Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Sales are skyrocketing across the U.S. for delta-8 products, a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant.  Known as “diet weed” or “weed lite,” delta-8 has been found to have similar effects to delta-9 THC, the main intoxicant in marijuana.  Delta-8 is currently unregulated and has been the source … Continue to full story .......

Roughly one in every three Americans have reported knowing someone who has died of a drug overdose, a new survey found.  The poll, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that 32 percent of people have known someone who has died of a drug … Continue to full story .......

The FDA announced that it has reversed its ban on Juul e-cigarettes while it reviews new court decisions and considers updated information provided by the vape maker.  The FDA first ordered the company to stop selling its products in 2022, but they have stayed on shelves pending an … Continue to full story .......

Young people who smoked marijuana in the 1960s were seen as part of the counterculture. Now the cannabis culture is mainstream. A 2022 MonitoringTheFuture survey sponsored by NIH found that 28% of Americans age 19-30 had used marijuana in the preceding 30 days—more than three times as many as smoked … Continue to full story .......

Fentanyl-related overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental overdose deaths in Travis County, according to a new report from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office.  In 2023, 279 people died from a fentanyl-related overdose – up from 245 the year before. That’s about a 14 percent increase.

Travis … Continue to full story .......

Thousands of hemp dispensaries have sprung up in Texas in the years since consumable hemp became legal.

May 19, 2024 —  Austin American-Statesman  — Lisa Wheeler struggled to sleep. She tossed and turned and finally woke up at about 8 a.m. on Sept. 15, 2022. Following her normal routine, she went upstairs to wake her 17-year-old son, Spencer.  She opened the door and saw him lying in … Continue to full story .......