What type of audience is targeted overall in the media industry for synthetic marijuana?

Ellen Rehm

Synthetic marijuana is also known as "spice," which is referring to a wide variety of herbal mixtures that produce experiences similar to marijuana and that are marketed as safe, legal alternatives to that drug. The various names for spice include; K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, etc. They are also all labeled "not for human consumption."

Spice products are the most popular among young people, therefore the media is directed at them. All of the packaging labels for spice will be very colorful, cartoons that look high. Even names such as "Scooby Snacks" will make people more likely to buy them. Of the illicit drugs most used by high school seniors, they are second only to marijuana. Spice is more popular among boys than girls. A survey taken in 2012, showed that nearly twice as many male 12th graders reported past year use of synthetic marijuana as females in the same age group. The easy access and misconception that spice products are natural and harmless only contribute to its popularity. Another key thing the media makes known is that the chemicals used in spice are not easily detected in standard drug tests.

Source: DrugFacts: Spice (Synthetic Marijuana). National Institute on Drug Abuse. December 2012. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana

What is KASPER and how has it effected the illegal drug market?

KASPER (Kentucky’s All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting System) is the newest system in line for Kentucky’s ongoing war against prescription drugs. Doctor shopping has become a prevalent way of many substance abusers to get their fix. Pharmacies that sell Sudafed and other over the counter drugs have also moved many of these behind the counter and added to the KASPER system to prevent precursor medication from reaching the chemists that make methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. This system is in place to help prevent these situations in the state of Kentucky.

                This effort is in place to help prevent diversion of prescription drugs. These include opioids and other pain relievers. Several independent studies have been done to access and improve upon the system. One of the major changes that have occurred is the absence of a social security number from patients to check KASPER. Now all that is needed is a name and in some cases a fingerprint. This makes the pharmacist and the patient more at ease. Pharmacists don’t have to worry about a privacy leak and can have confidence in the medication they are doling out that it won’t be put in the wrong hands.

                A big change in technology has benefited the law and drug enforcement agencies in the form of PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs) that give more control to pharmacies and the government on what can be taken and used by patients. It hinders and slows the availability of many precursors to illegal drug manufacturing causing a rise in price of those drugs that are already on the market. The rise in heroin overdose and use in Kentucky can be partially attributed to the constraints put on the prescription pain killer drug market. It makes it very difficult for those that bought in bulk many of the precursor medications to illegal drugs as well as helps to prevent stockpiling from one individual.

                Kasper is not a perfect system, however. Stockpiling and other forms of diversion are still possible. Many doctors are still in the business of prescribing prescription pain killers at the drop of a hat which allows this trade to continue to thrive. Those that mean these drugs for harm know exactly who to see to get what they need to sell or to create the drugs. I think that a plan should also be put in place to monitor doctors prescribing. I’m not sure the constraints but I would argue they should see a patient for more than five minutes to make a diagnosis. This would make sure that doctors follow up and are diligent in what they are prescribing to their patients to prevent abuse. A few more steps in the process and this could be accomplished. I’m very glad that this program, and many like it are in place to help those who will not help themselves end drug habits and the lies associated with prescription drug abuse.

References:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state_profile_-_kentucky.pdf

http://chfs.ky.gov/os/oig/KASPER.htm

http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/24493B2E-B1A1-4399-89AD-1625953BAD43/0/KASPEREvaluationFinalReport10152010.pdf

Seth Mayfield

In what instance can drinking alcohol have positive outcome for people who are of the legal age and also have positive benefits to their health 

            After learning in class that alcohol is a legal drug that is addictive to many people who consume it. So my question is how consuming alcohol can be positive health benefit to people and their bodies is. To answer my question I found an article that explains that research has shown that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can benefit their health. This article states that “the American Heart Association recommends you limit yourself to no more than an average one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.” The article also seems to mention that the healthier benefits of alcohol to consume are generally among wine, beer, and spirits. Researchers have found that alcohol has the positive effects on the body’s heart and blood vessels or overall the cardiovascular system. IN this article it mentions that drinking moderate alcohol can increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which is good cholesterol to break down the extra cholesterol in the blood. This article presents many different health benefits for the human body of alcohol consumption that is consumed at a moderate rate. With the information presented in the above section of the article said that with alcohol being a factor to help with the cardiovascular system, that people who drink moderate amounts the alcohol intake can slightly lower a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. With all the positive factors of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol it can also lead to health problems as well. One of the health factors that can cause a problem is that heart failure could occur as alcohol consumption increases. In this article drinking alcohol could also increase your risk to host a cancer which include liver, stomach, breast, colon, and oral cancer. You really have to watch out for the amount of alcohol that an individual may consume because one of the more serious problems that could occur is a person could develop inflammation in the pancreas and the lining of the stomach, which then would lead to an increase in the risk of cirrhosis, which is a serious liver disorder. So when consuming alcohol watch just how much you consume that way you don’t go overboard. Alcohol is the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. So from my research that was found in this article you can clearly see that drinking alcohol does have some benefits to a person’s health, when it’s consumed at a moderate amount. But you can see that there are also some serious risk you may have to encounter. So, you should always be mindful of the amount of alcohol that you drink that way it will be a health benefit and not just a risk factor to one’s life.

Samantha N D

http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge-newspaper-2012/feb-03a.html

What is Spice?

Spice is a large variety of herbal mixtures that produce the same sort of high that marijuana (cannabis) gives only it is marked as a “safe”, legal alternative. It is sold under names such as K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, and others. It is labeled as “not for human consumption”—meaning they contain chemical additives or dried, shredded plant material. They have been easy to purchase in gas stations, the internet, and head shops, or a store that sells drug-related paraphernalia. Spice affects the brain giving an elevated mood, relaxation, and altered perception, sometimes these effects are even much stronger than marijuana. Spice products act on the same cell receptors as THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana. Some of these compounds, bind more strongly to those receptors, which leads to the more intensified high. Since the true components of spice aren’t known, these substances could cause dramatic effects on the brain. The effects of spice cause symptoms of include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion, and hallucinations. It can also raise blood pressure and cause reduced blood supply to the heart blood supply to the heart and has even  been known  to cause heart attacks. Spice should be considered very dangerous since we don’t know exactly how they affect human health or just how toxic it may be.

Cassie R. 

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana

What influence does the media have on our children in regards to drug and alcohol use?

The American people today, are a highly informed and technologically advanced set of peoples. With our culture being so tied to the media and technology, we have the privilege and curse of having every bit of information and current events directly under our fingertips. Today’s youth, who are highly influenced by popular icons in music, sports, movies and television, are at this same cross roads of advantage and disadvantage. With our children “plugged in” almost constantly throughout the day, they are exposed to something every waking second. Music, celebrities, and all other sorts of media legends can do a lot of parenting for our children, but as we know there is good and parenting and it solely depends on what the child is exposed to. For many children, they have the opportunity to expose themselves to whatever they please, most of it is the more popular and mainstream music, sports and TV that their parents or older siblings are engaged in, while the older and mature crowd is capable of distinguishing between right and wrong or to make up their own minds, children or adolescents are not, they simply follow the “monkey see monkey do” practice. If they see or hear a pop icon participating in drug or alcohol use they see it as an accepted behavior and tend to follow suit, which is why I question, what are we really exposing our children to?

An article by The Guardian, an online database that posts information regarding our currents events and situations throughout the world, tells us that progressively; drugs have been moving their way into song lyrics the past few years. A drug that has been mentioned repeatedly recently, the drug Molly, or a pure form of MDMA, is in 7 different billboard chart songs that have been published within the past 2 years. One of the most recent, We Can’t Stop – Miley Cyrus, mentions that she is “dancing with Molly”, to the average listener one would think the lyrics refers to a person, but someone who is educated or involved in drugs, hears the reference to a street drug. Marijuana, speed, adderall, meth and alcohol are all mentioned frequently in popular songs of all genres, where rap, R&B, rock and pop all lead the pack with drug references in their song lyrics.

Aside from music, TV and movies as well as sports idols are also in the spotlight when it comes to drug references. Movies like “Scarface” and “Blow” both depict heavy cocaine use by the actors, where the movies “Up in Smoke”, “Cheeks and Chong”, and “Pineapple Express” all show the celebrities engaging in marijuana consumption, both illegal drug and both being portrayed as acceptable acts. Personally, it has been a long time where alcohol hasn’t been referenced or shown in a movie that I have seen, so this is obviously a growing and present concern as well.

Trevor J.S.

Sources

http://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2013/jul/14/why-us-pop-mad-molly-aka-ecstasy

http://www.ifc.com/fix/2010/10/greatest-drug-scenes

What are the specific dangers of cigarette smoking

We have all been told that smoking cigarettes are extremely harmful to our health as well as the ones around us. However very few of us, including me, know exactly what in them are hazardous and why, so this is what I researched. I was able to find out that Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. According to the CDC, cigarette smoking causes more than 443,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. 1 in 5 U.S. deaths and an additionally 8.6 million people suffer with a serious illness caused by smoking.

Affects on the Brain – Cigarettes and all other forms of tobacco contain the drug nicotine. It is readily absorbed into the bloodstream when a tobacco product is taken. A person who smokes about 30 cigarettes daily gets 300 hits of nicotine each day. When it enters the bloodstream it immediately stimulates the adrenal glands to release the hormone adrenaline. This increases blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. For many tobacco users long term brain changes induced by continued nicotine exposure result in addiction.

Adverse Effects – Cigarette smoking accounts for one-third of all cancers, including 90 percent of lung cancer cases. In addition to cancer, smoking causes lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. Among Nicotine there are other toxic chemicals in cigarettes. Tobacco smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals such as carbon monoxide, tar, formaldehyde, cyanide, and ammonia.

Treatments – Are there effective treatments for tobacco addiction? The answer to that is yes, however, it is extremely hard to quit. Some can quit without help but this is not the norm. There are behavioral treatments that involve counseling, as well as Nicotine Replacement Treatments which are patches that deliver a controlled dose of nicotine to a smoker in order to wean one off of the drug.

Trey R.

Sources: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cigarettes-other-tobacco-products

What exactly are these Melatonin-laced brownies, and what is the need to regulate them?

Lazy Cakes, Kush Cakes, and Lulia Pies are just a few of the dessert or snack products on the market laced with the sleeping hormone Melatonin.  Tobacco companies producing these products promote them as stress relievers for adults; however, the packaging indicates otherwise.  A sleepy-eyed cartoon is the “mascot” for many of these brownies attracting children not only by the cartoon, but also by the tasty treat.  Consumers of the brownies are instructed to eat half a brownie twice a day to relieve stress.  Each half brownie contains 4 mg of melatonin.  In Europe, where it is prescribed regularly as a sleep aid, only 0.03 mg is considered a dose.  This amount is also the maximum recommended for children under 15.  While overdosing on melatonin is rare, it is possible.  Because melatonin has been shown to affect blood pressure, drop body temperature, and interfere with other drugs like birth control pills and prescription sleep aids and HIV drugs, it is likely that large doses of melatonin will cause health problems for children.  The FDA is trying to obtain regulation of these brownies as they are considered “food” by some instead of dietary supplements as the producers say.  In one case in California in 2011, the tobacco companies won the court hearing against the plaintiff as the judge told lawyers after the hearing, “Plaintiff fails to demonstrate a reasonable person would been deceived about the melatonin content and potential side effect of Lazy Cakes.”  The judge also noted, “It is undisputed that the packaging on the product accurately disclosed the quantity of melatonin in each serving as well as the relevant serving size [and] that the product contained a disclaimer of the potential to cause drowsiness.”  The issue here lies on those paying attention to the nutrition label that the brownie contains multiple serving sizes.  This will be very interesting to see what direction these lawsuits will take.

Emily QL

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=044fd359-b905-454d-a504-ab3044eaa578

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/lazy-cakes-melatonin-health-risks-18244/comment-page-1/

Why was Alcohol illegal in the US from 1920 to 1932?

From 1920 to 1933, Alcohol was illegal in the US. The purpose for this legalization was to decrease alcohol abuse in the US. The dry movement was according to Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which is known as the Volstead Act. This movement made a lot of controversy. People at first accepted it because at this time the First World War was on, and everyone was looking for a way to feel safer. However, the prohibition didn’t work efficiently. The police weren't so serious about the punishment. There was 30,000 to 100,000 bars in New York City only. Furthermore, the crime rate increased, because this time was enough to create many gangsters who sell drugs in the US. Also, the black market was invented at this time as a way to sell alcohol. The most serious crime that happened during this time and made the government think about their 18^th Amendment was Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. In 1933, the government changed their mind and legalized the alcohol under pressure from media and citizens.

Interesting Statistics that I found during my research:

1-     The government paid 65 million for preventing alcohol advertisements.

2-     900 million pages in the news were filled with advertisements that prevent alcohol.

3-     Preventing alcohol coasted the US government around 1 billion and a half million dollar.

4-     500 000 people went to the jail when this law started because they didn’t follow it.

5-     200 people died as punishment for drinking when this law started.

Resource:
http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition

http://cocktails.about.com/od/history/a/prohibition.htm

http://prohibitionrepeal.com/history/fastfacts.asp

http://www.1920-30.com/prohibition/

On average, how much do college students drink?

Many people believe that college is a place of raging parties ruled by alcohol. However, many universities attempt to comfort parents by saying that their campus is alcohol free. The truth of it is that wherever college students are found, there is probably alcohol. According to research conducted by the University of Central Florida, 72% of college students used alcohol in the last 30 days, and 84% reported they thad used alcohol in the past year. The most staggering numbers come from the greek community. 86% of fraternity and sorority member reported to have used alcohol in the last 30 days and 93% in the last year. Binge drinking, though has relatively lower numbers and 35% of people reported "0" to be their weekly average number of drinks. Those who were binge drinkers in high school were three times more likely to be binge drinkers in college. According to data recorded from a Harvard study, the most likely group to drink is the group of male, white, under 24, and involved in athletics or is a member or the greek community. Many ask "why do college students drink?" The believed answer to this question is that a majority of students feel that drinking is a central part of social life. Corresponding with the large percent of college drinkers, there is a large number of alcohol related traffic accidents. Alcohol related traffic fatality rates are nearly twice as great for 18-20 year olds as for the population that is over legal drinking age. Every 3 hours, a young person dies in an alcohol-related traffic accident.


Reference:
http://www.alcohol101plus.org/downloads/CollegeStudents.pdf
http://caps.sdes.ucf.edu/docs/substance%20abuse%20and%20student%20athletes.pdf

Caitlin Hughes

What are the ingredients in cigarettes and how are they harmful to your body?

Most know that smoking cigarettes is harmful to your body. But what exactly are the ingredients in cigarettes. According to Answers, "Cigarettes offer over 4,000 different chemicals that wreak havoc on your lungs and every other organ in your body. While it is true that many individuals live to be very old and never experience the harmful effects of smoking, be certain that your health is severely compromised each time you light up. These chemicals act as poison in your body, destroying vital processes and leaving you looking and feeling less than optimally healthy". A few ingredients in cigarettes include but are not limited to: tar, arsenic, acetone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, cadmium and formaldehyde. According to Answers:

Tar-  is the most widely known chemical present in cigarettes. Tar is nothing more than a collection of solid particles that are inhaled with each puff of a cigarette. These particles coalesce, forming a sticky, brown paste that lines the inside of your lungs and airways. This is also the substance that stains your teeth and fingers brown.

Arsenic- is a powerful poison and is present in every brand of cigarettes. This chemical invades your body in a gaseous form and builds up concentrations over years and years of smoking. Arsenic actually disables your body from repairing its own DNA, resulting in a higher likelihood of developing a devastating disease. Arsenic is especially harmful to your heart and blood vessels.

Acetone- is a colorless, flammable and mobile liquid. It is a common building block in organic chemistry. Acetone is commonly used in paint thinner and nail-polish remover. This chemical is considered to be toxic and, if exposed to your body, causes irritation to your eyes, skin and lungs.

Ammonia- is often found in household cleaners. Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals in the United States. Ammonia is a colorless and highly irritating gas with a very intense odor. If ammonia enters your body, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide. Ammonium hydroxide is highly corrosive and causes damage to cells in your body.

Carbon monoxide- is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. It is incredibly toxic to humans and animals when encountered in high concentrations. Carbon monoxide affects you whether you smoke a cigarette or inhale the cigarette smoke.

Cadmium-  is a metal that is used to make batteries. For smokers, this poison builds up in your body and causes damage to your kidneys and arteries. Most individuals have smaller levels of cadmium present in the body as a result of exposure to tobacco smoke and other air-pollutants, but the levels found in a smoker's body are double that of non-smokers.

Formaldehyde- is one of the most deadly poisons found in cigarettes. It is believed that even second-hand exposure to cigarettes causes enough formaldehyde to be delivered to the airways to increase your risk of developing cancer. Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used to preserve dead bodies and kill bacteria. Concentrations of this chemical build up in the body over time causing irreparable damage.

As you can see, smoking destroys not only your lungs, but also your kidneys, arteries, and other parts of your body. Smoking can cause irreversible damage. Next time you pick up a cigarette, think twice.

References:

"An Explanation of the Most Harmful Ingredients in Cigarettes." Answers. N.p.,
     n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://smoking.answers.com/
     diseases-caused-by-smoking/
     an-explanation-of-the-most-harmful-ingredients-in-cigarettes>. 

 "What Are the Harmful Ingredients in Cigarettes." Answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
     Nov. 2013. <http://smoking.answers.com/ingredients/
     what-are-the-harmful-ingredients-in-cigarettes>.

Rachael S.W.

Since synthetic drugs are legal does that mean they are safer to use than natural drugs?

No. Even though synthetic drugs are legal, they are way more dangerous for a user than natural drugs. Synthetic drugs can be bought online, from stores and head shops making it easy to get high for a much cheaper price for similar effects. These drugs just became legal in the United States in July of 2012 and are used for recreational purposes. Most users, use synthetic drugs because they won’t show up on drug test, so they are still able to get high and get away with it. Synthetic drugs like K2 which is synthetic marijuana is 50-100% more potent than natural marijuana. Natural Marijuana binds to about half of the receptors in the brain which then pushes users to use another drug to have the full high. But Synthetic marijuana binds to 100% of the receptors, this is the only drug that can do this. Synthetic drugs are more dangerous because they are man-made and chemically produced. These vast ranges of chemicals can be 2-500 times more potent than THC. The synthetic drugs aren’t illegal because they manufacturers have gotten away with the way they label their products which make them legal. And by making these drugs legal people tend to trust them more but that isn’t true because within the year of 2010-2011 calls to the American Poison Control Center had quadrupled. Short term effects other than being very addictive is elevated fever, from 110-115, which can cause death because at that temperature your body cannot regulate itself if there are chemicals working against it. Long term effects are unknown because these drugs are so new but they effect the body like ecstasy so later down the road there is a large possibility that brain damage will be found.

Karla K.

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/070212p12.shtml

http://www.alleganyhealthdept.com/addictions/Synthetic%20Drugs%20-%20ACHD%20web.pdf

What is the thinking behind having dry counties in the United States?

     Prohibition ended some 80 years ago, however in many places in the United States it is still illegal to purchase alcohol. Why is this? The answer is that after prohibition was repealed, the federal government no longer regulated the sale of alcohol. This responsibility was left to the state and local levels. Many areas decided to continue to be alcohol-free, and thus the dry county was born. Tennessee leads all other states in the percentage of dry counties compared to total counties in the state, with 91 of its 95 counties being dry. Here in Kentucky, 44 of our 120 counties are dry.

      

     However, many counties are changing their thinking and have voted to become “wet”. This is due to a weakening opposition to those wanting the change. According to USA Today, “The fall of Dry America has many causes. The recession has made governments desperate for tax revenue; national restaurant and supermarket chains are leery of opening where they can't sell alcohol; referendum law changes in states such as Texas and Alabama have made it easier for wet advocates to force local alcohol law elections.”

Dan FR

References:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-30-dry-counties_N.htm