Online Marijuana Course offers CEU Credits

A Three Week Online Course Offered Monthly

Designed for

Those Dedicated to Addressing the Problem of Recreational Drug Use and Addiction in America

NOTE: Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D. is an Educator, Writer, Strategist, Online Publisher (including http://GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com ), and Instructor, Auburn University Outreach Online Courses:

Course registration fee is $300. (Please inquire about a discount if five individuals or more from the same organizations register.) Registrants are eligible for 3 CEUs. Register online at http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/opce/marijuana.htm or call to register: 334-844-5100. The course is sponsored by Auburn University’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education.

Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D., GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com , Washington, D.C. and

Course Instructor for a new course on marijuana being offered

by Auburn University’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education

The instructor will be teaching the course in asynchronous time which means that those taking the course can complete assignments each week when it is convenient for them to do so. It is not necessary to be online at specific times each week.

The course has been designed to help arm those who are working to stop the legalization of marijuana with the understanding and knowledge they need concerning the research findings regarding the harmfulness of marijuana and the impacts on marijuana use on society. The course has also been designed to help expand the knowledge and understanding of those who are working to address the problem of recreational drug use and addiction in America so that they can be as successful as possible in their efforts. The course is also designed to help those in the position of public responsibility understand what policy and program options have been working and what options might be tried to achieve the hoped for outcome of diminishing the amount of recreational drug use in America.

The course, offered under the auspices of Auburn University’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education, will be offered in the future.

More About the Course:

Participants in the course will study material drawn from a wide range of freely accessible resources including among others, the instructor’s website, GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com the PopPot.org website, the Smart Approaches to Marijuana (learnaboutSAM.org) website, and the website of the National Families for Action and their weekly mailer, The Marijuana Report.

Topics to be addressed include the following:

· The need to defend the brain while nurturing mental and physical well-being: The need to foster a mental and public health approach to addressing the challenges of drug use and addiction;

· An extraordinary look at the addiction cycle: A look at the lessons and insights that can be drawn from a videotaped exchange between Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Dalai Lama that took place in Dharamshala, on October 30, 2013, the morning of Day 3 of a series of workshop programs on addiction. See the link at Dalai Lama on Mind and Life: Craving, Desire and Addiction. It is fascinating to note some of the similar take-aways that can be found in a twenty-minute video entitled “Ultra Potent Pot: Growing Risks and Impacts.”

· Comprehensive coordinated strategies aimed at stopping the use of marijuana and other psychoactive and addictive substances in the US: Proposed comprehensive and coordinated public health-oriented strategies involving all sectors of society, including government, the justice system, and educational institutions.

Register online at http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/opce/marijuana.htm or call to register: 334-844-5100.

The course registration fee is $300. Participants will be eligible for 3 CEU credits. Registrants will want to check with their professional associations or accrediting institutions to ascertain the acceptability of these credits. To register, call 334-844-5100.

About the Instructor

The Instructor for the course is Paula D. Gordon, Ph.D. Dr. Gordon has been involved in the drug abuse prevention and drug policy fields for many decades. She had a non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. That organization focused on addressing the drug problem particularly as it was affecting youth and young adults in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. At that time, she wrote a Guide to Ideas on Drug Abuse Policies and Programs. The Guide is still being distributed by the U.S. Education Resources Information Center. (A copy is accessible at GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com). Dr. Gordon was a major contributor to a White Paper on the Drug Problem prepared for the Domestic Affairs Council Staff of the White House. That was at a time in the early ‘70s when there was no Federal coordinating effort overseeing drug abuse prevention programs and policies. She later served as a full-time consultant in the Office of the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, when NIMH was given initial responsibilities for overseeing drug prevention efforts, the recommendation that she had initially made to the White House Domestic Affairs Council staff. She served as the full-time staff person to the Federal Drug Abuse Prevention Coordinating Committee. She also played a role in initiating and shaping the legislation that gave rise to the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP) in the Executive Office of the President. SAODAP took the place of the Federal Drug Abuse Prevention Coordinating Committee. Later, SAODAP was replaced by the Office for National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Her past experience in government has also included drug abuse prevention-related contracting and consulting roles with the Department of Justice. Owing to her efforts, a set of three Regional Conference on “Alternatives to Drugs” was held under the auspices of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. In addition, she was the major contributor to the “War on Drugs” policy paper in George H.W. Bush’s campaign for President.

A substantial website of her work can be found at GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com. Included among the articles, presentations, and reports is a 33-page list of references on the harmful effects of on marijuana.

Some of her work that is posted there includes the following:

A Case for Protecting the Brain: Keeping the Federal Controlled Substances Act in Place and Providing Non-Punitive, Justice System-Based Public Health Options to Address the Use of Marijuana, Opiates, and Other Psychoactive and Mood-Altering Drugs in America. (October 14, 2016). A presentation given at the 2016 International Criminology Conference, in Washington, D.C.

The Illegality of Legalizing Marijuana Use: An Open Plea to the President and All Other Sworn Federal, State, and Local Public Officials Concerning Marijuana Policies and Laws in the United States: What Part of “I swear to take Care that Laws be faithfully executed” or “I swear to support and defend the Constitution” Do You Not Understand? (August 4, 2014). An article published by Family Security Matters.

The Harm Caused to Individuals and Society by the Use of Marijuana (December 29, 2009). An article also published by Family Security Matters

Articles that appeared in the Journal of Drug Education and Drug Forum, along with other presentation and reports are also posted at the website. A report on the passive inhalation of marijuana smoke is also posted there.

Dr. Gordon has developed and is offering this course on “The Harmfulness of Marijuana Use and Public Policy Approaches Addressing the Challenges” in an effort to help more fully inform policy makers and others in roles of public responsibility concerning the harmful effects of marijuana and the substantial negative impacts its use has on society. More fully informed policy makers, legislators, and others will then be far better prepared to develop and implement sound policies and programs with regard to drug abuse prevention help reverse current drug-taking trends.