Fox News, January 7, 2016
"More than half of underage people say they've seen alcohol marketing on the Internet, though few admit to engaging with brands or being a fan online, according to a new U.S. study.
Based on surveys about a year apart, researchers also found that teens who were more receptive to the marketing were more likely than others to later develop problem drinking.
The study team led by Dr. Auden McClure of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, used data from a 2011 survey of about 2,000 youth, ages 15 to 20 years. The participants answered questions about their recollections of having seen alcohol ads online, visiting alcohol websites, recognizing images from brand home pages and being an online fan of brands like Bacardi or Jack Daniels." Read more
For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking, click here.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Opioid Dependence Peaks among Younger Age Group, Study Finds
"A Michigan State University study found that 14- and 15-year-olds are at a higher risk of becoming dependent on prescription drugs within a 12-month period after using them extra-medically, or beyond the prescribed amount.
The study, led by Maria A. Parker, a doctoral student, along with professor James C. Anthony, both in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, is based on a nationally representative sample of 12- to 21-year-olds taken each year between 2002 and 2013. The survey sample focuses on what happens when young people start to use these drugs for other reasons.
Out of about 42,000 respondents, they found that 14- and 15-year-olds were two to three times more likely to become opioid dependent within a year after first extra-medical use compared to 20- and 21-year-old users. The research also reconfirmed from earlier studies that peak risk for starting to use prescription painkillers above the prescribed intent is seen at 16 and 17 years old." Read more
For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of substance abuse, click here
The study, led by Maria A. Parker, a doctoral student, along with professor James C. Anthony, both in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, is based on a nationally representative sample of 12- to 21-year-olds taken each year between 2002 and 2013. The survey sample focuses on what happens when young people start to use these drugs for other reasons.
Out of about 42,000 respondents, they found that 14- and 15-year-olds were two to three times more likely to become opioid dependent within a year after first extra-medical use compared to 20- and 21-year-old users. The research also reconfirmed from earlier studies that peak risk for starting to use prescription painkillers above the prescribed intent is seen at 16 and 17 years old." Read more
For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of substance abuse, click here
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Use of ecstasy, heroin, synthetic marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes declined among US teens in 2015
Michigan News | University of Michigan, December 16, 2015
"The results from the latest national survey in the Monitoring the Future series on use of licit and illicit drugs by American teenagers show that some important improvements are taking place.
The use of both alcohol and cigarettes reached their lowest points since the study began in 1975. Use of several particularly dangerous illicit drugs—including MDMA (ecstasy, Molly), heroin, amphetamines and synthetic marijuana—also showed a decline this year. Marijuana use, however, remained level.
Monitoring the Future tracks trends in substance use by surveying over 40,000 8th, 10th and 12thgrade students each year located in about 400 public and private secondary schools across the contiguous 48 states. Now in its 41st year, MTF is conducted by a team of research professors at the University of Michigan and is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth on the dangers of substance abuse, click here
"The results from the latest national survey in the Monitoring the Future series on use of licit and illicit drugs by American teenagers show that some important improvements are taking place.
The use of both alcohol and cigarettes reached their lowest points since the study began in 1975. Use of several particularly dangerous illicit drugs—including MDMA (ecstasy, Molly), heroin, amphetamines and synthetic marijuana—also showed a decline this year. Marijuana use, however, remained level.
Monitoring the Future tracks trends in substance use by surveying over 40,000 8th, 10th and 12thgrade students each year located in about 400 public and private secondary schools across the contiguous 48 states. Now in its 41st year, MTF is conducted by a team of research professors at the University of Michigan and is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth on the dangers of substance abuse, click here
Friday, December 18, 2015
Drinking and Driving Becoming Less Common Among Teens and Young Adults
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, December 15, 2015
"The number of teens and young adults who drive under the influence of alcohol or a combination of alcohol and marijuana is declining, a new study finds.
Self-reported driving under the influence of alcohol declined by 59 percent among those ages 16 to 20 between 2002 to 2014, HealthDay reports. Among young adults ages 21 to 25, the rate dropped by 38 percent.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana dropped by 39 percent in both age groups, according to the study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was little decrease in the number of young adults who said they drove under the influence of marijuana alone." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking and substance abuse, click here.
"The number of teens and young adults who drive under the influence of alcohol or a combination of alcohol and marijuana is declining, a new study finds.
Self-reported driving under the influence of alcohol declined by 59 percent among those ages 16 to 20 between 2002 to 2014, HealthDay reports. Among young adults ages 21 to 25, the rate dropped by 38 percent.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana dropped by 39 percent in both age groups, according to the study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was little decrease in the number of young adults who said they drove under the influence of marijuana alone." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking and substance abuse, click here.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
A New Direction On Drugs
60 Minutes, December 13, 2015
"Top drug official Michael Botticelli says the old war on drugs is all wrong, and wants to refocus the country's drug policy
After forty years and a trillion dollars, the nation has little to show for its war on drugs. Prisons are beyond crowded and there's a new outbreak in the heroin epidemic. If it's time for a change, it would be hard to find a leader more different than Michael Botticelli. The president's new Director of National Drug Control Policy isn't a cop. He's lucky he didn't go to jail himself. And we knew that things had changed the first time we used the nickname that comes with his job, the 'drug czar.'
Michael Botticelli: It's actually a title that I don't like.
Scott Pelley: Why?
Michael Botticelli: Because I think it connotes this old "war on drugs" focus to the work that we do. It portrays that we are clinging to kind of failed policies and failed practices in the past.
Scott Pelley: Are you saying that the way we have waged the war on drugs for more than 40 years has been all wrong?" Read more
For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of drug abuse, click here.
"Top drug official Michael Botticelli says the old war on drugs is all wrong, and wants to refocus the country's drug policy
After forty years and a trillion dollars, the nation has little to show for its war on drugs. Prisons are beyond crowded and there's a new outbreak in the heroin epidemic. If it's time for a change, it would be hard to find a leader more different than Michael Botticelli. The president's new Director of National Drug Control Policy isn't a cop. He's lucky he didn't go to jail himself. And we knew that things had changed the first time we used the nickname that comes with his job, the 'drug czar.'
Michael Botticelli: It's actually a title that I don't like.
Scott Pelley: Why?
Michael Botticelli: Because I think it connotes this old "war on drugs" focus to the work that we do. It portrays that we are clinging to kind of failed policies and failed practices in the past.
Scott Pelley: Are you saying that the way we have waged the war on drugs for more than 40 years has been all wrong?" Read more
For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of drug abuse, click here.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
9 Tips for Talking With Kids About Alcohol
Make it Better Magazine, November 30, 2015
"When it comes to kids and alcohol, the news is mixed.
The bad news is that 66 percent of kids have consumed more than just a few sips of alcohol by the end of high school, and over a quarter have done so by eighth grade, according to a clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published in September.
The good news is that number represents a decline in the number of kids drinking, and research shows that kids are less likely to drink if a parent has spoken with them about not doing so." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking, click here.
"When it comes to kids and alcohol, the news is mixed.
The bad news is that 66 percent of kids have consumed more than just a few sips of alcohol by the end of high school, and over a quarter have done so by eighth grade, according to a clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published in September.
The good news is that number represents a decline in the number of kids drinking, and research shows that kids are less likely to drink if a parent has spoken with them about not doing so." Read more
For additional resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking, click here.
Friday, December 4, 2015
High-Potency Marijuana May Damage Nerve Fibers in Brain, Study Suggests
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, December 3, 2015
"A new study suggests smoking high-potency marijuana may cause damage to nerve fibers responsible for communication between the brain’s two hemispheres.
The study included MRI scans of 99 people, including some who were diagnosed with psychosis, HealthDay reports. The researchers found an association between frequent use of high-potency marijuana and damage to the corpus callosum, which is responsible for communication between the brain’s left and right hemispheres.
The corpus callosum is especially rich in cannabinoid receptors. THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, acts on these receptors." Read more
For more information to speak with youth about the dangers of substance abuse, click here.
"A new study suggests smoking high-potency marijuana may cause damage to nerve fibers responsible for communication between the brain’s two hemispheres.
The study included MRI scans of 99 people, including some who were diagnosed with psychosis, HealthDay reports. The researchers found an association between frequent use of high-potency marijuana and damage to the corpus callosum, which is responsible for communication between the brain’s left and right hemispheres.
The corpus callosum is especially rich in cannabinoid receptors. THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, acts on these receptors." Read more
For more information to speak with youth about the dangers of substance abuse, click here.
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