Drug News

COCAINE – USA
Looking for Germs and Cocaine? Check Your Money – Hawaii Reporter

The legal tender in your pocket or purse definitely carries some germs and most likely also has some cocaine.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Is Apparently Getting More Prevalent – KFDA News

Cocaine use is making a comeback on the college scene, according to local authorities. And the reason why has a lot to do with methamphetamine.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis anything but a soft option – Sheffield Telegraph

WHY do the so-called experts keep banging on about the link between cannabis and schizophrenia as though that’s the only thing we need to worry about? What about the link between cannabis and crime? Or cannabis and paranoia? Or cannabis and a collapsed lung? How about cannabis and road accidents?

MARIJUANA – CANADA
Marijuana popular among educated, middle-class Canadians: study – Canada.com

A variety of educated, middle-class Canadians are “making a conscious but careful choice to use marijuana” to relax or focus on leisure activities, say researchers behind a new study spotlighting pot smoking behind the nation’s picket fences.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana may up heart attack, stroke risk – MSNBC News

Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.

ADDICTION – USA
Juvenile Drug Court seeks to prevent addiction – Houma Courier

Drugs and alcohol are all around today’s children, whether on their street corner, inside their school’s hallways or parents’ pantry.

DRUGS – CANADA
Police warn of ‘trickling effect’ of newer drugs – The Western Star

Field workers of Youth, Child and Family Services received a lesson on street drugs Thursday to not only help protect young people, but also themselves.
DRUGS – USA
The other kind of drug abuse – Scotts Valley Banner

When mention is made of teen drug use, substances like marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine are often what come to mind. But the other drugs that are not discussed enough are those found in your home, within easy reach of young people.

DRUGS – USA
Alarm in Bay over ‘horrific increase‘ in medicine abuse – The Herald

THE number of people abusing over-the-counter and prescription medicines – most of whom are women – has more than doubled in Port Elizabeth since the beginning of the year.

ADDICTION – USA
A New Kind of Addiction – Campus Progress

While recreational drug use has always been part of the stereotypical campus life, our generation has been turning toward prescription drugs as a way to get high. In 2007, approximately 6.4 million Americans were reported as taking prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.

ALCOHOL – UK
Too much alcohol damages heart and arteries – Reuters

Heavy drinking causes high blood pressure, stiff arteries and rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women, boosting their risk of having heart attacks and strokes, researchers said on Wednesday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Nearly half of all Mass. teens have tried alcohol – The Boston Globe

A new survey has found that the number of Massachusetts high schools students using drugs and alcohol dropped for the sixth year in a row.

ALCOHOL – USA
Excess Drinking Boosts Cardiovascular Disease Risk – The Washington Post

While research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits, heavy drinking increases blood pressure, stiffens blood vessels and causes more rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women, all risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

DRUGS – USA
No easy way to rid water of drug traces – North Jersey

Scientists don’t know whether trace amounts of hundreds of prescription drugs that are in the state’s drinking water can harm residents, New Jersey lawmakers were told.

METH – USA
Tennessee Meth Task Force seeks funding for traffic stop training – Times Free Press

As the number of methamphetamine laboratories in Tennessee levels off, the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force is trying to find ways to stop imports of the drug from other countries.

METH – USA
Illinois Meth Project names new ED – Windy City Times

Steve Mange, senior policy advisor for Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is the new executive director of the Illinois Meth Project.

METH – USA
Idaho Falls Meth Forum Overflows – Local ABC News

Hundreds filed in and dozens more were turned away tonight at one of the largest meth discussions in Eastern Idaho.

METH – USA
Mexico, China Partner with U.S. in Anti-Methamphetamine Fight – News Blaze

Mexico, China and the United States are working together to stop the use of methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant drug that has been called one of America’s most serious drug problems, two U.S. attorneys from the Department of Justice tell America.gov.

METH – USA
Event teaches sixth-graders about ways to stay safe – Killeen Daily Herald

On Tuesday, more than 900 screaming sixth-graders welcomed one of the more recognizable figures in Central Texas. It wasn’t Hannah Montana or Emmitt Smith. It was KWTX Channel 10’s head weatherman Rusty Garrett.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse Campaign – CBS News

Shelby County Coroner Diana Hawkins say the number of dead teenagers she’s seen from prescription drug overdoses is simply heartbreaking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Center addresses prescription drug abuse – Juneau Empire

High school senior Katie Doyle said she knows about 20 classmates who have gone to rehab for prescription drug abuse in the past few years.

ALCOHOL – USA
Men More Likely to Drink for Stress Relief – Join Together
Depressed men are more likely than women to crave alcohol and develop alcohol-related disorder, according to researchers at Yale University.

DRUGS – USA
More Than Treatment For Substance Abuse Needed For Homeless Youth, Study Finds – Medical News Today

A new study of homeless youth suggests that treating substance abuse and mental health problems may not be enough to help get teens off the streets.

ALCOHOL – USA
Moderate Drinking Raises Risk of Mouth Cancer, Researchers Say – Join Together

Drinking just two glasses of wine daily can cause a 75-percent increase in the risk of developing mouth cancer, according to Australian researchers.

COCAINE – USA
Liverpool youngsters taking cocaine to enhance sexual pleasure – Liverpool Daily Post
The report by the Centre for Public Health at the university claims teenagers and young people are deliberately getting high on drink and drugs to enhance their sexual pleasure, and that there is an “epidemic” of recreational drug use and binge drinking.

ADDERALL – USA
More college students depending on prescription drugs to fight fatigue, cram for papers, final exams – Killeen Daily Herald News

Graduation is one of the most exciting events students have to look forward to this time of year. Before they can take the big walk in cap and gown for a diploma, they have to suffer through a rite of passage with which every student is familiar: finals week.

ADDERALL – USA
Adderall abused by college students looking for focus – Northern Star

Some students take drugs for medical needs, others for recreation. But some take them to gain an edge on school work.

DRUGS – USA
NJ Assembly addresses meds-in-water issue – Water Technology

The New Jersey Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee was scheduled to receive comments and testimony on May 12 from invited speakers regarding environmental and health implications of pharmaceutical products in New Jersey drinking water.

DRUGS – USA
Kits allow at-home drug testing – Monessen Valley Independent

Township police are making it possible for parents to test their children for drugs in the privacy of their homes.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
If stressed, men more likely than women to crave alcohol: study – CBC News

When it comes to stress, women are more likely to be depressed and anxious, while men are more apt to turn to the bottle, suggests a new study. Men who become upset are more likely to develop cravings for alcohol and develop alcohol-related disorders, say researchers at Yale University.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Bay State Worsens Prescription Drug in Drinking Water – Common Dreams

Chemicals in over-the-counter and prescription drugs as well as personal care products (PPCPs) are not completely metabolized by the human body and thus end up entering rivers and groundwater that supply our drinking water.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Clean out those medicine cabinets – Pryor Daily Times

With teenager prescription drug abuse at an all-time high, the time has come to clean out those medicine cabinets.

METH – USA
Taking on meth – The Shelbyville News

At a ceremony this spring to honor crime victims, Shelby County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Landwerlen announced that the number of secret meth labs dismantled in Shelby County had risen from 12 in 2005 to 25 to 2006.

METH – USA
Mission Mission’s “I Lost Me To Meth” Coaster Contest – SFist
Oh wow. Mission Mission is offering a free pack of “I Lost Me to Meth” coasters to one lucky reader who can come up with the niftiest meth-related anecdote.

METH – USA
Missouri Legislature Approves Meth Bill – KBIA News

A new bill has been passed in the Missouri Legislature that would help crack down on those trying to purchase drugs to make methamphetamine.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana still drug of choice – The Delphos Herald

No longer solely associated with sandals and tie-dyed T-shirts, marijuana has transcended all social demographics. Adults and teens alike smoke it in “bongs” and fire up “blunts.” Local police say the country’s most popular narcotic is abused by those of various income brackets and social status.

MARIJUANA – USA
SURVEY: Marijuana most used illegal drug – The Daily Titan

Behind marijuana, cocaine is the most used illegal drug on campus according to an unscientific survey conducted by the Daily Titan this semester.

DRUGS – USA
Parental Awareness of Child’s Drug Use – Join Together

Parents are less likely to be aware of a younger child’s cigarette and alcohol use than that of an older child, according to analysis of multiyear data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

ALCOHOL – USA
Groups, Parents Urge Maryland Gov. to Veto Alcopops Bill – Join Together

Advocacy groups and parents of teens killed in alcohol-related incidents this week sent a pair of Mother’s Day appeals to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley urging him to veto a bill that would treat sweetened “alcopop” drinks the same as beer for regulatory and tax purposes.

ADDICTION – USA
Walking tall: Hudson walkathon raises drug addiction awareness – MetroWest Daily News

A group of spirited walkers put their feet on the streets yesterday to raise money for drug awareness and to help others with drug addictions.

PAINKILLER – IRELAND
Over-the-counter addictions soaring, doctor warns – Independent

IRELAND spent a staggering €21m on the codeine-based painkiller Solpadeine last year and experts are warning of a growing addiction to the drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
Expert to discuss alcohol’s effect on athletics – Sheboygan Press

John Underwood, president and founder of the American Athletic Institute and an expert on substance abuse, will speak about the damaging effects of alcohol on athletic performance at Sheboygan South High School on Wednesday, May 14, from 6-8 p.m.

ALCOHOL – UK
Anti-alcohol campaign ‘failing’ – Telegraph

Young people particularly are ignoring advice about the number of units they should drink each week because they find the figure unrealistically low, it concludes.

ALCOHOL – UK
Men more likely to turn to alcohol when upset – In The News

Men are more likely than women to drink alcohol when they are upset, according to new research.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol makers try escaping new ‘alcopop’ taxes – Scopical

Alcohol makers will consider new ways to escape having their products taxed at a higher rate after the Government announced sweeping changes to the prices of ‘alcopops’.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
More kids think it’s OK to drink booze, survey shows – Courier Mail

MANY more underage Australians believe it is OK to drink alcohol on a regular basis than they did 16 years ago, says a national survey.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Teens more accepting of alcohol: survey – The Age

Many more underage Australians believe it is acceptable to drink alcohol on a regular basis today than they did 16 years ago, according to a national survey.

METH – USA
Death to Meth brings drug-free message to youths – Rapid City Journal

Death to Meth, an all-day music and art event Saturday at Pine Ridge High School, hosted several bands connected to the reservation in addition to local speakers and an art workshop, providing a positive, drug-free message for the youths of Pine Ridge.

DRUGS – INDIA
Young people Drink and Consume drugs intending to have better sex – Health Jockey

According to a study, one third of the 16-35 year old males and a quarter of females examined are consuming alcohol to increase the possible areas in their sex life. Cocaine, ecstasy, and cannabis are used globally to boost sexual arousal or prolong sex.

DRUGS – UK
Government Of Canada Reaches Out To First Nations And Inuit Communities As Part Of Anti-Drug Strategy – Medical News Today

The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, the Honourable Chuck Strahl Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced federal funding of $30.5 million over five years, under the National Anti-Drug Strategy, to bolster services across Canada that will help First Nations and Inuit who suffer from drug addictions.

DRUGS – UK
Use Of Drink And Drugs By Young People For Better Sex – Medical News Today
Teenagers and young adults across Europe drink and take drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies. Findings published in BioMed Central’s open access journal, BMC Public Health, reveal that a third of 16-35 year old males and a quarter of females surveyed are drinking alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are intentionally used to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex.

ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND
High-alcohol drinks going – The New Zealand Herald

Two major liquor companies say they will have their highest-alcohol ready-to-drink beverages off liquor store shelves by the end of the year.

ALCOHOL – UK
Quit alcohol to reduce mouth cancer risk – Dentistry

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is calling for a reduction in the current daily alcohol intake safety guidelines.

ALCOHOL – UK
Two glasses of wine a day risks mouth cancer – Telegraph

Two glasses of wine a day can increase the risk of mouth cancer by up to 75 per cent, scientists warned. The research also showed two units of alcohol daily raises the risk of breast cancer by 22 per cent.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Teens turning to alcohol, drugs ‘for sexual high’ – NDTV News

More and more teenagers in Europe are turning to alcohol and drugs to improve their sex lives, a new study has revealed.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol retailers get schooled in the art of prevention – Simi Valley Acorn

Local business owners and managers gathered in Simi Valley Town Center’s community room on Tuesday to learn the ABCs of responsible alcohol sales.

COCAINE – UK
Teen sex and drugs ‘epidemic’ – ITV

Young people are using alcohol and drugs to increase their chances of getting sex, a study has found.

COCAINE – UK
Half city’s youth ‘take cocaine’ – BBC News

More than 50% of young people in Liverpool admit to having taken cocaine, a new report claims.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Keep leftover meds out of teens’ hands – Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

One in five teens has abused the prescription narcotic Vicodin. One in 10 has abused OxyContin. Another one in 10 has used stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall for the energy-boosting effect. One in 11 has admitted to getting high on cough medicine.

HEROIN – USA
Police say use of heroin by Nassau teens rising – News Day

Heroin, once the drug of choice for hopeless junkies, is becoming in vogue among an alarming number of middle-class Nassau County teenagers, police told local school officials at a meeting yesterday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Crime Rises with Alcohol Outlet Density, Study Says – Join Together

A new Australian study concludes that violence rose in Melbourne communities as the density of alcohol outlets increased.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk in Men and Women – FOX News

Just two drinks a day for both sexes raises the risk of mouth cancer by 75 percent, according to the study from Australia’s Cancer Institute NSW.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol increases cancer risk – NEWS

NSW Assistant Health Minister Verity Firth, who will release the report today, said the alarming links to cancer had been generally ignored in debate over alcohol consumption.

METH – USA
Keokuk Police educating kids about meth – KHQA News

The Keokuk Police Department is educating kids about the dangers of meth. Keokuk Police Chief Tom Crew put this presentation together. He takes it to area schools to show kids the short-and long-term effects of meth on your body.

ALCOHOL – USA
July Fourth alcohol ban to continue in Del Mar – Sign on San Diego

An annual ban on alcohol at Del Mar’s 2½ miles of beaches over the Fourth of July weekend will continue for a seventh summer. The City Council voted unanimously Monday to prohibit the possession of alcoholic beverages on all public property including beaches, parks, streets and sidewalks from 6 p.m. July 3 until 6 a.m. July 7, a period of 84 hours.

CANNABIS – UK
Study warns of sexual health crisis due to drug use – The Guardian

The culture of binge drinking and drug use among young people in Europe is increasing the risk of a sexual health crisis, researchers warned today.

DRUGS – USA
Young People Are Intentionally Drinking And Taking Drugs For Better Sex, European Survey Finds – Science Daily

Teenagers and young adults across Europe drink and take drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies.

METH – USA
Preventing Meth Use in the Central Valley – KMPH TV News

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, methamphetamine is the primary drug threat in California. And much of it is made right here in the Central Valley. The Kings County Partnership for Prevention is a group that is fighting against meth, and trying to prevent people from getting addicted.

COCAINE – UK
COCAINE TRACES FOUND IN ‘MOST’ STUDENT BARS – Evening Post

Tests have proved there is widespread use of cocaine in most Bristol University student bars. Students have used specialist swab tests to find traces of the Class-A drug at six out of seven bars at halls of residence in leafy Stoke Bishop.

MARIJUANA – AUSTRALIA
Marijuana flavoured candy banned – The Sydney Morning Herald

A new law in the US state of Georgia makes it illegal to sell sweets and other products made to taste like marijuana to minors, in what may be the first such ban in the country.

ADDICTION – USA
Town hall meeting outlines dangers of drug addiction – Northwest Arkansas Times

Circuit Court Judge Mary Ann Gunn emphasized prevention as the key to solving Northwest Arkansas’ drug problem.

METH – USA
U.S. Drug Czar Hosts Meth Conference In St. Louis – KSDK TV News

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and John Walters, the U.S. Drug Czar will host high-ranking officials from the world’s largest producing and some of the principal consuming nations of methamphetamine and meth precursor chemicals in St. Louis on Wednesday.

ALCOHOL – UK
London’s mayor bans alcohol on trains, buses – Reuters

London’s new mayor Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that alcohol would be banned on the capital’s transport system from next month.

ALCOHOL – UK
Boris bans booze on buses – The Press Association

New London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced an alcohol ban on transport in the capital.

ALCOHOL – UK
Johnson bans drink on transport – BBC News

Plans to ban the drinking of alcohol on London’s transport system have been unveiled by new mayor Boris Johnson.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
National Campaign to Prevent Misuse of Cough Medicine – Join Together

Five women have launched a national campaign to raise awareness of the problem of cough-medicine abuse, aided by a manufacturer’s association.

DRUGS – USA
Teens target prescription drugs; watch public service announcement – Pougkeepsie Journal

More than half of teens agree prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs, and 4.5 million American children have reported they’ve abused prescription drugs, according to the state Department of Health.

METH – USA
Declare war on ‘tweekers’ – The Eureka Reporter

“Tweekers” — the word sounds so innocuous, almost whimsical, but it is evil in its effects on our community. Tweekers ruin the local parks, leave needles in children’s playgrounds, perform theft and petty crimes or aggressive panhandling — all caused by the use of methamphetamine.

ALCOHOL – UK
Councils ‘fail’ on youth drinking – BBC News

More than a third of councils in Scotland have not suspended a single shop licence in the past five years for sales of alcohol to underage drinkers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Gender gap in alcohol drinking, dependence shrinks – Reuters

There have been marked increases in alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence among U.S. women, particularly among white and Hispanic women born in the U.S. after World War II, new research shows.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Radical measures’ vow to cut alcohol abuse – The Scotsman

A long-term strategy on alcohol misuse is due to be published shortly and is expected to contain significant plans to cut alcohol-related harm.

ALCOHOL – UK
MP calls for alcohol ad ban at sports events – The Independent

A ban on alcohol advertising at sporting events is being demanded by a Labour MP in an attempt to tackle binge drinking among young people.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Overuse Of Non-Prescription Pain Drugs Poses Dangers – WBNS TV News

Overuse of over-the-counter pain medications can cause serious health problems. A new study shows that many people take far more than the recommended dosages of non-prescription analgesics.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Becoming Equal Opportunity Destroyer – Join Together

Alcohol dependence was once much more common among men than women in the U.S., but the gender gap is closing.

ADDERALL – USA
Bucky’s Little Helper: UW students turn to Adderall to get through finals – The Capital Times

With final exams coming up, Renee figures she could fetch about $20 per capsule for Adderall, a prescription amphetamine widely known across campus as a “study drug.” But she sells her surplus only to close friends, generally charging $5 per pill, which helps her cover her monthly refill costs of $25.