Coalitions Online

Advertising works. And the tobacco industry knows this. So, they keep promoting the infamous Marlboro Man to young men and Virginia Slims to young women. Whether it's an ad in youth-oriented magazines, such as Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, or retail outlet promotions, cigarette advertising ignites teens' desire to smoke, according to a new study

Want to receive useful tools such as a Flip Cam to document footage of your coalition's work in the community, an iPod to stay up-to-date on prevention podcasts and to use as a video camera when you're out and about, a digital camera to take pictures of your coalition in action or books on social media to help your coalition?

More 12–year-olds have used potentially lethal inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, according to data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition's press conference to kick off its 18th annual National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week.

When a problem affects the entire state, it sometimes takes the entire state to address the problem. And when the problem is binge, or high-risk drinking on college campuses, it takes both college and coalition staff and students to collaborate. That's what the Missouri Partners in Prevention did to address their community's binge drinking rates.

CADCA's National Coalition Institute will host a new Webinar- March 24, 2010 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

CADCA is one of 54 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participating in the 53rd session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs taking place in Vienna, Austria this week. The Commission, which is composed of fifty-three member states (or countries), is the principal policy-making body within the UN system on drug control issues. CADCA has a four-person delegation at the Vienna meeting, headed by CADCA Chairman and CEO, General Arthur Dean.

In his FY 2011 Budget Request, the President recommended cutting funding for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program by $9.5 million, to $85.5 million. We urgently need your help to ensure this proposed cut does not become a reality. Given Congress has the power to restore this cut, it is imperative that your members of Congress hear from you immediately.

Applications are now being accepted for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Mentoring program grants. In their announcement, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said that more than $1.1 million is available for new DFC Mentoring grants and that an estimated 15 new Mentoring grants will be awarded (up to $75,000 per grant, per year).

Of the 2.3 million inmates in prison or jail in the United States, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction. An additional 458,000 had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics, according to Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population. Combined these two groups constitute 85 percent of the U.S. prison population.

According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey, nearly 7 percent of 8th graders, 12.3 percent of 10th graders, and about 20 percent of 12th graders smoked cigarettes. Help reduce tobacco use by getting involved in national Kick Butts Day on March 24, 2010.

This is the fourth in a series of articles focusing on the young adults participating in the CADCA National Coalition Institute's Ambassador Program, a workforce development initiative. This week, we're highlighting Lindsey Roberts.

Attention community coalitions: there is still time to participate in the 2009/2010 CADCA Annual Survey of Coalitions. Don't miss this opportunity to be included in the only nationwide survey of community drug and alcohol abuse coalitions. The information in CADCA's Survey is the only comprehensive source of coalition information for the substance abuse field and informs policymakers of the need for coalitions and their success in keeping communities safe and healthy.

To reduce alcohol and other drug use takes more than just one or two strategies – it takes a variety of strategies involving the entire community. For 13 years, the Revere CARES Coalition in Revere, Mass. has done just that. The result? Reduced underage drinking and binge drinking rates among youth. Because of their success, the Revere CARES Coalition was named CADCA's Got Outcomes! Coalition of the Year award winner. The honor was given to director Kitty Bowman at CADCA's National Leadership Forum last month in Maryland.

After a decade of consistent declines in teen drug abuse, a new national study released this week found marked upswings in the use of various drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana and Ecstasy. The 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) was released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the MetLife Foundation.

While many were able to attend CADCA's 20th Annual National Leadership Forum earlier this month, there were many who unfortunately did not make it due to the blizzard that swept the Washington, D.C. area. While CADCA's cancellation policy does not permit refunds after Jan. 29, due to the historic nature of this snow storm CADCA is working with its Board of Directors and its insurance company to address requests for refunds.