Have a Power Talk with Teens April 21

Three out of four youth say their parents are the No. 1 influence on their decisions about drinking. To encourage discussions about alcohol use between parents and youth, Mothers Against Drunk Driving has launched PowerTalk 21 day, which will be observed on April 21. It's the first national day for parents and teens to start a conversation about alcohol. Tips on how to do it and what you might say are in a free handout and handbook.

Encourage parents in your coalition and in your community to visit madd.org/powerofparents to request a free copy of MADD’s parent handbook, a research-based program developed for MADD’s "Power of Parents, It's Your Influence" program that has been shown to significantly reduce underage drinking and associated risks when parents use it to talk with their teens about alcohol.

While parents will vary in how they handle the details of the PowerTalk 21 discussion, the best policy, MADD says, is to get teens to agree to:

• No drinking before age 21.

• No socializing in places where teens are drinking.

• No riding in a car with an underage driver who's had any amount of alcohol.

Here are some ways you can engage parents in your coalition and community around PowerTalk 21 day:

1.) Declare PowerTalk 21, April 21, the day your coalition, community, and family will focus on talking about alcohol.

2.) Distribute electronic or printed copies of the PowerTalk 21 handout with conversation starters about alcohol for teens and parents.

3.) Refer people to the parent handbook.

4.) Gather parents and contact your local MADD affiliate to facilitate a free, 30-minute parent workshop where parents will receive a free parent handbook. Visit madd.org to find a local affiliate.

5.) Learn about how you can implement MADD’s parent program, Power of Parents, in your community. Contact MADD for information on facilitator trainings 1-800-GET-MADD.

April Aims to Curb Underage Drinking

The Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition (MCADC) is working to highlight April’s “Alcohol Awareness Month” through a new media campaign designed to curb underage drinking. The MCADC, with the help of local teens, is launching a new campaign “Not Everyone Is Doing It” on April 4 as part of Alcohol Awareness Month. The campaign is designed to prevent and discourage underage drinking.

The new campaign will highlight the old adage “Not Everyone Is Doing It” to remind youth that saying no to underage drinking is the popular choice as 7 out of 10 Marshall County teens do not drink, according to the 2010 Pride Surveys administered in local schools.

The campaign was completely designed by local teens. Cameron High School students chose the slogan. The commercial was designed and produced by John Marshall High School students in the Broadcast Department’s Video Editing class.

As part of their class assignment, 8 John Marshall students developed the concept, acted, taped, edited, and produced a 30 second commercial for the campaign. The class includes; Josh Hancock, Kelsey Kolinski, Carly Lucas, Jen Pequla, Thomas Stackhouse, Haley Wade, Austin Wright, Ryan Zacherl, and the class instructor Tony Wood.

The MCADC is working with Cameron High School, John Marshall High School, Sherrard Middle School and Moundsville Middle School to distribute the “Not Everyone Is Doing It” campaign’s promotional material. Each school will be hanging up posters, placing mouse pads in computer labs, and giving away t-shirts to students. All materials highlight the campaign slogan “Not Everyone Is Doing It…7 out of 10 Marshall County Teens Don’t Drink.”

The commercial will begin airing on April 4 on WTRF TV-7, Comcast Cable, and WJMH Channel 1. The commercial is part of the overall media campaign that also features billboards displayed in Marshall County.

The MCADC is a non-profit organization working to make Marshall County a safe and drug-free community. For more information on substance abuse prevention or the MCADC, please contact (304) 845-3300 or visit www.marshallcountyfrn.com. This campaign is paid for with Federal Drug Free Communities Funds. The Marshall County FRN is the grantee agency for Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition.

Don't be a Party to Drunk Driving this St. Patty's Day

For many Americans, St. Patrick's Day has become a popular night out to celebrate with friends and family. Unfortunately, due to the large number of drunk drivers, the night out has also become very dangerous.

On St. Patrick’s Day 2009, 37 percent of the drivers and motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or above, according to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Additional NHTSA statistics show that in 2009, there were 103 crash fatalities on St. Patrick’s Day. Out of that number, 47 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

Meth Bill Rejected

Legislation requiring a prescription for most cold medicines was rejected by a tie vote in the West Virginia Senate on Thursday, and the four senators representing the Northern Panhandle also split their vote.

The bill was intended to curb the use of ephedrine in the production of the illegal drug crystal meth and would require a doctor's prescription for many current over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines. It was rejected by a vote of 16-16 in the 34-member Senate.

Not voting were acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, also the senate president, and Sen. Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas.

Local senators voting in favor were acting Senate President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, and Larry Edgell, D-Wetzel. Both said earlier this week they believed the bill would help curb a growing methamphetamine problem in West Virginia and that many cold and allergy medicines still would be available over the counter under the restriction.

Voting in opposition were Sens. Orphy Klempa, D-Ohio, and Jack Yost, D-Brooke.

"I had heartburn with that bill from day one - from the moment I saw it took a prescription," Yost said. "I know for a fact we have so many folks in the Northern Panhandle without health care, and they don't have a doctor. For them to get a prescription for a cold medicine is very expensive, and something they don't need.

"It hurts our seniors and those on fixed incomes," he added. "I couldn't support it. It put an extra burden on the poorest people."

The bill was supported by the West Virginia State Troopers Association, and members of the group sat together in uniform in the south gallery of the Senate for the vote, according to Yost. He said it was an intimidating sight for lawmakers.

Klempa, meanwhile, said he attended all public hearings on the bill and "heard all the comments." He also acknowledged the bill's sponsor, Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, is a medical doctor and made good arguments that the bill would help curb West Virginia's meth problem.

Klempa said he voted for the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to bring it to a vote before the whole Senate, but he told Foster he couldn't support it on the floor.

"I got at least 50 phone calls and over 100 e-mails on the issue - and not one was in favor of the legislation," Klempa said. "It boils down to the border counties and that there are no regulations like that in Pennsylvania or Ohio. It's a commerce thing. People would go across the border to get what they wanted rather than pay $25 to $50 to a doctor for a prescription. And while they were there they would do other shopping.

"No matter what my own feelings were, the people I represent were overwhelmingly against the bill and I delivered their words to the Senate this morning," Klempa added.

Kessler, Edgell Back Cold Medicine Bill

At least two local senators will support a bill before the West Virginia Legislature requiring prescriptions for most popular cold medicines.

Acting Senate President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, and Sen. Larry Edgell, D-Wetzel, said they are leaning toward a "yes" vote on the measure. Sens. Orphy Klempa, D-Ohio, and Jack Yost, D-Brooke, could not be reached for comment Monday.

House Bill 2946 was debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. It requires a lawful prescription for dispensing drug products containing as an active ingredient ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine and other chemical precursors of methamphetamine - ingredients found in many popular cold and allergy medications.

The bill is intended to curb the use of ephedrine products in the production of the illegal drug crystal meth.

"I am extremely impressed by the success it has had in Oregon and in other states with meth problems," Kessler said.

He cited that before similar legislation was passed in Oregon, that state had 473 meth lab busts in 2003. That number has now decreased to a low of 13 in 2010, according to Kessler.

He also noted 44 meth labs were raided by police in the Charleston area last month.

"Over the course of the year, that amounts to a crisis of epidemic proportion," Kessler said.

Kessler also pointed out that not all cold and allergy medications would be subject to the law, and that consumers still could choose from about 150 other medications that would remain on the shelves.

The legislation also would permit physicians' assistants and nurses to call in prescriptions for newly regulated medications, eliminating the need for and cost of a doctor's visit.

"It's not too much to ask," Kessler said of taking the medications off the shelf. "An array of 150 drugs would be available. And if you would need something stronger, you can call the doctor's office to call it in for you. This bill won't deny access to the drugs but would deny excess to those walking out of stores with large quantities."

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