Due to the trend of legalizing cannabis, it's important attendees increase their knowledge of cannabis and potential products produced from it. During this training, you will learn about the different types of cannabis plants and how they are identified, how cannabis extracts are made and used, and how cannabis is broken down in the body. This session helps attendees learn about the intricate world of legal cannabis. Current field sobriety research that is available in detecting a driver that is impaired on cannabis as well as ongoing studies and resources that are available, are included, as well.
Sessions
Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis
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Speakers
HIGH IN PLAIN SIGHT: Current Alcohol & Drug Trends including OTC, and Concealment
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This workshop goes in-depth on the most current alcohol and drug trends. The Tall Cop will discuss vaping, Delta 8, Delta 10, synthetic forms of THC, over-the-counter drugs, drug concealment methods, paraphernalia, inhalants, and popular party drugs.
This session is unique, in that it provides over 70 visual aids for attendees to hold and become familiar with. In today's culture, everything is person-specific and has different meanings to different individuals. Meanwhile, certain items have gained popularity in the alcohol and drug scene - which changes every day.
This session will be uniquely created to the conference, so that it includes the most current information. For each attendee to help prevent youth and adult substance abuse, they MUST know what is going on in their community.
Remember, You Can't Stop What You Don't Know!
Speakers
An Invisible Addiction: Fighting the Stigma Around Cannabis Use Disorder
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We know that up to 30% of people who try marijuana will become addicted to it. Yet, many will tell you that marijuana is not addictive at all. For those struggling with marijuana addiction, or cannabis use disorder, it can feel invalidating to hear that their problem doesn’t even exist. The shame that many feel about their addiction results in many not getting the treatment and support they need. But through changing the narrative at home, at work, in schools, with friends, and in the political sphere, we can make this all-too-prevalent problem visible to the public.
Objectives:
● Discuss the realities of struggling with marijuana addiction and the stigma that surrounds it.
● Dispel myths about marijuana addiction
● Explore how audience members can combat the stigma surrounding cannabis use disorder in their social circles and communities.
Speakers
Current Drug Use Trends in the “Fourth Wave” of America’s Overdose Crisis and Among Patients Prescribed Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
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Synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), remain the driving force behind the overdose epidemic in the U.S.—contributing to more than 68% of the nearly 108,000 drug overdose deaths reported in 2022. Although IMF continues to dominate the national conversation, a substantial and growing number of synthetic opioid overdose deaths now co-involve stimulants (i.e., methamphetamine and cocaine). Thus, the analysis of individual drugs fails to capture the complex patterns of substance use that are more common in real-world settings and the concurrent use of other illicit or non-prescribed substances increases overdose risk and negatively affects treatment outcomes. Urine drug testing (UDT) provides clinically actionable, objective information about drug use to support clinical decision making and aggregated UDT data have shown to significantly and strongly correlate with overdose mortality data reported by the CDC. UDT data complement data from public health and law enforcement agencies to provide more complete and timely information on current drug use trends to help inform clinical practice and community response efforts to reduce overdose deaths. This presentation will provide insight into current drug use trends (i.e., 2023 and 2024), with an emphasis on shifting trends in polysubstance use among people who use fentanyl, from a national database of millions of definitive UDT results derived from patient specimens collected in health care settings, including substance use disorder treatment. It will also describe peer-reviewed research on non-prescribed and illicit drug use among patients prescribed buprenorphine or methadone and how their drug use varies based on MOUD adherence.
Presentation Objectives
- Participants will gain an understanding of the relationship between aggregated UDT data and overdose mortality data reported by the CDC
- Participants will be able to describe the “fourth wave” of the overdose crisis and current drug and polysubstance use trends among people who use fentanyl at the national, regional, and state levels
- Participants will be able to articulate key issues related to continued drug use among individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
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Hallucinogens, Psychedelics, and Tryptamines: 2024 Overview
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Description Coming Soon!
Speakers
A Collaboration Between the Coroner, Law Enforcement, and a Nonprofit for Overdose Protection: A Strategic Approach
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This presentation explores Berkeley County, South Carolina’s pioneering approach to addressing overdose fatalities. It highlights the collaborative efforts of a Resource Community Organization, Law Enforcement Crisis Intervention, and County Coroner, culminating in forming an Overdose Fatality Review Board. The presentation delves into the intricacies of establishing the Overdose Fatality Review, implementing grassroots recommendations with proactive, solution-driven initiatives, and providing comprehensive care through community-based programs.
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The Changing Landscape of Impaired Driving
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Recently we have seen troubling trends in both highway safety, and impaired driving. 25% of fatal crash-involved drivers tested positive for multiple impairing substances, compared with 18% prior to the pandemic. The number of DWI arrests has plummeted while impaired driving fatalities increased by 14% in 2020, an additional 14% in 2021, and continue to trend in the wrong direction. The impact of the COVID pandemic, the increase in states legalizing recreational marijuana and the prevalence of polysubstance use have forced practitioners to reevaluate our current approaches in addressing this serious issue. This interactive presentation will provide research that explains the changes we are seeing with the DWI population as well as approaches to address this growing crisis. Participants will learn best practices in supervision strategies, available countermeasures, issues surrounding polysubstance use and testing to help criminal justice and treatment professionals maximize their effectiveness in reducing risk to the community.
Objectives
- Participants will identify 3 factors that have influenced the increase in impaired driving fatalities
- Participants will identify two research-based strategies that are effective in the supervision of impaired drivers
- Participants will identify drug/alcohol testing strategies to maximize client accountability
- Participants will identify the characteristics and profiles of impaired drivers and the criminogenic risk factors that increase their likelihood of recidivating
Speakers
Fighting Fentanyl: The Noah Rodriguez Story
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An informative presentation and discussion on the use and dangers of the use of fentanyl. Deputy Mark Andrews from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office discusses trends and statistics about the illicit use of fentanyl in Hays County and around the state of Texas. Janel Rodriguez, the founder of the forever15project, shares her story about the night her son, Noah Rodriguez, passed away from fentanyl poisoning and how fentanyl has affected her family.
Objectives:
- Understanding the potency and the frequency of fentanyl misuse.
- Understanding how fentanyl is obtained, its forms, and the results from misuse.
- Understanding the signs and symptoms of an overdose or poisoning and how to treat it.
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Forget Stressed Out- We are Burned Out- How the Opioid Crisis Did Us In!
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It is no secret the Opioid Crisis and COVID-19 took its toll, bringing many through an emotional roller coaster. Those first responders, teachers, leaders of organizations, large and small, found themselves feeling compassion fatigue from hearing challenge after challenge in oftentimes broken systems. Those in the helping fields have been exposed to intense stressors and traumatic experiences daily. Law Enforcement and those that help face not only trauma exposure from the communities they serve, but they also faced their own uncertainties and hardships caused by both pandemics. Early death, divorce, suicide, and addiction were no strangers to some.
Come learn how to address vicarious trauma and plan for your own mental well-being to continue this essential work. This workshop will create an intentional space to explore solutions to cope with second-hand trauma. This session will focus on personal development and leadership and how to leverage that to positively impact others.
Speakers
Addressing Underlying Needs Using the National Assessment Center Framework.
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Description Coming Soon!
