Volume 3, Issue 4December 2017

S A PNewsletter

tudent ssistance rogram

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Former NBA player warns students about the dangers of painkillersChris Herren, a former Boston Celtic’s player, spoke at Rosecrance’s Foundation Benefit, followed by a student presentation in Champaign, IL last month.

At the beginning of a promising NBA career, point guard Chris Herren was drafted in the second round by the Denver Nuggets, and the next year, played for his hometown Boston Celtics. What his family, friends and fans didn’t know was that he was also addicted to painkillers.

“I was taking 1600 milligrams a day. A year and a half later I switched to heroin and was spending 25K a month.”

Clean and sober since 2008, Herren now speaks to schools about drug abuse hoping to save lives and spare others from the devastation he and his loved ones’ endured. (Continued on page 4)

“I remember being in a high school assemly sitting where you’resitting,” said Herren. “I would do anything to go back and listen.”

Nearly 80% of heroin users report abusing prescription

painkillers first.

More than 1 in 3 Americans was prescriped an opioid

painkiller in 2015.

Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Monitoring the Future Survey

18% of 12th graders report misusing prescription drugs; most of them obtain them

from their own homes.

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The new face of MarijuanaThe Dangers of Vaping, Dabs & EdiblesToday, teenagers are more likely to smoke marijuana than cigarettes. Teens are also learning new ways of using marijuana, like smoking it through a vaporizer, which they believe is safer. With the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in many states, edible forms of the drug are also increasing inavailability.While teens think they’re being safer when it comes to using marijuana, the truth is, there is no safe way to use drugs.

Common Vaping Myths• Myth: Vapes/E-Cigarettes are Safe. Fact: E-cigarettes are unregulated so we don’t know for sure what’s in them. Studies have found toxic chemicals including an ingredient used in antifreeze and formaldehyde in them. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate these products, there aren’t requirements around ingredient disclosure, warning labels, or youth access restrictions.

• Myth: E-cigarettes don’t have nicotine. Fact: Almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, including many that claim they are nicotine-free. A 2014 study showed wide-ranging nicotine levels in e-cigarettes and inconsistencies between listed and actual nicotine levels in these products. Nicotine is an addictive substance that can have negative health impacts, including on adolescent brain development. The more nicotine a person uses, the greater the potential for addiction.

• Myth: E-cigarettes can help smokers quit. Fact: The FDA hasn’t found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. Instead of quitting, many e-cigarette users are continuing to use e-cigarettes while still using conventional cigarettes.

• Myth: E-cigarettes aren’t marketed to kids. Fact: E-cigarette use among middle and high school students more than tripled from 2013 to 2015. With aggressive industry tactics such as cartoon characters and candy flavors including bubble gum, fruit loops, chocolate and strawberry, it’s no surprise studies show a dramatic increase in kids using e-cigarettes. For the first time ever, teens are smoking e-cigarettes more than traditional cigarettes.

of 12th graders usede-cigarettes in thepast month.

16.2%

5.8% of teens who use e-cigarettes use them to smoke marijuana.

Vaping: The act of inhaling vapor produced by a vaporizer or electronic cigarette. The vapor is produced from a material such as an e-liquid, concentrate, dry herb, and sometimes marijuana.

Dabs: Extracts, or concentrated oils, from the marijuana plant (sometimes called “hash oil”). These extracts are made with butane and other flammable chemical solvents. Dabs have higher concentrations of THC, making them much more potent than the regular buds of a marijuana plant. Dabs can be smoked, vaporized, or used to make edible products.

Edibles: Marijuana can be baked into cookies or brownies, infused in candy, and even brewed into beverages. Edibles take longer to digest and produce a high; therefore, people may consume more than the recommended amount, leading to dizziness, stomach sickness, hallucinations, panic attacks, and impaired motor ability.

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In states with legal medical marijuana, 40% of 12th graders who report marijuana use have consumed it in an edible form,

compared to 26% in non-medical marijuana states.

Is Dabbing Dangerous?On average, regular marijuana has a THC content of 12–13 percent. (THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.) But the average marijuana extract (dabs) has a THC content of more than 50 percent, some as much as 80 percent.

Because the THC and other chemicals are more concentrated in marijuana extracts than in regular marijuana, the side effects of dabbing—like poor judgment and coordination—are likely to be more powerful than those from smoking weed.

Marijuana extracts can also be very dangerous to make. One method for extracting the concentrated drug from regular marijuana involves forcing butane (a flammable chemical often found in lighter fluid) through a marijuana-packed pipe, which has been known to cause explosions.

Using dabs also causes people to build up a higher tolerance to THC and have more symptoms ofwithdrawal when they stop. Also, many marijuana extracts are found to be contaminated with pesticides or poisonous solvents left over from the extraction process.

Edible Marijuana...It’s ComplicatedAn average chocolate bar at the grocery store is 1 serving, and an average bag of M&M’s or gummy bears is also 1 serving. So what is the average serving when it comes to edible marijuana candy? Answer: There is no average serving.

In Colorado, a single serving of an edible marijuana food product purchased for adult recreational use can’t have more than 10 milligrams of THC in it; but, there can be up to ten servings in the product or package. That means a single bag of marijuana candy, a marijuana chocolate bar, a marijuana brownie, or any other marijuana edible might contain as much as 100 milligrams of THC.

Smoking marijuana delivers about 5 mg of THC inone puff. So if you ate all ten gummies in a bag of marijuana candy, it would be like taking 20 hits of marijuana at one time. Because it takes longer tofeel the effects of the THC when you eat an edible compared to smoking marijuana (up to an hour or two), people end up eating more because they don’t “feel” it right away. It also goes against how most people eat candy. When was the last time you just had one candy from a bag?

Beverages containing cannabis can be even more confusing. For example, one product contains 7.5 servings in a bottle that is about the same size as a can of soda. Does that mean that you are supposed to take only one sip? A sip and a half?

We all know that these THC-infused edibles and drinks are illegal for teens to use and buy. But many will find ways to try them. They may find, however, that it isn’t worth long nights coping with overwhelming dizziness, hallucinations, and stomach sickness, and for a growing number of unlucky experimenters, trips to the emergency room.

Sources: NIDA for teens (www.teens.drugabuse.gov)

Other than cocaine, marijuana is responsible for more ER visits than heroin and all other illicit drugs combined. Marijuana is the number one

drug sending 12-24 year olds to the ER.

Marijuana is also responsible for 15% of alladmissions to treatment centers for substance use disorders in the United States. Primary marijuana

use disorders account for 77% of all admissions ages 12 to 17.

- SAMHSA

To make a referral, contact your SAPcounselor or call 815.391.1000 to talk

to a Rosecrance representative.

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Dangers of Painkillers (cont.)Herren, now 42, said he started OxyContin use at age 22, four months before getting traded to the Celtics. He played 25 games in his one season with the Celtics and never played in the NBA again.

Due to a stigma surrounding addiction, specifically opiates or heroin, Herren says kids are often scared to come forward and ask for help.

“When it comes to opiates, it’s still very much asecret... It’s still very shameful,” said Herren.

Although anyone can develop and opioid addiction, athletes are more prone to suffering injuries and more likely to be prescribed painkillers. The pressure tosucceed often causes athletes to misuse these drugs.

“The pressure that’s mounting around them becomes overwhelming, so it’s the quick fix,” said Herren.

Not all kids will get addicted if prescribed an opiate, but it’s always better to be cautious. He believes long-term prescriptions should never be necessary.

“How can you recklessly give out this medication to teenagers and young adults?” he asks. “Because the reality is, some are going to get hooked. And there’s a heavy price to pay for the ones who do.”

He echoes that advice to high school athletes who consider taking a pill to play through pain.

“The price is so big, so extreme... but it’s just short-term gain for long-term pain,” he said.

Herren’s commitment to spare youth from addiction has resulted in The Herren Project non-profit, which provides education and scholarships to help children learn about healthy lifestyles and recovery. He also launched a basketball player development company, Hoops Dreams initiative, and focuses on helpingstudents overcome setbacks.

You can read more about Herren’s story in his memoir, Basketball Junkie. He was also featured on the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, “Unguarded.”

Excerpts taken from Special for USA TODAY High School Sports article by Kristine Meldrum Denholm, September 2, 2015.

“When you look in the mirror are you proud of who you're becoming?” Herren asked of

students. “Picture that little kid who looks up to you- your brother, sister or cousin. If what

you’re doing isn’t good enough for them, then it shouldn't be good enough for you.”

- Chris Herren

In 2015 in the United States...