Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
Newsletter August 9, 2019 Vol. #5 Issue #11
Featured Speaker for the September 6th Coalition Meeting Announced
The next Wood County Coalition meeting is set to take place at the Wood County Educational Service Center on Friday, September 6, 2019 from 8:30 AM to 10 AM and the featured presenter will be Dr. Joan Gillece who will speak on Trauma and Substance Abuse.
Dr. Gillece has thirty-five years of experience working in the behavioral health field with twenty dedicated to trauma and fifteen in prevention of seclusion and restraint. Working across agencies, Dr. Gillece promotes the use of trauma informed care in multiple settings including mental health, substance abuse, adult and juvenile justice, social services and homeless services.
Prior to joining the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) fifteen years ago, Dr. Gillece served as Director of Special Populations for Maryland’s Mental Hygiene Administration where her responsibilities included all aspects of state mental health planning and delivery of services as well as development of collaboration across agencies serving individuals with psychiatric diagnosis. As project director for SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC), Dr. Gillece championed the cause of full consumer integration and development of culturally competent programs. Utilizing survivors in all aspects of trauma work, Dr. Gillece has coordinated and provided technical assistance, conference presentations, and consultations to multiple systems across the country. Commitment to strength-based support by implementing trauma informed values with the overreaching theme of healing has been her focus.
The Morning Show with Clint Corpe (WBGU 88.1 FM ) will be broadcasting live from the WCESC from 6AM to 9AM the morning of the coalition meeting.
To RSVP, please use the form below or email mkarna@wcesc.org.
'I Want to Kill Them’: Big Tobacco’s Worst Enemy Is Coming for JUUL
By Josh Meyer
Aug 7 2019, VICE
JUUL Labs has racked up billions of dollars in sales in recent years with a product that is supposedly a healthier alternative to cigarettes, one that could help people addicted to nicotine kick the habit. But the San Francisco vape brand, which sold a 35 percent stake to Altria Group(parent company to Philip Morris USA) last December, has also been accused of intentionally targeting kids and others with candy-like flavors and a sleek, smokeless device you can charge on your laptop.
Enter Jeffrey Wigand, the former top tobacco company scientist-turned-whistleblower whose crusade against Philip Morris and other firms was dramatized in the chilling 1999 movie The Insider. In an interview with VICE, Wigand revealed for the first time that he has been working actively behind the scenes to support the nation's first e-cig sales ban in San Francisco—and to take on Juul in fights across the country, including in Washington, where it has assembled a star-studded lobbying operation.
The context here is, well, complicated. In response to a mountingnumber of state and federal investigations, Juul last year made it more difficult to buy some flavors in stores and sharply cut back on promotion on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. In March, the FDA proposed a limited crackdown on the sales of e-cigarettes that would have given Juul and other manufacturers until August 2021 to submit formal applications to keep selling their products. But anti-tobacco activists—who sued in federal court—won a shorter (ultimately ten-month) timeframe if manufacturers want their products to stay on the market.
Meanwhile, the showdown looms in Juul's hometown, which passed its ban in an effort to curb what officials say is a nicotine "epidemic" among teenagers. The company and its allies are fighting to replace the ban with a much looser set of regulations, and recently got enough signatures to let local voters decide the issue in November. If upheld, the ban would prevent e-cig sales without FDA approval.
As Juul's day of reckoning approaches, VICE talked to Wigand about his plans to soon stake out a very visible role as "poster boy" against e-cigarettes. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
TO READ THE INTERVIEW>CLICK HERE
Video Games Can Be A Gateway To Problem Gambling, FTC Warned
Video games can be a gateway to problem gambling, the Federal Trade Commission was warned Wednesday.
The danger comes from a feature that has become embedded in a majority of the most popular video games in recent years: loot boxes, according to experts who spoke in an all-day seminar held by the agency.
A loot box is a virtual box a player can buy in a game with real or pretend money with the potential for getting virtual weapons and other aids to help the chances of winning the game or the ability to customize characters.
The payments are made through “microtransactions.” The name can hide the true financial hit on a child or other video game player because while a single loot box can cost 99 cents, repeated purchases or buying a bundles or bundles can go into thousands of dollars over time.
For some players the lure of loot boxes is a pathway to problem gambling with young men and boys particularly at risk, cautioned National Association On Problem Gambling Executive Director Keith Whyte.
Young veterans and active duty members of the military are also viewed as vulnerable.
On average they show at least twice the rate of gambling problems as civilians since they have high rates of risky behavior, said Whyte.
“Of concern are the possible negative effects of loot video games with loot boxes on veterans seeking treatment for a variety of behavioral health issues, especially those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” the expert said.
He pointed out gambling addiction can trigger financial harm, emotional difficulties, poor work or school performance, poor mental and physical health, depression, substance abuse and suicidal behavior.
“Every study we are aware of has found an association between loot boxes and gambling problems,” Whyte asserted.
Video: Vaping Is An Epidemic
WCPC Community Meeting on September 6th: Featured Presentation by Dr. Joan Gillece
Wood County Prevention Coalition Community Meeting
Friday, Sep 6, 2019, 08:30 PM
Wood County Educational Services, Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our Mission: We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition