Prevention Council News
Prevention Council News
Area nonprofits connect with community at first-ever Disabilities Awareness Day
Saturday, December 10, 2011 By PAUL POST The SaratogianWILTON — Army Sgt. Olan Aldrich sustained 120 shrapnel wounds in a rocket-propelled grenade explosion in Iraq. The Lake Luzerne resident suffers from temporary memory loss and seizures, but has found help through Stride Adaptive Sports, one of three-dozen area nonprofits set up at Saturday’s first-ever Disabilities Awareness Day at Wilton Mall. The event helped a variety of agencies promote what they have to offer and make connections with people who need their services. “It’s something we hope to do on an annual basis,” said Roy J. McDonald, R-Saratoga, chairman of the [...]
Shen teens tackle drinking, drug problems
December 7, 2011 By Innae Park YNN News To see video coverage, click here. CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. -- In a time when underage drinking and drug abuse is prevalent, some teens from Shenendehowa High School are taking a stand. At a discussion organized by the school PTA and the Shenendehowa Community Coalition Wednesday night, a panel of seven students completely opened up, answering any and all questions parents had about alcohol and drug abuse in their school. A survey done in 2008 shows the "past 30 day alcohol use rate" for Shen's seniors is much higher than the national average: 64 [...]
Shen Coalition promotes Social Host legislation
As the winter holidays approach, communities need to be alert to underage drinking. Whether its college students reconnecting with high school friends, teens with greater accessibility to liquor cabinets well stocked for holiday celebrations, or youth attending drinking parties over the school vacation – underage alcohol use predictably increases this time of year. The Shenendehowa Community Coalition encourages legislators in New York to take a serious look at what is commonly referred to as social host legislation. Twenty-seven states nationwide have already passed a statewide social host law, including our neighbors Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The cost of [...]
Fake marijuana catching on in Saratoga County
Saturday, November 12, 2011 By David Lombardo Daily Gazette CAPITAL REGION — Parents now need to worry about drugs that aren’t technically drugs. A legal herbal incense that mimics the effects of marijuana when it’s smoked is becoming a growing problem around the country and may be catching on in Saratoga County. Several students reportedly were hospitalized after smoking the incense, local authorities said. Packaged similarly to a small bag of candy with brand names like K2, Posh and Supernova, the herbal incense can be sold to anyone and in some instances can be purchased for as little as $6.65 [...]
Schumer fighting for ban on synthetic marijuana
Posted: Nov 10, 2011 6:48 PM EST By Christine O'Donnell News Channel 10 - ABC SARATOGA SPRINGS – There's an herbal incense that experts say can be more harmful than some illegal drugs and several Saratoga Springs High School students have been caught using it. The city of Saratoga Springs Prevention Council is making an effort to get rid of the "legal" synthetic marijuana after several students were hospitalized after smoking it. "Anecdotally we know several youth in the county who have been hospitalized and are staying in mental health facilities because of use," The Prevention Council's Director of Counseling [...]
Saratoga Springs pushes to get rid of synthetic marijuana
Posted: Nov 10, 2011 6:48 PM EST By Christine O'Donnell News Channel 10 - ABC SARATOGA SPRINGS – There's an herbal incense that experts say can be more harmful than some illegal drugs and several Saratoga Springs High School students have been caught using it. The city of Saratoga Springs Prevention Council is making an effort to get rid of the "legal" synthetic marijuana after several students were hospitalized after smoking it. "Anecdotally we know several youth in the county who have been hospitalized and are staying in mental health facilities because of use," The Prevention Council's Director of Counseling [...]
Synthetic marijuana use on the rise
November 9, 2011 By SUZANNA LOURIE The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS — Officials say a dangerous national trend is catching on in and around Saratoga County: synthetic marijuana. It’s perfectly legal, but its dangers are very real. About three weeks ago, Saratoga Springs High School Resource Officer Lloyd Davis caught several students skipping school. He brought the students back to school and while searching one student Davis discovered the student had a small green package of "herbal incense" called Supernova. It was herbal incense, Davis discovered, a synthetic mixture of plant materials and unregulated chemical compounds that mimic the effects of [...]
Teens from Whitehall, Fort Edward treated, charged in connection with incense-smoking
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 By Don Lehman The Post Star A 15-year-old Whitehall girl was treated at Glens Falls Hospital last week for a reaction she had after smoking herbal incense, the latest in a string of problems police and emergency responders have experienced with the substance in recent months. A 16-year-old boy, Matthew Pomainville of Whitehall, was charged with the misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly providing incense to two teens, Whitehall Police Patrolman Tim Hardy said. Pomainville was released, pending prosecution in Whitehall Village Court. The case came just days after the latest [...]
Tobacco Displays Must Come Down
Letter to the Editor Published 12:10 a.m., Friday, September 23, 2011 Times Union Last month, five of the major tobacco companies in the United States filed suit in federal court to overturn provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act relating to advertising and marketing displays in retail stores. The companies are arguing that their constitutional rights are being violated. Maybe what they are really concerned about is being allowed to continue to promote smoking unimpeded to youths. Research in the United States and abroad suggests that exposure to in-store tobacco promotions is a primary cause of youth smoking. Ninety [...]
56 Percent Think Tobacco Products Should Not Be Visible in Stores
Posted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce Monday, September 19, 2011 at 5:06 p.m. As children return to school this month across the Capital Region, a coalition of tobacco-free organizations released the results of a Summer Community Survey conducted by Siena Research Institute (SRI) across 17 counties in the Capital Region showing overwhelming support for restrictions on tobacco sales to protect our children from tobacco marketing. Research in the U.S. and abroad suggests that exposure to in-store tobacco promotions is a primary cause of youth smoking. Very few adult smokers begin after high school, with 90 percent of adult [...]