We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
The USDA has proposed new Dietary Guidelines for Americans that include substantial changes about alcohol. The deadline for public comments on the guidelines is Thursday, July 15.
Every five years, the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) revisit the dietary guidelines "to promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases."
The Advisory Committee is recommending an average (weekly) rather than daily consumption guideline. Tim Naimi’s accompanying commentary and Marin Institute’s talking points outline the issues.
Treatment programs need to meet the unique needs of methamphetamine users, researchers say ... Pennsylvania is experimenting with high-tech alcohol vending machines ... California’s NAACP chapter has endorsed a marijuana-legalization ballot initiative ... Youthful marijuana use may or may not cause depression, but there seems to be an association between the two, a new study finds ...
Missouri has become the fifth U.S. state to ban K2, an herbal blend that mimics the effects of marijuana when smoked ... Price controls on potent alcoholic drinks have helped cut binge drinking, a Canadian province reports ... Healthcare providers need to pay more attention to smoking among gay and lesbian populations, says the American Lung Association ... The long-running legal battle over funding of an Ohio tobacco prevention foundation has reached the state Supreme Court ...
Talk about return on investment: A new report from the Marin Institute says that the alcohol industry parlayed $3 million in California political donations into the defeat of $2 billion in proposed alcohol taxes and mitigation fees. The industry watchdog drew a direct connection between industry donations to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Budget Reform Now poliical-action committee and the withdrawal of the governor’s $751-million alcohol tax proposal.
"We found Big Alcohol standing over the smoldering ruins of a failed state budget," said Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director of the Marin Institute.
The full report is available on the Marin website.
The ACLU has sued Wal-Mart over its firing of an employee who legally used medical marijuana under Michigan state law ... A proposed San Francisco alcohol tax would be used to pay for addiction treatment and other services ... Arizona’s governor claims that most illegal immigrants from Mexico are involved in drug smuggling ... The FDA’s tobacco center had a busy first year and has a full plate for year two, as well ...
The fate of the Insite safe-injection program for heroin users is now in the hands of Canada’s Supreme Court ... NYC’s top drug prosecutor is no fan of the state’s reform of its Rockefeller-era drug laws ... Heavy drinking has caused an epidemic of high blood pressure in the U.K. ... Driving or not, young drivers in Illinois can lose their licenses if found drinking, the state’s highest court says ...
Chicago-area FASTeam is sponsoring a 150-mile charity motorcycle ride on Aug. 15 to raise money for research and awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The 2010 F.A.S.T Ride, which will be aided by local police who will provide traffic control, is the 6th annual charity event by FASTeam, founded by husband and wife Walt and Kathy Teichen.
A tea that can ferment in the bottle could face regulation as an alcoholic beverage ... Peru may be out of the World Cup, but the Andean nation is tops in another category: it now produces more coca than any other country on Earth ... The cannabis-based drug Sativex has been approved for use in the U.K. to treat MS symptoms ... Cigarette butts are the biggest source of trash on Texas roadways, with an estimated 400 million tossed by drivers annually ...
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