Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow

3rd annual - Kick it with the Advocates

2012-02-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

NATIONAL TAKE-BACK INITIATIVE

2012-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

NATIONAL TAKE-BACK INITIATIVE

April 28, 2012
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.
Americans that participated in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the three prior Take-Back Days are combined, the DEA, and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation in the past 13 months.
“The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.”
“With the continued support and hard work of our more than 3,945 state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners, these three events have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, and increased awareness of this critical public health issue,” said Leonhart.
Please check back in March to locate collection sites near you.

NATIONAL TAKE BACK INITIATIVE

2011-10-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

For more info visit:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

October 29, 2011

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

PSP LAMAR BARRACKS	7127 NITTANY VALLEY DRIVE	MILL HALL	PA, 17751
PSP ROCKVIEW	745 S. EAGLE VALLEY RD.	BELLEFONTE	PA, 16823
MAGISTRATE JEFFREY MENSCH DISTRICT	343 CHESTNUT ST., SUITE 2	MIFFLINBURG	PA, 17844

Find a collection site near you.

DEA has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, 2011, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. to provide a venue for persons who want to dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
DEA in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States conducted National Prescription Drug Take Back Days on Saturday, September 25, 2010 and April 25, 2011. Nearly, 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation participated in these events, collecting more than 309 tons of pills.
Four days after last fall’s Take-Back Day, Congress passed legislation amending the Controlled Substances Act to allow the DEA to develop a process for people to safely dispose of their prescription drugs. DEA immediately began developing this process after President Obama signed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 on October 12. Until that process is complete, however, DEA will continue to hold Take Back Days every six months.

Pennsylvania

GS Regina Spaddy

215-238-5160

Joins us for the Community Harvest Festival

2011-09-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Next ADVOCATES EVENTS!

2011-07-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon to the Skate park

~ Demo Jam 1 ~

AND

Our Annual Community Harvest Festival

Bath Salts - Another Designer Drug

2011-06-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Follow the link to view the Web seminar from April 5, 2011
https://ndcrc.webex.com/ndcrc/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=2735027&rKey=9CAFF61E1EF40DAC

National Take Back Initiative

2011-06-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

Find out more information at:
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

Kick It with the Advocates

2011-03-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Youngsters have fun learning to be drug free

March 10, 2011- Lock Haven Express

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LOCK HAVEN - The Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow hosted nearly 100 children at the Lock Haven YMCA recently where the kids went to "Kick It with the Advocates." Judging by the turnout and comments made by parents in attendance, the second annual event was another success.
Evidence from The Search Institute suggests family support and communication are among several protective factors which are instrumental in the prevention of substance abuse. Danielle Hardy, Co-Chair for the coalition and Prevention Program Specialist for the West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission indicated the event served its intended purpose. "One parent said that they had a lot of fun together in all of the activities and thanked us," Hardy said.
Jamon Andrus, a fellow member of the coalition and Clinical Supervisor for Crossroads Counseling in Lock Haven, reported similar feedback stating, "One parent I spoke to when I was helping at the rock wall said, 'Today was a good day.'"
Laurie Welch, employed by the Penn State Cooperative Extension is also experienced in preventive services for our youth. Welch stated, "Saturday's event was really nice. It was well organized. My kids had fun."
Also among the protective factors noted by The Search Institute is gaining a sense of worth from and belonging to the community. Hardy suggested the day fulfilled the children's needs in this way as well.
"The kids really enjoyed ZUMBA and the instructor was great with the kids. The rock wall staff were extremely busy and were excellent with the children and made them feel at ease. The children enjoyed making crafts and playing games at the stations with LHU students," Hardy said. The Lock Haven University students were representatives of the university's AmeriCorps Vista program in its volunteer service to the coalition and community as well.
Along with swimming, rock wall climbing, and ZUMBA, the day also offered face painting, a duck pond, fish pond, puppets, butterfly finger painting, and a sign language activity. The Advocates also offered light refreshments and bottled water, the latter supplied by First Quality Paper Products.
The Advocates displayed an informational table regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in hopes they might spread the message and help prevent substance abuse as well. The event was free to the public. Interested parties can direct inquiries regarding the Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow to the West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission at (570) 323-8543

Meth Lab presentation

2010-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

Jim Runkle - Lock Haven Express
MILL HALL - In January 2009, just about a year after his election as Clinton County district attorney, Michael Salisbury offered a state of the union address suggesting unlike in other parts of the state, the extremely dangerous drug methamphetamine didn't have a commanding presence in Clinton County.
Things are changing.
Illegal drug use in all its forms remains a troubling, frayed end in the social fabric of rural life - but these days, there appears to be a dangerous new trend toward methamphetamine.
Sparked in part by the recent arrests and investigations into the manufacture of crystal methamphetamine in Lock Haven and Jersey Shore, local officials gathered Tuesday at Central Mountain High School to underline those dangers and offer important information to the public.
The event, sponsored by Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow, featured keynote speaker Phil Cusano, who's been on the forefront of the meth wars in Bradford County in recent years.
The panelists included local soldiers in the war against drug abuse, including Lock Haven Police Det. Charles Shoemaker, Pine Creek Township Police Chief David Winkleman, Salisbury, Clinton County Judge Craig Miller and White Deer Run Inc. Regional Director Jeb Bird, along with several Advocates in attendance.
Cusano, director of Bradford/Sullivan Drug and Alcohol Single County Authority since 1999, offered graphic before-and-after photographs of meth users depicting the rapid degradation of body and mind, and tolled the damage that occurred in that region before the public took a stand against the spread of meth labs.
From all the panelists, there was one central theme - You can make a difference.
Rural forested areas offer an attraction for individuals who can "cook" methamphetamine because of their secluded nature, Miller said.
Miller also pointed out hundreds of bear hunters and thousands of deer hunters are set to take to the woods in coming weeks. He urged those sportsmen to keep an eye out for indications of illegal activity, and to call 911 if they spot an illegal operation.
Salisbury said cooking operations in Clinton County and nearby have been sporadic thus far - and that's as it should be.
"I'm angry," Salisbury said. "You should be outraged that somebody from out of the area ... Florida ... comes to Clinton County and brings that junk here. We are being invaded by people who have no respect for Clinton County, for the law or for you."
Salisbury said prosecution of methamphetamine activity has become "the highest priority" of his office and the local Drug Task Force.
For possession, defendants can anticipate jail time. For delivery, they can expect "a lot of time in a state correctional facility." And for manufacture, "the world will come down on your head," Salisbury said. "There will be no compromise on this. When we prosecute for this drug, the gloves are off.
"We can't stop this without you," he added. "In the past couple of arrests, I can't tell you how many people came up to me afterward and said they suspected something was going on ... The time to call is when you suspect something."
Cusano said long-term meth users scar their own bodies, believing they have bugs on their arms, face or other body parts. Addicts can be explosively violent. They frequently loose their teeth due to the acidic nature of the drug, and because meth is an extreme appetite suppressant, weight loss, illness and infection are common.
First responders like police, firefighters and paramedics are particularly at risk, Cusano said, because chemicals used to produce meth are caustic, explosive and extremely hazardous.
As Shoemaker said, the recent arrests and the lengthy prison sentences that followed have sent a strong message to drug manufacturers who might consider Clinton County an ideal location for their efforts. He also echoed Salisbury's sentiments about the public's assistance.
"We heard a meth lab was operating somewhere in Clinton County, but we couldn't get anything on it ... until one concerned mother called us up," he said. "It was that one mother who broke the case for us and led to the raid on the lab in Lock Haven, and that arrest led us to another operation in Jersey Shore."
Shoemaker noted the task force he leads has seen many transitions from its creation in 1987, when investigators dealt primarily with marijuana and LSD. In the middle 1990s, activities shifted to cocaine, and from 2001 to 2003, the community was devastated by a major spike in heroin abuse, he said.
"This is the new trend," he said, "We may have nipped this in the bud in our community with these arrests. We were lucky. We heard the rumblings but were unable to locate the lab. On June 6, a mother called us with her concerns, and on June 6, we made arrests ... Not because of law enforcement, but because of a concerned parent."
Shoemaker said he suspects there are one, perhaps two potential lab operations of a small nature in Clinton County today, and "we hope to have a resolution to those shortly."
"There are one or two active cooks out there," Winkleman said, "and we are trying to push these people out of business. If you suspect something, please come forward."
Salisbury noted beginning next year, a dedicated phone line at the D.A.'s office will accept anonymous calls from citizens who want to help stop drug abuse in Clinton County.
Bird said treatment of addicts is problematic because the drug is extremely addictive and has incredibly harsh impacts on the mind and body. Even after short-term use, he said, users show symptoms comparable to dementia and have difficulty with basic living skills.
In the short term, anti-depressants have been successful, but in most cases, treatment arrives via the state corrections system, since the courts and Legislature take a harsh view of methamphetamine abuse and have set stiff penalties, Bird said. Ironically, he said, that's perhaps the best outcome, because the state system has more rehabilitative opportunities for inmates than the hard-pressed county prisons.
Jennifer Reeder, co-chair of the Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow and assistant director of West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission, said the Advocates were established as a community coalition in April 2003 when heroin and other opiates presented a threat to area residents. Those efforts have proven successful in a variety of ways.The damage crystal meth has left in its wake in communities similar to Clinton County, however, makes heroin pale by comparison, so the group decided to take a proactive approach in sponsoring the panel discussion, she said

Join us! Meth Lab education 11/16/10

2010-11-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Community Harvest Festival 2010

2010-11-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Another Great Event!!

http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/526632/Communithy-Harvest.html?nav=5164

2010-11-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

What do we do in the community?

2010-09-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

We attend many different community events, such as The Best of Clinton County, Fall Family Festival, Flemington Hi- Neighbor festival, and many more. Please stop over at our table, say Hi, and sign up for our free drawings!! We also hold our own Block Parties in different areas of Clinton County, which other organizations attend. There are many activities for children and free food so watch for an upcoming event! You can also email us at jenreeder@wbdaac.org for more information.

Advocates for a Drug Free Tomorrow

3rd annual - Kick it with the Advocates

NATIONAL TAKE-BACK INITIATIVE

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

NATIONAL TAKE-BACK INITIATIVE

April 28, 201210:00 AM - 2:00 PM

NATIONAL TAKE BACK INITIATIVE

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

October 29, 2011

Find a collection site near you.

Joins us for the Community Harvest Festival

Next ADVOCATES EVENTS!

Bath Salts - Another Designer Drug

National Take Back Initiative

Kick It with the Advocates

Youngsters have fun learning to be drug free

March 10, 2011- Lock Haven Express

Meth Lab presentation

Join us! Meth Lab education 11/16/10

Community Harvest Festival 2010

What do we do in the community?

April 28, 2012
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM