2008 Monitoring the Future results released: shows mixed results

Good news includes:

• Use of any illicit drug other than marijuana decreased (modestly) for lifetime, past year and past month use among 10th graders
• Declines in overall use of stimulants in all grades (e.g. use of methamphetamine is down 2/3 since 1999)
• Teen smoking rates are at or near record lows for all grades (based on historical MTF data)
• Gradual declines in alcohol use in all grades, particularly amongst 10th graders in all measures of use.

Not so-good news includes:

• Statistically insignificant increases in past year use of any illicit drug other than marijuana among 8th and 12th graders
• Decreases in marijuana use have stalled (there had been a consistent decline in use since the mid-90’s)
• Perceived harmfulness and disapproval of marijuana has slightly decreased among 8th graders
• Declines over several years in perceived harmfulness of LSD among 12th graders
• Declines in perceived harmfulness and disapproval of use of inhalants among 8th graders
• Continued high rate of prescription drug abuse (steady over 6 years)

For more information see:

• Various stimulant drugs show continuing gradual declines among teens in 2008, most illicit drugs hold steady (MTF 2008 Full Press Release on Drug Use from the University of Michigan) (12/11/08)
• Annual 2008 Monitoring the Future Findings (NIDA News, 12/11/2008)
• Recession in Illegal Drug Market Signaled by Falling Youth Use, With Higher Prices and Decreased Purity for Cocaine Nationwide (ONDCP News Release, 12/11/08)
• Monitoring the Future Web site

New Report Indicates that Integrating Mental Health and Physical Health Care Services can Benefit Patients with Depression

Source: SAMHSA eNNetwork email, 12/2/2008

A new report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) found evidence that people treated for depression in primary care clinics that provide a coordinated set of mental and physical health do better and have fewer symptoms than patients who are treated at sites that just provide health services.

The report entitled Integration of Mental Health/Substance Abuse and Primary Care, also found that patients treated in specialty mental health centers appear to benefit when the facilities offer general medical care.

The report was co-funded by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Women’s Health, and Office of Minority Health, and conducted by the AHRQ-supported University of Minnesota Evidence-based Research Center in Minneapolis.

Read Online |  View the Report (1.43 MB)

December : National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month 2008

Source: CDC Features, 12/1/2008
Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. Learn what you and your community can do to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

This December, during National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month), consider what you and your community can do to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

The Problem

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
• In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
• In one year, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This accounts for less than 1% of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol?impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
• Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion a year.

Protect Yourself and Your Family and Friends

During the holiday season, and year-round, take steps to make sure that you and everyone you celebrate with avoids driving under the influence of alcohol. Following these tips from NHTSA can help you stay safe:

• Plan ahead. Always designate a non-drinking driver before any holiday party or celebration begins.
• Take the keys. Do not let friends drive if they are impaired.
• Be a helpful host. If you’re hosting a party this holiday season, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver, always offer alcohol-free beverages, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.

Know How Communities Can Help

Proven community and state-level methods for reducing alcohol-impaired driving include:

• Sobriety checkpoints. Studies found that fatal crashes thought to involve alcohol dropped by about 22% following implementation of sobriety checkpoints.
• Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws. Studies found that raising the MLDA to 21 reduced crashes by about 16% among people ages 18-20 years.
• 0.08% BAC laws. Fatal alcohol-related crashes declined about 7% after 0.08% BAC laws were passed.
• “Zero tolerance” laws for young drivers. Three studies found that zero tolerance laws resulted in declines in fatal crashes among drivers ages 18-20 years of between 9% and 24%.

More Information
* CDC Impaired Driving Fact Sheet
* Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Alcohol-Impaired Driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (Adobe Acrobat PDF Icon 630 KB, 6 pages)
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