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Friday, October 3, 2014

Weekly ATOD & Advocacy Recap week ending October 3, 2014



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DEA needs to ban 250 chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana, Schumer says
Sen. Charles Schumer says the federal Drug Enforcement Agency needs to speed up its fight against synthetic marijuana. The Democrat says Sunday that he's urging the agency to use its existing authority to ban more than 250 chemicals used in the synthetic drugs. More of this story here.

PCMA: How Congress Can Fight Prescription Drug Fraud and Abuse
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt today outlined policy solutions that could reduce prescription fraud and abuse in Medicare Part D at a Capitol Hill briefing, "Prescription Opioid Abuse: Fighting Back on Many Fronts," sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and PCMA. More of this story here.

Colleges help vulnerable students caught in ‘Red Zone’
Add training programs to keep the first weeks of college safer
College administrators call it the Red Zone: The weeks between Labor Day and Thanksgiving when college students are believed to be most at risk of sexual assault. It is also a period when students are more prone to accidental injury and alcohol poisoning, experts say. More of this story here.

When men drink, their smiles get more ‘contagious’
When bros share brews, they also start sharing smiles, according to a new study published in Clinical Psychological Science. That could explain why men are much more likely to drink in excess than women are -- they just have more fun. More of this story here.

Researchers Identify Brain Changes in Alcohol-Related Sleep Disturbances
Chronic alcohol exposure can lead to disruptions in the sleep cycle.
Drinking too much can make you “pass out” or ease into sleep faster, but we all know the truth: Drunk sleep is the worst. More of this story here.

Instagram has a drug problem
Instagram has ushered in a golden age for the drug trade.
You read that correctly: Thousands of accounts — perhaps many more — are currently selling marijuana, prescription pills, ecstasy, and other narcotics in the Internet equivalent of an open-air drug market. It operates like the notorious Silk Road (a marketplace for anonymous, and often illicit, trade) — except it’s a thousand times more user-friendly, and it hasn’t been shut down. More of this story here.

Is Drug Addiction Genetic?
In the new Vanity Fair cover story, Robert Downey Jr. talks about his struggles with drugs and his concern that he may have passed on an addictive personality to his son (his oldest child, Indio, was arrested for cocaine possession this summer and recently entered a guilty plea). More of this story here.

Tobacco Use and Mental Illness: A Wake-Up Call for Psychiatrists
Tobacco use results in numerous consequences for individuals with mental illnesses and other substance use disorders, yet it is not adequately addressed by behavioral health professionals, including psychiatrists. More of this story here.

When transit agencies run short on cash, should they sell alcohol ads to get it?
The public transit agency in Atlanta is running a pilot program this year to test one potential source of new revenue for the cash-strapped system: ads inside train stations and on buses and trains for alcohol. More of this story here.

An alcohol treatment that lets people drink
Earlier this year, Jane decided she was drinking too much. She would have a couple of brandies at noon and up to three glasses of wine at night. Her drinking wasn't causing problems with her husband. But Jane, 69, was disappointed with herself and worried about her health. More of this story here.

Public Feels More Negative Toward People with Drug Addiction Than Those with Mental Illness
People are significantly more likely to have negative attitudes toward those suffering from drug addiction than those with mental illness, and don’t support insurance, housing, and employment policies that benefit those dependent on drugs, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. More of this story here.

Catholic Colleges Are Working to Address Binge Drinking on Campus
Binge drinking is a problem on college and university campuses around the country, and a recent Arlington Catholic Herald article discusses what some Catholic colleges are doing to remedy the situation.  Two of the campuses featured in the article—Christendom College and The Catholic University of America—are also recommended in The Newman Guide, which includes a section describing campus policies for promoting the virtue of sobriety. More of this story here.

What Happens to Patients When Mental Health Clinics Close?
It's hard to find definitive answers, but experts shared three common scenarios. More of this story here.

Banning Frats?
Wesleyan University announced that its fraternities would have to go coeducational amid a push from students and faculty members who say that fraternities encourage sexism and mistreatment of women. Clemson University suspended all fraternity activity following a member's fatal plunge from a bridge. More of this story here.



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