From nllaite2 at myfairpoint.net Mon Feb 2 13:18:17 2009 From: nllaite2 at myfairpoint.net (Nancy L. Laite) Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:18:17 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] PLease add me to your list. Use email address: nllaite2@myfairpoint.net Thank you. Message-ID: <006901c98562$9ffe1d50$dffa57f0$@net> Nancy L. Laite, Program Specialist ~Tobacco, Physical Activity, Nutrition, & Chronic Disease ~ Knox County Community Health Coalition (KCCHC)* A Healthy Maine Partnership P.O. Box 1336, Rockland, ME 04841 ~ Phone: (207) 594-5440 *KCCHC - Community Outreach, Penobscot Bay YMCA Email: nllaite2 at myfairpoint.net Take the smoke-free pledge by visiting http://www.smokefreeforme.org/pledge Public Health - "The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community effort" - Winslow, 1920. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Tue Feb 3 07:17:20 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:17:20 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD30512998B@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org Teens Frequently Mention Risky Behaviors on Social Networking Sites http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=2086 About half of teens reference substance use or other risky behaviors on social networking Web sites, such as MySpace, a recent study found. The study was published in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. A related study notes that developing online interventions using these social networking venues may be a cost effective way to reduce risky behaviors. Learn how to use social networking sites for prevention and intervention efforts during two workshops at CADCA?s upcoming National Leadership Forum XIX . More than 90 percent of adolescents have Internet access and about half use social networking sites, according to background information in the articles. Researchers note that displaying information related to sex, substance use, violence and other behaviors in a public venue can pose serious risks for young people. For instance, displaying such information may attract unwanted attention from sexual predators or jeopardize future employment prospects. To determine the prevalence of risky references, Megan A. Moreno, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.P.H., then of the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute, Seattle, and now of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and colleagues analyzed the content of 500 publicly available profiles between July and September 2007. All of the profile owners reported being 18 years old and living in the United States. A total of 270 (54 percent) of the profiles contained references to risky behaviors, including 120 (24 percent) that mentioned sexual behaviors, 205 (41 percent) referencing substance use, 37 percent mentioning alcohol use and 72 (14.4 percent) referring to violence. Women were less likely than men to display references to violence; reporting a sexual orientation other than "straight" was associated with more references to sexual behavior. Teens whose profiles mentioned church or religious involvement, or indicated active participation in a sport or hobby, were less likely to display any type of risky information. The findings suggest social networking sites may provide a new way to detect teens at risk for engaging in unhealthy behaviors, the authors note. "Given the popularity of social networking sites among teens and the high prevalence of risk behaviors displayed there, social networking sites can be explored as an innovative venue to identify, screen and ultimately intervene with adolescents who display risk behavior information," they write. In a second report, Dr. Moreno and colleagues assessed a potential online intervention by creating a MySpace profile with the user name "Dr. Meg," containing information about professional credentials and research interests. They then identified 190 MySpace profiles of 18- to 20-year-olds that contained three or more references to sexual behaviors or substance use, including at least one reference each to alcohol and tobacco use. Half of the profile owners were randomly selected to receive a single e-mail from the Dr. Meg profile, warning them that their profile contained risky information. The e-mail also provided clinical resources, including a link to a Web site with information about sexually transmitted diseases. Before the e-mail was sent, 54.2 percent of the profiles referred to sex and 85.3 percent mentioned substance use. Three months after the e-mail intervention, 42.1 percent of the profile owners who received an e-mail and 29.5 percent of those who did not made protective changes to their profile. "Our study illustrates that developing online interventions to reduce online risk behaviors is feasible, low-intensity and low-cost," the authors conclude, noting that some teenagers may be open to feedback regarding their Web profiles and subsequently alter online behaviors. Coalitions can learn how to use social networking venues such as MySpace to reach youth and influence their behavior during two workshops at CADCA's National Leadership Forum XIX. The workshops, entitled "More Than Messages: The Magic of Social Media" and "Telling the Coalition Story: Comprehensive Communication Strategies," will also teach participants how to incorporate these tools into a comprehensive communications strategy. CADCA's National Leadership Forum, held Feb. 9-12, 2009, will take place at the brand new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. To learn more, visit: www.cadca.org/events/forum/forum19/default.asp. Advocates Call on 'Tween Stores to Stop Selling Flasks http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/advocates-call-on-tween.html Advocates for preventing underage drinking are calling on the teen accessory store chain, Icing by Claire's, to stop selling girl-friendly flasks the Chicago Sun Times reported Jan. 23. Flasks decorated with charms and designed to hold 5 ounces of liquor are available for $12.50, and one-shot keychain flasks with room for the individual's initials are available for $8.50 each. The flasks show disclaimers that the product is not meant for minors, and warns that the flasks are designed to carry alcoholic beverages and should not be used for beverages with acidic contents like fruit juices. Advocates are concerned that Icing by Claire's is encouraging underage drinking by selling flasks, while targeting its products to girls as young as 17. Icing by Claire's is a subsidiary of Claire's, Inc., which operates approximately 3,000 stores throughout the U.S. and Europe. Recent studies show that girls are drinking earlier and increasing their alcohol intake. For example, the rate of 14-year-old girls using alcohol escalated from one in ten to almost one-third over the last 40 years. "In many cases, the girls are outdrinking the boys, putting themselves at greater risks," said Janet Williams, co-chairman of the Illinois Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking, which wrote a letter to parent-company Claire's. It appears that youth are gravitating towards hard liquor like rum and tequila in an effort to get drunk faster, according to Elizabeth Nelson, a community health specialist at the Lake County Health Department. "Anything that promotes the perception that alcohol use is acceptable with young people is really disturbing," Nelson said. Oregon Partnership announced that Icing by Claire's said it will continue selling the flasks at its 3,000 stores, but will post signs at store counters supporting "responsible" alcohol consumption Plans to Drug-Test Teachers Face Opposition http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/school-plans-to-drug-test.html A number of schools across the U.S. want to administer random drug tests to teachers, but the proposals are hitting strong opposition from educators and teachers' unions. USA Today reported Jan. 18 that schools in North Carolina, West Virginia and Hawaii have sought to join at least four school districts in Kentucky that require teachers to submit to random alcohol and other drug testing. Just a small fraction of districts around the country have considered or implemented drug testing for teachers, although testing of students -- and particularly student-athletes -- is more common. In West Virginia, a proposed testing policy has been halted by a federal appeals court thanks to teacher opposition, and a similar policy in Hawaii is awaiting a review by a state board. Graham County, N.C., also has proposed testing of teachers, but that policy is currently being challenged in a state appeals court. Drug testing "would be in our view a waste of money, because there is no problem that a drug-testing program can address," said Michael Simpson, an attorney with the National Education Association. Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From miplou at sad27.k12.me.us Wed Feb 4 09:22:13 2009 From: miplou at sad27.k12.me.us (MICHELLE PLOURDE) Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 09:22:13 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Liquor Training - Mark your calendars! Message-ID: <45D0ECD990EFE6429EF5BE92B00C07F62D93F6@msad27-exchange.fkchsdomain.edu> A comprehensive day of liquor training and law review for enforcement agencies is being held. Law Enforcement Liquor Training Topic: Liquor Enforcement & Law Review Date: April 28, 2009 Time: 8:00 - 4:30 Location: Presque Isle, Maine University of Maine @ Presque Isle Event Description: Comprehensive Training including: -Attacking Underage Drinking (Prevention and Enforcement) -Common Criminal & Civil Maine Liquor Laws -Party Dispersal & Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement -Maine Administrative Laws -Underage Drinking Compliance Checks -Basic Fraudulent Identification Detection Instructors: Corporal Rob Ullrich, Lewiston Police Department and Androscoggin County Liquor Enforcement Officer. -Rob worked as a supervisor in Patrol until taking his current position where he is reasonable for investigating criminal, civil and administrative violations of the liquor laws within Androscoggin County as well overseeing compliance checks within Lewiston, Auburn and countywide. Frank Lyons of B C Consultants, Alcohol Compliance Training. -Frank's long history in enforcement includes 3 years with the Rockland Police Department, 23 ? years with Maine Public Safety, Liquor Enforcement, and 1 ? years with Maine Department of Corrections. Frank retired from law enforcement in 2005 after serving a brief time as the head of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, Criminal and Civil Division. Who Should Attend: Law Enforcement Fee: None Includes materials, lunch, and refreshments Registration Requirement: YES Contact: Michelle Plourde Chasse 834-5540 ext. 2019 miplou at sad27.k12.me.us Sponsored by Healthy Aroostook & Power of Prevention Michelle Plourde Chasse Project Manager - Community Voices 84 Pleasant Street Fort Kent, ME 04743 (207)834-5540 ext. 2019 (207)316-8071 cell (207)834-2723 fax miplou at sad27.k12.me.us "If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time." --Marian Wright Edelman From Geoff.Miller at maine.gov Wed Feb 4 09:34:24 2009 From: Geoff.Miller at maine.gov (Miller, Geoff) Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 09:34:24 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Reach Out Now National Teach In April 2009 Opportunity Message-ID: Dear Substance Abuse Prevention Providers and Educators, April 2009 is Alcohol Awareness Month. During this month the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is asking you to help organize a Reach Out Now National Teach In (RONTI) event. For more information and materials (including lesson plans, print and multimedia) on RONTI go to http://www.teachin.samhsa.gov/. One program that communities may find useful to implement during this time is the Too Smart To Start initiative. There is a limited number of $300 stipends from SAMHSA available to help in the implementation of this initiative. Too Smart To Start is a public education initiative sponsored by SAMHSA to provide research-based strategies and materials to professionals and volunteers at the community level to help them conduct an underage alcohol use prevention program. The materials are designed to educate 9- to 13-year-olds about the harms of alcohol use and to support parents and caregivers as they participate in their children's activities. The hallmark of the Too Smart To Start initiative is its flexibility in the way in which it can be implemented in the local community. Too Smart To Start is not intended to be prescriptive. Rather, it offers information on the alcohol use behaviors of 9- to 13-year-olds, a consistent message, and basic materials and strategies to localize and deliver the core behavioral messages. To contact SAMHSA about RONTI and the Too Smart To Start initiative go to http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/aboutus/contactus.aspx or contact Ms. Payal Pandit at 240-747-4980 or by email to info at stopalcoholabuse.net . The hope is that community based organizations and schools will work together to find a prominent community member to deliver the Teach-In using accurate underage drinking information. Thank you for all your efforts, Geoffrey Miller, M.ED. Office of Substance Abuse 11 State House Station 41 Anthony Avenue Augusta, ME 04333 207-287-8907 Phone 207-287-8910 Fax Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Wed Feb 18 07:54:39 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:54:39 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD305129A0F@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org ALERT: HHS' SAMHSA CSAP TO SEND "REACH OUT NOW" UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION MATERIALS TO SCHOOLS IN MARCH The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), in collaboration with Scholastic, Inc, will be sending free "Reach Out Now" materials to classrooms across the Nation in late March. Although directed to fifth and sixth graders, the content is suitable for other grades. Teachers are encouraged to use the materials during Alcohol Awareness Month in April. "Reach Out Now" is a national school-based initiative aimed to prevent and reduce underage alcohol use by raising awareness among students about the related dangers and possible consequences now, before they start drinking. The materials are designed to foster a dialogue between teachers, parents, and children on underage alcohol use. The "Reach Out Now" package features lessons and worksheets, an interactive wall poster, bonus skill-building activity worksheets, and take-home items. After completing these activities, students should be able to: * Describe some of the adverse effects of alcohol on the brain and body. * Identify effective alternatives to using alcohol. * Work in groups to develop an effective alcohol prevention message. To learn more about "Reach Out Now" visit http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/educators/teachin. An FYI: This website offers Federally-developed interactive tools and other resources to help community organizations and partnerships in your efforts to support youth. Included are tools and resources to help you form effective partnerships, assess community assets, understand risk factors and protective factors, generate maps of local and Federal resources, and search for evidence-based youth programs. www.findyouthinfo.gov Classroom Lesson to Help Teens Analyze 'March Madness' Beer Ads February 13, 2009 http://www.jointogether.org/news/yourturn/announcements/2009/cspi-and.ht ml From: Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV Center for Science in the Public Interest 1875 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20009 The Center for Science in the Public Interest's Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV has teamed up with Media Literacy for Prevention, Critical Thinking, Self-Esteem, to provide educators with a free classroom lesson encouraging students to analyze beer ads aired during this year's NCAA "March Madness" college basketball tournament. The lesson asks students to watch 1 hour of any NCAA tournament game and keep a log of all alcohol commercials, logos, and sponsorships. The teacher and students then analyze the ads and messages together in class. We believe that this lesson can be a good tool to stimulate scrutiny and discussion of the commercial connection between alcohol advertising and sports. It can be used in community and youth groups as well as in schools. Please forward this information to teachers and others who work with young people. We hope this educational exercise will spur greater involvement among young people in efforts to challenge the exploitation of sports by beer marketers. They would be the best messengers to tell college presidents that promoting beer during sports telecasts is inconsistent with efforts to curb student drinking and not in the best interests of higher education. The NCAA's advertising and promotional standards claim to "exclude those advertisements and advertisers...that do not appear to be in the best interests of higher education and student-athletes." Given the 1,700 deaths and $1.7 billion in lost tuition caused by excessive drinking on college campuses -- much of it in the form of beer -- it is inconceivable that the NCAA's profiting from beer promotion during the college basketball tournament is in the best interests of higher education, sports, or student welfare. A TNS Media Intelligence report found that beer was the second-ranked advertising category among the top five advertisers during the 2007 NCAA men's basketball tournament, and that spending for ads for Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Company's beers ranked fourth and fifth among all advertisers. "Beer companies have a long history of convincing campuses that destructive drinking habits are a normal part of college life," said Dr. Peter DeBenedittis, one of America's foremost media literacy experts. "Teaching students to think critically about alcohol marketing is an effective tool for preventing binge drinking and pressuring campuses to stop selling their students to alcohol marketers." Download March Madness and other free lessons from MediaLiteracy.net. Learn more about Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV . Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Thu Feb 19 09:44:26 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:44:26 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Webinar follow-up on cultural competency Message-ID: Below is information on a follow-up webinar as requested from some participants of the last call. -------------------------------------------------------- Maine SPF-SIG Cultural Competency and Compliance Checks Go-To-Meeting Virtual Training Objectives: * Gain a better understanding of the cultural competency relevant elements that need to be taken into consideration while addressing underage drinking in Maine. * Identify mechanisms and tools to use to enhance your cultural knowledge and skills to effectively address the problem or issues. Go-To-Meeting Information Join Meeting: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/207280212 Dial in# 1 888 737 5834 Date: March 6 2009 Dial-in#: 1-888-737-Participant Passcode: 281223 Meeting ID: 207-280-212 6, Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Presenter: Lourdes Vazquez, Training and Technical Assistance Specialist Materials: Agenda, Slides and Handouts are available for download at https://learn.aero.und.edu/index.asp Participant Guide: http://captus.samhsa.gov/northeast/PDF/GoToMeeting_participant_guide.pdf Please R.S.V.P by March 2nd to Valda Grinbergs at Vgrinbergs at edc.org the following information: Name, Organization, Address, Phone and E-mail Anne Rogers, M.Ed., CHES SPF SIG Coordinator Office of Substance Abuse 11 SHS, 41 Anthony Ave. Augusta, ME 04333-0011 207-287-4706 www.maineosa.org Directions to OSA'a new office, 41 Anthony Ave., are now up on our web site at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/about/maps.htm Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding. - Albert Einstein Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Thu Feb 19 11:40:30 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:40:30 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] FW: Webinar follow-up on cultural competency Message-ID: Hi all, Shannon Bishop made a discovery for me (thank you). It turns out the materials are not ready for download. When you register they will take your information and email you a log in once the materials are ready for downloading. Sorry about this, I guess I sent this out a tad too quickly. Anne Rogers, M.Ed., CHES SPF SIG Coordinator Office of Substance Abuse 207-287-4706 www.maineosa.org -----Original Message----- From: Valda Grinbergs [mailto:VGrinbergs at edc.org] Hi Ann, Turns out we jumped the gun a bit. On the flyer that we mailed that you emailed to your folks, we instructed them how to access the portal materials. Actually, the portal materials are still in development and nothing has been posted yet. Once we post the materials and I have people registered to the course, then I can register them to have access to the portal and email them the portal information (username and password). I wonder if you can send an email to your participants letting them know that after they've registered with me, they will receive an email with information on how to access course materials from the portal, to avoid confusion (such as in Shannon Bishop's case). Thanks. Valda From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Fri Feb 20 07:27:44 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:27:44 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News and Funding Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD305129A1C@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/08/60minutes/main13502.shtml CBS News Feb. 19, 2009 2:51pm Up Next This Sunday On 60 Minutes, 7 P.M. ET/PT Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 THE DRINKING AGE - Lesley Stahl examines the debate over lowering the drinking age to 18, a controversial idea embraced by some people and roundly criticized by groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Ruth Streeter is the producer. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) Introduces Legislation to Address and Prevent Underage Drinking Through Greater Public Awareness, Health Care Training Office of Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allar February 12, 2009 Calling underage drinking "a public health crisis that is threatening the future health and productivity of our children," Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-34) joined by Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA-45) introduced legislation today to raise awareness about its dangers and the importance of aggressively enforcing age 21 drinking laws. "The risks of serious alcohol-related problems are reduced by 70 percent when a young person delays drinking alcohol until the age of 21. Knowing that underage drinking is strongly associated with real dangers, I have joined with Congresswoman Bono Mack in introducing the Support 21 Act of 2009. The legislation will help us get the word out that enforcing our nation's underage drinking laws is crucial to protecting the health and well-being of our young people," Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. "We can no longer afford to address alcohol dependence exclusively as a disease of middle age. Our legislation addresses this critical public health challenge to better ensure a safer and more productive future for our children." Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack said far too many teenagers engage in risky, even life-threatening behavior, because of the influence of alcohol. "We need to do everything we can inform our youth about the consequences of alcohol abuse in their adolescent years," said Congresswoman Bono Mack. "Underage drinking is a serious health problem facing communities throughout our nation. By working together on all levels and generating greater awareness we can promote a healthier environment and brighter future for our children. I am pleased to join Congresswoman Roybal-Allard in this important effort that will tackle underage drinking and save lives." The Support 21 Act of 2009 (HR 1028) authorizes a new highly visible media campaign to educate the public about underage drinking laws and build support for their enforcement. It asks the National Academy of Sciences to provide a report to Congress about the influence of drinking alcohol on the development of the adolescent brain. The legislation authorizes supplemental grant funds to current and former Drug Free Community grantees to work with pediatric health care providers and parents to reduce underage drinking. Additional grants are also provided to assist pediatric medical organizations in educating providers on best practices for screening their adolescent patients, doing brief interventions, and making appropriate referrals. Finally, the bill will establish a new focus in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on underage drinking surveillance and prevention. The Support 21 Act of 2009 builds upon earlier national underage drinking legislation authored by Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. The STOP Underage Drinking Act (P.L. 109-422) - which was signed into law in December of 2006 - makes permanent an Ad Council national media campaign directed at parents that started in 2005. The measure coordinates all federal programs and research initiatives on underage drinking, and provides grants to institutions of higher education, states and non-profit organizations to combat underage drinking in communities. The STOP Act also supports crucial research on the health effects of underage drinking and requires the federal government to produce an annual status report on underage drinking in our country. Congresswomen Roybal-Allard and Bono Mack are introducing the Support 21 Act of 2009 to coincide with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA's) 19th Annual National Leadership Forum, the nation's largest gathering of community alcohol and drug prevention advocates and substance abuse professionals. CADCA's Chairman and CEO, Arthur T. Dean, applauded their efforts, stating "Community anti-drug coalitions throughout the country are all too familiar with the damaging effects that underage drinking has on youth and families. Increasing the age at which youth take their first drink is critical to staving off future problems associated with the illegal use of alcohol. The Support 21 Act of 2009 will not only help minimize the costs and consequences of underage drinking, but will simultaneously raise awareness about the critical role that prevention plays in these issues." In recognition of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's longstanding efforts to eliminate underage drinking, she has been nationally honored by many organizations, including The Century Council, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America and Students Against Destructive Decisions. DFC Mentoring Program Applications Now Available http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=2099 The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has released the FY2009 Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program Request for Applications (RFA). The RFA (SP-09-003) is currently posted on the program's Web site at www.ondcp.gov/dfc and is available through Grants.Gov . The purpose of the DFC Mentoring Program is to provide grant funds to existing DFC grantees so that they may serve as mentors to newly-formed and/or developing coalitions that have never received a DFC grant. Mentoring grant funds should be used for the direct benefit of the mentee community/coalition in their effort to establish and strengthen a community coalition working to reduce youth drug use. It is the intent of the DFC Mentoring Program that communities mentored through this effort will grow to meet the minimum eligibility criteria of the DFC program. Applicants may apply for up to $75,000 per year for up to two years. The ONDCP and SAMHSA anticipate funding approximately 16 new competing applications this cycle, however, that estimate and the FY2009 DFC Mentoring RFA are contingent on passage of the final FY2009 Federal Budget. The deadline for the FY09 DFC Mentoring RFA is April 24, 2009. Please note this RFA and associated deadline are different than the "regular" DFC RFA released in January. Study Identifies Factors that Increase Coalition Member Participation http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=2102 Is your coalition membership engaged? Do members believe that their opinions matter? Do they believe that their participation helps improve the community? If so, congratulations! Your coalition is on the right track. A study published recently in the American Journal of Community Psychology indicates that coalition members with positive perceptions of coalition leadership and the group?s ability to reach its participants voice opinions more often. Every community-based coalition depends on the participation of a diverse member base to function efficiently. Researchers sought to determine the level at which different coalition members participate. The January/February 2009 issue of Research into Action breaks down the findings of the study titled, "What Motivates Participation in Community-Based-Coalitions?" and suggests ways to increase member participation. More on the study and how local anti-drug coalitions can use the study to inform their efforts appears in the January/February 2009 issue of Research into Action. To read further, go to the Research into Action page of CADCA's National Coalition Institute Web site. The site also features an archive of previous issues in HTML and PDF formats. Research into Action is a free publication which reports on research findings that impact the work of coalitions. Published six times a year by CADCA's National Coalition Institute, each issue examines what coalitions can do to implement knowledge they gain in their communities. Sign up for your free e-mail subscription on the Coalition Resources page of the National Coalition Institute's Web site . Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Thu Feb 26 12:52:16 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:52:16 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD305129A72@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org 60 Minutes: The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age Feb. 22, 2009 Source: CBS Last fall, a group of over 100 college presidents - including the heads of Dartmouth, Virginia Tech and Duke - signed a declaration stating that the 21-year-old drinking age is not working, and fireworks went off. But the college presidents got what they wanted: a national debate about the drinking age. When the age was raised to 21 in the mid-1980s, the goal was to reduce highway fatalities. But everyone knows that the 21 age limit hasn't stopped minors from drinking. And now some experts believe it's actually contributing to an increase in extreme drinking. This is what the former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, John McCardell, believes and it's why he started the movement dedicated to lowering the age back to 18. It may seem counterintuitive, but he argues that lowering the age will make kids safer. It's like the old days of prohibition: from the suburbs to college campuses to inner cities, kids find ways to get around the 21 year old limit. As McCardell puts it, it's so widespread, it's the norm. "This law has been an abysmal failure," McCardell told 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl. "It hasn't reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors, into the most risky and least manageable of settings." Like basements, fraternity houses and locked dorm rooms, where kids go to hide from the law and from adults, including parents, who might teach them some moderation. McCardell says the law has created a dangerous culture of irresponsible and reckless behavior, unsupervised binge and extreme drinking, like something called "Six in Ten" - downing six cups of beer in ten seconds, kids trying to perfect the art of getting drunk as fast as possible by playing drinking games. And pre-loading - downing as much of the forbidden fruit as possible before going out in order to avoid getting caught drinking in public. "It's bad law in that it is unwork[able]. It's bad social policy.," McCardell said. Asked if it is unworkable or people just don't enforce it, McCardell told Stahl, "The issue of enforceability is present. But the fact is it is so regularly and routinely avoided, that enforcement results in two arrests or convictions for every thousand violations." Mark Beckner, the chief of police in Boulder, Colo. - a college town - deals with underage drinking every day. "We're not in a situation where we can stop it. The best we can do is try to contain it," he told Stahl. "So you're basically telling us that you simply can't enforce the law. They are drinking and you cannot enforce it," Stahl remarked. "Well, we do enforce it," Chief Beckner replied. "But what we're seeing is it's not being effective." Beckner has tried many different kinds of enforcement techniques over the years, including strict crack-downs. "We'd find a party where we know there's underage drinking. We would seal the house. Surround the house with officers and we would write every single underage person coming out of that house. We wrote hundreds and hundreds of tickets those years. All we did is we pushed it further underground," Beckner told Stahl. For that reason, he is one of the few chiefs of police in the country who publicly agrees with McCardell, and supports lowering the drinking age. Asked what the advantage is to lowering the age to 18, Beckner said, "The overall advantage is we're not trying to enforce a law that's unenforceable. The abuse of alcohol and the over-consumption of alcohol and DUI driving. Those are the areas we've gotta focus our efforts. Not on chasing kids around trying to give 'em a ticket for having a cup of beer in their hand." Part of Beckner's jurisdiction is the University of Colorado at Boulder, known as one of the country's top party schools. Boulder was the scene of the terrible tragedy of Gordie Bailey. Gordie was 18, a freshman at the University of Colorado in 2004. He had been there only one month when he underwent a Chi Psi fraternity initiation with 26 other pledges also underage. Leslie and Michael Lanahan are Gordie's mother and stepfather. They say the pledges were asked to drink 10 gallons of hard alcohol and wine in half an hour. "You were certainly viewed as a better man if you could handle more," his mother said. Asked how much Gordie actually drank, his stepfather told Stahl, "He had had 15 to 20 shots if you had to measure it. They were not putting it into shots and drinking it. It was just guzzling out of the neck of the bottle." By the time the group got back to the fraternity house, Lanahan says that Gordie was incapacitated. "His eyes were rolling back in his head and he couldn't walk. This isn't something somebody who'd just had too much to drink. He was clearly in trauma." Lanahan says that the fraternity brothers put Gordie on the library couch, and just left him there, alone. "The president of the fraternity did ask several brothers at intervals to go in and take Gordie's pulse, as if to say 'Tell me if he's alive or dead.'" Lanahan told Stahl Gordie lay passed out on a couch for nine hours, until someone called 911 for help. "We got a guy who's passed out. He drank way too much and we found him this morning," a student told a 911 operator. Asked if Gordie was breathing, the student told the operator, "I don't know. He's not waking up." "Gordie died alone in an empty room with his friends surrounding him. And it's just very preventable. Just inexcusable," Lanahan told Stahl. Gordie died of alcohol poisoning. To try and prevent another senseless death, the Lanahans have created the Gordie Foundation to spread the word about the dangers of alcohol abuse, and recently released "Haze," a film about excessive drinking on college campuses. "If the drinking age had been 18 instead of 21, would the kids have called for help when Gordie passed out?" Stahl asked Leslie Lanahan. "I think so," she replied. "So because it was illegal you think that's why they didn't call?" Stahl asked. "I think that's right," Lanahan said. Asked if he agreed with that, Michael Lanahan told Stahl, "Well, they had alcohol in the fraternity house which was against their policy. They had minors buying the alcohol, serving the alcohol to minors. They had to make a decision about what they were going to do and unfortunately they made the wrong decision." John McCardell points to the story of Gordie Bailey as one reason he supports lowering the drinking age to 18 which after all, he says, is the age when we're considered adults for most things, like firing a weapon and putting you're your life on the line in battle. "Why don't we trust these young adults to make the same kind of responsible decisions about alcohol that we believe them capable of making in the voting booth, in the jury box, on the battlefield?" "The inconvenient truth is that a drinking age at 18 would cause more funerals. Nine hundred families a year would have to bury a teenager," said Chuck Hurley, the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD. MADD was a major force behind raising the drinking age to 21 back in 1984 because of increased traffic fatalities from drunk, teenage drivers. "When the United States reduced its drinking age in the seventies it was a public health disaster. Death rates in the states that reduced their drinking age jumped 10 to 40 percent," Hurley explained. He told Stahl one could see an immediate jump in fatalities after the age was lowered. "When the drinking age was increased, the fatalities fell." After the drinking age was raised to 21, the number of traffic fatalities among 18 to 20 year olds declined by 13 percent, which is why Hurley has some public health organizations on his side. "We're delighted to be working with the American Medical Association, with the National Transportation Safety Board, with the National Safety Council, with the International Association Chiefs of Police, with the Governor's Highway Safety Association, with the Surgeon General of the United States, with the U.S. Transportation Secretary," Hurley told Stahl. "There are a list of impressive organizations that have lined up against you," Stahl told John McCardell. "They feel that you have no data to back up what you're saying. That what you're proposing would be basically an experiment." "Well, I think that first of all we need to understand that lives are being put at risk off the highways in increasing numbers year by year as a result of this law," McCardell replied. "Increasing numbers," Stahl remarked. "That number of lives lost to alcohol by 18 to 24 year olds is going up at an alarming rate. It isn't just about lives lost on the highways," McCardell replied. So what we have is a conundrum: a law that has reduced highway deaths may, according to McCardell, be contributing to an increase in off-highway deaths. The surgeon general says more than 3,000 Americans under the age of 21 are dying every year of alcohol-related causes other than driving including homicide, suicide, and alcohol poisoning. The chilling statistics appear to have little impact on behavior. As evidenced by a quick tour of the Internet, Web sites glorify excessive drinking and even teach kids how to do get loaded in a few seconds. These drinking tips are so common and popular, YouTube and CollegeHumor.com are used like instruction manuals. Chuck Hurley of MADD says the answer is not lowering the age to 18. That, he contends, would just increase the availability of alcohol to even younger adults. "Guess what's gonna happen in high school? Literally the trickle down approach." "So what you're saying is 18 year-olds today get 21 year-olds to go get them liquor. You're saying 15 year-olds would get the 18 year-olds to do that?" Stahl asked. "Yeah, that is what we're saying," Hurley replied. "If the age were 18, would it be easier to enforce? Then you'd have 17 year-olds. You'd have to enforce it against them," Stahl said. "Is it your goal to eliminate all drinking among people under 21?" "Yes," he said. Asked if that's realistic, Hurley said no. "Well, our goal really would be in an ideal world to eliminate underage drinking." But he acknowledged that that's a difficult goal to achieve. John McCardell thinks even aiming for abstinence is impractical. And besides, he thinks the real problem is alcohol abuse - excessive and binge drinking. And so he has a proposal that accompanies his plan to lower the age to 18. "Alcohol education is what we need and that is a very important part of our proposal. And by that I don't mean temperance lectures and I don't mean prohibition, nor do I mean encouragement to drink," he told Stahl. What he does mean is mandatory classes in high school that would include the chemistry of alcohol, the physical consequences of abuse, and sitting in on AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) sessions. Passing an exam would result in a license to drink. "So what you're saying is alcohol education would be like driving education," Stahl remarked. "That's a good analogy," McCardell replied. "You'd have to take the course, there'd be a test, you'd get the license. If you violate it, the license is taken away?" Stahl asked. "Right away, that's right," McCardell said. "And think about that analogy. It would never occur to us to say to a young person once they reach driving age, 'Here are the keys. Good luck. Go figure it out.'" McCardell thinks this idea - testing and licensing - is better than leaving things the way they are. Given the vast opposition to lowering the age, his chances of succeeding are slim, but as a history professor he says it comes down to what we already know. "We have lived through prohibition. We know prohibition doesn't work," he said. "We know that on our college campuses. We know that in our households. We know that in the military. We know that in non-college America as well. Legal age 21 seeks to impose prohibition on young adults. And that's the way, and in my view, the only way to look at this question." ONDCP's NAT'L YOUTH ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN UPDATES PARENT RESOURCES TO COMBAT TEEN DRUG USE Research shows that teens who have a close relationship with their parents are less likely to use drugs and alcohol and engage in other risky behaviors. ONDCP's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has a number of resources, available free of charge, to help you educate parents in your community. Although overall teen drug use has declined in recent years, it is more important than ever that we work together to prevent more teens from using drugs. Too many young people are still using illicit drugs and abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Please act now by taking advantage of the many FREE resources available to you, including anti-drug posters, postcards for teens, and print materials for parents. You may order the following materials, and many others, by visiting www.TheAntiDrug.com/Resources/ or calling 1-800-788-2800 to place bulk orders free of charge: * Navigating the Teen Years: A Parent's Handbook for Raising Healthy Teens, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is packed with useful tips and expert advice on how parents can tune into their teens, set rules and expectations, and monitor them through their adolescent years. [PHD1127] *The Teen Years: A Roadmap for Parents is an interactive CD-ROM that provides in-depth information about how your teen is developing throughout adolescence and offers expert advice for parents on how to best guide their teen through this transitional time. [AVD228] *Keeping Your Teens Drug-Free: A Family Guide specifically addresses the importance of family as a drug deterrent and notes simple techniques that even busy parents can use to help prevent drug use. [PHD1114] Versions specifically written for African American [PHD1116] and Hispanic [PHD1115] parents are also available. *The Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs, a valuable brochure for parents, is a guide to preventing prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse among teens, highlighting signs and symptoms of abuse as well as steps parents can take to safeguard and properly dispose of their medications. [POTC-8] For further information and advice to parents visit the Advice section of the Media Campaign's Web site for parents, www.TheAntiDrug.com/Advice . Parents may also sign up for TheAntiDrug.com's Parenting Tips e-Newsletter, a regular e-mail notification with advice and strategies to help keep teenagers healthy and drug-free, at: http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/Newsletter.asp . ABOUT THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN: Since its inception in 1998, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has been authorized by Congress to reduce and prevent teen drug use. Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Thu Feb 26 13:25:03 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:25:03 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD305129A73@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org Registration is now open for: Inhalant Abuse: It's Right Under Your Nose Presenter: Rebecca Miller, RN 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. One Conference - Three Dates and Locations! * April 15, 2009 Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington, ME * April 27, 2009 Spectacular Event Center, Bangor, ME * April 29, 2009 Trade Winds Inn, Rockland, ME Registration Fee: $35 (limited scholarships are available) Lunch will be provided. Go to http://www.neias.org/inhprev09.html to register online or download a brochure. Workshop Overview: Inhalant abuse is the intentional breathing in of gases and solvents to produce a euphoric effect. Common inhalants include gasoline, markers, nail polish remover, computer duster, butane lighters and refills, and anything in an aerosol can. Inhalants can be addictive and deadly. According to the 2008 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey, 11% of Maine students, grades 6-12, reported that they have abused inhalants. The goal of this training is to acquaint participants with the nature and patterns of inhalant abuse and provide them with effective prevention strategies, tools, messages and resources. Learning Objectives: As a result of this training participants will be able to: * Recall the nature and patterns of inhalant abuse. * Identify & communicate effective age-appropriate inhalant abuse prevention messages and materials. * Locate resources for inhalant abuse prevention, intervention and treatment. CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS * Drug and Alcohol Counselors - AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc. is a recognized sponsor of Continuing Education Activities by the Maine State Board of Alcohol & Drug Counselors. This workshop is approved for 4 credit hours (.4 CEU's). * Nursing - This continuing nursing education activity has been approved by ANA-MAINE, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. * Social Workers - Application has been made through the Board of Social Worker Licensure. * Teachers - A certificate of completion will be provided. Teachers can use the certificate to obtain continuing education credit individually. * EMS - Application has been made for EMS continuing education. * Law Enforcement - A certificate of completion will be provided. Officers should verify approval of continuing education credit. * General - AdCare Educational Institute of ME, Inc. will issue certificates of completion. About the Presenter: Rebecca Miller, RN, Education Coordinator for the Northern New England Poison Center manages calls from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as well as providing educational outreach to the State of Maine. She provides informational presentations on poison prevention and inhalant and drug abuse. Target Audience: Teachers, EMS, law enforcement, therapists, nurses, substance abuse prevention professionals and treatment clinicians, health educators, youth workers, policy makers, and others who are interested in increasing their knowledge about inhalant abuse. Sponsored by: * Maine Office of Substance Abuse, Department of Health & Human Services * Maine Inhalant Abuse Prevention Work Group Supported by: AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc. Register online or download a brochure at: http://www.neias.org/inhprev09.html We hope you find this training announcement useful. If you wish to be removed from the AdCare email list, please send a message to adcare at neias.org Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Fri Feb 27 08:25:46 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:25:46 -0500 Subject: [Prevention] DEA seeking comments about RX disposal Message-ID: If you are participating or planning to participate in drug disposal programs you may want to read the information linked below: ---------------------------------------- DEA Seeking Comments on Federal Register Notice About Prescription Drug Disposal To help provide guidance about how to properly dispose of prescription controlled drugs, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register entitled Disposal of Controlled Substances by Persons Not Registered With the Drug Enforcement Administration. Through this Notice, DEA is requesting information on the disposal of controlled substances dispensed to individual patients from the following interest groups: ultimate users; State and local law enforcement agencies; concerned interest groups; long-term care facilities; hospices and in-home care groups; pharmacies; reverse distributors, state regulatory agencies; other interested parties. The notice is in response to concerns raised by public and private groups about how the Controlled Substances Act does not include provisions for the proper disposal of controlled substances once they are received by the consumer. This can be particularly challenging for coalitions launching a prescription drug disposal program. DEA is asking the public to comment on this Federal Register notice through March 23, 2009. To ensure proper handling of comments, please reference "Docket No. DEA-316''on all written and electronic correspondence. Written comments being sent via regular or express mail should be sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Attention: DEA Federal Register Representative/ODL, 8701 Morrissette Drive, Springfield, VA 22152. Comments may be sent to DEA by sending an electronic message to dea.diversion.policy at usdoj.gov. Comments may also be sent electronically through www.regulations.gov using the electronic comment form provided on that site. The Federal Register Notice is available at: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2009/fr0121.htm.