Our children know that they are supposed to get good grades, go to college, and live up to the expectations set for them in a highly educated county. While our collective value on education sets local youth up to aim high and live up to their potential, the school stress that comes with it can leave them feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and afraid of failure. Those emotions, and that pressure, are ripe conditions for substance use.

It is no secret, at least not to teens, that substances are easy to get in our county. When substances are accessible, teens are more likely to use them. In Marin County, 52% of 11th graders report that alcohol is fairly to very easy to access, and 51% say the same about marijuana.

Marin County is often seen as a highly affluent place. That picture leaves out community members working multiple jobs to afford the cost of living here, and those facing housing insecurity because affordable housing is scarce. Marin ranks notably low in equity, meaning fair access to what the county offers across the whole population. The gap is substantial, especially across racial groups, and it can lead to poverty, discrimination, and increased vulnerability.

Equity gaps put everyone at risk for substance use. Both affluence and economic insecurity can be risk factors.

From the moment they are born, our kids learn to move through the world by watching us. They also learn how to navigate their own substance use by watching us.

Let us be clear: no one is judging that glass of wine with dinner. But teens are watching how adults use substances, and how we talk about them.

There is a culture in Marin County that is full of good things: an appreciation of freedom and independence, a spirit of adventure, and a love of fun. Yet those same qualities, practiced without a filter or structure for young people, can make our substance use problem worse.