Drug Fact Update
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| Post your comments, Reply to this article, Share your thoughts; A growing trend in NON-factual information! October, 2009 An ongoing trend in internet research is for websites to allow comments, replies and shares which allow the reader to create a discussion about the subject matter. Unfortunately, in the field of drug education, comments translate into inaccurate information that is later passed on as factual science and news. Lately, we’ve seen an increase in the volume of “online” opinions being reported back to us in the classroom. It is a high tech telephone game of misinformation. Referencing comments about articles is not factual or scientific; nor is it a consensus – it is simply the echo of opinion. Over the course of a year we review thousands of articles, news reports, science journals and case studies which have comments attached. People who comment on drugs articles represent a wide range of roles and careers such as doctors, nurses, family members of addicts, teachers, and counselors who all have real life experience and something to add to the conversation. Unfortunately, not everyone has something helpful to say; some are terribly misinformed know-it-alls. Others are teenagers who have so little life experience that they’ve never seen any damage from drugs, so they assume there are no dangers involved. Pro-drug advocates often seem to have the loudest voice and will comment on anything and everything. For years, we’ve warned teachers, librarians and parents about using the internet for research due to the proliferation of pro-drug websites. Today, we want to warn you about using comments. They are usually nothing more than a finger on the pulse of one group of people who are interested in the subject at hand. People who portray replies to an article as factual perpetuate rumors and ignorance. We all need to work together to watch where our students get their information for debates, classroom discussions and reports. |
| This Drug Fact Update page is a listing of all the articles and updates that we send in our monthly newsletter. It will continue to develop throughout each year. Scroll down to find the one you want. Please check back often and feel free to forward this site to other teachers. |
| The Men Behind the Red Ribbon: Why We Honor Red Ribbon Week October, 2009 The story behind red ribbon week sounds like a page out of a violent novel. In November, 1984 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent Enrique Camarena and his pilot Captain Alfredo Zavala-Avelar uncovered a multimillion dollar drug manufacturing operation in Chihuahua, Mexico. This information exposed several drug production operations and seriously reduced the flow of drugs out of Mexico. This cost the drug traffickers over 2 billion dollars in lost business and motivated themto seek revenge. First they murdered key local informants; then on February 7, 1985, Camarena and Avelar were each kidnapped, tortured and murdered. The murders of Camarena and Avelar motivated a massive investigation of Mexican drug trafficking. When Mexican authorities refused to cooperate, the US/Mexico border was closed for several days in order to force the Mexican government to assist in the investigation. Reluctantly, they cooperated and eventually more than two dozen drug traffickers including 2 major drug lords and several Mexican police officers were convicted for the murders of the DEA agents. Twelve years later, the LA Times published a story about high ranking Mexican officials who were involved with the planning and subsequent torture-murder of Camarena. The article also stated that US federal prosecutors relied on perjured testimony and false information. An independent investigation, done by the Times, found additional information that raised questions about who was telling the truth in a "story of a complex case built largely on the word of several paid informants with unsavory backgrounds, questionable credibility and much to gain from cooperating." Interestingly, just this week (10/09) the brother of the drug lord in the Camarena case who took over the family drug business was sentenced to jail in Colorado. In 1986, a California congressman and Camarena's high school friend began Camarena Clubs where hundreds of member pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifice made by the agent. First lady Nancy Reagan asked community groups to wear red ribbons during the last week of October as a symbol of their drug-free commitment. In 1988 the National Family Partnership coordinated the first National Red Ribbon Week. Last week, approximately 80 million people observed Red Ribbon Week with discussions about alcohol, tobacco, drugs and violence prevention awareness. Understanding the whole story behind the red ribbon may help facilitate a discussion in your classrooms or at your dinner table this week. |
| Drug Fact Update: The Great American Smokeout November, 2009 The month of November brings us one of the most proactive topics of the year. The third Thursday of November (the week before thanksgiving) marks an annual event called the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society (ACS) challenges Americans to stop smoking for 24 hours to kick off what they hope will be a change in lifestyle that will last forever. It all began in the mid 70’s when Massachusetts, Minnesota and California presented public challenges for smokers to give up their cigarettes. In 1976, the California division of the ACS successfully encouraged nearly one million smokers to quit for the day. The annual event has flourished and each year smokers choose this day to mark the beginning of the end of their smoking. If you have a loved one who is ready to quit smoking they don’t have to wait another year to quit. In an attempt to reduce the 5.4 million yearly deaths from tobacco-related health problems, World No Tobacco Day (sponsored by the World Health Organization since 1987) is observed around the world on May 31st. Here are some tips from the ACS website: On the ACS website they have a fantastic calculator that can tell a smoker how many cigarettes they smoke per day, month or year and how much it costs them to smoke. Research shows that smokers are most successful in kicking the habit when they have some means of support, such as:
How To Quit Make the decision to quit Set a quit date and choose a help plan Learn how to handle withdrawal Staying quit (maintenance) Secondhand smoke If the smoker claims they aren’t concerned about their own health, they should consider here is what family members are up against as a consequence of living with a smoker. Secondhand smoke can be harmful in many ways. In the United States alone, each year it is responsible for: an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers. about 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults. other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and reduced lung function. 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than 18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations. increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children who have asthma. more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children. Pets and cigarette smoke It’s not just the humans that smokers should worry about; their pets are inhaling the smoke as well. (http://www. tobaccofreeutah.org/smokingpets.htm) has a page explaining the toxins that our pets are exposed to. Cats are known to get cancer from licking the tar off of their fur when cleaning themselves. How To Help A Friend As a friend or family member of a smoker, you are in an uncomfortable situation. Tobacco smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body, is linked to at least 15 different cancers, and is one of the hardest drugs to quit. It is also the one that kills more people than other drugs of abuse combined. You should know that it may take several attempts to quit and relapse is part of the process for some people. Each time they quit they will feel bad about failing. Encourage them to set another date to quit. The sooner they try again and the longer they remain smoke-free each time will ensure their confidence and success. Californians Unite California proudly has the second lowest smoking rate (14% of adults smoke) in the country. With positive and gentle encouragement we could be the leaders of the nation in smoke free communities. If you have a loved one who is not ready to quit then plant the seed and put it on the calendar to quit the next time the Great American Smokeout or World No Tobacco Day comes around. Other references for help: American Heart Association - Telephone: 1-800-AHA-USA-1 (1-800-242-8721) www.americanheart.org American Lung Association - Telephone: 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) www.lungusa.org Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) www.epa.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Office on Smoking and Health www.cdc.gov/tobacco/ National Cancer Institute -Telephone: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) www.cancer.gov Smokefree.gov -(Info on state phone-based quitting programs) 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669) - www.smokefree.gov |