Introducing the “New” LCB Public Health Education Liaison

By Mary Segawa

Greetings and Happy New Year! I want to begin by introducing, and for some of you re-introducing, myself. I am Mary Segawa, the Public Health Education Liaison for the LCB. I previously held this position but left in spring 2019 to join my husband in southern California while he completed a short-term commitment to Pitzer College in Claremont. While it was a nice interlude, we are happy to be back home in Washington, and I am delighted to be back with the LCB.

The new year can be a good time to recommit to those things we value. Our family and friends are one of the things we value most, and this is a good time to recommit to doing what we can to keep them healthy and safe.

I recently learned that traffic deaths in Washington State in 2021 were higher than seen in over a decade. And while all the data is not yet in, if past experience holds true, about half of those deaths will be attributed to someone driving while impaired. This is 100% preventable. Most people will not get behind the wheel after using alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs. But for those who do, the health and safety of others is put at risk. That includes you, me, our friends and our families.

While they may not agree on everything, a few years ago Vivian McPeak, director of Seattle’s Hempfest, and Darrin Grondel, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, joined together to share a message that is as important today as it was then. Please take a minute to check it out and then share it far and wide.

Please don’t drive impaired, and do what you can to keep others from doing so, whether they are family, friends, strangers, employees, or customers. Let’s all be safe out there. Happy New Year!