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Monday, June 3, 2013

ATOD and Advocacy Update - Week-Ending May 31, 2013



House panel approves drug-tracking bill
A House panel on Wednesday advanced legislation along party lines to increase the tracking of prescription drugs. The Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013 requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to propose new rules to keep consumers safe from counterfeit prescriptions, but stops short of forcing regulators to finalize those rules. Lawmakers voted down an amendment from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) that would have required the development and implementation of an electronic unit-level tracking system for drugs within 10 years. The system would not allow criminals to insert fake medications into the supply system because each individual prescription would have a marker. Read more here.


The Link Between Stress and Alcohol
Today, more and more servicemen and women are leaving active duty and returning to civilian life. That transition can be difficult. The stresses associated with military service are not easily shed. But dealing with stress is not limited to recent Veterans. A new job, a death in the family, moving across the country, a breakup, or getting married—all are situations that can result in psychological and physical symptoms collectively known as “stress.” Continue reading here (and also download the report).


What the Kids Are Watching: Fewer Tobacco Ads, But More Alcohol Ads in Movies
Teens may be seeing more drinking on screen, but will that lead them to have more problems with alcohol? In a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, scientists studied the placement and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco products in 1,400 films that were among the top 100 box-office hits in the U.S. between 1996 and 2009. According to the researchers, smoking and the appearance of tobacco products dropped during that period, by 42.3% in youth rated movies and by 85.4% in adult rated movies, while the appearance of alcohol increased. Read more.


Teens Mix Prescription Opioids with Other Substances
Abusing prescription opioid pain relievers is a major problem among young people, and a new study shows users are combining those drugs with other substances. Click here to read the full report.

Many Arrested Men Use Illegal Drugs But Don’t Receive Treatment
A study of men arrested in five major U.S. cities finds more than 60 percent use illegal drugs, but most do not receive treatment. The report found positive drug test results among arrested men range from 62 percent in Atlanta to 86 percent in Chicago, USA Today reports. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), 70 percent had never been in any form of drug or alcohol treatment. The 2012 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Annual Report, included data from 1,736 men in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York and Sacramento, who were drug tested within 48 hours of their arrest. Marijuana was the mostly commonly used drug among arrested men, showing up in more than half of drug tests, the report found. In Sacramento, 40 percent of men tested positive for methamphetamine, while fewer than 1 percent of men in Chicago, New York and Atlanta tested positive for the drug. In Denver, 13 percent tested positive for meth. Positive tests for opiates, including heroin and painkillers such as oxycodone, increased in Denver in Sacramento, but decreased in Chicago and New York. ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske said the report shows criminal justice reform is needed. The report “confirms an urgent need to support policy reform outlined in the Obama Administration’s new drug policy strategy, which emphasizes prevention, treatment, and ‘smart on crime’ policies that break the vicious cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration in America,” he said in a statement.


Trends in Prescription Drug Abuse: 'Bridging Medications'
The epidemic of unintended prescription drug overdoses continues to spread across the United States. The medications being abused and misused in these tragic events are often opioids and benzodiazepines. A lesser known phenomenon involves use of other prescription medications to minimize physiologic withdrawal until individuals can obtain their next "chemical high" with their drug of choice. This practice is commonly referred to as "bridging." Recognizing bridging behaviors may help clinicians identify patients with the disease of addiction or potential medication adverse effects. More here.

Research highlights the increasing problem of prescription drug abuse among youth
Young people are increasingly turning to prescription drugs to get high. Research out of the University of Cincinnati sheds new light on what could increase or lower that risk. The research by Keith King, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion; Rebecca Vidourek, a UC assistant professor of health promotion; and Ashley Merianos, a graduate assistant in health promotion, is published in the current issue of the Journal of Primary Prevention. The study focused on more than 54,000 7th- through 12th - grade students in schools across Greater Cincinnati, including the Tristate regions of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The data was collected by the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati as part of the 2009-2010 Pride Survey on adolescent drug use in America. A total of 13.7 percent of the students reported using prescription drugs – without a doctor's prescription – in their lifetime. Males were more likely to abuse prescription drugs, as well as high school students, versus junior high school students. Among ethnicities studied, Hispanic students indicated they were more likely to use nonmedical prescription drugs compared with white and African-American students. Read more here.


Study Finds Movies Feature More Alcohol and Less Tobacco
Depictions of drinking alcohol in movies increased between 1996 and 2009, while smoking scenes decreased, according to a new study. Researchers studied the placement and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco products in 1,400 movies during that period. Smoking and tobacco products decreased 42.3 percent in youth-rated movies, and 85.4 percent in adult-rated movies during that time frame. In contrast, alcohol brand product placement in youth-rated movies increased from 80 to 145 per year, an increase of 5.2 appearances annually. The researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics that the decrease in smoking in movies can be attributed to the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, which required tobacco companies to change their marketing practices and to fund anti-smoking advocacy organizations. Experts disagree about how much alcohol and tobacco scenes in movies influence young people’s behavior, Time.com reports. Some point out it often isn’t known whether teens start drinking or smoking before or after seeing particular movies. A study published last year found watching movies with scenes that feature alcohol consumption doubles the likelihood that teens will start drinking alcohol. The two-year study of more than 6,500 American kids, ages 10 to 14, also found that teens who are exposed to alcohol-fueled movies are more likely to progress to binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row). A second study published last year, which included more than 16,000 European teens, suggested the amount of drinking children and teens see in movies may influence their own drinking habits.


Taking ADHD Drugs in Childhood Does Not Affect Later Substance Abuse Risk: Study
Taking medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood does not affect the risk of substance abuse later in life, according to a new study. Earlier research indicated children who took ADHD drugs had a reduced risk of substance abuse, The New York Times reports. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, reviewed 15 previous studies on ADHD medication use in childhood and later risk of substance abuse. They published their results in JAMA Psychiatry. Almost one in five boys of high school age, and 11 percent of school-age children overall, have received a medical diagnosis of ADHD in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 to 17 had received an ADHD diagnosis at some point. This represents a 16 percent increase since 2007, and a 53 percent increase in the past 10 years. Study Senior Author Steve S. Lee said his team only knew whether a child had ever taken ADHD medication, but not how old they were when they took it, which medication they took, or how long they used it. He said it is possible that some subgroups of these children might have lower or higher risk of substance abuse later in life. “For any particular child, parents should consult with the prescribing physician about potential side effects and long-term risks,” Lee said in a news release. “Saying that all parents need not be concerned about the use of stimulant medication for their children is an overstatement; parents should have the conversation with the physician. As with other medications, there are potential side effects, and the patient should be carefully evaluated to, for example, determine the proper dosage.”

73 New Synthetic Drugs Detected in Europe Last Year, Agency Announces
Last year 73 new synthetic drugs were detected in Europe, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMDCCA). Of these drugs, 30 were variations of synthetic marijuana. “These products, which can be extremely potent, have now been reported in virtually all European countries,” according to the agency’s annual report. The BBC notes the agency detected 49 new drugs in 2011. An estimated 85 million adults—one quarter of Europe’s adult population—have used an illicit drug, the report found. Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, said in a news release, “The new drugs phenomenon is now recognized to be a global issue and a globalized market, which makes it particularly difficult to control. The report shows that organized crime is involved in the production of new drugs, a rapidly developing and expanding market with low risks and high profits.” In a study conducted with Europol, the EMCDDA found synthetic drugs are often imported in bulk from China and India for processing and packaging. The annual report noted there are fewer new users of heroin, and less marijuana and cocaine use in some countries. The agency called for more long-term support for substance abuse treatment.

New medicine offers hope for some addicts
There is no magic pill to cure addiction. There is no one answer, no one-size-fits-all solution to opiate addiction. But medical breakthroughs are saving lives, offering answers to people who thought they’d run out of choices, of places to go, of methods to try. Continue reading here.

The most embarrassing graph in American drug policy
When it comes to drugs, it’s all about prices. The ability to raise prices is– at least is perceived to be–a critical function of drug control policy. Higher prices discourage young people from using. Higher prices encourage adult users to consume less, to quit sooner, or to seek treatment. (Though higher prices can bring short-term problems, too, as drug users turn to crime to finance their increasingly unaffordable habit.) An enormous law enforcement effort seeks to raise prices at every point in the supply chain from farmers to end-users: Eradicating coca crops in source countries, hindering access to chemicals required for drug production, interdicting smuggling routes internationally and within our borders, street-level police actions against local dealers. That’s why this may be the most embarrassing graph in the history of drug control policy. (I’m grateful to Peter Reuter, Jonathan Caulkins, and Sarah Chandler for their willingness to share this figure from their work.) Law enforcement strategies have utterly failed to even maintain street prices of the key illicit substances. Street drug prices in the below figure fell by roughly a factor of five between 1980 and 2008. Meanwhile the number of drug offenders locked up in our jails and prisons went from fewer than 42,000 in 1980 to a peak of 562,000 in 2007. Rest of this article is here.

When a Committee Isn't Enough
California State University at Chico has had seven alcohol-related deaths since fall of 2012. But when it comes to risk reduction, the institution has realized there is strength in numbers -- and from diverse angles. That's consistently been the case for more than a dozen state universities in California that have reduced rates of alcohol-related incidents in large part by partnering student health staff with scores of seemingly unrelated but immensely helpful groups, both on campus and off. Continue here.

Move over tequila, here comes Chinese firewater
Chinese baijiu, a flammable, pungent white liquor averaging a 110-proof wallop, is the world's most consumed form of liquor thanks to its popularity in China, but for the first time distillers are looking to develop export markets. According to data from International Wine & Spirit Research, Chinese people drank over 11 billion liters of baijiu in 2012; the spirit, distilled from sorghum, wheat or rice, accounted for more than one-third of all spirits consumed in the world. Read more here.


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