Inhalants

CQ Roll Call reported that lawmakers endorsed a ban on a host of “designer drugs” being marketed as the means to a safe, legal high.

Doing more with a little is one of the things that Denis Quiñonez, the director of the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug Free Community, gained from attending CADCA’s training and being part of its first Ambassador cohorts. Being the only Drug Free Communities grantee in cash-strapped Los Angeles, building capacity has been the greatest asset his coalition has.

Erica Leary, Program Manager for the North Coastal Prevention Coalition in San Diego County, was part of a panel of experts who testified before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics on Wednesday to discuss the dangers of synthetic drugs. The hearing was called by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in response to the growing use among youth of synthetic marijuana products such as "K2" and "Spice" and synthetic stimulants such as "bath salts."

Using inhalants to get high has been thought by the substance abuse prevention field to be a serious, life-threatening risk primarily among middle and high school youth, but a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows 54 percent of treatment admissions related to inhalants abuse in 2008 involved adults ages 18 or older with more than half of these adult admissions involving people ages 18 to 29, 32 percent involved people aged 30 to 44, and 16 percent involved people aged 45 or older.

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, March 20-26, is an opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of inhalants and to get your community engaged on this issue. There will be a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., March 17 to kick-off the campaign.

In order to prevent drug use, we need to know what's out there and what's coming next. We know methamphetamine, marijuana, and prescription drugs are problems, but what about K2, heroin, bath salts, and ecstasy? There are always new threats to learn about and some older drugs are making a comeback. During an upcoming CADCA TV broadcast "Emerging Drug Trends," see what's going on now, and what's on the horizon from people in-the-know. The show airs Feb. 24 from 1-2 p.m. EST. It can be viewed on demand anytime beginning Feb. 24th.

Officials in 25 states are growing concerned about alarming numbers of adolescents and others ending up in emergency rooms and mental hospitals after intentionally snorting, injecting or smoking "fake cocaine," a powder legally sold as "bath salts," and are proposing bans.

Officials in 25 states are growing concerned about alarming numbers of adolescents and others ending up in emergency rooms and mental hospitals after intentionally snorting, injecting or smoking "fake cocaine," a powder legally sold as "bath salts," and are proposing bans.

A radio ad promoting Geico Insurance sends the wrong message to audiences, especially youth, advocates say.

Although more than half of the United States has passed laws pertaining to inhalant abuse, one advocate thinks a more comprehensive approach should be used.

Virginia's SAFE Coalition has received the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors 2010 National Exemplary Award for Innovative Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Practices, and Policies for decreasing lifetime inhalant use among eighth-graders in their county.

Advocates are hailing Rep. Charles Murphy (D-Massachusetts) and the passage of a bill which provides a treatment option to a growing number of Massachusetts families who suffer the destructive effects of inhalant abuse. Commonly referred to as "huffing," and most prevalent among 12-17-year olds, inhalant abuse is the purposeful inhalation of chemical vapors to achieve intoxication.

Although inhalant abuse has become less prevalent since the early 1990s in all age groups, it remains a source of injury and death, particularly among teenagers, researchers have found.