‘Big Marijuana’ is like ‘Big Tobacco’
The National Conference on Addiction Disorders (August 25, 2014) was a natural venue for a forthright discussion about the impact of marijuana use in the two states that have legalized it (Colorado and Washington). Legalization, which was the result of a sophisticated strategy by companies with deep pockets, has taken the form of normalization of marijuana use. ‘Big Marijuana’ is like ‘Big Tobacco.’ They’re using the same strategies and tools that have been seen in activities by Big Tobacco. “The strategy,” says Andrea Grubb Barthwell, Medical Director, Encounter Medical Group, Director of the Two Dreams Facilities, Chicago, “is to normalize…
Burlington Working on Prescription Drugs Abuse
As prescription drug abuse continues to grow in North Carolina and across the country, one local police department is opening permanent drop boxes to help people get rid of unwanted medicine. Jennifer Kaffenberger has made it her mission to educate people about the dangers of taking other peoples’ medicine. In 2011, her son, Harry Cohen, was the star quarterback at Burlington’s Williams High School. Cohen accidentally overdosed and died after taking his grandmother’s methadone pain medication. “When people think of overdose, they think ‘Oh, he took the whole bottle’ or ‘He took it because he wanted to get high,’” Kaffenberger…
CADCA Launches Prevent Rx Abuse Online Toolkit
CADCA’s Online Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit contains facts, strategies and tools to prevent and reduce teen Rx medicine abuse in your community. This newly revised toolkit is based on CADCA’s Seven Strategies for Effective Community Change. Incorporating these strategies will help you formulate, modify and implement your prevention and intervention strategies. Click on the image to check it out!
NC Communities Discussing Rx Drug Abuse
Representatives from the Lee County Department of Social Services, Central Carolina Hospital and Emergency Medical Services, a number of treatment and medical centers and various faith and community organizations came together to discuss the problems of overdose and prescription pill abuse facing Lee County. This meeting included a presentation about the different populations affected by prescription drug abuse and overdose and stressed that a combined effort across all spheres of a community was necessary to prevent accidental overdose death. Click HERE for more information.
Updated Marijuana Resource
Two updated booklets about marijuana for teens and their parents will help families sort out marijuana myths from science-based facts. The revamped tools come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Click HERE for more information.
Governor McCrory Creates Task Force to Combat Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking
Governor Pat McCrory signed an executive order that creates a multi-agency task force aimed at reducing substance abuse and underage drinking. The Governor’s Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking Prevention and Treatment Task Force will build on statewide prevention, treatment and enforcement initiatives implemented by the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission, Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Division, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) System. As a part of this initiative, six UNC campuses that will take part in a pilot program that will emphasize prevention and treatment: East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina…
F.D.A. Will Propose New Regulations for E-Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration will propose sweeping new rules that for the first time would extend its regulatory authority from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, popular nicotine delivery devices that have grown into a multibillion-dollar business with virtually no federal oversight or protections for American consumers. Perhaps the biggest proposed change would require producers of cigars and e-cigarettes to register with the F.D.A., provide the agency with a detailed accounting of their products’ ingredients and disclose their manufacturing processes and scientific data. Producers would also be subject to F.D.A. inspections. Click HERE for full story
April Is Alcohol Awareness Month
Held every April and founded by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD); Alcohol Awareness Month was designed to increase public awareness and understanding aimed at reducing the stigma associated with alcoholism that too often prevents individuals and families from seeking help. Click HERE to find out more
Alcohol Abuse Prevention Crucial in Curbing Cancer
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Cancer Report 2014 warns that alcohol consumption, the second biggest risk factor in developing cancer, is related to hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths globally, including stomach, liver and breast cancer. Big Alcohol companies have hastened this epidemic by glamorizing alcohol use and obstructing effective policy efforts such as controls on price, availability, and advertising. The WHO stresses that prevention efforts are crucial to stemming the epidemic of alcohol-related cancer. Check out the new fact sheet by Alcohol Justice for more information
Synthetic Drug More Potent Than Heroin
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said acetyl fentanyl is an opioid analgesic drug that is up to five times more potent than heroin. It is an analog of fentanyl – a powerful narcotic analgesic – and is not available as a prescription drug in the United States. It often goes by the street name “China White.” On Wednesday 2/19/2014, North Carolina health officials said that three deaths have been linked to the synthetic drug acetyl fentanyl, and they’ve issued a health advisory. Click HERE to see the news story