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Friday, April 25, 2014

ATOD & Advocacy Recap - Week ending April 25, 2014



Making sense of reefer madness in Colorado - Part II
The lines no longer extend outside marijuana shop doors in Colorado as they did in the first few days of January, and the numerous marijuana medical and retail shops throughout the Denver metro area now sit relatively modest and inconspicuous. Except, that is, for their typical green signage and amusing names such as The Grove, Premium Weed, Kindman Dispensary, Denver Relief, Natural Remedies, Kind Love, The Releaf Center, The Kind Room, Pink House Mile High, Herb’s Nest, Sacred Seed, Good Chemistry, Colorado Denver Kush Club, and, my personal favorite name, Starbuds. Please click here to continue reading.

Solving a challenge to 'one day at a time'
“One day at a time” is a slogan of recovery synonymous with the 12-Step path. Those who enter 12-Step treatment or meeting culture are likely to hear it at their first exposure, and even people outside the 12-Step sphere are familiar with the term. Movies such as “28 Days,” where Sandra Bullock’s recovering character Gwen protests, “What, like two or three days at a time is an option!”, and other pop culture references have made “one day at a time” more than just a 12-Step phenomenon. As a counselor and a recovering woman, I do not challenge the relevance of now-centered living and staying in today. My concern involves the irresponsibility of throwing this slogan at newly recovering people as an instant solution without helping them learn how to live one day at a time. Please click here to continue reading.

If We Build It, Will They Come? Drug Treatment and the Affordable Care Act
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Congress has provided us with a historic opportunity to reduce the demand for illegal drugs. The law requires health insurance companies, Medicaid and Medicare, to cover treatment for substance abuse disorders. It will make drug treatment more available than ever before. The U.S. government estimates that illicit drug use costs more than $193 billion annually in crime, health care and loss of income. More effective treatment will likely save money as well as lives. The question is, will greater availability of drug treatment bring more problematic drug users into treatment? If we build it, will they come? Please click here to continue reading.

Powdered Alcohol Is Real, Dumb, and Coming To a Liquor Store Near You
Well, this sure is a terrible idea. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has reportedly approved a forthcoming product called Palcohol, an alcoholic powder that comes in flavors including Cosmopolitan and Kamikaze. We can practically hear the chorus of stomach pumps now. Please click here to continue reading.

The follow-up: Powdered alcohol approval was an error
Don't expect powdered alcohol to hit store shelves anytime soon. A product called "Palcohol" gained widespread attention online in recent days after it was reported that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the powdered alcohol, including vodka and rum varieties. But a representative for the federal bureau, Tom Hogue, said in an email to The Associated Press late Monday that the approvals were issued in error. Please click here to continue reading.

Muscle weakness seen in alcoholism linked to mitochondrial repair issues
Muscle weakness from long-term alcoholism may stem from an inability of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, to self-repair, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Please click here to continue reading.

A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you and abstaining is worse than drinking, scientist claims
The recommended daily allowance for alcohol consumption in Britain may well be around the size of a medium to large glass of wine depending on your gender, but a leading scientist in the field has claimed drinking just over a bottle a day would do no harm to your health. Former World Health Organization alcohol expert Dr. Kari Poikolainen has analyzed decades of research into the effects of alcohol on the human body, The Daily Mail reports. Please click here to continue reading.

Inside a Christian Pot Shop - This Sacramento pot shop sells weed-infused lollipops while spreading the gospel
God told Moses to go down the mountain. He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And, according to Bryan Davies, he made another commandment to a California couple circa 2005: “Open up a pot shop.” Please click here to continue reading.

ER trips for kids' pain and coughs often end with codeine
Despite recommendations against the use of codeine in children, a new study found many emergency room doctors still give the potentially dangerous opioid to kids, such as for pain and coughs. Please click here to continue reading.

Justice Dept. Broadening Criteria for Clemency
The Justice Department is broadening the criteria it will use in evaluating clemency petitions from certain federal prisoners and expects the changes to result in thousands of new applications, Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday. The new criteria, which will be detailed later this week and are aimed at inmates serving time for nonviolent drug offenses, are intended to lead to a reduction in the nation's federal prison population and also to "ensure that those who have paid their debts have a chance to become productive citizens," Holder said in a video message. Please click here to continue reading.

Here Are All the Drugs Americans Want To Legalize
A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, polls now show. But that's where support for drug legalization ends. A series of HuffPost/YouGov surveys conducted over the past several months found that few Americans want to repeal the laws against any other illegal drug. Please click here to continue reading.

Drink, drank, drunk: Dangers and prevention concerning the nectar of the gods
If Jesus turned water into wine, I say drink it, along with the holy spirits, and hell, beer too. Your drink says a lot about you, and it affects your health obviously, so there are a few things to consider before you make a liquor store run or take out cash for the bar. The first — are you 21 years old? Please click here to continue reading.

FDA Advisers Vote Against Approving New Opioid Painkiller
A key government panel Tuesday voted unanimously against approval of a powerful opioid prescription painkiller intended to provide faster relief with fewer side effects. At the conclusion of a hearing, the Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted 14-0 against recommending that the agency approve Moxduo, the first drug to combine morphine and oxycodone into one capsule. The committee also voted unanimously that the drug's developer had not proved that Moxduo is less likely to cause potentially life-threatening respiratory suppression than taking morphine or oxycodone alone. Please click here to continue reading.

The Drinking Age Is Past Its Prime
The age-21 rule sets the U.S. apart from all advanced Western nations, and it has pushed kids toward pills and other antisocial behavior
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed by Congress 30 years ago this July, is a gross violation of civil liberties and must be repealed. It is absurd and unjust that young Americans can vote, marry, enter contracts and serve in the military at 18 but cannot buy an alcoholic drink in a bar or restaurant. The age-21 rule sets the U.S. apart from all advanced Western nations and lumps it with small or repressive countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Please click here to continue reading.

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