3 years ago

A Night In Jail: Education Through Storytelling and Drama Therapy

Featured experts: Heidi A. Swan and Dr. Jeremy Martinez, actor panel
ORIGINAL WEBINAR: DECEMBER 4, 2020

Handouts at https://johnnysambassadors.org/ja201204/

Description 
When we tell teens marijuana is linked to psychosis and schizophrenia, do they really understand what that means? A Night in Jail is the only fictional book, film, and play which depicts cannabis-induced psychosis. Inspired by true events, this cautionary tale was inspired and coauthored by Kirk Anderson, who was a homeless drug addict with schizophrenia and went to jail eighteen times.
In this webinar, you will meet his sister and coauthor, Heidi A. Swan. This will be a special dramatization using actors reading the screenplay for A Night in Jail, which will be followed by a discussion between Heidi and Jeremy Martinez, MD, Associate Medical Director Co-Occurring Disorders, Homeless Outreach and Engagement for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

Learning Objectives 
At the end of this webinar, parents will:
• Realize how teen cannabis use is linked to mental illness
• Learn how teen cannabis use can lead to the use of other drugs
• Understand cannabis use in the homeless population
• Learn about the rise in substance and alcohol abuse during COVID-19
• Reduce homelessness by preventing mental illness and addiction

Speaker Bio
 Heidi Swan co-produced and wrote the short film A NIGHT IN JAIL based on this story to educate the public on the impacts of using marijuana during adolescence.

Questions? Email Founder & CEO, Laura Stack, at Laura@JohnnysAmbassadors.org