Understanding and Identifying
Substance Abuse Trends
Jennifer Keiser
Unity Chemical Dependency
Outreach Counselor
What are the trends?
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Cigarettes
Smokeless tobacco
Electronic cigarettes
Marijuana
• Statistics obtained from the Monitoring the Future Survey 2013
Survey results.
Cigarettes
• *Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of
preventable disease and mortality in the
United States, and is usually initiated in
adolescents.
Cigarettes
• Smoking peaked in 1996 for 8th and 10th
graders
• Began a steady decline thereafter
• Smoking initiation by 8th graders declined
1996- 49%
2013- 15%
Smokeless Tobacco
• Snuff –
• finely ground tobacco
• Usually sold in tins, loose or in packets
• Chew –
• leafy form of tobacco
• Usually sold in pouches
• Snus • New variation
• Dissolvable tobacco -
Smokeless Tobacco
30 day prevalence rates:
• 8th graders
 Peak in 1994 (7.7%), reached low 2013 (2.8%)
• 10th graders
 Peak in 1994 (10.5%)
 2004 (4.9%)
 2013 (6.4%)
• 12th graders
 Peak in 1995 (12.2%)
 2006 (6.1%)
 2013 (8.1%)
Electronic Cigarettes
• Introduced to the United States in 2007
• Tobacco free product
• Are vaporizers
– Instead of burning tobacco the mechanism
heats up a liquid. It turns to a vapor which is
inhaled or “vaped”
• Promoted as a way to quit regular cigarettes
• Promoted as the safer alternative to cigarettes
Electronic Cigarettes
Are they safe?
• No Quality Control
– Lack of disclosure of all the ingredients used, as well
as the lack of/validity of health and safety claims of
the manufacturers
– 2009- FDA found some cartridges of liquid nicotine
contained traces of diethylene glycol (toxic chemical
found in antifreeze)
– FDA testing has found the actual amount of nicotine
may not match what the label states and nicotine free
cartridges still contain a low dose
– Some devices release metals during use, as well as
other impurities known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic
• Liquid nicotine can be lethal
– Call to poison control centers regarding e-cig nicotineinfused liquids rose sharply every month between
September 2009 and February 2014, from 1 call to as
many as 215 per month
– 0.3% to 41.7% of all emergency calls
– 51.1% of those calls involved accidental poisoning of
kids under age 5 (source: CDC)
• Health effects
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E-cig users experience diminished lung function
Airway resistance
Cellular changes
Inflammation
Undetermined effects
Electronic Cigarettes
Are they helping people quit?
• “Despite claims that e-cigarettes are helping
people quit smoking, we found that e-cigarettes
were associated with more, not less, cigarette
smoking among adolescents”
• “E-cigarettes are likely to be gateway devices
for nicotine addiction among youth” –Lauren Dutra, a
postdoctoral fellow at UCSF Center for Tobacco Control and Research
• Study of 40,000 youth found that e-cig use
among middle and high school students
doubled between 2011 and 2012 ( 3.1%-6.5%)
Are they helping people quit?
Marijuana
Marijuana is the most common illicit drug in
the United States.
After a period of decline in last decade, its use
has increased among young people since
2007
1960’s to today = 3x THC
Genetically modified plant
• Perception of risk decreases=use increases
Ear Wax Hash
Ear wax Hash
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Name from appearance, not origin!
Yellow-green waxy material
Nicknames - Dabs, honey oil, butter
Made with aerosol butane and resin of leaves &
buds of female plant
How to videos on youtube -recipe
Can include up to 90% THC
Highly hallucinogenic
Reports lasting up to 3 days
Can you tell the difference?
What Parents Can Do
• Create a safe, supportive environment to
discuss the risks of tobacco, drug and
alcohol use.
• Use everyday “teachable moments” as
conversation starters.
• Connect with teens to find out what they
know about drugs and alcohol and how
they feel about the pressures they face.
• Communicate expectations clearly and
what the consequences of use will be.
• Get to know your teen’s friends.
• Monitor your teen’s whereabouts and
online activity.
• Encourage community involvement and
productive activities.
• Have family meals.
• Educate yourself on current trends of
substance use.
• Ask for help and support.
Contact Information:
Jennifer Keiser
Unity Outreach Counselor
585-353-2517
jkeiser@unityhealth.org
At McQuaid on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Thank you!