December 21, 2015
ISSUE 5-26
            

We thank you for reading this edition of the Prevention Journal! As always, please keep us informed of your coming events, job opportunities, grant availability, and other activities. Your ideas and feedback are welcomed.

Yours in prevention,
Kari Lerch
Deputy Director, Public Policy Institute
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute awarded 5-year federal grant to help create drug-free communities
The Community Advocates Public Policy Institute (PPI) was awarded the Drug-Free Communities grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. The effort is a new project of the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (MCSAP), which PPI administers. For the first time, MCSAP will zero in on a particular area in Milwaukee County, the 53206 ZIP code, to implement specific Drug-Free Communities projects. The grant is expected to continue for at least five years, with the potential for a 10-year commitment.

National Report: Wisconsin ranks 30th in protecting kids from tobacco
  Wisconsin ranks 30th in the country in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released Dec. 8th by a coalition of public health organizations. Wisconsin is spending $5.3 million this year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is just 9.2 percent of the $57.5 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In contrast, tobacco companies spend an estimated $157.3 million to market their deadly and addictive products in Wisconsin each year. That means tobacco companies spend $30 to promote tobacco use for every $1 Wisconsin spends to prevent it. This giant gap is undermining efforts to save lives and health care dollars by reducing tobacco use, the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, the report warns.

Harvard study confirms dangers of vaping
Harvard University scientists are calling for "urgent action" after their federally funded study confirmed dangerous, lung-destroying chemicals are commonly found in the liquids used in electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices.

The study comes in the wake of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation in October that found high levels of diacetyl and a related chemical in locally made e-liquids and exposed inadequate testing that results in manufacturers claiming their products are diacetyl-free when sometimes they are not.

The Harvard study, which focused on the presence of diacetyl in e-cigarettes, is similar to one done a year ago by a Greek researcher. But it could have more impact because it was funded by a division of the National Institutes of Health and comes as the U.S. government weighs whether to regulate the increasingly popular products.
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In This Issue
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute awarded 5-year federal grant to help create drug-free communities
National Report: Wisconsin ranks 30th in protecting kids from tobacco
Harvard study confirms dangers of vaping
Event Announcements
LIGHT AND UNITE RED
Jan. 25-29
Milwaukee, WI
Participate in the 1st annual Light & Unite RED in honor of National Drug Facts Week!
Participating members are encouraged to post, tweet, email, text, or share anyway possible. To show our unity as a community to address substance abuse in our communities partners are asked to showcase their red. To get involved and to be listed as a partnering organization,
email or call Annie Short at 414-257-7944. More information here.

MILWAUKEE CAN SUPPORT GROUP
Ongoing
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CAN (Change Addiction Now) is a support group for anyone whose life has been affected by substance use and/or addiction. We recognize that this disease impacts not only those with the addiction, but also their friends and family. If you have similar life experiences, please join us. Milwaukee Area CAN meets on the 2nd Monday of every month, 6:00 PM to 7:30 at the Shorewood Library 3920 N. Murray Ave., Shorewood, WI.
         Brighter Futures
 
The Prevention Journal is brought to you by the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute . For more information on each of our prevention programs, click on their respective logos above.