North Inland Substance Use Prevention - NISUP

Today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

NISUP has been busy hosting workshops and distributing free naloxone as part of a countywide effort to prevent overdose deaths. It’s already paying off, as shown by a significant drop in the number of overdose deaths in the last year.

Imagine how far the number could go down if everyone were as familiar with naloxone as they are with fire extinguishers.

We’re doing our best to make that happen in the San Diego County’s North Inland region by handing out a nasal-spray version of the drug at least once a month at each of the county libraries in 4S Ranch, Borrego Springs, Fallbrook, Poway, Ramona, and Valley Center. We do the same on Palomar College’s Escondido, Fallbrook, Rancho Bernardo, and San Marcos campuses.

This video shows how easy it is to administer naloxone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nurz9qPGKws

If you’d like to obtain naloxone, host or attend a workshop, or help establish another monthly distribution site, DM us or comment below, or call (858) 393-9303.

And if you’re curious how National Fentanyl Awareness Day came about, check out:
https://www.songforcharlie.org/



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It's here - the event that makes it super-easy to get rid of old, unused or unneeded Rx medications! All it takes is three simple steps:

* Gather your unwanted medications
* Take them to any Take Back drop-off site
* Hand them to a law enforcement rep who will make sure those Rx medications are disposed of safely - no questions asked.

To make it even easier, we're sharing this list of the drop-off sites available today in our part of San Diego County. (If you're in another part of the county, scroll down for a full list of the region's Take Back sites.)

We're baaaaack...and ready to give away more naloxone at the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center, where volunteers are setting up one of their weekly food distributions.

If you're in the area and would like some of the nasal spray that stops opioid overdoses, come on by!

Mark your calendars - the federal Drug Enforcement Agency will help with spring cleaning Saturday, April 25, by hosting a National Prescription Drug Take Back.

It’s a free and easy way to safely dispose of old or unused prescription medications currently in your home. Just gather them up and take them to one of roughly two dozen collection sites that will be open around the county, during the Take Back.

It’s a great way to help keep prescription meds out of the wrong hands!

ACTION. Public health progress happens when we turn ideas into action by supporting policies, programs and partnerships that improve health for everyone. Let’s take ACTION for healthier communities everywhere.



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Hosting young guests this Easter? Make sure any cannabis edibles you might have are locked up before guests arrive.

The California Poison Control Center says cannabis-related calls have more than doubled since 2016, with the biggest jumps involving kids and teens. Edibles often look just like familiar candy or cookies, making them hard for curious hands to resist.

Even small amounts can make kids seriously sick. So keep edibles in a locked spot, out of sight and reach.

If a child does get into them, watch for trouble signs like dizziness, confusion, vomiting, or slow breathing - and call 911 right away if you suspect an overdose.



Photo designed by Freepik, www.freepick.com

If you have one or more teen children, you might want to have them check out this 30‑minute, safe‑driving course created by UCSD’s TREDS program and the California Office of Traffic Safety.

It’s free, totally online, and designed to help new drivers understand the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol or cannabis.

https://treds.ucsd.edu/programs/general-public/impaired-driving/impaired-driving-teens/index.html

Teens: Alcohol and Cannabis Teens: Alcohol and Cannabis landing page

Parents, it's National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week! That makes this a great time to make sure your kids know the dangers of alcohol & drug use. Visit https://www.samhsa.gov/talk-they-hear-you for tips on how to start the conversation. (Image by Freepik)

We jumped at the chance to do another va**ng workshop this month. This one was at Pauma K-8 School, which is part of the Pauma Unified School District. Students asked tons of questions, and really got into the interactive tasks that helped demonstrate the potential side effects of va**ng cannabis.

Anyone interested in hosting a similar workshop at a middle or high school in San Diego's North Inland region is welcome to reach out to us at (858) 391-9303!

Our San Marcos Youth Advocacy Coalition members did a great job leading an impactful alcohol and va**ng prevention workshop for the freshman AVID class at Mission Hills High School.

Participants were engaged, thoughtful, and committed to the message. And the momentum is growing - other MHHS student groups are asking for workshops too!

Two of our Youth Advocacy Coalition members teamed up with our prevention specialist, Myriam Padilla, to hand out free naloxone kits at the 4S Ranch Library. In just two hours, they shared more than 40 of the two‑dose kits, which reverse opioid overdoses.

Inland North County businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, clubs, apartment complexes, and community groups interested in hosting a naloxone distribution are invited to reach out to Myriam at (760) 505‑1241.



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