Teen Drug Help
Federal Lawmakers Ban Flavored Cigarettes
On September 22, federal lawmakers banned flavored cigarettes. The ban applies to the manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution of candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes. Federal authorities initiated the ban on these particular products because recent research has found that flavored cigarettes are particularly appealing to youth.
Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA's) Center for Tobacco Products, cites recent research studies which have found that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over the age of 25. "Candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular tobacco users," he said.
The FDA also found that almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers, and that the new ban may help stop the more than 3,600 young people who start smoking each day.
The ban does not apply to menthol-flavored cigarettes or flavored cigars, however the FDA is studying these products.
The FDA and other federal authorities are investigating efforts by makers of flavored cigarettes to side-step the new ban by making superficial changes to their products. In particular, the nation's top distributor of clove cigarettes -- California-based company Kretek International Inc. -- began rolling its clove cigarettes in tobacco rather than paper, making them more like small-sized cigars.
(Source: www.huffingtonpost.com)
Labels: cigarettes, smoking, teen smoking
ADHD Prescription Drug Abuse Increasing
Teen abuse of prescription medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increased sharply between 1998 and 2005, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics by researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Researchers analyzed data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System during those years and discovered a 76 percent increase in the number of calls involving the abuse of ADHD prescription medications by adolescents.
Mary Robertson, RN, co-founder of the Lexington, Ken., Bluegrass Chapter of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) and a former national president of CHADD commented on the importance of the study's findings:
"With the increase in the number of teens misusing or abusing prescription ADHD medications, there is an even greater need for parents, physicians and teachers to be on the 'same page' and to closely monitor adolescents who are being treated for ADHD ... As a new school year begins, it is important for parents to communicate any changes in treatment and performance with their child's teachers and doctors."
(Source: www.prweb.com)
Labels: adhd medications, prescription-drug-abuse
Teen Drinking May Lead to Unwise Decisions in Adulthood
A new study by the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle suggests that drinking as a teen may lead to poor decision-making as an adult.
Previous research has indicated that teen drinking may interfere with critical brain development. Researchers at UW say that the results of this new study actually suggest that teen alcohol abuse may "rewire" the brain to impair good decision-making in the future.
For the study, the UW research team monitored the behavior of two groups of rats at two different developmental stages. The researchers provided one group of adolescent rats with access to gelatin mixed with alcohol for 20 days. The other group was provided nonalcoholic gelatin treats for the same amount of time.
Three weeks later, when the rats were considered adults, they were given two choices: push a lever that always spits out two sugary treats, or push another one that may give them four yummy pellets -- or none at all.
The rats who consumed alcoholic gelatin in adolescence were more likely to make the risky decision by pressing the lever that may not give them anything at all, whereas the rats who consumed the non-alcoholic gelatin were more likely to choose the lever that routinely delivered treats.
The rats were tested again three months later - well into adulthood - and their behaviors were virtually the same.
(Source: www.webmd.com)
Labels: alcohol, drinking
Overall Drug Use Down, Marijuana Use Up in Indiana
According to an annual survey released in August by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University, overall drug use among adolescents in Indiana has decreased, but marijuana use is on the rise.
The survey is the 19th annual "Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use by Children and Adolescents." The results show the yearly trends in drug abuse by sixth to 12th graders in 557 schools across the state. The survey collected responses from adolescents about 22 different drugs and methods of drug use, including tobacco, crack cocaine, inhalants and prescription medications.
The survey included additional questions this year on the use of drugs that are administered with syringes. Because they are placed directly into the bloodstream, drugs that are injected present a substantially higher risk of overdose than those that are ingested. In addition, syringes are vehicles for the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
Mi Kyung Jun, a research associate who worked on the survey, commented on the evolution of the survey over the years: "When we started we also surveyed fifth graders, but as time grew on their drug use fell significantly ... Also, we've had to add more drugs to the list. We are constantly changing the survey to match trends."
Jun also commented on the rise in marijuana use detected by this year's survey results: "We do not ask why ... We just monitor the use. We can say that this is very odd. They may think it is a less harmful alternative to other drugs."
(Source: www.idsnews.com)
Labels: indiana, marijuana
Nebraska Teens Ingesting Moonflower Seeds
According to a story by the Associated Press, teens in western Nebraska have begun ingesting the seeds of a common flower known as moonflower, and the trend is a growing concern among law enforcement agencies and health officials in the region.
Police in the town of Gering, Neb., recently had contact with four juveniles who allegedly ingested moonflower seeds. One of the juveniles was described as incoherent and unruly, and had to be taken to the hospital for evaluation of drug use. The effects of the drug lasted for days.
Dr. Rod Haenschen, an emergency room physician at Regional West Medical Center in Gering, said the message needs to go out that the drug's effect can be lethal. Authorities said the seeds produce a sense of euphoria followed by hallucinations.
Incidents of moonflower use have been isolated, according to local law enforcement officials, but agencies in other states have said the seeds are increasingly popular.
Moonflower is a viny plant with purple trumpet-like flowers. Like its relatives in the Datura genus - including the jimson weed and thorn apple - the moonflower contains high levels of an anticholinergic substance that blocks neurotransmitters within the nervous system. This chemical reaction can lead to blurred vision, disorientation, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth and skin, and, potentially, death.
(Sources: www.ktiv.com, www.drugs-forum.com)
Labels: moonflower seeds, nebraska
Teen Abuse of Painkillers Still a Concern, Despite Overall Decline in Teen Drug Use
Despite an overall decline in teen drug use of about 2 percent over the past six years, teen use of painkillers for nonmedical purposes is still a trouble trend.
The findings of a recent study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show an overall softening in attitudes toward drug use, including a decrease in the number of teens who view weekly marijuana use as a "great risk."
"The survey findings are important because they often point to emerging patterns of substance abuse," said Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske. "Although we see some success in the reduction of overall illicit drug use, methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse among teens, there are indications that progress in other areas may be at a standstill, or even slipping back."
(Source: www.firstcoastnews.com)
Labels: painkillers, teen drug use
Anheuser-Busch Helps Combat Underage Drinking
Beer maker Anheuser-Busch is continuing its commitment to prevent underage drinking by supporting the federal government's "We Don't Serve Teens" campaign. The campaign, initiated in 2006, provides parents, neighborhoods, businesses and service organizations with information that helps them limit teen access to alcohol.
Anheuser-Busch is contributing to the effort by donating advertising space in national publications, including Time magazine and USA Today. The space is being used to help disseminate the government's message about the consequences of underage drinking. Anheuser-Busch will also be covering the cost of 650 outdoor board placements carrying the campaign's message.
"A crucial part of preventing underage drinking is reaching out to adults and asking them to do their part by not buying alcohol for teens or providing it to them at parties. It's unsafe, illegal and irresponsible," said Carol Clark, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. "We're proud to support this important campaign that encourages parents and other adults to talk with teens and relay a clear message that underage drinking will not be tolerated."
(Source: www.reuters.com)
Labels: anheuser busch, underage-drinking
Drug Use on the Rise Among Teens in Hong Kong
Reports of teens using drugs in Hong Kong have increased by 25 percent over the past year. According to Professor Daniel Shek, chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics, 8,916 drug users were reported in the first six months of 2009, 1.7 percent more than the same period last year.
The number of drug users under 21 years old rose from 2,106 to 2,175 (a 3.2 percent increase). The number of drug users aged 12 to 15 grew by 25 percent, from 204 to 256. In addition, the number of newly reported female abusers under 21 increased by 19.3 percent, from 409 to 488.
Shek attributes the increase in young drug users to the falling price of the popular drug Ketamine. In addition, a more active anti-drug campaign has motivated more drug users to self-report and turn themselves in to authorities.
(Source: www.news.gov.hk)
Labels: Hong Kong, teen drug use
Prevention Program Cuts Teen Binge Drinking by 1/3
The rate of teen binge drinking decreased by 37 percent among eighth grade students in seven states that implemented a prevention system to reduce drug use and delinquent behavior.
These findings come from the Community Youth Development Study that compares teenagers living in 12 pairs of small to moderate-sized towns in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
The study, which tracks the behavior of more than 4,400 students over five years, is a randomized trial of a prevention program system known as Communities That Care. The system was developed by J. David Hawkins and Richard Catalano of the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group. Hawkins and Catalano designed the system specifically to lower rates of delinquent behavior and drug use, and to promote healthy behaviors.
Hawkins commented on the most recent findings: "This study shows we can prevent adolescent risk behaviors community wide by using this system.
"The most dramatic finding concerned binge drinking. We asked youngsters if they had consumed five or more drinks of alcohol in one sitting in the past two weeks. We know kids who drink that way are at risk for developing alcohol abuse and dependence later. This binge drinking is occurring when children are 13 and 14 years of age, so we are actually preventing the likelihood of later alcohol problems. This is very important from a public health standpoint."
Researchers found that about 5.7 percent of eighth graders in communities that implemented the prevention system engaged in binge drinking within the last two weeks, compared with 9 percent of eighth graders in communities that did not use the system.
The study also found that youth in the communities using the Communities That Care system were significantly less likely to begin smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol or committing delinquent acts between the fifth and eighth grades.
(Source: www.eurekalert.org)
Labels: binge drinking, prevention program
Parents May Influence Teen Tobacco Use
A new study in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics reports evidence that parents can negatively or positively influence whether their children become smokers. In particular, parents may play a large role in determining whether their adolescent children progress from experimenting with cigarettes in the eighth grade to daily smoking by the 12th grade.
The study included 270 adolescents who had begun smoking by the eighth grade but who were not yet daily smokers at that time. Of the participants, 156 (58 percent) became daily smokers by the 12th grade.
Min Jung Kim, a research scientist with the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group and lead author of the study, commented on the findings: "If parents smoke, teens have more access to cigarettes than teens who have non-smoking parents. A second preventive measure for smoking parents is to quit smoking themselves ... If parents really don't want their children to smoke they need to communicate that by establishing clear guidelines in their families about not smoking and discuss them with their school-age children."
(Source: insciences.org)
Labels: parents, smoking, teen smoking
Do Reckless Teens have More Mature Brains?
Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta discovered evidence that adolescents who engage in more dangerous activities have more mature brain matter than their risk-averse peers.
Adolescents who engage in risky behaviors have white matter pathways that appear more mature than those of peers who do not engage in risky or dangerous behaviors. White matter is composed of strands that connect various regions of gray matter throughout the brain. The maturation of white matter increases the brain’s processing speed.
For the study, psychiatrist Gregory Burns and his colleagues reviewed questionnaire responses of 91 kids, aged 12 to 18. The questionnaire asked kids about their tendency to engage in such dangerous behaviors as driving without a license, having unprotected sex and using drugs.
Participants also underwent a relatively new kind of brain scan known as diffusion tensor imaging (a type of magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI) that can be used to look at white matter.
The researchers found that students with riskier behaviors consistently exhibited more sophisticated white matter. The more mature-looking the brain, the more an adolescent tended to report risk taking.
The study findings upset the popular notion that teens tend to take risks because their brains are immature. According to the study authors, "Precocious development of these [white-matter] tracts may predispose some adolescents to engage in behaviors that society considers too adult in nature for their chronological age."
(Source: www.time.com)
Labels: brain fucntion, reckless teens
Wisconsin Teen Organizes Medication Disposal Program
A high school freshman in North Freedom, Wis., is working with community leaders to implement a medication disposal program. The purpose of the program is to safely dispose of excess prescription medications.
Jordyn Schara organized the program for both social and environmental reasons. In a presentation to community leaders this week, Schara said that she has seen kids her age at parties using prescription medications to get high. In addition, the improper disposal of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, leads to contaminated water in rivers, lakes and streams.
The program, officially named the Wisconsin Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal (P2D2), will hold its inaugural event this week at the city police station. As part of the program, the police department will be raising funds to purchase an incinerator so that medications can be disposed of immediately and completely at the city’s police station.
The program is accepting almost any medication, tablet or liquid, as well as needles, inhalers, suppositories and mercury thermometers. The only items that will not be collected are empty containers, IV bags, blood or infectious waste, nebulizers and oxygen tanks.
(Source: www.wiscnews.com)
Labels: medication disposal program, teen programs
Miami-Dade County Considers Cutting D.A.R.E. Program
A looming budget deficit of $427 million may force multiple cuts by Florida's Miami-Dade County. One of the community programs poised to be cut in order to balance the budget is Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E).
The D.A.R.E. program, which was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, is currently taught in 75 percent of schools in America. The program strives to help kids stay away from drugs and alcohol, as well as help kids see police officers as regular people who are there to help them.
"The proposed cuts to the D.A.R.E. program really involve just moving officers from the D.A.R.E unit back into the districts, so you're not saving any salaries," said John Lindsay of D.A.R.E. America. "And all of the funding for the D.A.R.E supplies, the D.A.R.E workbooks, that comes from law enforcement trust fund money and it also comes from fundraisers."
Authorities are concerned about losing such a well-established substance abuse prevention program. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz said that a program like D.A.R.E. is crucial not only now, but for the future.
(Source: www.cbs4.com)
Labels: budget cuts, dare, miami-dade
West Virginia County Sees Increased Heroin Use and Overdoses
Morgan County, W. Va., is experiencing an increase in heroin abuse and related overdoses, according to a recent article in The Morgan Messenger. Since the heroin overdose death of a 19-year-old in September 2008, authorities and young people throughout the county have been paying greater attention to the presence and dangers of heroin abuse.
Robert Dugan III, age 20 and a Morgan County resident, was interviewed for the article. Dugan commented on the mindset of many young people in the area: "You hear about an overdose and you think it's just one person, but it's not."
Dugan recalls being offered drugs all the time growing up, and avoiding them because he had made a deal with himself. But, as he got older, his motivation for staying away from drugs changed. "If you make it long enough without doing drugs, then it's just seeing the effects on people that made me stay away from them," he said.
Dugan recalls watching his friends sell their cars and radios to support their habits. He remembers how many of them also began missing work and lost their jobs, unable to stop doing heroin. "A lot of people I knew wanted to get off it. Nobody starts out saying ‘I want to be addicted to heroin,'" Dugan said.
(Source: The Morgan Messenger)
Labels: heroin abuse, virginia
