Kandiyohi County ————————— Drug Free Communities Coalition

About 2 in 5 Americans have used marijuana (also called “grass,” “pot,” “reefer,” “joint,” “hashish,” “cannabis,” “weed,” and “Mary Jane”) at least once. Approximately 10% of the population uses it on a regular basis. Next to tobacco, and alcohol in some areas, marijuana is the most popular substance young people use regularly.

The source of marijuana is the hemp plant (cannabis sativa). The active ingredients are THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and other cannabinoids, which are found in the leaves and flowering shoots of the plant.

Hashish is a resinous substance, taken from the tops of female plants. It contains the highest concentration of THC.

The drug dose delivered from any particular preparation of marijuana varies greatly. The concentration of THC may vary as much as a hundred fold, due to diluting or contaminating materials.

The effects of marijuana may be felt from seconds to several minutes after inhaling the smoke (from a joint or a pipe), or within 30 – 60 minutes after ingestion (eating foods containing marijuana, such as “hash brownies”).

Because the effects are felt almost immediately by the smoker, further inhalation can be stopped at any time to regulate the effect. In contrast, those eating marijuana experience effects that are slower to develop, cumulative (they add up), longer-lasting, and more variable, making unpleasant reactions more likely.

The primary effects of marijuana are behavioral, because the drug affects the central nervous system (CNS). Popular use of marijuana started because of its effects of euphoria (feeling of joy), relaxation, and increased visual, auditory (hearing), and taste perceptions that may occur with low-to-moderate doses. Most users also report an increase in their appetite (“the munchies”).

Unpleasant effects that may occur include depersonalization (inability to distinguish oneself from others), changed body image, disorientation, and acute panic reactions or severe paranoia.

Some cases of severe delirium, hallucinations, and violence have also been reported. Such cases should raise suspicion that the marijuana may have been laced with another agent, such as PCP.

Marijuana has specific effects that may decrease one’s ability to perform tasks requiring a great deal of coordination (such as driving a car). Visual tracking is impaired, and the sense of time is typically prolonged.

Learning may be greatly affected because the drug reduces one’s ability to concentrate and pay attention. Studies have shown that learning may become “state-dependent,” meaning that information acquired or learned while under the influence of marijuana is best recalled in the same state of drug influence.

Other marijuana effects may include:

• Blood-shot eyes
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Bronchodilatation (widening of the airways)
• In some users, bronchial (airway) irritation leading to bronchoconstriction (narrowing of the airways) or bronchospasm (airway spasms, leading to narrowing of the airways)
• Pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, and asthma in heavy users
• Possible serious effects on the immune system

Regular users, upon stopping marijuana use, may experience withdrawal effects. These may include agitation, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety. Because the metabolite (the substance formed when the body breaks down the drug) of marijuana may be stored in the body’s fat tissue, evidence of marijuana may be found in heavy users through urine testing up to 1 month after discontinuing the drug.

The active component in cannabis is believed to have medical properties. Many people maintain that it is effective in the treatment of nausea caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.

Others claim that cannabis stimulates appetite in patients with AIDS, or is useful in the treatment of glaucoma. While the active ingredient in marijuana has been approved as a synthetic medication by the Food and Drug Administration (dronabinol) for these purposes, use of whole marijuana remains hugely controversial. Currently, cannabis is illegal even for medical use under federal law.

What is Marijuana?
Marijuana—often called pot,
grass, reefer, weed, herb, Mary Jane, or MJ—is a greenish-gray
mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis
sativa—the hemp plant.

 

By the time they graduate from high school, about 42 percent of teens will
have tried marijuana. Although current use among U.S. teens has dropped
dramatically in the past decade (to a prevalence of about 14 percent in 2009),
this decline has stalled during the past several years. These data are from the
Monitoring the Future study, which has been tracking drug use among teens since
1975. Still, the World Health Organization ranks the United States first among
17 European and North American countries for prevalence of marijuana use. And
more users start every day. In 2008, an estimated 2.2 million Americans used
marijuana for the first time; greater than half were under age 18.

 

The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional, and
behavioral effects. It can impair short-term memory and judgment and distort
perception. Because marijuana affects brain systems that are still maturing
through young adulthood, its use by teens may have a negative effect on their
development. And contrary to popular belief, it can be addictive.

 

We hope that this Research Report will help make readers aware of our
current knowledge of marijuana abuse and its harmful effects.

 

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
Director
National
Institute on Drug Abuse

 

This article was copied from: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/default.html

Marijuana plant

Molecular Imaging Shows Chronic Marijuana Smoking Affects Brain Chemistry

Chronic use of marijuana causes a decrease in brain receptors that bind with the psychoactive chemical in cannabis

San Antonio, Texas—Definitive proof of an adverse effect of chronic marijuana use revealed at SNM’s 58th Annual Meeting could lead to potential drug treatments and aid other research involved in cannabinoid receptors, a neurotransmission system receiving a lot of attention. Scientists used molecular imaging to visualize changes in the brains of heavy marijuana smokers versus non-smokers and found that abuse of the drug led to a decreased number of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, which are involved in not just pleasure, appetite and pain tolerance but a host of other psychological and physiological functions of the body.

“Addictions are a major medical and socioeconomic problem,” says Jussi Hirvonen, MD, PhD, lead author of the collaborative study between the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, Md. “Unfortunately, we do not fully understand the neurobiological mechanisms involved in addiction. With this study, we were able to show for the first time that people who abuse cannabis have abnormalities of the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. This information may prove critical for the development of novel treatments for cannabis abuse. Furthermore, this research shows that the decreased receptors in people who abuse cannabis return to normal when they stop smoking the drug.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the number-one illicit drug of choice in America. The psychoactive chemical in marijuana, or cannabis, is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which binds to numerous cannabinoid receptors in the brain and throughout the body when smoked or ingested, producing a distinctive high. Cannabinoid receptors in the brain influence a range of mental states and actions, including pleasure, concentration, perception of time and memory, sensory perception, and coordination of movement. There are also cannabinoid receptors throughout the body involved in a wide range of functions of the digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory and other systems of the body. Currently two subtypes of cannabinoid receptors are known, CB1 and CB2, the former being involved mostly in functions of the central nervous system and the latter more in functions of the immune system and in stem cells of the circulatory system.

For this study, researchers recruited 30 chronic daily cannabis smokers who were then monitored at a closed inpatient facility for approximately four weeks. The subjects were imaged using positron emission tomography (PET), which provides information about physiological processes in the body. Subjects were injected with a radioligand, 18F-FMPEP-d2, which is a combination of a radioactive fluorine isotope and a neurotransmitter analog that binds with CB1 brain receptors.

 

Results of the study show that receptor number was decreased about 20 percent in brains of cannabis smokers when compared to healthy control subjects with limited exposure to cannabis during their lifetime. These changes were found to have a correlation with the number of years subjects had smoked. Of the original 30 cannabis smokers, 14 of the subjects underwent a second PET scan after about a month of abstinence. There was a marked increase in receptor activity in those areas that had been decreased at the outset of the study, an indication that while chronic cannabis smoking causes downregulation of CB1 receptors, the damage is reversible with abstinence.

Information gleaned from this and future studies may help other research exploring the role of PET imaging of CB1 receptors—not just for drug use, but also for a range of human diseases, including metabolic disease and cancer.

Scientific Paper 10: J. Hirvonen, R. Goodwin, C. Li1, G. Terry, S. Zoghbi, C Morse, V. Pike, N. Volkow, M. Huestis, R. Innis, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD; National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD; “Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers,” SNM’s 58th Annual Meeting, June 4–8, 2010, San Antonio, TX.

###

About SNM—Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy

SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today’s medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM’s more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snm.org.

 

Article Copied from: http://www.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=10762

WELLESLEY, Mass. — New York Jets backup quarterback Erik Ainge started using drugs when he was 12. It began with a bong hit, and it escalated from marijuana to prescription meds, alcohol, cocaine and heroin. By his senior year at Tennessee, he was addicted to painkillers, downing them by the handful.

 Matthew Muise for ESPNNewYork.comErik Ainge told his story to ESPN NewYork to help others like him.

This is the story of a professional athlete who lost control. Ainge fell into a self-destructive lifestyle that included multiple overdoses, drunk driving, extended stays in rehab and relapses, leaving his football career in shambles.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Ainge, the nephew of former basketball star and current Celtics GM Danny Ainge, started for Tennessee and became a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2008. He wanted to do right by the family name, synonymous with success and clean living, but his behavior can be best described by the large tattoo on his back:

“Crazy White Boy.”

Sadly, he has no recollection of getting that tattoo.

Ainge, 24, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, missed the entire 2010 season because he went on a two-week bender before training camp and landed in rehab, fearing for his life. That was almost nine months ago. He has remained clean since July 17, he said — his longest stretch of sobriety since he was 11.

Trying to help others by raising awareness of addiction and mental illness, Ainge recounted his painful journey in an interview with ESPNNewYork.com.

His life, his words.

I’m a drug addict. I was in denial for a long time, but that’s who I am. My addiction is with the hardest of hard drugs — heroin, cocaine and alcohol. During my days of using, I was a really bad drug addict. I would’ve made Charlie Sheen look like Miss Daisy.

I always thought of myself as a good kid that liked to have fun. We use the term “rationalization” in therapy. I would rationalize my drug use, and make it seem a lot more normal than it was. But it wasn’t, because I was using a lot of drugs at a young age.

It got worse in high school and even worse in college. By the time I was a senior in college, I was an addict. I played my whole senior season with a broken finger on my throwing hand. It was really badly broken. Just taking the snap, throwing the ball, handing it off, getting tackled — everything that goes along with playing quarterback — it was very painful.

[+] Enlarge

Jerome Davis/Icon SMIAinge said his addiction to painkillers went from bad to worse when he made the transition from Tennessee to the New York Jets.

Throughout that process, I became hooked on pain killers. I got them from the team doctor. I went through the prescriptions pretty fast. After he had been giving them to me for quite a while, he said he couldn’t give them to me anymore.

I was hooked on them and I was playing football, and there was no way I was going to cancel my senior year by going to rehab. I started getting them from people, buying them, getting them off the street. I wasn’t the only player on the team that was doing it, so we knew people. It wasn’t, like, super sketchy or anything. We knew people who had them, and we were Tennessee football players, so they pretty much just gave them to us.

[When contacted by ESPNNewYork.com, a spokesman for the Tennessee football program declined to comment on Ainge's story of his time in Knoxville.]

After a point, it got so bad that I was in the throes of addiction pretty quickly. That led to … one drug to the next drug to the next drug. Then I moved up to New York with a bunch of money, and it was where everything started falling apart.

My drug problem went from bad to worse. My rookie year, I failed a drug test for taking Adderall and got suspended four games. Adderall is like Ritalin, an amphetamine. I started taking Adderall back in high school, just to stay awake — a lot of kids take it.

But most of my rookie year, it was painkillers — and lots of them. I was taking 25 Percocets at a time. Five hours later, I’d do it again. Another eight hours, and I’d do it again. A drug dealer, a guy I knew, had them. There were other social, party drugs I would do, but I was addicted to painkillers.

I had a really bad stress fracture in my foot, but I think the reason it got so bad was because I was using so many drugs. I had no idea what was going on with my foot; I was completely out of it.

I was under the influence pretty much every day, every practice. I mean, I was a drug addict, so it’s not like I stopped using drugs for any reason. Did the Jets know? I don’t know. That’s all they knew me as. I was a drug addict from the first day I stepped foot on the Hofstra campus [site of the team's training base until 2009].

The first scientific study of prescription painkiller use by retired NFL players shows higher rates of misuse than that of the general population, possibly due to use during playing days.

A few of my teammates knew, but it wasn’t their business to tell anybody. They left it up to me. [Punter] Steve Weatherford helped me the most. He’s my best friend on the team, and he encouraged me to get help when my drinking got out of control. He’s a guy I partied with, but he was always under control and I always got out of control. He tried to comfort me, saying things like, “Let’s do some sober, fun things.”

I disappeared in the spring of ’09. I was at the McLean detox center [in Belmont, Mass.], in rehab for more than a month. By that point, my drug problem had gotten so bad that I think pretty much everybody knew something was going on. I told the Jets’ higher-ups where I was going.

If I hadn’t gone to get that help, I really think my job would’ve been in jeopardy. That wasn’t necessarily the reason I went to rehab, but I was pushing my luck with the Jets. I would miss appointments with Coach Cav [quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh], who was taking his own free time to teach me. I missed workouts like I was a 10-year veteran, and that’s not my style. I’m a hardworking person, but my drug problem had gotten so bad that my work started to suffer.

I got out of rehab and I lasted three or four months, but I started drinking, socially. About four months after I started drinking, I was a hard-core alcoholic. I thought I was a drug addict and didn’t have an alcohol problem. I didn’t listen to what the people were telling me in my Narcotics Anonymous meetings. They said alcohol is a drug, and I just didn’t listen to them.

Throughout my drinking days, I made some big mistakes. I was driving under the influence almost every night, so I moved into a place I couldn’t afford just because it was closer to the bars [in Morristown, N.J.] — and it was a nice place to bring women.

I don’t feel lucky that I never hurt myself; that was never a big concern. The big concern was that I’d get in an accident and hurt somebody else. If I hurt somebody driving under the influence, I don’t think I would’ve been able to live with myself.

Did I ever think about killing myself? Let’s put it this way: I’ve overdosed several times and had to be taken to the hospital. I don’t know if you’d call that suicidal or not, but any time you overdose on drugs, you have to step back and think about why that’s happening. The last time it happened was before I went to rehab the first time [in 2009]. It was heroin.

At that point, I was using a lot of heroin. You talk about an expensive habit. I remember I used to go to the ATM and take out hundreds of dollars at a time. Fortunately, I never had to steal — that’s very common for addicts — but I lied to people and destroyed relationships.

I made a lot of poor life decisions. I got a roommate, a friend from back home in Oregon — big mistake. He moved in with me [in New Jersey], and he was a really bad influence. Between the two of us, we were sleeping with a lot of women from the clubs and bars, and it was a recipe for disaster.

I was getting drug-tested three or four times a week [by the NFL], but I continued to drink daily through the spring of 2010 and into the summer. That’s when I relapsed with hard drugs. In July, I went on a two-week bender.

I went to Tennessee to visit friends, and I had some trouble with the law. It never got reported because the cops were Tennessee fans, and they saw how bad a shape I was in. It was so bad that I don’t even want to talk about it. I was cuffed, but instead of busting me, the cops called somebody in town that knew me.

Two days later, I was up in Boston at rehab. I had to get help before I died.

---

I went to two different rehab centers in the Boston area, and a halfway house — a total of almost four months as an inpatient. I was able to remain clean the whole time. The first few weeks were kind of like nails on a chalkboard for me, but I stuck it out.

For the first time, I was prescribed bipolar medication, which seems to be working. I have what’s called rapid cycling bipolar disorder, so I’m up and down and all over the place even when I’m on my medication. That’s a daily battle in itself. That was diagnosed by doctors in ’09. I’ve had it for a long time, but I never told anybody about it.

I’ve had problems since high school, being manic and being very depressed. I’d get manic a lot and go get tattoos. Suffice it to say that I have a lot of tattoos — big ones, in fact. The most recent one I got says “Crazy White Boy” in huge letters across my back. I wasn’t under the influence, but I don’t even remember getting the tattoo.

The Road Ahead

WELLESLEY, Mass. — What’s next for Erik Ainge? The backup QB, who spent last season on the reserve/did not report list, remains the property of the New York Jets, per the four-year, $1.9M contract he signed as a rookie. Realistically, it’s a long shot that he’ll ever suit up for them again. The Jets declined to comment on Ainge’s future.

Citing the confidentiality of the league’s steroid and substance-abuse policy, the Jets also wouldn’t comment on any aspect of Ainge’s drug and alcohol abuse. They wouldn’t say whether they have attempted to reach out to him since he was released from rehab this past fall.

Ainge said he hasn’t given much thought to what he’ll do if his football career is over. “I love sports, so it would be hard for me to do something not sports-related,” he said. “But I’m not at that stage yet. If I project too much into the future, all that does is cause problems.”

Ainge said the lockout has impacted his aftercare because he can’t secure insurance through the league to cover his therapy sessions. He said he called the league and was told that, because he was in the substance-abuse program, he couldn’t continue to receive medical coverage.

Every player has the opportunity to receive insurance without interruption through COBRA, a league spokesman said. If a player exercises his COBRA rights by mid-May, he will experience no break in coverage and any treatment he receives before his election will be covered, according to the spokesman.

A player also can use his league-funded health reimbursement account, if he has one, to pay the costly insurance premiums. Once a player is vested with three credited seasons, the league puts $75,000 into the HRA account.

But Ainge has only two credited seasons; he didn’t get credit for last season because he was in drug rehab and didn’t report.

– Rich Cimini

It gets easier over time. The first three months were harder than the next three months. I’m doing better now, but it’s still very tough. When you get in bad moods or when a friend says something that hurts your feelings, my initial reaction has always been to use more drugs and numb the pain and block out what’s really going on in my life.

I don’t have my No. 1 coping mechanism anymore. I’m doing all this sober and I’m dealing with it like a normal person, and I’m just not used to that. It’s been tough. I created a lot of problems for myself throughout my drinking and using days. I’m suffering the consequences now, and I have to do all that sober.

I learned how to be more spiritual than I was before. When you’re laying there and you’re sick and you’re throwing up and you’re all alone, it’s easier to reach out to God than it was before. That has helped me out through the recovery process.

A normal day for me consists of therapy with my psychiatrist and/or NA or AA meetings. Five nights a week, I go to meetings. I had four recovery groups, but I can’t afford them anymore because of the NFL lockout.

The lockout has caused a lot of problems for me. My substance-abuse insurance through the NFL and CIGNA got canceled as a result of the lockout. If I were a normal player — let’s say I had a broken leg and I was in the hospital — they’d have forms they would’ve sent me to continue receiving insurance through the NFL. Since I’m a drug addict in the drug program, my insurance just got canceled, and I didn’t like that.

My family has been great. When I went back to rehab, some of them were like, “Here we go again.” But they never gave up on me. My uncle Danny took me in from the halfway house to live with his family until I decide on what to do from here, which has been huge. He’s someone I look up to. When I was a kid, he and Dan Majerle [former Phoenix Suns teammates] used to wear rubber bands on their wrist. They used to give them to me when they couldn’t wear them anymore.

At 24, I still wear those rubber bands on my wrist. My uncle has been a pretty big influence on me, especially from a spiritual standpoint. He’s the bishop at the Mormon Church in Wellesley, Mass. I see what kind of man he is, and that’s what I want to be someday. Danny Ainge will always be a positive name, but I can make Erik Ainge a positive name again if I make the right decisions from here on out.

As far as my future in football, it remains uncertain. After eight months, I’m just trying to stay clean and be a better person. It’s not like I’m fine and I’m cured and I’m ready to go, gung-ho, back at it. I want this to be the last time that I ever have to try to get clean, and I’m going slowly.

I still have a lot of work to do, but I am proud of being eight months sober. I’ve never been sober or clean for this long since I was 11. The best part is being able to help other people. That makes it easier for me to stay clean, knowing I can help other people. I’ve been going to some high schools in the Boston area, telling my story and relaying my message. If I can help one kid, it would be worth it.

I’m showing people that love me that I am changing for the better through my actions, and I’m starting to make amends to those people I’ve wronged. The Jets will be one of those people because I wasn’t trustworthy. I should’ve been there for them, and I wasn’t. It’s a long, hard process, asking for forgiveness, but I plan on doing it — for them and for myself.

The reason I decided to speak so openly about this is because I want to bring awareness to mental health and the disease of addiction. Kids and athletes need to know it’s OK to ask for help and to talk to somebody about what’s going on in their lives. I was afraid to talk before, but through my NA program and God, I’m not afraid to ask for help or talk openly anymore.

I still have fear, but I’m not afraid.

Â	I Know It’s Important to Talk to My Teen About Drugs and Alcohol — But What Should I Say Exactly? (Info from The Partnership at DrugFree.org)	Â
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Â	  Try using a book to spark a conversation with your teen about drugs and alcohol.   Dear Parents:   Recent news about bath salts and marijuana soda can leave parents wondering which substances are on their teen’s radar. Soon thoughts may swirl through your mind: Do any of his friends smoke pot? Has he been offered a joint? Do her friends get drunk? Does she? Of course, the only way to know the answers to these questions is to come out and ask. But we know this isn’t as easy as it sounds. Well, one way to start the dialogue with your child is to use Teachable Moments.The idea is to use news items, movies, books or TV shows as a springboard to start a conversation about drugs or alcohol. “So, what do you think about what’s going on with [insert fictional characters, celebrity, professional athlete, classmates or relative?]“ or “Have you ever heard of bath salts?” Perhaps even one of the seven beer ads airing during this Sunday’s Super Bowl might help spark a conversation. It’s also important to know what’s out there. To help you sound like you know what you’re talking about, we’ve developed a handy Drug Guide for Parents (pdf) outlining the 13 most commonly used drugs by teens. Lastly, when you do talk with your child, ask him to share his experiences and opinions about teens who use. Then tell him how you feel and what you expect from him. Try to be warm but firm. For example, to support a no-use policy, you might say: “I’m not trying to ruin your fun. I love you and I want you to stay healthy. The best way to do that is to stay completely away from drugs and alcohol. I need you to promise that you will.” “I realize there’s a lot of temptation out there. I also know you’re a really smart, strong person. That’s why I expect you to stay clean — no matter what your friends are doing. Agreed?” “There’s a lot of new science about teens, drugs and alcohol. It scares me to know how easily you could damage your brain or get addicted. I want your word that you’ll steer clear of all that, and keep me in the loop on the kids you hang out with, too.” Keep in mind that kids who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use than those who don’t get that message at home. So, while your chats may not be without their awkward moments, they’re definitely worth it. Good luck!  Laura Lindeman DFC Grant Coordinator and Health Educator at Kandiyohi County Public Health P.S. Wondering what to say if your child asks,”Have you ever done drugs?” Well here are some thoughts on that one.

Dec 09, 2010

December has been proclaimed by President Barack Obama as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. In the proclamation, the President calls on everyone to be sober, drug free, and safe on the road.

The holiday season has traditionally been a time when coalitions across the country partner with their law enforcement agencies to educate and “reward” sober drivers at DUI checkpoints by distributing resources and other materials. Coalitions also help in other ways in their communities by providing rides home from celebrations, producing public service announcements, targeting businesses that over-serve, and making changes in the way bars and restaurants promote and conduct holiday gatherings. Please share your coalition’s holiday impaired driving prevention strategies on CADCA’s Facebook page.

The effectiveness and relevance of coalition work in preventing drug and drunk driving was mentioned by the President in the proclamation.

“As responsible citizens, we must not wait until tragedy strikes, and we must take an active role in preventing debilitated driving. Individuals, families, businesses, community organizations, drug-free coalitions, and faith-based groups can promote substance abuse prevention and encourage alternative sources of transportation. By working together, we can help save countless lives and make America’s roadways safer for all,” Obama stated.

The proclamation coincides with the recent release of a new traffic fatality analysis released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. According to report, one in three motor vehicle fatalities (33 percent) with known drug test results tested positive for drugs in 2009. Additionally, the involvement of drugs in fatal crashes has increased by five percent over the past five years, even as the overall number of drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States has declined.

NHTSA is also sponsoring the campaign, “Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest” when thousands of police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country will increase their efforts to ensure impaired drivers are detected and appropriate action is taken.

President Obama and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have put a spotlight on the previously overlooked highway safety problem of drugged driving. The proclamation indicates that reducing drugged driving is a national priority, according to the proclamation.

“This reckless behavior not only includes drunk driving, but also the growing problem of drugged driving. Drugs, including those prescribed by a physician, can impair judgment and motor skills. It is crucial that we encourage our young people and fellow citizens to make responsible decisions when driving or riding as a passenger, especially if drug use is apparent,” the President said in his proclamation.
http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/december-national-impaired-driving-prevention-month

NATIONAL DRUNK AND DRUGGED DRIVING (3D) MONTH

For those of you that are not aware, December was proclaimed National Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention month in 1981. Since then, through prolonged and concerted efforts involving educators, media outlets, legislators, law enforcement, and community organizations such as the Alliances, there has been an increased awareness of how driving under the influence of any drug not only endangers the life of the driver, but passengers and other drivers sharing the road as well (NIDA). Impaired driving is a complex public health concern as one’s motor skills, reaction time, and judgment are all brain functions that are affected, and despite acknowledged concerns often times drugged driving laws have lagged behind legislation involving alcohol. This is partly due to the fact that there are limitations in the current technology for determining drug levels and resulting impairment (NIDA). For example, blood alcohol levels of .05% have been shown to impair driving performance and can be easily detected; for illicit drugs, however, there is no agreed upon limit for which impairment can be rapidly demonstrated. Also, according to NIDA, determining the current drug levels of an impaired driver can prove to be difficult since some drugs remain in the body longer than others. Ultimately, drunk and drugged driving is a dangerous activity that puts us all at risk, however, there are steps individuals and communities can take to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

 Facts:

• One in 3 fatal motor-vehicle crashes involve an alcohol impaired driver.
• Every 45 minutes, someone dies in the United States as a result of an alcohol impaired driving accident.
• According to the 2007 National Highway and Safety Administration (NHSTA) Roadside Survey, more than 16%
• More than 11% tested positive for illicit drugs.
• About 10 million people age 12 and older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs during the year
• Highest rate of impaired drivers is among young adults age 18 to 25.
• Overall, marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and 
• Other common drugs seen include cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has taken emergency action to outlaw five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol) that are used to make synthetic marijuana, meaning it will be illegal to possess or sell them in the U.S. for at least one year.

The chemicals used to make “fake pot” products, known by a number of different names such as K2 and Spice, will be studied by the Department of Health and Human Services to determine whether the chemicals and the products should be permanently controlled, the DEA said in a statement.

After no fewer than 30 days, DEA will publish in the Federal Register a “Final Rule to Temporarily Control” these chemicals for at least 12 months with the possibility of a six-month extension. They will be designated as Schedule I substances, the most restrictive category, which is reserved for unsafe, highly abused substances with no medical usage.

During the past year, herbal blends marketed as “incense” and as being “legal” for a marijuana-like high, have become increasingly popular. These products consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and on the internet.

The DEA has received an increasing number of reports from coalitions, poison centers, hospitals and law enforcement officials regarding these products.

Fifteen states have already taken action to control one or more of these chemicals. Alabama was one of these states. Deborah Soule, Executive Director of Alabama’s Partnership for a Drug-Free Community, whose coalition worked on a state-wide ban, said having a DEA agent as part of their coalition helped their cause.

“The DEA’s action is evident of an outcome to what coalitions can do,” she said.

http://www.cadca.org/resources/detail/synthetic-marijuana-becomes-illegal

“The DEA has taken emergency action to outlaw chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana, meaning it will be illegal to possess or sell them in the U.S. for at least one year, until further action is taken.

The chemicals used to make “fake pot” products, also known as K2, will be studied by the Department of Health and Human Services to determine whether the chemicals and the products should be permanently controlled, the DEA said.

“Over the past year, smokable herbal blends marketed as being ‘legal’ and providing a marijuana-like high, have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults,” the DEA said in a statement.”These products consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and over the Internet.  These chemicals, however, have not been approved by the FDA for human consumption, and there is no oversight of the manufacturing process.”

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/24/dea-outlaws-chemicals-used-to-make-synthetic-marijuana/