Drug News

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis farms being ‘priced out’ – BBC News
London’s housing market is slowing the growth of new cannabis factories in the city, according to a new report.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol In Hand Sanitizer Can Mean Danger – WESH News
Snopes.com, a site that specializes in dispelling urban legends, confirmed two cases of severe alcohol poisoning from children drinking hand sanitizer.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drink-drive death toll of young on rise – Guardian Unlimited
The number of young motorists involved in accidents while under the influence of alcohol is increasing despite high profile anti-drink-drive publicity campaigns.

DRUGS – USA
More than 10 percent of U.S. adults abuse drugs – MSNBC News
More than 10 percent of U.S. adults abuse or become addicted to drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines at some point in their lives, but few get treatment.

DRUGS – SAUDI ARABIA
Strategy to Combat Drugs on the Anvil – Arab News
The 150-member consultative Shoura Council will soon pass a national strategy to combat drugs and narcotics amid reports that about 150,000 young Saudi men and women use various types of drugs.

METHADONE – UK
HORROR AS DEADLY DRUGS FOUND IN STREET – Paisley Daily Express
Horrified parents hit out yesterday after a bottle of methadone was discovered lying in a busy street where their kids play.

METH – USA
County Meth Task Force gets award – Shakopee Valley News
The Scott County Meth Task Force was honored on May 23 by the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators (MAGC) with an award of merit for its work to educate citizens on the dangers of methamphetamine use and manufacture.

METH – USA
Children are meth victims – Daily Advocate
According to Whittaker, drug-endangered children are exposed to hazardous chemicals, stored in the same area where they eat and play.

COCAINE – IRELAND
Warning on cocaine abuse in NI – UTV Live
While many people believe cocaine to be a relatively harmless drug - doctors are warning that is not the case. In fact cocaine use can lead to heart attacks, strokes, seizures and can also trigger mental illness.

PAINKILLERS – USA
HealthFirst-Painkiller lollipops – ABC News
The sweet treats are actually powerful pain medicine that is designed to help cancer patients cope with chemotherapy. However, people who don’t need them are abusing them often with deadly consequences.

DRUGS – CANADA
Drug use climbing – Osprey Media
Prescription drug addiction can happen to anybody. Without the proper information and monitoring, it is very easy for someone to become dependent on medications such as opiates, benzodiazepines and stimulants.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Teen alcohol forum to focus on parents – The Geelong Advertiser
VICTORIAN Children’s Minister Lisa Neville hopes a forum at Lara tonight will encourage parents to take more responsibility for tackling teen alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study Finds Parents Give Kids First Taste of Alcohol –
The study claims the primary source of alcohol is parents, but Hearst says it’s not exactly kids taking alcohol from home.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies – Psychiatric Services
In Generation Rx, Greg Critser reviews changes in the pharmaceutical industry, changes in Americans’ relationship to their medicines, and even changes in the concept of illness—defining illnesses by the medicines that treat them.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deadly Prescription Drug Effects Six Years Before FDA – HULIQ
They swoop in to investigate early signs of trouble years before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes notice.

METH – USA
More grants to battle meth epidemic – Daily Review Atlas
Businesses that sell anhydrous ammonia continue to be a target of drug dealers who manufacture methamphetamine.

METH – USA
DEA teaches meth-cooking 101 – The Denver Post
The class was held as part of the DEA’s first Citizens Academy in order to give the public a close-up view of what the agency does to keep drugs off the street.

MARIJUANA – USA
Ice Cream Truck Sells $5 & $10 Bags Of Marijuana To Kids – The Post Chronicle
Marijuana “treats” sold by ice cream truck in Texas? Police say the jingle of this particular ice cream truck signaled the arrival of “pot-sickles.”

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Labels Get Detailed in Britain – The Washington Post
Beer, wine and hard liquor packaging in Britain will carry warning labels next year detailing how many units of alcohol each drink contains as well as recommended safe drinking levels.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study: Big allowances tied to teen alcohol abuse – MSNBC News
Teenagers with large allowances may be more likely to become problem drinkers, research conducted in the UK hints.

TRANQUILIZER – UK
Tranquilizers use increases in North West – Belfast Telegraph
Almost 140,000 prescriptions for tranquilisers were issued by doctors in the Western Health and Social Services Board area last year. The number of benzodiazepine sedatives prescribed to local people rose to its highest level in four years.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge drinking ‘doubles breast cancer threat’ – The Telegraph
The statistics will be alarming to the many thousands of British women who are increasingly binge drinking at weekends.

DRUGS – AFGANISTAN
A Country Seen as a Drugs Factory – e-Ariana News
European parents concerned about their children having access to lethal drugs may have good reason to fear that crops cultivated in Afghanistan can end up too close to home for their comfort.

ALCOHOL – UK
Someone tell the alcocops where to put their labels – Times online
Labels will spell out how many units of alcohol the drink contains, official guidelines about how much (ie, little) to drink, and “advice” such as “Drink responsibly” and “Know your limits”.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drink firms wary of health labels on alcohol – The Telegraph
However, while most in the industry support the principle of better labeling, many have reservations about what to put on their bottles and object to being forced to follow a Government template.

METH – USA
Candy-flavored meth has some concerned – Chillicothe Gazette
School and law enforcement officials are sounding an alarm for teachers and parents that a pink, strawberry-flavored variety of crystal methamphetamine could wind up in area schools.

COCAINE – IRELAND
Why the US is losing its war on cocaine – Irish Independent
America has spent billions battling the drug industry in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. And the result? Production as high as ever, street prices at a low, and the governments of the region in open revolt.

ADDICTION – USA
Hollywood’s problem with addiction – LA Times
HBO’s Chris Albrecht is just the latest to crash. The industry tends to let addictions slide and then feign surprise when someone falls.

METH – USA
Meth film provides a warning — and hope – The Desert News
People hear the rumors about meth. Justin Hunt is determined to show them the reality. Hunt is the independent filmmaker behind the feature-length documentary “American Meth,” which he’s currently touring around the western United States. The movie will be shown free to the public.

METH – USA
Officials concerned colorful meth could be seen as candy – Coshocton Tribune
School and law enforcement officials are sounding an alarm for teachers and parents that a pink, strawberry-flavored variety of crystal methamphetamine could wind up in area schools.

ALCOHOL – USA
Bracelet that senses alcohol use gaining acceptance – KSWO News
A bracelet that senses when its wearer uses alcohol is being used more by courts in cases involving someone with a drinking problem.

OPIUM – PAKISTAN
Smash our trade in opium, Afghans tell British – Pak Tribune
The Afghan government has demanded that British troops destroy the opium trade in the country after a record poppy harvest that threatens to flood Europe with cheap, high-purity heroin.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drinks to carry alcohol limit warnings – The Telegraph
Alcoholic drinks are to carry health warnings similar to those on cigarette packets from the end of next year.

CANNABIS – UK
Dangers of smoking cannabis highlighted by students – 24dash.com
Young people in Kensington and Chelsea have been highlighting the dangers of smoking marijuana by taking part in the Cannabis Action Group’s Media Challenge.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Concerns – WSLS News
When you’re taking a prescription, you probably expect that it’s been tested to treat your condition–and that the Food and Drug Administration has approved it for that use. But you could be mistaken.
alcohol
OPIUM – UK
Smash our trade in opium, Afghans tell British – The Telegraph
The Afghan government has demanded that British troops destroy the opium trade in the country after a record poppy harvest that threatens to flood Europe with cheap, high-purity heroin.

ALCOHOL – USA
Troubling trends: Survey shows alcohol, drug use at L-S – Lincoln Journal
A recent survey on risky behaviors shows that alcohol and drug use is common among Lincoln-Sudbury students. Nearly a quarter of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School students reported binge drinking in the last 30 days.

METH –
Asian regional control of amphetamines needed, says UN anti-drug chief – UN News Centre
With Asia driving the global market for methamphetamine, the continent needs regional control of synthetic drugs to safeguard decades of hard-won progress against illicit substances.

OPIUM – United Arab Emirates
G8 wants Iran help for Afghan opium fight – The Khaleej Times
The G8 industrial nations are concerned about the rise of opium production in Afghanistan and want to enlist Iran and other neighboring countries to crush trafficking of the drug.

METH – USA
$5.6 Million in Anti-meth Funding for Missouri – Kansas City infoZone
The grants and tough anti-meth legislation signed by the governor in 2005 will help with Missouri’s ongoing efforts to combat meth and eliminate dangerous lab operations across the state.

METH – USA
Police say new kind of meth headed East – WAVY News
Virginia State Police are warning troopers about a new form of methamphetamine that is spreading across the country toward Virginia.

ADDICTION – USA
Dad’s addiction inspires boy’s mission – Orlando Sentinel
Winning a D.A.R.E. essay contest normally doesn’t garner widespread attention, but John’s account of how addiction can cripple a family nearly brought Lake School Board members and others to tears Monday night as he read his composition during a public meeting.

DRUGS – UK
New sponsors save drugs charity – BBC News
A pioneering Nottinghamshire drugs awareness charity which faced serious financial problems has been saved.

ALCOHOL – UK
Steady rise in deaths from heavy drinking – Times Online
A steady rise in long-term heavy drinking has led to a doubling of alcohol-related deaths among men over the past decade, according to official figures.

DRUGS – UK
New era, new trend in drugs – Edinburgh Evening News
We are in a period of great change - new government, new council, and when it comes to alcohol and drugs - new problems.

METH – USA
Officials concerned drug could be seen as candy – WTOL News
School and law enforcement officials are sounding an alarm for teachers and parents that a pink, strawberry-flavored variety of crystal methamphetamine could wind up in area schools.

METH – USA
Children targeted with new meth – The Daily Journal
A new form of crystallized methamphetamine, nicknamed “Strawberry Quick,” has been developed and is being targeted to children. It looks like the pop rocks candy that sizzles in the mouth, and is a dark pink color with a strawberry scent.

DRUGS – PAKISTAN
Iran, like the West, has a drugs problem – Daily Times
Iran shares a 900-km border with Afghanistan, the world’s number one producer of the opium poppy which is the key ingredient for heroin.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Addict’s Message – Channel 9 WSYR News
Drug treatment centers across in the Syracuse area are reporting a huge increase in the number of teens they’re seeing who are addicted to prescription painkillers. We sat down with one recovering addict who has a message for teens and adults alike.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol-related deaths for men doubled in 12 years – The Independent
The number of alcohol-related deaths that could have been prevented has more than doubled in men since 1993, figures show.

ALCOHOL – USA
Workplace Drinking Culture Influences Alcohol Intake Elsewhere – Medical News Today
A restrictive drinking culture at work curbs an individual’s overall alcohol intake, including outside of work, suggests research published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
District judge alerts consumers to misuse of drugs – Pittsburgh Leader Times
DeComo, a leading activist for drug and alcohol prevention in Armstrong County, was unaware that there was a growing problem with the abuse of prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and pain patches.

DRUGS – USA
Crime And Punishment – Hartford Advocate
Honestly, people how many times do we have to say it. If you’re going to drive while on drugs or if you have drugs in your car, drive safely and slowly, lest you risk not only getting arrested but this column’s detached ironic amusement.

ALCOHOL – USA
Help teenagers get over fool’s hill – News Leader
This is a little about me and a lot about our kids. Please know this is not about our differences but about a real issue that confronts many of us living in Nassau County with regard to our teenagers.

METH – USA
Key anti-methamphetamine bill dies in the Nevada Assembly – Nevada Appeal
Appeals to consider Nevada’s overburdened prisons, public safety and drug treatment systems and the torment for families of methamphetamine addicts weren’t enough to persuade most Assembly Republicans to vote Tuesday for a key anti-meth bill.

COCAINE – UK
Cocaine use on rise – Newry Democrat
A new survey into cocaine use across the Southern Health Board area has indicated that more than 40 per cent of young people in Newry and Mourne have tried the class A drug.

METH – USA
Bringing meth awareness to Las Vegas – KVBC News
Next week, the war on meth will be taken to another level here in Nevada. That’s when the Las Vegas Crystal Darkness campaign kicks off.

METH – USA
Uniting Against Crystal Meth – Windy City Times
The May 16 meeting of the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force ( CCMTF ) included a discussion on the importance of Illinois working on the meth-related problems that different areas of the state are facing.

METH – USA
Meth use down, but increase expected – The Daily Advocate
Despite decreasing meth production and use in Darke County, Whittaker is prepared for a resurgence, as the drug can be trafficked in from other areas, including Mexico.

OPIUM – USA
Drug addicts vomit out their ills in Thai monastery – Thailand Reuters
An obscure Buddhist monastery in central Thailand that advocates a secret herbal potion and ritual vomiting for drug addicts has become a final source of hope for thousands of Thais and Westerners.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
WHO Plans Global Campaign Against Alcohol Abuse – Med India
The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday agreed to target alcohol and alcohol addiction worldwide with a campaign warning against the risks of abuse.

HEROIN – SOUTH AFRICA
Heroin use growing in Iran – Sunday Times
The number of intravenous heroin users in Iran has reached 250,000, an anti-drugs official said, as the Islamic republic steps up efforts to combat a growing drugs problem.

MARIJUANA – INDIA
Marijuana worsens respiratory symptoms in current cigarette smokers – South Asian Women’s Forum
Combination of marijuana and cigarette smoking worsens breathing problems in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis that can be worn, not smoked at Chelsea Flower Show – Times Online
Cannabis plants have been put on display at the Chelsea Flower Show to educate visitors about the uses plants can be put to.

OPIUM – CHINA
Countries mull drug-control measures – China Daily News
China is considering further cooperation with other Greater Mekong subregional countries to eradicate opium poppy cultivation within the notorious Golden Triangle.

OPIUM – UK
FEATURE-Iran, like the West, has a drugs problem – Reuters AlertNet
Young Iranians queue for methadone to help end years of drug addiction. Elsewhere in the building, a pale, bearded man lies motionless on a bed, his eyes closed, after starting detoxification.

METH – USA
Boozman Introduces Anti-Meth Bill – Today’s THV
U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today introduced critical legislation to protect America’s children from drug dealers who market directly to minors.

ALCOHOL – USA
Governor won’t allow alcohol at state fair – Akron Beacon Journal
Alcohol sales will not be allowed at the Ohio State Fair, Gov. Ted Strickland announced Tuesday, striking down proposals to start some beer and wine sales.

ALCOHOL – MALAYSIA
Global campaign planned to target alcohol abuse – Malaysia Sun
The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday agreed to target alcohol and alcohol addiction worldwide with a campaign warning against the risks of abuse.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth Worries – Join Together
National news reports have highlighted concerns about drug dealers adding kid-friendly flavorings to methamphetamine.

DRUGS – USA
Fingerprint Instead Of Blood Sample To Detect Drugs And Diseases – Medical News Today
To this day, fingerprints are just the thing when a perpetrator needs to be arrested or a person needs to be identified. British scientists working with David A. Russell also want to make it possible to use fingerprints to reveal drug and doping transgressions and to diagnose diseases.

DRUGS – USA
Director Speaks on Substance Abuse Treatment, Addiction Treatment to UCLA’s American Medical Students Association – Press Release Web
Michael Cahlin was recently a guest speaker for the ASMA (American Students Medical Association), where he spoke of substance abuse treatment and addiction treatment to the premed chapter in Franz Hall on the UCLA campus.

METH – USA
OCF grants target meth; emphasis put on families – The Mail Tribune
Local efforts to prevent methamphetamine use and break the cycle of addiction secured the largest portion of nearly $2 million in private grants awarded recently.

OPIUM – USA
Opium: Afghan kids gotta have it – Foreign Policy
Even more disturbing is the fact that, according to the United Nations, some 600,000 of those addicts are under 15.

COCAINE – SOUTH AFRICA
South African drug trade’s bitter taste – Mail & Guardian Online
South Africans are changing their hard-drug habits, but the fallout from substance abuse remains the same: the destruction of lives, families and communities.

METH – CANADA
Kits help combat meth – The Morning Star
Some local organizations are using the tools of education to combat crystal meth in our community.

ADDICTION – AUSTRALIA
Parents’ drug addiction affects 1 in 8 children: report – ABC NEWS
For the first time, an attempt has been made to work out how many Australian children live with adults who use drugs.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol creeps up on you – The Geelong Advertiser
The good news for drinkers is that one of Geelong’s top liver experts doesn’t mind a tipple himself. The sobering news for drinkers is that he’s all too familiar with the ugly consequences when tipplers tipple too much.

METH – USA
Parents warned of new meth –The Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Methamphetamine is coming this way in a form intended to target youth, local law enforcement officials said. Called “Strawberry Quick,” it looks like the popular “Pop Rocks” candy. It is dark pink in color and has a strawberry scent to it.

ALCOHOL – USA
Preventing alcohol experimentation – The Paper 24/7
The percentage of American teenagers who drink weekly is increasing. This means alcohol, along with other harmful drugs and substances, is a primary concern for parents.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Which prescription drugs could create a deadly combination? – ABC Local News
This has brought to the forefront the possibility of it happening to anyone. Three billion prescriptions are filled every year, and one out of every five have serious side effects.

DRUGS – CANADA
New Drug Education Resource Launched in Schools – Government of Nova Scotia
Mock game shows, graffiti-making, role-playing and a host of other creative learning strategies are a key part of a new classroom resource that helps junior high students make better choices about drugs and alcohol.

METH – USA
Nevada Praised For Action in Combating Methamphetamine – KRNV News
Nevada is getting praise from Democratic attorneys general from several other states for taking steps to stem an “epidemic” of methamphetamine use.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Doctors to fight ice – Sky News
Doctors are being urged to help end the nation’s ice epidemic and lead the fight against methamphetamines.

COCAINE – UK
Exile and extinction face a tribe that lost everything to cocaine – Times Online
The Wounaan Indians have been driven out by rebels, militias and a craving for drugs in the rich world.

COCAINE – COLUMBIA
Cocaine Comes to Canada – Shared Responsibility
Edmonton’s economy is booming, but, unfortunately so is it’s cocaine consumption.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Leading Cause of Overdose Victims in Kentucky – WKYT News
A state medical examiner’s report says methadone is the prescription drug that was most frequently detected in the blood of fatal overdose victims.

ALCOHOL – USA
More Community Underage Drinking Prevention Efforts Target Parents – Join Together
As graduation and prom season approaches, more communities are expanding their underage drinking prevention strategies to include parental behavior.

DRUGS – USA
Random Drug Tests Becoming More Prevalent in New Jersey – Join Together
A growing number of New Jersey high schools are instituting random drug testing of students, using loss of eligibility for extracurricular activities and parking privileges as sanctions for positive test results.

DRUGS – USA
Colorado fest to show Utah film – Deseret News
A documentary that examines prescription drug abuse in Utah has been accepted at the Breckenridge Festival of Film in Colorado.