By Priscilla Moore
MATFORCE’s September 9th Annual Arizona Drug Summit “Uniting for Solutions” was a one-day education on the latest trends seen by law enforcement, the most up to date prevention and treatments, and testimonies of hope and recovery. The day was filled with knowledgeable speakers and several provocative panel discussions. Mistresses of Ceremony were Sheila Polk, Chair of MATFORCE and (retired) Yavapai County Attorney, and Dawn Mertz, Director of Arizona’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
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Sheila Polk asked each panelist what one suggestion they have that would move the needle to stop drugs. In response, a chief chemist for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) urged the audience to “share everything learned in this room today, and treat everything as deadly.” That is the reason I wrote this article – to inform, motivate and provide you with tools and resources so you can also help. In spite of the serious subject matter, I enjoyed the summit, and left better educated, inspired and hopeful because I am better-armed with tools to help our communities.
We met in Chandler, Arizona at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, Arizona, the preceded the night before with the Arizona premier screening of the documentary “THC Inc. What Happens When Marijuana Goes Legal?” attended by about 100 people.
The summit was hosted and moderated by MATFORCE Arizona. MATFORCE is a primary prevention organization with a corporate office located in Prescott Valley, Arizona, but with a presence throughout the state. Assisting was the Arizona National Guard Counter-drug Task Force, who handled the set up and acted as hosts. The impressive list of speakers and panelists included physicians, several state and national law-enforcement agency experts, parents who have lost children, people who have recovered from addiction and Kevin Sabet, the keynote speaker, author of several books, and co-producer of “THC Inc.” documentary. NBC News refers to Dr. Sabet as a “prodigy of drug politics.”
Summit Attendees:
The over 500 attendees included members of public and private groups such as:
- Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)
- The Pathway Program
- Arizona Families First (a division of Catholic charities)
- Mojave Substance Treatment, Education, and Prevention Partnership
- Metro Phoenix Partners in Prevention
- The Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family
- A former prosecutor for the City of Phoenix
- AZ Mad Moms
- And, most important, people with friends or family members in addiction and recovery and parents who have lost children due to addiction and or accidental overdose.
Vendors and Sponsors included:
- Every Brain Matters
- The Center for the Future of Arizona
- The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (a sponsor)
The Overall focus was an update on drugs and addiction in general.
Discussion centered around marijuana and the newer urgent problem of Kratom which is a highly addictive drug marketed to children at gas stations throughout the state. Kratom, also known as 7OH, is said to be so dangerous that some consider it to be, in effect, legal heroin. Also discussed were the latest trends in the health insurance industry as it pertains to addiction.
- The summit’s soft start Tuesday evening began with a screening and panel discussion of the of the documentary “THC Inc.: What Happens When Marijuana Goes Legal?” Kevin Sabet, PHD., Founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), and the summit’s keynote speaker the following day. Sally Schindel, a panelist, referred to a 2017 Federal Court order for Phillip Morris USA, et. al. (Big Tobacco) to print a statement in the Wall Street Journal admitting nicotine to be harmful, and that cigarettes were intentionally designed with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction. I met Josh Azevedo, LISAC, Executive Director of The Pathway Program. He said “I’ve provided addiction counselling for thirty years, and almost every one of my patients began [their addiction] with marijuana.”
Points and Solutions covered at the THC Inc. Screening and panel discussion:
- Legalized marijuana has become an addiction-for-profit industry
- The availability of legal marijuana has not replaced the illegal market.
- Educate your elected representatives of the damages and dangers from legalized marijuana
- Dangerous levels of mold, pesticides and bacteria are often contained in legal marijuana supplies
- Both Massachusetts and Maine have the question of making THC illegal again on the ballot
- Face the fact that it is marketed to children
- Regulate shapes and color of THC gummies to be unattractive to children, and thereby avoid unintended ingestions
Sabet said “we must have the courage to question the orthodoxy [claiming marijuana is safe] and the courage to talk about it …we are fighting for peoples’ wills to live. Our North Star is a culture of prevention and a climate of recovery…true freedom is the ability to say no to something that previously enslaved you…” and “why do we allow the marijuana industry to get away with things we would never allow the tobacco industry?”
The morning began with Jake White’s fun presentation “Drumming Up Hope in Prevention,” that included a lively and entertaining drum solo and audience participation. Jake White is a national speaker and expert in the field of youth drug prevention. He is the co-founder of Vive18 – a youth drug prevention initiative, and Party.O. a movement dedicated to sober events.
Next, Kevin Sabet, PHD., President & CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana gave the keynote address “One Nation Under the Influence: America’s Drug Habit and How We Can Overcome It.”
Another segment covered state and national perspectives on the current drug threats. Dr. Lisa Villaroel, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer for Public Health, Arizona Department of Health (DHS) addressed Arizona’s overdose trends.
Trends in Overdose in Arizona
Arizona overdose trends have recently diverged from US trends, where overdoses in all other states are trending down. In Arizona, the number of overdose cases are on the rise. So far, experts are perplexed and don’t yet have an explanation for this discrepancy.
Dr. Villaroel reported that the main catalyst ingredient in overdose deaths in Arizona is meth. The highest rates of overdose are in the rural counties like La Paz County which also has the highest suicide rate in Arizona. Men aged 35 to 44 appear to be the affected the most. While the highest rate of fatalities among cases of overdose occur amongst the White population, the overall rates of overdose within the Black and Native American communities is the highest. Most victims have finished high school and have had some college. Most incidents take place in a home or in a residential setting. One in four overdose victims are homeless.
Dr. Villaroel also spoke about of legislating Kratom, a highly-addictive drug that is derived from a flower found on trees in Southeast Asia, and available in Arizona’s gas stations. Another name for Kratom is “7OH.” So far, this potent and dangerous substance is allowed in foods here, and legally marketed to children. This issue must be addressed immediately, since it is also considered to be as dangerous as heroin, but is legal. Some states recently made Kratom illegal.
Next, Sheila Polk moderated a panel discussion “Arizona at a Crossroads: Rising Opioid, Psychostimulant and Kratom Overdose Deaths.” Panelists urged the audience to:
- Involve legislators to create laws to reign in drugs and Kratom
- Talk to our elected reps to change or modify laws
- A law enforcement panelist said to “clamp down on black market marijuana to our kids – go after the whole bunch – [through law enforcement, policy, advocacy, treatment] – attack all aspects…Begin with marijuana.”
- Physicians said to talk to your children, and
- Improve the behavioral health education licensure. Best practices requirements in behavioral health organizations should be reviewed and updated. See SB1814 substance use disorder treatment; committee
- Insurance coverage should expand to include long-term treatment
Next, speaker Kenneth Finn, MD, Pain Medicine Specialist asked “Is There a Link Between Marijuana and Violence?” Dr. Finn stated that a lot of the people that committed violent crimes have a history of marijuana use, and gave examples. Dr. Finn’s Suggestions and Findings include:
- Educate your elected representatives of the damages and dangers resulting from legalized marijuana
- Test for cannabis use in all Arizona violent crime incidents
- Put caps on THC products
- Write law to mandate testing for THC in all violent crime cases
- Examine and update the qualifications of being a salesperson “budtender” in dispensaries
- Introduce THC potency caps (there are currently no caps in AZ)
- Ad warning and precautionary labeling
- Product integrity
- Requirement and ability to recall products
- Consumer Protection: Consumers must provide name, phone number etc. to protect the consumer in case of a recall
- K2 is synthetic cannabis
Dr. Finn’s presentation was followed by a strong and inspiring testimony of recovery where the person expressed thanks to his family and others for standing by and supporting him. Merilee Fowler, CEO of MATFORCE presented several “Keeping Hope Alive Awards” to Arizonans making a positive impact, and the summit was closed by Jake White on “Carrying Hope Forward.”
I found the entire program to be very powerful and moving. I left the summit inspired and energized, and with new friends in the battle to protect our children and communities. I recommend the MATFORCE Annual Drug Summit to anyone interested in learning about this subject and meet other heroes working for the health and safety of our families and communities.
Resources and links:
https://matforce.org/about-us/
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (learnaboutsam.org)
THC, Inc.: What Happens when Marijuana Goes Legal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyD02y6D9e0
ONE NATION UNDER THE INFLUENCE
https://party0.org/author/jakeaverywhitegmail-com/
https://everybrainmatters.org/
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