HC DrugFree’s Executive Director, Joan Webb Scornaienchi, once again attended the annual Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Leadership Forum . This four-day conference is packed with multiple adult and youth-oriented opportunities to learn the latest strategies to fight substance misuse and hear from nationally-known experts and policymakers. The Forum brings together more than 3,000 participants representing…
On January 31, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball signed an Executive Order creating an Opioid Collaborative Community Council to assist in determining priorities for how the County should use funds received through a National Settlement Agreement with opioid manufacturers and any future settlements. The Council is charged with making recommendations to the Fiscal Year 2024…
Today marks the 9th anniversary of losing a treasured member of the HC DrugFree family. Tyler Johnson was only 25 years old when he was killed during a shooting event at the Mall in Columbia on Saturday, January 25, 2014. As a frequent speaker at HC DrugFree programs, Tyler shared his experiences of teen drug…
On January 9th HC Drug Free and the Howard County PTSA Collaborative Parent Education Group hosted a virtual town hall: How Much is Too Much? Finding a Balance between Academic Performance and Student Well-Being. Guest speaker, Anne Arena, MA, CAS shared her experience as a school psychologist and what she sees happening in the lives…
Last week, three ballot initiatives were defeated that would have commercialized recreational marijuana in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Alternatively, voters in Missouri and Maryland voted to commercialize recreational marijuana. 21 U.S. states and District of Columbia now allow for the recreational use of marijuana.Learn more
Many older adults take medications that could interact with alcohol. Some interactions could be dangerous or even deadly. Learn more in a recent blog post from NIAAA Director, George F. Koob, Ph.D. The older adult population is increasing rapidly. Alcohol use among older adults is also increasing. As we focus on the quality of life…
CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart have agreed to an approximate $13.8 billion payout to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming that the pharmacy chains mishandled opioid pain medications. The lawsuits have accused these organizations of putting profit over safety and fueling the opioid crisis. CVS and Walgreens made statements declaring their commitment to be a part of…
On October 29, during HC DrugFree’s medication & sharps disposal event, 100 free medication lockboxes were distributed to participating community members! These lockboxes were provided as our continued promotion of safe, secure storage of medication to keep our community safer!
As a part of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day HC DrugFree’s drive-thru site collected 1,294 lbs. of medication (45 white bins) and 23 red bins of sharps in only 4 hours! Sharps are not included in the weight.
Thank you to County Executive Calvin Ball for awarding HC DrugFree with this Certificate of Recognition for National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month. The certificate was presented to HC DrugFree Executive Director Joan Webb Scornaienchi by Kim Pruim who represented the County Executive at HC DrugFree’s semi-annual medication & sharps collection event.
