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Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Marijuana-Infused Snacks Alarm Parents, Schools and Some Doctors
By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed inCommunity Related, Drugs & Youth
Parents, schools and some doctors are voicing concern about children’s access to marijuana-laced snacks, which are becoming increasingly popular in states where recreational or medical marijuana is legal.
In Colorado, where recreational marijuana for adults ages 21 and older is now legal, marijuana-laced snacks are becoming a booming business, according to The New York Times. Products include chocolate-peppermint Mile High Bars and peanut butter candies infused with hash oil, the article notes.
Retailers say the products are popular with customers who want to experience the effects of marijuana without smoking and coughing. Critics say the snacks are ending up in the hands of teens who want to get high discreetly, or children who don’t know they contain marijuana. They note products can contain large concentrations of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Colorado has ordered stores to sell marijuana-infused snacks with child-resistant packaging, and has banned labels designed to appeal to children.
In a study published in May 2013, researchers at Colorado Children’s Hospital reported they treated 14 children who ingested marijuana, half of whom ate marijuana-laced foods. Symptoms, most of which were mild, included unusual drowsiness and unsteady walking. One 5-year-old boy had trouble breathing. Eight children were hospitalized, and two were treated in the intensive care unit. All of the children recovered within a few days. The study was conducted after medical marijuana became legal in Colorado, but before the state legalized recreational marijuana.
Fewer Teens Abusing Prescription Painkillers: Report
By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Drugs,Tobacco, Young Adults & YouthA new government report finds fewer teens are abusing prescription painkillers or smoking. According to the report, 8.7 percent of teens and 9.8 percent of young adults abused prescription painkillers in 2011, down from 9.2 percent of teens and 12 percent of young adults in 2007.
The National Behavior Health Barometer report found 6.6 percent of teens smoked cigarettes in 2012, down from 9.2 percent in 2008, according to USA Today. The report found 9.5 percent of teens used any illicit drug in 2012, about the same as in 2008. There was an increase in the number of people enrolled in substance use treatment in a single-day count, from 1.19 million in 2008, to 1.25 million in 2012.
The number of teens suffering from major depression rose, from 8.3 percent in 2008, to 9.1 percent in 2012. Only one-third of those teens received treatment in either year.
The number of people receiving buprenorphine treatment for heroin addiction jumped 400 percent from 2006 to 2010, the report found. The number of people receiving outpatient behavioral health treatment through Medicare rose by more than 30 percent from 2006 to 2010, the article notes.
Cheap Heroin Abundant in New York, Officials Say in Wake of Hoffman’s Death
By Join Together Staff | February 4, 2014 | 2 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Drugs & Prescription Drugs
Cheap heroin is easy to find in New York City, according to law enforcement officials who spoke after actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead with dozens of packages of heroin in his apartment.
The packages can sell for as little as $6 on the street, The New York Times reports. Some of the packages were branded with purple letters spelling out Ace of Spades, while others bore the mark of an ace of hearts, the article notes. At least five of the packages were empty and in the trash.
Heroin-related deaths rose 84 percent in New York City from 2010 to 2012.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials say heroin seizures in New York state are up 67 percent over the last four years. In 2013, the agency’s New York office accounted for nearly 20 percent of DEA seizures nationwide, with a value of approximately $43 million. During a raid last week in the Bronx before the Super Bowl, 33 pounds of heroin were found, along with hundreds of thousands of branded bags, some of them stamped “N.F.L.” Heroin bags are often named for popular celebrities or luxury products, such as Lady Gaga or Gucci.
People using heroin in New York and around the country are increasingly young and middle class. Many of them started abusing prescription painkillers before moving on to heroin.
Earlier this month, the DEA joined an investigation into the source of a batch of heroin that killed 22 people in western Pennsylvania. The heroin involved in some of the deaths contained the synthetic opiate fentanyl, often used during surgery.
Heroin containing fentanyl has also begun to appear in New York City, according to Kati Cornell, a spokeswoman for Bridget G. Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor for the city.
Photo source: Georges Biard [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Hello Recovery Heroes!
The International Quit & Recovery Registry, a project sponsored by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, is pleased to announce the grand opening of our new interactive website! Our mission is to further scientific understanding of recovery and encourage those struggling with addiction. After receiving input from our current registrants, we have improved our website and released a new assessment. This assessment is now ready for you, our recovery heroes, to complete! Follow the link below to our new site and create a member account to complete the new assessment (The Gemstone Series 1: Garnet Assessment) and check out all of the new features, including recent news articles, discussion forums, and profile pages. You must have a member account to complete the assessments. This account can remain private or allow you to engage in social interactions with other members of the Registry - Your choice! Thank you for helping us tackle the mysteries and challenges of addiction!
https://quitandrecovery.org/register/?email=recoveryfriends@gmail.com
Looking forward to working with you!
The International Quit & Recovery Registry Research Team
https://www.quitandrecovery.org
Free Community Seminars
Presented by
Livengrin's Family Services Department
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Continue learning and being part of recovery at February's free monthly seminar held at:
Livengrin Counseling Center -- Oxford Valley
195 Bristol-Oxford Valley Road
Langhorne, PA 19047 ~ 215-638-5266
Monday, February 10, 2014: Stages of Chemical Dependency
by Susan O'Donnell, LPN, MHS
6 PM -- 8 PM
**Snow Date: Monday, February 17, 2014**
Seating is limited -- these sessions often fill up so please register as soon as possible.
To register for the sessions or for more information,
call Dana Cohen, Family Therapist -- 215.638.5200 x162
Ample free parking is available!
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