Attention Parents and Educators: Health Concern Over New Synthetic Drugs

There’s a drug dealer in town. It’s not a person, it’s the internet.

Public health officials are concerned about the internet sale of two synthetic drugs 2C-E, and bromo-dragonfly, nicknamed Dragonfly and Mephedrone, nicknamed Meow Meow. Both are cheap, toxic, rising drug trends that have been the cause of deaths across the country. Many young people that are buying and using the drugs, often marketed as herbal plant food, are unaware of what they are actually ingesting, leading to rising injury and death.

Parents, the following hazardous drugs are out in the market:

• The synthetic drug Dragonfly, named because of its chemical compounds superficial structural resemblance to a dragonfly, is a long lasting psychedelic hallucinogen. The drug causes spasms, seizures, disturbing experiences, heart arrhythmia, lack of circulation (which leads to organ failure) and death.  The drug is illegal in many European countries including Australia and Sweden, but is still sold in the United States over the internet.

• Mephedrone, also known and Meow Meow or MCAT, named because it is chemically similar to the cathinone compounds found in the khat plant of eastern Africa. Despite its similarities Meow Meow is not plant or plant food and is not for human consumption. The stimulant can be consumed by snorting, swallowing or injecting. Users have their perception altered for days, or do not experience ever feeling “normal again”. The drug also causes anxiety, paranoia, heart attacks, violent behavior (including self harm), severe nosebleeds, flashbacks, seizures and death. While the “2cb” family of the drug is illegal in the United States, the “2c1 and 2ce” classifications of the drug are still be sold online under the guise of MDMA and mescaline.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

1. Monitor your child’s internet browser history.  Even if your child has cleared their activity, there is software available that holds onto memory of website visited. You can also block sites that are questionable.
2. Monitor your credit cards, especially any linked with Paypal accounts. If you see charges you don’t recognize, or if you are getting packages in the mail that you didn’t order addressed to your teen, talk to your child.

Members of the Putnam CTC Coalition are available if you have any questions or would like for us to do a presentation to your organization on this or any other substance abuse trends that affect our children.  Please visit and join us on Facebook by searching “Putnam County Communities That Care – NY” or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/PutnamCTCNY or call 845-225-4646.   

FASD Awareness Day 9.9.12

At 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, the first international Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Awareness Day was observed. The date and time were chosen to mark the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month, which serves as a reminder that FAS, like all Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), is completely preventable. Yet, alcohol-exposed pregnancies continue to be a leading cause of birth defects and mental retardation in the United States, and children with an FASD often go unrecognized or are misdiagnosed, even as adults. (SAMHSA)

 “In the United States half of all pregnancies are unplanned” per the CDC. This includes the unplanned pregnancies of teenagers. 5 things you should know about Drinking Alcohol during Pregnancy:

1. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with birth defects and have disabilities. These conditions, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs, are among the top preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities. FASDs can cause problems in how a person grows, learns, looks, and acts. FASDs can also cause birth defects of the heart, brain, and other major organs. These problems last a lifetime.
    
2. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. All drinks with alcohol can hurt an unborn baby. A 12-ounce can of beer has as much alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of liquor.
    
3. There is no safe time to drink during pregnancy. Alcohol can harm a baby at any time during pregnancy. It can cause problems in the early weeks of pregnancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
    
4. Too many women continue to drink during pregnancy. About 1 in 8 pregnant women in the United States reports alcohol use in the past 30 days. And about 1 in 50 pregnant women in the United States reports binge drinking in the past 30 days (having five or more drinks at one time).
    
5. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100% preventable—if a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant. (CDC)

Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Signs and Symptoms of an FASD include: Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum), small head size, shorter-than-average height, low body weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, difficulty paying attention, poor memory, difficulty in school (especially with math), learning disabilities, speech and language delays, intellectual disability or low IQ, poor reasoning and judgment skills, sleep and sucking problems as a baby, vision or hearing problems, problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones.

A toll-free inquiry line (1-866-STOPFAS) and email address (fasdcenter@samhsa.hhs.gov) available for questions you may have.  If you are someone you know is struggling with alcohol and addiction, please call the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam for information and referral services at (845) 225-4646.

"Sticker Shock" Hits Putnam County!

Naura Slivinsky and Kristin McConnell

Stickers at Shop Rite of Carmel

Communities all over New York and the United States are trying to figure out what they can do to prevent the alcohol-related deaths or injuries that are too often associated with the summer season. This year, local retailers have partnered with the Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition to recognize alcohol awareness and take action to prevent such tragedy from happening in our County.

Due to the recent arrests in Putnam County related to adults providing alcohol to minors, the Putnam County CTC Coalition has implemented a new environmental strategy entitled “Sticker Shock”, which is an activity supported by the Office of Substance Abuse and US Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. This project aims to reach those individuals over age 21 that legally purchase alcohol and provide it to a minor by reminding adults of the Putnam County Social Host Liability Law. The campaign consists of a Coalition designed sticker being adhered to multi-packs of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine coolers, etc) in participating retail stores.

During the week of July 9^th, Coalition members visited retailers that volunteered to host this project. Participating stores that generously donated their time and space were:

1. Shop Rite of Carmel, 180 Gleneida Avenue, Carmel, NY 10512
2. Carmel Beverage, 323 New York 52  Carmel, NY 10512
3. Brewster Wine and Liquor, 1515 New York 22  Brewster, NY 10509

1,300 stickers were placed on boxes by Coalition members. For safety purposes, stickers do not cover bar codes, nutritional information, or alcohol content. The stickers state the following:

Allowing Underage Drinking At Your Home Is No Party!:  Did you know you could be subject to: 1. Up to one year in jail, a $3,000 fine, and reimbursement for law enforcement services?

Members of the Putnam CTC Coalition are available if you have any questions or would like for us to do a presentation to your organization on this or any other substance abuse trends that affect our children.  If you are a retailer interested in participating in this project, please call the Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition at 845-225-4646, Ext. 13 or Elaine Santos at putnamdfcgrantee@gmail.com. Supplies are limited. Please visit and join us on Facebook by searching “Putnam County Communities That Care – NY” or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/PutnamCTCNY or call 845-225-4646

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Congress Passes the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (Synthetic Drugs)

Carmel, New York—

The Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Putnam County Communities That Care Coalition commends Congress for passing the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, S. 3187, which requires 26 synthetic chemicals, including those commonly found in products marketed as "K2" and "Spice" to be considered Schedule I substances.  Schedule I substances are those with a high potential for abuse; have no medical use in treatment in the United States; and lack an accepted safety for use of the drug.

This federal law would establish regulatory oversight and enforcement on the federal level of these 26 drugs commonly found in synthetic marijuana known as "K2" and "Spice." The new law also allows the DEA or FDA to temporarily ban the drugs for as long as 36 months. The legislation creates a new definition for “cannabamimetic agents” and sets criteria for the regulation of similar chemical compounds.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, “States ought to work to ensure that they have themselves scheduled on a State level all the substances incorporated into the Federal legislation. Although state laws vary, generally state law enforcement officials will not enforce narcotics laws on substances controlled on a Federal level but not a State level.  DEA will naturally focus their limited resources on major distribution networks and cross-state and international trafficking of these substances and their component chemicals.  DEA wants to be as helpful as possible to state authorities and to partner in investigations, but the reality is that they do not have the manpower to enforce these controls on the thousands of individual retail outlets that may sell them across the country. Both Federal and State agencies will have to continue to review and update the list of banned substances as new versions are produced and distributed.  Due to the huge profitability of these substances and the difficulty many prosecutors have in making these cases, ONDCP would encourage state and local agencies to continue to attempt to use their State health/safety/agricultural authorities to remove these substances from store shelves.  Further, civil fines and other penalties continue to be another useful tool to motive retailers to stop selling these substances. The Federal scheduling of the additional synthetic substances is an important step forward, but not the end of the story. All of us must continue to be creative in finding solutions to this continually evolving drug problem.”

Synthetic marijuana is a mixture of herbs and spices applied with a synthetic chemical compound (psychotropic drug JWH- 018 and JWH-073) similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Spice is sold in smoke shops and head shops in a variety of colors/flavors-usually sold in foil packaging or in small glass containers. It is sold as incense and marked “not for human consumption” and is dangerous and addictive.  Nicknames for synthetic marijuana include: Fake weed, spice, K-2 spice, K-2 summit, Black Mamba, Genie, Zohai, Serenity Now, Zombie Zilla. According to the American Association of Poison Control Center’s National Poison Data System (NPDS) the emergency calls doubled between 2010 and 2011 due to synthetic drug use.

If you have concerns or suspect a person of using synthetic cannabinoids take the  individual to the nearest emergency department. The Upstate New York Poison Control Center can be reached at 1-800-222-1222. If you are someone you know is struggling with alcohol and addiction, please call the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies/Putnam for information and referral services at (845) 225-4646.

Members of the Putnam CTC Coalition are available if you have any questions or would like for us to do a presentation to your organization on this or any other substance abuse trends that affect our children.  Please visit and join us on Facebook by searching “Putnam County Communities That Care – NY” or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/PutnamCTCNY or call 845-225-4646

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