News

Colorado Marijuana Laws and Ads Under Fire

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Colorado is one of 17 states that has legalized the use of medical marijuana and has seen a notable increase of dispensaries popping up around the state. With new business comes new advertising and both have been under fire in recent months.

This summer the Colorado Legislature appointed Matt Cook, an official in the State Revenue Department, to oversee the industry. Cook is spearheading the regulations for Colorado’s marijuana industry reportedly modeled on the state’s gaming industry.

The tightening of regulations came out of a growing suspicion that the state’s marijuana industry was going beyond just medicating the terminally ill. The law passed in 2000 called for the use of medical marijuana for patients with “debilitating conditions” like cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and immeasurable conditions like nausea and pain. According to the Colorado Health Department, records indicate that of those registered for the use of medical marijuana, just 2% had cancer, 1% had HIV or AIDS and the remaining had self described “severe pain.” The challenge with patient’s description of pain is that it is subjective and nearly immeasurable (aside from the smiley-face chart depicted above). In addition, the majority of those registered are men under 40, who coincidentally make up the majority of those who abuse the drug.

Responding to these statistics and rising suspicions, Colorado has now joined Oregon and Washington as the three states that wish to reform their current laws around marijuana. Voters this fall will have the potential to eform their state’s marijuana use laws and according to a June poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, 61 percent of Colorado voters agree in marijuana regulation.  

The next feat for Colorado is regulating the advertment of medical marijuana. On August 20th the Denver City Council voted 12-0 to ban the looming outdoor advertisements not only on billboards but anywhere in the city visible to the public, including fliers and leaflets on sidewalks and parks. Debbie Ortega, a Denver City Councilwoman, reported that she was “confounded by sign spinners advertising ‘free joints’ for an adjacent medical marijuana business” and that  “This type of advertising is both disturbing and unsightly. I became very concerned for the children in my neighborhood and throughout the Denver community.” Her main concern was that the ads made it appear as though anyone were able to get a “free joint.” In an ABC NEWS interview she asserted, “I decided that Denver has a responsibility to protect our kids from being exposed to medical marijuana advertising and from being targeted as long term customers.”

Ortega makes a valid point, because just as with cigarette ads, they implant the notion that it is common, normal, cool and ok to smoke, and children and teens are especially susceptible to these messages. These advertisements and the myth that “weed isn’t addictive” is an increasing problem because it normalizes the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. However Colorado drug rehab centers continuously get admissions from those suffering from marijuana dependence. The admissions are often those who began using marijuana at a young age and men under 40 years old.

If you or a loved one is suffering from Marijuana Addiction, our Colorado drug treatment facility can help.

 

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Study Reveals Differences in Rural and Urban Addicts

Posted on by Christy Weeks

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a report last week that showed geographic disparities in those seeking drug rehab. SAMHSA studied drug treatment program admissions for rural and urban areas in 2009 and discovered they differed across various factors:

  • 51 % of rural drug treatment program admissions were referrals from the criminal justice system whereas only 28.4 % criminal justice referrals were for urban programs
  • 49.5% of rural admissions reported the primary abuse of alcohol compared to 36.1% of urban admissions
  • 38.7% of urban admissions were self-referrals or referrals from family members and friends compared to 22.8% of rural admissions
  • 21.8% of urban admissions reported the primary abuse of heroin compared to 3.1% of rural admissions
  • 11.9% of urban admissions reported the primary abuse of cocaine compared to 5.6% of rural admissions
  • 43.1% of urban admissions reported daily use of their drug of choice versus 23.5% of rural admissions


Other features of the study included demographics, showing that rural admissions were younger, less racially diverse and more likely to be employed. SAMHSA conducted the study as a means to show the importance of having drug treatment programs privately or publicly funded in both rural and urban areas and to have insight into the specific needs of those admitted. SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said the study should be used as  “a tool that policymakers and treatment providers can use to more effectively meet the substance abuse prevention and treatment needs of the communities they serve.”

This study speaks specifically to drug and alcohol rehabs like Harmony Foundation that is located in the northern part of Colorado, which is known for having higher drug abuse rates than much of the state.

 Given the higher abuse rates in the area, its important to consider the characteristics outlined by SAMHSA of those locally who are admitted to our programs. Clients often need our detox for medically managed withdrawal for alcohol and methamphetamine addiction and are able to take advantage of our special groups and one on one therapy that cater to the needs of younger adults, those transitioning back into the workforce, or those who have lingering obligations to the criminal justice system. For our admissions from urban environments throughout the US our detox unit is prepared for longer withdrawals from those with heroin addiction and benzodiazepine dependence and our group therapy sessions and addiction treatment specialists help clients with relaxation techniques to cope with stresses of urban life and recovery tools to replace their daily dependence on drugs.

However, there are many aspects of drug treatment that universally cater to the needs of rural and urban clients alike. For example, our family program helps all of our clients and their loved ones create new bonds through forgiveness and healing. Our daily schedule is infused with meals, 12 step meetings, physical programs and groups that cater to the universal need of those in recovery to take care of their physical well being, relationships with others, self-esteem and spiritual development.  

How Do You Stay Sober?

Posted on by Christy Weeks
The Tools of Recovery

If you ask anyone who is sober exactly how they stay sober, you won’t find a cookie-cutter answer.  Just as many facets of people’s lives lead them to substance abuse and addiction, many facets of recovery help people stay sober – and usually it is not just one thing but a combination of tools and factors that keep people away from their drug(s) of choice.


The adage “addiction does not discriminate” is very evident in substance abuse treatment, especially affordable addiction treatment programs that can cater to those from different socio-economic backgrounds. Some may have found their way into treatment when the pain of past traumas like childhood or spousal abuse was too much to bear. Some have had various mental injuries that caused them to self medicate in order to feel balanced enough to cope with life. Some have had physical injuries that led to opiate dependence and some have no clear explanation why, they just became addicted. Often, those addicted do the best that they can with the tools that they have. For example, when an addict who accustomed to using substances feels pain – physical or mental – they use the coping mechanism or tool of substance abuse. Eventually those tools start to work against them and they need new tools to cope. That is when drug treatment and recovery takes the spotlight.

Once in treatment different coping mechanisms speak to recovering addicts in different ways. What works well for the athlete-turned-opiate-addict may not work so well for the alcoholic female who is a victim of spousal abuse. But that is the beauty of addiction treatment and why most programs are 30 or more days. In treatment, various tools are laid out before clients and each treatment plan is carefully tailored to their needs and directs them towards tools that speak to them.

The tools of recovery are endless but here are three powerful ones that universally work quite well. First is the tool of honesty; addicts are taught to be honest with themselves about their addiction so they don’t let denial tell them they can safely use drugs or put themselves in situations that will lead them to use. They are also taught to be honest with others so that dramatic and stressful situations that arise from dishonesty don’t trigger them to use. The second tool is not going it alone; those in recovery are encouraged to reach out to others – to share the burden of their problems with another to glean a fresh perspective. Inversely, they are taught to help others, to get outside of themselves, to forget about their own problems and inadvertently feel a sense of purpose and esteem boost by helping others. The third tool is not harboring resentments through forgiveness of oneself and others. The emotions that run high when one experiences the feeling of resentment often sparks a knee jerk reaction to use drugs or alcohol to dull the pain and stress associated with the resentment. By allowing in forgiveness, of one’s own wrong-doings and the wrong-doings of others, those feelings start to subside and the feeling of peace through letting the resentments go quiet the urge for a substance.

These are just a few tools among many others that drug treatment programs unveil to clients beginning their journey of recovery. Some of these tools are used, others are left in the tool box but the most important thing is that those in recovery stay sober by using a variety of new tools the best they know how, in ways that benefit their lives rather than harm them.

One in Ten Colorado Teens Abuse Drugs

Posted on by Christy Weeks

A recent study published by the Kids Count Data Book revealed that an alarming number of teens in Colorado abuse substances and are at risk of becoming addicts and needing substance abuse treatment in adulthood. The study showed that 10% of those aged 12-17 in Colorado abuse substances, be it alcohol, prescription drugs or synthetic drugs. This places Colorado third for states with the highest rate of teen substance abuse, after New Mexico and Montana.

Some factors that cause 1 in 10 Colorado teens to abuse drugs include a lack of education and prevention, accessibility to drugs and perceived alternatives to reported “boredom.” According to Jim Schrant, a DEA official, teen drug use is especially prominent in western Colorado. He says, “Teens have been involved in a lot of different drugs here in western Colorado, including meth and heroin.” Since various factors play into the high statics of abuse, there is not one “silver bullet” to address the problem – “It has to be an issue of vigilance and awareness,” says Schrant.

A1998 study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) revealed that early drug use is associated a with much higher risk of addiction in adulthood. Another study by Dr. Andrew Chambers of Yale University explains why; A teenager’s brain is not fully formed – especially the part of the brain that controls impulse but the “reward” part of their brains are fully, or even overly developed. For example, during the teenage years there is more dopamine released in the brain when they experience something pleasurable. This sparks a greater drive to repeat the action that led to the experience. In short, activities that increase dopamine are repeated because they send a message to the brain that says “that felt good!” The study explains that teens have more ”feel good” chemicals circling around because it encourages teens to do more and experience more in order to develop the brain more.

While this is occurring, the part of the brain that uses logic to weigh risks or control impulses are still developing. This results in greater experimentation with drugs among teens because consequences aren’t heavily weighed. The experimentation is then likely to lead to addiction. Although there is no “silver bullet” the “vigilance and awareness” that Schrant suggests can be applied to programs on drug prevention that start early – before youth become teenagers. This is because the longer that adolescents can delay alcohol and other drug use, the less their chance of becoming addicted as adults and needing drug treatment programs.

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Are Bath Salts Addictive?

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Over the past few months there have been numerous questions around the issue of bath salts. A new study published by the Behavioral Brain Research Journal answers some of those questions – particularly, are bath salts addictive?

The study revealed that bath salts can be as addictive as cocaine. Scientists tested the drug’s impact on the behavior of mice through a method called “intracranial self-stimulation” (ICSS). This method has been used frequently to test the behaviors surrounding reward in the brain known as reward circuitry or the reward system. When the reward circuit is activated it triggers the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that gives one a pleasurable feeling. Addictive drugs stimulate this same response, but to a much greater degree. The reward is much stronger and therefore the behavior to get that reward becomes more pronounced. This is linked to addiction because over time the brain craves the reward associated with an activity, even if the activity – such as drug abuse – makes one’s life unmanageable.

The ICSS is used on mice by training them to run on a wheel in order to be rewarded by stimulating electrodes implanted in their brains. According to Dr. C.J. Malanga of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, “If you let them, an animal will work to deliver self-stimulation to the exclusion of everything else—it won’t eat, it won’t sleep.”

Scientists have found this is particularly true when the reward is cocaine, because it increases mice’s sensitivity to reward stimulation. The study in the Behavioral Brain Research Journal revealed that the mice’s sensitivity to reward stimulation was just as strong with bath salts as it was with cocaine. This suggests that bath salts can be very addictive and serves to explain why thousands of young adults and teens continue to abuse bath salts despite the gruesome accounts of suicides, violent attacks, murders and arrests.

The good news is that massive efforts to crackdown on bath salts are already underway. A nation-wide ban on bath salts was put into effect on July 9th and just this week 91 arrests were made across 90 cities resulting in the confiscation of 167,000 packets of bath salts and material to make 392,000 more.


If you or a loved one is struggling with synthetic drug abuse, Harmony Foundation’s addiction treatment programs in Colorado can help. 

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New York’s I-STOP Plan Curbs Prescription Abuse

Posted on by Christy Weeks

New York leads the way with policies that benefit people’s health – such as the public smoking bans enacted over a decade ago and the recent proposals to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces to curb obesity. The state is now shaping policies on prescriptions. New York is one of the few states that doesn’t allow the transfer of prescriptions, especially controlled substances, across state lines. Recently it has gone a step further by creating a policy to help curb the pandemic of prescription pill abuse through its I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing) Plan.

The central tracking system will allow pharmacies to oversee all of it’s customer’s prescriptions from all pharmacies within the state in order to prevent prescription drug abuse. This monitoring mechanism will make it difficult for those who engage in “doctor shopping” to get multiple scripts for one medication that they either abuse or sell for others to abuse. The concept of doctor shopping is a popular phenomenon in states like Florida, where one patient can see multiple pain management doctors and get upwards of a thousand of prescription pain pills in a month. 
According to the Center for Disease Control, prescription pill abuse kills one person in the US every 19 minutes, which illustrates the need for such tracking systems – especially in New York where the sale of prescription pills like oxycodone have increased ten fold between 2000 and 2010. The I-STOP Plan has already been passed by the New York State Legislature and is just awaiting Governor Cuomo’s signature before going into effect in 2013.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman praised the I-STOP Plan asserting that it will “save lives.” Whether those saved lives will be just in New York or across the US writ-large depends on if other states follow suit. While other states have enacted laws to curb doctor shopping, the tracking systems either aren’t as comprehensive or have limited mechanisms for enforcement. Schneiderman warns that addicts may continue to get their prescriptions filled in other states and says, “That’s why it’s paramount that other states consider emulating New York.” While a state or even federal tracking system will help curb some prescription pill abuse, it will be most effective in tandem with drug treatment options. If you or a loved one is struggling with prescription pill abuse, there is hope and help.

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Opana is Being Reformulated, but Will it Reformulate Addicts?

Posted on by Christy Weeks

A recent study has shown that since the new non-crushable form of OxyContin hit the streets two years ago, the number of addicts who have switched to Opana has increased.


Rather than seeing an overall reduction in the number of overdose deaths associated with opioids, recent death tolls have merely been associated with Opana rather than OxyContin. In Kentucky Opana was present in the toxicology reports of 23% of overdose victims in 2011, just when OxyContin was reformulated. Sgt. John McGuire, Director of the Prescription Drug Diversion Unit at the Louisville, KY Metro Police Department has seen the quick switch to Opana first hand. He explains that addicts tried to find ways to still snort or inject the new OxyContin by pounding it with hammers or soaking it in acid. “At first, people tried to defeat it,” he said. “Then, Opana started to pop up like crazy.”

Despite the evidence that changing OxyContin had negative spill over effects, the same is being done with Opana as the crush-resistant version of it was approved late last year, and is close to being out into circulation. Tantamount to the game whack-a-mole, where as soon as one mole is whacked another pops up, chasing after each popular opioid seems an impossible feat.  With crushable OxyContin and Opana now absent, evidence suggests that addicts will switch to what is left:  fentanyl, dilauded and heroin. As DEA Special Agent Gary Boggs asserts “They will adapt the same way drug traffickers or criminals will adapt to a new law. They are going to find a way to satisfy their addiction…When they either can’t get those particular pharmaceuticals or can’t afford them, they now gravitate to heroin.”

Just as Agent Boggs stated, recent studies show that although abuse of other oxycodone products rose slightly after OxyContin was reformulated, it wasn’t anywhere near as steeply as the abuse of more powerful opioids.This suggests that with the reformulated version of Opana, drug users won’t revert back to something weaker, but stronger – which serves a reminder that addiction is a progressive disease often curtailed by alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers that help remove addicts from all drugs, crushable or not.  

If you seek help for an opioid addiction, click here for more information on Harmony Foundation’s residential treatment programs.

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Learning From Bath Salt Tragedies

Posted on by Christy Weeks

The nation has been buzzing about bath salts – a synthetic drug with extremely adverse effects – since the news story broke about Rudy Eugene, the “Miami Zombie” that chewed the face of a homeless man, Ronald Poppo, in Miami last May.


It was suspected that Eugene was under the influence of bath salts because of paraphernalia found in his clothing and his violently psychotic behavior. However, a toxicology report released last week deemed otherwise – claiming only marijuana was found in his system. Some experts assert that there are thousands of drugs out there that cannot yet be tested which could explain his behavior. Because the main compounds associated with bath salts have been banned, chemists are creating new compounds with similar effects to stay ahead of the law.

Regardless of what sparked the “Miami zombie” attack, there have been countless horror stories across the nation associated with bath salts – one in particular occurred close to home, in western Colorado. Last April 19 year old Daniel Richards from Grand Junction Colorado had a violent outbreak at a party while high on bath salts. He had a large knife and was threatening people with it when a friend attempted to restrain him. Upon his second attempt, Richards fell unconscious and was pronounced dead from strangulation after being on life support for a few days.

Just yesterday, Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger announced that there would be no indictment for the friend that tried to restrain Richards.  Hautzinger stated, “It was not a criminal act. I will not file criminal charges,” explaining “If I had a situation where someone was putting a choke hold on someone else who wasn’t being violent or tweaked out on drugs … or out of his gourd, as it were, then yes, we’d certainly be looking at manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.”

Investigators on the case said Richards purchased hundreds of dollars worth of bath salts before the party where he was restrained. According to the coroner, one of the main chemicals found in bath salts, Alpha-PVP, was found in his system.

Colorado Legislature passed a law banning possession and sale of “bath salts” products on June 7, 2012 – just two months after Richard’s death. The ban came after nearly 50 bath salts related reports to Poison Control Centers in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it wasn’t able to deem bath salts as the culprit for other deaths in the state, but they believe Richards’ death is the first bath salts related death in western Colorado. As District Attorney Hautzinger said, the Richard’s case “was absolutely a tragedy. This was a death that did not need to happen.”
 
These tragedies can hopefully serve as an eye opener to those at risk for using bath salts and other drugs. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to bath salts or any other substance, Harmony’s addiction treatment center in Colorado can help.

Relapse in the Public Eye

Posted on by Christy Weeks

Over the past week the pain of relapse has been in the public eye, with an intervention staged on air for Andy Dick, Kelly Osbourne’s airplane meltdown and Pete Doherty’s cancelled performances and check-in to rehab.


Andy Dick has struggled with several relapses. His most recent relapse was made public when, during the filming of his new Internet show Andy Dick Live!, the CEO of the network warned him publicly “Everybody knows you have been going through your trials and tribulations…I told you the other day, if this continues, we can’t carry on. And if you decide to leave and not do that (check into rehab), I’m afraid that we can’t carry on here together.”  The emotional intervention followed by Dick’s willingness to go to back to treatment has been all over the Internet.

Also widely public was the alleged meltdown of Kelly Osbourne who reportedly got drunk on an airplane and had to be carried off by security. While she denied the incident initially, this week she admitted that her drinking was sparked by the painful feelings associated with her brother’s multiple sclerosis. She admitted, “on the plane I started looking at the website [a fan told her about]. It described how bad certain cases of MS got, and it made me lose it because I’ve sat through my mother having breast cancer, my dad almost dying from a bike accident, and now it’s my brother who’s my best friend.” Kelly Osbourne is in recovery from prescription painkiller addiction but has consumed alcohol since leaving rehab.

Another incident this week was indie–rocker Pete Doherty, co-front man of the Libertines, allegedly checking into a rehab in Thailand rather than performing at T in the Park in Kinross, a music festival in Scotland. Doherty has struggled with substance abuse for several years, and recently admitted being addicted to and using heroin and crack cocaine – deeming his previous visits to rehab unsuccessful.

These public displays serve as a good reminder of the numerous private displays of relapse that occur among those in recovery everyday. Relapse is a common and sometimes necessary part of recovery.  No matter how many times one has sought substance abuse treatment and relapsed, there is still hope. Treatment often plants a seed of how wonderful a life in recovery can be. Despite the devastation one experiences through a relapse, the seedling of hope can bring them back to a place of willingness to try again. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting help to re-focus and re-integrate back into a life of freedom from drugs and alcohol.

Luckily there are wonderful relapse treatment programs that exist for those who have a desire to get hooked back into a life of recovery.  Harmony’s primary goal is for clients to attain a lifetime of abstinence from alcohol and drugs. The focus of our Brief Residential Program program is for the client to be able to identify issues of powerlessness and unmanageability that have led to a relapse.  Hopefully those who have relapsed in the public eye and the many who have privately are able to do the same.

Prescription Overdose Does not Discriminate

Posted on by Christy Weeks
Amy Tryon (USA) on Poggio
Amy Tryon (USA) on Poggio (Photo credit: LarsAC)

We have all heard that addiction does not discriminate, or that drugs are “equally opportunity destroyers” and that becomes more evident as breaking news stories reveal the prescription opiate overdoses of many from actors to uniformed professionals to Olympic medalists.


Amy Tryon, who died of an opiate overdose last month, happened to be both a uniformed professional and an Olympic equestrian medalist.  Tryon rode for the U.S. Equestrian Team at the 2004 Athens Olympics where the U.S. team won a bronze medal. In 2008, she competed at the Beijing Olympics. When she wasn’t training, she worked for Eastside Fire and Rescue in her hometown near Seattle, WA.

Riding took a toll on Tryon as she suffered knee and back injuries for which she was reportedly prescribed pain medication. The medical examiner’s office in Seattle, WA released a toxicology report yesterday indicating that Tyron died of an acute combined opiate overdose, which included Oxycodone.

The percentage of those addicted to pain medications in the US is soaring and deaths from prescription painkillers have now reached epidemic levels. Nearly 15, 000 people die every year of overdoses involving prescription opiates, making the number of overdose deaths from prescription opiates greater than those from heroin and cocaine combined. Access to prescription opiates contributes to the problem, as reports indicate that in 2010 enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for a month.

The access to this highly addictive drug and propensity toward accidental overdoses has resulted in numerous tragic stories like that of Amy Tryon. If you or a loved one is struggling with a prescription opiate addiction, there is help. Since addiction does not discriminate, neither does the ability to overcome addiction through drug treatment.
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