Register Now! Free Webinar on Synthetic Drugs
Everything You Need to Know About Synthetic/Designer Drugs will air on May 23, 2013 at 1:00 pm EDT. Dr. Bertha Madras, Professor of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School will conduct the webinar and describe the different types of synthetic drugs, their psychoactive effects, toxic effects and case reports. She will also discuss the legal status and newly emerging trends of these drugs. Continuing education credits will be available. For more information and to register for this webinar click here.
Office of National Drug Control Strategy Releases 2013 Drug Control Strategy
In this just released plan by The Office of National Drug Control Policy, the focus is on drug addiction as a disease, it’s prevention and treatment. Their goal is to reduce drug use, drug-related accidents and death. ONDCP will continue to concentrate on the prescription drug abuse epidemic but has broadened its focus to include maternal addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome. The strategy also emphasizes the need for criminal justice reform through the expansion of drug courts and innovative community safety programs.
New Study Confirms Link Between Marijuana Use and Mental Illness
In a newly released study published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, researchers at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found that people with mental illness are seven times more likely to use marijuana weekly than people without a mental illness. It concluded that the use of marijuana can worsen the symptoms of mental illness. The study also found that use rates were elevated for those with bipolar disorder, personality disorder and other substance abuse disorders.
The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice, Vol. 7, Issue 1
The topic of substance abuse is a controversial and complex subject. There are few issues today that cause such stir and/or create such strong, passionate feelings and opinions as do the themes surrounding this topic. Although the science and data can be misinterpreted, few could or would deny the overwhelming scientific and anecdotal evidence that supports the conclusion that drugs negatively impact the mind, body and soul of the abuser, their families and communities.
INCB asks U.S. for “Full Compliance” with International Treaties
The International Narcotics Control Board just released their 2012 annual drug report. Within the report was an appeal to the U.S. government to act to "ensure full compliance with the international drug control treaties on its entire territory.” David Johnson, the U.S. delegate to INCB, said, "The entire international system is based on countries respecting the rules, and there's a broad fabric of international treaties that are part and parcel to that."
Students Taking Action Not Drugs (STAND) Launches Spring Campaign
This spring, STAND partnered with The Locking Cap, a company that manufactures a product for safely securing prescription medications, to produce two excellent prescription drug abuse awareness campaigns. The first campaign portrays the important message of “even one pill can kill” and the second highlights how many more prescription drug abuse deaths there are compared to heroin and cocaine combined. These campaigns are downloadable and available to students at www.studentstakingaction.org. Start your campaign today!