The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is contacting 200,000 households in 50 states about drug use, the Associated Press reports.
The survey takes about an hour and SAMHSA, along with its partner the Research Triangle Institute will be offering $30 for participation.
West Virginia has a serious problem with prescription drug abuse, and the West Virginia Senate is trying to address it.
Seven bill have been introduced this week, the Associated Press said. The bills' measures include forcing prescriptions to be made on tamper-proof paper and providing pharmacists a controlled substances database. The AP said that the bills fall short in terms of treatment.
"This is a start, this is not a finish," said Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell County.
West Virginia has a serious problem with prescription drug abuse, and the West Virginia Senate is trying to address it.
Seven bill have been introduced this week, the Associated Press said. The bills' measures include forcing prescriptions to be made on tamper-proof paper and providing pharmacists a controlled substances database. The AP said that the bills fall short in terms of treatment.
"This is a start, this is not a finish," said Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell County.
The Ohio Valley Chapter of the State Health Education Council is sponsoring a workshop called "Current Trends in Community Health: Prevention is Key" on March 26 at the Mountainside Conference Center in Bethany.
The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants will:
-- Learn strategies to increase public awareness of potential health threats without causing panic in the community.
-- Understand the dynamics of novel illness and social settings.
-- Recognize some of the symptoms and signs of the H1N1 and flu virus.
-- Understand what to do and who to contact if they suspect the presence of H1N1/flu virus.
-- Recognize the symptoms and signs of prescription drug abuse in children and adults.
-- Gain knowledge of the dangers and economic impact prescription drug abuse has on WV families and communities.
-- Understand what to do and who to contact if they suspect prescription abuse.
-- Discuss the appeal of using depressants, stimulants and/or opiods.
-- Understand effects of stress on the mind and body.
-- Identify and implement ways to manage stress.
-- Identify high-risk behaviors that result in increased incidence of STDs.
-- Identify the signs and symptoms of the most common STDs.
-- Identify ways to protect from STDs.
The presenters include Dara Pond, Region VI coordinator for the West Virginia Adolescent Health Initiative; Karen McClain, administrator of Brooke County Health Department and director of the Bethany College Community Wellness Program; John Walters, coordinator/director the Northern West Virginia Health Education Center; Anne Martin, community development specialist with the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center; Carole Scheerbaum, certified prevention specialist through the West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals; and Patricia A. Owens, director of nursing for the Marshall County Health Department.
The cost of the workshop is $35. The registration deadline is Friday, March 19. Five hours of continuing education units have been applied for from the following professional organizations: WV Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals; WV Board of Examiners in Counseling; WV Nursing Board; WV Board of Social Work Examiners; and the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Five hours of CEUs have been applied for WV STARS through the Northern Panhandle Head Start.
For more information, call Carole Scheerbaum at (304) 564-3805.
The state's prison system is in crisis, West Virginia Public Broadcasting said in a report this week.
With a population that has quadrupled in 20 years, there is no space at the 14 correctional facilities and regional jails are filling in. And in the near future, the crisis will get even bigger. Projections call for 8,500 inmates by the end of 2010 and 10,300 in 2017, up from 6,500 today. Many of them are for nonviolent crimes like substance abuse and theft, WVPB said.
A governor-appointed commission is asking for shorter sentences for less offenses, along with better substance abuse programs to keep people from criminal activity.
"The commission proposes increased funding for the state's 13 comprehensive behavioral health centers, increased funding for the state's nine Opioid treatment programs, and the addition of four 20-bed detoxification units, eight 10-bed long-term substance abuse treatment programs, and two transitional living programs," WVPB said.
One of the messages of Thursday night's Cabell County Drug Prevention Summit was the importance of the community in combating prescription drug abuse.
The Herald-Dispatch said that several speakers said parents, friends and relatives need to be aware of the dangers of prescription drug misuse and be alert to it.
"Law enforcement is an important component to the process, but it's not the solution to the problem," Huntington police chief Skip Holbrook said. "The partnerships and relationships we develop (and) this type of forum is what makes our community successful."
The summit, Cabell County's fourth annual, capped a daylong series of meetings about substance abuse prevention and treatment in the southern West Virginia county.
"I think the biggest benefit is that there is a community awareness now about the drug problem we have," Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership member Tim White told WSAZ-TV.
WSAZ-TV reports that the West Virginia Controlled Substance Advisory Board is looking to add the painkiller Tramadol to the list of controlled substances.
Tramadol is a mild to moderate painkiller but can be addictive. If the drug is added to the controlled substances list, it would be tracked by medical professionals and limitations would be placed on the refills. The House Health and Human Resources Committee has already given its OK, although not everyone thinks it's a problem.
Fayette County delegate, Dr. Margaret Anne Staggers, is also an emergency room physician. She told WSAZ that adding Tramadol to the list doesn't make sense.
"I've never seen anyone coming to the hospital asking for help withdrawing from this drug," Staggers told WSAZ. "I just don't see it as a problem."
The Board of Directors of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America today named Patricia "Pat" F. Russo Chairman of the national non-profit organization that exists to help parents prevent, intervene in and treat drug and alcohol use by their children.
Russo assumes the Chairmanship effective February 1st from Roy J. Bostock, who was named Chairman in 2002 after the sale of Bcom3 Group Inc. to the Publicis Group. Bostock, Chairman of Yahoo!, Vice Chairman of Delta Airlines and a Director of Morgan Stanley, will remain an active member of the Partnership board, working closely with Russo to further the organization's commitment to helping parents protect their children against the risks of drug and alcohol use. Bostock was preceded in the Chairman role by James E. Burke, former Chairman of Johnson & Johnson.
"With Pat Russo joining us as Chairman, the Partnership is reaffirming its commitment to effective, groundbreaking communications. We are poised to complete our evolution into the premier online and community education resource helping parents safeguard their children from the risks of drugs and alcohol," said Bostock. "Pat's track record in business is exceptional, her leadership style is impeccable and her integrity is second to none. She is precisely the type of leader the Partnership needs to guide the organization in this new decade as it meets the needs of America's families. "
"Adolescent addiction is one of the most complex, yet preventable, public health challenges facing our nation today. It is a keystone issue that can devastate families, drives rising healthcare costs and educational failure, and ultimately impacts this nation's ability to compete around the world," said Russo. "I was drawn to this role because the Partnership is a non-profit organization that is thoughtfully and rigorously managed. Its national programs and deep resources on drugfree.org are grounded in scientific and consumer research, insightful communications strategies, and meticulous execution. I am excited to be joining an organization that is doing such effective, life-saving work."
Increases in state taxes on beer and alcohol are once again on the agenda in Charleston, as well as an attempt to write the West Virginia Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being into state law.
WBOY-TV in Charleston reported Thursday that lawmakers are targeting a rise in taxes on beer by at least 2 cents a can as a way to pay for substance abuse programs. That's the idea of House Health and Human Resources Committee chairman Don Perdue, D-Wayne. Another proposal, by Sen. Dan Foster would increase cigarette and tobacco taxes to force people to quit, WBOY-TV said.
Putting the WV Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being into law could help the six-year-old organization receive more funding, WBOY-TV said.
These and other moves by lawmakers and Gov. Joe Manchin are taking place against a worsening financial picture for the State of West Virginia. Manchin's proposed budget already cuts 5% due to the economic climate; there were already $197 million in cuts that had already been announced.
In his State of the State Address on Wednesday night, Manchin said West Virginia would continue its fight against drug abuse. He said that he had made it a priority to give additional funding and resources.
"We are seeing results," he told lawmakers in Charleston.
More information about Manchin's State of the State address, and responses from lawmakers, can be found here. The text of the speech is here.
A new 30-second commercial from the Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition is telling youth about the dangers of underage drinking.
The commercial was produced by Beyond Marketing of Wheeling and began airing on local TV stations and on cable channels in December. The commercial is paid for with Drug Free Communities Support Program Funds.
The Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition's new 30-second commercial focuses on the dangers of binge drinking.
It asks: Are you a binge drinker?
The commercial was produced by Beyond Marketing of Wheeling and began airing on local TV stations and cable channels in December. The commercial is paid for with Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant funds through the West Virginia Governor's Office and the West Virginia Partnership to Promote Community Well-Being.
Add another state to the list that may be allowing marijuana use for medicinal purposes.
New Jersey lawmakers approved a bill that would legalize marijuana use for people with chronic illnesses and it is likely to be approved by outgoing Gov. Jon S. Corzine before he leaves office next week. It took more than a decade of wrangling at the state house in Trenton before the bill was passed.
Advocates say that the law would be the most restrictive in the United States, allowing only doctors to prescribe marijuana and keeping patients from growing their own. But others are worried about the possibility of abuse and the message it sends to children.
"There are children at age 15, 14 who are using drugs or thinking about using drugs. And this is not going to help," said a New Jersey school counselor who was quoted in The New York Times.
New Jersey will be the 14th state to approve medical marijuana. The others are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
The American Lung Association has given the federal government at least one good mark for its work toward curbing tobacco use, although it isn't impressed by West Virginia's efforts.
The U.S. got an "A" for its decision to give the Food and Drug Administration responsibility for regulating tobacco. The lung association said that the regulation was a good first step but more work needed to be done. It said that not enough had been done on the federal or state level in raising the federal cigarette tax to $2.68/pack (the association's goal), providing assistance to help smokers quit or ratifying an international tobacco control treaty that has already been approved by 168 nations.
"Our leaders in Washington have made a strong start in confronting the tobacco epidemic and taking steps that ultimately will save millions of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars for the American economy," said American Lung Association president/CEO Charles D. Connor. "Ending the epidemic, however, will require more hard work."
The lung association said that smoking-related illnesses are the most preventable cause of death in the United States. More than 393,000 people die every year and it costs $193 million a year to the U.S. economy. Secondhand-smoke kills another 50,000 Americans every year.
The lung association isn't as happy with West Virginia's efforts. The state received an "F" in its 2009 report card: Tobacco Prevention & Control Spending; Smokefree Air; Cigarette Tax; and Cessation Coverage.
West Virginia's tobacco control program funding in 2009-10 is $6.8 million, compared to a Centers for Disease Control & Prevention best-practices rate of $27.8 million.
The state prohibits smoking in public schools and restricts smoking in government workplaces and childcare facilities, there are no statewide provisions for private workplaces, restaurants, bars, casinos and gaming establishments, or recreational or cultural facilities. There are penalties but not enough enforcement, the lung association said.
The state's 55-cent per pack tax on cigarettes didn't meet the lung association's muster. Neither did its state-covered cessation programs in either the state Medicaid, state employee health plans or a mandate for private insurance.
Neighboring Ohio and Pennsylvania also received failing grades for some of the categories, though not uniform "F"s. Pennsylvania was praised for raising the cigarette tax but slashing tobacco-control funding by more than 25%.
Substance abuse rates among teen-agers and young adults get a lot of attention, but a new study finds that there is a growing problem among their parents' and grandparents' generations.
More than 4.3 million people over 50 took an illegal drug over the past year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Marijuana use was the most common for men although the use of marijuana among women was tied in popularity with the misuse of prescription drugs.
SAMHSA predicts that the amount of people over 50 seeking treatment for substance abuse will double in the next 10 years, said a story on CBSNews.com.
Meanwhile, the first of a three-part series in The Register-Herald of Beckley, WV, talks about how to cure addictive behaviors like substance abuse and gambling. The first part is here.
The following was written by Latrisha Whitelatch, substance abuse prevention director of the Marshall County Family Resource Network to review the Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition’s year:
Hello Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition Members and Concerned Citizens:
I would like to thank all of you for your dedication and commitment to the coalition's mission of reducing substance abuse among Marshall County residents, particularly youth, on a sustained basis. I know it can be very difficult for each of you to attend coalition meetings, since so many of you give your time to a variety of organizations. Please know that I truly appreciate everything that you have done to get to the root of alcohol and drug abuse in our community.
This year we have made great strides toward achieving our vision of a safe and healthy drug-free community, and I would like to recap our efforts and accomplishments. In January, two of our members attended the first of several required meetings for new federal Drug Free Communities grantees. The following month, as a result of our CMCA one on ones, we began advocating for a variety of legislative changes at the state level. We also started working on our media campaign designed to increase the number of parents talking to their children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
In late March, we began conducting our compliance checks, and in April, we implemented Project Sticker Shock. We also conducted a parent forum to wrap-up our media campaign, and we learned that, as a result of our efforts, underage drinking was no longer a status offense, but a delinquency offense. We had successfully changed state law.
In May, we decided to focus on improving our coalition. That month, we revisited and revised our mission and our vision (both of which are referenced above). We also started working on coalition bylaws. Additionally, May marked the start of Youth in Action team meetings for Marshall County youth.
In June and July, our Youth in Action team sponsored 2 events designed to give Marshall County youth something to do other than use drugs and alcohol. In July, our coalition blog celebrated its first birthday! We were extremely busy in August - we provided a substance abuse prevention training to Marshall County Schools personnel, hosted a CMCA advanced training, and started working with the WV Center for Civic Life on a project designed to increase public dialogue about the problem of underage drinking. We also adopted our bylaws.
In September, we were reawarded our SPF SIG and Drug Free Communities Support Program grants, and in October, we elected officers and hosted a community forum moderator training. In November, we implemented Project Sticker Shock again, and we had over 100 volunteers!
We also sponsored a resource day at John Marshall High School during the month of November, provided TIPS training for the employees of every fraternal organization in Marshall County, and completed our alcohol compliance reviews. In December, we learned that our alcohol compliance had improved dramatically from the previous year - we had a 12.6% non-compliance rate in 2009 versus a 93.8% non-compliance rate in 2008. We also launched 2 media campaigns - one designed to prevent underage drinking and the other designed to prevent binge drinking.
In addition to implementing all of these projects, we continued to conduct one on ones regarding youth access to alcohol, provided presentations and information to a variety of groups in Marshall County, and assisted with prevention education efforts in Marshall County Schools. We also added four new members and received accolades for our coalition blog. And we're not done yet, the Marshall County Winter Carnival, which we are sponsoring, will be held on December 31 from noon until 5pm in Moundsville.
Wow! We've done a wonderful job! And, I am sure that this list does not include everything that we've done as a coalition!! Again, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. I look forward to working with each of you in the new year. Please remember our first event, the community forum regarding youth and alcohol, will be held Jan. 8 at 11am, and our first meeting will follow at 12:30pm.
Sunday's Charleston Gazette featured a column about drug abuse and its effect on West Virginia by Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne. Perdue is the chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee.
Perdue said that all the talk of health reform in Washington has been missing one very important issue.
"At no time has there been any meaningful discussion of the plague that has infested our streets, our schools and our very homes," Perdue wrote. "A 'community acquired infection' that now appears to destroy the future of an entire generation yet even to be born."
Read the op-ed here.
Art Limann from the News-Register wrote an article about the upcoming "Youth and Alcohol: How Do We Keep Our Children Safe and Healthy" forum that will be held Friday, Jan. 8, in Moundsville.
Interviewed in the article was Latrisha Whitelatch, the Marshall County Family Resource Network's substance abuse prevention director and a member of the Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition. You can find the article here.
The forum itself will be held at 11 a.m. in the first-floor conference room at the Historic Federal Building, 324 7th St., Moundsville. The event is free and refreshments will be provided.
The forum is being sponsored by the Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition, the Marshall County Family Resource Network and the West Virginia Center for Civic Life. In 2009, the Center for Civic Life had picked Marshall County for a pilot project to build citizen involvement in preventing underage drinking. Marshall County was one of only three West Virginia counties picked to participate in the project.
Copies of a discussion guide specially prepared for the event will be handed out at the event, and are also available online.
For more information about the Jan. 8 forum or to register, please contact the FRN at (304) 845-3300 or email marshallcountyfrn@comcast.net.
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