Those in Recovery Should Speak Out, Give Hope to Others: Drug Policy Official

By Join Together Staff | April 23, 2014 | 1 Comment | Filed in Addiction &Recovery

People in recovery from substance abuse should speak out and give hope to others in similar situations, according to the Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Michael Botticelli, speaking at a forum in New Haven, noted 23 million Americans are recovery. Only about one in nine people with a substance use disorder receive treatment, he said. Botticelli said stigma and denial about substance abuse are obstacles to treatment, the Associated Press reports.

Botticelli is in long-term recovery from addiction, celebrating more than 24 years of sobriety.

“We know that one of the biggest reasons people don’t ask for help is shame and denial,” he said. “We need to break that silence. We’ve done it with other diseases and we can do it with substance use and we can do it with recovery.”

Music Festival Organizers Plan Greater Security to Prevent Drug-Related Deaths

By Join Together Staff | April 23, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs & Prevention

Organizers of the Electric Zoo music festival say they are planning tighter security this year, after two drug-related deaths occurred at last summer’s event.

The three-day festival, held in New York City over Labor Day weekend, will include drug-sniffing dogs, extensive pat-downs, and undercover officers who have a background in narcotics investigations, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Last year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg canceled the last day of the festival after the deaths occurred.

The festival’s promoters, Mike Bindra and Laura DePalma, said they plan to hold the festival at the same location. They note they have not yet received a site permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation, but added that usually happens later in the year.

If the festival takes place, fans will be required to view an anti-drug public service announcement online in order for their festival wristbands to activate. The event will start later in the day, to reduce exposure to the sun. In addition, the organizers will scrutinize vendors more closely. The festival may place “amnesty bins” at the gates, so fans can drop off illicit substances before they are searched. These bins are used at music festivals in Europe. They were also used last year at a music festival outside Atlanta called TomorrowWorld, which attracted 50,000 fans.

“We don’t want to be finger-wagging,” Mr. Bindra said. “‘Just say no to drugs,’ we can all agree, has been ineffective in the past.”

Last year’s Electric Zoo festival included safety measures such as on-site emergency treatment centers, free bottled water, and periodic safety announcements. After the event, the promoters brought together an advisory board of doctors, security consultants and DJs to prevent future drug-related deaths.

APRIL 23 v 13 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB

Do not withhold correction from a child,

For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

STEP 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 

Children are the key to our future. My daughter just turned eighteen and it took a lot of apologies and long talks to try and fix the damage I caused our relationship . There are times when I get caught up in the could , would , and should haves . My daughter deserved a lot more than what she got . I was so selfish I barely gave her the time of day . Addiction is the worse form of selfishness and it will steal all that is important to you . Growing up I did not get enough correction like the Proverb mentions and what you have is a dysfunctional adult .If you have kids and you are in active addiction I guarantee your kids are going to grow up just like you dysfunctional and out of control. Correcting your children when in active addiction is something you should not exercise because your out of control and your children are mirror image of your behavior . This is the main reason your children don't listen or respect you ,how can they when you are so out of control. The bottom line you gotta work the steps everyday , pray everyday tell your children you have made some mistakes explain to them we can work together we can all get past this terrible part of our lives and begin together to live life the way it is meant to be lived. 

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

By:Joseph Dickerson

Approval of Powdered Alcohol Labels was a Mistake, Government Agency Says

By Join Together Staff | April 22, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Alcohol,Government & Marketing And Media

The approval of labels for a powdered alcohol product called “Palcohol” was a mistake, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) said Monday. Palcohol gained widespread publicity in recent days after it was reported the government agency approved the labels.

A representative for the agency told the Associated Press the approvals for Palcohol’s labels were issued in error. Palcohol’s parent company, Lipsmark, said on its website, “We have been in touch with the TTB and there seemed to be a discrepancy on our fill level, how much powder is in the bag. There was a mutual agreement for us to surrender the labels. This doesn’t mean that Palcohol isn’t approved. It just means that these labels aren’t approved. We will re-submit labels. We don’t have an expected approval date as label approval can vary widely.”

The company says it plans to offer powdered alcohol in six varieties, including rum, vodka, Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita and Lemon Drop. According to the company, a package of Palcohol weighs about an ounce and can fit into a pocket. It warns people not to snort the powder.

Palcohol, when used as directed, by adding five ounces of liquid to it, is equal to a standard mixed drink, according to the company. It will be sold anywhere liquor can be sold, and the buyer must be of legal drinking age to purchase it. “It will be available both in the United States and abroad and it can also be bought online,” the company states on its website.

Children Often Prescribed Potentially Dangerous Codeine in the ER: Study

By Join Together Staff | April 22, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Parenting,Prescription Drugs, Research & Youth

Children treated in the emergency room for pain or coughs are often prescribed codeine, a potentially dangerous opioid, a new study finds.

Organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Chest Physicians recommend against using codeine for coughs or upper respiratory infections in children, according to Reuters.

While codeine prescription rates decreased from 3.7 percent to 2.9 percent between 2001 and 2010, many children still received the drug. Between 559,000 and 877,000 children were prescribed codeine in the emergency room each year during that time, the researchers report in Pediatrics. Codeine can be dangerous because it slows breathing. Up to one-third of people break down the drug much faster than usual, which can lead to an overdose, the article notes. About one-third of children who take codeine have no relief from symptoms, while one in 12 can accumulate toxic amounts of the drug, causing slowed breathing and possible death.

Dr. Alan D. Woolf, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study, told Reuters that parents whose children are prescribed codeine can ask the doctor if there is an alternative treatment. “At Boston’s Children Hospital, we’ve taken it off the formulary so you can no longer easily prescribe it,” he said.

Study author Dr. Sunitha Kaiser of the University of California, San Francisco said codeine prescriptions for children are an issue outside of the ER. “Despite strong evidence against the use of codeine in children, the drug continues to be prescribed to large numbers of them each year,” she said in a news release. “It can be prescribed in any clinical setting, so it is important to decrease codeine prescription to children in other settings such as clinics and hospitals, in addition to emergency rooms.”

She noted ibuprofen is equal to or better than codeine for treating injury pain.

New Clemency Rules Aimed at Inmates Serving Time for Nonviolent Drug Offenses

By Join Together Staff | April 22, 2014 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs &Legal

The Justice Department on Monday announced new clemency criteria, aimed at inmates who are serving time for nonviolent drug offenses. The goal is to reduce the nation’s federal prison population, the Associated Press reports.

Attorney General Eric Holder described the new criteria for evaluating clemency petitions in a video message. The new rules are expected to result in thousands of new clemency applications, he said. Clemency applications take into account the seriousness of the crime, whether the person accepts responsibility for the crime, and their behavior since they were convicted. The Justice Department also considers input from the prosecuting office.

Traditionally, most requests for pardons and sentence commutations have not been granted. President Obama only commuted one sentence during his first term. That would change under the new criteria.

“The White House has indicated it wants to consider additional clemency applications, to restore a degree of justice, fairness and proportionality for deserving individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety,” Holder said. “The Justice Department is committed to recommending as many qualified applicants as possible for reduced sentences.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which advises federal judges, recommended shorter prison sentences for most federal drug trafficking offenders. Up to 70 percent of these offenders would receive shorter prison sentences if the commission’s recommendations are not opposed by Congress.