Prevent Impaired Driving This Holiday Season

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently kicked off a nationwide crackdown on drunk driving coinciding with the 2011 winter holiday season. New data show drunk-driving deaths declined in 2010 in many parts of the country. However, the data also show that fatalities from alcohol-impaired driving crashes continue to account for one in three deaths on American roadways each year.

"Safety is our focus year round at DOT. But this holiday season, we're stepping up our efforts to get drunk drivers off our roads and reminding Americans 'drive sober, or get pulled over,' " LaHood said in a news release. "We're making gains in our fight against drunk driving, but we cannot and will not let up."

New state-by-state data for 2010 released by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a decline in drunk driving fatalities in 32 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Compared with 2009, California and Florida saw the largest reductions — with each declining by more than 100 fatalities last year.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. Yet NHTSA data show that last year, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, including 415 during the second half of December alone.

The education and enforcement effort is the latest push in the Department's "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign involving thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country. The winter holiday enforcement crackdown is supported by a $7 million national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over advertisement campaign that started last Friday and goes through Jan. 2. The ads, which first premiered last summer, feature "invisible" law enforcement officers observing alcohol-impaired individuals and then apprehending them when they attempt to drive their vehicles. The ads are designed to raise awareness and support law enforcement activities in every state. They convey the message that law enforcement officers are vigilant in deterring drunk drivers. Due to the number of driving fatalities during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, President Barack Obama has declared December National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and set a national goal of reducing drugged driving by 10 percent by 2015.

Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition Targets Youth in Marijuana Prevention Campaign

Moundsville, WV – The Marshall County Anti-Drug Coalition (MCADC) has launched a marijuana prevention campaign targeting youth in Marshall County. The campaign titled, “Don’t Get Defined,” focuses on youth making smart decisions when confronted with marijuana use.

The campaign includes a 15-second commercial, a billboard, and more than 200 posters distributed to local middle and high schools. John Marshall High School students in a video editing class created the 15-second commercial.

Marijuana remains the most popular drug among teens. Marijuana use increased for the fourth year in a row after a decade of decline. Nearly 7% of high school seniors report smoking marijuana daily, according to "Monitoring the Future," the nation's most comprehensive survey of teenage drug use.

"It's the highest percentage we have seen in about 30 years," said Jon Lewis, Drug Free Communities Coordinator. He added that this growing numbers of teens don't think marijuana is dangerous.

On the other hand, tobacco and alcohol use are at their lowest levels since the survey began in 1975, Lewis said. "Kids consider smoking cigarettes to be dangerous. They are staying away from it and I think this has a lot to do with all of the media campaigns against smoking.”

According to the survey, half of high school seniors reported having tried an illicit drug at some time, 40% reported using one or more drugs in the past year, and a quarter said they had used one or more drugs in the past month. Among 10th-graders, 38% said they had tried an illicit drug, the survey found.

To combat this growing problem for teens, the MCADC has developed a media campaign to try to educate youth that marijuana is not safe and not a smart decision. In addition to the campaign, the coalition hosted a two-day Highway Drug Interdiction Training last month for local law enforcement officials, and has provided Moundsville Police Department with funds to increase surveillance and patrols. The coalition will be hosting forums to help educate youth about the dangers and legal ramifications of marijuana use next year.

The MCADC is an initiative of the Marshall County FRN. The “Don’t Get Defined,” marijuana prevention campaign was paid for with Federal Drug Free Communities funds.

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.

More Teens using Synthetic Drugs

Nearly one in nine high school seniors have gotten high in the past year on synthetic drugs, such as "K2" or "Spice," second only to the number of teens who have used marijuana, a new survey shows.

"Monitoring the Future," the nation's most comprehensive survey of teenage drug use, found 11.4% of the high school seniors had used the synthetic substances, often packed as potpourri or herbal incense and sold in convenience stores, which mimic the effects of marijuana.

"It is astounding," said Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa. "I don't think they have any idea how dangerous these synthetic drugs are."

Latham co-sponsored a bill to outlaw 16 synthetic compounds that mimic marijuana and 15 synthetic hallucinogens after an Indianola teen shot himself after taking K2 in July 2010. Latham's bill passed last week. A Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is awaiting action by the full Senate.

K2 and Spice emerged as a problem in 2008, and their popularity appears to be rising. Poison control centers handled 5,741 calls about the drugs in the first 10 months of 2011, nearly double the 2,915 calls received in all of 2010, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. People who smoke the chemical-coated herbs may experience euphoria, but bad reactions are common, including convulsions, anxiety attacks, dangerously elevated heart rates, vomiting and suicidal thoughts.

Federal officials became so alarmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration used its emergency powers in March to outlaw the substances. More than 40 states have also passed laws banning them.

"The next survey we do in spring 2012 will tell us a lot about how this ban has worked," said Lloyd Johnston, the survey's principal investigator.

Marijuana remains the most popular drug among teens. Marijuana use increased for the fourth year in a row after a decade of decline. Nearly 7% of high school seniors report smoking marijuana daily, the survey found.

"It's the highest rate we've seen in 30 years, so something is going on," Johnston said. He added that growing numbers of teens don't see marijuana as dangerous.

"That's a very bad indicator," said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Either we do something to change that, or we will continue to see increases."

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office on National Drug Policy, said state legalization of marijuana for medical use is influencing teens.

"We're sending young people the wrong message when we call it medicine," he said.

Half of high school seniors reported having tried an illicit drug at some time, 40% reported using one or more drugs in the past year, and a quarter said they had used one or more drugs in the past month, the survey found. Among 10th-graders, 38% said they had tried an illicit drug.

Tobacco and alcohol use are at their lowest levels since the survey began in 1975, Johnston said. "Kids consider smoking (cigarettes) to be dangerous. They aren't even trying it," he said.

The survey, conducted by the University of Michigan, questions 47,000 students in the eighth, 10th and 12th grades in 400 public and private schools around the nation. It is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health.

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

President Barack Obama issued a proclamation naming December as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, urging all Americans to make responsible decisions and take appropriate measures to prevent impaired driving:

Though we have made progress in the fight to reduce drunk driving, our Nation continues to suffer an unacceptable loss of life from traffic accidents that involve drugs, alcohol, and distracted driving. To bring an end to these heartbreaking outcomes, we must take action by promoting rigorous enforcement measures and effective substance abuse prevention programs. During National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, we recommit to preventing tragedy before it strikes by ensuring our family members and friends stay safe, sober, and drug-free on the road.

As we strive to reduce the damage drug use inflicts upon our communities, we must address the serious and growing threat drunk, drugged, and distracted driving poses to all Americans. Alcohol and drugs, both illicit and prescribed, can impair judgment, reaction time, motor skills, and memory, eroding a person's ability to drive safely and responsibly. Distracted driving, including the use of electronic equipment behind the wheel, can also put lives at risk. To confront these issues, my Administration is working to decrease the incidence of drugged driving by 10 percent over the next 5 years as part of our 2011 National Drug Control Strategy. We are collaborating with State and local governments to bolster enforcement efforts, implement more effective legislation, and support successful, evidence-based prevention programs. These ongoing initiatives are supplemented by our Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which aims to deter impaired driving during the holiday season.

While enforcement and legislation are critical elements of our strategy, we know that the parents, educators, and community leaders who work with young people every day are our Nation's best advocates for responsible decision-making.

Research suggests that younger drivers are particularly susceptible to the hazards of drugged driving. To help our families and communities build awareness about impaired driving, my Administration released a toolkit that includes information about drugged driving, discussion guides, and tip sheets for preventing driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Appalachian States See Increase in Marijuana

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Appalachian states have seen an increase in marijuana production, and a federal drug official said Thursday that a sour economy may have turned some people in need of cash to the clandestine crop.

Ed Shemelya, head of marijuana eradication for the Office of National Drug Control Policy's efforts in Appalachia, said helicopter spotters and ground crews found and cut more than 1.1 million plants worth some $2 billion in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia during the 2011 growing season.

That was an increase of more than 100,000 plants over 2010.

Shemelya estimated that local, state and federal authorities rooted out roughly half of the marijuana being grown in the impoverished central Appalachian region where, he said, economic woes are fueling cultivation.

"It is no secret that all three states have been adversely impacted by economic problems," he said. "The only thing that really separates them is the state line. There's not a lot of opportunity, and when things get really, really tough, people gravitate toward marijuana cultivation."

Shemelya said authorities confiscated 550,000 plants in Tennessee, 385,000 in Kentucky and 185,000 in West Virginia. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates the street value of an average mature plant at $2,000.

"It's hugely profitable, and that's why we continue to deal with it year after year," Shemelya said.

Marijuana growers in Appalachia, Shemelya said, can be hard-core criminals or hard-luck entrepreneurs supplementing their income. Most of the crops that authorities find in the region are less than 100 plants, which can easily be tended by a single grower.

The region, a haven for moonshiners during Prohibition, has a near-perfect climate for marijuana cultivation, plus remote forests that help growers to camouflage their crops.

Sociologist Roy Silver, a New York City native who has spent 30 years in central Appalachia, said several factors are at play, including the economy of a region that he said was suffering long before the national recession.

"Generally speaking, if people go to an alternative means of sustaining their family, if there's not employment opportunities, it's more likely that they turn to the illegal underground economy," Silver said.

Authorities point to stricter border controls that have made it more difficult to import pot from Mexico. They say that has pushed up demand for domestically grown marijuana at a time when law enforcement authorities are being pinched by budget cuts.

Shemelya said investigators were being told early in the year that growers believed those budget cuts would mean fewer spotters in the air over Appalachia and fewer cutters on the mountainsides, making this an opportune time for growers to plant.

"All the law enforcement agencies of the three states are feeling the fiscal impacts of our economy," he said. "And I am amazed by the quality of work that's being done. We do our very best to get everything, and work diligently to find it, identify who is cultivating it, and arrest those we can."