New Jersey TV Stations Air First Medical Marijuana Ad

By Join Together Staff | March 5, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs & Marketing And Media

Some TV stations in New Jersey aired the first medical marijuana ad this week.

The ad, which aired on Comcast stations, compares medical marijuana to sushi, ABC News reports. An actor who plays a dealer says, “Yo, you want sushi? I got sushi. I got the best sushi.” He opens his coat to reveal it is lined with sushi. “Ain’t nobody sellin’ but me.” At the end of the ad, a woman’s voice says, “You wouldn’t buy your sushi from this guy, so why would you buy your marijuana from him?”

The ad was created by MarijuanaDoctors.com, which works in states with legalized medical marijuana to connect patients with doctors who will prescribe it. Currently 20 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted medical marijuana laws.

“We felt the viewing public would agree that in the states providing safe access, continuing to obtain medicine illegally is as absurd as purchasing raw fish from a drug dealer,” Jason Draizin, founder and CEO of MarijuanaDoctors.com, said in a news release.

According to Comcast spokeswoman Melissa Kennedy, the ads will only air in states where medical marijuana is legal, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. It will not run during children’s and family programming, she said.

New Products Similar to E-Cigarettes are Attracting Teens

By Join Together Staff | March 5, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Marketing And Media, Tobacco, Young Adults & Youth


A growing number of teens are starting to use devices that are similar to e-cigarettes, with names such as “hookah pens,” “e-hookahs” or “vape pens.” The devices are being marketed to avoid the stigma associated with smoking any kind of cigarette, The New York Times reports.

The new devices are colorful and come in candy flavors, but are otherwise almost identical to e-cigarettes, according to the article. Like e-cigarettes, they have nicotine and other chemicals, which are unregulated.

Health officials say surveys about e-cigarette use generally don’t ask about these other products, so they may be greatly underestimating how many people are using e-cigarettes and similar devices. They say teens appear to view e-cigarettes and e-hookahs as being different products, even though they are basically the same. Many young people say they are not interested in using e-cigarettes, but have tried hookah pens, vape pens or e-hookahs.

Emily Anne McDonald of the University of California, San Francisco, who is studying e-cigarette use among young people, told the newspaper that the lack of information about nicotine-vapor products was creating a vacuum “so that young adults are getting information from marketing and from each other. We need to understand what people are calling these before we send out large surveys,” she said. Otherwise the responses are not accurate, “and then you’re back to the beginning.”

Critics of e-cigarettes say secondhand vapor is a pollutant, and e-cigarettes can get more people addicted to nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon propose rules on regulating e-cigarettes. The FDA is expected to consider e-cigarettes as tobacco products, which will allow the agency to provide the same federal oversight that applies to cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigarette tobacco, and roll-your-own tobacco. E-cigarettes could be subjected to the same requirements for disclosure of ingredients, manufacturing quality and restrictions on sales to minors that apply to regular cigarettes.

Photo source: www.hookahpencentral.com

Rx Summit Focuses on National Collaboration

By Dan Smoot | March 5, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Advocacy, Community Related, Healthcare & Prescription Drugs


Statistics continue to paint a stark reminder about the devastating impact of prescription (Rx) drug abuse and diversion.

Hydrocodone and other opioid analgesics were involved in about three of every four pharmaceutical overdose deaths in 2010, according to a February 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Trust For America’s Health, every day in the United States, 50 people die from an overdose of prescription drugs.

This is unacceptable.

Two years ago, Operation UNITE recognized that many good, successful initiatives were being implemented across the United States, but there was a lack of coordination, some duplication of efforts and many folks just not knowing where to turn to try and impact the problem.

So, in 2012, we launched the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit to spark a conversation among this country’s top legislators, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, treatment providers, law enforcement personnel, insurance payers, researchers and community advocates. We were overwhelmed with the response. Last year nearly 900 individuals from 49 states, the District of Columbia and two other countries shared their latest findings and strategies to bring solutions to the Rx drug abuse epidemic.

We have witnessed substance abuse problems spread from community to community, seemingly unabated. The Rx Summit is helping to meet challenges head-on through an unprecedented collaboration. We’re still far from declaring victory, but multi-disciplinary discussions are yielding results at all levels.

I am proud to be a part of the effort to help guide this national discussion. You, too, can let your voice be heard by participating in the third annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, to be held April 22-24, 2014, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Once again our National Advisory Board has assembled an exceptional line up featuring more than 100 presenters, and we will be offering an opportunity to receive approximately 20 continuing education credits for your time.

How impactful is the Rx Drug Abuse in addressing this issue?

It’s so important that five of our nation’s top leaders will provide keynote addresses: Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Michael Botticelli, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); and Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, Matthew Perry, an Emmy-nominated actor and recovering addict, will drive home the point that substance abuse can happen to anyone, and that it is possible to overcome the disease of addiction.

Other highlights of the 2014 Summit include:

• Thirty-five breakout sessions grouped into educational tracks – Third-Party Payer, Education & Advocacy, Treatment, Pharmacy, Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), Clinical, and Law Enforcement. These sessions, led by frontline professionals, are tailored to provide you, the stakeholders, timely and relevant information and equip your organizations with the data, evidence and programs they need to maximize resources.

• Three special panel discussions featuring: 1) members of the bi-partisan U.S. House Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, 2) state governors and 3) state attorneys general. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn what is being done at the state and federal levels – and how you can impact legislative changes.

• Eleven vision sessions offering in-depth examination of innovative programs and strategies from organizations and businesses deeply involved in the fight against Rx abuse and diversion. You will learn firsthand what is being done NOW and what tools can be brought to bear in your efforts.

Where else can you find so many thought leaders gathered together to share their insights – and listen to YOUR perspective?

Let your voice be heard. Join the more than 1,000 expected Summit attendees sharing timely data about the prescription drug abuse crisis as we formulate impactful solutions at the local, state and national levels. Together we can make a lasting impact.

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. Questions may be directed to Cheryl Keaton at 606-657-3218606-657-3218 or ckeaton@centertech.com.

Dan Smoot
President/CEO
Operation Unite

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February 5 v 21 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB 

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,

examining every path he takes.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

God already knows everything about you. He knows your struggles and pain .God does not want you to continue to suffer , He has a good life planned for you but you are going have to commit step three and get out of the way . Dont let shame and fear get in the way or you will stay trapped right where you are . A brother told me once , I have tried everything else I might as well try God . He did and discovered , God did loved him for who he was . My brother Clark also discovered Sobriety ,sanity , peace , love , joy ,forgiveness , dignity and integrity .So what are you waiting for get to stepping !

Heroin Addicts Seeking Treatment Face Insurance Roadblocks

By Join Together Staff | February 18, 2014 | 8 Comments | Filed in Addiction,Drugs, Healthcare, Insurance & Treatment

As heroin use escalates across the U.S., addicts and their loved ones who are seeking treatment face a lack of services and strict constraints placed by insurance companies, according to health care and addiction professionals.

Specialists say before insurance companies agree to cover inpatient services they require evidence that the addicted patient has tried one or more outpatient programs. Some insurance companies also demand proof that the individual has little or no outside support network, has already failed at a less expensive treatment facility or has a health condition that makes treatment a medical necessity, the Courier Post Reports.

The demand for treatment is also quickly outpacing the available supply for help, often leaving those who are struggling with a heroin addiction without the services they need to be on a path to recovery.

A study released late last year by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that while use of other drugs like methamphetamine is decreasing, heroin use continues to rise across the nation.

MARCH 4 v 23 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

diligence - careful and persistent work or effort.

STEP 4. I will take a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.

Step four will unlock a door ! The Proverb is telling us that our hearts contain the issues of life !Could it be that the treatment realm could be missing the mark . Addiction treatment puts all of our focus on the mind and head. Think about that for a moment ! We label everything ,narcissistic , bi -polar , schizo and the list goes on .Have you ever heard a counselor say your addiction is a by product of a broken heart. Fix your heart and the head will follow. I think this is why the Christian recovery approach is so successful . As Christians we are taught that issues of life flow from the heart including all that is wicked . In order to properly clean a heart out we need to invite Jesus in to the heart . Gods only son who died for us and paid the penalty for our sins. Secular treatment labels you and in some cases give you more drugs. As Christians the only medicine we give is love acceptance and support . Before you commit step four ask Jesus in to your heart ,He will help you deal with what you are gonna dig up. Step four for me brought much pain and it was difficult but in the end buried underneath all that pain , guilt , shame , fear , sadness , anger and regrets was peace love and inexpressible joy. 

Jesus said I am the truth , the life , the way , no comes unto the father but through me.