Nonmedical Use of Adderall on the Rise Among Young Adults

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, February 17, 2017


"Nonmedical use of Adderall, a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), rose 67 percent among young adults between 2006 and 2011, a new study finds. The number of emergency room visits involving misuse of the drug among 18- to 25-year-olds also rose during this period, NPR reports.

The number of ER visits related to Adderall among this age group rose from 862 visits in 2006 to 1,489 in 2011. During this period the number of prescriptions for the drug remained unchanged among young adults." Read more

For resources to speak with youth about prescription drug abuse, click here

New Study Finds that Marijuana Affects Verbal Memory in Middle Age

CADCA, February 4, 2016

"Medical News Today reported this week about a new study that reveals that both past and present marijuana use is linked with worse verbal memory in middle age.

The researchers - led by Dr. Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland - published their work in JAMA Internal Medicine.

They used data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which contains 25 years of marijuana exposure measurements, beginning in early adulthood.

In the final year, the study measured cognitive performance through standardized tests of verbal memory, processing speed and executive function.

Using the measurements from the final year of the study, Dr. Auer and colleagues investigated the association between cumulative years of marijuana use and cognitive performance in middle age." Read more

For more resources to speak with youth about the dangers of substance abuse, click here

Young People Surprised By Risky Synthetic Drugs They Considered Safe

Shots, Health News from NPR, January 25, 2016

My 14-year-old patient grabbed my hand and told me that he was going to die.

Just seconds before, the nurse had wheeled him into the resuscitation room. His blood pressure and heart rate were more than twice the normal levels. He was pale, clammy and gasping for breath.

The nurses and doctors with me in the ER worked to stabilize him. We put an oxygen mask on his face. We inserted two IVs and began pumping fluids into his body. When his oxygen level dropped, we inserted a breathing tube. Read more

For more resources to speak with youth on the dangers of synthetic substances, click here

“Unprecedented” Number of Heroin Overdoses in New London Highlights Growing Problem

Governor's Prevention Partnership, February 1, 2016
by Kristen Granatek, Sr. Program Manager, Prevention Programs

"New London has had a rash of heroin overdoses last week. On Thursday, there were 9 overdoses, including one fatality, more than in any other 24 hour period. Three additional overdose patients were treated at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital on Wednesday.

All of the patients were frequent heroin users who reported using a brown form of heroin sold in similar packaging. It is suspected that this batch of heroin is tainted or laced with something dangerous, though with what remains unknown.

This incident highlights an increasingly common problem in cities and towns across Connecticut and around the country – a spike in heroin use by people of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds. In an article posted on wfsb.com, Mayor Michael Passero called it a growing health crisis that crosses all social and economic boundaries. "Our communities must face it and not leave the families who are touched by it to suffer alone and in shame," Passero said in a statement. In 2013, Connecticut saw 257 deaths in which heroin was involved, compared with 325 in 2014. While the 2015 total has not yet been reported, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner projected it to reach 381.

According to the most recent Connecticut School Health Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Component, 3.4% of youth report to have ever used heroin in their life. This is higher than the national rate of 2.2%. However, 11.1% of youth report using prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription. Recent research points to a strong correlation between prescription drug abuse and heroin use, indicating that people become addicted to prescription pain medications such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet, then move on to heroin to get the same high when their supply of pain medication runs out. Heroin is increasingly available, low cost and provides the same high (Partnership for Drug Free Kids, October 2015). Unfortunately, incidents like the one in New London this week have become increasingly common as heroin use reaches epidemic levels.

To read more about the overdoses in New London

If you are concerned about prescription drug or heroin use by your child or someone you know, please visit the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids or The Partnership’s website.

Study Suggests E-Cigarette Use in Teens May Lead Them to Try Regular Cigarettes

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, January 27, 2016

"A new study suggests teens who try e-cigarettes are much more likely than their peers who don’t use the devices to try regular cigarettes.

Among teens who did not use regular cigarettes but had tried e-cigarettes at the start of the study, 20 percent said they smoked their first regular cigarette one year later. In contrast, only 6 percent of nonsmoking teens who had not used e-cigarettes at the beginning of the study had tried regular cigarettes a year later.

'E-cigarettes had a risk-promoting effect for onset of smoking,' the University of Hawaii researchers wrote in the journal Tobacco Control." Read more

For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of tobacco use, click here.

Home / Join Together / College Marijuana Use Linked With Skipped Classes, Lower Grades, Late Graduation College Marijuana Use Linked With Skipped Classes, Lower Grades, Late Graduation

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, January 27, 2016

"A new study finds marijuana use in the first year of college can lead to students missing classes. The more frequently a student uses marijuana, the more they tend to skip class, earn lower grades, and graduate later.

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health followed 1,117 college students for eight years to test the direct and indirect effects on marijuana use on GPA and time to graduation. The findings are part of a larger study, called the College Life Study, which began in 2003.

'Alcohol and other drug use are also related to skipping class, but when we adjusted for other substance use we still found a relationship between marijuana and skipping class,' said lead researcher Amelia Arria, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Read more

For more resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage alcohol and substance abuse, click here.

Teens Likely to Use Alcohol Before Trying Marijuana or Tobacco: Study

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, January 12, 2016

"Teens are likely to try alcohol before they try either tobacco or marijuana, a new study concludes. The findings come from a study of 2,835 U.S. high school seniors, The Washington Post reports.

The researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of Florida examined data from the Monitoring the Future study, an annual survey of teen substance use. The researchers found that teens were less likely to start using marijuana first, compared with alcohol and tobacco.

'Alcohol was the most widely used substance among respondents, initiated earliest, and also the first substance most commonly used in the progression of substance use,' the researchers wrote in the Journal of School Health." Read more

For resources to speak with youth about the dangers of underage drinking and substance abuse, click here.