GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares 2013 Teens Make Music Contest

This latest information is courtesy of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. A great way to bring prevention awareness through the sound of music.   Do you know a talented, young musician who is dedicated to making a difference through music? The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the GRAMMY Foundation® and MusiCares®, is in search of young musicians (ages 14-18) to compose or create an original song and/or music video that promotes and celebrates healthy living and/or appropriately depicts a story about drug abuse. In our efforts to raise awareness of addiction and recovery, we encourage teens to submit their powerful messages of struggle, hope and triumphant healing. The first, second and third place winners will each receive: A trip to Los Angeles to attend the 56th annual GRAMMY Awards® Backstage Experience, a unique backstage tour taking place as artists rehearse live for the GRAMMY Awards® ; Placement and exposure of their musical entries on MusiCares and GRAMMY Foundation's GRAMMY website (the premiere site for Recording Academy members) and the Vans Warped Tour website; The opportunity to attend a guided tour of the Village Recording Studio; iPads with the GarageBand app and an opportunity to release a record with Clarity Way, of Hanover, PA; Cash rewards ranging from $100 to $500, courtesy of Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Malibu, California. The first place winner will also receive two tickets to the 56th annual GRAMMY Awards® at the Los Angeles-based Staples Center, courtesy of the Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Malibu, California. Submit your musical entry HERE.

Children Who Speak Earlier May Be At Increased Risk of Alcohol Problems Later

Photo Credit: www.mediativeconcepts.com

Children with advanced verbal abilities are more likely to drink as adolescents, a new study has found. Finnish researchers conducted two surveys of twins, including a total of 5,457 families. Parents were asked to remember when each twin reached certain milestones and their other traits in childhood.

 

Read more on the new study courtesy of: The Partnership at Drugfree.org

BREAKING NEWS: Urban Outfitters pulls prescription mugs

Just over a month ago, we learned that Urban Outfitters, the national retail store popular with teens, was selling pint glasses, flasks and shot glasses made to look like prescription pill bottles. These products made light of prescription drug misuse and abuse, a dangerous behavior responsible for more deaths in the United States each year than heroin and cocaine combined.

The Partnership launched an advocacy effort and petition to ask the company to remove these products from their stores and website, securing more than 4,700 signatures of support.

It was reported today that Urban Outfitters has halted sale of these products. The retailer shared this statement with CNN:  "In this extensive range of product we recognize that from time to time there may be individual items that are misinterpreted by people who are not our customer. As a result of this misinterpretation we are electing to discontinue these few styles from our current product offering."

We thank Urban Outfitters for listening to the calls, emails and letters of parents and families, health care providers, community and government leaders, and for pulling these products from their stores.

Our efforts don’t end here. Take the Pledge today to #endmedicineabuse. 

news story courtesy of The Partnership at Drugfree.org 

UPDATE: Stop Urban Outfitters From Selling Products that Promote Prescription Drug Abuse

Photo Credit: Drugfree.org

Thanks to you, we are gaining momentum to put a stop to Urban Outfitters selling products made to look like prescription pill bottles!

U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers (KY) has sent a letter directly to Richard A. Hayne, CEO and Chairman of Urban Outfitters, encouraging him to “remove these items from the shelves immediately so as not to contribute to this epidemic” [of prescription drug abuse].

Along with Rogers, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who co-chairs the Substance Abuse Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General, has joined the effort.

In just the past few days, various media outlets have brought this to the public’s attention, including ABC News, Associated Press, The Huffington Post, News 4 WOAI (thanks to our alliance with The San Antonio Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse), UPI and more!

We’re not done, because we still haven’t received a response from Urban Outfitters.

Please take the time to tweet your plea. Here are some sample tweets:

Join me in stopping @UrbanOutfitters from selling products that promote teen Rx drug abuse. http://ow.ly/kQbJm #endmedicineabuse

Help stop @UrbanOutfitters from selling products that promote teen Rx abuse. http://ow.ly/kQbJm #endmedicineabuse

If you can’t tweet, we encourage you to invite your family, friends and colleagues to sign and share the Facebook Causes Petition today.
 

Article courtesy of The Partnership at Drugfree.org