Drug News

CANNABIS – UK
FRANK cannabis campaign targets young people – Community Care
Drugs information service FRANK has claimed success in a campaign to raise young people’s awareness of the impact of cannabis.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Eastern Bay youth at risk from high cannabis use – Regional News
The national Alcohol Drug Helpline has reported a significant increase in the number of 12 to 18-year-olds coming to them with cannabis related problems.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Painkiller use skyrockets in state – News Examiner-Enterprise
The use of prescription painkillers in Oklahoma has skyrocketed over the last decade, far outpacing the national average, statistics show.

CODEINE – USA
FDA warns of codeine, breast milk – Los Angeles Times
A few women rapidly metabolize the pain reliever into morphine, posing an overdose risk to their babies.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol-saturated ‘fun’ on campus can be lethal – USA Today
As students head to the nation’s college campuses, relishing their new independence, criminal prosecutions in the deaths of two young men are a sober reminder of how quickly alcohol-fueled “fun” can spin out of control.

ALCOHOL – SOUTH AFRICA
Alcohol abuse a drain on economy – IOL News
More than double the amount collected in liquor taxes is spent on the social costs of alcohol-related trauma and accidents in South Africa each year.

ALCOHOL – SOUTH AFRICA
Alcohol, drug crisis grips South Africa – IOL News
South Africa is facing a massive drug and alcohol abuse crisis, the government has admitted.

METH – USA
Scientists need just a teaspoon to drug-test whole cities – KTVZ News
Oregon State University researchers have figured out how to give an entire community a drug test using just a teaspoon of wastewater from a city’s sewer plant.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Painkiller use almost double in 8-year span – Boston Herald News
Retail sales of five leading painkillers nearly doubled over an eight-year period, reflecting a surge in use by patients nationwide who are living in a world of pain.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Painkiller use, abuse rising nationally – The Examiner
A dramatic increase in prescriptions painkiller sales could hurt those who need them most.

ALCOHOL – USA
Researchers Say Heavy Drinking May Cause Stroke – Join Together
Heavy drinkers increase their risk of stroke by up to 22 percent, according to researchers who studied a group of more than 64,000 Chinese men ages 40 and older.