2012 Monitoring the Future Survey Released

1 in 4 High School Seniors Report Past-Month Usage of Marijuana Illicit Drug Use Among Teens Holds Steady, Shows Modest Declines Flanked by senior leadership from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of National Drug Control Policy(ONDCP) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), researchers from the University of Michigan today unveiled results of the 2012 Monitoring the Future survey. The overall story this year is that the use of most illicit drugs among the nation’s teenagers is either holding steady from last year or showing some modest declines. In particular, marijuana use has stopped trending upward and synthetic marijuana did not show a rise this year, although the survey’s principal investigators say it remains at high levels and is not declining despite DEA attempts to schedule many of the most common ingredients of synthetic marijuana. Another exception to this generally positive story is the appearance of a turnaround in alcohol use
among the older teens. The survey of approximately 45,000 eighth, 10th and 12th graders also found fewer
students perceive marijuana as harmful, compared with previous years. Researchers found 41.7 percent of eighth graders view occasional use of marijuana as dangerous, and 66.9 percent view regular use as harmful. These rates are the lowest since the survey began asking this age group about their perceptions of marijuana in 1991. Among 12th graders, 20.6 percent view occasional marijuana use as risky, the lowest rate since 1983. Among
this age group, 44.1 percent view regular use as harmful, the lowest rate since 1979. Almost one-quarter of the nation’s high school seniors say they have smoked marijuana in the past month, and just over 36 percent admit to using the drug in the past year. Meanwhile, 6.5 percent of high school seniors smoked marijuana daily. Among 10th graders, 3.5 percent say they use marijuana daily, while 17 percent report using the drug in the past month, and 28 percent in the past year. “We are increasingly concerned that regular or daily use of marijuana is robbing too many young people of their potential to achieve and excel in school or other aspects of life,” NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow said in a news release.

For more on this topic, view a brief video summary and read a statement from Partnership at Drugfree.org President and CEO Steve Pasierb. To see how Ohio’s youth compare, see the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey results from the Ohio Department of Health.

Finding source of prescription drugs stressed

Aug 07, 2012

By RYAN DUNN, staff writer, The Courier

A drug abuse task force on Monday discussed how better to pinpoint the source of abused narcotics, in an effort to curb addiction.  Members of the prescription drug abuse prevention task force, part of the Hancock County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board, spoke of the importance of addressing the problem at the local level. A recent Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America national conference that task force members attended in Nashville highlighted the benefits of considering the problem’s root cause, said Executive Director Precia Stuby.  “How do we get down a little deeper so we can make the kind of changes that need to be made in the community?” she said.  Law enforcement, for example, tracks details about drug sales or drug possession arrests. Stuby said she hopes to meet with officials to determine how thoroughly that information is detailed. 
If opiate and prescription drug arrests are prevalent in specific neighborhoods, that information could be used in fighting the problem, she said. 

In an effort to better alleviate pain, controlled substances have become more available over the years, said John Stanovich, assistant dean of pharmacy at the University of Findlay.  Individuals seeking the drugs can more easily do so now through illegal pain clinics, he said. Stanovich contrasted those using narcotics to fight acute pain versus chronic pain. Those with brief acute pain generally do not take the majority of their medication, he said.
“The people who have chronic pain eventually do develop an addiction, there’s no doubt about it, to narcotics and to opiates,” he said.  Some prescription pills, such as Vicodin, have grown significantly more popular, Stanovich said. 

Separately, Randy Greeno, a member of the board’s medication collection committee, encouraged residents to properly dispose of expired and unwanted pills. Two permanent drug collection bins are located in the Findlay Police Department and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. Over the next few months, billboards will be placed in different locations touting these locations, Greeno said. The agency also conducts scheduled events to take back medications. The next collection is Oct. 20. 

Members also announced an upcoming public forum, where they will discuss grants and progress made against drug abuse. The forum is scheduled at 4 p.m. Aug. 15 in the Davis Building at the University of Findlay, Room 102. 

Dunn: 419-427-8417

Agency Conducts Survey on Drug Use

Friday, July 27, 2012

By RYAN DUNN, staff writer, The Courier

The Hancock County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board has been approved for a federal grant, worth about $100,000 annually, that will be used to curb drug use by people 18 to 25 years old.
The board wants to target people in that age group who use opiate drugs. The board also wants to study those in the criminal justice system.

Opiate drugs include heroin and opioid-based prescriptions such as oxycodone.In a survey conducted by the board, 7 to 10 percent of people in that age group admitted to opioid or heroin use, and a larger percentage showed an acceptance of opioid use.

About 760 people responded to the board’s survey, which was provided to high school upperclassmen and college students, and to people at local bars and the Adult Probation Office. The assessment looked for use patterns and perceptions of drug use.  According to the survey, 6.9 percent of the respondents said they used prescription opioids in the past 30 days, while 3.3 percent used heroin.

Heroin use begins at an earlier age and typically involves more days of the month, the respondents said. Those using heroin do so for an average of 18.2 days each month, while prescription opioids are taken during 13 days on average, according to the respondents.

One of the most concerning results for researchers was the 14.2 percent of survey respondents who neither “approve nor disapprove” of opiate use, according to a report on the survey.  “This fact could indicate a dismissive or ‘to each his own’ attitude about using opiate drugs,” the report said. However, nearly 94 percent reported that using opiates would be totally or somewhat unacceptable in their social group, according to the report. And 93 percent of respondents said opiate use is dangerous. “When looking at the consumption and perception data, this tells us that users know what they are doing is risky, but do it anyway,” the report said.
The board wants to tackle opiate use for several reasons, including higher relapse rates and overdose risk for those drugs.

 The board’s report also shows more people in the 18-25 age group are ending up in jail for drug offenses.
From 2009 to 2010, incarcerations in the Hancock County jail for oxycontin drug offenses grew from two to 16, and for heroin, from 10 to 14.
 

Mental Health Levy Renewed by Voters

By RYAN DUNN, staff writer, The Courier

Hancock County residents resoundingly approved a renewal levy Tuesday to continue funding the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board. By an unofficial tally of 9,801 to 5,210, voters overwhelmingly passed the five-year, 1.3-mill levy. The results are unofficial and include absentee ballots.

Executive Director Precia Stuby said she felt very grateful voters renewed the levy. The levy passed by a nearly 2-1 margin, 65.29 percent to 34.71 percent, showing “how much this community cares for all its residents,” Stuby said. Because this is a renewal levy, it also indicates residents want to continue the services the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board currently provides, Stuby said.  The agency uses levy, federal and state funds to help subsidize primary treatment services for poor residents, Stuby said.

Nearly 3,400 people in Hancock County, about one third of whom are children, receive assistance from the agency, Stuby said. The owner of a home appraised at $100,000 pays about $40 per year to fund the levy.
About half of the agency’s future budget will be funded by the levy, Stuby said. Its budget was about $5.7 million in 2011, but state funds are drying up, she said, so levy dollars account for a growing percentage of the budget.
The levy brings in roughly $2.1 million annually, Stuby said.