International Committee Events
1-010 INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING FORUM “MEET AND GREET”
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM
302-Beckler (3, Hyatt Regency Seattle)
1-011 INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING FORUM
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 12:45 PM – 4:30 PM
302-Beckler (3, Hyatt Regency Seattle)
Chair
- Livia Edegger, International Society of Substance Use Professionals
Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
404-Entiat (4, Hyatt Regency Seattle)
Chair
- Bosco Rowland, Monash University
Discussants
- Bosco Rowland, Monash University
- John Winston Toumbourou, Deakin University Australia
- Steven Teutsch, University of Southern California
- Ebru Batmaz, Deakin University
- Pablo Montero-Zamora, University of Texas at Austin
As cannabinoid use in adult populations is rising internationally it is important for Society for Prevention Research (SPR) partners to advise on strategies to prevent health-related and social harms. This Roundtable is hosted by the SPR International Committee (IC) who in 2023 established a Workgroup tasked with publishing a consensus commentary regarding the public health impacts of cannabis legalization. This Roundtable brings together international researchers to summarize systematic literature reviews published over recent years. The Roundtable will receive an update from Dr John Toumbourou of work completed by the IC workgroup. An umbrella review is in progress synthesizing evidence from systematic literature reviews published between 2023 and 2024 that have examined the effects of cannabis legalization. The IC workgroup have previously noted that more recent reviews find more consistent evidence that cannabis legalization is increasing adult cannabinoid use. Effects on crime and mental health are less clear. This Roundtable will also receive a summary from Dr Steven Teutsch of the 2024 review he led for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examining cannabis policy impacts on public health and health equity. The Roundtable will also receive an update of a meta-analysis being completed by PhD Research Fellow Ebru Batmaz examining the effects of legalization on the behavioral mechanisms of increased perceived accessibility and social norms approving cannabis use. Finally, this Roundtable will receive an update from Dr Pablo Montero-Zamora on research outside the US and Canadian context. This Roundtable will assist the IC Cannabis Workgroup to identify potential issues related to cannabis legalization that require priority research attention.
3-050 SPR International Committee: Impacts of Severe Weather Events on Youth: Community Support for Resilient Youth
Thursday, May 29, 2025, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
404-Entiat (4, Hyatt Regency Seattle)
Chair
- Livia Edegger, International Society of Substance Use Professionals
Discussants
- Brenda A Miller, PIRE
- Elena Gervilla, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa)
- Samuel Tomczyk, University of Greifswald
Internationally, youth are increasingly exposed to severe weather events, both acute (e.g., floods, wildfires, hurricanes) and chronic (e.g., excessive heat, pollution, drought). For example, a US national sample of youth (16-25 years of age) were asked if they lived in a community that was affected by severe weather events over the past year (Lewandowski et al., 2024). Chronic events were the most prevalent with 74% reporting extreme heat and 64% reporting smoke/air pollution. Acute events impacted many; 40% experienced flooding and a quarter experienced hurricane (26.5%), tornadoes (25.9%), and wildfires (23.1%) (Lewandowski et al., 2024). Youth who experience climate events are vulnerable to eco-anxiety, which is characterized by negative emotions such as worry, sadness, fear, and feelings of hopelessness about the future. Loss of habitat is another contributor to sadness and concern about the future. Impacts are not limited to mental health concerns; social impacts are also noted for youth who experience severe weather events. In a longitudinal study in Australia, youth exposed to multiple disasters over 12 months, exhibited more conduct problems and problems with peers (Campbell et al., 2024). Coping strategies for adolescents include both negative (e.g., aggression, alcohol and other drug use) and positive (civic engagement, pro-environmental action) responses. The panel will discuss these issues from a Prevention Science perspective. The value of using models such as Positive Youth Development will be presented. Addressing resources within community infrastructure systems such as parks, schools, libraries, and churches, in addition to person-level factors, the panelists will discuss community-level preparedness for weather events to provide infrastructure for positive coping strategies and for enhancing social preparedness of the community. The three speakers will provide a brief overview in the first half of the session. The second half of the session will be an open discussion with audience participation. This session is sponsored by the SPR International Committee and the International Coalition of Climate Action in Prevention Science.