:: Oregon Partnership Supports Lawsuit to Stop Sales of Alcoholic Energy Drink

9.7.08 - In hopes of reducing the incidence of underage drinking in the state, Oregon Partnership has enthusiastically supported a suit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest against MillerCoors Brewing Company.

The lawsuit filed yesterday is asking the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to stop MillerCoors from selling its alcoholic energy drink, Sparks.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon HIDTA Releases Drug Threat Assessment and Strategy

8.7.08 - Chris Gibson, Director of the Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, today released the Program’s annual Drug Threat Assessment and Counter-Drug Strategy during a press conference at the Portland Police Bureau’s North East Precinct.

The report indicates that illicit use of marijuana, methamphetamine and prescription pain relievers and stimulants in Oregon exceeds the national per capita average.

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:: Pressure Pays Off: Anheuser-Busch to Stop Selling Alcoholic Energy Drinks

6.27.08 - Oregon Partnership and other advocacy groups around the country are praising the decision by Anheuser-Busch to stop the sale of energy drinks containing alcohol.

The decision was in response to an investigation by state attorneys general about the detrimental health effects of the beverages and the aggressive marketing of the products targeting underage drinkers.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: OP’s Crisis Services Program Gets 25-Thousand Dollar Boost from the Oregon Community Foundation

6.3.08 - Oregon Partnership’s Crisis Services Programs – which helps tens of thousands of Oregonians each year in crisis counseling and treatment referral – has received a 25-thousand dollar grant from the Miller Charitable Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation.

The grant will allow Oregon Partnership to upgrade its database management software that supports the Crisis Services Program, including the four crisis lines that are operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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:: Decoy Operation Nabs More Businesses Selling Alcohol to Minors - Compliance Checks in Multnomah County Show Spike in Illegal Sales Rate

4.21.08 - Some 28% of the selected Multnomah County stores, bars and restaurants involved in Friday’s decoy operation sold alcoholic beverages to minors – the highest rate yet over the past year.

Friday’s illegal sales rate is a 3% increase from February’s compliance checks carried out by Oregon Partnership, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and Multnomah County law enforcement agencies.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Teens Speak Out Against Alcohol Promotion at “Bridge to Bridge” Event

4.18.08 - Students from the Hillsboro community are protesting the re-naming of the “Bridge to Bridge” run/walk Sunday, April 20th and its gratuitous focus on alcohol. Terrapin Events, the run/walk organizers, have changed the name to “Bridge to Bridge…to Brews” and the start and finish points have been relocated to the Widmer Brother’s Brewery.

The teens and their supporters will be gathering at 8:30 a.m. Sunday near the Widmer Brothers Brewery and will be wearing hand-made shirts that read, “Bridge to Bridge… to healthy norms.”

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:: Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Oregon Partnership Team Up To Stop Underage Drinking

4.2.08 - To kick off Alcohol Awareness month, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission presented a check for $10,000 to Oregon Partnership April 2 as part of a joint effort to stop underage drinking.

“Stopping underage drinking is a much bigger issue now than it was twenty years ago,” said Judy Cushing, President and CEO of Oregon Partnership. “We now have research that proves adolescent drinking severely damages a child’s still developing brain. We also know that teens who drink before age 21 are more likely to develop alcohol dependency as adults.”

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:: Town Halls Across Oregon Tackle Underage Drinking As Major Public Health Problem

3.28.08 - With underage drinking continuing to qualify as a leading public health problem across the United States, communities across Oregon are sponsoring town halls throughout the month of April to learn more about the issue and helping to reverse the trend.

Most of the town halls, sponsored by the national Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking, are being put on by various anti-drug coalitions throughout the state.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Liquor Stores Join ‘Face It, Parents’ Youth Anti-Drinking Campaign

3.10.08 - A campaign to warn adults about the perils of underage drinking is going directly to consumers at state liquor stores, with posters and tip cards from the “Face It, Parents” program.

The educational material is being placed at check-out counters in 20 liquor stores in a joint prevention effort by Oregon Partnership, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) Addictions and Mental Health Division and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

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:: Decoy Operation Nabs Retailers Selling Alcohol To Minors - Compliance checks in Multnomah County show illegal sales rate Aa 25%.

2.20.08 - About a quarter of the randomly selected Multnomah County stores, bars and restaurants involved in last Friday’s decoy operation sold alcoholic beverages to minors.

That illegal sales rate is the same as was recorded in last December’s compliance checks carried out by Oregon Partnership, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and Multnomah County law enforcement agencies. But it still shows an illegal sales increase over the past year.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership President/Ceo Judy Cushing Appointed to National Advisory Council on Substance Abuse

1.28.07 - Judy Cushing, one of Oregon’s most effective advocates in the field of substance abuse prevention, has been appointed to serve on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Advisory Council.

The Council advises, consults with and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership’s “Target Meth” Resonates in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties

12.17.07 - A community-based methamphetamine prevention program spearheaded by Oregon Partnership has successfully targeted three Oregon counties, thanks to 45-thousand dollars worth of grants from two Oregon Community Foundation funds.

A 20-thousand dollar Oregon Community Foundation grant came from the William Swindells, Sr. Memorial Fund and a 25-thousand dollar grant from the Paul and Sally McCracken Fund.

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:: Multnomah County Law Enforcement Agencies Team Up to Reduce Alcohol Sales to Minors. Decoy Operations Continue To Get Results.

12.12.07 - Oregon Partnership, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and several Multnomah County law enforcement agencies will conduct compliance checks tonight - using decoys - at some 80 randomly-selected grocery stores, bars, taverns and restaurants in hopes of reducing alcohol sales to minors.

Compliance checks are a proven method to reduce sales of alcohol to underage drinkers. The underage decoys will attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages as part of the operation.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership Calls For “Very Cautious Approach” to OLCC Proposal Allowing Teens Into Music Venues That Serve Alcohol

11.19.07 - Oregon Partnership recommends caution and strict enforcement of a proposed rule change by the OLCC that would allow teens to be admitted to more establishments where alcohol is served.

Local music industry promoters are backing the move, saying teens who want to listen to live music have little opportunity because they are unable to attend venues where drinking is allowed.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Prevention Awards Announced at Oregon Partnership’s Red Ribbon Breakfast of Champions - Celebrating Outstanding Work in Reducing the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs Among Youth

1024.07 - Champions in the field of preventing underage alcohol and other drug abuse were honored today by Oregon Partnership, a statewide non-profit providing substance abuse prevention education.

Three Oregonians and two organizations received the 2007 Oregon Prevention Awards as part of Red Ribbon Week, which was established following the kidnapping and murder of Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent Kiki Camarena at the hands of the Mexican drug cartel.

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:: National Suicide Prevention Week Begins Amidst Troubling Youth Trends

9.10.07 - More than 30,000 people die by their own hands in the United States, compared to an average of 18,000 homicides. And Oregon has the 6th highest suicide rate in the nation. Despite these shocking statistics, the subjects of suicide and suicide prevention are too often ignored.

During National Suicide Prevention Week – September 9th through Septembers 15th – Oregon Partnership is calling attention to ways to prevent suicide, especially in light of the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported this week that suicide among youth between the ages of 15 and 24, jumped 8 percent. That reverses a 28 percent decline for that age group that began in 1990.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Recovery Association Project Presents: Hands Across The Bridge 2007

8.29.07 - Recovery Association Project Presents: Hands Across The Bridge 2007
Celebration Of Addiction Recovery, Saving Lives, Saving Dollars

It has become a Labor Day tradition, as an estimated 2000 residents will celebrate freedom from alcohol and other drug addiction by joining hands to span the Interstate 5 Bridge that connects Oregon and Washington. People in recovery, people supporting loved ones in recovery and those praying for someone who needs recovery will take part in the Labor Day event.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership Warns About New Products Taking Advantage of the Energy Drink Craze

8.15.07 - If you haven’t heard about Rockstar 21, Sparks, Bud Extra and Tilt, you will.

Miller Brewing Company and Anheuser-Busch – the two largest U.S. brewers - are the leading producers of a new alcoholic beverage product capitalizing on the popularity of energy drinks marketed to young people.

Teenagers and young adults are the core consumer groups for energy drinks, and the similarities in containers among the alcoholic and non-alcoholic energy drinks suggest that alcohol producers are marketing alcoholic energy drinks to young people.

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:: Oregon Partnership Lauds Dramatic Disappearance of Meth Labs in State

5.21.07 - 2007 Stats Show Remarkable Progress Following New Rules on Pseudoephedrine Sales – The Strongest in the Nation.

For the first four months of 2007, law enforcement agencies have reported only three known methamphetamine labs in the state – a dramatic drop that can be attributed to a new law requiring doctors’ prescriptions for pseudoephedrine.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership Claims Victory as Anheuser-Busch Drops Spykes

5.18.07 - Good riddance to Spykes, the two-ounce, multi-colored bottles of flavored-malt beverage that Anheuser-Busch began distributing five months ago and immediately became a lighting rod for Oregon Partnership and other groups around the country trying to stem the tide of underage drinking.

Chief Executive August Busch IV announced Thursday at a meeting of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association that the company will stop selling the product “due to its limited volume potential and unfounded criticism.”

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Sales of Alcohol to Minors in Portland Area Trending Downward

Recent Compliance Checks in Multnomah County Finding Fewer Stores, Restaurants, and Bars Making Illegal Sales

With another decoy mission coordinated by Oregon Partnership slated for this summer, it’s apparent that retailers are getting the message about selling alcohol to customers under 21.

For the third consecutive operation carried out by Multnomah County law enforcement officers, the percentage of randomly selected retailers selling alcohol to minors has dropped substantially.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership Optimistic About Underage Drinking Bills in Legislature: “More Folks in Salem Are Getting the Message.”

Legislation cracking down on underage drinking – nothing short of a growing public health hazard - is making notable headway in the Oregon House and Senate. “It seems we’re gaining momentum,” said Oregon Partnership deputy director Pam Erickson, a member of Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers’ Underage Drinking Task Force.

“With a third of Oregon’s 8th graders drinking, we are heartened by the attention given to this problem by our legislators. We all can do something about underage drinking, and it’s great to know Salem is working on it.”

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:: With Spring Break Looming, Oregon Partnership Points to Underage Drinking as Major Health Problem. Calling For Change in Public Attitudes.

On the heels of the U.S. Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking,” Oregon Partnership says TV shows, web sites, and alcoholic beverage companies need to stop promoting spring break binge drinking.

(Portland, Ore.) As research about the neurological dangers of underage drinking becomes more publicized, Oregon Partnership is calling for a change in public attitudes on the acceptance of spring break drinking by college students.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: White House Drug Czar to Release President Bush’s New National Anti-Drug Strategy in Portland, Oregon, and coincide with the official opening of the Union Gospel Mission’s new drug treatment facility.

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush’s “Drug Czar” will release President Bush’s 2007 National Drug Control Strategy during a visit to Portland, Oregon’s Union Gospel Mission drug treatment center on Friday, February 9th. The new National Drug Control Strategy will outline the Administration’s plan for reducing both the demand and supply of illegal drugs and highlight national trends in drug use over the past five years. During the announcement, Director Walters will join local officials to discuss new data which reveal dramatic changes in methamphetamine use in Oregon.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Kohl’s Agrees To Stop Selling Binge Drinking Games!

It didn’t take long for Kohl’s Department Stores to respond to complaints by Oregon Partnership about the sale and promotion of drinking games.

“Be assured that the remaining games are being removed from all Kohl’s stores and online,” said Kohl’s spokeswoman Julie Landro in a call and e-mail to Oregon Partnership President/CEO Judy Cushing.

Read the rest of the news relase.

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:: Oregon Partnership To Retail Stores: Drop The Binge Drinking Games!

Oregon Partnership, a statewide non-profit organization providing alcohol and drug prevention education and treatment referral, has called for national department store chains to stop the irresponsible promotion and sale of drinking games.

During the current holiday season, Kohl’s, the national department store chain with more than 800 locations nationwide – including Portland – is promoting high-risk drinking by selling drinking games involving darts, roulette, and ping-pong.

Read the rest of the news release.

Click here to view the Action Alert.

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:: Oregon Partnership Receives Grants From Oregon Community Foundation For “Target Meth”

Oregon Partnership has received 45-thousand dollars worth of grants from two Oregon Community Foundation funds for methamphetamine prevention. The funds will be used for the implementation of Oregon Partnership’s Target Meth prevention program in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.

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:: Youth Decoy Operation Coordinated by Oregon Partnership

Of the 112 stores, restaurants, bars and taverns visited by multnomah county law enforcement agencies, 26 sold alcohol to minors, which equates to 23%.

Some fourteen teams of police officers, Oregon Liquor Control inspectors, and youth decoys participated in the operation coordinated by Oregon Partnership, the second such mission in the last five months. Last July, a similar operation that targeted 141 businesses found that 38 sold alcohol to youths. That equated to a 28% illegal sale rate.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Young Girls in Oregon Drinking Alcohol at Higher Rates Than Young Boys

A snapshot of underage drinking in Oregon shows that 34% of 8th-grade girls reported drinking alcohol in the last month, compared to 30% of 8th grade boys. Results from the annual Oregon Healthy Teens Survey highlight a recent trend showing that young girls are drinking at higher rates than young boys.

“The statistics reveal the extent of what can rightly be called a public health crisis in our state,” said Judy Cushing, President/CEO of Oregon Partnership, a non-profit organization providing substance abuse prevention education and treatment referral.

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:: Legislators’ Trips to Hawaii and Campaign Contributions From Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association “Part of a Bigger Problem"

(Portland, OR) Oregon Partnership, a state-wide non-profit organization committed to providing drug prevention education and treatment referral, has come down hard on lobbying tactics by members of the Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association.

“This peddling of influence has a profound effect on dealing with one of our top public health issues – underage drinking,” says Judy Cushing, Oregon Partnership Executive Director. “One of the beer industry’s top priorities in Oregon is to prevent the raising of the beer tax, which hasn’t been raised in
nearly 30 years in the state, and is one of the very lowest in the nation. We are at the bottom of the barrel on this issue, and it’s because of the powerful lobbying by the industry.”

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Oregon Partnership Names Pete Schulberg as Communications Director

(Portland, Oregon) Oregon Partnership, a statewide non-profit organization committed to providing alcohol and drug prevention education and treatment referral, has hired one of Portland’s most familiar media names as its communications director.

Pete Schulberg, who has most recently served as spokesman and public information officer for Portland Parks & Recreation, joins the staff of Oregon Partnership after having served two years on its board of directors.

Read the rest of the news release.

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:: Yamhill-Carlton Students to Unveil Drug Prevention Awareness Video

(Yamhill, OR) – A youth-produced video designed to make young people, parents and community leaders aware of the serious issues underlying alcohol, methamphetamine and other drug abuse will premiere Oct. 11 at Yamhill-Carlton High School.

Yamhill-Carlton students helped conceive, write, film and edit the video as part of Oregon Partnership’s award-winning Methamphetamine Awareness Project (MAP). In collaboration with the Northwest Film Center and Oregon Partnership, 25 students worked over the past year to produce a compilation of shorts titled Meth: The Fear Factor; Billy’s Adventure; and MAP: The Introspection.

The video will premiere at a community event scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11. In addition to unveiling the video, Yamhill-Carlton students will recognize community partners and share their perspectives on the importance of raising awareness about the challenges young people face growing up in rural communities.

Click here to read the entire news release

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:: Toolkit Aims to Help Communities Nationwide Push Back Against Meth

As a front-line state battling the methamphetamine problem, Oregon has learned valuable lessons in the fight against this highly addictive drug.

“Tackling Meth: Helping you reduce drug use in your community” contains a comprehensive and user friendly PowerPoint library that can be customized for various audiences. The PowerPoint features information about meth’s broad impacts, how to identify a meth lab, applicable laws and other vital information.

Read the entire news release.

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:: Providence’s Charity Auction Raises Nearly $23,000 for Oregon Partnership’s YouthLine

It was a record-breaking year for Providence Health Plan's annual Charity Auction. Oregon Partnership’s YouthLine was one of two designated beneficiaries to receive a check of $22,894.00 from the auction. The money will go to inform youth-serving agencies across the state about YouthLine’s services.

Click here to view a photo of the check presenting ceremony.

Read the entire News Release

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:: Six Organizations Cooperate to Reduce Alcohol Sales to Youth

This week, 14 teams of police officers, inspectors with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and youth decoys fanned out across Multnomah County to conduct compliance checks of grocery stores, bars and taverns that sell alcohol. Of 141 premises visited by the teams, 38 sold alcohol to the youths. That equates to a 28% illegal sale rate.

It was the first operation of a countywide team that includes the Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Gresham Police Department, Fairview Police Department, Troutdale Police Department and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Read the entire News Release

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:: Teddy Bear/Backpack Campaign Launched for Drug Endangered Children Placed in Foster Care

Even as home meth labs have declined in Oregon, the need for foster care for drug endangered children continues to strain Oregon’s foster care system. Reports from around the state confirm that children rescued from homes in which drugs, especially methamphetamine, are used, continue to be placed in foster care at very high levels.

With the cooperation of state, county and local law enforcement, the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Soroptomist clubs statewide and CARSA, (Community Action to Reduce Substance Abuse), a campaign has been launched to provide Teddy Bears and other new toys, and backpacks filled with clothing and school supplies, to these drug-endangered children placed in foster care.

Read the entire News Release

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:: Veteran Manager Named to Lead DHS Public Affairs office

A state administrator with more than 20 years' experience in public-sector communication work was named Friday as public affairs administrator for the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS).

She is Ann Snyder, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife information and education division administrator for the past four years. The DHS public affairs team is responsible for media and public relations, internal communication, publications and design, Web and related work.

Read the entire News Release

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:: Over 1000 Classroom Teach-Ins to Push Back on Underage Drinking, Targeting Pre-Teens

Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America's youth, exceeding both tobacco and illegal drugs. To stop underage drinking before it starts, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has teamed up with Scholastic, Inc., to educate students in fifth and sixth grades on the dangers of underage alcohol use. Teach-ins in over 1,000 schools across the nation will take place April 3-7.

"The Reach Out Now initiative brings specialized educational materials, including a teaching curriculum and materials for parents, into 5th and 6th grade classrooms across the country," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie. "It helps parents and teachers start talking about underage drinking before their children or students start drinking.

Read the entire News Release

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:: Underage Drinking 2005: Girls Bingeing More
Nation's biggest youth drug problem stays big...

Washington, DC - Binge drinking among girls is growing at a faster rate than boys, according to a new status report on underage drinking in the United States released today by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University. Underage Drinking in the United States, 2005: A Status Report summarizes the most up-to-date, relevant research and data on underage drinking.

Read the entire News Release.

Read the entire Report