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By Join Together Staff
Drivers who use medical marijuana are posing a challenge to law enforcement officers trying to enforce driving under the influence (DUI) laws, according to the Associated Press.
Unlike alcohol, the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, can stay in the system for weeks, and there is no easy test to determine a person’s level of impairment due to the drug, the AP notes.
A recent analysis of studies found driving under the...
By Join Together Staff
A new study suggests that young children whose mothers used methamphetamine in pregnancy are at higher risk of behavior problems compared with children whose mothers didn’t use the drug.
Use of the drug during pregnancy can lead to anxiety, depression and moodiness in children at age 3, the study found. Lead researcher Linda LaGasse called these findings “very worrisome,” the Associated Press reports. She said it is not known...
From May 20 through May 26, community organizations throughout the country will be hosting events that raise awareness about the importance of substance abuse prevention and the promotion of mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being as part of a new SAMHSA observance, National Prevention Week
Please join SAMHSA and more than 50 SAMHSA-supported community organizations in celebrating National Prevention Week 2012. The National Prevention Week 2012 theme – We are the ones....
read moreLast month, Congress approved the FY12 budget, and decreased funding for the CDC’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program by 94%—virtually dismantling the program.
Banning lead in gasoline and most paint in the United States has been a public health victory that—even in the face of powerful industries and their lobbyists—has benefited all of us. But, at one time, it was also a difficult choice politically, and it took advocates years to change...
read moreBy Join Together Staff
A new study suggests teenagers with “pathologic” Internet use are more likely to admit to drug abuse.
“Not only did we find that specific personality attributes were important in both substance abuse and Internet addiction, but that Internet addiction remained an important predictor of substance abuse,” study co-author Georgios Floros told ABCNews.com.
The study, conducted by Greek researchers, included 1...
A growing number of criminal defense lawyers are successfully questioning the results of blood alcohol tests in Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Lab quality experts and...
read moreBy Join Together Staff
The Army has decided to postpone expansion of its confidential alcohol treatment program for almost three years, citing a high dropout rate in its pilot phase.
The Confidential Alcohol Treatment and Education Project is aimed at helping soldiers who abuse alcohol, before more serious substance abuse problems develop that could harmfully impact their finances, health, relationships and military career. The Army introduced the program in 2009 at...
SAMHSA's Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies has released a link to a recorded webinar with Dr. Michael Compton in which he discusses bridging the gap between substance abuse prevention workers and mental health workers.
Click here to view the webinar.
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By Join Together Staff
Tobacco control efforts, such as increases in cigarette taxes and bans on smoking in public places, prevented almost 800,000 deaths from lung cancer in the United States between 1975 and 2000, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle developed a computer model to estimate the impact of changes in smoking patterns that resulted from tobacco control efforts on deaths from lung cancer during...
By Join Together Staff
A new study finds a high rate of childhood trauma in adult alcoholic inpatients. The researchers suggest childhood trauma should be considered when developing prevention and treatment strategies for adults with alcoholism.
While a history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood is a known risk factor for alcohol dependence, the new study shows how strong the association can be, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The...
The registration deadline has been extended to Thursday, March 22, 2012, for the Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training (SAPST) participant training to be held Monday, March 26, 2012 - Thursday, March 29, 2012 in Yakima.
You're encouraged to register for this SAPST. This is the last SAPST participant training scheduled this year by the Prevention Specialist Certification Board of...
read moreThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter Monday to the makers of the controversial AeroShot caffeine inhaler, saying the product is mislabeled and could be dangerous to users' health.
AeroShot, which is made by Breathable Foods Inc. and allows users to inhale 100 milligrams of caffeine and B vitamins, has been described by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., as nothing more than a "club drug." The FDA expressed concerns in Monday's letter about...
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