Recreational Marijuana Use Violates International Law, UN Body Says

By Join Together Staff | March 15, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Drugs, Government, Legislation & Prevention

The recreational use of marijuana is a violation of international law, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned the United States this week.

Raymond Yans, president of the INCB, spoke about new laws in Colorado and Washington that legalize the recreational use of marijuana, at the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna. He noted U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in December that, regardless of any changes in state law, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Yan called this “good, but insufficient,” Reuters reports.

He added the United States has an obligation to ensure the implementation of international drug control treaties throughout the country. Recreational marijuana use violates the U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, Yan said.

MUST SEE MOMS, DADS AND TEENS. CLICK THE LINK!

http://youtu.be/3Dgyw0HXR6E

Medical Group Warns Against Giving Attention Drugs to Healthy Teens

By Join Together Staff | March 14, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Mental Health, Prescription Drugs, Young Adults & Youth

Healthy children and teenagers should not be given drugs designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the American Academy of Neurology said this week. While young people with the disorder benefit from the treatment, the group noted, a growing number of healthy young people are taking these medications in an effort to increase concentration and school performance.

“Doctors caring for children and teens have a professional obligation to always protect the best interests of the child, to protect vulnerable populations, and prevent the misuse of medication,” said position statement author William Graf, M.D. of Yale University, in a news release. “The practice of prescribing these drugs, called neuroenhancements, for healthy students is not justifiable.”

The statement concludes there are both legal and developmental reasons these medications should not be prescribed to healthy children and teens, Reuters reports. The long-term effects of these drugs have not been studied in children, the group notes. Children and teens may not have sufficient decision-making abilities while their cognitive skills and emotional abilities are still developing. In addition, children and teens face the risks of being over-medicated and dependent on the drugs, according to the statement.

“The physician should talk to the child about the request, as it may reflect other medical, social or psychological motivations such as anxiety, depression or insomnia. There are alternatives to neuroenhancements available, including maintaining good sleep, nutrition, study habits and exercise regimens,” Dr. Graf said.

Recovery Enhancement Classes at PRO-ACT PRCC

Greetings,

PRO-ACT Philadelphia Recovery Community Center is now having Recovery Enhancement Classes with the following topics:

Recovery 101

The Impact of Addiction on the Family

Self-Esteem Part 1

Self-Esteem Part 2

Decision Making

Time Management

Four Steps to Credibility

Employability

Spirituality

Sustaining Recovery

Please see the attached flyer and revised monthly calendar.

Thank you and have a great day,

Sean E. Brinda, MSW, CCDP Diplomate

Senior Peer Services Coordinator

PRO-ACT/Philadelphia Recovery Community Center

1701 W. Lehigh Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19132

Register for Recovery Walks! 2012 at www.recoverywalks.org

Phone: (215) 223-7700 ext. 105

Cell: (215) 828-6168

Fax: (215) 223-7707

1 (800) 221-6333 Twenty-four Hour Information Line

Email: sbrinda@councilsepa.org

www.proact.org

www.recoverywalks.org

PRO-ACT… Ambassadors for Recovery!

eNewsletter: March 14, 2013

ACTION ALERT! Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Congressman John Fleming, M.D. (R-LA) are the new co-chairs of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus!  The Caucus works to educate and raise awareness among lawmakers about addiction prevention, treatment and recovery.  Please join them today in asking your member of Congress to join the Caucus.  Thanks! The Caucus was founded in 2004 to serve as a groundbreaking forum to inform, educate and raise awareness about addiction and recovery and to increase legislative support for expanding access to care for people with addiction. The bi-partisan caucus brings members of the House and their staffs together to focus attention on their shared interest and build support for policies that will support addiction recovery.  Take action today! White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) ONDCP invites people in recovery, family members, friends and allies to share their stories of recovery to testify to the power of recovery to transform individuals, families and communities.  You can check it out, join; upload videos and photographs to their new Facebook page Americans in Recovery. “Together, our voices have the power to galvanize and transform. By sharing and celebrating our stories we can help dispel the fear, misunderstanding, and stigma that so often create obstacles for Americans in recovery who want to live healthy, safe, and productive lives,” said ONDCP Deputy Director of Demand Reduction, David Mineta, in launching the new page. ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske will be delivering an important luncheon speech about the Obama Administration's approach to drug policy at the National Press Club on April 17, 2013.  You can submit a question in advance by putting KERLIKOWSKE in the subject line and email to president@press.org before 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon. White Bison Trainings Join White Bison at upcoming trainings: Mothers of Tradition Training, April 2-4, 2013 in Minneapolis and April 9-11, 2013 in Sheridan, WY.   Mending Broken Hearts for Youth Training, April 16-18, 2013 in Minneapolis. Recovery Musicians We hear from many incredible musicians in recovery and are going to be featuring a few of them over the coming months. Award-winning musician and teaching artist Kathy Moser, a woman in long-term recovery presents two-hour interactive songwriting workshops that give participants hands-on experience writing and recording an original song on a recovery topic.  Participants get to help run the equipment, direct the session and perform and record the song.  Her songwriting workshops for recovering people are not only fun—they develop practical recovery skills.  She also performs at treatment centers, High School and Collegiate Recovery programs across the country.  According to Moser, “A sound track makes the recovery journey a little easier and a lot more joyful.  Music by and for recovering people is a celebration and a road map.”  Guest Kathy Moser shares her passion for music and recovery and the gifts that come here. 3,000 Miles for Recovery! Planning’s well underway for an amazing 3,000 mile walk for recovery that will take recovery community members from Bangor, Maine to Phoenix, AZ this year! The Walk kicks off on April 23rd from the Friends of the Bangor Area Recovery Network (BARN) recovery community center. To get ready, folks spent 3,000 minutes in an igloo to raise awareness and publicity; are hosting a fundraising event, all to raise funds for veterans with alcohol and drug problems and the BARN, where one of the organizers found recovery. Find out more on facebook and check out some of the great coverage on local stations here and here. National Hispanic and Latino ATTC The National Hispanic and Latino ATTC recently met with its advisors including (left to right) Faces & Voices board members Marco Jacome and Dona Dmitrovic, Mary Jo Mather, Cynthia Moreno-Tuohy, Viviana Horigian, and Luis García to define strategies to build capacity to address Hispanic and Latino substance abuse treatment service needs. Reel Recovery Film Festival The 5th Annual REEL Recovery Film Festival has issued a call for film submissions for 2013’s multi-day exhibition and recovery symposium showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals. If you, or someone you know has a documentary, music video, short, educational, or feature film dealing with addiction/alcoholism/recovery (behavioral addictions too),  please submit a DVD or internet link for consideration. They welcome films which portray and reveal true experiences, ideologies of all sorts from all cultural and social backgrounds. Mark your calendars for Las Vegas (9/6-9/8/2013), New York City (9/27-10/3/2013), Los Angeles (10/18-10/24/2013) and Ft. Lauderdale (11/1-3/2013)!  America Honors Recovery - Nominations due March 29, 2013 The America Honors Recovery Awards, hosted by Faces & Voices of Recovery and Caron Treatment Centers, recognizes 2013's most influential addiction recovery community leaders and organizations. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate individuals and an organization for their contributions to the growing movement to promote the reality of recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Learn more. The Anonymous People Screening Faces & Voices of Recovery and Congressman Tim Ryan, co-chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus, invite you to join us on April 25, 2013 for a screening of The Anonymous People in Washington, DC. After the showing of the riveting feature documentary about the growing addiction recovery advocacy movement and its history, a Question and Answer session moderated by William Cope Moyers will include filmmaker Greg Williams and other advocates in the film.  Congratulations! to Williams for receiving the 2013 Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery Advocate of the Year award for his work producing The Anonymous People and his other contributions to the addiction recovery movement. Resources Toward a Recovery-focused Knowledge Base for Addiction Professionals and Recovery Support Specialists, is a new monograph by William White and Arthur Evans. Addiction Recovery Communities as Indigenous Cultures: Implications for Professional and Scientific Collaborations, by William White, Arthur Evans, Roland Lamb and Ijeoma Achara-Abrahams looks at recovery mutual aid organizations and other grassroots, non-professional recovery support institutions as indigenous cultures and includes a checklist that can guide professional and scientific collaborations with grassroots recovery support organizations. The Restoration of Rights Project is a tremendous resource of individual downloadable documents that profile the law and practice in each U.S. jurisdiction relating to relief from the collateral consequences of conviction. The 54 jurisdictional profiles include provisions on loss and restoration of civil rights and firearms privileges, legal mechanisms for overcoming or mitigating collateral consequences, and provisions addressing non-discrimination in employment and licensing. In addition to the full profiles, there is a set of charts covering all 50 states (plus territories and the federal system) that provide a side-by-side comparison and make it possible to see national patterns in restoration laws and policies. Health Reform Source from the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation has everything you want to know about your state’s plans for health reform.    By our silence, we let other define us, share this with a friend! Check out our archived eNewsletters by clicking here. Remember to add info@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org to your contact list.     LINKS Website Take Action Donate     FIND US

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Celebrating Families - A program for mothers in treatment/recovery

Good Afternoon!

I am happy to officially announce The Council’s upcoming “Celebrating Families” program for women in recovery and their children (ages 3-18).  Please pass along the attached flyer to anyone you feel would benefit from this amazing and FREE program.  Space is limited!

“Celebrating Families” consists of 13 weekly sessions and includes a FREE family meal.  There will also be lots of giveaways and incentives throughout the program cycle, as well as FREE social activities outside the program sessions.

“Celebrating Families” is a program to help strengthen families and break the cycle of addiction to the next generation.  Some of the topics include: Healthy Living, Communication, Feelings & Defenses, Chemical Dependency Affects the Whole Family, Goal Setting, Healthy Boundaries, and more!

If you have any questions, please contact me any time.

Thank you,

Jessica Schwartz

Community Development Coordinator

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

252 West Swamp Road, Unit 12

Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18901

Phone: (215) 345-6644 ext. 3122

Fax: (215) 348-3377

(800) 221-6333 - 24 Hour Information Line

jschwartz@councilsepa.org

Celebrating Families Flyer Apr-July 2013.pdf 565K   View   Download