Fentanyl is becoming more accessible to kids on social media, raising alarms for parents

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Austin voters to decide in May on decriminalizing ‘low-level’ marijuana offenses

Jan. 10, 2022 – (KXAN) — A stop to the enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses and the end of “no knock” warrants will be on Austin’s May ballot.  Ground Game Texas announced on Monday that the Austin City Clerk’s office has qualified the ballot measure.

Enough signatures were obtained to … Continue to full story .......

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More than a million Americans have died from overdoses during the opioid epidemic

Dec. 30, 2021 – NPRAustin – Deaths due to drug overdose have topped a million for the first time since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data on the problem more than two decades ago.  A study released Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics, a

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What if cars could stop you from driving drunk? A peek at the latest tech mandated in new infrastructure law

Jan. 4, 2022 – NPRAustin –  What if our cars could prevent drunk driving?  The recent infrastructure law included a provision mandating that, in a few years, all new cars must include technology to detect and prevent drunk driving.

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Adolescent females face multiple barriers to drug treatment in Texas

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a year and a half of drug addiction without treatment, Anisa Madero spent her 17th birthday in a rehabilitation facility.  Today, Madero is 20 years old, sober and a community guest specialist at an adult drug treatment program. Her time in treatment as a teen … Continue to full story .......

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Travis County reports more than 240 overdose deaths last year

Dec. 1, 2021 – AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 240 people died from overdose-related deaths in Travis County during 2020, county leaders announced Thursday, with deaths spiking by more than 30% from the year prior.  Data from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s 2020 annual report revealed 246 people died due

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Naloxone is an extraordinary, lifesaving medication. But at high doses, it can backfire.

Emergency responders administer naloxone to a man experiencing an overdose.

The Atlantic – When someone ingests too many opioids and stops breathing, we know what to do: Give them naloxone (Narcan).  And yet when it comes to naloxone, more isn’t always better. Experts suggest that a more potent form of the drug could backfire, compounding naloxone’s harmful side effects with

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How to Talk to Teens About Drugs and Substance Use

Experimenting with substances can be risky for teens. It’s the responsibility of parents and caregivers to educate kids about drugs and alcohol. The teenage years can be some of the most fun and formative years of a person’s life. Yet, these years can also be marked by high emotions and

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Texas Longhorns linebacker Jake Ehlinger died of accidental overdose, family says

October 2022 – AUSTIN (KXAN) — The family of University of Texas student and Texas Longhorns linebacker Jake Ehlinger say the 20-year-old’s May death was due to an accidental drug overdose.  In a statement sent Thursday, the Ehlinger family says they learned Jake accidentally overdosed May 6 from what’s believed … Continue to full story .......

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Lessons about marijuana edibles from youth vaping

Here we are again. Alarm bells are already sounding for the next threat to the health and safety of youth: marijuana edibles. And once again, government not only seems oblivious to it but is doing more to help the marijuana industry than to protect families from being blindsided yet again … Continue to full story .......

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Parental consumption shapes how teens think about and use cannabis study reports

Kids who grow up in homes where parents consume cannabis will more than likely use it themselves. Turns out the old adage, “monkey see, monkey do,” does ring true — even when it comes to cannabis use. However, when cannabis use involves youth it’s see, think, then do, says a

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Op-Ed: Are Marijuana Use and Suicide Linked? — A review of the data show there’s cause for alarm

Correlation does not mean causation, but that is why we do research — to follow correlations in an effort to determine causation. Data linking marijuana use to people with suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicides are steadily increasing.

Many states, including Colorado, have made post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) an approved

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