The Irish Emigrant

Irish Immigration Center Notes

Erin's Melody will be providing the music and entertainment. The band is one of the best Irish bands in Boston and will bring you to your feet. Be sure to see them at the Nov. 13th event!

Dan Harrington presenting award to Chris Lavery

IIC's Executive Director Sr. Lena Deevy, John Curran, Chris Lavery, Larry Reynolds and Irish consul gneral Michael Lonergan

John Curran, Chris Lavery and Larry Reynolds with award

Lena Deevy with John Curran and his wife Kitty

Congratulations to the Charitable Irish Society Silver Key Award winners!

Each year, the Charitable Irish Society recognizes the efforts of outstanding individuals for their contributions to the Irish community. This year, Chris Lavery, John Curran, and Larry Reynolds were presented the Silver Key Award for their persistent dedication to helping new immigrants and Irish citizens in Boston. All three have been long time supporters of the Irish Immigration Center, for which we cannot thank them enough.

The three men have been outstanding community members. Chris dedicates his time and skills to provide pro bono services for the IIC and Irish Pastoral Centre’s free legal clinics. John is host of The Sound of Erin Irish radio show. He provided important support to the IIC during the Morrison Visa application period. Larry is the head of Hanafin-Cooley (Boston) branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and one of the most well-known Irish musicians in the area who devotes his time to keeping the beautiful music tradition alive here in Boston. The IIC has always relied on him to provide music for our various events.

We want to thank Chris, John, and Larry for their unwavering support. And congratulations!

Matters of Substance

By Danielle Owen, Irish Immigration Center’s Substance Abuse Coordinator.

Doubting our “Pot”of Gold?

In 1996 California voters approved Prop 215 (the Compassionate Use Act) to allow medicinal use of marijuana for the seriously ill. In Massachusetts, it's no longer a crime to have one ounce or less of pot, since the state's new marijuana law went into effect in January of this year. With all these legal changes, is it any wonder we might doubt that marijuana is harmful?

A glass of red wine every day is good for your heart. Marijuana helps those who are seriously ill to eat better and it relieves their pain. However marijuana, like alcohol, is not “harmless.” Researchers are discovering that even short-term use can impact us negatively and the younger we are when using it, the greater the harm. Marijuana contains the potent drug delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. In many studies, marijuana has been shown to generate withdrawal symptoms like irritability, headache, aggression, anxiety and difficultly sleeping within 24 hours after use of the drug. Austin Prior – Director of Treatment Services in the Rutland Center in Dublin - recently said in The Irish Times, "I think it is scary that this myth (that marijuana is harmless) exists," he says. “I see young lads coming in here suffering from the effects of long-term cannabis use who are completely de-motivated, suffering from severe depression and even psychosis. The long-term impact is huge and in the short-term there are problems with memory loss and distorted perceptions of reality.” A 2007 Cardiff University study estimated that 14 per cent of schizophrenia cases in young adults could have been prevented if cannabis use was not available.

I meet parents who say they find it hard to challenge their teen’s use of pot because of their own use. Pot is not the same as it was in the 1960s-early 70s. The THC content in marijuana then was about 1-4% but today it can contain between 17-33% of THC. As a result, marijuana’s effect tends to be much more intense, longer lasting, and with this greater “high” comes a greater chance of abuse, addiction and smoking related problems. Furthermore, using pot impacts a young person’s development mentally and physically. The brain continues to develop until age 25. The consequences of pot smoking by young people should not be taken lightly.

According to Ireland’s National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) marijuana is as easy to get as alcohol. Almost all cannabis users in Ireland get the drug from family or friends. Research indicates a similar picture here in Massachusetts. With these facts, we have an opportunity to help limit the harm.

The IIC's Community Counseling Program can assist you through substance abuse prevention, education, case management and counseling. For more information, please call Danielle, in confidence & without judgment, at the Irish Immigration Center. Phone: 617-542-7654 ext: 14 or e-mail: dowen@iicenter.org.

For more information about the effects of marijuana, Check out: http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/default.html

http://www.ecancermedicalscience.com/news-insider-news.asp?itemId=418

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/4/319

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1210/1228864619181.html?via=rel

IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP UPDATE<