THC Lock Bags introduced for Martin, Faribault counties
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FAIRMONT - With help from state grant funding, Faribault and Martin County Health and Human Services (FMCHS) can distribute lock bags for cannabis as part of their campaign against abuse of cannabis.
Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Kaley Hernandez said the idea for this came as a part of their larger project regarding substance use and the legalization of cannabis.
"It’s really with the goal of youth prevention as well as harm reduction for adults that are using and keeping it out of the hands of children," she said. "We wanted it to be more than just an awareness campaign, but really have a tangible piece that our community could really use within their homes. This is a simple harm reduction strategy that keeps kids safe and cannabis out of reach."
With the legalization of cannabis, Hernandez said programs like this are important as cannabis is marketed and grows in popularity.
"We know a lot of the adults within the community are using it responsibly," she said. "We also know cannabis is stronger than it’s ever been, and cannabis is also marketed towards youth with fun flavors and different edible forms like candies and brownies and things like that. These lock-it-up bags really help adults keep these types of kid-appealing items out of reach."
To this effect, Hernandez said they have seen local student numbers regarding cannabis usage that have informed their approach.
"According to our data from 2025 from the Minnesota Student Survey, it shows only 6 percent ever trying it," she said. "That’s a very low number that we’re happy with. One concerning number that we’ve seen is that students believe about 54 percent of youth are using it. There’s a gap between what’s really going on and what they perceive is going on. We want to get in front of any future issues. That’s what we do in public health. We want to keep that misperception from becoming a reality."
The bags are available in Fairmont at the Sterling Pharmacy, Hy-Vee Pharmacy, Walgreens Pharmacy and Martin County Health and Human Services Building, as well as in Blue Earth at Blue Earth Drug and the Faribault County Health and Human Services Building and in Wells at the Thrifty White Pharmacy.
As for how the bag works, Hernandez said it is simple, and the bag comes with everything you need to lock it.
"Once the community member picks it up from one of the locations, it comes with a set of keys inside," she said. "All they have to do is zip it shut, make sure the front part of the zipper is underneath the metal part here, lock it up so that it’s down over top, and then they can’t unzip it."
The bags also come loaded with parent conversation guides to help adults talk about cannabis with their kids effectively and safely, and poison control cards. FMCHS received the bags last month, and from there they determined how to best get them out in the community.
"Once all those items were in place, we went around and asked local pharmacies if they would be interested in having them available," Hernandez said. "Really wanting to build up these safety precautions in our community whenever possible. They certainly might have a sense for who could benefit from a bag. A secondary use of the bag is to lock up medications that might be dangerous to kids."
On top of social media, Hernandez said they have been utilizing their current partners to communicate that these lock bags are available.
"If they have an event that matches up with distributing them, we’re certainly willing to partner with them and have those conversations too," she said. "I bring them with me to various events I attend."
With the bags now out and available, now is the time FMCHS will watch and see the usage and overall results of this program. Hernandez said it has not been decided yet what they will do with the program moving forward, but if there is a need established for these bags, they would be able to restock them.
For more information, visit powerofpublichealthmn.com/cannabis.