We curate a digest of the latest news in our field for advocates, policymakers, community coalitions and all who work toward shaping policies and practices to effectively prevent substance use and treat addiction.
Back in 1995, Join Together developed a fledgling web-based smoking cessation tool. It eventually became an independent company, QuitNet.com, which may be the largest smoking cessation program in the world.
That?s why we?re especially glad when we see other public health advocates continue to innovate in this area.
Case in point: the Vermont Health Department is offering an online video game to smokers who want to quit.
The North Carolina Sheriff’s Association wants access to information contained in a State prescription database about any person in the state who has a prescription for a narcotic pain medicine. The Association claims if they have this information it will be easier for them to make drug arrests. This is an outrageous and dangerous threat to good medical care and addiction treatment.
Despite the fact that local, state, and federal lawmakers are desperate to plug holes in their budgets, advocates of alcohol taxes have struggled to gain traction. They should take heart from a Fresh Story blog post, the first in a series, published online on Aug. 31. It?s an excellent primer on the history of federal alcohol taxes and why it makes sense to raise them now.