ADAI News

Washington State Syringe Exchange Health Survey 2017

A conservative estimate puts the number of people who inject illicit drugs (PWID) in Washington State at more than 33,000. A survey conducted by the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute at 18 syringe exchanges programs, representing approximately 80% of syringes exchanged annually in the state, profiles the health behaviors and health care needs and preferences of injection drug users in Washington.  The survey found that:

• Methamphetamine use among people who inject drugs appears to be increasing. Eighty-two percent (82%) reported using methamphetamine in the last three months compared to 69% in 2015.
• About half of people who used methamphetamine as their main drug were interested in reducing or stopping their stimulant use (47%).
• Most people who used heroin as their main drug were interested in reducing or stopping their opioid use (78%).
• The proportion of people who used opioids who had a naloxone kit more than doubled from 24% in 2015 to 59% in 2017 among those outside of King County; the increase was from 47% to 66% in King County.
• Syringe exchange participants have a wide and complex range of health concerns beyond substance use and face multiple hurdles and stigma when accessing health care.

The report was produced with support from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.  Read the full report at: http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/pdf/2017syringeexchangehealthsurvey.pdf

Related:

"Tackling the Opioid Crisis"  (Policy Brief, Gov. Jay Inslee, Jan. 2018)

"Can this drug use survey guide Washington policy?" (MyNorthwest.com, Jan. 19)

"Survey of needle exchange users shows meth usage up across Washington" (Spokesman-Review, Jan. 19)

Marijuana vs. Heroin: What Does Science Tell Us? An Interview with Dr. Dennis Donovan

During his years as a U.S. Senator and now as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions has repeatedly stated that marijuana is only "slightly less awful than heroin," a claim that is rebuked by scientific experts.  His office recently revoked the federal Cole Memo, under which states that legalized marijuana were allowed to sell pot under the strict conditions laid out in the memo.

On January 4, KING 5 interviewed Dr. Dennis Donovan, Director of the UW's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute about the comparative risks of marijuana and heroin, and the fear that legalization will lead to increased use of marijuana.

WATCH the interview.

New! E-Learning Series about Marijuana

New on ADAI's Learn About Marijuana website is a set of 5 short modules created to answer frequently asked questions about marijuana.

The modules are interactive, with links to added resources of interest to helping professionals, teachers, parents, and anyone interested in learning about marijuana.  The 5 modules cover:

• Our Bodies & Marijuana: learn about the endocannabinoid system, the effects of THC and CBD on the human body, and the difference between plant-based and synthetic cannabinoids. (10 min.)
• Concentrates, Edibles, & Flowers: learn about the different products and methods of use, and how they differ in terms of potency and adverse effects. (15 min.)
• Marijuana Law in Washington State: what is the current law in our state, for both recreational and medical use of marijuana? (10 min.)
• Helping Someone Quit/Cut Back: especially for those in the helping professions (counselors, health care providers) and also for friends, parents, and family members. (25 min.)
• Other Questions: learn about workplace testing, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, whether marijuana is a “gateway drug,” and more. (10 min.)

The educational series was developed by Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH; Sharon Garrett, MA, MPH; and Meg Brunner, MLIS, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington with support from the Washington State Marijuana Dedicated Fund.

View the series on the Learn About Marijuana web site!

Caleb Banta-Green Appointed to Transition Team for Seattle Mayor-Elect Jenny Durkan

Seattle Mayor-elect Jenny Durkan announced her transition team, a diverse and inclusive group of more than 60 community leaders and experts.

"Our transition team reflects the best of Seattle. To solve our affordability, housing, and homelessness crisis, we need urgent action and innovative ideas. These community leaders and policy experts from all parts of Seattle will develop key achievable policy recommendations to make differences not just in the short term, but which help build a progressive, innovative and inclusive city for the next generation," said Mayor-elect Jenny Durkan.

Serving on the team will be ADAI Principal Research Scientist Caleb Banta-Green, PhD, MPH, who sat on the regional heroin task force that last year recommended a long list of actions to address the opiate crisis, including opening safe consumption sites.  In her campaign, Durkan called for "more access to methadone, to bupe [buprenorphine, a drug that reduces cravings and prevents withdrawal symptoms], and to Narcan [an overdose-reversal drug] in every facility."

The group will meet twice before Durkan becomes mayor on November 28 and once in December. Members will "further develop short-term policy solutions focused on housing, homelessness, affordability, and many other [issues]," according to the announcement from Durkan.

Read more and see the full committee in the Nov. 13 issue of The Stranger.

ADAI Marijuana Research Report: 2015-2017 Biennium

I-502 directed a portion of the tax revenue from marijuana production and sales in Washington to support prevention, treatment, public health, and public education related to marijuana use and misuse in Washington. Funds are also directed to the UW and WSU for research on the short and long-term effects of marijuana use and for the dissemination of such research.

For the 2015-2017 biennium, ADAI received $454,000 from the Dedicated Marijuana Fund.  Our new marijuana research report describes the projects and products that resulted, including:

• A peer-reviewed marijuana small grants program for UW investigators, emphasizing research on the short and long term consequences of marijuana use and misuse, prevention, treatment, and public health.
• ADAI’s Cannabis Workgroup to conduct and publish intramural research, conduct scientific literature reviews, develop research-based fact sheets and policy briefs, and develop collaborative research opportunities with researchers at the University of Washington, Washington State University, state agencies, and other research groups.
• Dissemination efforts through its marijuana-related website LearnAboutMarijuanaWA.org, workforce training, marijuana-related symposia; public and professional presentations; and distribution of marijuana-related informational materials at statewide substance-related conferences and through the ADAI Clearinghouse.

Full Report: http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/pdf/marijuanaresearchreport20152017.pdf

Treatment Update for Washington State, October 5, 2017

Posters about Good Sam Overdose Law, the Washington state campaign to promote Naloxone awareness, upcoming events, -- and much more in latest issue of ADAI Treatment Update!  Subscribe to receive it in your email inbox every month.

Two Positions Open in New Addiction Treatment Training Center

ADAI has two positions open for the new 5-year, SAMHSA-funded Northwest Addiction Technology Center (NWATTC), part of the National Addiction Technology Transfer Network. PNATTC will provide training and technical assistance, systems consultation, and information dissemination for the four state region of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, serving the behavioral and healthcare organizations and workforce. The goal of the PNATTC is to increase awareness and implementation of empirically supported addiction treatment and recovery practices in the region. The PNATTC will begin operations on October 1, 2017. 

Continuing Education (80% FTE) will represent the PNATTC at workgroups and consortia within Washington and Alaska and organize PNATTC events in these states. The CE Specialist will coordinate and provide both online and in-person training, technical assistance, and consultation about empirically-supported treatment and recovery practices. This position requires travel within Washington state and the Pacific NW region, and occasionally to national meetings.  Details and application 

Program Operations Specialist (100% FTE)
Under the leadership of the Project Director and Co-Director, the Program Ops Specialist will administer day-to-day operations of the PNATTC. This position will be the central hub and main contact for PNATTC operations, and the conduit to other PNATTC staff and community-based health education professionals who provide PNATTC services on a contract basis. Details and application

Closing date for applications is September 28. 

Marijuana Law & Policy: Updated Resources at LearnAboutMarijuanaWA.org

Marijuana legalization policies are evolving rapidly in Washington State, in the U.S., and internationally. On ADAI's LearnAboutMarijuanaWA.org website, the section on Marijuana Law and Policy has been updated with current information about:

• Washington State Laws & Regulations
• Legalization in U.S. States
• Federal Government & Legalization
• Legalization Around the World
• Models of Legalization
• Other Policy Resources

We discuss topics such as commonalities in legalization policies adopted by states, conflicts between state and federal laws, workplace policies about marijuana use and employee testing, "middle ground" approaches to legalization, and much more. We welcome your feedback @ adai.uw.edu!   

Marijuana Training for Recovery Help Line Staff

"Does marijuana use cause anxiety, or will it help calm me down?"

"Which is safer: smoking plant marijuana or vaping a concentrate?"

"What if I want to cut down on my pot use, but I don't want to quit?"

Staff and volunteers of the Washington Recovery Help Line have a new science-based training to help them answer questions from callers about marijuana use and its consequences. "Marijuana Training for Help Line Staff: Science-based Answers to Frequently Asked  Questions” is an online, interactive training developed by Dr. Bia Carlini and colleagues at the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute in consultation with Help Line staff. 

The goal of the training is to increase knowledge about marijuana and Washington's marijuana laws, and to suggest resources that helpline staff may not yet have in their toolbox. Most of the resources described in the training can be found on ADAI’s Learn About Marijuana WA website.

The 1.5 hour training covers five modules:

• Marijuana & the Body: the endocannabinoid system, internal and external cannabinoids (including synthetic cannabinoids like Spice/K2), and THC and CBD’s effects;

• Products & Devices: the difference between concentrates, edibles, and the whole plant and how these products are typically used;

• State Law: the basics of the laws regulating both medical and non-medical use of marijuana in Washington;

• Treatment & Support Options: education about Cannabis Use Disorder, talking points/resources for callers who want to quit or just cut down, parents calling about their teens, and friends/family concerned about another adult;

• Other Questions: does marijuana cause anxiety, is it a gateway drug, does it help with or trigger nausea, can it be used as a harm reduction drug?

In July 2017, the team of Meg Brunner, MLIS, Bia Carlini, PhD, MPH, and Sharon Garrett, MPH, met with Helpline director Robyn Smith, MSW (second from right), her staff and volunteers, to introduce the training. Staff were excited to learn the training had been created to address their own questions and those of Help Line callers!

Although the training was developed for the Washington Recovery Help Line and some information is specific to them, it may be of interest to others who routinely answer questions about marijuana use, including health care providers, educators, and professionals in substance use treatment or prevention.

Development of the training was funded by the Washington State Dedicated Marijuana Fund for research at the University of Washington.

Related: Carlini BH, Garrett SB.  Drug helplines and adult marijuana users: an assessment in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska. Substance Abuse 2017 (in press). This study helped the developers to understand the concerns and knowledge gaps among helpline workers that are addressed in the training.

LearnAboutMarijuanaWA.org website developed by ADAI to provide science-based information about marijuana to the public.

Dennis Donovan to Keynote Merrill Scott Symposium on Alcoholism, August 24-25

Dennis M. Donovan, PhD will deliver a Keynote Address at the 32nd Annual Merrill Scott Symposium on Alcoholism and other Drug Dependencies, August 24-25 at the Yakima Convention Center.  The theme of his keynote presentation is "Public Health, Public Policy, and Public Opinion: Challenges in the Era of Marijuana, Opiates, and HIV."  Dr. Donovan is Director of the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute; Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; and Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Health Services, and Global Health at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

Dr. Donovan will also make a presentation during the regular program on "Twelve-Step Facilitation: An Evidence-Based Practice."

This year's meeting will be the 32nd Merrill Scott Symposium sponsored by Sundown M. Ranch. The symposium is named for Merrill Scott, chairman of the community group that founded the Sundown M Ranch drug treatment center, and a key lobbyist for changes in state law regarding alcoholism.  Mr. Scott died in August 2016 at age 90.

Other featured speakers for the Symposium are Darryl S. Inaba, PharmD, CATC-V, CADC III of the Addictions Recovery Center in Medford, OR, and Ryan Leaf, former WSU and NFL Quarterback and currently Program Ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community.

Registration is OPEN!  Details & registration:  https://sundown.org/mss/symposium-registration/

Merrill Scott Symposium on Facebook!