In 2016, with the passage of Proposition 64 (which legalized the recreational use of marijuana in California for individuals 21 years of age and older), a marijuana addendum was added to Substance Abuse Monitoring (SAM) questionnaires. These additional questions related to how marijuana was used, marijuana use and driving, and the perceived benefits of use, among other topics. This CJ Flash highlights results from 2019, as well as comparisons to 2017 and 2018 when noteworthy, the first full year the new questionnaire was administered to the arrestees (adults and juveniles) booked into a local detention facility and interviewed as part of SAM.

Click here for data.

The San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force (PDATF) had a successful media event today to release the 2020 Report Card. The Report Card provides key data indicators measuring the scale of prescription drug, heroin, and fentanyl use and associated impacts at the local level.

This year we are excited to launch an interactive and online version of the Report Card through the LiveStories platform. Click here to view the Report Card.

In this next Voices of Hope video, Scott shares his story about his recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, and how sobriety has influenced his life.

Or watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R0EkuZCn1c

If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, know that recovery is possible. Call for information about treatment programs at 1 (888) 724-7240 or 2-1-1.

An article was released yesterday by CDC's Office on Smoking and Health is releasing the following tobacco-related article in the CDC journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR):

Notes from the Field: Characteristics of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Products Confiscated in Public High Schools in California and North Carolina—March and May 2019

Key findings include:

• Pod-mods, a type of e-cigarette with prefilled or refillable pod cartridges, were the most commonly confiscated devices from high school youth in California (64%) and North Carolina (74%).

• More than 1,000 e-cigarette products were confiscated at 25 public high schools in California and North Carolina during the 2018–2019 academic year.

• E-cigarette, or vaping, products typically contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, can harm adolescent brain development, and prime the brain for addiction.

• School-level efforts to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among youth could include adopting and enforcing tobacco-free policies; measures that provide access to resources and treatment for students rather than punishment; implementing evidence-based curricula not sponsored by tobacco companies; and educating school staff and parents about the changing product marketplace and health risks of youth e-cigarette use.

Yesterday we had a successful press conference to release the PDATF Safe Medication Disposal Survey findings and to promote the upcoming DEA Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. These bi-annual events provide an opportunity to prevent drug misuse and overdose deaths by proper disposal of unused, expired, or unwanted prescription medications. Learn more about the event here.

To learn about how to dispose of your unwanted, expired, or unused prescription medications year-round, click here.