Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Drug-Sniffing Dog

By Join Together Staff | February 20, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs & Legal

The Supreme Court ruled police do not have to extensively document a drug-sniffing dog’s expertise to justify relying on the canine to search a vehicle, according to The Washington Post.

The unanimous ruling overturned a Florida Supreme Court decision involving Aldo, a German shepherd. After the dog detected drugs in a pickup truck, a police officer searched the truck and found 200 pseudoephedrine pills and 8,000 matches, which are used to make methamphetamine. The Florida Supreme Court ruled police must compile detailed evidence of the dog’s reliability before probable cause to search the vehicle is established.

In Tuesday’s ruling, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan suggested proper training and certification of a dog, instead of how it performs in the field, could be enough. “The question — similar to every inquiry into probable cause — is whether all the facts surrounding a dog’s alert, viewed through the lens of common sense, would make a reasonably prudent person think that a search would reveal contraband or evidence of a crime,” she wrote. “A sniff is up to snuff when it meets that test. . . . Aldo’s did.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on a second dog-sniffing case, involving a chocolate Lab named Franky. Florida’s Supreme Court ruled the dog’s ability to detect marijuana growing inside a home in Miami by sniffing outside the house was unconstitutional. The state’s attorney general is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the ruling.

Franky, who recently retired after seven years with the Miami-Dade Police Department, is responsible for the seizure of more than 2.5 tons of marijuana and $4.9 million in drug-contaminated money.

Mapping Location of Alcohol Outlets, Drug Activity and Crime Could Aid Prevention

By Join Together Staff | February 20, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol, Community Related, Drugs & Prevention

Mapping the location of alcohol outlets, drug activity and violent crimes could help police prevent violence, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Michigan studied the relationship between violent crimes in Boston drug markets, and the types and densities of alcohol outlets in those areas, MedicalXpress reports. They analyzed data on homicides and aggravated assault incidents, drug arrests and 911 calls, along with 2009 alcohol outlet data from the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverage Control Commission. They also examined census data.

They found areas with the highest levels of violent crime were poorer and had greater numbers of alcohol outlets and higher drug arrest rates.

“Identification of such ‘hot spots’ may help in identifying micro-environments: blocks or intersections whose characteristics facilitate violent behavior. Our study helps identify such micro-environments, an emerging area of criminology research, in Boston,” the authors wrote in the American Journal of Public Health.

Number of Deadly Drug Overdoses Rises for 11th Year

By Join Together Staff | February 20, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Prescription Drugs & Research

The number of deadly drug overdoses in the United States increased for the 11th consecutive year, according to new government data. More than 22,000 people died of overdoses involving prescription drugs in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In total, 38,329 people died of drug overdoses that year. Of the 57 percent whose deaths involved prescription drugs, three-quarters were due to painkillers such as OxyContin and Percocet, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. They reported their findings this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More than 74 percent of deaths due to prescription drugs were accidental, while 17 percent were suicides, the article notes.

Opioids were found in 77 percent of overdoses involving benzodiazepines such as Valium, Xanax or Ativan. They were also involved in 65 percent of overdoses with antiepileptic or anti-Parkinsonian drugs, 47 percent of overdoses involving antidepressants, and 56 percent of overdoses with fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory medications.

Prevention Programs in Middle School May Reduce Later Prescription Drug Use

By Join Together Staff | February 19, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs, Prescription Drugs, Prevention & Youth

Substance abuse prevention programs that begin in middle school may help deter prescription drug abuse in later years, new research suggests.

Scientists analyzed findings from three studies of family- and school-based prevention programs designed for rural and small-town middle school students. They found students who went through substance abuse prevention programs were 20 percent to 65 percent less likely to abuse prescription drugs and opioids when they were between 17 and 25 years old, compared with students who did not participate in the programs.

The programs focused on general risk and protective factors of substance abuse. “Brief universal interventions have potential for public health impact by reducing prescription drug misuse among adolescents and young adults,” the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Public Health.

“The intervention effects were comparable or even stronger for participants who had started misusing substances prior to the middle school interventions, suggesting that these programs also can be successful in higher-risk groups,” lead author Richard Spoth, PhD, from the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State University in Ames, said in a news release.

Nora Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, noted that prescription medications can be helpful when they are prescribed to treat pain, anxiety, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. “However, their abuse can have serious consequences. We are especially concerned about prescription drug abuse among teens, who are developmentally at an increased risk for addiction,” she said.

Federal Bill Takes Aim at Meth Addiction

By Join Together Staff | February 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Drugs, Legislation, Prevention & Treatment

A bipartisan group of legislators from around the country has introduced a bill designed to reduce methamphetamine addiction.

The Methamphetamine Education, Treatment, and Hope Act calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to take over the screening and treatment of methamphetamine addiction, and award grants to treatment centers in underserved or rural areas. The bill also calls for the development of treatment programs for pregnant women and mothers, and for prevention programs for youth.

The bill was originally proposed in 2009, but failed to make it through the Senate, The Hill reports.

“Meth abuse is one of the most serious issues in northern California and across the country. It affects families and our community, and needs immediate action,” bill sponsor Jerry McNerney of California said in a news release. “It is imperative that we address crime in our region and increase public safety. This bill will help keep our families healthy, safe and drug-free. When we see crime rates drop, especially usage of drugs like methamphetamine, our entire community benefits.”

The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 banned over-the-counter sale of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make meth.

Commentary: Rx Summit Brings National Leaders Together to Combat Abuse

By Karen Kelly | February 19, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Prescription Drugs & Prevention

Underscoring the importance of collaboration in the national fight against prescription drug abuse, the 2013 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit will focus on ways participants can “Make an Impact” not only in their communities, but on the country as a whole.

With accidental prescription overdose deaths occurring at 1 every 15 minutes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), emergency room visits nearly doubling in the past five years, and hospital admissions increasing 400 percent over the past decade, it is imperative we act immediately.

The second National Rx Drug Abuse Summit – to be held April 2-4, 2013, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Florida – will help in this effort.

By bringing together professionals from many disciplines, the Summit provides all stakeholders timely, relevant and evidence-based information. This type of collaboration enables bringing impactful solutions to communities across the United States.

An example of how a holistic approach can succeed can be found in New York City, where their High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) law enforcement team partnered with public health agencies to analyze data and create a game plan to tackle the issues. Collaborations of this type need to be shared and replicated in other communities. By learning from the success of others we can have the greatest impact.

Keynote presentations will include: Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Frances Harding, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; Joe Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator of the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control; Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); and Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, among others.

The Summit includes 30 break-out sessions grouped in tracks – Law Enforcement, Education/Advocacy, Clinical, Treatment, Pharmacy and Third-Party Payer – workshops, vision sessions, and a panel discussion featuring members of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse.

All breakout sessions, workshops and most general sessions will have multiple Continuing Education credits available. These credits will include medical professionals (physicians, nurses and pharmacists), social workers, attorneys, addiction and prevention specialists, human resources, criminal justice and insurance professionals. The Appalachian Regional Commission is once again our Educational Partner.

Identifying opportunities to strategize and partner in seeking solutions to our prescription drug abuse epidemic is what the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit is all about.

Karen Kelly, President/CEO, Operation Unite

Take advantage of discounted rates by registering by February 28. For information about the Summit visit www.NationalRxDrugAbuseSummit.org, or follow news about the event at Twitter.com/RxSummit, Facebook.com/RxSummit, or LinkedIn.com/RxSummit.