Summertime is a season filled with joy, adventure, and the perfect opportunity for kids (and educators!) to take a break from their studies and enjoy some well-deserved fun.  However, it's crucial to acknowledge that the summer months can also present potential risks, particularly when it comes to substance misuse among children. 

Topics: drugs, opioids, summer, fentanyl, mental health

President's Message - June 2023

I am always amazed by how different people approach the drug problem. The predominant approach is, "I'm going to learn everything about drugs," and then, "I'm going to tell others all about everything I've learned, and that will save them." However, becoming a drug expert does not stop the drug problem. 

Topics: President's Message, family bonding, Informed Families, summer, Family Table Time

When 13-year-old Dillon Reeves noticed his Michigan school bus driver’s head drop forward and her hands fall from the steering wheel, he raced to the front of the bus, turned the wheel to avoid hitting a car at the intersection, and hit the brakes.

Topics: marijuana, brain development, social media, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

On Valentine’s Day, 2021, 19-year-old Logan Rachwal had an argument with his girlfriend and popped what he thought was Percocet, a painkiller that he bought on the social media app Snapchat. Logan fell asleep and never woke up.

Topics: marijuana, brain development, social media, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

These days, it seems marijuana use has become as acceptable as a glass of wine with dinner. In addition, more states have become enamored of the revenue that comes with legalizing and taxing the drug.

Topics: marijuana, brain development, drugs, opioids, myths, fentanyl

President's Message - May 2023

We’ve all heard of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-Step program, but often think it’s for other people, specifically alcoholics.

But I think if more of us took the values it contains to heart, we’d all be better off, both individually and as a society.

Topics: President's Message, marijuana, alcohol, Informed Families, alcohol use, alcohol abuse

The tragedy of fentanyl continues killing Americans: more than 107,000 in 2021, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures.

Topics: drugs, opioids, fentanyl

If you want your child to do well both in school and in their career, it turns out that helping them maintain a positive attitude may be the most effective technique you can use.

Topics: parenting, parent involvement, positive parenting, teenagers, teens

In the face of the recent public health alert from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which we told you about last month, U.S. lawmakers are moving to classify the dangerous animal tranquilizer xylazine as a controlled substance.

Topics: parenting, marijuana legalization, marijuana, teenagers, teens, cannabis, Xylazine

President's Message - March 2023

When trying to teach our kids to avoid drugs and alcohol, doesn’t it
sometimes feel like we’re fighting a losing battle?

Topics: President's Message, marijuana, alcohol, Informed Families, alcohol use, alcohol abuse