The Network CA: November Newsletter

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	The Network CA Keeping California Members Connected

Dear Visitor

We at The Network hope you have had a great academic year so far, and also enjoyed a break during the Thanksgiving holiday. Below are a few updates:

The Alcohol & Other Drug Educational Conference

When?: April 18 and 19, 2013
Where?: CSU Chico
Why?: Because this is the one and only state-wide conference devoted to Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) prevention on college campuses in California. Everyone interested in this topic is invited to attend.

Get your program proposals and travel requests ready! More information to follow.

Growing our Facebook Presence

The Network seeks to foster two-way communication with our members and we all know what that means...Facebook. So we currently have two ways for you to connect: (1) "Like" the Network CA page, and (2) join the national Network Facebook Group. Finally, you can help spread the word about The Network CA website articles you find interesting or useful by clicking on the "Like" buttons that now follow each one. This is a new feature of our site made possible by our recent upgrade.

Article Writers Wanted

Another way we are seeking greater involvement is by actively recruiting article writers for TheNetworkCA.org. While I am still going to post as often as possible, I would be more than happy to post articles written by members as well. The Network California membership has over 100 individuals and institutions with whom you can share promising programs, alert to trends you've observed, and discuss developments in the field you think are important. The sky is the limit. And many of the articles posted here in California are distributed to members across the nation. You can submit an article easily by either emailing me your proposed text, or logon to www.TheNetworkCA.org and click on "submit article." All articles will be reviewed prior to publication on the website.

In other news...

Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012: Banning Spice and Bath Salts

On July 9, 2012, President Obama signed the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. At the end of this bill was the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012. As of the signing, many of the synthetic cannabinoids became Schedule I banned substances. Also banned is Mephedrone, and MDPV.

More Company for Us

Colleges in Massachusetts now join us California schools in our legal limbo status between the state and federal government. All of us must follow the Federal Drug Free Schools and Community Act requirement of maintaining strict policies against the use and possession of illegal drugs; illegal drugs includes, under Federal law, marijuana. So as far as I know, all schools have interpreted the legal environment to mean that state laws allowing marijuana are irrelevant. Students may think they can smoke pot because they have a medical excuse, but on campus they can't. 19 states and the District of Columbia now have medical use.

Washington and Colorado went a step further by legalizing non-medical use. Presumably the legal opinions for campuses there will remain the same: Campuses will still need to forbid marijuana.

New Look for The Network CA

You'll see that the look of The Network CA site has changed a bit. In fact, this represents a migration to a substantially more up-to-date version of the content management system I've been using. With this upgrade, there will be some new features appearing soon. So check back often and look closely for new features.

Please contact me if you are having trouble using the new page. I'm sure some kinks are bound to appear.

Have a good, productive and healthy end to this part of the year, and I hope to hear from you all in the near future.

Cheers,

Jim

James Lange, Ph.D. (Coordinator of AOD Initiatives, SDSU)
The Network State Coordinator for California