Teenage marijuana use

Dr. Peter Provet, president of Odyssey House, responds to a recent article on the steep increase in daily marijuana use among high school students.

To the Editor:

Re “Regular Marijuana Use by High School Students Hits New Peak, Report Finds” (news article, Dec. 15):

That daily marijuana use among high school students has reached a 30-year peak is an alarming statistic but not a surprising one. Research has been logging an upward trend in the drug’s use for several years, at the same time showing a downward or plateauing trend in misuse by adolescents of other drugs like heroin and crack cocaine. But these trends have little or no effect on the teenage user whose life is spinning out of control.

Youths who abuse marijuana fill adolescent treatment centers with tragically similar stories of emotional and academic disruption. While most teenage marijuana users do not need treatment, the drug’s effect on their lives can still be significant.

Given an escalation of use, it is these youngsters we risk losing — only this time it won’t be to heroin or cocaine but to a new, highly potent strain of marijuana that is unrecognizable to earlier generations. As the effect of medical marijuana becomes fully realized, will policy makers have the courage to limit its proliferation?

PETER PROVET
President and Chief Executive
Odyssey House
New York, Dec. 19, 2011

Graduates prove that treatment works

Odyssey House staff, current and former residents, and friends and family members recently gathered at the Manor Family Center to commemorate a significant milestone in our residents’ recovery: graduation.

The ceremony included opening remarks by Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet, a keynote speech by NYS Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, and the presentation of the CASAC of theYear award to recreational services coordinator Andre Matthews.



From left: Odyssey House COO John Tavolacci, Andre Matthews,
Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, and Dr. Peter Provet

In his address to the graduates, their families, staff, and supporters, Dr. Provet called the event “a night of achievement,” both for the men and women who have overcome addiction and are now pursuing healthy and productive lives, and the continued role of long-term residential treatment in saving the lives of individuals with life-threatening substance abuse problems.

“With national healthcare reform well underway, all forms of substance abuse treatment are under review and discussion … there must always be a place for intensive residential treatment. You here today are living examples of its life-saving value.” (To read the full text of Dr. Provet’s remarks, click here.)

Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez recognized Odyssey House as an “innovative national leader” in the treatment field. “Odyssey House is always in the forefront of developing new systems of care for the betterment of the people we serve.” Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez also congratulated the graduates, saying, “Your recovery is a tribute to your strength and it is a tribute to programs like Odyssey House.”

Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez also presented the CASAC of the Year award to Andre Matthews, thanking him for his service and dedication to New Yorkers with substance use and mental health problems. Click here to see the video.