ACE is pleased to announce the successful launch of the Inhalant Abuse Prevention Program in Illinois! 

The launch of the statewide initiative took place on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at the Union League Club of Chicago. Through key, strategic state partners such as the Illinois Poison Control Center, the Illinois School Counselor Association, and Prevention First, ACE will be able to get its Inhalant Abuse Prevention Kit into every school district and community throughout Illinois. This expanded distribution will enable more parents to become educated about inhalant abuse and equip them with the knowledge and tools necessary to speak to their kids about the dangers of this activity.

Several disturbing statistics led ACE to target Illinois as its next state initiative.  The Illinois Department of Health and Human Services recently released statistics that indicated children in Illinois were abusing inhalants at a significantly higher level than their national peers.  8th grade and 12th grade students in Illinois reported use levels at least twice the national level while 10th grade students’ monthly use of inhalants was one and a half times the national rate.

The launch included a very prominent panel of non-profit organizations, industry and a parent who lost his 15-year old son to inhalants. Representatives of medical groups and key state agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services, were also involved in the official program launch. (Link).

Media coverage was strong and widely distributed across a variety of means. Coverage included local television affiliates of ABC, CBS, and FOX, radio interviews, and print coverage such as the Daily Herald (Links).  Several magazines will also be covering ACE’s initiative, including Prevention First Magazine and Chicago Parent Magazine.

PSA News

ACE’s message of inhalant abuse prevention is expanding its reach to a diverse audience due to several new Public Service Announcement (PSA) opportunities. 

In June, ACE piloted a new method of reaching its target audience with “Silence”, a PSA ACE developed with Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The Eastern Aerosol Association (EAA), a diverse group representing regional, national and international aerosol marketers/retailers, suppliers, contractors and consultants, assisted ACE by allowing it to showcase its PSA at a minor league baseball game in Hartford, Connecticut. The EAA leveraged its existing relationship with the New Britain Rock Cats, the Minnesota Twins’ minor league baseball team, to incorporate ACE’s PSA into its “Baseball in Education” day. ACE is working to expand this pilot program to all minor league stadiums in 2008.

Falcon Safety Products, a leading manufacturer of compressed gas computer dusters, has graciously donated a series of inhalant abuse prevention PSAs to ACE. Thanks to Falcon’s generosity, ACE’s preventative message will now be circulating among a wider audience through marketing to both traditional and new media. 

ACE Labeling Initiative

In 2004, ACE instituted a voluntary labeling initiative after noting the wide difference in inhalant abuse prevention warning language that appeared on various consumer products. The number of companies involved in this initiative has more than doubled since that time and ACE is working to increase this even further through expanded outreach to new companies and corporations.

The suggested language is as follows:  Use only as directed.  Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal.  Help stop inhalation abuse. For more information visit www.inhalant.org. 

Increased Visibility:

ACE has and will continue to attend several conferences in 2007 to increase ACE’s exposure to new audiences and highlight important messages.

radKIDS® : ACE was recently approached by radKIDS®, an organization dedicated to children’s safety and education, to take part in the 2007 Possibilities: A Children’s Safety Symposium.  This national conference was designed to offer quality training and information on topics and model programs of interest to leaders in the health and safety of the nation’s children. ACE was asked to host an inhalant abuse prevention workshop to the diverse audience.  Due to ACE’s participation in the symposium, there has been an increase in inhalant abuse prevention kits, brochures and FAQ sheets; as well as positive feedback from various divisions of the Massachusetts law enforcement.

NIDA: ACE recently attended the 2007 National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Forum. The annual conference brings together researchers from all across the globe to discuss new trends in substance abuse issues. Recently, NIDA has been taking a stronger approach to increasing or expanding research on inhalant abuse. Through this forum, the collective work of the researchers will assist ACE in developing even stronger methods of inhalant abuse prevention.    

ACE Inhalant Abuse Prevention Kit

ACE’s Inhalant Prevention Kit is now in its 4th printing!  The popularity of the Kit has grown even more since it became electronically available for download from the www.inhalant.org website for free.  Please note, a Spanish version of the Kit will be available online in July.  These developments, combined with new partnerships, continue to make ACE’s materials easily accessible via a wide distribution.