Weed Use Up, Cocaine Use Down, U.S. Report Finds Review covered 2000 to 2010, so doesn’t reflect suspected increase in heroin use
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mericans’ use of cocaine fell by half from 2006 to 2010, but marijuana use increased by more than 30 percent during that time, according to a new report. The spike in pot use may be due to an increase in the number of people who said they use the drug on a daily or near-daily basis, said the researchers, whose study covered drug trends from 2000 to 2010. Heroin use remained fairly stable during the decade, while methamphet-
amine use rose sharply during the first half of the decade and then fell. Americans spent $100 billion a year on cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine — or a total of $1 trillion over the decade, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center report estimated. “Having credible estimates of the number of heavy drug users and how much they spend is critical for evaluating policies, making decisions about treatment funding and understanding
the drug revenues going to criminal organizations,” study lead author Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, said in a RAND news release. While the overall amount spent per year on drugs remained the same from 2000 to 2010, spending patterns for certain drugs shifted. Much more was spent on cocaine than on marijuana in 2000, but that had reversed by 2010. Because the report did not examine trends after 2010, it doesn’t include
recent reported increases in heroin use, or the effects of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington. The report also didn’t look at the reasons behind changes in drug use and did not assess the effectiveness of drug-control strategies. The report was prepared for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and appears on its website.
Excellus awards to help veterans, people with disabilities and local nonprofits
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n a former warehouse on Hudson Avenue in Rochester, volunteers fixed enough broken bicycles last year to help thousands of needy children and adults. R Community Bikes will now expand its free services to help a new population, thanks to a $5,000 Community Health Award from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Volunteers will soon be modifying bicycles for use by people with physical or developmental disabilities. “Over the course of working with volunteers with developmental disabilities, we learned that many of them were unable to ride conventional bicycles,” said Dan Lill, director, R Community Bikes. “This grant will help us meet their need for tricycles or other modified bikes.” R Community Bikes is one of seven nonprofits in the Rochester region to earn a total of $30,000 in Community Health Awards from Excellus BCBS.
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The nonprofits earned funds to target chronic diseases or mental health conditions. R Community Bikes, for example, will use the funds to purchase parts needed to convert traditional bicycles into tricycles. They hope to offer the bikes to veterans with disabilities, among other groups. “Biking is an easy way for individuals to exercise, stay healthy and avoid chronic diseases,” Lill said.
Award to benefit seven organizations The winning programs hold the potential to help thousands of individuals in Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Wayne and Seneca counties: 1 — R Community Bikes: $5,000 to modify bicycles so that up to 60 individuals with disabilities will be able to ride them. 2 — East House: $5,000 for a diabetes
prevention program with 20 individuals who suffer from severe mental illnesses. Results from the program will be shared with the local mental health community. 3 — American Lung Association of the Northeast: $5,000 to start a virtual Better Breathers Club for at least 100 individuals in Wayne and Livingston counties who suffer from chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). More than 7,000 individuals suffer from COPD in these counties, according to the Lung Association. 4 — Compeer Rochester: $5,000 to the CompeerCorps mentorship program to help returning military veterans readjust to living in the Rochester area. 5 — CP Rochester: $4,000 to begin a comprehensive health and wellness program for its 300 employees who support people with disabilities. 6 — Seneca County Pomona
IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • May 2014
Grange: $3,400 to help more than 1,000 individuals in rural communities receive health education through health screenings and risk assessments at local events in Fayette, Interlaken, Lodi, Seneca Falls and Waterloo. 7 — Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic: $2,600 to purchase a blood pressure kiosk for the Ontario County hospital’s main lobby for use by visitors, patients and staff. Bob Gregoire of Greece is a Navy veteran and mentor in the CompeerCorps program. Three years ago, he started mentoring an Army veteran who struggled with job and housing issues. Gregoire helped his mentee find a job and housing. He accompanied his mentee to job fairs, helping him with his resume and job interviews. “Adjusting to civilian life can be stressful and full of uncertainty,” he said. “I’m thrilled that more military veterans will now be matched with mentors who’ll help them with this adjustment.”