Marijuana is a topic of significant public discourse in the United States, and while many are familiar with the discussions, it is not always easy to find the latest, research-based information on marijuana to answer to the common questions about its health effects, or the differences between Federal and state laws concerning the drug. Confusing messages being presented by popular culture, media, proponents of "medical" marijuana, and political campaigns to legalize all marijuana use perpetuate the false notion that marijuana is harmless. This significantly diminishes efforts to keep our young people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from addiction.

The Administration steadfastly opposes legalization of marijuana and other drugs because legalization would increase the availability and use of illicit drugs, and pose significant health and safety risks to all Americans, particularly young people.

This Web-based resource center provides the general public, community leaders, and other interested people with the facts, knowledge, and tools to better understand and address marijuana in their communities. This resource center will be regularly updated and expanded to address emerging issues, research, and prevention tools, and highlight successful local efforts to reduce marijuana use: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuanainfo.

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Toolkit:  

CADCA has prepared a comprehensive toolkit for communities and Coalitions to utilize to discourage legalization:

http://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/CADCA/attach/ToolkitForStatesFacingMedicalMarijuanaMarijuanaLegalizationInitiatives.pdf   

Just One Lie

            Let me start at the beginning. I had just been accepted at Julliard! Everyone was happy for me, but I was nervous. All of my high school friends were going their separate ways, including my high school sweetheart Liam. My friends had invited me to a party. It was almost graduation, and we wanted to have one last night to ourselves. My parents have always been protective, so when I told them about it, they immediately asked me questions.

"Who will be there?"

"Just a group of my friends, you know who usually goes."

"Will there be any boys?"

"No."(Lie #1)

"When does it end?"

"It's a sleepover. I'll get a ride tomorrow morning."

            That's not completely true. I didn't know where we would be and I didn't want my parents showing up where they thought we were, not knowing where I was. It also wasn't a sleepover; I just didn't want them to worry. (Lie #2)

"What will you do?"

"I don't know. We'll make it up as we go." (Another half truth; I had heard some people might be bringing alcohol. Lie #3)

            After being interrogated, I was given permission to go. Now I just had to arrange a ride up and back.

~~~~~~

            When I finally got there, everyone was already there. They had been there for a while, drinking. I didn't want to stay there, I felt uncomfortable. Liam finally convinced me to stay. We did have fun, I didn't drink.

            Soon it was time to leave. Liam was the designated driver but he had been drinking. I took the keys because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. We were 20 miles out of town and not near anyone's house. We all decided to drive to Artemis's house to crash till the morning. The van was packed and we headed there.

            On the way, as we were rounding the corner, a truck lost control and swerved into our lane. There was nothing I could do but watch it grow closer and collide into the side of the van. What happened next was a blur. I remember looking up at the stars. It was hard to breath. It felt like an elephant was on my chest. My left arm felt weird. I managed to glance to see why. My hand and half of my forearm were missing without a trace! Now I could never be a performance harpist. That was my dream, and that's how I got into Julliard. They thought I was good enough to go somewhere with my talent, but now I would never be able to. My passion was taken away in a few seconds. I started crying. I couldn't see any of my friends and I was losing consciousness. The last thing I heard before I went out was sirens.

~~~~~~

            I woke up in the hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses. The first thing I noticed was that I had an oxygen mask on. I tried to take it off but they told me that my ribs broke, puncturing my lungs and I needed it to breath. They had bandaged my arm where it had been severed. They were patching my other minor wounds. I couldn't stand seeing them work on me like this, and I lost consciousness again.

~~~~~~

            When I woke up again, I was surrounded by my friends and family. I was thrilled to see them instead of doctors. My parents looked so distraught at first, but so relieved when they saw I was awake. I had been unconscious for a few days. I suddenly felt so ashamed. It was my fault everyone was hurt. I had lied to my parents and it put me so close to death. They didn't seem to care. All they cared about was that I was ok.

            I finally got up the nerve to ask what happened to everyone else in the car. They all had some minor injuries, like breaks and fractures. The only other person who was wounded worse than me was Liam. Everyone but him was conscious. I couldn't stand to hear this. I had hurt the person that I cared about the most. They also informed me that the driver of the truck that hit us was drunk.

            My parents told me that they were proud of me because I had done the right thing. I was confused. Didn't they know that I had lied to them? I asked them why and their answer shocked me. They had talked to everyone else. My friends told them that I had gotten there late because of car problems (Lie #4). I wasn't aware that there would be alcohol there (Lie #5) and once I had gotten there, they had been drinking for a while. They explained that I told them to stop immediately and I insisted on bringing them home (Lie #6). My friends lied to my parents to protect me.

            When it was time for visitors to leave, I was so exhausted from the crowding, hugging, crying, and lying, I automatically dosed off. I also didn't want to think anymore.

~~~~~~

            In the middle of the night, I was awakened by someone shaking me. It was Artemis. She had stolen the master key from the nurses' station and found out what room I was in. For the first minutes of being reunited, we just hugged and cried. She kept telling me they were all so happy that I was still alive. They had been so scared I would die.

            Finally, when we got a hold of ourselves, I asked her if she had seen everyone else and she had. Since she wasn't severely hurt, she was allowed to walk around a little. Artemis informed me that Liam was not doing well. He had tubes and bandages all over his body and had not yet regained consciousness. Hearing this, I wanted to cry but I was all out of tears.

            I asked Artemis why they had told my parents all of those lies. She said that they all loved me and wanted to protect me. They knew my parents were upset enough with me hurt, they didn't need to hear anything bad about me. We could hear someone screaming down the hall. Artemis decided to leave as to not get caught. She told me to just go to sleep and we would talk more in the morning. All this news had overwhelming and I was more than happy to oblige.

~~~~~~

            I woke when the sunlight came in the window and over my face. I couldn't fall back to sleep because it was too bright. I was confused. My window in my room was not on the left side. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings: the flowers, the I.V., the respirator, my missing hand. Then I remembered everything that happened. I pressed the call button and waited for a nurse to come. When she got there, she fixed my respirator; it had practically fallen off. She told me that if it had, I wouldn't have made it through the night. I asked her how Liam was and her face turned very somber. She informed me that she was very sorry but he hadn't made it through the night. I was shocked. I didn't want to believe her. I wanted to yell at her and call her a liar, but I could see in her eyes that she was indeed telling the truth and nothing I could do would change that. She asked if I needed anything. I just said I needed to be alone for a while. She understood

            The rest of the day went by in a blur. People came and left. My parents came back and so did my aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins. I didn't feel like talking and I really didn't comprehend anything. I was just there physically. All I could think was why did he have to die? Why couldn't it have been me? Why did my friends lie for me? I didn't deserve it. Then it hit me. If I hadn't told a lie to begin with and told my parents what was planned, none of this would've happened. Liam would not be dead. I would still have my arm. None of my other friends would have been hurt. It all started with one lie. Just one lie was all it took to ruin my life.

            Around 8p.m., everyone started to leave. My parents asked if I wanted company. I told them I would be fine. Once everyone was gone, the nurse on duty turned on a small light. Other than that, it was completely dark in the room. I could see the fluid in the I.V. slowly dripping into my arm. I made up my mind. I slid the oxygen mask from my face...

Thirdhand smoke is generally considered to be residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. This residue is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix. This toxic mix of thirdhand smoke contains cancer-causing substances, posing a potential health hazard to nonsmokers who are exposed to it, especially children.

Studies show that thirdhand smoke clings to hair, skin, clothes, furniture, drapes, walls, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and other surfaces, even long after smoking has stopped. Infants, children and nonsmoking adults may be at risk of tobacco-related health problems when they inhale, ingest or touch substances containing thirdhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke is a relatively new concept, and researchers are still studying its possible dangers.

Thirdhand smoke residue builds up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning. Thirdhand smoke can't be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners, or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home. Thirdhand smoke remains long after smoking has stopped. In contrast, secondhand smoke is the smoke and other airborne products that come from being close to burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes.

The only way to protect nonsmokers from thirdhand smoke is to create a smoke-free environment, whether that's your private home or vehicle, or in public places, such as hotels and restaurants.

Make the pledge to keep those you care about safe!   

 Keep this signed pledge on your refrigerator to remind yourself of the importance of maintaining a smoke-free environment! 

Parents, offering your kids sips of booze may backfire By Corey Binns

Source: Drugfreehomes.org

At the dinner table, a mother and her husband often have wine together. On occasion, their 6-year-old son has had a taste too.

"I feel it's very important to set an example of responsible drinking for him -- that alcohol is something to be enjoyed in moderation," says the mother, who runs an online babysitting service in Boston. "We explain to him that it's a drink for grownups and, as he gets older, he can have a very small amount on special occasions." Although her son hates the taste of alcohol and never requests any, the family will set the table with three wine glasses and pour apple juice in his.

Public health analyst Christine Jackson and her colleagues read hundreds of comments online by parents who share similar beliefs as this family. People were certain that offering kids sips of booze at home would encourage responsible drinking behavior later in life. But despite their best intentions, these moms may be mistaken.

"It is possible that an early introduction to alcohol, even when it is limited to sips and even when it is meant to discourage child interest in alcohol, could backfire and lead to more drinking later on," said Jackson, who is based at the research institute RTI International in North Carolina and worked with colleagues from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a study published in Monday's issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

Forty percent of the 1,000 mothers surveyed in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee believed that forbidding alcohol would only spike their kids' desire to have it.

At least one in five moms in the study said they believed that children who sip alcohol will be better at resisting peer pressure to drink and less likely to experiment with risky drinking in middle school.

"This finding indicates that many parents mistakenly expect that the way children drink at home, under parental supervision, will be replicated when children are with peers," said Jackson. Recent studies, she points out, have shown that's not the case-kids disregard the norms they see at home when they're out partying with their peers.

"Even though a couple of other studies have found that it is common for school-aged children to have tried alcohol, it was surprising to see that 33 percent of the third graders in our study had already had beer, wine, or other alcohol," Jackson said.

In fact, in the last decade, scientists have learned that the earlier young people begin to drink, the more likely they are to develop dependence, says Ralph Hingson, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. "The safest thing for parents to do is to try and delay exposure to alcohol for as long as possible," he says.  

More evidence may be building that it's not the best idea to let your kid share your chardonnay -- but you shouldn't shun the subject of alcohol entirely, either, experts say.  

"We can prepare our kids by talking with them about what they might encounter with drugs and alcohol and how they can deal with those encounters," said Philip Hirschman, chief clinical officer at CRC Health Group, a provider of addiction treatment programs.  

Parents can follow a few guidelines to broach the subject of drinking with their children, advises the Partnership for a Drug Free America. First, start the conversation with your children about alcohol by showing them you're open-minded. Ask questions like, "Do you know anyone who drinks? What do you think about that?" Be clear with kids that you don't want them drinking. Set limits, make rules and consequences clear to children. Finally, be honest about your own drinking history.

Quick Facts about Underage Drinking:

By Dosomething.org:

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-teens-and-alcohol
 

1. The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls.
2. By age 14, 41% of children have had least one drink.
3. The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.
4. Teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.
5. An early age of drinking onset is also associated with alcohol-related violence not only among persons under age 21 but among adults as well.
6. It's estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics.  Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.
7. Annually, more than 5,000 deaths of people under age 21 are linked to underage drinking.
8. Various studies have found that 44% of students attending 4-year colleges drink alcohol at the binge level or greater.
9. Every year, an estimated 30,000 college students require medical treatment after overdosing on alcohol.
10. Annually, 400,000 students between the ages 18 and 24 engage in unprotected sex while drunk and say they wouldn't have done it had they been sober.
11. The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three.