Coalition for a Drug Free Cincinnati -

Participants Needed for Online Survey- Prizes Offered

Amanda Conn Starner — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:09:03 -0600

In partnership with our local member community coalitions, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati (CDFGC) is seeking your feedback of prescription and over-the-counter drug misuse and abuse by youth in your community.

Campus Challenge Contest Featured on WCPO-TV

Amanda Conn Starner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:21:05 -0600

WCPO-TV's Jenell Walton interviews CDFGC's Executive Director Mary Haag about the Tristate's Campus Challenge contest. Full story and video clip here:

CDFGC's Latest Amazon Book Selection

Amanda Conn Starner — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:38:25 -0600

Above is the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati's current book selection from Amazon. Proceeds of books bought from this Amazon link go back to the Coalition for drug prevention programs. Thank you in advance for your purchase and commitment to substance abuse prevention.

Wanted: Online Focus Group Participants

Amanda Conn Starner — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:50:24 -0600

The Coalition for a Drug Free Cincinnati (CDFGC) is currently in the process of gathering data as part of our community assessment of prescription drug/over the counter (Rx/OTC) use in the Greater Cincinnati region.

We have created a system to conduct online focus groups to gain community member perception of Rx/OTC misuse. We need the help of our local coalitions to identify individuals to take our online focus group survey. CDFGC will be able to break down the data we receive and share it with local coalitions. A variety of individuals from all professions are welcome to be a part of the focus groups including coaches, teachers, juvenile court judges, school resource officers, guidance counselors, principals, nurses, emergency room physicians, youth ministers, pharmacists, PTA members, and county coroners.

Please contact Nicole Schiesler at (513) 751-8000 or nschiesler@drugfreecincinnati.org if you are a local coalition member or represent one of the noted professions above. CDFGC will need contact information to invite individuals to participate in the focus groups. Representation is needed from Clermont, Butler, Warren, Hamilton, and Brown counties in Ohio; Campbell, Boone, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Franklin and Dearborn counties in Indiana.

Grant Match Challenge Deadline Dec. 30

Amanda Conn Starner — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:37:14 -0600

The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati has been issued a grant match challenge by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati to raise $10,000 before December 30 in order to receive a doubled, matching $20,000 grant.

We are incredibly grateful for the support that has poured in already for this opportunity. As of December 21, we are only $1,785 shy of our goal.

The funds from this grant will go towards substance abuse prevention programs that focus on preventing and reducing substance use among youth as well as strengthening and supporting local, neighborhood substance abuse prevention efforts, and tracking, monitoring and reporting on the work we are doing that can truly create community-level change for strong and healthy communities throughout the Cincinnati region.

There are a few things to keep in mind to ensure we will receive the matching grant: 1) we must raise the full $10,000 2) we must receive your check by December 30 dated no later than the noted date 3) no single gift can exceed $5,000. With that stated, please know that gifts of any amount are valuable and very much appreciated.

There is one other way you can help us. Please forward information about our organization to your friends, family and colleagues. Not only will you help us meet our specific fundraising goal, you will also introduce us to more individuals in the community who we would like to get to know and tell about our prevention work.

The tax deductible donations can be made through the Google donation account noted in our newsletter, or checks can be sent to: CDFGC, 2330 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45206 or call us at 513-751-8000 to make a payment by phone or if you have any questions.

As always, thank you in advance for your support and confidence.

Kroger and the Coalition= Prevention Donation

Amanda Conn Starner — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:32:46 -0600

Attention Kroger shoppers! You can support the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati just by shopping at Kroger grocery stores.

Now available through the Coalition - Kroger gift cards that give four percent of your grocery total to the Coalition. Just purchase the card from us, preload the desired dollar amount and scan when you check-out.

The Coalition automatically receives four percent of your bill. It could not be any easier. For more information or to make arrangements to purchase a Kroger gift card, please call CDFGC Administrative Assistant Kellie Kammer at (513) 751-8000.

CDFGC Reaching Out to Local Colleges for Next Campus Challenge

Amanda Conn Starner — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:56:12 -0600

The second annual "Campus Challenge" contest by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati (CDFGC) will focus on prescription drug abuse prevention this year.

High Level of Commitment for PRIDE Drug Use Survey

Amanda Conn Starner — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:47:49 -0500

The numbers are in! We are pleased to announce that the registration process for the 2012 PRIDE Student Drug Use Survey is complete and there are a number of new schools taking this valuable evaluation. The PRIDE Survey collects data on student drug use, perception of harm, perception of parental disapproval, age of first use, and ease of accessibility. These measures help gain a regional perspective on student drug use and help guide the work of prevention in a data-driven manner.

"Above the Influence" Anti-Drug Campaign

Amanda Conn Starner — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:35:19 -0500

More Than 70 Students Take Part In Youth Summit

Amanda Conn Starner — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:42:55 -0500

Several Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky area high schools recently converged at Paul Brown Stadium to tackle the topic of underage alcohol and drug use. More than 70 students from these schools took part in this year's Red Ribbon Week Youth Summit held at the stadium on October 21. The event was hosted by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati with support from the Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board (HCMHRSB). Hamilton County Board Commissioner Todd Portune, HCMHRSB President/CEO Patrick Tribbe and Walnut Hills Anti-Drug Coalition Youth Leader Rico Stallworth provided featured remarks at the summit.

Marijuana as Medicine- Policy Position Paper/Endorsement Form/Q&A

Amanda Conn Starner — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:49:25 -0500

The following Drug-Free Action Alliance/Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention Association documents are endorsed and being distributed by The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati.

Marijuana: Drug's Impact on Youth

Amanda Conn Starner — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:04:44 -0500

A major concern about marijuana is its possible effects on adolescents and young adults as they grow up. The effects of marijuana can interfere with learning by impairing thinking, reading comprehension, and verbal and mathematical skills. Marijuana smokers can have many of the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers. These include daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest colds, bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Persistent use damages the lungs and airways and raises the risk of cancer. Marijuana has also been linked to an increased risk of head and neck cancers. The chance of heart attack quadruples with in the first hour of smoking marijuana. Marijuana is also associated with decreased immune system function.

Pictures from our 2011 Breakfast

Jeff Stewart — Fri, 13 May 2011 07:29:21 -0500

Thank you to Logan Queen for the photos from the 15th Anniversary Celebration and 2011 Annual Community Awards Breakfast!

Social Host Laws

Tony Martinez — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:17:33 -0500

According to the 2010 Student Drug Use Survey, alcohol is the drug of choice for 7th to 12th grade youth in greater Cincinnati. The CDFGC utilizes multiple strategies in multiple community sectors to reduce underage access to alcohol and change conditions locally that place our youth at risk.

Ohio has a Social Host Law which basically states that an adult may not provide alcohol to minors, nor “knowingly allow” minors to possess or consume alcohol on their property; parents are only permitted to provide alcohol to their child. One strategy the Coalition is calling for is a tougher standard of culpability so that adults would be in violation of the statute if, for example, they “knew or should have known” that underage persons were consuming alcohol on their premises and allowed the drinking to occur. Too many “social hosts” are claiming to be conveniently unaware of underage drinking on their premises, and if they don’t knowingly permit the drinking, they have not violated the statute.

Project Sticker Shock

Tommy Koopman — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:14:48 -0500

Alcohol remains the number one drug of choice among youth, and many coalitions are looking for environmental strategies that can be implemented to help reduce alcohol availability to minors. One strategy that several coalitions across the region have implemented is "Project Sticker Shock". This program was developed in 1998 by a group of youth in Pennsylvania. Since then, it has been adapted and implemented in states across the country.