New Bath Salts Research Available to Coalitions

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, has released electronically-published research on “bath salts” applicable to coalition work.

“DrugFacts: Synthetic Cathinones (“Bath Salts”) details new research on what this emerging category of drugs does to the brain. The term “bath salts” refers to an emerging and dangerous family of drugs containing one or more synthetic chemicals related to cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant found naturally in the Khat plant. 

Dr. Michael Baumann, NIDA staff scientist and researcher, said the DrugFacts publication is part of the ongoing designer drug initiative with various federal partners including the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

To avoid confusion when describing the drug in coalition educational campaigns and advocacy work, Dr. Baumann recommends calling the drugs Synthetic Cathinones, also referred to as ‘bath salts,’ since the drugs are not pleasantly-scented bubble bath. 

Sold under such names as Ivory Wave, Red Dove, Bliss and Vanilla Sky, or referred to as innocuous, everyday items like ‘plant food,’ synthetic cathinones contain chemicals that can cause amphetamine like reactions such as hallucinations, paranoia, rapid and irregular heartbeats and suicidal thoughts. All of these names and seemingly infinite chemical alterations by mostly overseas synthetic chemists are to skirt regulatory control, they are not really something that one would want to put in their body, Dr. Baumann said. 

“As we continue to with the DEA, our piece is to determine the risk, pharmacology and toxicology. We know that these are synthetic stimulants, so we have been studying what are the drugs out there? What are these drugs actually doing? What’s the toxicology?” he said.

Dr. Baumann also notes that very little is known about how these substances interact with other drugs and alcohol.

“In the lab, we’re only beginning to unravel what these drugs are doing to the brain and the body,” he said. CADCA’s members have worked at the local, state and federal levels on policies that have identified retailers and contributed to banning the drugs’ use. Many contributed their recommendations to amend the Controlled Substances Act and designate certain synthetic substances as schedule I drugs. ‘Bath salts’ and a number of synthetic marijuana compounds will now be banned across the country. Internet sales have been problematic, however.

“There are individuals who actually document their trips online for others to learn from,” Dr. Baumann said. 

The 2012 Monitoring the Future survey on nation-wide teen drug use will include bath salts for the first time. Survey results will be released Dec. 19.

All over the mainstream news and on the sports TV channels, more and more athletes have admitted to using the prescription drug Adderall as a performance enhancer rather than as a medicine for those who genuinely need it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Eric Wright, who was suspended for four games by the National Football League for violating the league's policy on banned substances, is the second Tampa Bay starter this season who was disciplined for using Adderall. More than a dozen NFL players have either blamed their 2012 drug suspensions on Adderall or been connected to the stimulant by others.

In Major League Baseball, the percentage of players approved for Adderall runs above the national average, according to an article in USA Today.
The widespread use of Adderall in general highlights the complicated task the NFL — and Major League Baseball — face in regulating a powerful prescription drug that the leagues exempt as medicine for players who need it and classify as a performance-enhancer for those who don't.

Sound off. How do you feel about professional athletes abusing prescription drugs? Let the Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition know on our Facebook page.

Coalitions in Action: Coalitions Educate Communities About Marijuana’s Harm

On Tuesday, voters in Washington state, Oregon and Colorado will decide if marijuana should be legal for recreational use, allowing adults to possess small amounts of pot under a regimen of state regulation and taxation. Under federal law, any marijuana use is still illegal. Six other states — Arkansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio— will decide whether to allow marijuana use for so-called medicinal reasons, as 17 states and Washington, D.C. have done previously. 

CADCA’s coalitions in these states have been working hard to educate the public about the harm of marijuana use, especially among youth, countering proponents who see the issue as “reefer reform.” 

“The Eagle River Youth Coalition in Edwards, Colo. hosted a successful event last week that educated community members about marijuana and youth. The presenters (renowned physician, law enforcement officer, and jail inmates) shared and offered resources on the negative impacts of marijuana use on the adolescent brain, addictive nature of the drug and likelihood of it being a “gateway drug”, and on local youth usage and perception data,” said Michelle Hartel Stecher, the coalition’s Executive Director. 

"Colorado is known for many great things — marijuana should not be one of them," Colorado’s Gov. John Hickenlooper said about Amendment 64. "Amendment 64 has the potential to increase the number of children using drugs and would detract from efforts to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. It sends the wrong message to kids that drugs are OK." 

CADCA members, the San Luis Valley Prevention Coalition, in Alamosa County, like other coalitions, have been educating their community by disseminating factual information and statistics about the measure and working on policies to increase barriers to accessing marijuana as well as tobacco and alcohol.
 
In Washington state, coalition leader Linda Thompson, where, according to public polls, their well-funded Initiative 502 is favored to pass, said community mobilization around marijuana legalization has occurred in every county in their state in a variety of ways. 

The coalitions that she is a part of, as Executive Director of the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (GSSAC) and the Vice President and founding member of the state-wide Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention (WASAVP), have been countering the points of legalization proponents in a variety of venues, including with media editorial boards and with their partners in bordering Idaho and Oregon, where trafficking could occur. 

”We have great leaders all over the state who have been doing great things like conducting interviews, participating in debates, sending letters, and giving presentations, but we are up against a well-financed and professional legalization team. Despite this, we keep going on and will continue to educate about the harm of marijuana,” she said. 

Thompson said, although WASAP has taken a stance against Initiative 502, she knows some coalitions working on marijuana policy might not be able to devote a lot of time to advocacy or might not even think they can advocate or take a stance. 

“We can speak up with education. If you cannot advocate against legalization, prevention is prevention is prevention…We want our kids to make the choice not to use,” she said. 

Tom Parker, Lines for Life’s Strategic Development and communications Director, said Oregon’s marijuana legalization measure 80 has a faulty template and doesn’t seem likely to pass, but that hasn’t stopped the statewide non-profit organization committed to providing alcohol and drug prevention education and treatment referral from continuing their marijuana prevention work since medical marijuana was passed. 

“We have pointed out the flaws in measure 80 and spoken out against it. As marijuana attitudes have continued to soften, so-called “medical marijuana” sends a fuzzy message to our youth that if it’s OK to use as medicine, it’s OK to use it recreationally, it might be a benign drug, when we know it’s not,” Parker said. 

CADCA’s coalitions know that one of the best strategies in marijuana prevention has been sharing the facts, especially the science, how the drug affects the teen brain, and how prolonged use can reduce one’s IQ to the “lower third.” 

Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., Director of the Institute on Drug Policy at the University of Florida, Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, joins both presidential candidates and the American Medical Association in opposing marijuana legalization. Read his opinion editorial here:http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-marijuana-use-be-legalized/there-are-smarter-ways-to-deal-with-marijuana-than-legalization. 

CADCA’s National Coalition Institute will host the webinar “Marijuana: Science and Strategies for Community Coalitions” from 3-4:30 p.m. EST Nov. 15 featuring Dr. Sabet, Dr. Susan Weiss, Acting Director of the Office of Science Policy and Communications at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Sue Thau, CADCA Public Policy Consultant; and Rhonda Ramsey Molina, Deputy Director of Dissemination and Coalition Relations for the CADCA Institute. Register here.

New Research Stresses Health Dangers of Bath Salts

National Institute on Drug Abuse research published in this week’s Neuropsychopharmacology shows that MDPV, a synthetic chemical commonly found in the drugs referred to as “bath salts,” is potentially more dangerous than cocaine when tested in rodents. In this study, MDPV prolonged the effects of two neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine (by blocking reuptake at brain nerve cells) and produced hyperactivity, rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure, which are highly dangerous symptoms.

Though this study was done in rodents, these results could explain why these substances are addictive and highly dangerous in humans, as indicated by reports that MDPV is the chief substance found in the blood and urine of emergency room patients who have overdosed on so-called “bath salts.”

For a copy of the study abstract, go towww.nature.com/npp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/npp2012204a.html. 

To watch the recent CADCA TV show on this subject, “Designer Drugs: The New Frontier,” click here.

Red Ribbon Week is October 23 - 31

October is filled with many opportunities to promote healthy, drug-free living, including Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31).

As part of this important occasion, Red Ribbon week is used to emphasize the significance of students, educators and communities working together to prevent substance abuse.

The Red Ribbon Celebration was originally established as a national drug awareness campaign in 1988, after the death of Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. The Celebration was created to take a collective stand against underage use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. The Red Ribbon Celebration is promoted to reach all audiences, but is particularly targeted toward elementary and middle school students to encourage them to make a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.

Drug Free Action Alliance (DFAA) encourages schools and organizations to use this week as a springboard to other prevention observances throughout the year. Drug Free 24/7 is a program designed by DFAA to help communities galvanize their efforts into a consistent, year-long message. Check out how Drug Free 24/7 can be the tool to tie all of the important things you do in your community into an exciting and easily recognizable campaign.  Download the toolkit to get ideas for your Red Ribbon Week events or visit www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.