Smoker Might Be Saving Their Butts for Cash in N.Y.

 

Lawmakers in New York are tossing around the idea of a bottle-bill style law for a completely different product: cigarette butts.

Former New York City sanitation worker, Assemblyman Michael DenDekker, D-Queens, has proposed a cigarette butt recycling program, complete with at least a 1 cent-deposit for each cigarette butt.

DenDekker said after talking to various businesses and recyclers, he believes there is a viable market for the cigarette butts.

The bill would require the Commissioner of Health to establish the program, including the deposit. Also required would be the establishment of a statewide redemption system, with at least one redemption facility in each county.

The redemption centers could have either automated or non-automated recycling equipment, according to the legislation.

The bill also outlines the recycling program also must include a marketing campaign to educate the public on the harm cigarette butts can have on the environment.

The cigarette butt recycling program would also extend to cigars, according to the bill.

DenDekker said while there's an environmental issue at hand, he said he is tackling the bill from a fiscal side, saying the program could create jobs and save municipalities on tipping fees for the butts.

"There are a lot of people who want to have an adult conversation about this topic, but unfortunately right now, there are so many people who think it's so nutty that they balk at it," he said. "But we'll see what we can do. This year, my goal, is to have some sort of public hearing on the bill or on the concept."

 

Attention Readers: What are your thoughts on the recycling cigarette butts initiative? Do you think this is a good incentive for smokers to care about the environment or do you think this will lead people to continue to smoke or pick up the smoking habit?

Please leave your comment.

Full Scoop: Waste Recycling News



 



 



Get A Free Color Printer For Your Nonprofit

 

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Information Courtesy of: Sharon K. Davis (OASAS)

Can Electronic Cigarettes Challenge Big Tobacco?

A curious television commercial aired across the U.S. last month that, until its final few seconds, was indistinguishable from an ad for cigarettes — even though such advertising has been banned from broadcast TV for four decades.

In the television spot, the “cigarette” smoke, ash tip and flame look real. The carton looks authentic. The man smoking it looks satisfied.

The smoke, however, is vapor. The ash tip, plastic. The flame, simulated. The “cigarette” is a so-called electronic cigarette — in this case, an NJOY King, the first smokeless, nicotine-delivering, cigarette-like object that (at least according to its manufacturer) looks and feels and “smokes” like the real thing. Television commercials for NJOY Kings began running nationally in early December, making it the first smoking ad to run since Jan. 1, 1971, when Virginia Slims ran one final commercial a minute before the midnight deadline during The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. (President Nixon had signed legislation banning cigarette ads on TV and radio the year before.)

E-cigarettes, invented in 2003, currently account for less than 1% of the $80 billion U.S. cigarette market. But they are growing rapidly: UBS projects that sales, which have doubled every year since 2008, will reach $1 billion in 2013. Numbers like that have put Big Tobacco on notice. “Consumption of e-cigs may overtake traditional cigarettes in the next decade,” predicts Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog. “And they’ll only evolve and improve as time goes forward — at far less risk. The technology portion of it is sort of like Apple. This is just Version 1.”

 

Read more: TIME: Business & Money

Related Article: Campaigns for E-Cigarettes Borrow From Tobacco's Hey Day (12/5/12)

Newark Bars, Liquor stores Required To Have Surveillance Cameras under New Law

Newark officials are hoping to make the neighborhood safer with a new alcohol ordinance that took effect Monday.

Officials said some bars and liquor stores attracted the wrong crowds and were known as havens for public drinking, panhandling, and drug dealing.

“I experienced a lot of prostitution around the neighborhood,” Rafael Concepcion, owner of El Merengue Restaurant & Lounge on Broadway, told 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg.

Concepcion decided to take action and installed surveillance cameras to deter the criminal element.

“Believe me, it really works,” Concepcion said. “It helped to prevent a lot of crime.”

Under the new law, all bars and liquor stores in Newark are required to have outdoor surveillance cameras and the footage must be made available to law enforcement.

“More and more cameras throughout the city have assisted our detectives in solving crimes and it’s now just become a staple of our investigations that take place each and every day,” said Newark Police Department Director Samuel DeMaio.

Business owners who fail to follow the law could face stiff fines.

Story courtesy of NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)

Smoking Kids....A Harmless Exhibit?

I came across this billboard last week and found myself intrigued and horrified by the imagery.  After doing a quick web search, it turns out that the exhibit was inspired after the artist, Frieke Janssens saw video of a two year old Indonesian boy that was smoking up to forty cigarettes a day.

The author maintains that his exhibit was not created to glorify the issues of underage tobacco addiction or to condemn it. Rather, it was created to spark discussion and debate around the perception of smoking in various parts of the globe.

While I'm not sure if the imagery does not inadvertently support underage smoking, I will definitely say that it sparks debate and conversation.

Do exhibits like this raise the issue for meaningful debate or does it send the wrong message?
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK....Leave a comment.




ARE IMAGES LIKE THIS HARMLESS TO YOUTH?
Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Drug Free Communities Support Grant - NOW AVAILABLE

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released the 2013 Drug Free Communities Support Grant.

SUMMARY
The purpose of the DFC Program is to establish and strengthen collaboration to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent youth substance use. The DFC Program has two goals:

1. Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth*.

2. Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. *For the purposes of this RFA, "youth" is defined as individuals 18 years of age and younger.

Grants awarded through the DFC Program are intended to support established community-based youth substance use prevention coalitions capable of effecting community-level change. For the purposes of this RFA and the DFC Program, a coalition is defined as a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among groups or sectors of a community in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.

Deadline: March 22, 2013

Funding Amount: Expected Number of Awards: 150

Estimated Total Program Funding: $18,750,000

Award Ceiling: $125,000


Link: http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/2013/sp-13-002.aspx

Toolkit for Community & Faith Based Organizations

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed an information toolkit for community and faith based organizations.   With its focus on Capacity Building, the toolkit contains a number of useful documents that cover a wide range of topics including:

• Acquiring Grants
• Measuring Outcomes
• Developing multiple Revenue Sources
• Leading a Nonprofit Organization

CLICK HERE for a full listing of topics and links

Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Conference -JANUARY 28-29th

"You are invited to attend a 2-day best practice technical assistance and training capacity-building meeting. The meeting is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The training is designed to help community and faith based organizations build organizational capacity to deliver effective and sustainable behavioral health and community services. Participants will learn about sustaining their program services through implementing fund development, marketing strategies, and conducting program evaluation. Information will also be provided about SAMHSA, HHS, and the State Strategic Initiatives and grant programs.

Training is free! Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged."

REGISTER HERE: http://conference.afyainc.com/partnershipsandcapacitybuilding/

Marijuana Lotion….REALLY!!

A Colorado –based company has launched a line of lotions laced with marijuana. Apothecanna is a cannabis infused product line that has developed crèmes that promote pain relief, along with calming and stimulating effects. 

The company insists that its customers are  “more of a 50s, 60sish individual looking for relief from arthritis or a sore hip,” founder James Kennedy told the Daily News.

The lotions get their moisturizing and healing properties from cannabis oil and THC-heavy flower oil extracted from pot plants.

They’re powerful anti-inflammatories that can reduce swelling and pain, Kennedy said.

Colorado recently passed Amendment 64 legalizes recreational marijuana use in the state.

Lip balms and salves are coming soon.

Source: New York Daily News

Co-Op Board Sues Over Marijuana Smell

A local Upper East Side Co-op board is suing on of its residents over the smell of marijuana coming from inside his apartment.

The board alleges that a 12 year tenant of The Fontaine, 73-year old Richard Kempter should be responsible for the actions of his guests while he is away from the apartment.  They argue that the smell of pot has become intolerable and has permeated other apartments within the building.

Kempter, a psychology professor has responded  to the accusations by maintaining that he is being targeted because his guest are black while may of the other tenants are white.  He also says that he has not invited the offending guests back after hearing the complaints.

The case has been filed in Manhattan Supreme Court  and is awaiting litigation.

 

Source: UPI.com

 

What Do You Think?

Should a Tenant be Liable for A Housesitter Smoking Marijuana in Their Apartment While They Are Away?   

 

Tell us Your Comments...  

Family Checkup List Helps Parents Ask the Right Questions

The National Institute on Drug Abuse released a Family Checkup designed to encourgage parents to engage in conversation with their children on the topic of drug and alcohol use and abuse.

These five questions, developed by the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon, highlight parenting skills that are important in preventing the initiation and progression of drug use among youth.

For each question, a video clip shows positive and negative examples of the skill and additional videos and information are provided to help you practice positive parenting skills.

1. Are you able to communicate calmly and clearly with your teenager regarding relationship problems?
2. Do you encourage positive behaviors in your teenager on a daily basis? 
3. Are you able to negotiate emotional conflicts with your teenager and work toward a solution? 
4. Are you able to calmly set limits when your teenager is defiant or disrespectful? Are you able to set limits on more serious problem behavior such as drug use, if or when it occurs? 
5. Do you monitor your teenager to assure that s/he does not spend too much unsupervised time with peers?

Download the PDF

• Family Checkup: Positive Parenting Prevents Drug Abuse (PDF, 238 Kb)

FUNDING ALERT: Recent Funding Opportunities for 2013

STOP Act Grants 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2013 Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) grants.

OVERVIEW
The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth ages 12-20 in communities throughout the United States.
 
The STOP Act language states that the purposes of the Act are to "prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States; strengthen collaboration among communities, the federal government, state, local and tribal governments; enhance intergovernmental cooperation and coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth; serve as a catalyst for increased citizen participation and greater collaboration among all sectors and organizations of a community that first demonstrates a long-term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth; disseminate to communities timely information regarding state-of-the-art practices and initiatives that have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing alcohol use among youth; and enhance, not supplant, effective local community initiatives for preventing and reducing alcohol use among youth."Â See Appendix G of this RFA for further background information.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2013

Anticipated Total Available Funding: Approximately $756,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: Up to 15

Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $50,000 per year

Length of Project Period: Up to 4 years

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION




DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program will host three New Applicant Workshops to assist interested coalitions in applying for DFC funding in FY2013. Each workshop will focus solely on the FY2013 DFC Request for Applications (RFA), which will be posted in mid-January 2013. Following each New Applicant Workshop will be an hour-long Native American Support Session for coalitions serving Tribal communities.

How to PrepareThe DFC Program will publish an RFA in mid-January 2013. You will find it at www.samhsa.gov, www.grants.gov and www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/drug-free-communities-support-program. Once posted, interested coalitions should read the RFA to determine if they are statutorily eligible to apply for funding. These requirements are listed in the RFA and at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/information-for-potential-applicants. After this determination is made, coalitions should come prepared to the New Applicant Workshop with questions related to the completion of the RFA. It is imperative that participants have read and re-read the RFA prior to attending the New Applicant Workshop.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

UnityNYC Grant Awards

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Citizens Committee for NYC invite applications from community volunteers for the UnityNYC Grant Awards. UnityNYC Grant Awards is a signature program of One NYC One Nation in collaboration with the Citizens Committee for New York City, the New York Community Trust, the One Nation Foundation, the New York Council for the Humanities, and the J.M. Kaplan Fund.  

The UnityNYC Grant Awards will award grants up to $3,000 to faith-based or neighborhood-based immigrant and non-immigrant groups that collaborate on community projects. The grants will support the City’s ongoing commitment to sustaining healthy communities through high impact service projects. UnityNYC Grant Awards will tap into New York City’s diverse neighborhood groups to proactively address critical needs and promote opportunities that directly contribute to the public good.

We are accepting applications from resident-led volunteer groups in all five boroughs. Groups will be selected based on their demonstrated ability to unite residents from diverse backgrounds, mobilize at least 20 volunteers, and execute a well-planned project. Preference will be given to groups operating in low-income, underserved communities. Partner with one or many groups, come up with an idea, and apply! 

The deadline is January 31^st, 2013.

To access the application please see the Citizens Committee for NYC’s website: http://www.citizensnyc.org/programs/grants/unitygrants.html.

Community Grants

The Citizen's Committee for New York City awards micro-grants of $500 to $3,000

Our next application deadline is January 31, 2013.

Recent awards have enabled neighbors to come together to make healthy food available in their communities, transform empty lots into community gardens, organize tenants to advocate for better housing conditions, and start school recycling drives.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Play Streets: Giving Kids a Safe Space in Your Neighborhood

Our friends at Transportation Alternatives are reminding everyone that the deadline for Play Street applications is quickly approaching and the time to act is now!

Play streets are exactly what they sound like -- streets where youth can play and socialize. They occur on local streets officially closed to traffic, and are open to people at regularly scheduled times, such as from 10 am to 2 pm on Thursdays in July and August. They turn the urban front yard -- the street -- into a safe, engaging space to be active.

Interested in Applying?  If your school, organization, community group, or agency is interested in bringing the Playstreet program to the neighborhood, you must complete the "Expression of Interest" form and submit it by January 31st.

Looking for Funding?  The Citizens Committee of New York offers mini-grants up to $3,000 to eligible community organizations and schools that can be used to organize and run Playstreets.

The application deadline for Community Grants is January 31.

 

NOTE: If you are planning to apply for a grant, please contact Transportation Alternatives so they can assist by flagging your application with Citizen's Committee.

 

Need Help?  The Citizen's Committee of New York is hosting three information workshops to provide more information about the application process between now and the January 31 deadline.

 

Other Grants: If you are considering a Play Street next to a New York City park, check out the Capacity Grants program at City Parks Foundations (deadline February 1). 

Lots of 2013 Training News.....

Here are a few upcoming trainings & webinars you may want to check out....
(Scroll the entire post to see everything)

COMING NEXT WEEK 

 

 click the banner to sign up

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 9th 

9:30—11:30am

Advertising in New York’s Community and Ethnic Publications
This information and discussion session will be useful for nonprofits seeking to advertise their work or services to New York’s diverse communities. Learn how these publications can provide you with effective and affordable vehicles for spreading the word. Speakers include: Michelle Rea with NY Press Association and Garry Pierre-Pierre and Sarah Bartlett with the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Co-sponsored by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the New York Community Trust and NPCC. To be held at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 219 West 40th Street, 3rd floor.

Wednesday, January 9th

 

6:00pm

"taking back NYC"

This youth produced documentary explores the impact and accessibility of alcohol in our community; and the environmental conditions threatening the quality of life for residents of Northern Manhattan.

Where:

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

1425 Madison Avenue (corner of 98^th Street & Madison Avenue)

Goldwurm Auditorium

RSVP:

Devin Madden (devin.madden@mountsinai.org)

Thursday, January 17th

10:00am - 1:00pm

Is it Time to Rethink Your Website?
When it comes to the Web, a lot has changed over the past 10 years (and some things haven't). Does your website give users what they need, how they want to find it? Does it serve your mission and current goals? How have the trends toward interactivity, social media, and responsive design impacted your website? Do you have a content strategy and resources you need to keep your site up to date? We'll have fun taking a stroll down memory lane - playing "name that year" on site designs and looking at some awesome successes and a few wonderful failures.

Session Takeaways:
Understanding of what has changed – and what hasn’t – in what people want from your website and how you can deliver it.
Criteria to evaluate how much of a redesign you need, and how much you can handle. Is a little refresh enough? Do you need a complete redesign? Should you leave things alone?
Ideas for how to keep your site current and interactive.

Who Should Attend:
This workshop is open to organizations, individuals, and community members that want to develop a more comprehensive and useful online (website) presence that can support community based anti-drug efforts.

Accommodations:
Light breakfast and Lunch will be served.

 

 

 

Thursday, January 17th     

3:00-4:15 p.m. ET 

 

Alcohol and the Adolescent Brain (Webinar)

Speaker:  Aaron White, PhD. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Abuse, MD

Dr. White will share the most recent and compelling research on the effect of alcohol on the developing brain. He brings together a developmental understanding of the adolescent and the structural changes that the brain undergoes which affects behavioral choices. Registrants will learn how early alcohol use can be damaging to the critical developmental process occurring in the brain and the necessity to deter underage drinking.

 

Wednesday, January 23rd

 

9:30am - 11:30am

 

Engaging the Editorial Side of Community and Ethnic Publications
This information and discussion session will inform you about ways in which your organization can work more effectively with the City’s ethnic and community press. Speakers include Michelle Rea with NY Press Association, and Garry Pierre-Pierre and Sarah Bartlett with the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Co-sponsored by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the New York Community Trust and NPCC. To be held at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 219 West 40th Street, 3rd floor.

Wednesday, January 30th

2:00pm - 3:00pm

Preventing Underage Drinking:Introduction and Series Overview (Webinar)

Who:  The following experts will kick off the series:

• Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., Surgeon General of the United States;
• Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and ICCPUD Chair;
• Frances M. Harding, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), SAMHSA; and
• Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., Acting Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Why:  

Nearly 10 million 12- to 20-year-olds in the United States are underage drinkers, with serious negative consequences for individuals, families, and communities.  This webinar series will feature national leaders and experts discussing the nature and extent of the problem, lessons from recent research, and evidence-based strategies for addressing underage drinking.

What:

This first webinar in the series will provide an overview of the issue and of the series.  It will begin with introductions from Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde.  NIAAA Acting Director Kenneth Warren will then provide an overview of the nature and extent of the problem, and CSAP Director Frances Harding will discuss the “shape of the solution.”  Following their presentations, Director Harding and Acting Director Warren will engage with participants in a live question-and-answer period. 

Does Marijuana Lead to Psychosis in Teens...New Study Raises Questions

I came across this article and thought it would be an interesting read.....

Marijuana (cannabis) use may be linked to the development of psychotic symptoms in teens - but the reverse could also be true: psychosis in adolescents may be linked to later pot use, according to a new Dutch study.

"What is interesting in this study is that both processes are going on at the same time," said Dr. Gregory Seeger, medical director for addiction services at Rochester General Hospital in upstate New York.

He told Reuters Health that researchers have been especially concerned about what tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active property in pot, could do to a teenager's growing brain.

"That's a very vulnerable period of time for brain development," and individuals with a family history of schizophrenia and psychosis seem to be more sensitive to the toxic effects of THC, he said.

A 2010 study of 3,800 Australian teenagers found that those who used marijuana were twice as likely to develop psychosis compared to teens who never smoked pot (see Reuters Health article of March 1, 2010 here:).

But that study also found that those who suffered from hallucinations and delusions when they were younger were also more likely to use pot early on.

For the new study, published in the journal Addiction, the researchers wanted to see which came first: pot or psychosis.

For example, using pot at 16 years old was linked to psychotic symptoms three years later, and psychotic symptoms at age 16 were linked to pot use at age 19.

This was true even when the researchers accounted for mental illness in the kids' families, alcohol use and tobacco use.

The study's lead author Merel Griffith-Lendering, a doctoral candidate at Leiden University in The Netherlandsm said she could not say how much more likely young pot users were to exhibit psychotic symptoms later on.

Also, the new study cannot prove one causes the other.   Genetics may also explain the link between pot use and psychosis, said Griffith-Lendering.

Dr. Gregory Seeger, medical director for addiction services at Rochester General Hospital in upstate New York, said that there needs to be more public awareness of the connection.

"I think the marijuana is not a harmless substance. Especially for teenagers, there should be more of a public health message out there that marijuana has a public health risk," he said.

Griffith-Lendering agrees.  "Given the severity and impact of psychotic disorders, prevention programs should take this information into consideration," she said.

 

Source: Daily News

EDITORIAL: A Holiday Message

by Dan Stinson

Les Miserables is a story of grace and redemption. To me, it tells of the power of love to transform a life and the lives of those around them. As I watched the big screen rendition today, I was reminded of the role grace plays for those working in the world of prevention.

Grace, by definition, is when we don’t deserve love, forgiveness or kindness, but we get it anyway.  The law and enforcement are necessities. Without them, there are no clear boundaries by which to guide our lives. But as with Javert in Les Mis, if there is no room for grace, an orderly yet dead life is the best we can hope for.

You see, grace offers a powerful freeing force that delivers us from the dead life in which substances are our only comfort. It brings us out into the open to where a greater enjoyment and fulfillment are all around us.

Now you may think me a little philosophical or preachy, but as those who have spent some time on the recovery end of the stick will know, there is something tangible when loving kindness is shown that forms a solid foundation of courage, confidence and self-esteem and makes us more immune to the vises of substances.

So let’s build communities that care. Communities that enforce, but also show genuine compassion and caring to those we serve. In the words of Les Miserables, “To love another person is to see the face of God”.    

About the Contributing Blogger
Dan Stinson is the Chairman of One Island, One Team, One Dream, to be Drug free. Located in the town of Grand Island, part of Buffalo, NY, the mission of the coalition is to establish a healthy, drug free school and community. Our immediate goals are to see a marked reduction of alcohol and drug use among students within a two year period and to increase awareness of the problems and their solutions.