Drug News

Hope everyone is having a fun and safe New Year’s celebration.

See you next year!!

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, crowded roads are a bad mix this weekend – Statesman Journal
New Year’s Eve packs a dangerous combination of factors: lots of drivers hastening to parties, lots of alcohol flowing.

METH – USA
Tahoe teens win anti-meth film grant – The Union
A group of Kings Beach teens will become movie producers, actors and camera operators this January as they educate the community about the dangers of methamphetamine.

OPIUM – INDIA
Rebels boosting poppy business in Myanmar – Hindustan Times
Poppy trade is flourishing in Myanmar, thanks to the activities of a rebel group that has the support of the country’s military regime, a media report said.

GENERAL – USA
New Year’s Eve, A Time to Help Those with Addiction – CBS News
New Year’s Eve parties are the devil for people who are struggling with an addiction. “That belief that everyone should go out and celebrate and, of course, most celebrating involves alcohol, and so I do believe that it’s a definite time of relapse for a lot of people,” says Wausau Health Services Director Deborah Piskoty.

ALCOHOL – UK
Every day more than 70 victims seek help after alcohol-fuelled attacks – Scotsman News
ALCOHOL-FUELLED violence is responsible for nearly 30,000 admissions to Scotland’s hospitals each year and the problem is getting worse, according to a stark new report.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Happy Healthy Holidays! – Body and Health
This time of year, many festivities involve alcohol. And with social events sometimes around every corner, it’s easy to let our alcohol consumption increase.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine use increases artery tears & stroke risk – Zee News
Washington, Dec 27: Methamphetamine use may be associated with increased risks of major neck artery tears and stroke, according to an article published in the December 26, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

ALCOHOL – USA
Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage But Patients Should Stop Drinking As Soon As Possible – Medical News Today
The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Brain [1], used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients (ten men, five women).

GENERAL – USA
Are Drugs Not Approved By The FDA Safe? - Health Lifeline
We go to the doctor, get a prescription and assume it is safe, but each year, physicians and pharmacists unknowingly give patients drugs that don’t have the government’s OK.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study: Teens Using More Prescription Drugs – kxan.com
A new study shows the lengths some teenagers are going to to get high. They’re using everything from Ritalin to painkillers. Some are even crushing, then snorting the prescription drugs.

METH – USA
Meth might hurt ability to feel normal pleasure – The Post and Courier
Ronald See, a professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the effects of methamphetamine may be more damaging than some other illegal drugs because it produces a long-lasting high of eight hours or more.

GENERAL – USA
Popular heartburn drugs linked to hip fractures – CNN Health
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA To Crack Down On Unapproved Prescription Drugs – Keyetv
Millions of prescriptions are being filled each day for drugs that don’t have the Food and Drug Administration approval. Doctors, pharmacists and patients usually have no idea the meds aren’t OK’d by the government.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine May Trigger Ischemic Stroke – Medpage
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 26 — Methamphetamine users may develop carotid artery dissections, leading to a severe stroke, an effect also seen in cocaine users, according to researchers here.

GENERAL – US
Survey: Teens abusing more legal drugs – Examiner
That’s the increasingly popular way for teenagers to get high, according to a new government survey. “This is a phenomenon that has been going on for the last five years,” said Michael Gimbel, Sheppard Pratt Health System’s director of Substance Abuse Education. “We’re seeing a huge increase in teenage use of legal drugs, prescription drugs. The kids actually call it ‘pharming.’ ”

CODEINE – TAIWAN
Foundation says doctors over-prescribing for kids – Taipei Times
Doctors are prescribing redundant and excessive levels of medicines for children, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Health Reform Foundation. Of the 15 prescriptions that the foundation sampled, 13 were determined to be improper. Eleven contained at least five kinds of medicines, although some had as many of 13.

PAINKILLERS – USA
FDA urges mandatory painkiller warnings – Washington Times
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday proposed mandatory labeling for over-the-counter painkillers aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

COCAINE – INDIA
Cocaine on 94 percent of Spanish banknotes: study – DNA World
MADRID: Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world’s highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.

METH – USA
Survey will help gauge knowledge, attitudes about meth – STLToday.com
HILLSBORO — How much do you know about methamphetamine? In Jefferson County, which has led the state since 2003 in the number of meth lab raids, the Methamphetamine Action Coalition is planning to survey county residents next spring to gauge public knowledge and attitudes about the drug. The aim is to help develop education, prevention and treatment programs.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Fraud – Weau.com
Many people are traveling this holiday weekend, and taking their prescription medications with them. But, pharmacists say some of those people are using holiday travel as an excuse to get drugs they plan to sell or use themselves.

METH – USA
Strokes in Young People Could be Due to Meth – Scientific America
The drug known on the streets as crystal meth could increase the risk of stroke and major tears in neck arteries, neurologists report.

GENERAL – USA
Drugs, alcohol abusers getting younger – Daily News
SANTA CLARITA — Specialists who work with local kids in therapeutic programs and in the schools say drug and alcohol use among teens and adolescents is skewing younger and younger.

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Kwanzaa

Here is to a year of handling the drug problem!

GENERAL - UK
Number of children treated for drug abuse ‘shocking’
The number of children being treated for drug abuse has reached shocking levels, the Deputy First Minister admitted yesterday, as he was attacked by both the SNP and Tories over the Scottish Executive’s record.

GENERAL - US
Many Youths Admitted to Hospitals for Alcohol or Drug Dependence Don’t Receive Treatment
Forty percent or more of the youths ages 20 or younger admitted to U.S. hospitals for substance dependence or related psychoses in 2000 had no documentation of receiving alcohol or drug treatment during their stay, according to an analysis of data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

GENERAL - US
Overall Youth Drug Use Down in 2006, But Survey Sees Trouble Brewing with Inhalants, Prescription Drugs, Smoking
The number of American youths who tell researchers that they used illicit drugs within the last year continues to inch downward, but the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey also found stubbornly high levels of prescription-drug abuse and an end to the decline in smoking among young teens.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Riding Under The Influence: New Study Shows More Than A Quarter Of High School Students In Atlantic Canada Have Accepted Rides With Drunk Drivers – Medical News Today
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for Canadian teenagers, and according to recent statistics, alcohol is involved in 40% of these fatalities.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Popping Prescription Drugs Like Vicodin More Often - eCanadaNow
Los Angeles (eCanadaNow) - A new study finds that fewer teens are using illegal drugs than ever before but more teens are using legal drugs more often

DRUGS – USA
Methamphetamine Update: ‘Tis the Season – ChicoER.com
The following is another poem from an addict reflecting the travesty of addiction and the hope that recovery offers. THE DARK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

DRUGS – USA
Study: Teens getting high on legal drugs – CNN Health
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Slightly fewer adolescents abused illegal drugs and alcohol in 2006, but fairly high numbers of them continued to abuse prescription narcotics, according to a new study.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens turn to cough syrup to get high, feds say - MSNBC
WASHINGTON - Teens increasingly are getting high with legal drugs like painkillers and mood stimulants, and they’re turning to cough syrup as well, says a government survey released Thursday.

CODEINE – TAIWAN
Parents urged to beware safety of medicines for children – China Post
The Taiwan Health Reform Foundation yesterday called for parents to beware the safety of the medicines prescribed by doctors for children, lest their children should suffer from redundant or problematic medicines.

GENERAL – UK
COKE EPIDEMIC GRIPS NATION: Addiction has tripled in 5 years – Daily Record UK
SCOTLAND is facing a fast-growing cocaine and crack problem, shock figures out yesterday reveal.

METHADONE – SCOTLAND
Widespread use of methadone ‘fails to tackle the damage of drug abuse’ – Scotsman News
SCOTLAND’S reliance on methadone is failing to tackle the damage wreaked on society by drug abuse, it was claimed yesterday, as new figures showed a massive rise in the use of the heroin substitute.

ALCOHOL – JAMAICA
The genesis of alcohol abuse - Jamaica Gleaner
The younger a boy is when he starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he will be a risky drinker as an adult, says the results of a four-year survey of male Marine Corps recruits that raises concerns for society at large.

METH – CANADA
Meth ed falling short – Goldstream News
While we applaud the provincial government’s efforts to fund groups like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to far too little far too late.

CODEINE – USA
Stronger warnings urged for painkillers - Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON — The government on Tuesday proposed stronger safety warnings for non-prescription painkillers found in most family medicine cabinets, as well as many an office drawer and gym bag, including aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and Aleve.

CANNABIS – CANADA
Drug-driving rate doubles in 15 years – Globe and Mail
The number of people getting behind the wheel after smoking pot has more than doubled in the past 15 years, a trend spurred by the belief that being nabbed for drugged driving is far less likely than being caught driving drunk, new research shows.

PAINKILLERS – CANADA
The FDA’s Painkiller Warning: How to Avoid Taking Too Much - Time
An overdose of Tylenol can damage the liver. The problem is, we’re often taking it when we don’t even realize it.

PAINKILLERS - CANADA
U.S. officials push to beef up painkiller warnings - The Star
Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects.

CANNABIS - CANADA
Drug driving doubled since 1989 - Edmonton Sun
A study coming on the heels of federal efforts to discourage drug-impaired drivers indicates driving under the influence of marijuana and hashish has more than doubled since 1989. The survey by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says young males are driving under the influence of cannabis as often as, or more often, than they drive under the influence of alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Too Much Christmas Cheer? A Number Of Tips On Staying In Control Over The Festive Season - Medical News Today
Christmas is a time when the drinks flow freely- there are more parties than usual and the temptation is to overindulge a little. After all, there are always New Year’s resolutions!

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA Panel Recommends Warning For Adult Antidepressant Suicide Risk - Medical News Today
An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday voted 6-2 in favor of updating black box warnings on antidepressants to state that there is an increased suicide risk for young adults up to age 25, the New York Times reports (Carey, New York Times, 12/13).

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Blood alcohol levels have paradoxical effect on brain injuries
A study led by trauma surgeon Dr. Homer Tien out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, shows that alcohol has a paradoxical effect on mortality of patients admitted to hospital with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

ALCOHOL - UK
Alcohol Abuse ‘Severely Impairs the Brain’
Excessive alcohol consumption over an extended period of time can have a drastic impact upon the brain, new research suggests. Scientists in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Italy examined 15 alcoholic men and women over a period of 38 days after they stopped drinking and the changes observed in their brains were remarkable.