PPAC CentralACASA Celebrating 50 Years of Service to Allegany County.
The Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc. (ACASA) is celebrating its 50th year in service to Allegany County. The agency was established in 1973 as an information and referral service for residents of Allegany County. Since then, the agency has grown into three primary areas of service. These divisions are Outpatient Clinical Services, Prevention Education, and Residential Services.
Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc. began to provide formalized counseling services in 1975. The need for these services continued to grow over the next few years. Then in the early 1980’s the clinical services for Allegany Council received licensure by the State of New York for the provision of Substance Abuse counseling services. Over the next 40 years Allegany Council’s clinical services continued to maintain its licensure from New York State as a local treatment option for Allegany County Residents.
Today Allegany Council’s Outpatient Clinic provides multidisciplinary treatment to any person either referred or self-directed whose lives have been affected by alcohol and/or substance abuse. All our full-time counselors are licensed or certified by New York State and are available to deliver a wide range of evidence-based services. The clinic also has a Physician and nursing staff for the provision of Medically Assisted Treatment for opioid and other substance abuse addiction. We have added New York State certified Peer Advocates to our staff to help with outreach and engagement in the community.
The Prevention program really began to grow in 1977. At this time the Prevention Education program began to start its outreach into the schools to initiate prevention education programs for school teachers and other school personnel. The Prevention Education program has continued to grow over the years and continues to expand its scope of service. The Prevention Program has grown to the point of providing New York State certified staff directly to the schools for the provision of evidence-based curriculum activities to 11 Allegany County school districts. This department also provides outreach to community agencies for prevention and education on Substance Abuse. This service to Allegany County is spearheaded by a community coalition called Partners for Prevention in Allegany County or PPAC.
The Residential division for the Allegany Council was established in 1986, the Trapping Brook Halfway House in Wellsville. This Community Residence had a capacity of 15 beds to provide service for those individuals in recovery. The Residential Program continued to grow and in 1990, Supportive Living facilities were added to the continuum of care for Allegany Council. The Supportive Living program provides a place for individuals that have successfully completed halfway house treatment, to continue their recovery in a safe, sober environment. Currently Allegany Council continues to provide both services and currently operates a 17 bed Community Residence along with 8 Supportive Living beds in the community.
Allegany Council is an active member of the Allegany County community-based providers and works closely with many of the local social service agencies directly or through local coalitions. If you would like more information on Allegany Council, please go to alleganycouncil.org or ppaccentral.org. We would be happy to answer any questions or provide referral information, just email us at info@alleganycouncil.org or call the Outpatient Clinic at 585-593-6738.
Marijuana Extracts: THC Concentrates
Shatter, wax, honeycomb, oil, crumble, sap, budder, and pull-and-snap are some of the nicknames for cannabis extracts. According to the 2019 Street Drugs Identification Guide, an anonymous undercover DEA informant told a news outlet, “There is no weed out there that possesses the punching power that wax does. It’s like smoking 20 joints of the best grade of weed that you have into one hit of the wax.”
A marijuana concentrate is also a highly potent THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) concentrated mass that is most similar in appearance to either honey or butter, which is why it is referred to or known on the street as “honey oil” or “budder.”
Marijuana concentrates contain extraordinarily high THC levels that could range from 40 to 80%. This form of marijuana can be up to four times stronger in THC content than high grade or top-shelf marijuana, which normally measures around 20% THC levels.
One form of abuse occurs orally by infusing marijuana concentrates in various food or drink products, although smoking remains the most popular form of ingestion by use of water or oil pipes.
A disturbing aspect of this emerging threat is the ingestion of concentrates via electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or vaporizers. Many who abuse marijuana concentrates prefer the e-cigarette/vaporizer because it’s smokeless, odorless, and easy to hide or conceal. The user takes a small amount of marijuana concentrate, referred to as “dab”, then heats the substance using the e-cigarette/vaporizer. This produces vapors that ensure an instant “high” effect upon the user. Using an e-cigarette/vaporizer to ingest marijuana concentrates is commonly known as “dabbing” or “vaping.”
Due to this highly concentrated form of marijuana, the effects upon the user may be more psychologically and physically intense than plant marijuana use. To date, long-term effects of marijuana concentrate use are not yet fully known. However, the effects of plant marijuana use include paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, and increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Plant marijuana users may also experience withdrawal and addiction problems.
A recent Operation Parent Webinar entitled “Marijuana: Parenting for Prevention in 2020” addressed the above issue with a PowerPoint presentation, including visuals of the various forms of marijuana listed above. Contact Operation ParentOperation Parent for more information and other valuable resources.
Remember, Prevention Works!
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