Prevention and Recovery Ministry

July 1st was the first anniversary of legalization of recreational cannabis in Maryland.  Maryland cannabis business leaders and regulators say that legalization has gone smoothly here, in part because they learned from other states that had already carried out the legalization processes.  From July 2023 through May of this year, cannabis dispensaries have made nearly 10 million transactions and logged more than $1 billion in total sales of flowers, edibles, concentrates and seeds.  Nearly two-thirds of those sales were recreational.  Maryland taxes nonmedical marijuana sales at a rate of 9% and netted $41.4 million in revenue in the first nine months of legalized recreational cannabis.  Two-thirds of state voters approved recreational cannabis in 2022.  But a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that Maryland voters’ feelings have become cooled since then, with only about a third of voters now saying legalization has been a good thing.  The biggest concern for public health officials in the state is the impact that recreational cannabis for adults will have on youth cannabis use.  Other states have shown that adult use of cannabis increases once it is legal, but “that doesn’t seem to be true for adolescent use,” according to a University of Maryland School of Pharmacy professor who serves on the state’s Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council.  “That’s encouraging,” she said, “But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t concerned about it and that we’re not going to have a strong public health, public education effort in schools.”  House Bill No. 2210 and Senate Bill No.846 have been introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize recreational cannabis.  A recent proposal by U.S. officials to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug could open the doors to more research on marijuana.

June 9, 2024
Back in March, we shared an article about a recovering addict who created a rescue center and sanctuary for abused or neglected dogs and another program that connects recovering addicts with the dogs. Today's article is about a ministry in Kentucky that provides foster care for dogs so that their owners can go into treatment for their Substance Use Disorders.  

 SPARK Ministries of Madison County is a centralized community center which runs as a non-profit to point families and people with substance use disorder towards rehabilitation programs, detox programs, support groups, churches, job opportunities and more.  They help remove barriers for people seeking recovery.  Not having someone to care for their dogs is one more barrier keeping folks from trying to recover.  The ministry's “Fostering for Recovery" group was created to find temporary foster homes for the dogs.  

 Speaking about the group's first client, “Through all her struggles, that dog (Bossy) was with her,”.  “That dog was with her when she lost her family, when she lost relationships, when she lost her home.  The dog was with her.  Bossy loved her unconditionally, no matter if they were living in a park or in a tent.”.  The woman was about to disregard her court orders to go to addiction treatment for one simple reason: she couldn’t leave Bossy behind.  She was packed and ready to run into the woods with Bossy, just so she could stay by her side.  Fortunately, she connected with the woman who operates Spark Ministries and a barrier was removed for her.  

 Here's the link: Pets find safe place with fosters - The Columbian

June 2, 2024
Senate Bill 165, which was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday, mandates all Maryland public high school and college institutions provide training for participating coaches to recognize indicators of mental illness and behavioral distress in students.  That includes signs of depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide and substance abuse.  The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, takes effect July 1.  Maryland follows Ohio as the second state to pass similar legislation for high school coaches but is the first to include public universities.  As quoted by the bill's lead Senate sponsor, “Coaches have told us that they feel ill-equipped to deal with some of the things they see on the field, on the court or in the locker rooms,” and “This will be a mechanism to get them better training on how to connect their players with services they need.”  Training could include red flags to look for, appropriate questions to ask, or how to create a safe space for vulnerable dialogue.  It's widely known that stress, anxiety and depression create challenges for both society and individuals, including interscholastic students.  And severe conditions can lead to the worst outcomes, such as suicide.  The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) offers a free online course on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Course (nfhslearn.com).  With a focus on physical and psychological wellness, this course highlights causes, strategies and provides helpful resources for students, their peers and anyone responsible for their care and well-being.  Similar legislation, House Bill 1367, has been introduced in Pennsylvania.  Dr. Amy Ocasio, who lost her son to suicide in 2019, shares that “student-athletes are wanting to talk and coaches are wanting to be prepared.”
 Here's the link: Maryland Gov. Moore signs bill mandating mental health training for coaches (baltimoresun.com)

May 19, 2024
This commentary is by a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist in Baltimore.  She says if anyone doubts the harm done to children by the internet and social media, then they must read Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,”.  Haidt presents powerful data about the emerging epidemic of anxiety and depression since 2010, when smartphones became easily available and soon were in the hands of most adults and many children.  And while children were being over-protected in the real world by parents afraid to let them outdoors, they were under-protected in a virtual world, which was consuming them and rewiring their brains. 

 This re-wiring process occurs in the adolescent brain through constant exposure to social media, designed as it is using algorithms that increase dopamine, the model for addiction.  Haidt writes about the importance of play, which involves risk, fear and excitement that becomes gradually mastered, so that one is better equipped to enter adulthood.  If one arrives at young adulthood without this mastery, then fear and anxiety emerge.  Time spent on media displaces time that otherwise would have gone into interacting with the natural world with peers and adults.  The constant use of smartphones during childhood thus results in four fundamental harms: social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction. 

Regarding schools, Haidt is adamant that they become phone-free to allow both education and social-emotional growth to take place.  This recommendation is one that does not require legislation and could be adopted, school district by school district.  We are a long way from protecting children while their brains grow and mature.  We need to move quickly or, as is warned, the next generation will be unprepared for the challenges of adulthood.  Here's the link:  Abandoning children to the internet had dire consequences (baltimoresun.com)

May 12, 2024
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed reclassifying marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, to a Schedule III drug.  Schedule III drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.  The move will recognize the currently known medical uses of marijuana and acknowledge that it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use.  President Biden and a growing number of lawmakers from both major political parties have been pushing for the DEA to make this change.  A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly 30% who backed it in 2000.  It’s very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.  As a Schedule III drug, it could make it easier to research marijuana's potential health benefits and potential dangers.  Doctors currently prescribe marijuana for the treatment of severe epilepsy and to minimize cancer treatment side effects, like loss of appetite.  Studies have also shown that medical marijuana can help ease inflammation and persistent pain.  More research on the benefits of marijuana for your health is needed for both sides of the debate to come to an agreement on its use in medical and recreational settings.  Here's the link: US DEA will reclassify marijuana, ease restrictions, AP sources say | AP News
May 5
Harford County has recently started the process of deciding how to spend the millions of dollars that it will receive from the opioid lawsuit settlement funds.  In the last two fiscal years, the state of Rhode Island has spent more than $30 million of the funds.  Their rule is that the settlement money must be used to expand access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. 

 Their process follows principles established by Johns Hopkins University to avoid the snags seen in earlier tobacco settlements, when very few dollars went to health care.  The principles are: 1) That the money be spent to save lives. 2) That the state relies on evidence to guide spending. 3) That investments be made in youth prevention. 4) That the focus is on racial equity. 5) And that spending decisions be guided by a fair and transparent process.  Here's where Rhode Island has spent some of the funds: 1) Adding treatment beds. 2) Providing housing subsidies for people with SUDs. 3) Providing mobile outreach and harm-reduction measures, such as supplying Narcan and clean needles. 4) Funding school-based services to prevent and reduce substance use among students ages 12 to 18. 5)

 Creating community-based youth prevention programs.  As quoted in the article: “I think the important thing is that we keep getting input from the community about what they’re thinking about and what they’re seeing on the ground,” and “We will continue to use that public input process to make decisions about how the settlement dollars should be spent.”  Here's the link to the article: 'The nation is watching us': RI got millions in opioid settlement. Here's how it's spent. (msn.com)

 Harford County has 3 Community Input Sessions scheduled.  Here's the link: Opioid Restitution Fund Community Input Sessions | Harford County, MD (harfordcountymd.gov


April 28
The U.S. might be one of the most addicted nations in the world.  In a new report, the U.S. came in at No. 5 for most addictive personalities, based on factors like alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and screen time.  Statistics suggests that America has the biggest problem with illicit drugs and, perhaps surprisingly, video games and work.  

 Americans require instant gratification and constant stimulation.  The U.S. is notably the top country for coffee intake.  We consumed 9.6 liters of alcohol per capita in 2019.  According to the World Health Organization, roughly 20 percent of Americans age 15 and up use tobacco products.  When Americans use drugs, we die at especially high rates.  The U.S. had one of the worst amphetamine-use-disorder death rates in 2019, with 1.27 per 100,000.  For cocaine deaths, the rate skyrocketed to 2.31 per 100,000.  That was far higher than any other country or region.  The CDC says the opioid crisis kills roughly 110,000 Americans each year. 

 We also appear to have a hyper-prevalent obsession with work, reporting one of the highest average number of hours worked yearly in the world.  The U.S. saw an average of 7 hours, 11 minutes lost to screen time each day.  According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 1.7 and 10 percent of the U.S. population is addicted to video games.  As quoted in the article: "Americans certainly have a low frustration tolerance, meaning that there is a cultural expectation that gratification will be delivered immediately," and "I think this leaves people prone to looking for quick fixes or pills and substances to ameliorate distress, which makes them more prone to substance abuse."

 Here's the link: America's Three Biggest Addictions (newsweek.com)                



April 21

Addiction builds on growing evidence that addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes or high blood pressure.  However, instead of defining recovery as total abstinence from using drugs, the study shows that less frequent drug use can also have health benefits.  Some users may not want to or cannot just stop using.  But, if they can reduce their usage, they can achieve some intermediate outcomes and successes that may lead them into treatment and recovery.  Similar approaches are being used in terms of moderation being acceptable in treating alcohol abuse.  The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism now defines recovery to also include curtailing heavy drinking.  More research is needed to look at patients over longer periods to further understand benefits of reduced use.  Gradual steps out of addiction can be meaningful steps toward better health.  The link to the article can be found in the Parish newsletter and on St. Mary's FaceBook page.




April 7-8
With the number of adolescents struggling with mental health rising, student-led clubs have come to provide support amid a shortage of resources.  As schools search for solutions, often it’s the students who are leading the effort.  A Maine High School’s Yellow Tulip Team is one of roughly 150 such clubs supported by the Yellow Tulip Project, a mental health education and advocacy nonprofit.  Co-founded in 2016 by a high schooler in Maine who had lost her two best friends to suicide, the nonprofit works to destigmatize mental illness and help students prioritize their emotional well-being.  The club plays upbeat music to welcome students each Monday and shares mental health information through morning announcements.  Each fall, it plants a Hope Garden, 500 tulip bulbs this year, and will celebrate the flowers’ resilience in the spring with a youth wellness day of workshops and activities.  At the group’s regular meetings, students might discuss stress reduction strategies, socio-economic inequality and various stigma that many teenagers experience in their conservative-leaning, rural community.  Peer leaders can be “significant influencers,” in helping friends to avoid risk-taking behaviors, like vaping or drugs, and to embrace coping behaviors, like seeking counseling.  The closer a teen is to the peer leader delivering a prevention message or demonstrating a healthy coping behavior, the bigger the impact.  Please check out YTP | Yellow Tulip Project | Smashing the Stigma Around Mental Illness (theyellowtulipproject.org). Here's the link to the article: When the Biggest Student Mental Health Advocates Are the Students - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

March 30-31
Mike Favor spent 13 years addicted to cocaine.  Running a shelter for abandoned and abused dogs has helped him and others stay sober.  He has created a rescue center and sanctuary for abused or neglected dogs called Freedom Home.  He also runs Broken Souls Rescue and Recovery to facilitate adoptions and he created a program called Pitbulls and Addicts to connect recovering addicts with the dogs.  “I wanted to show people what works for me,” he said. “This lifestyle with dogs just made me not want to cope with drugs no more, but to cope with broken souls, because I was a broken soul. These animals gave me a purpose to live.”  Zach Skow, who runs a rescue center and canine prison program on the West Coast, is a mentor to Mr. Favor.  The dogs’ role in recovery makes perfect sense, Mr. Skow said: “What every dog needs is rules, boundaries, discipline, structure, exercise and affection. That is exactly what an addict and alcoholic in recovery needs.”  Mr. Favor employs a 23-year-old man named Rob, who had been struggling with cocaine addiction since his teens, at Freedom House.  “He didn’t know me from a hole in the wall,” Rob said.  “It seems that he truly cares about my recovery, and it’s hard to find good people like that.”  “I’ve been to rehab multiple times,” he said. “But this is different.”  With dogs, he said, “certain parts of my brain that solely focus on that one thing, on that substance,” were now focused on “something that’s good for me.”  Mr. Favor says that he still has more work to do, especially with changing public attitudes.  “If you walk past a homeless dog in the street, you stop and you want to help,” he said. “You walk past a drug addict, you step over them.”  He added: “We need to do better.”  
 Here's the link: A Rescue Dog Saved Him From Addiction - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

March 23-24
Alcohol-related deaths surged in the United States by nearly 30 percent in recent years, with roughly 500 Americans dying each day in 2021, according to a new study published by the CDC.  The study showed a sustained spike in drinking during the Covid pandemic that continued to rise after the shock of the lockdowns of 2020. The incidence of alcohol-related deaths was higher in men, but among women the death rate shot up at a quicker pace.  A recent survey, called Monitoring the Future, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, showed increases in binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a row) among middle-aged adults (people aged 35 to 50).  The survey also found that the same age group reported record-high use of marijuana and hallucinogens.  States and counties can try to reverse the death toll by promoting policies to increase alcohol prices, possibly through taxes, and by making products harder to obtain. Mass media campaigns could encourage people to drink less.  Researchers are unearthing new evidence that suggests even a little bit of alcohol is bad for your health.  Studies are now linking alcohol use to damage in a person’s DNA and how it can break down cells and cause mutations that develop cancer.  Even red wine, long believed to provide a health benefit, has lost its glow.
 Here's the link: Alcohol-Related Deaths Surge to Nearly 500 a Day, CDC Says - The New York Times (nytimes.com)



March 17, 2024
Oregon is poised to step back from its first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law with a new measure that would reinstate criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of some drugs.  The law, which took effect in 2021, decriminalized possession and personal use of all drugs, including small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and others.  The measure would restore penalties for possessing illicit drugs including cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.  Possession of marijuana, which has been legalized for medical and recreational use in the state, would not be affected.  The legislation would implement jail sentences of up to six months for possessing small amounts, and police could also confiscate drugs and stop their use in parks and on sidewalks.  The legislators are moving to change the law now because Oregon is experiencing one of the largest spikes in drug overdose deaths, and a 2023 audit report said the state has the second-highest rate of substance use disorder in the nation while also ranking 50th for treatment access.  Researchers say it’s too soon to determine whether the decriminalization measure contributed to the increase in overdoses.  Opponents of recriminalization say it reverts to a failed, decades-old approach of arresting people for possessing and using even small amounts of drugs.  They worry that it will disproportionally impact people affected by drug addiction and focuses too much on punitive measures rather than treatment.

 Here's the link: Oregon may revive penalties for drug possession. What will the change do? (msn.com)


FEBRUARY 25, 2024