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SAPCA Members,
Please join me in wishing a fond farewell to Captain Bill Johnson, founding SAPCA Board Member. Captain Johnson will retire from the Alexandria Police Department on June 29. Congratulations on 37 years of outstanding service and deep gratitude for his meaningful contributions to SAPCA!
Noraine
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SAPCA Presents CYM Results to City Council
 Allen Lomax, SAPCA Chair and Derek Bibbs, SAPCA Board Member presented the results of SAPCA's East End mapping efforts to City Council on May 8. The Mayor emphasized the need to "act on the data." SAPCA has shared the data with the new Collaborative Children, Youth and Families Commission and looks forward to working with the Commission, other partners and community members on the recommendations.
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SAPCA's Upcoming Meetings |
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SAPCA Board Meeting (6/27)
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Raise Awareness About the Environmental Impact of Cigarettes
According to new research conducted by Legacy�, more than half of the Americans surveyed last month did not know that cigarette butts are the No. 1 littered item every year on U.S. roadways and beaches.
According to the tobacco industry-funded annual report, The Tax Burden on Tobacco 2011, 287 billion cigarettes were sold last year. Where did all those cigarette butts go? When you step over them on the streets where you live and work and at beaches and parks you enjoy, remember that cigarette butts are a potentially dangerous and costly burden. Help bring awareness to this issue and start changing social norms around littering cigarette butts.
The Marine Debris Tracker mobile application allows you to help make a difference by checking in when you find trash on our coastlines and waterways.
For more information, visit: www.legacyforhealth.org/environment. |
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UPCOMING PARTNERS' EVENTS |
The third annual Youth Arts Festival will take place on Saturday June 9 from noon to 4pm at the Buchanan Field behind Jefferson Houston Elementary School, 1501 Cameron Street. Click here for the flyer. |
The 24th annual All Night Drug and Alcohol Free Graduation Celebration for the T.C. Williams High School Class of 2012 will take place on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Chinquapin Recreation Center, across the street from the school. Since T.C. Williams High School began this tradition in 1989, there have been no drug or alcohol-related graduation night fatalities.
This special party -- sponsored by the T.C. Williams PTSA and made possible by the generous support of local businesses, citizens, community organizations, and alumni -- sends the clear message that the Alexandria community values the academic achievements of our students and cares deeply about their safety and well-being. The party is open to all graduating seniors. Click here to volunteer or donate. |
Understanding Your Influence (6/28)
Coalitions and the dedicated people who work with them have far-reaching influence in their communities. Working to change laws, regulations, ordinances, and policies is frequently involved.
Policy change is often the fastest way to see population-level impacts and enhance drug-free environments for youth and families.
During the hour-long broadcast Understanding Your Influence, learn how how coalitions can use the power they have to create positive change in their communities. Find out what coalitions can and can't do as far as advocacy and lobbying are concerned. See how changes to laws and policies can improve enforcement, reduce access and availability of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and increase social disapproval of drug use.
This on-line program will take place on June 28 from 1 to 2pm. Click here to register. |
A new type of "bath salts" called "Amped" is being used in Virginia, poison control officials there report. The drug, sold as a ladybug attractant, is likely also being used in other parts of the country, according to ABC News. "Bath salts" are not the typical bath salts you would put in your bathtub. However, by marketing them as bath salts and labeling them 'not for human consumption,' manufacturers were previously able to avoid having them declared illegal.
Amped and other "bath salts" have amphetamine-like qualities. Common effects are teeth grinding, jerking eye movements, profuse sweating, high blood pressure, high body temperature, fast heart rate, anorexia, diminished thirst, paranoia, hallucinations, seizures, significant violent outbursts, self-injurious behaviors and suicidal thoughts and acts.
Deaths have been reported as the direct result of the abuse of these drugs. The drugs carry labels warning against human consumption. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that in 2011, there were 6,138 calls regarding bath salts, up from 304 in 2010. As of March 31, poison control centers received 722 calls about bath salts so far this year. |
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.
The survey suggests teen marijuana use has become a normalized behavior. Only 26 percent agree with the statement, "In my school, most teens don't smoke marijuana," down from 37 percent in 2008. Also, 71 percent of teens say they have friends who use marijuana regularly, up from 64 percent in 2008.
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Teenagers who are familiar with TV ads for alcohol are more likely to drink, according to new research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in Boston.
Researchers at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center asked more than 2,500 young people, ages 15 to 20, about their exposure to alcohol, whether they had a favorite alcohol ad, and if they owned alcohol-branded merchandise, according to HealthDay.
They were then shown 20 images from popular alcohol TV ads, and 20 ads for fast food, with the brand names removed. They were asked if they remembered the ads, liked them and knew about which products were being advertised. Overall, 59 percent of the teens said they drank, and 49 had engaged in binge drinking (had more than six drinks in a row) at least once in the past year. Teens who drank were much more likely to be familiar with TV alcohol ads compared with their peers who didn't drink, the study found. Owning alcohol-branded merchandise or having a favorite alcohol ad was associated with more hazardous drinking. |
Parents Greatly Underestimate Children's Secondhand Smoke Exposure
A new study finds parents greatly underestimate their children's exposure to secondhand smoke. While 13 percent of parents said their children were exposed to cigarette smoke, blood tests showed the rate was 55 percent.
In children, secondhand smoke can cause ear infections, more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory symptoms and infections, and a greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, tested 496 blood samples from young children. The study tested blood levels of cotinine, a chemical produced by the body after it is exposed to nicotine, Reuters reports.
In the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the researchers noted children do not necessarily need to be around someone who is smoking in order to be exposed to secondhand smoke. They can be exposed if they spend time in a room where someone has recently been smoking. |
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