Teen Drinking on the Rise since Washington Deregulated Alcohol

New reports from the State of Washington acknowledge a new problem with teen drinking since the passage of Initiative 1183, deregulating alcohol and allowing private chains and big-box retailers to sell liquor. Juvenile prosecutor Wayne Graham say's that 20 teenagers have been charged with stealing spirits from grocery stores in one county alone, since the passage of initiative 1183. "Alcohol use by students on school property has gone up, and it's not beer," the prosecutor said. Local teens agreed that it's much easier to shoplift hard liquor from private stores. "You're not an automatic suspect when you walk in a grocery store," said one student. "It's easy." The Washington State Organized Retail Crime Alliance indicated about $20,000 in liquor thefts from mid-September to the end of October, according to the state Liquor Control Board's enfrocement chief, and they acknowledge that they are only catching a small percent of what is happening. “We have definitely seen an increase of thefts of hard alcohol from the stores, especially by juveniles,” Tumwater police detective Jen Kolb said, “more than likely because hard liquor was not made readily available to juveniles prior to the passing of the new law. Additionally,” Kolb said, “we have noted an increase in alcohol-related reports by the schools, and this has become a proliferating problem that needs to be addressed.” “Law enforcement continues to feel the impact of the privatization of liquor in our state,” Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts said. “At a time when we are strained by a lack of resources, we are faced with addressing another community issue that is not directly supported by revenue at the state level. Most concerning is the risk to our youth who now have even greater access to hard alcohol replacing consumption of lower alcoholic beverages like beer.”

5-Hour Energy Drinks Involved in 13 Deaths

The FDA confirmed reports that 5-hour Energy may have been involved in 13 deaths over the past four years. FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said that 5-hour Energy, sold by Living Essentials, has been mentioned in some 90 FDA filings since 2009, including more than 30 that involved serious or life-threatening events like heart attacks, convulsions, and in one case, a spontaneous abortion. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported late last year that more than 13,000 emergency room visits in 2009 were associated with energy drinks alone. The highly caffeinated beverages are the fastest-growing type of drink in the United States, with sales increasing 17 percent last year to about $9 billion, according to Beverage Digest. See full report from the New York Times here.

Marijuana is a polarizing topic to discuss. People are passionate about their views and often don't want to listen to those who oppose them. This passion can sometimes lead to skewed facts about marijuana. During the hour-long video posted below, science, prevention and law enforcement experts talk about some common myths and provide verifiable facts regarding the truth about marijuana.



The Washington County Prevention Coalition will be hosting a webinar presentation titled Marijuana: Science and Strategies for Community Coalitions on November 15th, 2012, at 1pm at the Southwest Behavioral Health Center. To join us for this webinar contact Lauren at 435-634-5604. Refreshments will be provided.

More info: This webinar will discuss new research recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and other studies that have shown a link between prolonged marijuana use and cognitive or neural impairment. These studies show persistent marijuana use can reduce the IQ scores of users by as much as 8 points putting them in the bottom third of the intelligence range. The presentation will also clearly define the differences between medical marijuana, decriminalization and legalization and describe their impact on communities. Participants will also learn why community coalitions should care about marijuana use and engage their communities to address the marijuana issue, particularly around formulating messages and developing other effective strategies.

The Washington County Prevention Coalition is excited to announce that we have been awarded the Drug Free Communities grant. This grant will be used to bolster current strategies, increase our efforts, institute new programs, maintain current staffing, and help us to continue to mobalize the community towards prevention efforts. For the full press release, click here!

14-Year-Old Dies from Energy Drink Overdose

A teenage girl from Maryland died after downing two Monster Energy Drinks in a 24-hour period. The energy drinks were consumed over the course of about 18 hours, and together contained 480 milligrams of caffeine (almost five times the recommended caffeine limit from the American Academy of Pediatrics). Caffeine poisoning is not uncommon in the U.S, having increased from barely over a thousand in 2005, to 13,114 in 2009. Nearly half of those reported in 2007 were in people younger than 19. In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers said "The known and unknown pharmacology of agents included in such drinks, combined with reports of toxicity, raises concern for potentially serious adverse effects in association with energy drink use. In the short-term, pediatricans need to be aware of the possible effects of energy drinks in vulnerable populations and screen for consumption to educate families." For a video report on the incident, visit the Huffington Post.

Early Marijuana Use Linked to Lower I.Q.

A new study from Duke University suggests that teens who use Marijuana have a significant drop in I.Q. when measured later in life. "Parents should understand that their adolescents are particularly vulnerable,'" said lead researcher Madeline Meier of Duke University. Study participants from New Zealand were tested for IQ at age 13, likely before any significant marijuana use, and again at age 38. The mental decline between those two ages was seen only in those who started regularly smoking pot before age 18. To watch the KSL Video report on this story click here.