Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
What it Will Take to Defeat the Opioid Addiction Epidemic
“It must be total war in every city, town, and village throughout the land,” President Harry Truman exhorted. “For only with a united front can we ever hope to win any war.” With this call to arms, in a 1946 speech just months after the end of World War II, Truman propelled the United States toward war with a new enemy. An ancient scourge had erased millions of lives, permanently ruined several others, and had even forever scarred a president. That enemy was polio, and over a few decades the country would go on to eradicate it entirely.
Almost exactly 70 years later, President Barack Obama, in an ad-lib during his State of the Union address, would name another new enemy, this time “drug abuse and heroin abuse,” thus officially setting the table for a new war. Unlike Truman’s campaign, there is little hope of developing a vaccine for addiction and the exact causes of the epidemic are fuzzy, but he and legislators have pressed forward in one of the only true bipartisan efforts in the country. Just months since that address, the first policy mobilizations on the new front have emerged. But are they really enough to claim victory?
The urgency of the opioid crisis seems to have broken through congressional gridlock, at least. In March, the Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which sailed through with only one dissenting vote. The Act authorizes––but doesn’t appropriate––more than $700 million in funds for prevention programs, task forces for prescription best practices, and prescription-monitoring programs. It also expands access to the drug naloxone, which is used to counteract overdoses.
The remainder of the article can be viewed here: http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/04/what-it-will-take-defeat-opioid-addiction-epidemic/127223/
‘Dabbing’ exploding, reaching new highs
The “dabbing” toking trend sweeping the nation — where highly concentrated doses of cannabis are vaporized — is causing overdoses and triggering explosions, worrying even a top pro-pot advocate.
“It’s too strong. I’ve seen experienced users overdose and pass out,” said Dale Gieringer, who earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University on drug regulation. “It’s a phenomenon one sees only with dabbing.”
Gieringer, who is on the board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said mostly younger stoners aren’t heeding the warning.
“I know people who have fallen on the floor and broken their teeth” after overdosing, he told the Herald last night. “But some people still insist on it. You can get a very intense rush. You better sit down.”
Dabbing, which refers to smoking a highly concentrated dose of cannabis extract, packs a powerful punch that even casual pot smokers may find unpleasant, said Kevin Hill, director of the Substance Abuse Consultation Service at McLean Hospital in Belmont.
“While concentrates may produce a stronger high, they also are more likely to produce adverse effects like anxiety or paranoia,” Hill said. “Any of the side effects associated with marijuana — anxiety, paranoia, sometimes vomiting — seem more likely to occur with concentrates.”
But it’s how the chemicals are being extracted with butane that has fire chiefs sounding the alarm.
“Handling and storing the amount of butane that is necessary to accomplish this process in a residential environment is hazardous,” state fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said. “You can get a pretty significant explosion even from a small amount.”
The remaining portion of the article can be found here: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/04/dabbing_exploding_reaching_new_highs
Podcast #40 with Dr. William Ivoska
"Now here's some really positive news for Wood County. If you were to compare the rate of decline of alcohol use in Wood County from 70% [annual prevalence for high school seniors] to 45% in the past 12 years and you looked at the rate of decline in alcohol use in the past 12 years across the country, you'd find that Wood County has declined faster and has gone lower than the national average." said Dr. Ivoska.
You can find episode #40 here: http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/wood-county-youth-survey-results-with-dr-bill-ivoska-part-1_75767
Part 2 of the this interview will be released later this week.
In case you may have missed it, the Wood County Prevention Coalition Newsletter Issue #10 discussed some of the results and can be found here: https://www.smore.com/zt2t4-wood-county-prevention-coalition
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, May 13, 2016, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
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