Federal Funding Cuts to Public Health Programs are Hurting Americans, Says Report

According to a report by the Coalition for Health Funding, overall federal funding for public health programs has been drastically cut over the past four years and it’s adversely affecting Americans in a direct way. Federal agencies that deal with substance abuse prevention and treatment have been affected the most.

The report, Faces of Austerity: How Budget Cuts Hurt America’s Health, released on July 15, analyzes the impact that federal public health budget cuts have on people and communities.
The National Institute of Health (NIH), which includes the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and comprises about half the federal government’s spending on public health, has experienced a 10 percent budget cut over the past year. Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been slashed by 16 percent and funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which includes the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has been cut about 8 percent. 

The report highlights over 20 case studies that personalize and put a human face on the impact of these budget cuts. For example, “Heroin in Illinois: A State of Emergency,” features Allen Sandusky of the South Suburban Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse located in East Hazel Crest, Ill. In the study, Sandusky describes how his organization used funds from SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant for prevention and treatment in the southern suburbs of Chicago. In 2013, these funds were reduced by over 10 percent. 

The report goes on to show how, at a time when “heroin use and addiction is at crisis levels nationally and in Illinois,” federal public health budget cuts have caused a 21 percent decline in funding for the South Suburban Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. Such a large decline in funding in so short a period of time has led to a reduction in the organization’s staff size, reduced benefits, a decrease in the number of people receiving treatment and an almost complete elimination of ancillary services.  The study ends ominously by stating that by “the end of 2014, there is no guarantee that [the South Suburban Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse] will still be in operation.”

Through this report, the Coalition hopes to provide incentives in Congress to reverse the previous years’ cuts and help provide for a healthier America. 

For more information about this study, visit www.cutshurt.org.

CADCA to Unveil New Products to Help Address Prescription Drug Abuse at Mid-Year Training Institute

With prescription drug abuse at epidemic proportions, CADCA will unveil new tools at the 2014 Mid-Year Training Institute to help community leaders prevent and reduce prescription drug abuse and over-the-counter medicine abuse.

In addition to in-depth training on prescription drug abuse, CADCA will launch a new Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse Toolkit at the Mid-Year. This comprehensive Toolkit will provide strategies community leaders can implement to prevent and reduce prescription drug abuse. The content is based on CADCA’s evidence-based community problem-solving model and CADCA’s “Seven Strategies for Community Change." 

The new Toolkit will also include:

•    Fact Sheets on prescription drug abuse and over-the-counter medicine abuse
•    Success stories highlighting communities that have reduced prescription drug abuse
•    How to Conduct a Community Assessment on Rx Abuse
•    Sample Rx Abuse Prevention Logic Model
•    Sample Rx Abuse Prevention Intervention Maps
•    National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month Grassroots Media Kit
•    PowerPoint presentations for use at community meetings
•    Video case studies
•    Shareable tools

Also at the Mid-Year, CADCA will release a new OTC Literacy Utility Guide to equip teachers, youth and parents with guidance on the safe use and proper storage of over-the-counter medicines. The Guide is meant to help coalitions integrate the OTC Literacy curriculum, developed by Scholastic and the American Association of Poison Control Centers, into their community-based prevention work. 

Prescription drug abuse and over-the-counter medicine abuse is a multi-dimensional public health problem that demands comprehensive, coordinated solutions.  For more than a decade, CADCA and its coalition network have been developing strategies and achieving reductions in Rx and OTC drug misuse and abuse at the local level.  CADCA was among the first national organizations to sound the alarm, and we continue to provide to local leaders valuable policy and programmatic tools to educate the public and take steps at the population-level that mitigate the impact of this very serious issue. 

Between 2013 and 2014, CADCA trained leaders from throughout the country on effective prescription drug abuse prevention strategies at numerous state and national conferences, including the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, the National Governors Association Policy Academy in Arkansas, and CADCA’s 2014 National Leadership Forums. CADCA also trained all state-level prescription drug monitoring program staff in our coalition-based prescription drug prevention model during a webinar hosted by the PDMP Center for Excellence at Brandeis University. 

In addition, CADCA hosted four town hall meetings last Fall and this Spring in Revere, Mass., Cincinnati, Ohio, Denver, Colo. and Jackson, Ohio to raise awareness of the prescription drug abuse problem and help local leaders find solutions to the problem in their communities. 

SEE ALSO: 

Engage with State-Level Partners to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse at Mid-Year Training Institute

New Toolkit Available to Help Coalitions Plan Prescription Drug Take-Back Days

Highway to Heroin CADCA TV Webcast Debuts Feb. 28th

Urban Outfitters Crosses the Line with Pens Resembling Hypodermic Needles

First it was the marijuana cook book and games for “stoners”, then the t-shirts promoting underage drinking and who can forget the flasks and glasses made to resemble prescription drug bottles? Now Urban Outfitters, the retail store popular with young teens, is at it again but have they crossed the line? To promote their new partnership with a salon called Hairroin, Urban Outfitters gave away promotional pens made to resemble hypodermic needles at their newest flagship store in New York City.

The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the move has angered some New Yorkers who find the giveaways offensive and distasteful. CADCA couldn’t agree more. That’s why CADCA Chairman and CEO, Gen. Arthur T. Dean, wrote a letter to Urban Outfitters President and CEO Richard Haynes asking that they stop making light of drug use, especially when rates of heroin-related overdose rates are on the rise in the New York region.  

“At a time when our nation is facing an increase of heroin users, particularly among young adults aged 18-25, and many regions, including the New York area, are seeing heroin epidemics, giving out pens that resemble hypodermic needles is irresponsible and unacceptable. Not only does it send the wrong message to young people, who frequent your store, it also makes light of a serious problem that is killing both young and old every day,” said CADCA’s Gen. Dean said in his letter.

In the letter, CADCA asks that Urban Outfitters stop making light of a serious public health problem and discontinue giving away these pens or any products that promote or glamorize drug or alcohol use. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
If you agree that this latest move is unacceptable and reprehensible, write a letter on behalf of your coalition to Urban Outfitters expressing your outrage. Feel free to use CADCA’s letteras a template.  

Here’s the address you can send your letters to:
Mr. Richard Hayne
President and CEO
Urban Outfitters
5000 South Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19112

SEE ALSO:

CADCA Responds to Retail Chain Glamorizing Rx Abuse

Help Get Urban Outfitters to Pull Pro-Alcohol T-Shirt Line Off Shelves

Prevention Leaders Concerned About Urban Outfitters Marijuana Products

Methamphetamine-related Hospital Emergency Department Visits on The Rise

Hospital emergency department visits related to the use of methamphetamine rose from 67,954 in 2007 to 102,961 in 2011 according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Overall, there were 1,252,500 visits to hospital emergency departments linked to the use of all illicit drugs.

Methamphetamine, or meth, has a high potential for abuse and addiction and can cause a wide array of potentially harmful intoxicating effects, including altered judgment and reduced inhibitions, leading to unsafe behaviors. The drug can also cause severe dental problems, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. Long term methamphetamine users may display psychotic manifestations, including paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions.

 “This report shows that methamphetamine use may be on the rise again, and we must do everything we can to address this serious public health problem,” said Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. “One important step is to use the hospital emergency department visit as a critical opportunity to talk to, and intervene with, people using this drug so that they can more fully understand its dangers and where they can turn to for help.”

People using the drug who are also taking antidepressants may experience dangerously high blood pressure, overheating, seizures, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Emergency department visits associated with methamphetamine significantly decreased between 2005 to 2007, but then rose between 2009 and 2011. From 2007 to 2011, there were significant increases in methamphetamine-related hospital visits involving those aged 25 to 34 and those aged 55 and older.

The report also found that in 2011, 62 percent of these methamphetamine-related emergency visits involved the use of this drug with at least one other substance. Twenty-nine percent of methamphetamine-related emergency hospital visits involved combined use with one other drug, and 33 percent involved combination use with two or more drugs. 

In 2011, the top two substance combinations for methamphetamine-related emergency departments were marijuana (22 percent) and alcohol (16 percent). These were also the top two combinations in 2008.

The report, Emergency Department Visits Involving Methamphetamine: 2007 to 2011, is drawn from SAMHSA’s 2007 to 2011 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) – a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related emergency department visits in the United States.

College Students Perceive Hookah Smoking to Be Safe and Socially Acceptable

Educational campaigns meant to dissuade college students from initiating hookah tobacco smoking may be more successful if they combat positive perceptions of hookah use as attractive and romantic, rather than focusing solely on the harmful components of hookah tobacco smoke, a new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study found.

The research, supported by the National Cancer Institute, examined the sequence of events around which university students first smoke tobacco from a hookah, also known as a water pipe, in an effort to determine the driving factors behind the decision. It will be published in the June issue of the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research and is online now. Because hookah tobacco smoking exposes the user to substantial amounts of toxicants such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, carcinogens and tar, initiation of this behavior is of concern.

"It was surprising to learn that college students, even when they were aware of the health dangers associated with hookah tobacco smoking at baseline, still went on to use a hookah for the first time," said lead author Jaime Sidani, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior research specialist in the Program for Research on Media and Health (PROMH) at Pitt. "However, students who had less positive attitudes toward hookah smoking were significantly less likely to initiate. This suggests that countering positive attitudes may be at least as effective as emphasizing harm in preventing initiation of hookah tobacco smoking."

Dr. Sidani and her colleagues analyzed a sample of 569 first- and second-year University of Florida college students who were surveyed twice over a seven-month period about their attitudes, knowledge and behaviors regarding hookah smoking. During that time, 13 percent of the students initiated hookah tobacco use.

The students were more likely to initiate hookah use if they had positive attitudes toward hookah smoking - which is frequently promoted as relaxing, pleasurable, fun and sexual - and if they thought it was a socially acceptable practice among their peers.

"Hookah tobacco smoking does not seem to be hampered by many of the negative social stigmas of cigarette smoking," said Dr. Sidani. "If educational programs can help students to cut through the positive portrayals and marketing of hookah smoking, it may be possible to make hookah smoking less attractive and socially acceptable, resulting in less initiation."

Senior author Brian Primack, M.D., Ph.D., director of PROMH, added that regulation of hookah tobacco smoking and marketing in the United States is confusing and less rigorous than laws meant to prevent cigarette smoking, which may contribute to misperceptions around hookah smoking.

"Clear policy measures addressing the sale and marketing of hookah products and regulation of hookah bars and cafes may be another way to counteract the positive attitudes young adults hold toward hookah smoking," Dr. Primack said.

SEE ALSO:

E-cigarettes, Hookah and Other Smokeless Tobacco Products (webinar recording)

Hookah Smoking: The Sweet Tobacco with Not-So-Sweet Risks

Cigarette Smoking Among High School Students at Lowest Level in 22 Years

Cigarette smoking rates among high school students have dropped to the lowest levels since theNational Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) began in 1991, according to the 2013 results released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By achieving a teen smoking rate of 15.7 percent, the United States has met its national Healthy People 2020 objective of reducing adolescent cigarette use to 16 percent or less.

Despite this progress, reducing overall tobacco use remains a significant challenge. For example, other national surveys show increases in hookah and e-cigarette use. In the YRBS, no change in smokeless tobacco use was observed among adolescents since 1999, and the decline in cigar use has slowed in recent years, with cigar use now at 23 percent among male high school seniors.

“It’s encouraging that high school students are making better health choices such as not fighting, not smoking, and not having sex,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Way too many young people still smoke and other areas such as texting while driving remain a challenge. Our youth are our future. We need to invest in programs that help them make healthy choices so they live long, healthy lives.”

The YRBS provides data related to behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence. The 2013 survey also found encouraging reductions in physical fighting among adolescents, with fewer high school students engaged in physical fights – down to 25 percent in 2013 compared to 42 percent in 1991.

New Study Finds Just a Single Episode of Binge Drinking Can Cause Damage

According to a new study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), just a single alcohol binge can cause bacteria to leak from the gut, and increase levels of bacterial toxins in the blood. Earlier studies have tied chronic alcohol use to increased gut permeability, wherein potentially harmful products can travel through the intestinal wall and be carried to other parts of the body, but this study is the first to show that even a single binge event can have a similar effect.

Binge drinking is defined by NIAAA as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08g/dL or above. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, in about two hours. In the study, 11 men and 14 women were given enough alcohol to raise their BAC to at least .08 g/dL within an hour. 

Dr. Gyongyi Szabo, Professor and Vice Chair of Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who lead the study, said these findings are significant because it proves that drinking heavily even just once can have long-term impacts.

“The study now demonstrates that even a single binge drinking event can have negative consequences on the body, even in a healthy individual. Our observations suggest that an alcohol binge is more dangerous than previously thought,” he said.

In the study, a single alcohol binge in normal subjects resulted in a rapid increase in levels of bacterial toxins (called endotoxins) in the blood, and that even a modest increase had substantial biological effects.
Increased levels of endotoxins were shown to affect the immune system, with the body producing more immune cells involved in fever, inflammation, and tissue destruction. Alcohol binge can also alter immune functions which reduces the body’s defense to pathogens. Greater gut permeability and increased endotoxin levels have been linked to many of the health issues related to chronic drinking, including alcoholic liver disease and organ damage in the brain.

Dr. Szabo notes that “this study shows that binge drinking is not benign, and has major biological impacts, and may also impact chronic drinking behavior. At least in animals, this increased endotoxin level, as based on our study, contributes to alcohol dependence and promotes prolonged increase of alcohol intake.” 

Further study on this in humans may show that the factors that lead to increased alcohol intake may be biological, not just psychological. The bodily damage caused by binge drinking behavior may lead to further desire for alcohol. 

Binge drinking has significantly greater health impacts on women than men, this study also found. Despite the similar BMIs of the males and females in the study, compared to men, women showed a slower decrease in BAC, and even 24 hours after the alcohol binge, women had higher BAC than men.

Serum endotoxin levels were also higher overall in women than in men after alcohol intake, and a significant difference in endotoxin level was observed between genders after four hours. Dr. Szabo warned that women should keep these greater consequences in mind when consuming alcohol. 

People likely to engage in binge drinking behavior, especially teens and young adults, should be made aware that binge drinking can lead to more than a hangover. This study shows that binge drinking causes an immune response and inflammation, leading to health consequences in even healthy individuals, especially in women. Initial findings also point to a potential relationship between this response and in increased desire to consume more alcohol, demonstrating that binge drinking behavior may lead the body to crave alcohol and lead to dependence.

SEE ALSO:
CADCA’s underage drinking and excessive drinking prevention resources created in partnership with NIAAA.
New Study Finds States With Stronger Alcohol Policies Have Less Binge Drinking

CDC Report Finds Deaths from Prescription Opioids Have More Than Tripled

Drug poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics among those aged 15 and have more than tripled in the past decade, according to Health, United States, 2013, an annual, comprehensive report on the nation’s health by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC report found that deaths from prescription painkillers jumped from 1.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999-2000 to 6.6 deaths in 2009-2010.

The report also found that About half of all Americans reported taking one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days during 2007-2010, and 1 in 10 took five or more. Cardiovascular agents (used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease) and cholesterol-lowering drugs were two of the most commonly used classes of prescription drugs among adults aged 18-64 years and 65 and over in 2007-2010.  Other commonly used prescription drugs among adults aged 18-64 years were analgesics to relieve pain and antidepressants.

The full report is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/. 

Students Who Used Alcohol or Marijuana On Campus at Higher Risk for Trauma, Mental Health Problems

When teens are caught drinking or using marijuana at school, a trip to the dean's office may not suffice. These students also should be screened for exposure to trauma, mental health problems and other serious health risks, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The study was reported in Medical News Today.

Researchers found that using substances at school was associated with increased odds of serious problems such as depression, intimate partner violence and attempting suicide.

"At-school substance use is not just an isolated event requiring simple disciplinary action but an important signal identifying teens in need of urgent psychosocial assessment and support," said lead author Rebecca N. Dudovitz, MD, MS, FAAP, assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and the UCLA Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute.

Dr. Dudovitz and her colleagues analyzed data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative survey of more than 15,000 U.S. high school students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the survey every two years to monitor conditions and behaviors that impact adolescent health.

Researchers looked at whether at-school alcohol and marijuana use by high school students was associated with nine other serious health risks, including driving while intoxicated or riding in a car with a driver who was intoxicated; fighting; carrying a weapon at school; drinking alcohol or using drugs the last time they had sex; experiencing intimate partner violence; being forced to have intercourse; having symptoms of depression; thinking about suicide; and attempting suicide.

Results showed that 9 percent of all students reported using alcohol or marijuana at school. For both boys and girls, using alcohol or marijuana on campus was associated with dramatically higher odds of exhibiting all nine serious health risks than using substances only out-of-school.

For example, students who reported using either alcohol or marijuana on school campus had a 64 percent chance of having been in a car with an intoxicated driver, a 46 percent chance they had symptoms of depression, a 25 percent chance they had experienced intimate partner violence and a 25 percent chance they had attempted suicide.

Coalitions In Action: Ohio Youth Hold Rally to Spread Message that Majority of Teens are Drug-Free

May 01, 2014

Coalition resources: Coalition Stories

Too often what makes the news are stories of youth drug use. On Thursday, 1800 youth from Ohio held a rally in Columbus with the hopes that a different message would make the news – that the majority of teens don’t use drugs and alcohol.

The 3rd annual “We Are the Majority” rally and concert was organized by members of the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network (OYLPN), under the guidance of CADCA member, the Drug Free Action Alliance (DFAA).  Students from across the state attended the event to show that they are in the majority of teens, those who do not use drugs or alcohol.

“One of the most common misconceptions from our society is that a majority of young people are making detrimental decisions that affect the rest of their lives. However, research has continuously shown that a vast majority of youth are making positive, healthy choices,” said Marcie Seidel, Executive Director of Drug Free Action Alliance.  “The young people who make up the OYLPN understand that message and want other kids to celebrate their decisions to make positive decisions and become future leaders in their communities.”

The We are the Majority message came from the first generation of the OYLPN, 15 high school students who were “sick of the adult messaging seen in campaigns like ’Just Say No’,” explains Tony Coder, Assistant Director of DFAA. They wanted to send clear message to let other young people know that most of their peers are not using drugs and alcohol, Coder said.

It was these youth coalition members who started the rally three years ago, as a way to spread the We are the Majority message statewide. With 400 in attendance the first year, 1100 last year, and 1800 this year, the rally has continues to expand and reach more young people across Ohio.  

This rally and the work of OYLPN members have already impacted drug abuse prevention policy in Ohio. Inspired by the work of OYLPN, Governor John Kasich, a guest at last year’s rally, announced 22 Building Youth Resiliency grants totaling $1.5 million as part of the new Start Talking! youth drug prevention initiative.

The OYLPN consists of 15 high-school youth from around the state who are focused on peer-to-peer prevention strategies and promoting healthy lifestyles for youth in Ohio.  Youth coalition members of OYLPN are being trained in evidence-based prevention practices, learning to become stronger advocates for drug prevention. They are writing editorial letters, and meeting with their elected officials to spread their message of peer-to-peer prevention.  

This year, the OYLPN incorporated into the rally discussions of teen depression, mental health, and other factors, which tie into substance abuse issues. Working with the Ohio National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), part of the rally featured a resiliency march around the state house to draw the connection between youth mental health and substance abuse. 

The We are the Majority message is spreading. Two smaller rallies in other parts of Ohio were held concurrently with the main event, and groups outside of the state are reaching out to OYLPN and DFAA to learn more about their methods and the campaign. The day of the rally, adult supporters were given a toolkit on how to effectively run events in their own community. DFAA has also held webinars, and is currently redesigning their website to make information more accessible to other youth coalitions looking to sponsor their own events. 

Mario Barrett, Grammy-nominated performer and founder of The Mario Do Right Foundation, a non-profit youth development organization with emphasis on substance abuse prevention, was the keynote speaker and provided a free concert to rally participants. Mario was introduced to the OYLPN and DFAA at CADCA’s 2014 National Leadership Forum. 

Social media tools have been vital in organizing the rally, and spreading the word on peer-to-peer substance abuse prevention. To connect with OLYPN or the We Are the Majority campaign, visit:

OLYPN's Facebook Page 
We are the Majority's Facebook Page
Twitter
Pinterest
Blog 

The teen members of OYLPN have completely taken charge of their message and outreach to their peers and their communities. For adults, Coder says, the trick is letting youth take charge. With a little guidance and motivation, “their creativity and hard work, what they put into it, they will amaze you.”

Drug Known as Smiles and N-Bomb Gaining in Popularity Among Teens

Apr 24, 2014

Drug type: Synthetic Drugs

In recent months, more reports have surfaced of teens using the drug 25i, commonly known as “smiles” or “N-Bomb”, and often resulting in grave medical consequences. Part of a family of drugs known as phenethylamines, this synthetic drug promises young adults a high similar to LSD or other hallucinogens, but can be extremely dangerous, sometimes leading to death.

Just this week, authorities in Loudoun County, Va. responded to several medical emergencies of teens under the influence of 25i. In addition, police in Michigan City, Ind. sent out an alert on the drug to members of the community after the drug was used by teens over spring break.

Between March 2012 and August 2013, at least 19 young adults were reported to have died from taking the drug. Data show that in 2006 only 12 states reported emergency department cases involving 25i, compared to 32 states reporting cases in 2010. The frequency of reported cases also intensified, with only three states reporting more than six cases in 2006, compared to 12 states reporting over six cases in 2010. 

Synthetic drugs are difficult for law enforcement agencies to regulate, because of the constantly evolving formulas manufacturers use to avoid prosecution. In November 2013, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) made three varieties of NBOMe drugs, including smiles, illegal for two years under the Controlled Substances Act. A DEA spokesperson noted that sources are more quickly able to modify their formulas and share this information online, making the evolution of drugs a much faster process, and more difficult to regulate. 

25i has psychedelic effects that mimic LSD, but is in the class of phenylethylamines, which share many properties to amphetamines. The drug is particularly difficult to identify, as it can be a liquid, a powder, laced into paper, and even mixed into edible goods. The death of a 17-year-old in North Dakota was linked to a supply of the drug which had been melted into chocolate.  

Smiles has the potential negative side-effects of LSD and other hallucinogens, such as anxiety, psychosis, and frightening hallucinations. However, the drug is doubly dangerous because it also acts as a stimulant, potentially causing nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, and seizures.

Another danger of synthetic drugs is they are often sold as derivatives or replacements for more commonly known drugs, often without the customer’s knowledge. This was the case for an 18-year-old Arizona high school student who died from nasally taking a liquid form of 2c-I-NBOMe, believing it was LSD. Synthetic drugs are frequently more potent and unpredictable than some illegal street drugs.

Despite the risks, there are many reasons these drugs appeal to teens and young adults. Because the drugs are initially legal, many teens assume this means that they are safe, rather than the reality that they are unregulated and unpredictable. The drugs are also sold online, marketed as household products or laboratory chemicals, making them easy to obtain. Standard drug tests are not designed to detect these products, making them appealing for those who fear being caught. 

It is important for CADCA coalitions to reach out to teens, and to explain the dangers posed by 25i and other synthetic drugs. Untested, unregulated, and constantly evolving, these drugs demonstrate a variety of challenges for communities and law enforcement.

Study Finds Even Casual Marijuana Use Changes the Brain

Heavy marijuana use has been linked with impaired motivation, attention, learning and memory, but common beliefs maintain that casual use of the drug does not result in any negative outcomes. Now, a new study suggests young adults who smoke marijuana at least once a week have altered areas of the brain involved in emotion and motivation. The study was reported in Medical News Today.

The researchers, from Northwestern University and Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, published their results in the Journal of Neuroscience. 

The researchers, including Jodi Gilman, PhD, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze the brains of 40 subjects between the ages of 18 and 25 years old who smoked marijuana at least once per week. They then compared these brain scans with the scans of individuals with little or no history of marijuana use. 

Each marijuana user was asked to estimate his or her drug intake over a 3-month period, providing the number of days and amount they smoked. 

Psychiatric evaluation ruled out the chance that the marijuana users were dependent on the drug, however, the MRI images showed "significant" brain differences. 

Compared with the non-smokers, the marijuana users had a larger nucleus accumbens - the brain region involved in reward processing. Additionally, it had an altered shape and structure in the brains of the marijuana users. 

And the more marijuana the smokers used, the greater the abnormalities in both the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala, a region involved in emotion. 

Dr. Hans Breiter, a co-author of the study, says their findings raise "a strong challenge to the idea that casual marijuana use isn't associated with bad consequences." 

"Abnormal neuronal growth in the nucleus accumbens could be an indication that the brain is forming new connections that may encourage further use of marijuana. The study results fit with animal studies that show when rats are given THC, their brains rewire and form many new connections. It may be that we're seeing a type of drug learning in the brain," Dr. Breiter said.

SEE ALSO:

New Research Links Long-Term Marijuana Use to Schizophrenia
http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/new-research-links-long-term-marijuana-use-schizophrenia

Marijuana Smoking Determined to Permanently Lower One’s IQ
http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/marijuana-smoking-determined-permanently-lower-one%E2%80%99s-iq

Alcohol Awareness Month Highlights Harmful Impact of Underage Drinking

Alcohol-free block parties are being planned. Social networking pages are filling up with tweets and posts about alcohol abuse and prevention, and local police stations and community organizers are hosting family information nights. Why? Because April is the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.’ (NCADD) Alcohol Awareness Month. And CADCA coalitions nationwide are joining NCADD affiliates, schools, colleges, churches, and countless community organizations in sponsoring events that increase public awareness and educate people about the treatment and prevention of alcoholism.

With this year’s theme “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow,” NCADD specifically highlights underage drinking, a public health issue directly associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and other problem behaviors. Annually, over 6,500 people under the age of 21 die from alcohol-related accidents and thousands more are injured. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for America’s young people and is more likely to kill them than all illegal drugs combined. So reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a healthy future for America’s youth.

But excessive drinking affects all Americans, whether or not they drink. Alcohol problems cost the United States $224 billion in 2006, primarily from lost productivity, but also from health care and property damage costs. 

CADCA has developed several resources to help you educate your community about the dangers of excessive and underage drinking and regulating alcohol outlet density. 

They include the following:
•    College and Drinking:  A Risky Curriculum Discussion Guide provides facts about college and drinking, questions, quotes and reflections to stimulate discussion. 
•    Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies that decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density in a given geographic area. 
•    Videos on Reducing Underage and Excessive Drinking.
Also, here are some NCADD-suggested Alcohol Awareness Month ideas to raise community awareness about alcohol use while encouraging people to make healthy and safe choices:

• Organize a “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow” 5k walk/run.
• Recognize, publicly, young people and community members who lead drug-free lifestyles.
• Partner with local businesses for alcohol-free youth events or promotions.
• Hold a community town hall meeting on underage drinking.
• Organize an Alcohol Awareness parade or rally.
• Plan an Alcohol Awareness Month luncheon at a local hospital with guest speakers from the health community. 

New Survey Shows Importance of No Alcohol Message for Teens

New data from a national survey of high school students shows that teens who receive a message from their parents that underage drinking is completely unacceptable are more than 80 percent less likely to drink than teens who receive other messages. The survey, and correspondinginfographic, was released this week by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Nationwide Insurance®.

The data was released in conjunction with PowerTalk 21 day—April 21st—the national day for parents to talk with their teens about alcohol. Download the latest version of the parent handbook for tips and tools to help parents start the potentially lifesaving conversation about alcohol with their teens.

This year, MADD will host free 30-minute online discussions throughout day on April 21st for parents and caregivers to learn the best way to talk with your teens, so that they really listen.  Find out more and register now at www.madd.org/powertalk21.

Each year, about 4,700 people die as a result of underage drinking. The Power of Parents program equips parents with the tools to have the sometimes difficult, but potentially lifesaving conversations with their teens about the dangers of alcohol.

“It’s crucial for parents to have ongoing, intentional conversations with their teens about alcohol, but it’s also important to make sure the message they’re sending is clear — no alcohol before 21,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide Insurance Associate Vice President of Consumer Safety. “Nationwide has teamed up with MADD to give parents the tools they need to keep their children and others safe.”

Developed with Robert Turrisi, Ph.D, professor and researcher at Pennsylvania State University, the Power of Parents workshops and supporting handbook are based on his more than two decades of underage drinking research, and have been shown to significantly reduce underage drinking behaviors.

To see where workshops and activities are happening, or for conversation starters, tips and the Power of Parents handbook, visit www.madd.org/powertalk21.

Monitoring the Future Data Indicates Increase in Drug Impaired Driving

While alcohol impaired driving rates among youth have declined in the United States, drug impaired driving appears to be on the rise. Research indicates illicit or prescribed drugs are associated with an increased rate of motor vehicle crashes, making current excessively high rates of drug impaired driving a significant public health concern. A recent study examining data from the Monitoring the Future survey found that just over one out of every four (28 percent) high school seniors either drove under the influence or drove with someone under the influence of alcohol or other illicit drugs, with the percentage of seniors driving after smoking marijuana was almost three times more than alcohol impaired drivers.

The March/April 2014 issue of Research Into Action breaks down the findings and highlights the need for coalitions to assess local impaired driving data in their communities and increase partnerships to create solutions to this public health issue.

More on the study and how local anti-drug coalitions can use the data to inform their efforts appears in the March/April 2014 issue of Research into Action. Download the PDF version of this publication or view this issue and previous issues on the CADCA website. 

Research into Action is a free publication, which reports on research findings that impact the work of coalitions. Published six times a year by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, each issue examines what coalitions can do to implement knowledge they gain in their communities. Sign up for your free e-mail subscription on CADCA’s website by providing your e-mail address in the “Get Online News Updates” box located on the bottom right hand side of the CADCA homepage.

New Report Details America’s Billion Dollar Drug Problem

From 2000-2010, U.S. drug users spent $100 billion annually on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. That’s according to a new report, “What America’s Users Spend on Illegal Drugs: 2000-2010”, from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, conducted by the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. The report also found that while more money was spent on cocaine than marijuana in 2000, the opposite was true in 2010.

“Our analysis shows that Americans likely spent more than $1 trillion on cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine between 2000 and 2010,” said Beau Kilmer, the study’s lead author and co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.

Data further show that from 2002-2010, marijuana consumption likely increased by about 40 percent while cocaine consumption decreased by approximately 50 percent. Heroin consumption remained fairly stable from 2000-2010. Methamphetamine consumption dramatically increased during the first half of the decade and then declined, but researchers lacked the information to make a credible estimate of its use from 2008-2010.

“Having credible estimates of the number of heavy drug users and how much they spend is critical for evaluating policies, making decisions about treatment funding and understanding the drug revenues going to criminal organizations,” Kilmer said. “This work synthesizes information from many sources to present the best estimates to date for illicit drug consumption and spending in the United States.”

The estimates for marijuana are rooted in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which surveys nearly 70,000 individuals each year. Estimates for cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine are largely based on information from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM). The final estimates also incorporated information from other data sources.

However, since the federal government recently halted funding for ADAM, researchers say it will be considerably harder to track the abuse of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in the future.
To improve future estimates, the report recommends investments in programs like ADAM that collect detailed data from heavy users. It also recommends that federal agencies revise some of the questions on existing self-report surveys.

Click here to read more about the report.

First National Analysis Strongly Associates E-Cigarettes with Smoking for Many Adolescents

E-cigarettes, promoted as a way to “quit” regular cigarettes, may actually be a new route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers, according to a new University of California at San Francisco study published online today in JAMA Pediatrics.

In the first analysis of the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking among adolescents in the United States, U.C.S.F. researchers found that adolescents who used the devices were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking. The study of nearly 40,000 youth around the country also found that e-cigarette use among middle and high school students doubled between 2011 and 2012, from 3.1 percent to 6.5 percent.

“Despite claims that e-cigarettes are helping people quit smoking, we found that e-cigarettes were associated with more, not less, cigarette smoking among adolescents,” said lead author Lauren Dutra, a postdoctoral fellow at the U.C.S.F. Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, in a news release.

“E-cigarettes are likely to be gateway devices for nicotine addiction among youth, opening up a whole new market for tobacco,” she added.

In the new UCSF study, the researchers examined survey data from middle and high school students who completed the National Youth Tobacco Survey in 2011 and 2012.

The authors found that the devices were associated with higher odds of progression from experimenting with cigarettes to becoming established cigarette smokers. Additionally, adolescents who smoked both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes smoked more cigarettes per day than non-e-cigarette users.

Contrary to advertiser claims that e-cigarettes can help consumers stop smoking conventional cigarettes, teenagers who used e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes were much less likely to have abstained from cigarettes in the past 30 days, 6 months, or year. At the same time, they were more likely to be planning to quit smoking in the next year than smokers who did not use e-cigarettes.

The study’s cross-sectional nature didn’t allow the researchers to identify whether most youths initiated with conventional cigarettes or e-cigarettes. But the authors noted that about 20 percent of middle school students and about 7 percent of high school students who had ever used e-cigarettes had never smoked regular cigarettes – meaning that some kids are introduced to the addictive drug nicotine through e-cigarettes, the authors said.  

“It looks to me like the wild west marketing of e-cigarettes is not only encouraging youth to smoke them, but also it is promoting regular cigarette smoking among youth,” said senior author Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, U.C.S.F. professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that the majority of adolescents who have ever smoked e-cigarettes also have smoked regular cigarettes. An estimated 1.78 million U.S. students have used the devices as of 2012, the CDC reported.

Survey Finds More Teens Would Use Marijuana if Legal

Feb 27, 2014

Drug type: Marijuana

A new study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy by researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR), finds large proportions of high school students normally at low risk for marijuana use (e.g., non-cigarette-smokers, religious students, those with friends who disapprove of use) reported intention to use marijuana if it were legal. 

The study, "Correlates of Intentions to Use Cannabis among US High School Seniors in the Case of Cannabis Legalization," used data from Monitoring the Future (MTF). The researchers found that 10 percent of non-lifetime marijuana users surveyed by MTF reported that they would try marijuana if legal. 

"Our study focused on intention to use and it was the first to find that groups generally not "at risk" become more "at risk" when legalized," said Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at the Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center. 

The researchers examined the most current attitudes, focusing on cohorts from 2007-2011. The data were collected prior to the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington, but after legalization of medical marijuana was pending or enacted in up to 16 states.

Data were analyzed separately for the 6,116 seniors who reported no lifetime use of marijuana and the 3,829 seniors who reported lifetime use (weighted samples). The researchers looked at whether demographic characteristics, substance use and perceived friend disapproval towards marijuana use were associated with 1) intention to try marijuana among non-lifetime users, and 2) intention to use marijuana as often or more often among lifetime users, if marijuana was legal to use.

"Assuming that onset use would occur before or during the senior year, the study's results suggest that this would constitute a 5.6 percent absolute increase in lifetime prevalence in this age group, rising from 45.6 percent to 51.2 percent," Dr. Palamar said. 

Not surprisingly, odds for intention to use outcomes increased among groups already at high risk for use (e.g., males, whites, cigarette smokers) and odds were reduced when friends disapproved of use. However, large proportions of subgroups of students normally at low risk for use (e.g., non-cigarette-smokers, religious students, those with friends who disapprove of use) reported intention to try marijuana if legal. Recent use was also a risk factor for reporting intention to use as often or more often among lifetime users. 

"What I personally find interesting is the reasonably high percentage of students who are very religious, non-cigarette smokers, non-drinkers, and those who have friends who disapprove of marijuana use—who said they intended to try marijuana if it was legal," Dr. Palamar said. "This suggests that many people may be solely avoiding use because it is illegal, not because it is "bad" for you, or "wrong" to use."

The researchers caution that as marijuana use increases, regardless of legal status, it will become increasingly important to prevent adverse consequences that may be associated with use. Public health practitioners must continue to educate marijuana users and those at risk for initiation and/or continued use about the potential harms associated with use.