IAPCD

Welcome to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) E-Newsletter Update. In in this issue:

• Findings from the 2012 Monitoring the Future study;
  
• The fall issue of ONDCP's Recovery Update;
  
• A guest blog by NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman;
  
• DWI and drug courts show their support for National Impaired Driving Prevention Month; and
• The Hope Share offers stories of hope about addiction and recovery.
  

For more information on efforts to reduce substance abuse and its consequences, visit the ONDCP website.

2012 Monitoring the Future Survey Reveals Significant Reductions in Some Youth Drug Use

Monitoring the Future (MTF), an annual survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States, is a key indicator of drug use among our Nation's youth. The results of the 2012 MTF study, released today, reveal that while overall youth drug use (as measured by past 30-day use of any drug) was unchanged from last year's estimates, a number of drug categories showed significant reductions between 2011 and 2012 for some grades. Among 8th graders, for example, the study showed a decline in past-month use of any illicit drug other than marijuana, and it revealed encouraging reductions in certain categories of use in that age group for cocaine, inhalants, amphetamines, crack, and heroin.

Despite some increases in drug use over the past several years, over the long term, rates of drug use among young people today are far lower than they were 30 years ago. This year's MTF survey also shows several declines between 2011 and 2012, and are at their lowest levels since the peaks of the mid- to late 1990s.

• While there were no changes in the rates of past year use of Oxycontin or Vicoden between 2011 and 2012 for any grade, the rates in 2012 for all three grades are at their lowest since 2002.
  
• From 2007 to 2012 the rate of lifetime, past year, and past month use of sedatives among seniors has each declined by about 25 percent.
  
• Among all three grades, lifetime, past year, and past month use of tranquilizers had declined from 2007 to 2012 with the exception of lifetime and past year use among 12th graders.
  
  

For more information about Monitoring the Future or to view the latest survey results, read the MTF Fact Sheet or click here.

Fall Issue of ONDCP Recovery Update Now Available Online

A key part of drug policy reform is to support the millions of Americans in recovery from addiction.

For news and information about events in the recovery field, read or download the fall 2012 issue of ONDCP Recovery Update, available here.

From Our Partners

Guest Blog: Drunk and Drugged Driving - Not an Acceptable Part of Life

Debbie Hersman

This time of year, most of us are making plans for gatherings and celebrations with family and friends. But sadly, as National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Debbie Hersman points out in her blog, there are 10,000 people who won't be home for the holidays because they lost their lives this year in substance-impaired driving crashes in the United States. The problem is so deadly, she says, that the NTSB has placed substance-impaired driving on its annual Most Wanted List highlighting the most critical changes needed to reduce transportation accidents and save lives.

Read Chairman Hersman's blog here.

Learn more about drugged driving here.

Showing Support for National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

During December, DWI and Drug Courts across the Nation are showing their support for National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and demonstrating their success at reducing drunk and drugged driving, saving lives, and making our communities safer. You can contribute by letting your community know the critical role DWI and Drug Courts play in keeping our roadways safe. To help get your message out, the National Center for DWI Courts has created a DWI Court Field Kit, which offers a wealth of resources to help showcase your program and show your support for National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.

For more information about the National Center for DWI Courts, click here.

To view or download the NCDC DWI Court Field Kit, click here.

Sharing Stories of Hope about Addiction and Recovery

The Partnership at Drugfree.Org has launched a new multimedia campaign called The Hope Share. Persons in recovery, their families and friends, and those who have lost a loved one to addiction are invited to share their stories of hope so the millions of Americans currently suffering from addiction, as well as their loved ones and those who have lost someone to addiction, know they are not alone. The campaign is designed to dispel the myths and stigmas that surround addiction and recovery and to connect individuals, families, and communities. In addition to providing a website for sharing stories, strength, hope, and information, the campaign is developing and running television and print ads.

Visit The Hope Share website to learn more about the program, read or watch videos of others' stories, or share your own.

Get Updates

For more information, please visit the ONDCP website and sign up for additional opportunities.

If you know other elected officials or interested stakeholders who would like to receive our updates, please encourage them to sign up on our contact page.

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