Supreme Court: Police Usually Need Warrant for Blood Alcohol Tests

By Join Together Staff | April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments | Filed in Alcohol & Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that police generally need a search warrant before they order a blood alcohol test for someone suspected of drunk driving.

The case centered on Tyler McNeely, who was pulled over for speeding by a Missouri highway patrolman, and was taken to a hospital. About 25 minutes after McNeely was pulled over, a technician measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.154 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.

The Missouri police in the case argued they should not have to wait for approval to give a blood test, because alcohol dissipates quickly in the bloodstream. Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that argument. It ruled the blood test violated the Fourth Amendment. The court found there were no special circumstances to justify obtaining the blood test so quickly. State high courts in Iowa and Utah also have made similar rulings.

Writing for the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted the natural dissipation of alcohol in the blood is generally not sufficient reason to abandon the requirement that police get a judge’s approval before obtaining a blood sample.

Warrantless blood tests are prohibited in about half the states in most or all suspected drunk driving cases, the Associated Press reports.

June 8 - 14, 2013: Recovery Coach Training From June 8 - 14, 2013, City of Angels will offer Recovery Coach training for anyone interested in serving as a guide or mentor to people in recovery or seeking recovery. This week-long, 30-hour training class is invaluable for anyone living or working with addiction sufferers including counselors, health care professionals, teachers, friends and family.  COA's Recovery Coach training is identical to the training developed by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and upon completion, participants will be certified as a CCAR Recovery Coach.  There is one big difference between the COA and CCAR programs, however: the COA training costs about half the price of the CCAR training. Early registration rates will be in effect for the COA Recovery Coach Academy for a limited time until seats are full, so if you are interested in this program, please register online as soon as you can. The January class was full with 30 participants. For more details about COA Recovery Coach training, or to register, click here. Kevin Meara Interview on Good Samaritan Law On Sunday, April 21 at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm, and Tuesday, April 23 at 11:30 pm, City of Angels Executive Advisory Committee Chairman Kevin Meara will appear on NJTV's Due Process to talk about the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act.  The act, which was vetoed by Governor Christie last October, is designed to help prevent drug overdoses by providing immunity from prosecution for people who seek medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose. Now, many drug users are afraid to call 911 on behalf of a friend or acquaintance for fear of being arrested themselves. At least 10 other states have passed similar legislation and many in the addiction community believe that these laws save lives. As the New Jersey bill overwhelmingly passed in the State Legislature last year and policy research is ongoing, it is possible that the law could still be enacted. If you miss Kevin's appearance on NJTV, you can watch the show online after it airs by clicking here.   Due Process, a production of Rutgers School of Law-Newark and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, is a critically acclaimed weekly series on law and justice issues.  COA Speaking Engagements This month, representatives from COA spoke at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, NJ about drug abuse. On April 8 and 10, Kevin, Redneck, Michelle and John told their stories to several junior health classes and on April 15, they returned to speak to faculty. Because all have lived through drug addiction or the addiction of a loved one, their testimonies hit home: shortly afterward, several students called COA asking for help for themselves or a friend. To educate the public about this disease and recovery resources, COA regularly speaks about addiction at schools, community groups and events. All speaking engagements are free of charge. To inquire about COA speakers, email CityofAngelsNJ@hotmail.com.

Tidbits   COA hosts support group meetings for both addiction sufferers and their families every day of the week at the Dwier Center (392 Church Street, Groveville, NJ). This includes 12-step meetings, a new Thursday night veteran's support group, Saturday night self-injury support group, Sunday night Spirituality Meeting, and the popular Sunday morning family support group, The Breakfast Club. To check out our online calendar, click here.     For directions to the Dwier Center, click here.      The COA website now offers an Addiction News Feed with the latest studies, reports, new and other info on addiction. It's updated in real time with the top 30 articles. To read the feed, click here.  New videos are up on the COA YouTube channel. To watch, click here.      Join COA's Pinterest community! To visit the boards, click here.          Keep current on COA activites - join the COA group on Facebook!  COA news is posted first on Facebook, and this page often has photos not available elsewhere. Click here to visit.   City of Angels NJ, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides many services to addicts and their families including interventions, recovery support, Family Program, counseling services and more. All of our services are provided at no charge.

Camera-Wielding Fireman Fights Drug Crime | The Fix

Camera-Wielding Fireman Fights Drug Crime | The Fix

Almost 70% of Underage Drinking Deaths Not Traffic-Related, MADD Finds

By Join Together Staff | April 18, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol & Youth

An analysis of deaths related to underage alcohol use finds 68 percent are not traffic-related, USA Today reports. The study, by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), found 32 percent of these deaths are traffic-related, 30 percent are homicides, 14 percent are suicides, 9 percent are alcohol poisonings and 15 percent are from other causes.

“These data show that taking away the keys truly does not take away all of the risks when it comes to underage drinking,” MADD National President Jan Withers said in a news release. “MADD hopes this information will inspire parents to have ongoing conversations with their kids about the dangers of drinking alcohol before age 21, especially since we know that a majority of kids say their parents are the biggest influence on their decisions about alcohol.”

MADD released the report in advance of PowerTalk 21 Day on Sunday, April 21, a national day for parents to start talking with their children about alcohol.

Eight New Addiction Medicine Fellowship Programs Accredited

By Join Together Staff | April 17, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Healthcare & Treatment

Eight new addiction medicine fellowship programs have been accredited by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Foundation, bringing the total number of programs to 18, Newswise reports.

Doctors who complete one of these fellowships are eligible to sit for the ABAM exam to become certified in addiction medicine. There are 47 addiction medicine fellowship slots available, although some slots are not yet funded, according to the article.

“These new fellowships will help insure that trained addiction medicine physicians join other addiction professionals in the interdisciplinary care of patients with addictive disorders,” said Jeffrey H. Samet, MD, MA, MPH, President of ABAM and the ABAM Foundation Board of Directors. “This clinical training, coupled with passage of our rigorous examination, will help to provide evidence-based addiction treatment to those who need it.”

The new fellowship programs are located at the Betty Ford Center/Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, California; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut; St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan; St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, California; and Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut.

“Our workforce projections suggest that, by 2020, we will need 50 addiction medicine fellowship training programs with 200 physician slots,” said Richard Blondell, MD, Chair of the Foundation’s Training and Accreditation Committee. “One of the main obstacles to establishing these programs is funding.”

Demand for addiction treatment will expand as the Affordable Care Act adds millions of new patients to the system. Addiction medicine courses are rarely offered in medical school, the article notes.

Millions of New Patients Could Receive Addiction Treatment Under Health Law

By Join Together Staff | April 17, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction, Alcohol, Drugs, Government, Healthcare, Legislation & Treatment

Between 3 million and 5 million new patients could soon receive addiction treatment under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Associated Press. The change will have a major impact on treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

Currently only 1 cent of every health care dollar in the United States is dedicated to addiction treatment, the AP reports. Approximately 10 percent of the 23 million Americans with drug and alcohol problems receive treatment, government figures indicate. Until now, a major reason for the large number of people not receiving treatment has been a lack of health insurance.

Under healthcare reform, millions of people will become eligible for insurance coverage starting in January. The number of people seeking addiction treatment could double, the article notes.

“There is no illness currently being treated that will be more affected by the Affordable Care Act than addiction,” Tom McLellan, CEO of the nonprofit Treatment Research Institute, told the AP. “That’s because we have a system of treatment that was built for a time when they didn’t understand that addiction was an illness.”

The change may overwhelm many treatment facilities. In more than two-thirds of states, treatment clinics are at 100 percent capacity or will reach that mark soon. The arrival of many new patients could lead to waiting lists of months or longer, according to treatment agencies. Many of them have been shrinking in recent years due to government budget cuts.

The federal government is urging states to expand their Medicaid programs. If 20 states do so, an additional 3.8 million patients with addiction problems would receive insurance, the AP notes. If almost all of the states expanded their Medicaid program, that number could reach 5.5 million. The law also designates addiction treatment as an “essential health benefit” for most commercial health plans.