Texans in Congress now leading bipartisan efforts to allow fentanyl test strips

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Fentanyl: Accelerant of the Adolescent Opioid Crisis

Drug Overdose Symptoms - The Ranch PA %Deaths from unintentional opioid overdose have risen at an unprecedented rate over the past decade, with extraordinarily broad geographic and sociodemographic reach. Although there has been a significant focus on the opioid epidemic among adults, adolescents and young adults have experienced a greater increase in overdose mortality than the general … Continue to full story .......

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Adolescent Substance Use: Reasons for Optimism and Concern

Although adolescent substance use is a topic that can be challenging for families and clinicians alike, data demonstrate that interventions during this time are effective for preventing, identifying, and reducing risky use.”  There are reasons to be optimistic about adolescent substance use given an overall consistent decline in use

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“We have the ‘teenage mental health crisis’ wrong; Depression drives social media use, not the other way around,” says Salon Commentary

Full analysis of the CDC’s massive survey data conclusively shows social media is a trivial issue, according to a Salon Commentary.  Parents’ and household grownups’ abuses are the major factor closely associated with every serious teenage trouble — a reality institutional America clearly does not want to engage. The correlation … Continue to full story .......

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Study shows that law enforcement strategies to curb underage drinking has decreased over past decade

Minor Alcohol Sting | Aransas Pass Police DepartmentDespite the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can cause in a community, use of some alcohol-related enforcement strategies remained low or decreased from 2010 to 2019, according to a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In particular, researchers found a drop in enforcement of underage … Continue to full story .......

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Alcohol plays an outsize role in firearm fatalities, says new report about alcohol as a risk factor for gun violence

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Texas businesses caught skirting ‘alcohol to go’ ID checks, sparking underage drinking concerns

Could Alcohol To-Go Become Permanent in Texas? | Houston PressNearly 70% of the time “alcohol to-go” was ordered for delivery or pick-up, no ID was requested.  Due to the pandemic, many small businesses were kept afloat thanks to new laws such as ‘alcohol to go’ passed in 2021. It allows beer, wine, and mixed drinks to be included in … Continue to full story .......

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New APH opioid dashboard shows data on overdoses, deaths

Opioid Overdose - The Prevention Council of PutnamAustin Public Health (APH) has published a new dashboard that will help community members access and view data on opioid overdoses. These efforts are part of preventing new overdoses – and especially deaths.  “This dashboard is part of an ongoing commitment by Austin Public Health and community partners to prevent

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Help your teen stay mentally healthy this summer!

Austin Oaks Hospital LogoHelping teens maintain their mental health is more important than ever. Focus on helping them improve handling stress and relating to others by encouraging social interactions and emotional awareness, says Austin Oaks Hospital.

Ideas for maintaining mental health this summer:
Try a new activity or learn a new sport … Continue to full story .......

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More potent than old-school pot, today’s cannabis has led to poisoning in youth

What appears more certain is that levels of THC in cannabis products have risen in recent years, according to an analysis, published in 2020 in the Addiction journal, of 80,000 cannabis samples collected in the United States and Europe. Minors’ illegal use of cannabis products has become a concern in … Continue to full story .......

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“Tucker’s Law” passes TX House and would require education about fentanyl prevention to Texas students in 6-12 grades

Tucker's law' would require fentanyl education in Texas schools“Tucker’s Law,” which would require education about fentanyl prevention and awareness at Texas public schools is now closer to becoming law after it passed through the Texas House on May 9th.  Stefanie Turner has been fighting for legislation since the death of her 19-year-old son, Tucker Roe, in 2021.

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Hays County man charged with felony murder in connection with 15-year-old’s fentanyl death

Man arrested after allegedly selling fentanyl to a Hays Co 15-year-old, who later died | KEYEA man has been charged with felony murder in connection with the fentanyl death of a 15-year-old student at Lehman High School. On April 11, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a home in Kyle where they discovered a 15-year-old student unresponsive and not breathing. During the investigation,

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