Marijuana use declines among teens
Despite the dawn of a new era legalizing recreational use of cannabis by adults, marijuana use among middle and high school students continued to decline in California in 2016 and 2017, a new state-funded health survey shows.
Only 4.2 percent of seventh-graders reported ever using marijuana, according to the 16th biennial California Healthy Kids Survey, which was conducted between 2015 and 2017 and released this week.
Researchers found a marked decline in teen marijuana use over the past four years, from 10 percent of seventh grade students in the 2011-13 survey to 7.9 percent in 2013-15. Similar declines were found among students in grades nine and 11.
Pro-cannabis groups claim the latest survey is evidence that marijuana legalization does not lead to increased use among school-age children.
– Appeal-democrat news services
LOS ANGELES – Verizon Wireless said Friday it will immediately stop imposing data speed restrictions on first responders throughout the West Coast and Hawaii it was criticized for limiting service to firefighters battling California’s largest-ever wildfire.
Verizon also said it plans to offer unlimited data without restrictions for public safety officials.
California is beset by several wildfires, and Hawaii was hit by torrential rainfall, flooding and power outages stemming from Hurricane Lane.
Verizon’s plan, which was discussed by state Assembly members at a committee meeting on Friday, was made public after revelations that the company slowed the speed of Santa Clara County firefighters’ data as they helped battle the Mendocino Complex Fire in July.
The incident sparked outrage this week when Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden chronicled it in an addendum to a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules.
“This was not a fire drill,” Democratic Firefighters monitor a burn operation and take a weather reading near Ladoga on Aug. 7.
Assemblyman Marc Levine said. “I think we were all surprised that such an incident could occur. I’m grateful that Verizon has recognized they need to change the way they do business.”
Dave Hickey, Verizon vice president of business and government sales, told lawmakers that the company would introduce out a new $37.99 service plan for public safety personnel that will include unlimited data with no caps and will give them priority access on congested networks.
The company also will remove throttling – which he referred to as speed-capping – for emergency responders during natural disasters that may occur nationwide, Hickey said.
Verizon officials said this week that the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s plan included unlimited
high-speed wireless data, but data speeds were reduced when the agency reached a specific threshold, as is customary on their service plans.
However, the company has a practice to remove data speed restrictions for emergency responders – regardless of the plan they have chosen – in emergencies. Verizon called the situation a “customer support mistake” and has apologized.
“In supporting first responders in the Mendocino fire, we didn’t live up to our own promise of service and performance excellence when our process failed some first responders on the line, battling a massive California wildfire,” Mike Maiorana, Verizon senior vice president of public sector, said in a statement. “For that, we are truly sorry. And we’re making every effort to ensure that it never happens again.”