Hugh Laurie Nominated for PRISM Award

On the heels of Tuesday’s story about further exploration of House’s drug addiction, here’s some related news.

LOS ANGELES, April 17 /PRNewswire/ — On Thursday, April 27, 2006, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, addresses Town Hall Los Angeles at the Le Meridien Hotel. Volkow’s speech, Drug Addiction: Free Will, Brain Disease or Both?, is of particular interest to Angelenos, whose city faces an epidemic of methamphetamine addiction amongst youth.

Volkow’s appearance at Town Hall coincides with the 10th Annual PRISM Awards taking place that evening where she will be a presenter. The PRISM Awards, given by the Entertainment Industries Council in partnership with NIDA, celebrate accurate depictions of drug addiction in popular media. Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix, Terrence Howard, Hugh Laurie & Denis Leary are among the nominees.

Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on drug addiction and brain imaging, Volkow demonstrates in her work that drug addiction is a disease of the brain. In June, 2005, she participated in a Congressional briefing on methamphetamine abuse and detailed its toxicity and long-term brain damage.

Volkow became Director of NIDA in May 2003. She is widely published, has received numerous awards for scientific achievements, and was named “Innovator of the Year” in 2000 by US News and World Report.

Town Hall Los Angeles is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves as a gathering place for people who want to participate in the present and shape the future through open discussion. Founded in 1937, we have hosted heads of state, corporate leaders, educators, scientists and visionaries. Our membership reflects the broader community and our programs provide an assortment of perspectives vital to well-informed citizens. Speakers and audiences interact in a true town hall format, promoting a vigorous exchange of ideas and helping participants BE INFORMED.