Vision
Racine County is a place where youth assets are increasing and all youth are healthy, involved and successful members of the community.
Mission
The Racine County Youth Coalition engages agencies, business partners, communities, families and schools, to promote and foster positive change in community practices, public policy, and youth programming in order to build assets and reduce risk behaviors including substance abuse among all Racine County young people.
Interested in joining the RCYC?
Contact Seth Kuranz at Focus on Community for more information.
(262) 632-6200
rcyc@focusracine.org
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Sweetened High-Alcohol Drinks Still Dangerous, Even Without Caffeine
Three federal agencies -- including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) -- recently acted in concert to halt the sale and distribution of caffeinated alcoholic drinks such as Four Loko and Joose. Agency officials made their decisions based on research into the effects of combining caffeine and alcohol, and several recent incidents linked to the beverages where individuals (mostly young people) have been hospitalized or killed.
In response, David L. Rosenbloom, who directs Join Together, published an editorial in The New York Times arguing that caffeine isn't the only problem with sweetened high-alcohol drinks. Rosenbloom pointed out three looming concerns:
- They're big. Alcoholic energy drinks are sold in large containers. A typical 23.5-ounce can, Rosenbloom wrote, "delivers the alcohol contained in four or five regular 12-ounce cans of beer."
- They're flavored with sweeteners. The sweet flavor "encourages rapid 'chugging'" of the drinks -- a "common cause of alcohol poisoning."
- They don't cost much. If you're a teen or college kid these drinks make a "cheap drunk" affordable.
Decaffeinated variations of the drinks still pose a risk to public health. Drink-makers, and those who market and sell them, should voluntarily take them off the shelves, Rosenbloom said. Barring that, federal and state agencies overseeing the alcohol industry should pull them off the market altogether.
What's your take? Have government officials done enough, or are the drinks -- even without caffeine -- still "blackout in a can"?
Please click here to visit JoinTogether.org and read more.
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Legal Case Regarding Alcohol Compliance Checks
"Does an underage buyer's misleading response to a question from a bartender render the decision to impose a license suspension null and void?" On November 9, 2010, the Court of Appeals of Minnesota handed down their opinion in an appeal from a City of Eagan's Licensing Board's decision to impose a civil fine and a license suspension for a sale of alcohol to a minor during a compliance check under Minn.Stat. § 340A.503, subd. 2(1) (2008). In the evening of December 21, 2009, Eagan Police Officer Christopher Meade went to the restaurant dressed in plain clothes to conduct an alcohol-compliance check; he was accompanied by Joshua Grubb, an underage purchaser. The bartender recognized Officer Meade from past visits to the restaurant, and knew him to be a police officer. The bartender asked each man for his proof-of-age identification. She first examined the Minnesota identification card produced by Grubb, which showed his date of birth, October 10, 1989, and bore the legend "UNDER 21" at the top of his photograph. After asking the underage buyer some questions in an attempt to determine his true age, the bartender made a sale of alcohol to the underage buyer after examining the license a second time. This case presents an interesting question of whether an underage buyer's misleading answer to a licensee's employee is sufficient to render a penalty imposed by the licensing board null and void. To read more about this interesting case and determine whether her arguments prevailed, please click on the link below. http://www.udetc.org/documents/resourcealerts/Feb2011case.pdf |
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Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
"US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity." Page 31 of the report addresses alcohol use. Please click here to for more information and to download the report. |
Alcohol and Obesity
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
A study indicates that people with a family history of alcoholism also have a higher risk of obesity.
At Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Richard Grucza examined national surveys involving about 80,000 people. Gruzca looked at family history because of its risk of alcohol addiction. He also looked at body mass index, which is a ratio of how much weight people carry for their height. A BMI of 30 or above is considered obese.
"If you look at the people who are at risk for addiction, compared to the people who are not at risk, in that 30-and-above category there's just more of them.''
The study in Archives of General Psychiatry was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
Last revised: January, 31 2011
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"Your Interview with the President"
On January 27th, President Obama recorded his annual "Your Interview with the President 2011," in which he answered questions on a wide range of issues submitted by and voted on by YouTube users. One such question focused on the President's stance on marijuana legalization. We wanted to share the President's
response with you, in which he unequivocally stated his opposition to marijuana legalization and reiterated the Administration's commitment to a comprehensive public-health based strategy with a renewed emphasis on prevention and treatment.
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Statement from the White House Drug Policy Director on Synthetic Stimulants, A.K.A. "Bath Salts"
Washington, D.C. - Today, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released the following statement following recent reports indicating the emerging threat of synthetic stimulants, including MDPV (3, 4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) and mephedrone. These stimulants are often sold and marketed in stores as "bath salts" under names such as "Ivory Wage" or "Purple Wave."
"I am deeply concerned about the distribution, sale, and use of synthetic stimulants - especially those that are marketed as legal substances. Although we lack sufficient data to understand exactly how prevalent the use of these stimulants are, we know they pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of young people and anyone who may use them. At a time when drug use in America is increasing, the marketing and sale of these poisons as "bath salts" is both unacceptable and dangerous. As public health officials work to address this emerging threat, I ask that parents and other adult influencers act immediately to discuss with young people the severe harm that can be caused by the use of both legal and illegal drugs and to prevent drug use before it starts."
Recent information from poison control centers indicates that abuse of these unlicensed and unregulated drugs is growing across the country. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were 251 calls related to "bath salts" to poison control centers so far this year. This number already exceeds the 236 calls received by poison control centers for all of 2010. Doctors and clinicians at U.S. poison centers have indicated that ingesting "bath salts," containing synthetic stimulants, can cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and delusions. Already, several states have introduced legislation to ban these products, including Hawaii, Michigan, Louisiana, Kentucky, and North Dakota. Several counties, cities, and local municipalities have also taken action to ban these products.
Director Kerlikowske also cited two steps parents can take today to protect young people:
1. Talk to your kids about drugs. Research shows parents are the best messengers to deliver critical information on drug use. Make sure they know of the harms that can result from drug use and that you don't approve of them. For tips and parenting advice visit www.TheAntiDrug.com.
2. Learn to spot risk factors that can lead to drug use. Association with drug-abusing peers is often the most immediate risk factor that can lead young people to drug use and delinquent behavior. Other risk factors include poor classroom behavior or social skills and academic failure. Parents can protect their kids from these influences by building strong bonds with their children, staying involved in their lives, and setting clear limits and consistent enforcement of discipline.
For more information on National efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences visit:
www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov
The Office of National Drug Control Policy seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively leading the Nation's effort to reduce drug use and its consequences.
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Update on the Ban of K2 in Racine County
During the past month, County and Municipal Leaders across Racine have taken steps to ban synthetic pot, commonly known as K2.
Click here to read the latest article in the Journal Times regarding the subject.
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