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SAPCA Members,
Mark your calendars, for Wednesday March 20 for Kick Butt's Day, a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. SAPCA will partner with the Clean and Smoke Free Air Coalition, Y Street, and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities to support youth to carry out activities for Kick Butt's Day. Stay tuned for details!
Noraine |
SAPCA Presents wreckED at Minnie Howard (1/15, 1/16)
Shelly Morgan, SAPCA Vice-Chair, and Noraine presented The Partnership at Drugfree.org's wreckED, a program that, challenges teens to think more about their own and their friends' behavior regarding alcohol and other drugs, and to consider the consequences of getting involved. Over 180 Minnie Howard students attended the presentation. Students asked numerous questions about medical marijuana and the dangers of abusing prescription and over the counter drugs. |
Student Creates SAPCA Club at TC Williams
TC Williams student, Emma West, founded the SAPCA club at on January 15. She and other club members are currently recruiting students to join. The next meeting will take place on Monday, February 25, 3:30 p.m. in Room A230 at TC Williams. Club members will work with SAPCA to organize Kick Butts Day activities for March 20, plan Alcohol Awareness Month activities for April, and create a marijuana prevention campaign!
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SAPCA celebrated the National Institute on Drug Abuse's(NIDA) Drug Facts Chat Day on January 31 with ROTC classes at TC Williams. NIDA's annual Drug Facts Chat Day is an extraordinary event that is a substantial learning opportunity for students.
Each year, top scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse go live online to answer students' questions about drugs and their impact on the teen brain and body. During the chat, students asked some of our nation's experts about illicit drug use as well as abuse of prescription drugs, which is becoming a growing problem among our nation's teens. In return, they received facts, not lectures.
Students also asked a lot of questions about the short and long-term consequences of using marijuana. In addition to getting the facts, they learned about great resources such as www.drugabuse.gov, which has important information on alcohol and many other drugs.
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$182.5 Billion Alcohol Tax Proposed to President Obama
Click here to take action.
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UPCOMING PARTNERS' EVENTS |
Get Involved in Youth Policy Planning (2/11, 2/13)
The Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission is seeking input on developing policies for the City's children and youth. The youth master plan is slated to be completed in 2013. To help guide that plan, three forums have been scheduled to get input from the community on the issues surrounding youth. To participate in the planning process, contact Ron Frazier at 703.746.5967 or attend the following forum:
- Saturday, Feb. 23, William Ramsay Elementary, 5700 Sanger Ave., 10 a.m. - Noon
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Story Stockpiling ( 2/13)
Your nonprofit has a story to tell. As a matter of fact, your nonprofit has countless stories to tell. Story stockpiling is the ability to create a cache of great stories about all that is wonderful about your nonprofit. This workshop teaches attendees how to make use of news values and story angles to tell your story in a unique and compelling way every time.
The workshop is free, however reservations are required. The workshop will take place on February 13 at the Durant Arts Center, 1605 Cameron St. from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Please register by calling the Office of the Arts: 703.746.5588 or on Eventbrite: http://storystockpiling5for5.eventbrite.com/ |
FACE Center Spring Workshops
The FACE Center has published a listing of free parent/student workshops and family sessions that are being offered during the winter and spring. Register online or by calling 703.824.6865. |
Youth Master Planning: A Road Map for Improved Outcomes for Youth (2/14)
A well-done child and youth master plan provides a blueprint for where a community is going. Leaders use master plans as calls to action, generating excitement and rallying key players. The webinar features civic leaders from Nashville sharing their experiences in implementing child and youth master plans.
The webinar, sponsored by Ready by 21, will take place on February 14, 2 to 3 p.m. |
Teen Narrowly Escapes Death After Smoking Synthetic Marijuana
Emily Bauer complained of a migraine and took a nap at her house after allegedly smoking Spice with friends on December 7, according to her stepfather Tommy Bryant. She woke up a different person. The full story is on CNN's website.
Stumbling and slurring her words, she morphed into a psychotic state of hallucinations and violent outbursts, her family said.
They called 911 after they realized she had "done something," some drug, said her stepfather. To keep Emily safe, doctors put her in an induced coma. After days in the sedated state, an MRI revealed she had suffered several severe strokes, said Bryant.
Her family said the drug that landed the Cypress, Texas, teenager, then 16, in the ICU two weeks earlier wasn't bought from a dealer or offered to her at a party. It was a form of synthetic weed packaged as "potpourri" that she and friends bought at a gas station.
Best known by the street names "Spice" or "K2," fake weed is an herbal mixture sprayed with chemicals that's meant to create a high similar to smoking marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Advertised as a "legal" alternative to weed, it's often sold as incense or potpourri and in most states, it's anything but legal.
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DEA Proposes New Regulations to Dispose of Unwanted Prescription Drugs
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed new regulations to give the public more options for disposing of unwanted prescription drugs, such as painkillers and sedatives.
The new rules are designed to reduce the amount of highly abused prescription drugs on the streets, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The DEA wants law enforcement agencies and pharmacies to maintain collection boxes for certain medications. The agency also recommends implementing mail-back programs to safely dispose of the drugs.
Under the proposed rules, for the first time, groups outside of law enforcement would be allowed to collect unused drugs for disposal, the article notes. According to a DEA news release, the proposal would allow authorized retail pharmacies to voluntarily maintain collection boxes at long-term care facilities. The DEA also calls for continued use of prescription drug "take-back" events.
The public can comment on the proposed regulations until February 19. Congress subsequently will vote on the measure. |
Marijuana Use is Too Risky a Choice
David Frum joined the board of a new organization to oppose marijuana legalization. He wrote an opinion piece for CNN as an ireporter explaining the reasons why marijuana use is a bad choice and why it should stay illegal.
There are many excellent reasons to avoid marijuana. Marijuana use damages brain development in young people. Heavy users become socially isolated and perform worse in school and at work. Marijuana smoke harms the lungs. A growing body of evidence suggests that marijuana can trigger psychotic symptoms that otherwise would have remained latent. These were only some of the reasons he listed in the article.
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Binge Drinking a Big Problem Among High School Girls, CDC Reports
One in five high school girls binge drink, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report finds almost 14 million women in the United States binge drink about three times a month.
The binge drinking rate among high school girls is almost as high as their male peers, according to CNN. About 62 percent of high school senior girls said they engaged in binge drinking in 2011. For females, binge drinking is defined as having four or more drinks on one occasion.
Binge drinking was responsible for more than half of the 23,000 deaths attributed to excessive alcohol use among women and girls in 2011, the report found. Women are more susceptible to the effects of drinking, because they can be physically smaller, according to the CNN article.
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