For the last several weeks
I've addressed drug references in song lyrics. This week Miley Cyrus is in the news
for a decidedly raunchy performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. However, I
was already planning to write about the lyrics to her song "We Can't
Stop". While at first she claimed that the lyrics were "dancing with
Miley", she eventually conceded that she was referring to the drug Molly,
which is often billed as a "pure" form of the club drug ecstasy.
So la da di da di, we like to party
Dancing with Molly
Doing whatever we want
This is our house
This is our rules
And we can’t stop
And we won’t stop
Can’t you see it’s we who own the night
Can’t you see it we who bout’ that life
Miley Cyrus is not the only performer to openly refer to
using Molly. Madonna named her 2012 album MDNA and, on stage at the
Ultra Music Festival in Miami
that same year, she asked the crowd: "Has anyone seen Molly?"
Molly has also became popular with hip-hop artists and
rappers as well. NBA star LeBron James was
caught on camera rapping "popped a
Molly, I'm sweatin'" from Trinidad James "All Gold
Everything" during a warmup. The video went viral.
"The impact that that song had is what really turned things
around for it," said Devron Kelly, one of the hosts of "Hip-Hop Flavors" on WMNF. "Basically,
it's just a new drug, so you're going to have kids experimenting with whatever
they hear the latest rappers talking about." 2
Chainz, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West
also sing about Molly.
Musical references to "Molly" misrepresent its
dangers. It is often billed as a safe high with no side effects. Ecstasy
normally comes in a tablet form and is mixed with caffeine or even other
illegal drugs. Molly is the same basic drug (MDMA) but without any other
ingredients mixed in. The illusion of "purity" gives users a false
sense of security. With demand starting to drive
up the price of Molly, dealers sometimes are tampering with the pure MDMA,
cutting it with other things before selling it. As with other illegal drugs, users never really know the amount taken,
and high levels can cause extreme hallucinations, heart trouble and organ
failure.
Molly gives people a sense of euphoria. Users report a false
sense of calm, lowered anxiety levels, and a skewed view of the world around
them. This false sense of well-being can easily be a user's worst enemy by
causing them to overlook dangers, leading to injury to themselves and others.
Physical symptoms include high blood pressure, sweating,
insomnia, nausea, and uncontrolled teeth-grinding. Teeth grinding
contributes to the fad of using pacifiers when out clubbing; lollipops
and gum are also
often used.
MDMA causes long-lasting damage to the serotonin system,
which regulates processing of information and emotions. Use may result in
permanent damage to one's ability to learn, pay attention and remember, difficulty
sleeping and ongoing depression.
Molly is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is absolutely
illegal to sell, distribute, buy, ingest, or own.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Blog: 8-20-13
The red Solo cup is arguably the cup of choice for youth and young adults. Can
you sing along with the following chorus from the Toby Keith song?
Red Solo cup, I fill you up
Let's have a party, let's have a party
I love you red Solo cup, I lift you up
Proceed to party, proceed to party
Red Solo cup, I fill you up
Let's have a party, let's have a party
I love you red Solo cup, I lift you up
Proceed to party, proceed to party
To
view today's blog, please head on over to our Facebook page at Ulster
Prevention Council and check out some visuals for reducing alcohol
intake by counting standard drinks, including one using the red Solo
cup.
While you are there, please "Like" us on Facebook, take the drink count quiz and check out some of our media messages.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Blog 8-12-13: Purple Drank
I have two young adults at home and they are almost always
in charge of the music selection in the car. Although they listen to a wide
variety of genres I confess that just like my own parents, much of the time I
can't decipher the words. Sometimes when I can, I don't understand the meaning
behind the words. To their dismay, I usually sing along anyway.
Today I've been doing some research into current drug trends, and as I wandered around the internet I began to look at song lyrics about drug use written by some well known artists. Of course there have been plenty of drug references in lyrics for decades. My thought about these particular songs, though, is that they are contributing to the spread of a dangerous regional drug trend that might otherwise have been contained: Purple Drank.
Mixing soda, prescription cough syrup and candy, often Jolly Ranchers, with crushed ice in a white styrofoam cup to make "Purple Drank" started in Houston, Texas, now known as the “City of Syrup”. Drinking it makes you "lean"- unsteady on your feet. While use dates back several decades, Purple Drank has recently gone mainstream in tracks by Eminem, Paul Wall, Kanye West, Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Drake, Nicki Manaj and scores of others.
Let's take a look at Lil' Wayne's song Me and My Drank. He references codeine (a narcotic), promethazine (an antihistamine) and Sprite as ingredients that he has in his cup in the studio. Lil' Wayne's lyrics acknowledge several artists who have died due to using Purple Drank including Big Moe, Pimp C, and DJ Screw. Here are some lyrics from the song:
[Short Dawg:]
Yea..Uhuh..Yea
I usually don't do this but...
Ahem...
Yea T you gotta feel me
Sippin on some drink the color purple like silly
Really they say I should chill before it kills me
But so will a car crash or a nine milli
And I aint even mention cigarettes or airplanes
So grab a sprite heres a pint we can share Wayne
Yea Mayne...tastes so sweet and I aint gonna have a seat
Cuz I don't wanna fall asleep
So just pour it in my drink and ima sip until I lean hard
Drink got me moving slower than a retard
So press record and hear these hot raps
Im in the booth cup on me like a jock-strap
And I will not nap until the bottles empty
Then I pour a little more for past Screw and Pimp C
And I would stop but believe it I cant
So till Short is gone its just me and my drink
[Chorus:]
Up in the studio me and my drank, me and my drank, me and my drank
Uh uh Up in the studio me and my drank, me and my drank, me me and my drank
On March 15, 2013, it was reported that Wayne had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Los Angeles after being discovered shaking uncontrollably and unconscious. Doctors found a high amount of codeine in his system and his stomach had to be pumped three times. He was released from the hospital three days later.
Two NFL players have been arrested for possessing codeine based syrups without a prescription, and Terrence Kiel, a San Diego Chargers player, was arrested during practice for possession with intent to sell prescription cough syrup for use in making the drink.
Several legal commercial products loosely based on "purple drank" are marketed in the United States including "Drank", "Purple Stuff", "Sippin Syrup", and "Lean".
What's so bad about Purple Drank? Codeine can make people feel a sense of euphoria, but can also cause hypoventilation, a potentially fatal inability to breathe properly. Abuse of codeine can lead to physical dependence and significant withdrawal symptoms. Promethazine is an antihistamine that is typically used to fight nausea and to induce sedation. In low doses, promethazine can enhance the effects of codeine, causing more euphoric feelings than codeine alone. However, high doses of promethazine can also cause potentially deadly central nervous system depression and hypoventilation, extreme weakness and drowsiness. Using these substances at higher amounts than those prescribed for legitimate medical purposes can be very dangerous. Add alcohol or other substances to the mix, and they are even more dangerous.
So what does this mean for the Hudson Valley? Purple Drank is now part of pop culture, and simple instructions for mixing it are as close as the internet. Adolescents are likely to be curious about it and perhaps give it a try. Let's ask them if they've heard of it, what they think about it, and if they know anyone who has tried it. Adolescents often experience danger as exciting rather than as a deterrent to experimenting. If unable to procure prescription syrup, youth are likely to try mixing other syrups with soda, including over the counter cough and cold syrups that are also dangerous when abused. So, when remembering to lock up your meds, include any liquid medications, and dispose of unused prescription and over the counter syrups.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Today I've been doing some research into current drug trends, and as I wandered around the internet I began to look at song lyrics about drug use written by some well known artists. Of course there have been plenty of drug references in lyrics for decades. My thought about these particular songs, though, is that they are contributing to the spread of a dangerous regional drug trend that might otherwise have been contained: Purple Drank.
Mixing soda, prescription cough syrup and candy, often Jolly Ranchers, with crushed ice in a white styrofoam cup to make "Purple Drank" started in Houston, Texas, now known as the “City of Syrup”. Drinking it makes you "lean"- unsteady on your feet. While use dates back several decades, Purple Drank has recently gone mainstream in tracks by Eminem, Paul Wall, Kanye West, Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Drake, Nicki Manaj and scores of others.
Let's take a look at Lil' Wayne's song Me and My Drank. He references codeine (a narcotic), promethazine (an antihistamine) and Sprite as ingredients that he has in his cup in the studio. Lil' Wayne's lyrics acknowledge several artists who have died due to using Purple Drank including Big Moe, Pimp C, and DJ Screw. Here are some lyrics from the song:
[Short Dawg:]
Yea..Uhuh..Yea
I usually don't do this but...
Ahem...
Yea T you gotta feel me
Sippin on some drink the color purple like silly
Really they say I should chill before it kills me
But so will a car crash or a nine milli
And I aint even mention cigarettes or airplanes
So grab a sprite heres a pint we can share Wayne
Yea Mayne...tastes so sweet and I aint gonna have a seat
Cuz I don't wanna fall asleep
So just pour it in my drink and ima sip until I lean hard
Drink got me moving slower than a retard
So press record and hear these hot raps
Im in the booth cup on me like a jock-strap
And I will not nap until the bottles empty
Then I pour a little more for past Screw and Pimp C
And I would stop but believe it I cant
So till Short is gone its just me and my drink
[Chorus:]
Up in the studio me and my drank, me and my drank, me and my drank
Uh uh Up in the studio me and my drank, me and my drank, me me and my drank
On March 15, 2013, it was reported that Wayne had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Los Angeles after being discovered shaking uncontrollably and unconscious. Doctors found a high amount of codeine in his system and his stomach had to be pumped three times. He was released from the hospital three days later.
Two NFL players have been arrested for possessing codeine based syrups without a prescription, and Terrence Kiel, a San Diego Chargers player, was arrested during practice for possession with intent to sell prescription cough syrup for use in making the drink.
Several legal commercial products loosely based on "purple drank" are marketed in the United States including "Drank", "Purple Stuff", "Sippin Syrup", and "Lean".
What's so bad about Purple Drank? Codeine can make people feel a sense of euphoria, but can also cause hypoventilation, a potentially fatal inability to breathe properly. Abuse of codeine can lead to physical dependence and significant withdrawal symptoms. Promethazine is an antihistamine that is typically used to fight nausea and to induce sedation. In low doses, promethazine can enhance the effects of codeine, causing more euphoric feelings than codeine alone. However, high doses of promethazine can also cause potentially deadly central nervous system depression and hypoventilation, extreme weakness and drowsiness. Using these substances at higher amounts than those prescribed for legitimate medical purposes can be very dangerous. Add alcohol or other substances to the mix, and they are even more dangerous.
So what does this mean for the Hudson Valley? Purple Drank is now part of pop culture, and simple instructions for mixing it are as close as the internet. Adolescents are likely to be curious about it and perhaps give it a try. Let's ask them if they've heard of it, what they think about it, and if they know anyone who has tried it. Adolescents often experience danger as exciting rather than as a deterrent to experimenting. If unable to procure prescription syrup, youth are likely to try mixing other syrups with soda, including over the counter cough and cold syrups that are also dangerous when abused. So, when remembering to lock up your meds, include any liquid medications, and dispose of unused prescription and over the counter syrups.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Friday, July 19, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Weekly Blog 7-19-13: Mourning Another Loss
When we use "icebreaker" activities with a group,
one of my favorite exercises is sharing something that no one in the group
knows about you. Today I have two things to share.
First, I am a Gleek. A Gleek is a fan of the Fox TV show Glee. Cory
Monteith, 31, was one of the stars of this musical comedy, playing football
quarterback and glee club member Finn Hudson. Cory died this week from an
overdose of heroin and alcohol, after sharing his struggle with addiction when
he entered treatment this spring.
You may be a bit more surprised to learn that I was also a
fan of Amy Winehouse, the British singer and songwriter who tied the record for
Grammy Award wins in a single night. The BBC called her "the pre-eminent vocal talent of
her generation". However, her struggles with addiction were well
publicized, as evidenced by her hit single "Rehab". By summer 2011, she had fallen into a pattern of
abstaining for a few weeks and then relapsing. One such relapse led to her
death by alcohol intoxication. Her blood alcohol content was
0.416% at the time of her death.
While your "favs" may differ from mine, today I decided to stop and reflect on some of the celebrities we have lost to overdoses and the brain disease of chemical dependency. This list is not at all exhaustive, but it speaks for itself.
Marilyn Monroe – American actress, model, singer, sex symbol, 36. Her death, due to an overdose of barbiturate sleeping pills, was ruled as a “possible” suicide, 1962.
Janis Joplin - American musician, 27, heroin overdose, 1970.
Jimi Hendrix - American musician and singer-songwriter, 27. Respiratory arrest, asphyxia due to alcohol and barbiturate overdose; vomit inhalation, 1970.
Bruce Lee - Martial artist, actor, film director, Prescription drug overdose at 32 in 1973.
John Belushi – Actor, comedian, musician. Died in 1982 at age 33 after injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin.
River Phoenix – American actor. Died at 23 of a heroin an cocaine overdose while in the presence of his younger brother Joaquin in front of the trendy Viper Room, 1993.
Heath Ledger – 28. Died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, diazepam, temazepam and doxylamine, 2008.
Mary Anissa Jones –Buffy from “Family Affair.” Drugs found in her system include Seconal, PCP, methaqualone and cocaine.
Lani O’Grady –Mary on “Eight is Enough,” died in 2001 at the age of 46. Found in her system at the time of her death were Vicodin and Prozac.
Chris Farley – Overdosed in 1997; combination of morphine and cocaine; complicated by heart disease.
Judy Garland – American actress and singer. Died in 1969 at the age of 47 of an overdose of barbiturates (Seconal). Possible suicide.
Anna Nicole Smith – American model, Playboy playmate, actress, 40. Died in 2007 of “combined drug toxicity" due to chloral hydrate and benzodiazepines.
Elvis Presley – Found dead in his bathroom at 42. Heart arrhythmia, possibly aggravated by multiple prescriptions (methaqualone, codeine, barbiturates, cocaine), 1977.
Nick Cantor – The Dirty Dancing actor died after injecting a shot of pure heroin in 1991.
Robert Pastorelli – The Murphy Brown actor died of a heroin overdose in 2004 at the age of 50.
Brad Renfro – American actor, 25. Died of a heroin overdose in 2008.
Christopher Bowman - American figure skater, 40, Mixed alcohol, cocaine, diazepam and cannabis, 2008.
Christopher Wiley Antley - Jockey; 2-time Kentucky Derby winner. Overdose of clobenzorex, paroxetine, methamphetamine, carbamazepine and trauma (accidental), age 34, 2000.
Darrel Porter - Professional baseball player, cocaine overdose, 2002, age 50.
Derek Boogaard - left wing, New York Rangers, 28, alcohol and oxycodone overdose, 2011.
Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone - American songwriter and musician (The Ramones), 50. Heroin overdose (accidental), 2005.
Edward Fatu “Umaga” - Samoan-American professional wrestler, 36. Overdose of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, diazepam, 2009.
Michael Carl Baze - Horse jockey, 24. Overdose of cocaine and oxymorphone, 2011.
Michael Jackson - American Pop Singer and icon, 50. Cardiac arrest, acute propofol intoxication; midazolam, lidocaine, diazepam, lorazepam also noted in autopsy report, 2009.
Whitney Houston - American singer, actress, 48. Drowning; complications of cocaine and heart disease; Flexeril, marijuana, Xanax and Benadryl also found in body but did not contribute to death, 2012.
Chris Kelly - of the 90s hip-hop group Kriss Kross, died at the age of 34 of an overdose that included heroin and cocaine, 2013.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
While your "favs" may differ from mine, today I decided to stop and reflect on some of the celebrities we have lost to overdoses and the brain disease of chemical dependency. This list is not at all exhaustive, but it speaks for itself.
Marilyn Monroe – American actress, model, singer, sex symbol, 36. Her death, due to an overdose of barbiturate sleeping pills, was ruled as a “possible” suicide, 1962.
Janis Joplin - American musician, 27, heroin overdose, 1970.
Jimi Hendrix - American musician and singer-songwriter, 27. Respiratory arrest, asphyxia due to alcohol and barbiturate overdose; vomit inhalation, 1970.
Bruce Lee - Martial artist, actor, film director, Prescription drug overdose at 32 in 1973.
John Belushi – Actor, comedian, musician. Died in 1982 at age 33 after injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin.
River Phoenix – American actor. Died at 23 of a heroin an cocaine overdose while in the presence of his younger brother Joaquin in front of the trendy Viper Room, 1993.
Heath Ledger – 28. Died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, diazepam, temazepam and doxylamine, 2008.
Mary Anissa Jones –Buffy from “Family Affair.” Drugs found in her system include Seconal, PCP, methaqualone and cocaine.
Lani O’Grady –Mary on “Eight is Enough,” died in 2001 at the age of 46. Found in her system at the time of her death were Vicodin and Prozac.
Chris Farley – Overdosed in 1997; combination of morphine and cocaine; complicated by heart disease.
Judy Garland – American actress and singer. Died in 1969 at the age of 47 of an overdose of barbiturates (Seconal). Possible suicide.
Anna Nicole Smith – American model, Playboy playmate, actress, 40. Died in 2007 of “combined drug toxicity" due to chloral hydrate and benzodiazepines.
Elvis Presley – Found dead in his bathroom at 42. Heart arrhythmia, possibly aggravated by multiple prescriptions (methaqualone, codeine, barbiturates, cocaine), 1977.
Nick Cantor – The Dirty Dancing actor died after injecting a shot of pure heroin in 1991.
Robert Pastorelli – The Murphy Brown actor died of a heroin overdose in 2004 at the age of 50.
Brad Renfro – American actor, 25. Died of a heroin overdose in 2008.
Christopher Bowman - American figure skater, 40, Mixed alcohol, cocaine, diazepam and cannabis, 2008.
Christopher Wiley Antley - Jockey; 2-time Kentucky Derby winner. Overdose of clobenzorex, paroxetine, methamphetamine, carbamazepine and trauma (accidental), age 34, 2000.
Darrel Porter - Professional baseball player, cocaine overdose, 2002, age 50.
Derek Boogaard - left wing, New York Rangers, 28, alcohol and oxycodone overdose, 2011.
Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone - American songwriter and musician (The Ramones), 50. Heroin overdose (accidental), 2005.
Edward Fatu “Umaga” - Samoan-American professional wrestler, 36. Overdose of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, diazepam, 2009.
Michael Carl Baze - Horse jockey, 24. Overdose of cocaine and oxymorphone, 2011.
Michael Jackson - American Pop Singer and icon, 50. Cardiac arrest, acute propofol intoxication; midazolam, lidocaine, diazepam, lorazepam also noted in autopsy report, 2009.
Whitney Houston - American singer, actress, 48. Drowning; complications of cocaine and heart disease; Flexeril, marijuana, Xanax and Benadryl also found in body but did not contribute to death, 2012.
Chris Kelly - of the 90s hip-hop group Kriss Kross, died at the age of 34 of an overdose that included heroin and cocaine, 2013.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Weekly Blog 6-25-13: Will I See You in September?
With summer in and school out, unsupervised youth may be in danger of accessing and/or consuming alcohol in their homes and in
the homes of their friends. These
dangers are real and possibly deadly.
Through the 2012 Ulster County Youth Development Survey, we asked youth in grades 7-12 how they obtained alcohol and where they drank it. While 56.8% reported not drinking at all in the past year, 25.4% reported drinking in their own home, and 26.1% reported drinking in the home of a friend.
In almost every case involving underage drinking, somewhere along the way an adult broke the law. 35% of Ulster County youth reported obtaining alcohol with the aid of an adult. The Ulster County Social Host law holds parents accountable for drinking parties involving under-age participants in their home. However, many adults still believe that allowing youth to drink in the home is "safer" and that they can teach youth to drink "responsibly". 10.3% of Ulster County youth reported drinking with parental permission.
Although many still view underage drinking as a rite of passage, it is a dangerous practice that should be discouraged. Every three minutes someone under the legal drinking age in the US has to go to the emergency room because they drank underage.
Youth ages 15 and younger who drink alcohol are 4 times more likely to become dependent on alcohol and 5 times more likely to abuse alcohol later in life than those who wait until they are 21 or older. Alcohol use can interfere with adolescent brain development. Adolescent brains do not discriminate between alcohol used without permission and alcohol used with permission.
In addition, adolescents may make the poor choice of getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking. It is no coincidence that during June, July and August the greatest number of teenagers perish in car crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This summer and all year, adults should monitor and secure alcohol at home in order to help prevent underage drinking. Parents are urged to have a frank discussion with teens about the dangers of underage drinking and set rules, including not getting into a car with someone who has been drinking.
If you have had the talk with your teen about drugs, but not alcohol, now’s the time to have it.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Through the 2012 Ulster County Youth Development Survey, we asked youth in grades 7-12 how they obtained alcohol and where they drank it. While 56.8% reported not drinking at all in the past year, 25.4% reported drinking in their own home, and 26.1% reported drinking in the home of a friend.
In almost every case involving underage drinking, somewhere along the way an adult broke the law. 35% of Ulster County youth reported obtaining alcohol with the aid of an adult. The Ulster County Social Host law holds parents accountable for drinking parties involving under-age participants in their home. However, many adults still believe that allowing youth to drink in the home is "safer" and that they can teach youth to drink "responsibly". 10.3% of Ulster County youth reported drinking with parental permission.
Although many still view underage drinking as a rite of passage, it is a dangerous practice that should be discouraged. Every three minutes someone under the legal drinking age in the US has to go to the emergency room because they drank underage.
Youth ages 15 and younger who drink alcohol are 4 times more likely to become dependent on alcohol and 5 times more likely to abuse alcohol later in life than those who wait until they are 21 or older. Alcohol use can interfere with adolescent brain development. Adolescent brains do not discriminate between alcohol used without permission and alcohol used with permission.
In addition, adolescents may make the poor choice of getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking. It is no coincidence that during June, July and August the greatest number of teenagers perish in car crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This summer and all year, adults should monitor and secure alcohol at home in order to help prevent underage drinking. Parents are urged to have a frank discussion with teens about the dangers of underage drinking and set rules, including not getting into a car with someone who has been drinking.
If you have had the talk with your teen about drugs, but not alcohol, now’s the time to have it.
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Weekly Blog 6-4-13: Ulster youth produce award winning messages
At our annual Ulster Prevention
Council Conference last week we recognized outstanding Ulster
County youth who participated in
our 2013 Media Contest and received Innovations in Substance Abuse Prevention
Awards.
These awards honor the memory of
Phil Terpening, former chairman of the Ulster Prevention Council Board. Prizes
were awarded for poster, radio and video projects that communicated messages
regarding the risks associated with the misuse of prescription medications;
alternatives to drug use; awareness of the harmful effects of marijuana on
youth brain development; and our Be
Aware, Don’t Share and Lock Your Meds
campaigns.
Over 40 poster submissions were
received. Ellenville High
School students Willie Bruce and Logan Rotolo
tied for first place in the poster contest, and Hunter Odell received an
honorable mention.
Tessa Albert from Ellenville
High School submitted the winning
radio PSA, and Paris Smith from Saugerties
High School submitted the winning
video PSA. Nick Natale from Saugerties
High School received an honorable
mention for his video PSA.
Under the guidance of teachers Scott Wickham at Saugerties High School
and Tim Lukaszewski and Alan Buckler and Ellenville High Schools, the students
were able to produce original, creative and powerful media messages that UPC will use to provide education and awareness
throughout Ulster County and beyond.
All of our PSA's are available for distribution to schools,
waiting rooms, public access stations and other community venues to get the
word out regarding these priority topics. Please contact UPC at 458-7406 for information.
To view some of our winners, please visit our Facebook page and
remember to like Ulster Prevention
Council us while you are there!Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ulster Prevention Council Weekly Blog 5-21-13: Letter from D.A. D. Holley Carnwright
This week I'd like to share with you this letter from Ulster County
District Attorney D. Holley Carnwright regarding prom and graduation
safety and the Ulster County Social Host Law.
BE SMART BE SAFE
April 16, 2013
Greetings:
It is that time of year when students in our county will be taking part in proms and graduations. Although it is justifiably a time of joy and celebration, it is equally one for caution and restraint. I am writing to enlist your assistance in helping to prevent the potentially tragic consequences of drinking and driving.
Alcohol is by far the most widely used drug among our youth and is directly associated with risk-taking behavior and other disinhibiting effects that increase the chance of unsafe conduct on their part. Unfortunately, in recent years, our county has experienced its tragic results.
On February 19, 2008, in an effort to combat drunk driving Ulster County passed “Local Law Number 2 of 2008,” *which, in pertinent part, provides that “no person having any control of any premises shall allow an open house party to take place at said residence if such person knows or has reason to know that any alcoholic beverage or drug is being unlawfully possessed, served to or consumed by a minor (under 21) at said residence.” It defines “open house party” as “a social gathering at a residence or other private property with minors present.”
In addition, the Social Host Liability Act of the State of New York imposes civil liability upon any individual who knowingly serves or permits alcohol to be served to a minor if that minor causes injury to another as a result of his or her intoxication.
Furthermore, Section 260.20 of the Penal Law of the State of New York authorizes the prosecution of any individual who gives or sells or causes to be given or sold any alcoholic beverage to a person less than 21 years old.
I ask that if you permit the use of your home for a prom pr graduation event, you monitor the situation carefully to insure that minors in attendance do not imbibe alcoholic beverages.
Please help to make this graduation season a time of celebration. Help keep our children, our loved ones, and our county safe.
Sincerely,
D. Holley Carnright
District Attorney
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
BE SMART BE SAFE
April 16, 2013
Greetings:
It is that time of year when students in our county will be taking part in proms and graduations. Although it is justifiably a time of joy and celebration, it is equally one for caution and restraint. I am writing to enlist your assistance in helping to prevent the potentially tragic consequences of drinking and driving.
Alcohol is by far the most widely used drug among our youth and is directly associated with risk-taking behavior and other disinhibiting effects that increase the chance of unsafe conduct on their part. Unfortunately, in recent years, our county has experienced its tragic results.
On February 19, 2008, in an effort to combat drunk driving Ulster County passed “Local Law Number 2 of 2008,” *which, in pertinent part, provides that “no person having any control of any premises shall allow an open house party to take place at said residence if such person knows or has reason to know that any alcoholic beverage or drug is being unlawfully possessed, served to or consumed by a minor (under 21) at said residence.” It defines “open house party” as “a social gathering at a residence or other private property with minors present.”
In addition, the Social Host Liability Act of the State of New York imposes civil liability upon any individual who knowingly serves or permits alcohol to be served to a minor if that minor causes injury to another as a result of his or her intoxication.
Furthermore, Section 260.20 of the Penal Law of the State of New York authorizes the prosecution of any individual who gives or sells or causes to be given or sold any alcoholic beverage to a person less than 21 years old.
I ask that if you permit the use of your home for a prom pr graduation event, you monitor the situation carefully to insure that minors in attendance do not imbibe alcoholic beverages.
Please help to make this graduation season a time of celebration. Help keep our children, our loved ones, and our county safe.
Sincerely,
D. Holley Carnright
District Attorney
Cheryl DePaolo
Director of Ulster Prevention Council
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
