Online Tool Provides Strategies for Preventing Community Gang Violence

Source: OJJDP JuvJust email, 11/17/09

OJJDP has created an online tool that teaches communities effective strategies to address local gang problems. The tool, provided by OJJDP and BJA’s National Gang Center, is called the Comprehensive Gang Model Overview. It provides a 23-minute discussion of OJJDP’s Model for identifying target areas with high levels of gang activity, locating gangs, and focusing appropriate resources on them. The tool also describes how communities can follow proven anti-gang strategies and how to implement the Model locally.
Resources:

To access the Comprehensive Gang Model Overview, visit www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Comprehensive-Gang-Model/Online-Overview.

Click the following link to see some of the resources the PIC has available for loan relating to gangs.

New SAMHSA Web site Provides Tools to Help Address Co-Occurring Disorders and Homelessness

Source: SAMHSA News Release, 11/16/09

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announces the availability of a new Web site to help SAMHSA grantees, health professionals and the public address problems of homelessness and co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. The site, http://chab.samhsa.gov/ features an on-line library of tools that are designed to advance the field and improve the effectiveness of prevention, treatment and recovery programs operated by SAMHSA’s Co-Occurring and Homeless Activities Branch (CHAB) and other service providers.

The new CHAB Web site provides a platform for creating an interactive community of providers, consumers, policymakers, researchers, and public agencies at federal, state, and local levels working to prevent and treat homelessness and co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders.

Click here to read the rest of the press release

• Click the following links to see some of the resources the PIC has available for loan relating to homelessness and co-occurring disorders.

SAMHSA News for Sept/Oct 09

SAMHSA News email subscription

SAMHSA News is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  It is available for subscription in print or online.   The newsletter and back issues can be accessd at http://www.samhsa.gov/samhsaNewsletter/ .

Tree-free, online subscriptions are now nicely formatted and easy to browse and access articles of interest.

The  Sept Oct 2009 (vol 17:5) issue focuses on Recovery.  Additional stories are available related to:

• Treatment
• Suicide
• Grants
• Communications
• Recovery Month
• New Survey Data
• Prevention
• Special Populations

Visit the SAMHSA News Homepage
Read or print SAMHSA Newsletter for Sept/Oct 2009 as a pdf

Veteran’s Day: Resources for Vets and Active Military

Source: SAMHSA eNetwork and others

Most military service members and veterans who see combat will not experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, or depression or have thoughts of suicide as a result of their experiences. For those who do have mental health and substance abuse needs, for their families, and for service providers, SAMHSA is dedicated to offering a variety of resources.

Selected SAMHSA Resources:

• Veterans Resource Guide (pdf)
• SAMHSA Veteran Resources Web Site

Available for Loan at the PIC:

PIC has a small collection of resources specifically related to veterans and active military as well as wide variety of information for prevention and treatment of: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, depression, and suicide.

Breckenridge voters OK possession of small amounts of marijuana

Source: Summit Daily News, 11/3/09

Breckenridge residents voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and paraphernalia under town law. Unofficial results show 71 percent of voters approved the initiative.

“We’re done with the days people could laugh off marijuana reform,” said Sean McAllister, Breckenridge attorney and chair of reform group Sensible Breckenridge. “I believe the implicit implications are that we should have a dialogue about taxing marijuana.”

Tuesday’s vote means that effective Jan. 1, people 21 and up in Breckenridge will be able to legally possess one ounce or less of the drug. Possession remains illegal under state law, but Breckenridge Police Chief Rick Holman said his department will “still have the ability to exercise discretion.”

Click here to read the rest of the article