Narconon Launches 'Operation Medicine Cabinet' in Georgia - Prescription Drugs Commonly Abused Targeted

/PRNewswire/ -- Operation Medicine Cabinet, a campaign sponsored by Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia and a local Sheriff's department, provides individuals with a safe way to properly dispose of unused and potentially dangerous medication. Proper control and disposal of potentially dangerous medication is vital, due to the trend of prescription drug abuse with youth.

Every day 2,500 youngsters age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time and prescription drugs are more abused by teens than any illicit street drug, except for marijuana. This is according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Kids think that taking prescription drugs and over the counter medication for their next high is safer than street drugs and they are easy to get according to a survey done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). This recent survey found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour and the most common source is their own home or friends.

This same survey found that two thirds of kids report that drugs are used, kept or sold at their school.

These "friends" or classmates providing the drugs are not likely to report the truth about abusing prescription drugs. That truth is that abuse can lead to paranoia, drug addiction, seizures or even death.

The goal of "Operation Medicine Cabinet" is to enlighten the community on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe means to curtail it. Some kids will already need treatment and their families will be provided with information as to how to get it.

Mary Rieser, the Director of Narconon of Georgia stated, "We used to look to the schools to provide drug education. Now, statistics show that the schools actually need our help. Obviously, with so many drugs passing hands at school, the kids are not learning the truth about prescription drug abuse and many of their parents are unwittingly contributing to it. 'Operation Medicine Cabinet' provides an outside source of help to schools, kids and parents. If this campaign is aggressively run in every major city we can make a huge dent on the prescription drug abuse problem. Too many kids are getting addicted and too many have died. It is time to do something about it."

For more information on "Operation Medicine Cabinet" and how you can have this campaign in your community, contact Narconon of Georgia at 770-379-0208.

Note: We received several emails regarding this article indicating it was linked to Scientology. We did a bit of brief research and here are some links and intros with further information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narconon
Narconon was established February 19, 1966 as a drug-rehabilitation program based on "The Fundamentals of Thought" by L. Ron Hubbard and delivered to drug abusers in the Arizona State Prisons. The name "Narconon" originally referred not to an organization but to the program. Its creator was William C. Benitez, a former inmate at Arizona State Prison who had served time for narcotics offenses.[2] His work was supported by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and in 1972 Hubbard sponsored the incorporation of Narconon as an organization.[3] It was co-founded by Benitez and two Scientologists, Henning Heldt and Arthur Maren.
The Narconon website reports that from its inception the program promoted an approach to rehabilitation without recourse to alternative drugs. This early program did not, however, deal directly with withdrawal symptoms. In 1973, the Narconon program adopted procedures to include drug-free withdrawal, using vitamins and mineral supplements in tandem with training procedures adapted from basic courses in Scientology.[3]

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/

http://www.narconon.org/ (Read "About" and "History")

-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia

Gas Chambers Still an Option in Several Georgia Counties

Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare is trying to reintroduce to our state lawmakers last year's bill (House Bill 1060) to shut down the remaining carbon monoxide gas chambers used to kill homeless dogs, cats, puppies and kittens in Georgia shelters. The law, if passed, would make lethal injection the only approved method of killing homeless pets.

See, at bottom, a list of the Georgia counties and cities still using gas chambers.

We need to act quickly and effectively to garner support among our state legislators. A peaceful demonstration on the front lawn/stairs of the State Capitol is one way to draw attention to our bill and to the barely-known issue of gas chambers.

DETAILS OF THE DEMONSTRATION

Date: Thursday, February 26th (rain or shine!)
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: State Capitol (the gold dome) main entrance on Washington Street downtown Atlanta
Directions: Exit 248A off I-75/85. Take MLK toward the gold dome, cross over Washington Street and through the next light to parking garage on right
Bring: posters saying "Ban Gas Chambers" or whatever you'd like to say, so long as you do not use profanity or say anything that will get us thrown out. No sticks/stakes, just poster board or foam core, hand-held.

Our goal is 100 people. That should be easy! We have 100x that many animal advocates in Georgia! We need to show our state lawmakers that the humane treatment of homeless pets is a high priority for many Georgia voters. Please don't use work as an excuse to not attend. We all work, but we all take a day off now and then. What better use of a personal day, a vacation day or a sick day will you ever have than this? Make your plans today and ask your boss for the day off. What does it say to the animals and to our legislators if this issue isn't worth one day off work to many, if not all of, Georgia's animal advocates? One day off to possibly end the torture of gas chambers. How can you say no? Please don't. Please be part of this important movement!

The State of Tennessee banned gas chambers a few years ago because a shelter worker died of co2 poisoning. The State of Virginia passed a ban on its gas chambers last year. "Davie's Bill" is pending in North Carolina at this moment. But Grace's Bill hasn't even been introduced to Georgia's General Assembly yet. We need your help to make it happen!

To learn more about gas chambers, visit the website of Animal Law Coalition:

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/gas-chambers

Here's what Animal Control Officer, Linda Cordry, in Liberty County had to say about the gas chamber she used before her local elected officials made the humane decision to switch to lethal injection:

"The gas chamber is simply a torture device for both animal and human alike. I hate that thing with a passion. It is NOT a humane way to put animals to sleep. It is not humane for those of us that have to witness its use! To hear the piteous cries that come from within that monstrous machine is unnerving at best. At least with lethal injections, you get to hold and wish these animals a safe journey to the bridge. You get to apologize for all the horrors they've had to endure at human hands. After all it is OUR fault they were born, not theirs. I wish I could make everyone understand the pain and sorrow I live with for having done my job (being made to use the gas chamber for so long). I still have nightmares about all the innocents lost over the years."

Whether or not you can attend the demonstration, PLEASE CALL OR WRITE TO YOUR STATE SENATOR AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE TO EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED BAN ON GAS CHAMBERS! Here's how to find out who are your Senator and Representative and how to contact them:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg /dbq/officials/?lvl=L

Input your zip code. Then click on 'State' elected officials. Then input your full address. Then you'll see, under Sonny Perdue's name, the names of your Senator and House Representative. Then go to this website to get their contact information, bios, etc.:

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/

List of Counties and Cities still using gas chambers (to the best of our knowledge... there may be others):

Ashburn, GA
Barnesville, GA
Bulloch County
Butts County
Cordele, GA
Cuthbert, GA
Vienna, GA
Haralson County
Lanier County
Lowndes County
Macon, GA (City Council voted June 2008 to stop using its chamber July 1, 2009)
Mitchell County
Pulaski County
Spalding County
Sumter County
Warner Robins, GA

Thank you for reading and for joining the cause to spare our homeless pets prolonged and painful death by suffocation.



-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Beauty Pageant Brings Abuse Into the Light and Enables Women to Come Out of the Shadows and Win Their Life Back

PRNewswire/ -- The Mrs. Globe Pageant crowned a new Ms. North America, Cammie McBrayer of Marietta, Georgia, to help empower women across the nation to say no to abuse. Cammie feels honored that the people of the world voted for her as the "people's choice" to represent North America in the upcoming Mrs. Globe Pageant to become the international spokesperson for the W.I.N. Foundation.

The Mrs. Globe Pageant is an international pageant that is unique; it is a fundraiser for the W.I.N. (Women in Need) Foundation. W.I.N. is a non-profit outreach for abuse recovery and offers a 20-week abuse and self-esteem recovery program for women, men and children called the Right Living Program, which was founded by Dr. Tracy Kemble in 1995 (http://www.womeninneed.org/). As Ms. North America, Cammie will have the opportunity to have a Right Living Program weekend in her area during the upcoming year.

Ms. North America is also hosting "Kids helping Kids, Party with a Purpose" on November 21, 2008. There will be a DJ and a lot of dancing; over 100 12- and 13-year-olds are expected to attend, with a goal of $3,000 to benefit W.I.N.'s International Christmas for Kids Campaign. The kids will have the opportunity to see video from a past Christmas for Kids, so they get a firsthand view of the change that their fundraiser has made in kids' lives throughout the world.

Cammie's goal is to create an organization in the South to assist and empower women that have been through traumatic changes. This would be done through education, image consulting and through the Right Living Principals created by founder Dr. Tracy Kemble: the ultimate connection of mind, body and spirit.

As a national titleholder, Cammie will compete internationally in August 2009 for the coveted title of Mrs. Globe. Her dream is to take this campaign globally to help women reinvent themselves, so they have the power to overcome poverty and provide a strong, safe environment for their families. If you would like more information, please contact cammie@cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com.

Keep track of Cammie's progress in her mission to help women and families overcome abuse; visit her website: http://cammiemcbrayermsnorthamerica.com/.

-----
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page