CANNABIS USE IN THE ERA OF AN OPIOID EPIDEMIC
​Presenter: Erin Parr, CASAC-M
​
​Tuesday, December 9, 2025
9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Radisson Hotel, Corning, NY

*Registration is FREE - Seating is VERY Limited - Register Early
*There is a $20 fee if you need an official CE certificate for OASAS, NBCC, NY Social Workers, LCATs, LMHCs, and LMFTs.

Sponsored by the Human Services, Health & Education Committee of the Steuben County Legislature, funded through opioid settlement funds, in partnership with Family Service Society, Inc.

***ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM*** 

Recreational legalization and the ongoing opiate epidemic have dramatically changed the cannabis landscape and shifted public perception of the perceived risks associated with cannabis use. Understanding both the downsides and therapeutic benefits, the difference between recreational and medicinal use, and fentanyl contamination risks are essential to the public safety mission. This presentation will increase your cannabis IQ by explaining how the effects of this complex plant can be highly user specific and hard to predict. This training is strongly recommended for those supporting children and young adults in clinical, community, and academic settings who are looking to clear the haze and learn effective strategies for coaching youth in making safer decisions that support brain health and wellness.
 
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  • Participants will become aware of cannabis as a mixed effect drug that is highly user specific in its effects.
  • Participants will learn how cannabis impacts the adolescent brain and body through the disruption of the endocannabinoid system
  • Participants will become familiar with cannabis safety considerations related to mental health risks, opioid contamination concerns, safe storage, and harm reduction practices aimed to improve the health and wellbeing of our community. 
  • Participants will learn best practices for engaging youth in talking about cannabis, therapeutic responses to use detected in school / clinical settings, and how to become an effective “Coping Coach” in support of reduction and cessation efforts.   
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​Erin Parr is a Project Director, CASAC-M, and graduate from the Master of Counselling Psychology program at Yorkville University. Erin also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Addiction Treatment & Prevention. Born and educated in Canada, she has recently made Buffalo her new home professionally and personally. With over 20 years of clinical experience in substance use and dual disorders, Erin has developed a unique person-centered approach to treatment with a strong emphasis on patient, family, and community engagement. Erin has quite accidentally but enthusiastically embraced her role as the “Weed Girl” by nature of her clinical work’s focus on the psychological effects of cannabis use and brain health across the lifespan. Her clinical experience includes 10 years as an Addiction Specialist in the Early Intervention Psychosis field supporting both adolescents and their families. Parlaying her extensive clinical and academic knowledge of cannabis into a series of presentations, she has become an in-demand speaker providing trainings and workshops within the healthcare, criminal justice, and educational sectors. Erin is passionate about providing accurate and engaging information on the intersection between cannabis, mental health, addiction, harm reduction, public safety, and the changing legal status of this complex substance. Her dedication to health education and has resulted in directing a new grant-funded program tasked with delivering community-based prevention and assessment services to youth and young adults (SAFER Program).