Satellite Teleconference  Expanded Description

“The OTC;  Battling The Over-The-Counter High” 

Thursday 16 December, 2004
 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

Available On C-Band Analog and GETN Digital Satellite Downlinks 
 

a.  Sponsors:  This program is made possible through a partnership with the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) Program at St. Petersburg College, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, and the Florida National Guard.  Extended technical support is also provided by the Satellite Education Network at Ft. Lee, VA.
 

b.  Availability:  This free, public domain broadcast will be available on the GETN Military/Federal/Warrior digital CDV satellite networks and on C-Band Analog satellite networks.  (There is NO KU analog or digital coverage.)  Other private and public satellite networks may also carry the program, check with your satellite provider.  (Note: This program WILL NOT be available on small digital dish networks such as DirecTV or Echostar systems.) 

Will this program be Video streamed?  This program is expected to be webcast.  Details will be sent to registered sites in the final coordination message.

c.  Target Audience Statement:  Primary target audiences for this program will include law enforcement officials, drug prevention specialists, Drug-Free Communities Act grantees, administrators, school drug counselors, treatment providers, drug court members, policy makers, business leaders, coalition volunteers, drug demand reduction coordinators, criminal justice professionals, members of the religious community and other community partners who may be interested.  This program is also suitable for Public Access television distribution. 

d.  Program Summary:  If a drug is available over-the-counter, it’s safe and free from abuse right?  WRONG!  During the past few years, calls to poison control centers about the misuse and abuse of over-the-counter medications have increased.  In 2003, poison control centers in the United States received twice as many calls about one form of over-the-counter drug abuse than they did three years earlier.  Emergency room visits because of OTC abuse are also on the way up.  Young people and adults alike are using cough syrups, cough suppressants, motion sickness drugs, and more to get high.

While over-the-counter medications like Dextromethorphan (DXM) is used safely by millions of Americans each year to relieve coughs due to the common cold or flu, there have been reports of some young people intentionally abusing products containing the ingredient in an effort to get high.  During the hour-long broadcast, viewers will hear a variety of perspectives—including a representative from the poison control center network, a retail drug store loss prevention expert and a person in treatment who has struggled with DXM addiction. 

Viewers will also learn about other potentially dangerous over-the-counter medications and what some stores, consumer healthcare organizations, and community coalitions are doing to help combat the problem.

Get the facts about the abuse of over-the-counter drugs and what you can do to help prevent it!   

e.  Program Objectives:  

What OTC drugs are abused?

What is DXM?

What are the effects of DXM abuse?

How common is the abuse of DXM-containing products by teens?

What are some common brand names of products that contain DXM?

What are slang terms?

What should parents know about DXM and OTC abuse?

What types of DXM sites are found online?

Why is it important for parents to monitor their children’s Internet usage?

What is the nonprescription medicine industry doing about the potential abuse of DXM?

Where can parents go for more help?

What’s being done about the problem?

How can you help?

Join moderator Kareemah Abdullah, Deputy Director, Training and Technical Assistance, National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute and her expert panel as we learn more about the abuse of over-the-counter medications.

f.  Program Panelists:  TBA

g.  CEUs, CMEs, Certificates:  There are no CEUs, CMEs available for this program.

h.  Videotape Availability:  To request a free VHS copy of any of our recent telecourses, please follow instructions at this link to the order site for MCTFT Videotapes.  Please allow 3 to 6 weeks for processing.  Order Site For MCTFT Videotapes

i.  Videotape release (if taping from broadcast):  This FREE program is unclassified and non-scrambled.  There are no copyright restrictions on this program, however it MAY NOT be videotaped and re-broadcast where fees are attached to its showing.  No portion of this program may be used for commercial purposes or for-profit purposes without additional permission of the sponsors.  

j.  Web Site Support:  Support materials, if any, are expected to mounted on the Internet to support this program.  Final details will be sent via email to registered sites as part of the satellite coordinates message.   

k.  Satellite Coordinates:  Final Satellite Coordinates will be sent to registered sites 5-7 working days prior to the broadcast.   The satellite coordinates are never publicly published on any web site.    

l.  Registration:  All viewing sites MUST register for this FREE, public domain program to receive the necessary satellite coordinates (C/KU) or illumination authentication (GETN/Warrior dishes) and Site Materials Website.  Sites may register at: MCTFT Registration or by calling Ed Kronholm’s Office, the Satellite Registrations Coordinator, toll free at 877-820-0305 or 888-820-4898. 

m.  Future Programs:  For future information on MCTFT satellite broadcasts by the (subject to change due to satellite availability and other scheduling issues) please visit this web site:   MCTFT Upcoming Telecourse Schedule  (Information changes periodically; please refresh your browser upon each visit.)

n.  Email Controls:  Email from the CounterDrug Listserv may be adjusted (changed, deleted, or added) at this web site: Email Controls

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