By:  Zaffirini                                   S.R. No. 369
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins with the
    1-3  Office of the Governor, the Texas Prevention Partnership, and the
    1-4  Texas Pharmacists United in Patient Care in recognizing March 21
    1-5  through 27, 1993, as Inhalant and Poison Awareness Week; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, The Texas Prevention Partnership and the Texas
    1-7  Pharmacists United in Patient Care are launching an educational
    1-8  program to take place that week that will enlighten parents,
    1-9  teachers, and youth workers about inhalant and poison misuse; the
   1-10  Governor of Texas, Ann W. Richards, has issued a proclamation
   1-11  declaring the week as Inhalant and Poison Awareness Week; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, All Texans should be made aware of the potential
   1-13  harm a multitude of products in our homes can cause if they are
   1-14  misused; gasoline, hair spray, correction fluid, spray paint, and
   1-15  cleaning products are all becoming the "drug" of choice for a
   1-16  growing number of Texas youths, and their misuse can be disabling
   1-17  and fatal; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, One out of four Texas school children has sniffed or
   1-19  inhaled some common household product by the seventh grade, making
   1-20  inhalants the fourth most abused substance after alcohol, tobacco,
   1-21  and marijuana; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, Risks for inhalants include permanent and severe
   1-23  brain damage, heart failure, loss of consciousness then sudden
    2-1  death, and irreversible damage to the liver, kidneys, and bone
    2-2  marrow; and
    2-3        WHEREAS, More than 600 legal products can be inhaled to
    2-4  "get high," and in 1991, more than 1.8 million people suffered
    2-5  from ingestion and/or exposure to household poisons, a
    2-6  seven-percent increase over 1990; and
    2-7        WHEREAS, In 1992, 170,000 individuals in the State of Texas,
    2-8  mostly children under the age of six, experienced the effects of
    2-9  accidental poison exposure; in most cases, commmon household items
   2-10  such as aspirin, cough and cold remedies, perfumes, and cleaning
   2-11  products are the source of poisoning; and
   2-12        WHEREAS, Inhalants often lead to the use of marijuana, crack,
   2-13  and other illegal drugs; and because of the lack of awareness of
   2-14  the problem by the public, inhalant misuse has been labeled the
   2-15  "silent epidemic"; and
   2-16        WHEREAS, Texans across the state should be encouraged to
   2-17  participate in and support Inhalant and Poison Awareness Week for
   2-18  the sake of our children and for the education of our public; now,
   2-19  therefore, be it
   2-20        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-21  73rd Legislature, hereby recognize March 21 through 27, 1993, as
   2-22  Inhalant and Poison Awareness Week; and, be it further
   2-23        RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be prepared for
   2-24  Texas Prevention Partnership and Pharmacists United in Patient Care
   2-25  as an expression of support from the Texas Senate.
    3-1                                 _____________________________________
    3-2                                        President of the Senate
    3-3                                      I hereby certify that the
    3-4                                 above Resolution was adopted by
    3-5                                 the Senate on March 9, 1993.
    3-6                                 _____________________________________
    3-7                                        Secretary of the Senate
    3-8                                 _____________________________________
    3-9                                         Member, Texas Senate