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…
Pharmaceutical Company Makes Bold Move in the Name of Prevention
A prescription cough syrup that some celebrities like to mix with soda and hard candy is being pulled from the market. The cough syrup-soda concoction is often called “sizzurp.” Actavis, one company that makes a cough syrup containing codeine, says it is making the “bold and unprecedented decision” to stop selling it because of how celebrities have glamorized its recreational use. The problem is, Actavis is just one of several drug makers that produces cough syrup containing codeine, a powerful narcotic, so sizzurp use among celebrities and young people who emulate them will likely continue. New York News
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
Troubling Trend: Internet Drinking Game
There’s a new horrifying drinking game making global headlines that’s already taken the lives of several young adults and the dignity of some who survive. It’s called #NekNominate or #NekNominations (hashtag used for social media purposes), and it’s an online craze spreading rapidly across countries thanks to Twitter and Facebook. Here’s how it works: kids are nominated by their peers to take video of themselves downing — or “necking” — strong drinks under bizarre or dangerous circumstances before challenging others to film an even more shocking video by the next day. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/nek-nominations-drinking-game-2014-2#ixzz2t3s9sDE8
NIDA’s Dr. Nora Volkow Discusses Marijuana’s Effects on the Brain, Body & Behavior
Hear a fascinating presentation by Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about the effects of marijuana use on the brain, body and behavior. Dr. Volkow’s remarks were given on Feb. 4th at CADCA’s 24th National Leadership Forum.
Next Week is NIDA’s National Drug Facts Week
National Drug Facts Week (NDFW) is a health observance week for teens that aims to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse. If you have events planned be sure to register them online TODAY! This is our chance to show the country what we’re doing in North Carolina to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse.
Telebehavioral Health Training and Technical Assistance
The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions is pleased to offer you a new set of online trainings to establish telehealth services for mental health and substance use. The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions Telebehavioral Health Training and Technical Assistance Series is designed to help safety net providers and rural health clinics understand and adopt telebehavioral health services. The implementation of telehealth services for mental health and substance use allows for increased access to these services, particularly in rural or underserved areas. Divided into six sessions, the training will provide you with the tools and resources necessary to identify and implement a…
Colorado: Marijuana Legalization and School Disciplinary Problems
(The Denver Post) — In two years of work as an undercover officer with a drug task force, Mike Dillon encountered plenty of drugs. But nothing has surprised him as much as what he has seen in schools lately. There are no hard numbers yet because school disciplinary statistics do not isolate marijuana from general drug violations. But school resource officers, counselors, nurses, staff and officials with Colorado school safety and disciplinary programs are anecdotally reporting an increase in marijuana-related incidents in middle and high schools. “We have seen a sharp rise in drug-related disciplinary actions which, anecdotally, from credible sources,…
Flavored Tobacco On the Rise
(CNN) — More than two out of every five middle- and high-school students who smoke report using flavored little cigars or flavored cigarettes, according to the report. And the bigger concern may be that the majority of the kids who smoke the flavored cigars — some 60% — say they don’t plan to quit anytime soon (compared to 49% of all cigar smokers). This coupled with the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes and e-hookahs makes for an inevitable resurgence of tobacco as a popular product…. Click HERE to continue reading