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County Court to Use Online Sanctions for Low-Risk Offenders

October 14, 2011

In an effort to implement meaningful sentencing alternatives for alcohol related offenses and low-degree criminal offenders, the 22nd Judicial Circuit of McHenry County, in conjunction with the McHenry County Department of Probation and Court Services, has implemented the use of the 3rd Millennium Online Classrooms.

During the last decade, courts have been diverting underage drinking, petty theft, marijuana possession, and other misdemeanor cases to diversion programs, thus allowing...

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Employee Assistance Research Foundation Calls for Grant Proposals

October 14, 2011

By Join Together Staff

The Employee Assistance Research Foundation (EARF) has issued a call for grant proposals, which will focus on workplace-related outcomes of employee assistance programs (EAP). The proposals are due by November 30.

The EARF will choose several research grants of up to $40,000 for research projects of up to one year. The grants are intended to be used as seed money to pursue larger research projects.

Those interested in applying should submit a brief...

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Synthetic Drug Labs Bring Big Money to Small Towns

October 14, 2011

By Join Together Staff

The growing popularity of synthetic drugs such as "bath salts" is spurring an increase in makeshift drug labs in towns across the country.

Making drugs in at-home labs can translate into big profits, according to the Minneapolis StarTribune. The article notes industry experts estimate there are hundreds of home-grown synthetic drug labs around the country. There have been numerous reports of synthetic marijuana and other substances showing up in...

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New Fact Sheet Links Health Equity and Violence

October 14, 2011

Violence affects young people of color and those living in low-income areas more than other groups, and a new fact sheet from the Prevention Institute - "Links Between Violence and Health Equity" - makes the case that violence is a key health equity issue.

In addition to serious injury and premature death, violence creates a climate where people do not feel safe, which in turn discourages economic development and investment in communities. A major determinant of trauma and...

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Films With Smoking Are Less Profitable

October 14, 2011

By Join Together Staff

Movies that depict smoking make less money than smoke-free films, a new study concludes.

Researchers reviewed 1,232 movies released in the United States that were among the top 10 profitable films for at least a week between 2002 and 2010. After taking into account factors such as total budget and film rating, they found films with smoking made 13 percent less in ticket sales than movies without smoking. The study appears online in the journal Tobacco...

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Parents, Officials Protest Marijuana-Shaped Candy

October 14, 2011

By Join Together Staff

Parents and officials are protesting the appearance of candy shaped like marijuana leaves in stores around the country. The candy, labeled 'Pothead Ring Pots," and "Pothead Lollipops," are made by Kalan LP, a novelty supply company based in Landsdowne, Pennsylvania.

The candy is being sold in 1,000 stores nationwide, according to the Associated Press. Andrew Kalan, president of the company, says the candy promotes the legalization of...

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College Students Who Post Drunken Photos on Facebook at Risk of Drinking Problems

October 7, 2011

By Join Together Staff

College students who post photos to Facebook showing themselves getting drunk are at higher risk of alcohol dependence and abuse, compared with their classmates with no references to drinking on their pages.

The findings, from a new study of students at two universities, suggest schools might be able to use Facebook to determine which students should be assessed for alcohol-related problems, the researchers say. They acknowledge this raises privacy and...

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Medicare Slow to React to Prescription Drug Abuse, Report Says

October 7, 2011

By Join Together Staff

Medicare has been slow to react to the prescription drug abuse problem sweeping the nation, according to a new report. Congressional investigators say 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries received prescriptions from five or more health care providers in 2008, for 14 types of frequently abused medications.

According to The New York Times, the report will be...

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Alcohol-Impaired Driving Drops Overall, But Remains High Among Young Men

October 7, 2011

By Join Together Staff

Rates of alcohol-impaired driving have dropped 30 percent since 2006, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drunk driving rates remain high among young men, binge drinkers and people who don't always wear a seatbelt.

There were an estimated 112 million drunk-driving incidents in 2010, or an average of 300,000 per day, according to HealthDay. Drunk driving accounts for almost 11,000 traffic fatalities...

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Low-Cost Drug Effective in Helping Smokers Quit

October 7, 2011

By Join Together Staff

A low-cost drug not available in the United States is effective in helping smokers quit, a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found.

The drug, cytisine, is a nicotine substitute that has been sold in Eastern European countries for many years. The study found people taking the drug were more successful in quitting than those taking a placebo, HealthDay reports. The study included 740 smokers who were randomly assigned to take...

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Doctors Often Miss Alcohol Screening Opportunities in Young Adults

October 7, 2011

By Join Together Staff

Doctors frequently fail to ask their young adult patients about excess alcohol use. The findings come from a new study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The survey included more than 4,000 adults ages 18 to 39. Two-thirds had seen a doctor in the past year. Of those whose drinking was considered excessive, only 49 percent said their doctor asked about their drinking, and only 14 percent were counseled about it.

...

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Calls Grow for Mandatory Education for Physician Opioid Prescribing

October 7, 2011

By Celia Vimont

A group representing pain management physicians is calling for mandatory education for doctors who prescribe opioids. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is advocating for legislation that would require health care professionals who prescribe drugs to receive specialized training. Several such bills are currently circulating in the House and Senate.

Between 80 and 90 percent of doctors in the United States have no formal training in...

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Federal agency requires packaging changes for Four Loko

October 3, 2011

The marketers of Four Loko have agreed to re-label and repackage the super-sized, high-alcohol, fruit-flavored, carbonated malt beverage, to resolve Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges of deceptive advertising.

The FTC alleges that Phusion Projects, LLC and its principals falsely claimed that a 23.5-ounce, 11 or 12 percent alcohol by volume can of Four Loko contains alcohol equivalent to one or two regular 12-ounce beers, and that a consumer could drink one can safely in its...

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Vodka-laced gummy bears showing up in Michigan schools

October 3, 2011

The link below takes you to a 4-minute segment about how kids in Detroit are saturating gummy bears with vodka. Amazingly, they demonstrate their "technology."

Click here to view video.

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National Suicide Prevention Effort Sees Progress at One-Year Mark

October 3, 2011

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention marked its one year anniversary today by launching its twelfth task force - one focused on suicide prevention in the workplace.

Roughly 80% of all suicides are by working-aged adults and the majority of those are employed at the time of their deaths. Initially, the Workplace Task Force plans to create a compelling business case for suicide prevention, designed to encourage more employers to initiate programs for their workforce....

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