News & Views
May is Mental Health Month. Get involved!
It's Mental Health Month. Since 1949, organizations across the United States have promoted mental health awareness in May by reaching millions of people through health screenings, local events and media. There are a lot of ways you can make a big impact by spending...
A Completer’s Analysis of an Integrated Psychiatric/ Substance Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults
I first announced the use of Encompass to deliver treatment for Substance Use Disorder in 2013. Four years later, we're seeing some results. Study Title: A Completer’s Analysis of an Integrated Psychiatric/ Substance Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults...
World drug policy experts to UN: Prevention first
The United Nations' 60th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs today wrapped up a week of meetings in Vienna, Austria, where world drug policy experts advocated for stronger efforts to prevent harms associated with drug use. Among them was Pubudu Sumanasekara,...
National Academies of Science report finds marijuana harms, calls for more research
After a review of more than 10,000 peer-reviewed academic articles, The National Academies of Science (NAS) has concluded that marijuana use is related to several health problems, including: - mental health problems, such as suicidal thought, psychosis and social...
Colorado marijuana use climbs steadily since legalization
Two federal surveys tracking drug use rates show marijuana use continues to rise in Colorado. Monitoring the Future First, let's look at the national Monitoring the Future study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug...
Colorado’s marijuana troubles grow
The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area has released its fourth report on the impact of marijuana on the state of Colorado. Problems associated with the drug continue trending in the wrong direction. The agency, also known as RMHIDTA, is part of a...
DEA: Marijuana drug scheduling stays, research expands
After many months of rigorous review that included careful evaluation of the world body of science, the Obama administration's Drug Enforcement Administration announced today that marijuana's Schedule 1 drug classification will remain intact, and the number of sites...
Colorado youth marijuana use IS on the rise
Given that the health of American youth is in question and that so many states base their policies on reports issued by the State of Colorado, it is important to understand what the 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) actually tells us. The survey's results are...
CDC study omits marijuana states
The marijuana states of Colorado, Oregon and Washington are not included in the 2015 state-level Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) study released today. Those states either did not participate or did not have adequate...
Marijuana study has limitations
The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), recently published a study claiming a significant drop in marijuana-related problems among teenagers, such as addiction and having trouble at school. As with all review of scientific...
Read the book
Clearing the Haze is a guide designed to help parents determine whether their child may have a substance problem and, if so, how to begin to address it. This book includes the voices and insight of experts in substance abuse counseling, young people in recovery, and parents who have lived the nightmare of adolescent addiction.