In the News

Breaking the Cycle of Drugs, Alcohol and Crime

Following is a comentary by Susan Richardson, National Executive Director for Reclaiming Futures.

30756574 Almost two million American youth need treatment for alcohol and other drug use or abuse. But only 1 in 20 will receive treatment.

Research shows that teens with substance abuse problems are more likely to break the law, behave violently or drop out of school. In fact, 4 out of 5 young people in the juvenile justice system commit crimes while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

FTC Re-Examines Alcohol Ads in Social Media Era

woman with computer Twitter didn't exist the last time the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) examined alcohol advertising, back in the last decade.

Now hundreds of millions of tweets fly daily across the micro-messaging site, including an increasing number from wine, beer and liquor companies seeking market buzz. It's part of a new media frontier, one that federal regulators are about to explore.

In an ambitious venture, the FTC is requiring 14 major alcoholic beverage producers to release information about their Internet and digital marketing efforts. The parent companies for storied wineries including Kendall-Jackson, Robert Mondavi and Beaulieu Vineyard, as well as the likes of Anheuser-Busch and Bacardi, are all being tapped for precious data likely to shape future advertising rules.

Baby Born Every Hour With Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

Baby-foot-hospital Every hour, a baby is born in the United States with symptoms of opioid withdrawal, according to a study in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).The study found the number of pregnant women who are addicted to opioids, and the number of infants born with opioid withdrawal symptoms, has jumped in the past decade.

An estimated 13,500 babies are born with withdrawal symptoms each year in the United States, The New York Times reports. Many babies who experience these symptoms must be hospitalized for weeks, the article notes. Babies going through opioid withdrawal can have seizures, dehydration, breathing problems, tremors, difficulty feeding and irritability.

Marijuana Use on the Rise Among Teens

Drug-deal-at-school-5-2-12 Nearly one in 10 teenagers are smoking marijuana at least 20 or more times a month, a new survey finds. The Associated Press reports that the survey, released Wednesday by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, found past-month use of marijuana rose from 19 percent in 2008, to 27 percent last year.

The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study found past-year use of marijuana rose from 31 percent in 2008, to 39 percent (six million teens) in 2011. The survey found lifetime use increased from 39 percent in 2008, to 47 percent (eight million teens) in 2011. The last time marijuana use was this widespread among teens was in 1998, when past month use of marijuana was at 27 percent.

A Troubling Trend in Teens Drinking Hand Sanitizer

After six teenagers suffered alcohol poisoning from drinking hand sanitizer in California, public health officials are warning parents to look out for signs of abuse.

The teens showed up in two emergency rooms in the last few months, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some of them used salt to separate the alcohol from the hand sanitizer. This makes it a drink that is similar in potency to a shot of hard liquor, the article notes.

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