IN S IDE TH I S

I S SUE

What’s the real deal 1

Rx Drug abuse &

heroin events 2

Fed Up! Rally 3

What’s the real deal

contd. 3

Youth Network 4

Marijuana fact 4

Happy re)rement 5

Na)onal Night Out 5

Mocktail recipe 6

T H E

C U M B E R L A N D

C O U N T Y

H E A L T H Y

C O M M U N I T I E S

C O A L I T I O N

A N I N I T I A T I V E O F :

T H E S O U T H W E S T C O U N C I L , I N C .

S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

Jessica Kanady Project Director

jessica@southwestcouncil.org P: 856.794.1011 ext. 302

Michael Regenelli Project Coordinator

michael@southwestcouncil.org P: 856.794.1011 ext. 303

Chair Michael DeLeon

Vice Chair Polly Viventi

Editor Brian Kanady

Meetings are held at The Southwest Council, Inc.

1405 N. Delsea Dr. Vineland, NJ 08360

Joseph Williams SWC Executive Director

Reducing substance abuse among youth in Cumberland County

Michael DeLeon

It has been pre/y well established that Big Tobacco lied to

its consumers, the public, Congress and those that sued

them. They conspired a scheme to defraud smokers and,

more importantly, poten)al smokers, by misleading the

American public about the addic)ve nature of cigare/es

and the diseases that they can cause. “Cigare/es, and

nico)ne in par)cular were not addic)ve,” the tobacco

companies said. “Carcinogens and tar were not harmful to

your health and did not cause diseases,” they stated.

“Second-hand smoke was not harmful to those in proximi-

ty to a smoker,” was another claim of the tobacco industry.

Some of those lies were even made under oath to Con-

gress by tobacco execu)ves who were later proved perjur-

ies by memos from those very execu)ves contrary to their

tes)mony. Well, history has a funny way of repea)ng itself.

One of the most destruc)ve lies that Big Tobacco delivered

was that addi)ves were not put into cigare/es to make

them more addic)ve. When in fact, nico)ne levels were

purposely increased to make the product more addic)ve,

which made it harder to quit and, in turn, much more

deadly. According to the Chronic Disease Control (CDC),

more than 480,000 Americans die annually from cigare/e-

related causes - 42,000 of those deaths are from second-

hand smoke. Fast forward to 2014. Big Marijuana has

become the new Big Tobacco.

The fast-growing increase in states legalizing medicinal

marijuana and the legaliza)on of recrea)onal marijuana in

Colorado and Washington, are two of the most divisive

issues among the American public. Much of the main-

stream news is reminiscent of what we saw and heard

during the 70’s and 80’s from Big tobacco. In each case,

there was and is incen)ve. As is oAen stated when one

seeks the truth – Follow The Money. Major financial maga-

zines and newspapers have published stories over the past

few years describing the incredible income opportuni)es

for entrepreneurs that are geDng into the marijuana busi-

ness, and, already, we have seen capitalis)c ventures

expand this industry into the next Big Tobacco. Marijuana

consump)on and demand are not well measured in this

country because of its taboo nature; however, that is

changing. In fact, according to CNBC’s in-depth repor)ng,

the poten)al market for marijuana could reach $100 bil-

lion. Tax revenue es)mates to states could make up to $28

billion. To some, especially poli)cians, the argument stops

there. But what will societal costs be? What will the unin-

tended, and unknown, health care and medical costs be?

It’s oAen purported that we will save substan)al money in

criminal jus)ce expenses since law enforcement will no

longer spend their limited )me and resources prosecu)ng

marijuana crime. But just like historical fables unfolded

with the Tobacco industry, where is the truth?

Over the past few years, I have been studying the progres-

sion of marijuana expansion throughout our country, espe-

cially in Colorado and Washington, where marijuana was

legalized for recrea)onal use. The laws in each state are

different, but both have basically made federal law against

marijuana moot by legalizing the recrea)onal use of the

drug by adults 21 years of age and older. The mainstream

news that we see shows Colorado poli)cians tou)ng their

new-found tax revenue and crowds of happy, stoned pa-

trons screaming with joy over the new legal vice.

The news coverage from Colorado in January of this year

and in Washington a few weeks ago couldn’t be more

skewed or evasive of the truth. The reality of marijuana is

that much of the truth is really unknown. We’re comparing

the marijuana being retailed today to the marijuana we

smoked 30 and 40 years ago as we danced at Woodstock –

and the two products couldn’t be more different. A new

documentary released last month by ABC Australia began

to look at THC levels in retail marijuana currently being sold

in Colorado dispensaries. Some products contained THC

levels in excess of 50% compared to levels in the 70’s that

were between 5% and 12%. It’s a much different product

and, again, it comes down to the financial incen)ve of

entrepreneurs luring consumers away from other weed

retailers. Regula)on dictates what the product can cost,

much like tobacco is regulated to be sold for minimum

prices. The only thing to differen)ate one store from an-

other is quality and potency. Compe))on will increase THC

levels un)l it gets to a point that could be toxic to most

people. Big tobacco did the same thing with addi)ves. It

increased the addic)ve nature of the product. It’s happen-

ing again with marijuana.

Kevin Sabet, the Director

of the Drug Policy Ins)tute

at the University of Flori-

da, published an informa-

)ve book about what he

calls, “Reefer Sanity: Seven

Great Myths About Mariju-

ana.” In it, Sabet outlines

Con�nued on page 3

P A G E 2

Events discuss the harsh realities of the local

prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic

The final por)on of the conference included a panel

discussion moderated by former Millville Mayor, James

Quinn. The panel included individuals from treatment

agencies, a pharmacist, a doctor, a law enforcement

representa)ve, and an individual involved in a local

support group for parents. The varying experiences of

the panelists provided unique perspec)ves regarding

this local concern.

A panel discussion was also had at the evening commu-

nity awareness event, “Prescrip)on to Addic)on: It

Could be Your Child.” The event was held on May 28

and was well a/ended with over 80 people coming

out. The evening panel consisted of individuals repre-

sen)ng treatment, law enforcement, EMS, and also

included a mother who lost her son to addic)on, and

two young men in treatment. Following the panel dis-

cussion, passionate audience members par)cipated in

a ques)on and answer session that urged the panelists,

hosts, and fellow a/endees to con)nue addressing the

issues that affect so many of our loved ones.

The two events aimed to increase awareness on pre-

scrip)on drug abuse and heroin as well as inform the

audience of how they could be a part of preven)on

efforts. For instance, a/endees were encouraged to

become involved in the two coali)ons’ substance

abuse preven)on ini)a)ves. They were also asked to

share the informa)on they learned in hopes that it

might help others recognize the prevalence of the is-

sue. Addi)onally, a/endees were provided with infor-

ma)on on how and where to dispose of their unwant-

ed, unused, or expired prescrip)on medica)ons.

A/endees were encouraged to advocate for the instal-

la)on of permanent prescrip)on drug drop boxes in

their local police departments if one did not already

exist. The events were no doubt the beginning of a

conversa)on and collabora)on between community

members

and profes-

sionals

addressing

this issue.

In the month of May,

over 200 individuals

were educated on pre-

scrip)on drug abuse

and heroin at two

different awareness

events. Two events

were hosted by the

Cumberland County

Healthy Communi)es

Coali)on, the Salem-

Cumberland Regional

Ac)on Toward Commu-

nity Health (SCRATCH)

Coali)on, and the Cum-

berland County Prose-

cutor’s Office. The events were sponsored in part by

The Southwest Council, Inc., Inspira, Governor’s Coun-

cil on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA), and Cum-

berland County College. The en))es joined forces

early in the year to determine the best ways to draw

a/en)on to the growing trend of prescrip)on drug

abuse, which oAen leads to heroin use. It was clear

that educa)on on the issue was a need of the commu-

nity that was necessary to meet.

The first event, “Cumberland County Prescrip)on Drug

Abuse and Heroin Conference,” was organized in

hopes of a/rac)ng professionals who are affected by

this issue either directly or indirectly. The three-part

conference had over 130 individuals in a/endance.

The day kicked-off with a presenta)on from Michael

DeLeon of Steered Straight, Inc. DeLeon spoke of the

reali)es of prescrip)on drug abuse and heroin use.

The harsh truths were made clear when DeLeon

showed a documentary he produced )tled, “Kids Are

Dying.” The documentary consisted of interviews with

ac)ve users who stressed that drug use and addic)on

is not prejudice – those from all backgrounds can and

have fallen vic)m to it. DeLeon also presented at the

evening community awareness event, “Prescrip)on to

Addic)on: It Could be Your Child.”

Following DeLeon’s presenta)on at the conference,

Douglas Collier, re)red DEA agent and Drug Ini)a)ve

Coordinator with the New Jersey Office of the A/or-

ney General - Division of Consumer Affairs, presented.

Collier, who has an impressive professional back-

ground, started his career with the CIA and has also

been featured in several na)onal television shows. In

addi)on to engaging the audience in interac)ve and

purposeful ac)vi)es, he discussed trends in use, addic-

)on as a disease, and what is being done to address

the issue.

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

When: Sunday, September 28, 2014 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM -- followed by a March to the White House

Where: Rally on The Mall in Washington, D.C. (between 12th and 14th Streets) FED UP! Rally Headquarters- Marriott Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

Why: Immediate action from our federal agencies is needed to prevent new cases of opioid addiction, to prevent more overdose deaths and to ensure access to effective treatment for millions who have become addicted.

*The Southwest Council, Inc. will be providing transportation. To sign-up for the bus, please contact Jackie Williams at 856-794-1011 ext. 315 or jackie@southwestcouncil.org

Marijuana contd.

the seven most common misconcep)ons and

erroneous beliefs about marijuana. It is an incred-

ible book and an important one for not only

parents and educators, but for anyone concerned

about the health crisis that our country now faces

with addic)on.

The percep)on of social disapproval, risk and,

most importantly, harm is consistently decreasing

for youth in America. This is very dangerous be-

cause the more that kids see marijuana as harm-

less, the more likely it is that they will use it.

Marijuana rates among youth are increasing

across the country, and the states that have legal-

ized weed for medicinal use are clustered at the

top of the list with the highest use. That is not a

coincidence. In Denver, 75% of youth surveyed in

the 2013 Monitoring The Future Study stated

they got marijuana from a person with a medical

marijuana card. The more the drug is available

through legal means, the more youth use esca-

lates. The age of first use is cri)cal and I believe

that we need to delay it as long as possible or we

will see record numbers of addicts developing.

Marijuana is addic)ve. One in every 11 people

who start using marijuana become addicted to it

and, in adolescence, the addic)on rates jump to

one in every six. Even those who advocate for

marijuana legaliza)on accept those sta)s)cs -

which come from the Na)onal Ins)tute of Health

- yet they discount the severity of those num-

bers. In my three years of interviewing addicts

for two documentaries on the American addic-

)on epidemic, nearly 95% of interviewees began

their drug use with marijuana. That’s disturbing

and something I believe parents should be very

concerned with when it comes to youth. The

“gateway” phrase seems to cause disagreement,

but for almost every addict I met, it was abso-

lutely that.

Moving beyond addic)on and the gateway to

harder, more deadly drugs, marijuana also nega-

)vely impacts IQ. A recent study by the Na)onal

Academy of Sciences found that those who used

marijuana heavily in their teens and con)nued

through adulthood showed a permanent drop in

IQ of 8 points. A loss of 8 IQ points could drop a

person of average intelligence into the lowest

third of the intelligence range. What will that

mean for their socioeconomic status and their

reliance on social programs? It will mean more

burden on society to support someone incapable

of normal contribu)on because of drug use.

Marijuana use nega)vely impacts educa)onal

achievement. Marijuana use nega)vely impacts

the school environment. Marijuana use nega)ve-

ly impacts communi)es of color. Marijuana use

nega)vely impacts highway safety. And contrary

to what those poli)cians believe about all that

new tax revenue, marijuana legaliza)on will not

result in increased revenue. The increased social

costs that will result from an increase in users

will far outweigh tax revenue. History shows us

from cigare/es and alcohol, that for every dollar

received in tax revenue, we spent $10 on social

and related healthcare costs.

In conclusion, it is simply a historical lesson we

do not need to re-learn. Tobacco and alcohol are

two drugs that literally decimate our country. We

do not need to add a third legal, addic)ve drug to

the two killers we already have. We need to

separate the medicinal marijuana smokescreen

from the truth and study the medical benefits of

THC and CBD, the ingredients in marijuana

wherein those benefits exist. We do not need to

smoke marijuana to get those benefits. We do

not need to legalize marijuana; for if we do,

history will repeat itself and we will find our-

selves regreDng the same mistake we once

made with tobacco. We do not need to learn that

lesson again.

P A G E 4

Michael Regenelli

The CCHCC’s Youth Network had a busy spring sea-

son with a calendar packed with ini)a)ves and

events. Youth Network members par)cipated in sev-

eral S�cker Shock Campaign events in the past sever-

al months. On April 28, the CCHCC collaborated with

the SCRATCH Coali)on to conduct the ac)vity at The

Original Canal’s Liquor Store in Bridgeton. Two addi-

)onal S)cker Shock Campaign events took place on

May 21 at Liquor Mart in Vineland, and on June 30 at

Vineland Discount Liquors. During the ac)vi)es,

Youth Network members placed brightly colored

s)ckers on cases of beer and wine coolers to warn

customers about the legal penal)es for supplying

alcohol to underage drinkers - which include up to six

months in prison and a $1,000 fine. Since many

adults are not aware of these penal)es, and under-

age drinkers oAen get older friends or siblings to buy

alcohol for them, adver)sing these penal)es at the

point of sale helps to dissuade adults from supplying

alcohol to underage drinkers.

S)cker Shock events were not the only ini)a)ve

against underage drinking that the Youth Network

conducted, however. On April 19, the Youth Network

collaborated with ShopRite Pharmacy to put on a

mocktail event. The event promoted serving non-

alcoholic cocktails (mocktails) rather than alcoholic

beverages at par)es and gatherings where youth are

present in order to minimize opportuni)es for under-

age drinking. Sweet alcoholic cocktail beverages are

a/rac)ve to younger drinkers and provide an oppor-

tunity to sneak a drink behind their parents’ back.

Replacing them with alcohol-free alterna)ves helps

prevent this while also providing adults who do not

drink alcohol a fes)ve and tasty choice. Youth Net-

work members distributed free samples of pineapple

FACT: People are not in prison

for small-time marijuana use.

• Statistics on state-level prisoners reveal that only 0.3%

of all state inmates were behind bars for marijuana

possession only.

• 99.8% of federal prisoners sentenced for drug offenses

were incarcerated for drug trafficking.

• The risk of arrest for each joint smoked is 1 in 12,000.

GET THE FACTS! Learnaboutsam.com

Coalition’s Youth Network springs into actionCoalition’s Youth Network springs into actionCoalition’s Youth Network springs into actionCoalition’s Youth Network springs into action cranberry punch, recipes for mocktails, and infor-

ma)on on underage drinking while engaging custom-

ers in conversa)on. The response from the custom-

ers was very posi)ve, with many pledging to serve

mocktails at their next family gathering and thanking

the Youth Network for their work. Coali)on member

and ShopRite pharmacist, Alan Aronovitz, set up the

event with management and provided the Youth

Network members with the ingredients and decora-

)ons.

On April 1, members a/ended “Take Back the Night”

at Cumberland County College. The event, put on by

SERV (Services Empowering the Rights of Vic)ms),

aimed to raise awareness about the problem of sexu-

al assault in Cumberland County. Youth Network

members heard from survivors of sexual assault,

par)cipated in a solidarity walk, and contributed

messages of support to survivors. Raising awareness

about the problem of sexual assault helps the coali-

)on’s cause since drug and alcohol abuse and sexual

assault are oAen intertwined.

Youth Network members also contributed to the

success of the May 28 prescrip)on drug abuse and

heroin forum. Coali)on members donated cookies,

brownies, and other assorted treats for the Youth

Network to sell as a/endees arrived. The bake sale

was well received and the teens raised over $72 to

help pay for future events and ac)vi)es. Following

the bake sale, Youth Network members a/ended the

forum to gain more insight on how prescrip)on drug

and heroin abuse has impacted their community.

The Youth Network looks forward to keeping the

momentum going!

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

Come Celebrate National Night Out With Us in August Mark your calendar for the 31st annual Na)onal Night Out! Na)onal Night Out began as

an ini)a)ve of the Na)onal Associa)on of Town Watch (NATW) in 1984 in an effort to

promote involvement in crime preven)on ac)vi)es, police-community partnerships,

neighborhood camaraderie and send a message to criminals leDng them know that

neighborhoods are organized and figh)ng back. This year’s Na)onal Night Out is taking

place on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 and begins at 5pm. The event will take place at the

Chestnut Assembly of God in Vineland, NJ. You

won’t want to miss it! There will be food, fireworks,

and a helicopter fly-in. Best of all, the event is free!

The CCHCC will also be there with our friends at

Steered Straight, Inc. with resources and fun givea-

ways for the family. Be sure to visit our tables to say

“hi” and get some goodies!

Without a doubt, the success of any coali)on is due in large part

to the support and dedica)on of their volunteer members. This is

especially true in Cumberland County where every volunteer

member on the coali)on wears mul)ple hats. This issue, we pay

tribute to two of our most treasured members, Keiko Warner

and Polly Viven), as they hang up their professional hat aAer

many years of dedicated service.

Both Keiko and Polly made the big decision to

re)re from their respec)ve jobs this summer. For

Keiko, that means she will no longer serve as the

Student Assistance Counselor for the Millville

School District. As for Polly, she will no longer

serve as the Administrator for the Cumberland

County Youth Services Advisory Council. Though

this chapter in their lives is coming to an end, we

will not soon forget the commitment they have shown not only

to their jobs, but also, the county, and our young people.

Keiko and Polly’s devo)on to the be/erment of youth in Cum-

berland County has made them both ideal members of the coali-

)on. Over the years Keiko has played an influen)al role in the

school’s collabora)on with coali)on efforts. Her support has

been both enthusias)c and unwavering. Polly volunteered for

the posi)on of coali)on vice chair last fall and has been both

an eager and dependable coali)on par)cipant. Polly never fails

to lend a helping hand or send a posi)ve note of encourage-

ment.

With that in mind, we are happy to report that both ladies plan

to stay involved with the work of the CCHCC.

When she’s not working with the coali)on, Polly

is most looking forward to spending )me with her

grandkids and taking trips to local places she has

always wanted to visit. She has also signed up for

Master Gardener training star)ng in January and

plans to travel, exercise more, and patronize the

arts. Like Polly, Keiko is also looking forward to

spending more )me with her family and traveling.

She will remain an ac)ve NJ Student Assistance

Professional, though, she says she will certainly miss direct

service.

Ladies, we can’t thank you enough for all that you have done

to contribute to our success. We look forward to con)nuing

our partnership in serving Cumberland County. Best wishes for

a happy and healthy re)rement!

Contact us for more information on the CCHCC, our Youth Network, or to sign up for our mailing list!

CCHCC

c/o The Southwest Council, Inc.

1405 N. Delsea Drive

Vineland, NJ 08360

Phone: 856-794-1011

Fax: 856-794-1239

jessica@southwestcouncil.org

facebook.com/CCHealthyCommunitiesCoalition Twitter & Instagram: CCHCC3

The Cumberland County Healthy Communities Coalition was formed to build healthy communities by reducing

substance abuse among youth.

The Coalition is a group of committed community members of all ages and from all walks of life, including

educators, law enforcement, parents, youth, faith leaders, health professionals, media, local government and

businesses.

We need a Healthy Communities Coalition because a group with a common goal can achieve so much more

than an individual alone. Our Coalition promotes coordination and partnership between organizations to create environments that are alcohol, tobacco and drug

free. We build links between local organizations and individuals who are working to accomplish common goals.

The Coalition meets at the Southwest Council’s Cumberland County Office in Vineland. We welcome any interested community members to attend our upcoming

general meetings on NO August meeting

Monday, September 8 Monday, October 6

The Coalition is a community initiative of The Southwest Council, Inc. Funds are provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and managed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

P A G E 6

Try an Ombré Grapefruit Mocktail at your next get-together!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. grapefruit juice, chilled

• 1 can Sprite or 7Up, chilled

• 1/4 c. simple syrup

• grenadine

• ice

Instructions:

1. Add 1/2 c. grapefruit juice to each glass.

2. Add 2 Tbsp. simple syrup to each glass.

3. Top off each glass with the soda and drop a tsp of

grenadine.

*You can add a stir stick or straw, but don’t stir it until

after it’s served or else it will no longer be ombré!

Recipe and picture courtesy of: http://handmademood.com/loving-the-ombre-

grapefruit-cocktail/