Coalitions Online

Tonight, VH-1 will debut a new show on addiction and treatment hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of the nationally syndicated show "Loveline" and a keynote speaker at CADCA´s National Leadership Forum. "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" is the first television series to chronicle the dramatic, unscripted real life experiences of a group of celebrities as they undergo treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

The Department of Education´s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) has announced a new funding opportunity to help schools address youth alcohol abuse.

The White House Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), have announced the availability of new Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grants—totaling $19 million. ONDCP expects to award approximately 150 new grants to community drug prevention coalitions throughout the United States. The deadline to submit DFC grantee applications is Friday, March 21, 2008.

CADCA has developed a new public policy tool in partnership with CADCA members around the nation that provides examples of local ordinances, policies or regulations that coalitions have crafted to address alcohol, tobacco or other drug issues in their communities. CADCA´s Policy Change Toolbox is available in the Public Policy section of CADCA´s Web site, located at www.cadca.org.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in cooperation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); the National Coalition Institute (NCI); White Bison Inc., and representatives of the Cherokee Nation will provide an opportunity for coalitions operating on Native American reservations, Urban Indians, Native Alaskans, and those that represent Native peoples living in other areas, to gain an understanding of the Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant application process. Drug Free Communities is a Federal grant program that uses a community coalition approach to strengthen communities to prevent youth drug use.

Surveys have indicated a disturbing and potentially fatal trend in communities across the country: inhalant use among teenagers and young children. National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week, taking place March 16-23, 2008, presents an opportunity to bring this issue to the radar screen and to launch community-wide prevention campaigns about this alarming trend.

An estimated one in four U.S. children is exposed to a family alcohol problem, and countless others are affected by familial drug abuse. In fact, children of drug addicted parents are the highest risk group among children to become alcohol and drug abusers later in life, yet few treatment programs and preventive initiatives target this population. Coalitions can play a major role in raising awareness about this issue by planning local campaigns or activities during Children of Alcoholics Week, observed each year during the week of Valentine´s Day.

What if your next town hall meeting provided a format where every individual person attending participated in the conversation? What if when you held a meeting with a large number of people, instead of passive attendance, people actually engaged in deeper conversation and shared their perceptions, and possibilities for action emerged? During a presentation at CADCA´s National Leadership Forum XVIII, called "Community Conversations That Matter: Hosting a World Cafe," experts will discuss a new method of holding conferences and town hall meetings that invites conversations, encourages listening and helps garner creative solutions and ideas.

Though overall teen drug use is down nationwide, more teens abuse prescription drugs than any other illicit drug, except marijuana—and more than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined. However, research shows that many parents are not aware of teen prescription drug abuse and are not discussing the dangers with their teens. To address this serious trend, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today announced its first major federal effort to educate parents about teen prescription drug abuse. This national public awareness campaign will begin with advertising during this year´s Super Bowl, and includes broadcast, print, and online advertising, community outreach, and new print and online resources to help parents and communities combat the troubling trend of teen prescription drug abuse.

Nearly one in ten first-year college students at a mid-Atlantic university have a cannabis use disorder (CUD), according to a NIDA-funded study of drug use conducted by investigators at the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research. The study was reported in CESARFax. First-year students attending new student orientation were randomly selected to participate in a multiyear follow-up study.

In 2009, countries from around the world will convene at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria to discuss important international laws against drug use. To help support these drug laws, CADCA has joined other leading national prevention, treatment, and policy organizations in an effort known as Project SUNDIAL (Supporting United Nations Drug Initiatives and Legislation), which aims to gather more than 1 million signatures in support of these important international laws.

When it comes to drug prevention, parents are truly on the front lines. Coalitions engage parents, youth and all sectors to help "raise" drug-free kids from a community-wide perspective. In "Raising Drug-Free Kids", a CADCA TV show that premiered today, experts discussed the secrets of talking to youth and how to engage parents in prevention. For some teens, an education in the science of their developing brain may be enough to help them avoid alcohol and drugs. All parents can engage their teens in a real dialogue, provide boundaries, stress positive social norms, and ensure they are doing their part to reduce access to alcohol and other drugs.

The Hershey Company has announced that it will no longer produce its Ice Breaker Pacs, in response to criticism from drug prevention advocates that they closely resembled illegal powder drugs. The news was reported by the Associated Press.

Using a brain imaging technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), scientists have discovered that cocaine-related images trigger the emotional centers of the brains of patients addicted to drugs—even when the subjects are unaware they´ve seen anything. The study, published Jan. 30 in the journal "PLoS One", was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).