Prom and Graduation are Right Around the Corner:

Here are ways to Protect Your Teens!

 The following content was adopted from the Rigth Way Driving School website and the ADAP of Weston, Inc. website.  

For teens, prom means more than a tux or a formal dress and a corsage, just as graduation is more than a cap and gown. Prom and Graduation celebrations can be an opportunity for underage drinking that can lead to serious problems, such as traffic crashes and alcohol poisoning from binge drinking. 

Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers and remains the most heavily abused substance by America's youth.  Experts say the number one deterrent to underage drinking is having parents who talk to their teens about the dangers of alcohol. For some parents it has already been an ongoing conversation, but, unfortunately, many parents have missed the opportunity to address the issue.  What can parents do to ensure a safe and memorable Prom Night for their teens?  Here are some tips for parents:

Investigator Jennifer Frank Presents to North Country Students and Adults to improve Internet Safety for North Country Youth 

Presenter Jennifer Frank, a Special Investigator with the Plymouth State University's Crimes Against Women Unit, has been a frequent visitor in the North Country in the last several months presenting her "Many Faces of Facebook" presentation to parents, law enforcement, students, and other interested individuals in the area. The presentation focuses on Internet Safety, covering topics such as safety on popular Social Media sites, Cyberstalking, Cyber Bullying, privacy on the internet, sexting, and alcohol and drug use. This presentation is very informative and raises awareness to the potential dangers of not exerting safety and securing your privacy on the Internet.

 

Investigator Frank has visited many North Country communities, offering safety tips to parents, law enforcement, and students. She has presented in Woodsville, Profile, Lincoln, Berlin, at White Mountains Regional High School, and will be doing an all day 3 presentation series in Littleton on May 9^th, presenting to Littleton High School students, Staff, and parents.

 

Investigator Jennifer Frank's role at the university is to investigate crimes that involve members of the campus community with a specific concentration on crimes against women, sexual assault, hazing, harassment, rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Investigator Frank is a member of the Grafton County Juvenile Diversion Board, and adjunct faculty at Plymouth State University and the NH Police Standards & Training Academy.  She is the Co-Chair of the New Hampshire Violence Against Women Campus Consortium and an executive board member of the New Hampshire Violence Prevention Team, Plymouth Area Sexual Assault Resource Team and a liaison to the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General for Project Safe Childhood.

Investigator Jennifer M. Frank presents her "Many Faces of Facebook" presentation to Profile Students and Faculty on April 27th, 2010.

 

Young Drinkers Ages 12 to 14 More Likely to Obtain Alcohol from Family or Home Than Other Underage Drinkers

Adopted from the March 7th, 2011 Cesar Fax

Young drinkers are more likely than other underage drinkers to get alcohol from their family, according to data from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nearly one-half of youths ages 12 to 14 who drank alcohol in the past month obtained the alcohol from a parent, guardian, or other adult family member* (31%) or took the alcohol from their own home (15%). In contrast, 27% of underage drinkers ages 15 to 17 and 18% of those ages 18 to 20 reported getting alcohol from family or their home the last time they drank. These findings suggest the need for increased parental education on the effects of early alcohol use as well as increased monitoring of the presence of alcohol in the home.

Percentage of Current Underage Drinkers Who Reported

Getting Alcohol from Their Family/Home the Last Time They Drank, by Age, 2009

*Includes obtaining alcohol for free from parent/guardian or adult family member and paying a parent/guardian or adult family member to purchase it.

To view this Weekly Cesar Fax, or to view additional published Cesar Fax Weekly's, please visit:

http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax.asp

Facebook and Alcohol:

Alcohol-Related Content Most Accessible to Underage Users 

Adopted from the February 28th, 2011 Cesar Fax

Much of the alcohol-related content on Facebook is easily accessible by the approximately one-third of users who are under the age of 21, according to a qualitative study conducted by the Marin Institute. Despite guidelines requiring age restrictions, the study found that content promoting alcohol and dangerous drinking was accessible by underage users across all five of the most popular Facebook  features-advertisements, pages, applications, events, and groups.

Advertisements:  

Alcohol companies can buy ad space on Facebook, which allows them to access user's profile information and target their ads to specific audiences. One out of every eight ads were alcohol related and all alcohol-related ads were displayed to under 21 users.

Pages:  

Facebook pages are customizable profiles that can be made by an organization, product, or public personality. Facebook users can become fans of pages or "like" them, leaving the user with an affiliation to that topic. The ten top selling beer brands had 93 pages with a total of more than 1.1 million fans, while the ten top selling spirit brands had 334 pages for spirit brands with more than 3.2 million fans. Only 50% of the pages reviewed restricted access based on age. Six of the twelve top beer and spirit brands were accessible to under 21 users, allowing them to become a fan and receive marketing messages.  

Applications:  

Facebook applications are designed for interactive behavior-users can play games, take quizzes and rate brands. More than 500 Facebook applications are associated with the term alcohol. Four of the six alcohol applications reviewed by the study were accessible to underage users, allowing them to send virtual alcohol shots to other Facebook friends and be a virtual bartender.  

Events:  

Facebook events allow companies to advertise a time, location and description of a special occasion. Many events are ads for nightclubs, concerts or sporting events sponsored by an alcohol brand or companies. More than 4,400 events were found associated with the five best selling beer and liquor brands. There were no age restrictions found for these events.

Groups:  

Facebook groups can be created by any Facebook user about almost any topic. Once an individual user joins the group, it is displayed on that member's profile. Groups have their own discussion boards, photos, videos, event listings, and web links.  When searching Facebook groups using the term "alcohol," more than 58,000 results appear.  Each group reviewed by the study advertised alcohol with hyperlinks, photos, and graphics; none of the groups were restricted based on age.  

The study concludes that "Facebook's policies regarding alcohol ads and alcohol-related content in Pages, Applications, Events, and Groups do not effectively protect its users from exposure" (p. 3). The study authors recommend that Facebook stop accepting paid advertisements for alcohol products; stop allowing alcohol-related pages, applications, events and groups; and hire external monitors to enforce these regulations. They also suggest that "the alcohol industry must also question its affiliation with Facebook as a marketing tool when content so blatantly violates many of the industry's own advertising guidelines" (p. 4).

To view this Weekly Cesar Fax, or to view additional published Cesar Fax Weekly's, please visit:

http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax.asp

Obama Administration Releases Action Plan to Address National Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Press Release: April 19th, 2011 

New Strategy Strikes Balance between Cracking down on Drug Diversion and Protecting Delivery of Effective Pain Management

Washington, D.C.-Today, Gil Kerlikowske, White House Director of National Drug Control Policy; Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services, Howard Koh, M.D.; Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.; and DEA Administrator, Michele M. Leonhart released the Obama Administration's comprehensive action plan to address the national prescription drug abuse epidemic and announced new Federal requirements aimed at educating the medical community about proper prescribing practices.

The Administration's Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis provides a national framework for reducing prescription drug diversion and abuse by supporting the expansion of state-based prescription drug monitoring programs, recommending more convenient and environmentally responsible disposal methods to remove unused medications from the home, supporting education for patients and healthcare providers, and reducing the prevalence of pill mills and doctor shopping through enforcement efforts. The plan is the culmination of six months of collaboration across the Federal government, with agencies including the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and others.

In support of the action plan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it is requiring an Opioids Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). The new program will require manufacturers of long-acting and extended-release opioids to provide educational programs to prescribers of these medications, as well as materials prescribers can use when counseling patients about the risks and benefits of opioid use. The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 gave FDA the authority to require manufacturers to develop and implement a REMS to ensure the benefits of a drug or biological product outweigh its risks.

"Today we are making an unprecedented commitment to combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse," said Vice President Biden. "The Government, as well as parents, patients, health care providers, and manufacturers all play a role in preventing abuse. This plan will save lives, and it will substantially lessen the burden this epidemic takes on our families, communities, and workforce."

"The toll our Nation's prescription drug abuse epidemic has taken in communities nationwide is devastating ," said Director Kerlikowske. "We share a responsibility to protect our communities from the damage done by prescription drug abuse. This plan will build upon our already unprecedented efforts to coordinate a national response to this public health crisis by addressing the threat at the Federal, state, and local level."

"Abuse of prescription drugs, especially opioids, represents an alarming public health crisis." said Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. Assistant Secretary for Health. "This Plan, which coordinates a public health approach with a public safety approach, offers hope and health to our Nation."

"Unintentional drug overdose is a growing epidemic in the US and is now the leading cause of injury death in 17 states," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said. "There are effective and emerging strategies out there to address this problem. Support for this action plan will help us implement those strategies which will go a long way to save lives and reduce the tremendous burden this problem has on our healthcare system and our society."

"Long-acting and extended-release opioid drugs have benefit when used properly and are a necessary component of pain management for certain patients, but we know that they pose serious risks when used improperly, with serious negative consequences for individuals, families, and communities," said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. "The prescriber education component of this Opioid REMS balances the need for continued access to these medications with stronger measures to reduce their risks."   

"DEA is committed to implementing this important and much needed action plan to reduce the demand for prescription drugs, enforce our nation's drug laws, and take back unneeded prescription drugs," said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "When abused, prescription drugs are just as dangerous and just as addictive as drugs like methamphetamine or heroin. The more we can do to stop the abuse of prescription drugs, the more effective we will be in reducing the death, destruction and despair that accompanies all drug abuse."

Prescription drug abuse is our Nation's fastest-growing drug problem. The number of people who have unintentionally overdosed on prescription drugs now exceeds the number who overdosed during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980's and the black tar heroin epidemic of the 1970's combined. In 2007, approximately 27,000 people died from unintentional drug overdoses, driven mostly by prescription drugs. Additionally, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the number of Americans in 2009 aged 12 and older currently abusing pain relievers has increased by 20 percent since 2002. Further, visits by individuals to hospital emergency rooms involving the misuse or abuse of pharmaceutical drugs have doubled over the past five years.

ONDCP is coordinating an unprecedented government-wide public health approach to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States . This effort includes requesting an increase in funding for drug prevention by $123 million and treatment programs by $99 million dollars for Fiscal Year 2012, to train and engage primary health care to intervene in emerging cases of drug abuse, expand and improve specialty care for addiction-including care for families and veterans, and to better manage drug-related offenders in community corrections.

To read the full Action Plan, click here.

To read the FDA's Opioids Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS), click here.

For more information on National efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences visit: www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov