2014 Summer Report. The Parent Advisor. September 2014 Issue 13

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1 2014 Summer Report The Parent Advisor September 2014 Issue 13

2 What Have We Been Up To This Summer? Neural Activity Comes To NJ! New Drug Trends To Be Aware Of

3 Neural Activity Adolescent Drug Prevention Neural Activity is excited to announce its first program in New Jersey! Neural Activity is one of the nation s most innovative and dynamic adolescent drug prevention programs. High School teens from Ocean County, NJ will host the first Neural Activity program and begin their curriculum training to prepare them to reach out to younger teens. Jackson Memorial High School senior, Justin Volpe, participated in the Neural Activity summer workshop in Crested Butte, CO in July! We need you to support our teen mentors! Find out more at or us at chad@neuralactivity.org for more information on our student-centered drug prevention programs.

4 Neural Activity Our First Adventure Students from the Jackson Memorial High School Neural Activity Club will be hosting the first adventure in New Jersey in early October. We will be challenging the teens to complete a rappelling adventure. Why do we rappel? Rappelling builds confidence and self-efficacy, as well as reinforces peer-peer trust and communication. Research has demonstrated that lacking these socio-emotional skills are risk factors for adolescent drug abuse. We have found that you simply cannot teach these skills in a classroom they have to be earned! So, we earn them on the mountains, rivers, cliffs, and trails!

5 Emerging Drugs Update (Summer 2014) Over the next several months, our Newsletters will have an Emerging Drugs section that highlights a few of the many emerging drugs in our region. Unfortunately, this summer has seen a rapid expansion in new drugs and we need to catch you up! We ll get started right here. In This Issue: Gravel Lemon Drops

6 Gravel What is it? The drug that goes by the street name Gravel has been popping up this summer along the east coast. We received six calls requesting information on Gravel in the last few months. So what makes Gravel so problematic? The active ingredient, alpha- PVP is a known Generation 2 substituted cathinone (bath salt drug) that has been around for a while.

7 Gravel What to look for. The main side effect of Alpha-PVP, particularly in this form, is extreme paranoia that can lead to deadly decisions. The research demonstrates that most of the deaths related to Alpha-PVP are related to behaviors as a side-effect of the drug. 1. Physical appearance similar to crack cocaine or crystal methamphetamine. 2. Users report increased heart rate, anxiety, sweating, stimulant psychosis. 3. Other effects similar to Generation 1 Bath Salts and CNS stimulants. Route of Administration: Insufflation, Oral, Vaporization, Smoking, Injection

8 Lemon Drops What is it? Lemon Drops is the street name for a specific form of Dextromethorphan (DXM). We have seen many forms of DXM abuse among local teens, and this is yet another way to abuse this specific drug. The name Lemon Drops comes from the extraction process (used to extract the DXM from the cough medicine) during which lemon juice is used for its citric acid. Lemonade is also used at times. Bottom of a Coke Bottle (2L)

9 Lemon Drops The Extraction Process. Lemon Drops are made by extracting DXM from OTC cough medicines. In short, the extraction process involves mixing the cough medicine with painter s solvent (Naphtha). A few steps later, the lemon juice or lemonade powder is added (hence the name). Naphtha is a petroleum-based commercial solvent.

10 Lemon Drops What to look for? Lemon Drops are usually taken orally via a gel capsule that has been filled with the extracted DXM via lemon juice extraction. However, a drink can be made from the lemon juice/dxm mixture, so be on the lookout for cloudy, lemon-scented drinks. Route of Administration: Orally via gel caps or liquid

11 We will be announcing the Community Class schedule for Ocean County very soon. These classes are a year-long curriculum for parents and teens that educate the public on emerging drug threats and how drugs affect teens. These classes will be sponsored by citizens of Ocean County and FREE to the public stay tuned to for details! The classes will fill fast once they are announced, so keep checking the site! A M E R I C A