to the industry.

Summer interns will receive weekly professional-development sessions including panels with television-industry leaders, customized seminars on personal brand-building and navigating the job market ahead.

Established in 1980, the Foundation’s Internship Program has been instrumental in launching the careers of prominent writers, producers, directors, executives, and Emmy^® nominees and winners. Notable Foundation alumni include: The Orville executive producer Brannon Braga, Space Force producer Jennifer Celotta, POV Entertainment President Layne Eskridge, Grey’s Anatomy consulting producer Elisabeth Finch, The Sandman series executive producer David S. Goyer, Maya and the Three creator and executive producer Jorge R. Gutierrez, America’s Got Talent associate director Carrie Havel, WandaVision assistant art director Eric R. Johnson, The Boys creator Eric Kripke, and Judas and the Black Messiah executive producer Sev Ohanian.

All selected interns become lifelong members of the Television Academy’s alumni network, gaining access to exclusive networking opportunities, industry events and an online alumni platform.

Online applications are currently being accepted through Jan. 19, 2022, by

5:00 p.m. PDT at TelevisionAcademy.com/Internships.

About the Television Academy Foundation

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs, such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship and Fellowship Programs and the Faculty Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— An innovative program that prepares Special Education students for gainful employment after high school has been lauded as a state model of excellence.

The California School Boards Association (CSBA) announced it will present the prestigious Golden Bell Award to the District’s Beyond Pathways Program. The Beyond Pathways Program provides job-skills training to students with moderate to severe disabilities. Overseen by the Special Education Department, the program includes the Business and Technology Pathway at San Andreas High School, the Community Integrated Program (CIP)/Bridge to WORC Program at Anderson School, and the WORC Program at Middle College High School/San Bernardino Valley College and Cal State San Bernardino.

Students who participate in Beyond Pathways have opportunities to learn valuable life and work skills before reaching the age of 22. By the time students leave the program, they will have gained work experience, linked with community agencies, and have an extensive transition portfolio that will support them when connecting with post-vocational rehabilitation agencies such as Inland Regional Center and Department of Rehabilitation. For example, students in CIP will learn how to keep inventory, stock shelves, assemble and pack items, and other tasks they might be expected to do in a warehouse or retail company through Workability job placement and simulation activities in our PAES Laboratory. Students will also learn about self-advocacy, time management, and responsibility, which are vital skills needed as they transition into adulthood.

On-the-job training is essential to helping students with special needs lead productive lives, said Dr. Howana Lundy, director of the District’s Special Education Department.

“The success of our program is rooted in the belief that all students can benefit from career pathways and community partnerships, especially students with special needs,” Lundy said. “We have students working in numerous businesses right here in our community who have a new lease on life because of our Beyond Pathways program.”

Each year, CSBA recognizes outstanding educational programs and school governance practices that effectively address the needs of California students. SBCUSD has earned several Golden Bell Awards in recent years, including one for its efforts to cultivate future teachers from its student ranks through the Grow Your Own program. The employee onboarding program, overseen by the Employee Development Department, and the Demonstration Teacher Program, overseen by Human Resources, have also won Golden Bell acclaim.

The Golden Bell Award will be presented on December 2 at the California School Board’s annual conference in San Diego.

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

Last week California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a “consumer alert” warning Californians that cannabis-infused edibles are being packaged and sold as copycat versions of popular food and candy products.

The California Department of Justice is advising consumers that illegal and unregulated edibles may contain dangerously high levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in Cannabis, and they are available in packaging nearly identical to those of popular brands like Cheetos, Fruity Pebbles, and Sour Patch Kids.

Bonta is urging Californians not to consume these dangerous knockoffs and to report the products if they encounter them.

“While cannabis-infused edibles packaged to look like our favorite brands may seem harmless and fun, the dangers of consuming unregulated and untested cannabis products are high, particularly for children and teens,” Bonta said. “The fact is: here in California, we have a safe, regulated, and legal cannabis market. But if a product is being marketed to children, mimicking a well-known consumer brand, and advertising sky-high levels of THC — it’s not likely to be a part of it.”

Cannabis-infused edibles describes any food or drink containing marijuana or any of its active ingredients, most often THC and cannabidiol (CBD), according to the Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab (RVDAR), a California drug rehabilitation and substance abuse treatment program.

Generally, the edible product is infused with cannabis extract. Marijuana is heated in an oil-based liquid to obtain the extract, RVDAR explains.

“Compared to other ways of consuming marijuana, edibles are known for producing a delayed high. Further, they may be more discreetly consumed than marijuana from a blunt, vape pen or bong,” according to RVDAR.

The California cannabis industry is regulated by the state’s Business and Professions Code and is covered by the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA).

According to Bonta, the edible products sold by unlicensed operators, often contain levels of THC that exceed the legal limit, and are advertised to youth in violation of MAUCRSA, which sets up a basic framework for product licensing, oversight and enforcement.

Cannabis businesses have to follow the same rules that other businesses in California follow. For example, there are rules in the statutes about waste disposal, protecting the environment, vehicle registration and paying taxes.Bonta’s office makes the following recommendations:

IDENTIFY LOOKALIKE PRODUCTS:

Californians should look for copycat packaging with language that indicates that the product contains cannabis — such as “medicated”, “THC,” “CBD,” “keep out of reach of children and animals,” and/or an image of a cannabis leaf.

In California, legal cannabis products must be affixed with the universal symbol that includes an encircled triangle with a marijuana leaf and exclamation mark in it. It letters CA are imprinted below it.  If you see indications of copycat packaging or do not see the universal symbol, the product is illicit — and may be dangerous.

KNOW THE HEALTH RISKS:

Illegal cannabis products present a risk to public health and safety. Children can experience a variety of delayed symptoms upon ingesting cannabis edibles, including, but not limited to difficulty breathing, lethargy, dizziness, nausea, and loss of coordination.

Illegal products made with synthetic cannabinoids may pose additional health risks. Synthetic cannabinoids can be highly toxic and are illegal in the state of California. Side effects of consuming synthetic cannabinoids include rapid heart rate, agitation, vomiting, trouble breathing, psychosis, among others.

In recent years, California has seen a surge in pediatric exposure and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) visits related to cannabis edibles, as well as an increase in children as young as 12 who are intentionally using cannabis products.

In 2020, there were 1,173 calls to the Poison Control Center for services related to children aged 0-19 ingesting cannabis products. This is up from 404 calls in 2016, with the biggest increase for children aged 0-5.

California has also seen a rise in emergency room visits related to cannabis poisoning among young children. In 2016, there were approximately 21 visits per one million Californians aged 0-5. In 2020, there were approximately 113 visits.

Bonta’s office insists that if a child has accidentally consumed these illicit products, monitor them for symptoms of intoxication. California’s Poison Control System has a 24-hour hotline available for immediate assistance.

The toll-free phone number is (800) 222-1222. Language interpreter services are offered in over 200 different languages and calls are kept confidential.

Upon encountering lookalike cannabis-infused edible products, Bonta is asking the public to file a complaint with the Department of Justice and with the Department of Cannabis Control.

EAST CHINA SEA (Oct. 27, 2021) Sonar Technician Seaman Triniti Vild, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., writes an entry in the sonar control log aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105). Dewey is assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin Stack)