Cost of addiction on families and more; news roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• $15 million complex 
to open in August, avoids jail-like setting (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)  The new facility is a reflection of a collaborative effort among police, schools and the court that has made Clayton a national model for keeping kids out of jail.
• Illinois lawmakers raise high school drop out age (wrex.com) Belvidere Superintendent Michael Houselog says he wants to see kids in schools, and that the district is working to accomplish that goal. Guilford High School rising senior Max James says students will pick school over breaking the law.
• At-risk youths achieve in San Angelo, Texas (gosanangelo.com)  A $154,000 grant was awarded to the Tom Green County Juvenile Justice Department earlier this year to address the needs of children ages 6 through 13. The goal was to identify problems in school or the household before students ended up on juvenile probation.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars
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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• The Cost of addiction on families (Forbes)  Drug addiction and alcoholism are addictions that most people are familiar with, but there are many addictions families suffer from.
• Easing of pot laws poses challenge for parents (Chicago Sun Times)  A marijuana opponent with a just-say-no philosophy says the “drug talk” is increasingly difficult as more states allow medical marijuana or decriminalize its use. Colorado and Washington State have measures on their Nov. 6 ballot that would go a further step and legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults.
• Grieving father offers teens money not to drink  (CNN) Teens can go online and sign a pledge to not drink until they are 21 and not get into a car with someone who has been drinking. Toward the end of their senior year, if they have not been convicted of underage possession of alcohol, they are eligible to submit a scholarship application
• Alcohol brands test age-checking tool on Twitter (Drugfree.org)  On Facebook, users enter their birthdates when they sign up. On Twitter, some alcohol brands ask users to direct-message their birthdates. Others state that when users follow a brand, they are confirming they are at least 21. Some brands have decided to stay away from Twitter, while liquor marketer Diageo has created its own age-checking tool.

Lori Howell is a Senior Associate at Prichard Communications. She is a seasoned public affairs practitioner with a background in public policy, fundraising, and education. Lori helps clients with online editorial services, media relations, and publications. Before joining Prichard Communications, she served as chief of staff for Greg Macpherson, a former Oregon state legislator, an account executive for the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit educational testing consortium, and once taught English in Choshi, Japan.