Public Health

Breathable caffeine dispensed from canisters that fit in pants pockets is a ‘club drug’ that may be dangerous to youth, according to New York Senator Charles Schumer. The senator wrote Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg asking her to review the safety and legality of the AeroShot Pure Energy caffeine inhaler, a yellow and gray canister of caffeine powder and B vitamins resembling a tube of lipstick. The inhaler is set to hit store shelves in New York and Boston next month.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a policy brief “Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Pediatricians” that is in line with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s recommendation to ensure that universal screening for substance use, brief intervention, and/or referral to treatment (SBIRT) become a part of routine and comprehensive pediatric care.

Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Great American Smokeout encourages smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.
 

Over the next few weeks, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will host several Regional Listening Sessions throughout the nation to seek comment on the establishment of an essential health benefits package provided under the Affordable Care Act.

Do you know someone doing exceptional work who works hard to improve health or access to health care in his or her community? Or someone who has solved a daunting community health problem? If so, nominate your local health hero for a 2012 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders award.

A new publication, “Strategizer 55—Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide,” outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies shown to decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density, the concentration of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, liquor and package stores in a given geographic area.

After more than a decade of ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, many military personnel, returning veterans, and their families are suffering from a host of mental health and substance abuse issues. To shed light on this issue, ICF International hosted a roundtable discussion on Wednesday entitled, “Addressing Substance Abuse in Military and Veterans Populations.” Among the panelists were CADCA Chairman and CEO Gen. Arthur T. Dean.

Addiction is a chronic brain disorder, and not merely a behavioral problem or simply the result of taking the wrong choices, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which has redefined ‘addiction.’

Will graphic cigarette package warning labels significantly reduce demand? A new study highlighted in Medical News Today suggests it will.

Attitudes about marijuana are changing. Fewer 8th and 10th graders believe smoking marijuana is dangerous. These declines in the perception of harm invariably precede increases in substance use. Despite that, several states have medical marijuana laws on the books and more states are considering putting these types of initiatives on the ballot. During the next CADCA TV program, “The Blunt Truth: Communities Dealing with Marijuana,” representatives from various states will discuss how medical marijuana laws and marijuana legalization efforts are impacting their communities, and what they’re doing to tackle this issue. The show airs Aug. 25, from 1-2 p.m. EST.