Join us for a 5-part series of expert and nationally renowned speakers on emerging drug trends with sessions focused on nicotine, cannabis, and fentanyl. This series will be presented via webinar, with an option for in-person attendance for the first session.
Sessions 1-4 will be recorded and available for viewing for registered participants.
Session 1: "Old Drugs, New Threats: An Emerging Trends Overview"
Melissa Moore, M3 Consulting LLC
May 1, 2025 9:00am-12:00pm CST [3 CEUs]
Attend Your Way: Attend in-person at the NTC Wausau campus or virtually via Zoom. Light refreshments provided for in-person attendance.
One of the most dangerous public perceptions has to be “I did it when I was a kid and I turned out fine.” Fast forward a few decades...where we find some of the most popular trends filling headlines and flooding socials are in classes all their own. Novel and re-imagined products and devices pose new threats to the next generation of teens and young adults. Awareness is only part of the solution, but it is going to take the entire community to address this growing trend. Attend this session to learn more about the
latest in the growing youth drug trends, products and devices; what works (and perhaps more importantly what doesn’t) in prevention; how to engage the community (& your coalition); and walk away with the soundbites that will help you in your efforts.
Learning Goals:
- Attendees will learn the basics of addiction, factors that hinder recovery, and the paradigm shift from abuse to misuse.
- Attendees will learn how substance use has changed over time, including the latest trends in use, products, and devices that are available in your community.
- Attendees will learn how to maximize and generate resources in their community to address trends, including what works and what doesn’t in prevention.
Session 2: "Cannabis in 2025: What You Should Know"
Dale Quigley, National Marijuana Initiative
May 8, 2025 9:00am-11:00am CST [2 CEUs] Live webinar presentation
An interactive information session to examine the wide variety of cannabis topics in America, current research material, and the potential impacts to the public health sector. Some people believe that cannabis is a benign drug, not addictive, and imposes no risk or harm. Current research does not support this position. This session will look at the issues of potency, use rates in America, and cannabis association with acts of physical violence.
Learning Objectives:
- Expose attendees to current evidence-based scientific research information regarding today’s more potent forms of cannabis products.
- Increase audience awareness of the crossover effect that legalization has had upon a wide variety of topics such as public health & public safety
- Share historical and current cannabis data, for comparison purposes, to identify emerging trend development in America.
Session 3: "Illicit Fentanyl: A Decade of Destruction"
Dan Zsido, National Drug Trends Education & Training
May 15, 2025 9:00am-11:00am CST [2 CEUs] Live webinar presentation
Illicit fentanyl analogs have drastically contributed up to 80% of drug overdose/poisoning deaths, a record increase of over 114,000 predicted deaths in the United States as of June 2023. Drug poisoning deaths have more than doubled among adolescents. These deadly man-made substances can be up to 10,000 times more potent than Morphine, mixed into illicit street drugs, and mass produced in counterfeit pills. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview and general understanding of medicine fentanyl vs. fentanyl analogs, potency, history, current trends, harm reduction initiatives and educational awareness to the clear & present danger associated with these deadly synthetic substances tragically devastating our communities.
Learning Objectives:
- Provide an overview of overdose/drug poisoning deaths in the U.S.
- Discuss the potency and toxicity of medicine fentanyl vs. street drug fentanyl
- Learn how on-line sources of information can be misinformation
- Understand the current challenges of substance abuse through social media
- Offer prevention resources to reduce substance use and deadly consequences.
Session 4: "Nicotine Prevention: Vaping, Pouches, & Addiction"
Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM, Stanford Medicine REACH Lab
May 22, 2025 9:00am-11:00am CST [2 CEUs] Live webinar presentation
New addictive products are infiltrating the market, including new disposable e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes shaped like watches and other household products, and cannabis products. Adolescents and young adults are using these products more often and are definitely addicted. This presentation will provide detailed information on these new products, including nicotine and THC levels, addiction, and other health effects, as well as marketing of these products. The presentation will also provide information on reasons for adolescent use of these products, including flavors, appeal, marketing, perceived reduced harm, stress, anxiety, depression, and misperceptions. I will also provide evidence-based resources that can be used to help prevent and reduce use of e-cigarettes, as well as advocacy efforts occurring in the US to reduce use.
By the end of this talk, attendees will:
- Understand and be able to recognize different nicotine and THC products
- Understand harms associated with these products including addiction
- Be able to better talk discuss, prevent, and stop use of these products
Session 5: Beyond ’Shrooms: Hallucinogens, Psychedelics, Tryptamines, & More
Alex Graham, MN Law Enforcement Officer, Contractor at Tall Cop Says Stop
May 29, 2025 9:00am-11:00am CST [2 CEUs] Live webinar presentation
What is Mico-Dosing? Why are psychedelics coming back to the forefront of society? What is Tryptamine? This training will present the re-emergence of psychedelics and their prevalence in modern society. There will be discussion and presentation on different types of hallucinogens, their symptomatology, as well as discussion of what dosing and micro-dosing are and how they affect our populus. Students will take a deeper dive into the world of hallucinogens and examine their relationship with therapeutic dosing and retreats.
- Attendees will be able to understand what each drug type is
- Attendees will understand the re-emergence of these drugs and prevalence in society
- Attendees will understand micro-dosing
Registration
With CEUs - $25/session
No CEUs - $15/session
Support for this project was provided through the B.A. & Esther Greenheck Foundation.
Hosted in partnership with M3 Consulting LLC.
How To Register
NTC has a new online registration system that requires you to create an account. By creating an account you will have access to your registration to make changes or cancellations and view your receipts through the online portal. We know this system is new and are here to help you through every step.
When you get to the Registration Login page, you will be presented with options to log in with an existing email or create a new account. If you have attended any training with NTC in the last two years, you likely already have an account. In this case, use the "Forgot My Username/Password" functions to get your login information. In most cases, your username will be the email address you used to register to past trainings. If you have not attended in the past, use the Create New Login function to set up your account.
If you have any questions, require assistance, or would like to register over the phone, please call 715.803.1243 or email ce@ntc.edu.
Cancellation Policy
An attendee must notify NTC of a cancellation prior to the beginning of the event in order to have fees removed or a refund issued. Attendees who do not attend without notifying Continuing Education will be responsible for payment of all course fees and will not be eligible for a refund.