Marijuana will be legal for medical reasons in Washington state in late 2010, making it the 14th state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize the drug in certain circumstances. More than a dozen other states, including Arizona and South Dakota, will consider similar measures this year. California could become the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes in November 2010.

California was the first state to approve the medical use of marijuana in 1996, but since then, a number of issues have arisen about who is qualified to access "medical marijuana" and how the drug is distributed. Hundreds of medical marijuana clinics in Los Angeles have been told to shut down unless they meet stricter guidelines for dispensing the drug.

Since these new laws have been passed, recreational marijuana use among teens has increased for the first time after decades of declining drug use. According to government studies, teenagers believe that since marijuana is a safe medical drug, it is also safe to use recreationally. However, some studies indicate marijuana can affect young people more adversely because the human brain is still developing until age 25 years old.
 

Labels: marijuana, medical marijuana

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

New animal studies found that stopping even moderate drinking can lead to depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce neurons.  However, antidepressant drugs can correct both situations.

Researchers at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina found that withdrawal from alcohol produced deep depressive symptoms in mice, which could be related to a significant drop in the number of new neural stem cells in their brains.

"This research provides the first evidence that long-term abstinence from moderate alcohol drinking -rather than drinking per se- leads to a negative mood state," said Dr. Clyde Hodge, lead author of the study.

Dr. Hodge and his colleagues found that if they administered antidepressant drugs to the animals, they showed no sign of depression and restored their capacity to produce new neural cells.

This study appeared in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
 

Labels: alcohol, depression

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Teens in the Dallas metropolitan area remain in the throes of a "cheese heroin" crisis that began about three years ago.

• Treatment centers had been reporting increases in the number of young people entering for heroin abuse, though this appears to be leveling off.
• In 2006, 210 teenagers from North Texas entered treatment for heroin; in 2007, it was 467 -- but by 2008, that rate had risen to 434.
• Many of the young people in treatment for girls.
• Between 2005 and 2009, 30 or more teenagers under age 18 years old died in the Dallas area of "cheese heroin," which is a combination of heroin and sleeping pills.

"It hasn't let up, says Janet Anselmo-Henson, manager of the Dallas County juvenile department's substance abuse programs. "Kids are still using, and they are starting at a young age. We are seeing kids who later graduated to injecting heroin, not just snorting it."


 

Labels: teen_drug_use, heroin, cheese

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Highland Park, Illinois, is in the process of revising its social-hosting ordinance, which aims to hold parents accountable when minors engage in drinking or drug use in their homes. Under the current ordinance, parents are only liable if they permit use or possession of alcohol or drugs on their property.

The change would mandate that adults take "reasonable steps" to prevent alcohol or drug consumption by minors.

Lake Forest’s ordinance, which is being rewritten and awaiting a vote in Highland Park, goes on to define "reasonable steps" as actions by parents to control access to alcohol, the quantity of alcohol at a gathering, verifying the age of attendees by inspecting drivers licenses, supervising the activities of minors and calling police for assistance in the event people under 21 are found in possession of alcohol. [Source: Highland Park News]

Though there was general support for the proposed change, some council members voiced concern. In particular, one council member wondered if such a strict ordinance would “scare” parents and they would no longer be willing to let kids hang out in their homes – forcing kids to hang out in places where they may not be supervised at all.

Labels: parental_involvement, parties

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Law enforcement officials and community organizers in New York State have begun to notice a troubling trend: heroin abuse among teenagers is on the rise. Southampton Town Police Department commanding officer James Kiernan says that arrests for possession have not increased, but use is definitely higher.

“The reason way, he explained, has to do with the increase in people experimenting with prescription pain killers. Kids who may find it easier and not frightening to swipe a few pills from their parents’ medicine cabinet become addicted to opiates. And, since prescription pain killers are harder and more expensive to get on the street… heroin… soon becomes the go-to drug.” [Source: The Independent]

Undercover cops have learned the tricks dealers use to “get people addicted” in order to increase their business and their income. Though the increased use itself is disturbing, what’s especially troubling is that the average age of a heroin user has steadily dropped. It used to be the drug of choice for those in their 30s or 40s, but today, teenagers and young adults are the most common users.

Labels: drug use, heroin

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Parents of teenagers often approach prom season with a combination of excitement and worry. They’re excited for their kids to have fun, and participate in one of the quintessential markers of adolescence. But they’re worried about some of the activities associated with prom night – especially teen drug and alcohol abuse.

“As prom season approaches, there are many things that parents can do to strengthen their child’s ability to make sound choices, according to Family & Youth Options… Get involved in the initial planning stages and focus on decision making: determine who, what, when and where for each portion of the evening and let your teen know you expect to be included in plan changes and updates.” [Source: Wilton (CT) Bulletin]

As you’re planning, make sure the night doesn’t just consist of the activities you want for your teen; let him express his ideas and have enough autonomy to make some of the choices. Be prepared for your teen to test boundaries. Don’t overreact. Instead, give your child the opportunity to explain his decision and his process for making that decision.

Labels: prom, drug use, alcohol

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The final weeks of the school semester bring the promise of warm summer days, no classes, and the chance – finally – to sleep late. The final weeks also often bring the dangerous abuse of attention-deficit medications like Adderall.

According to director of health services for Dowell Health Center Jane Halpern, students should understand that prescription medication should not be used simply as a study aide. "I understand that temptation because you want to stay up, stay awake, study and be focused, and I’m sure in most people, it does that…[but]… you’re getting it illegally from someone who’s selling it illegally." [Source: The Towerlight (Towson University)]

Halpern believes taking medication that wasn’t prescribed to you is no different than taking steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. In addition to the legal issues, misuse of prescription medication can have dangerous consequences, not the least of which is accidental overdose.

Labels: adderall, abuse, medications

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 0 Comments

Under President George W. Bush, the Office of National Drug Control Policy began advocating random drug testing in public schools. But not everyone thinks this is the best solution.

“Any program of random drug testing institutes a posture of universal suspicion. For an authority to take such a position among airline pilots or on a professional ball field or in a federal courthouse is understandable and tolerable.

But not in a school… because federal law stipulates that only students involved in extracurricular activities or who have school parking privileges can be subjected to random drug tests, such a program would penalize the very students most active in the school community.” [Source: Longmont (CO) Times-Call]

Studies have also found that in places where random school drug testing takes places, parents tend to pay less attention to what their kids are doing -- and, as a result, may be more likely to miss (or misinterpret) symptoms of teen drug abuse.

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Authorities in Massachusetts are cracking down on parents who serve alcohol to teenagers in their homes.

Police in that state are arresting parents under a law called "the Social Host Law," which says that an adult who owns or controls property where teenagers are drinking can be charged with a crime, even if he or she does not provide the alcohol directly to the underage children.

"The notion that providing alcohol at home creates a safe drinking environment is not true," said Ralph Hingson, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. "It behooves parents to try to do everything they can to delay the onset of drinking for young people."

According to statistics from that Institute, 5,000 people under age 21-years old die every year from alcohol-related problems, including 1,900 in automobile accidents.

Hingson noted that many studies show that the earlier a teen starts drinking, the more likely it is that he or she will develop a dependency on alcohol.
 

Labels: alcohol, parental_involvement, laws

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

This is a great time of year. Students are preparing to enjoy a long, warm summer. And some of them will mark summer’s beginning by marking high school’s end. They’ll sit through graduation ceremonies, receive their diplomas, smile for pictures, and then celebrate. Let’s help them celebrate safely.

“The Drug-Free Action Alliance reports about 30 percent of parents and teens knew of parents who hosted parties where alcohol was available or served to teens, according to surveys done in 2006 and 2007. Those numbers mirror numbers from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.” [Source: The Chillicothe (OH) Gazette]

Parents who host these parties put teenagers at great risk for injury and even death. Even if drinking teens aren’t allowed to drive, they can still get hurt either in the home or by drinking so much that they get alcohol poisoning.

On the legal front, parents who host teen parties with alcohol may face prosecution.

As adults who care about young people, let’s commit this graduation season to finding fun, safe, responsible ways for kids to celebrate.

Labels: schools, parental_involvement

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments