Drug News

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Heroin, cocaine seizures soar at Australia’s borders – The Age

Heroin seizures at Australia’s borders rose to a record high last financial year, while detections of cocaine also soared, new figures show.

HEROIN – AUSTRALIA
Illicit drugs: get it in the mail – The Sydney Morning Herald

Drug traffickers are increasingly using the mail system to post illicit drugs to Australia, as the number of heroin detections at the border reached the highest on record, a national crime report shows.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
South Florida leads the state in prescription drug deaths – Sun-Sentinel

Prescription drug overdose deaths skyrocketed in South Florida last year, surpassing increases in the state overall.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Pharmaceuticals Kill More Than Street Drugs – News 4 JAX

A report released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission revealed that common prescription drugs were responsible for more deaths in 2007 than common illegal drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs bigger killers than illegal drugs – WWSB TV News
A report says that deaths caused by prescription drugs were three times as high as those caused by illegal drugs in Florida last year.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse placed on joint agenda – Los Altos Town Crier

What should be on the agenda, and why, precipitated a feisty back and forth between council and school board members last month.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse costs each Cdn. $463 annually, study finds – Canada.com

Alcohol abuse costs each Canadian an estimated $463 annually, according to a study by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

MORPHINE – USA
Ethex recalls morphine tablets – Prescribing Reference

Ethex has voluntarily recalled a single lot of morphine sulfate 60mg extended-release tablets due to a report of a tablet with double-thickness which may contain twice the level of active ingredient.

MARIJUANA – UK
Marijuana potency increases in 2007 – The Associated Press

Marijuana potency increased last year to the highest level in more than 30 years, posing greater health risks to people who may view the drug as harmless, according to a report released Thursday by the White House.

ADDICTION – USA
Pivotal Breakthrough Made In Alcohol Addiction Treatment – Science Daily

Alcoholism is a devastating disease in part because of the ’symptom’ of heavy drinking but more so due to the extensive harm it causes physical organs, such as the heart and liver.

ALCOHOL – USA
Early Drinking and Adult Alcohol Dependence Increases Among Americans – Join Together

A study of individuals born between 1934 and 1983 found that more Americans began drinking alcohol at an early age over the decades, especially women, and that those who did drink at a younger age were more likely to be alcohol-dependent as adults.