Media and Education Activities

Press Conference

NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow and Deputy Director Dr. Timothy Condon joined Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Cook County, Illinois, Chief Judge Timothy Evans, and six individuals in recovery at a July 24, 2006, press conference in Chicago to launch NIDA's Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: A Research-Based Guide. The new publication outlines13 research-based components of successful treatment of drug abusers who have entered the criminal justice system. The press conference was held in Chicago to highlight innovative substance abuse programs underway in the Cook County criminal justice system. These programs include a NIDA-sponsored project that trains judges about the neuroscience of addiction and treatment so they can be better prepared to place addicted defendants in adequate treatment environments. NIDA is planning to expand these trainings to other states as well as part of its commitment to translate research into practice.

Press Releases

July 24, 2006 - NIDA NewsScan #44 - Criminal Justice Issue

• New Research Examines the Relationship Between Greater Punitive Law
Enforcement Policies and HIV Prevalence Among Intravenous Drug Users
• Predictors of Unmet Healthcare Needs Among Incarcerated Drug Abusers
• Treatments Enhance Juvenile Drug Court Outcomes
• Incarceration Among Factors That Increase Likelihood of Developing Hepatitis C

July 24, 2006 - NIDA Announces Recommendations to Treat Drug Abusers, Save Money, and Reduce Crime.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse released a landmark scientific report showing that effective treatment of drug abuse and addiction can save communities money and reduce crime. Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations outlines some of the proven components for successful treatment of drug abusers who have entered the criminal justice system, leading to lower rates of drug abuse and criminal activity.

July 13, 2006 - Toddlers of Mothers Who Smoked During Pregnancy Show Behavior Problems.
New findings from a study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, suggest that toddlers of women who smoked during pregnancy begin to show a pattern of behavior problems as early as 18-24 months of age. This is the first study to show a link between smoking during pregnancy and child behavior problems in the first years of life.

June 16, 2006 - NIDA NewsScan #43

• Deficits in Neurocognitive Functions May Affect Outcomes of Preventive Interventions Among Adolescent Boys
• Teens Who Engage in Risky Behaviors Are More Likely To Become Depressed
• Lack of Empowerment on the Job Is Associated With Higher Risk of Drug Abuse
• New Behavioral Intervention Shows Promise in Patients with Co-Occurring Disorders
• PRISM Diagnostic Tool Reliably Diagnoses Substance Abuse, Psychiatric Disorders

May 19, 2006 - NIDA NewsScan #42

• New Research Shows Vaccine May Offer Promising Treatment for Nicotine Addiction
• Psychiatrists Should Be More Alert to Smoking Practices Among Patients in Routine Care
• Numerous Factors Influence Chronic Smoking in Youth, and Many Cross Racial, Ethnic Lines
• Schizophrenics Take In More Nicotine Per Cigarette
• Low-Dose Naltrexone May Help Reduce Weight Gain in Smokers Trying to Quit
• Lifetime Simulation Model Shows Significant Economic Benefits of Methadone Treatment
• Interim Methadone Treatment Increases Likelihood of Future Comprehensive Treatment
• Cocaine Increases Susceptibility to MPTP, a Toxin Known to Cause Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease in Mice

May 15, 2006 - Behaviors May Indicate Risk of Adolescent Depression.
New findings from a study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, show that girls and boys who exhibit high levels of risky behaviors have similar chances of developing symptoms of depression. However, gender differences become apparent with low and moderate levels of risky behaviors with girls being significantly more likely than boys to experience symptoms of depression. The study, which incorporates data from almost 19,000 teens, was published in the May 15, 2006 issue of the Archives of Women's Mental Health.

May 11, 2006 - NIDA Research Uncovers the Neurobiology of Dread.
In what is the first brain imaging study of dread, new research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has shown that people who experience substantial dread about an adverse experience can be biologically distinguished from those who can better tolerate the experience. Understanding how the brains of non-addicted people guide them in selecting what actions to take when the outcome of a decision is unpleasant lays the foundation for further investigations that can compare how drug abusers' brains make such choices. The study was published in the May 5, 2006 issue of the journal Science.

April 27, 2006 - 10th Annual PRISM Awards Winners.
Walk The Line," "Without A Trace," "Saturday Night Live," "Reba," "Guiding Light" & "ABC World News Tonight" Received PRISM Nods. The winners of the 10th Annual PRISM Awards were announced at a gala dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Presented by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the FX Network, the 10th Annual PRISM Awards recognize accurate depictions of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction in television, feature film, video, music and comic book entertainment. Donny Deutsch, host of CNBC's "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch," served as Master of Ceremonies. The 10th Annual PRISM Awards will air as a one-hour television special on the FX Network at a later date.

Articles of Interest

August 2005, Ladies Home Journal - "The Deadliest Drug you've Never Heard Of" - Interview with Joseph Frascella, Ph.D.

July 24, 2006, Associated Press - "Drug Experts Urge Better Prison Treatment"—Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

July 17, 2006, Wall Street Journal - "The New Science of Addiction"—Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

July 4, 2006, New York Times - "Scientists Testing Vaccines to Help Smokers Quit"—Interview with Frank Vocci, Ph.D.

June 25, 2006, New York Times Magazine - "An Anti-Addiction Pill?"—Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

June 13, 2006, Newsday - "Wired to Overeat? Researchers Study the Anatomy of Food Addiction"—Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

June 9, 2006, Washington Post - "Promise Thrown Away"—Interview with Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

Educational Activities

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body.
NIDA and SCHOLASTIC INC. are moving into year 5 of their aggressive outreach to middle school students and teachers in the classroom, with the Heads Up science-based article inserts on drug abuse and addiction. Junior Scholastic, Science World, Up Front, CHOICES, SCOPE, and Action have carried Heads Up articles four times a year since 2003. Each issue is distributed to nearly 2 million students and teachers nationwide in classrooms, with an overall reach of nearly 7 million. In September and October, SCHOLASTIC magazines will be carrying the article The Science of Addiction, once again explaining to a new series of students and reinforcing in others the health risks of abuse and addiction, the disease of addiction, the risks of abusing Vicodin and OxyContin, an individual's risk and protective factors, and prevention resources.

In addition, SCHOLASTIC INC. included a full page spread of NIDA's "chalkboard" print PSA for free in the September 2006 issue of Instructor magazine. This ad directs teachers to NIDA's www.teens.drugabuse.gov website for research-based information for them as well as their students. Instructor has a circulation of 200,000 with a "pass along" readership of 1 million.

Training Judges
NIDA, in collaboration with the Federal Judicial Center, has been involved in an initiative to provide training on addiction and drug abuse to federal judges. Specifically, the training focuses on new approaches to understanding the behavior of drug abusers involved with the criminal justice system and effective ways to treat addiction, including how judges can modify their approach to maximize the benefits of their interventions. Two themes are addressed including: 1) neuroscience research during the past two decades demonstrating that drug abuse is a chronic, relapsing medical condition with characteristic brain and behavioral features, and 2) effective principles of treatment for drug abusers involved with the criminal justice system. NIDA staff participating in this training include: Dr. Timothy P. Condon, Dr. Wilson Compton, Dr. Redonna K. Chandler, and Dr. Jack Stein.

Conferences/Exhibits

American Psychological Association 114th Annual Convention -- August 10-13, 2006

American Correctional Association 136th Congress Of Correction -- August 12-17, 2006

Latino Behavioral Health Institute 12th Annual Conference -- September 19-21, 2006

American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly and Exposition -- September 27-October 1, 2006

Society for Neuroscience 36th Annual Meeting -- October 14-18, 2006

NIDA Blending Conference -- October 16-17, 2006

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 54th Annual Meeting -- October 24-29, 2006

American Public Health Association 134th Annual Meeting and Exposition -- November 4-8, 2006

NIDA Conference on HIV -- November 29-29, 2006

Southeast Conference on Alcohol and Drug Addiction 2006 Conference -- November 29-December 2, 2006

American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Annual Meeting and Symposium -- December 7-10, 2006