The Monday, Aug. 8 article "Local pastors rally around Proposition 36' was refreshing. Giving the addict an opportunity to participate in a treatment program rather than prison has been a godsend for many of the recovering addicts that I know. I have been sober and in recovery for the past 20 years. I was not given that chance when I was arrested for drug related offenses 28 years ago. As Ken Fisher who was quoted in the article said, "when I was in jail, I was just making better connections for nefarious activities. When I was released from my jail stint, I went right back to substance abuse without any understanding of the addiction process or of the coping skills needed to combat my urges; skills taught in treatment programs.' [continues 322 words]
Warning Signs Of Inhalant Abuse Parents have done a great job advising their children about the dangers of abusing alcohol and other drugs, says an official with the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. But when it comes to teen inhalant abuse, the message is not getting delivered, said Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson, the agency's chief of communication. "Inhalant use has fallen through the cracks," she said Thursday. She cited a Partnership for a Drug-Free America report that indicates the use of inhalants among middle school-age children increased by as much as 44 percent from 2002 to 2004. A youth risk behavior survey coordinated last year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows 4.3 percent of those ages 15 or younger reported having used inhalants within the last 30 days, Frohnapfel-Hasson said. The percentage of use in the last 30 days was 5.3 percent for ninth-graders, according to the study. Eleven percent of all school-age students report having used inhalants at least once in their lives. The figure for lifetime use by ninth-graders was 15.7 percent and 13.2 percent for children age 15 or younger. [continues 318 words]
The sale of cold medicines that contain essential methamphetamine ingredients should be restricted in Arkansas, following the lead of surrounding states that have controlled drug-component sales, a local prosecutor told a congressional subcommittee this week. David Gibbons of Clarksville, the prosecuting attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, said over-the-counter cold medication containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine should be distributed by pharmacists rather than from store shelves, a move that would likely reduce drug makers' access to the substances. Those components are major ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine, the most-used illegal drug in Arkansas. Gibbons was testifying before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources in Bentonville Monday, as one of a handful of experts in the tracking of methamphetamine production and use invited to testify during the four-hour hearing. Congressman Mark Souder of Indiana, the chairman of the subcommittee, hosted the hearing Monday, along with U.S. Rep. John Boozman, Arkansas' 3rd District representative. Boozman said Souder has acknowledged that Arkansas has a significant methamphetamine problem. [continues 529 words]
