YOUTHS ARE MAKING A MOCKERY OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS

Jerrod Menz NEWS RELEASE
(800) 757-9867
Jerrod@abttc.com


YOUTHS ARE MAKING A MOCKERY OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS

One California drug rehab center is seeing increasing numbers of youths in their 20s who have obtained medical marijuana cards after telling their doctors they were suffering from back pain and other ailments

MURRIETA, Calif., March 31, 2009 – Thirteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana with a doctor’s approval, a development that has led to the rapid growth of cannabis dispensaries from coast to coast.

But one prominent drug treatment center in Southern California is finding that the recipients of medical marijuana cards are not just elderly people with terminal illnesses, but young people in their 20s who are faking back pain and other ailments in an effort to legally obtain the drug.

“Young people are finding they can easily trick doctors into giving them medical marijuana cards by claiming they are suffering from back pain and other ailments whose existence is difficult to prove,” said Jerrod Menz, president of A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center Inc., a Murrieta, Calif.-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

“We recently had one client in his 20s who told us he obtained a medical marijuana card by telling his doctor he was suffering from foot pain. He laughed and said his doctor gave him the prescription after a five-minute examination,” Menz said.

Menz said several young people have voluntarily surrendered or destroyed their medical marijuana cards after receiving treatment at his clinic. But he said doctors need to use more care in their examinations of young people who come into their offices with complaints of persistent pain to better prevent people from abusing the intent of medical marijuana laws.

Thirteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Additional states are considering laws that would legalize marijuana for medical treatment.

Based in Murrieta, Calif., A Better Tomorrow is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), placing it in the top 5 percent of drug and alcohol treatment centers in California. For more information about A Better Tomorrow, please contact Jerrod Menz at (800) 757-9867. Additional information is available on the clinic's website at http://www.abttc.com/

If you need help or know of someone who does, please contact A Better Tomorrow today. We are here to help.
http://www.abttc.net/
Phone: 800.971.1586
Fax: 800.401.8464
24 Hour Addiction HelpLine
Tel. (800) 396-9389 (7 days 24 hours)
e-mail: info@24houraddictionhelp.com
http://www.24houraddictionhelp.org/

Jerrod Menz Appointed by CALNET to Serve on Board Of Directors

A BETTER TOMORROW TREATMENT CENTER’S PRESIDENT IS APPOINTED TO CALNET’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS


MURRIETA, Calif., March 24, 2009 – Jerrod Menz, president and co-founder of A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center Inc., has been appointed by CALNET to serve on the statewide organization’s board of directors.

CALNET is a statewide not-for-profit provider services network founded in 1983 to help bring together high quality behavioral treatment providers with insurers and managed care organizations.

Menz also serves on the advisory board of The Addiction Hotline, a Riverside, Calif.-based 24-hour addiction hotline service, as well as the board of advisory for Outreach Services, a Los Banos, Calif.-based addiction resource and referral center.

Based in Murrieta, A Better Tomorrow has the highest level of accreditation that can be obtained by a drug or alcohol treatment center. The clinic is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), placing it in the top 5 percent of drug and alcohol treatment clinics in California. For more information about A Better Tomorrow, please contact Jerrod Menz at (800) 757-9867. Additional information is available on the clinic’s website at http://www.abttc.com/.

All American Girl to “Heroin Junkie” to Recovery to Inspiration

Jerrod Menz NEWS RELEASE
(800) 757-9867
jerrod@abttc.com


ALL AMERICAN GIRL WHO BECAME A “HEROIN JUNKIE” SHARES HER
HER STORY OF RECOVERY TO INSPIRE OTHER ADDICTS TO GET HELP

Jennifer Hood, 23, who completed her treatment at A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center Inc. in Murrieta, Calif., shared a happy ending to her addiction story last week on “The Steve Wilkos Show”

MURRIETA, Calif., March 24, 2009 – Jennifer Hood’s nightmare with drugs started at age 18, when her boyfriend introduced her to OxyContin, a prescription painkiller known for its addictive qualities.

She quickly got hooked, and by the time she was 20, she started taking heroin and her life spiraled out of control. In fact, by the time the Virginia native landed on the syndicated Steve Wilkos Show last November, she was homeless and prostituting herself.
“I was an all-American girl who turned into a homeless, heroin junkie,” Hood, 23, recalled. “I was my father’s nightmare. I built walls around myself to keep everyone who loved me at a distance.”

But after Hood shared her story with a national television audience, The Steve Wilkos Show referred her to A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center in Murrieta, Calif., which provided her with three months of residential treatment, interrupting her cycle of drug dependence and giving her the tools to rebuild her life.

“A Better Tomorrow changed my life completely,” Hood said. “I went from having low self esteem to feeling better about myself and realizing that there is another life out there for me if I want to pursue it. I now have real friends who want to see me do well and I’ve repaired my relationships with my family.”

Hood said she will spend several months in a sober living facility and plans to return to complete her studies in college and pursue a career as a counselor. “I didn’t (share my story last week) for the air time,” Hood said. “I did it to help inspire other addicts to get help so that their life doesn’t become what mine used to be.”

Based in Murrieta, Calif., A Better Tomorrow regularly treats addicts that have appeared on The Steve Wilkos Show. The clinic is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), placing it in the top 5 percent of drug and alcohol treatment centers in California. For more information about A Better Tomorrow, please contact Jerrod Menz at (800) 757-9867. Additional information is available on the clinic's website at http://www.abttc.com/.