Data Collection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will this week evaluate the health safety and risks of candy-like tobacco products such as lozenges and strips, HealthDay’s Denise Mann reports.

Comprehensive community problem solving requires coalitions to evaluate their operations as part of an ongoing process to be effective as they and the communities they serve constantly evolve. If you are looking for an engaging new evaluation resource, be sure to attend CADCA’s 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum, held Feb. 6-9 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Maryland to learn about the Coalition Kaizen Event.

Violent crime could be reduced significantly if policymakers at the local level limit the number of neighborhood liquor stores and ban the sale of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages, according to separate studies led by University of California, Riverside researchers.

A comprehensive community assessment represents the first and most important step in building a coalition, establishing a description of the needs, resources and history of a community. Gathering empirical and qualitative data allows the coalition to analyze and identify local substance abuse issues using a strong, evidence-based process that drives all of a coalition’s strategies and initiatives.

 

HealthDay News reports that illegal tobacco sales to minors have reached an all-time low in the United States as the result of a historic federal and state partnership, according to a new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.

In 2005, CADCA initiated an Annual Survey to increase knowledge about the impact of community coalitions on the national level and help coalitions gain a better understanding of their outcomes and current trends in the field of substance abuse. Sporting a more user-friendly look and feel, CADCA is now proud to announce the launch of the new and improved 2010/2011 Annual Survey.

Data on the prevalence of youth drug use in the community and the root causes and local conditions contributing to substance abuse is typically collected via student surveys implemented by the state or school systems. However, with the demise of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program and diminishing prevention funding, more and more coalitions are taking on the responsibility of implementing student surveys themselves.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse will announce the results of its 2010 Monitoring the Future survey Tuesday, Dec. 14th at 10 a.m. in Washington, DC.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has taken emergency action to outlaw five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol) that are used to make synthetic marijuana, meaning it will be illegal to possess or sell them in the U.S. for at least one year.

After years of declining use, overall youth drug use among those 12 and older rose by 9 percent in 2009 – jumping from 8 percent in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. That's according to the latest results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), unveiled today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.