Drug News

COCAINE – UK
Longitudinal Study Investigates Cocaine’s Impact On Adolescent Development – Medical News Today

Teen years are for experimenting. Sometimes that means experimenting with drugs and engaging in other risky behaviors.

CODEINE – CANADA
Post-tonsillectomy codeine could be fatal – United Press International

A doctor in Canada warns the use of codeine to treat pain following a tonsillectomy could prove fatal for some children.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
Youth alcohol and drug use in rural Ireland - parents’ views – Rural and Remote Health

Drug availability is increasing throughout Ireland due to a convergence of rural and urban cultures during the last decade of economic growth and prosperity. Rural Irish youth may now have a heightened risk for problematic alcohol and drug use due to increased exposure to drugs, urban contact with peer drug users, unstructured recreation time and poor parental monitoring.

ALCOHOL – USA
When does social drinking become “at risk” drinking? – CNN Health News

A recent study from Duke University found that a significant portion of baby boomers—22% of men and 9% of women ages 50 and up—were binge drinking on a regular basis, increasing their risk for both long term health problems such as neurological complications and elevated blood pressure, and more acute problems like accidental injury.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Many Seniors Oblivious to Dangers of Taking Medications and Driving – Join Together

A majority of older drivers are not aware of the potential risk of driving while under the influence of medications such as ACE inhibitors, sedatives or beta-blockers, according to a new study (PDF) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Center for Injury Sciences.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drinkaware Responds To DH Survey About The Link Between Alcohol And Sleep Problems – Medical News Today

Responding to research from the Department of Health which shows more than half of drinkers are unaware of the link between alcohol and sleep problems.

ALCOHOL – USA
Government: Growth in women who drink and drive – The Associated Press

The number of women arrested for drunken driving has jumped nearly 30 percent in the past decade, a dangerous trend that was all too evident when a wrong-way crash involving a woman in New York killed eight people.

ALCOHOL – USA
Crackdown on drunk driving begins Friday – The Capital Times

Hundreds of police officers and deputies will be out in force this weekend, cracking down on drunks who think it’s okay to get behind the wheel.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Rehab and Your Health – Trans World News

The abuse of alcohol, an addiction to alcohol can destroy your life on many different levels.  The number of people who have lost jobs, broken relationships and literally gone broke as a result of their alcohol addiction is huge.

PAINKILLER – USA
Even Pain Killer Addiction Requires Professional Treatment – Trans World News

The chemical nature of painkiller addiction makes it particularly tough to beat. Prescription painkillers like morphine, codeine, and oxycodone are linked to the same kind of drug dependency that underlies heroin abuse.

PAINKILLER – USA
Common painkiller more effective in fracture pain – Press TV

A simple over-the-counter painkiller is reported to be more effective in alleviating pain in children suffering a fracture than the more powerful combinations.

COCAINE – USA
U.S. Currency Contaminated with Cocaine – Join Together

The vast majority of U.S. paper money in circulation contains traces of cocaine, a new study finds. CNN reported Aug. 18 that researchers found that 90 percent of $1, $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills tested had detectable cocaine residue. Bills from major cities were more likely to test positive than those from smaller cities.

DRUGS – USA
More women held for driving while intoxicated, study finds – CNN News

Arrests for women driving under the influence jumped by nearly 30 percent during the decade ending in 2007, according to a study released Wednesday by the U.S. Transportation Department.

ADDICTION – USA
Narconon Graduate Handles Addiction Permanently – Trans World News

Feeling “helpless, undeserving and pretty hopeless “was what Paul experienced for more than 12 years while addicted to drugs. Paul says the more he used the more his life fell apart to the point that he was so self-destructive, his family finally stepped in to help him.

ALCOHOL – UK
Poor diet and alcohol abuse behind tripling of liver cancer – Wales Online

Poor diet and alcohol consumption, together with drug use are seen as the main factors behind the increase.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Kids May Not Need Prescription Drugs For Pain – WCPO News

Kids may be tougher than we think. Researchers found that children with broken bones did not necessarily need a prescription to deal with pain.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Antibiotic Prescriptions Dip for Kids – Web MD

Doctors aren’t writing prescriptions for certain antibiotics to treat children’s respiratory tract infections as much as they used to, a new study shows. The researchers — who included Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University’s medical school — used national data to see if antibiotic use was still declining, a trend that began in the 1990s.

CODEINE – USA
Post-Tonsillectomy Codeine May Pose Dangers – US News and World Report

Giving codeine to children after a tonsillectomy may be deadly, a new report warns.

CODEINE – CANADA
Codeine after tonsil surgery can be fatal for toddlers – Canada.com

The common practice of giving children codeine for pain after tonsil surgery may provoke a fatal reaction in some toddlers, Canadian researchers are reporting.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol abuse behind increase in liver cancer, experts claim – Times Online

Rising rates of obesity and alcohol abuse have fuelled an increase in cases of liver cancer, according to figures published today.

DRUGS – USA
Many Baby Boomers are Continuing Illicit Drug Use into Their Later Years According to New Analytic Publication – SAMHSA

Many baby boomers (Americans in the generation born between 1946 and 1964) are continuing to use illicit drugs as they grow older, causing the rate of illicit drug use to go up within the 50 to 59 year old age segment of the population.

CANNABIS – UK
Teens ‘aware of cannabis harm’ – BBC News

Nearly one in two teenagers knows someone who has suffered from a mental health problem like paranoia after using cannabis, a survey suggests.

DRUGS – UK
Drug drive campaign ignores shock tactics – Talking Drugs

This week the UK Government began a new advertising campaign in an attempt to reduce the amount of people who drive while under the influence of drugs.

ALCOHOL – UK
Survey Shows Over Half Of Drinkers Unaware Of Link Between Alcohol And Sleep Problems, England – Medical News Today

Drinkers across England are losing valuable sleep and disrupting vital brain functions without knowing their boozing is the cause, new research for the Government’s Know Your Limits campaign has revealed.

DRUGS – UK
Government Of Canada Works With Niagara Region To Help Prevent Young People From Taking Illicit Drugs – Medical News Today

The Government of Canada is supporting a project that will help prevent youth in the Niagara region from taking illicit drugs.

COCAINE – UK
Up To 90 Percent Of US Paper Money Contains Traces Of Cocaine, New Study Finds – Medical News Today

In what researchers describe as the largest, most comprehensive analysis to date of cocaine contamination in banknotes, scientists are reporting that cocaine is present in up to 90 percent of paper money in the United States, particularly in large cities.

ALCOHOL – UK
Surprising Number Of Older Adults Binge Drink, US Survey – Medical News Today

Two researchers who analyzed the results of one of the largest surveys of substance abuse conducted in the US found a remarkable proportion of older Americans reported binge drinking.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin concerns spill over into Roanoke Valley – WSLS News

Six months after 10 On Your Side told you about concerns over an increase in heroin use in Roanoke city, statistical evidence supports it is now increasing in other areas of the Roanoke Valley.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin a growing threat – Las Vegas Sun

There are many words most parents do not want to hear in association with their children, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, methamphetamines and heroin.

COCAINE – USA
Chemist finds cocaine on Detroit’s paper money – Detroit Free Press

Detroit’s paper money is almost all contaminated with cocaine, but not enough to get people high or interfere with drug tests, a Massachusetts researcher said Tuesday at a national chemistry meeting.

ADDICTION – USA
Cocaine Addiction and U.S. Legal Tender – Trans World News

In a recent study conducted by the American Chemical Society (ACS), it was discovered that between 85 and 90 percent of the paper money in the United States showed traces of cocaine.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse meeting attended by wide age range – RGI

About 35 Silver Springs area residents, including teens and older adults, attended the Preventing Prescription Drug Misuse Evening at the Silver Springs Senior Center in collaboration with Silver Stage Task Force and Sanford Center for Aging.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Rx abuse caution – Muskogee Daily Phoenix

Curbing prescription drug abuse won’t be easy. The problem in Oklahoma is widespread and the drugs are easily available. But restraining their illegal use must start somewhere, and Muskogee law enforcement and social agencies and organizations are right to begin with educating young people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

COCAINE – USA
90 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine – CNN Health

In the course of its average 20 months in circulation, U.S. currency gets whisked into ATMs, clutched, touched and traded perhaps thousands of times at coffee shops, convenience stores and newsstands. And every touch to every bill brings specks of dirt, food, germs or even drug residue.

PAINKILLER – USA
Lesser painkiller is better for kids, study finds – St Louis Today

Kids with a broken arm do better on a simple over-the-counter painkiller than on a more powerful prescription combination that includes a narcotic, a surprising study finds.

PAINKILLER – USA
Ibuprofen as good as nacortic painkiller for kids’ fracture pain – Examiner

Doctors do not need to prescribe Tylenol 3 or another acetaminophen-codeine combination painkiller to children with broken bones. Prescription-strength ibuprofen, researchers have found, works just as well to manage pain and causes fewer side effects.

DRUGS – UK
Drug-driving campaign is launched – BBC News

An advertising campaign warning of the risks of driving after taking drugs is being launched in Britain. A TV ad will warn motorists that police can spot signs someone is under the influence of drugs if they are stopped.

METH – USA
‘The Drugs Among Us’, PC meth use rank high – The Register Herald

In 2008, the number of labs seized was 200, the lowest total since 141 labs in 2003, however, law enforcement officials have seen a steady increase once again this year.

METH – USA
Meth labs spawn testing, cleanup industry – Akron Beacon Journal

The red ”Meth” light on the futuristic-looking, hand-held scanner blinked on at numerous spots, indicating a positive hit. Not a good sign, since the property owner had cleaned the pantry to get rid of the meth spill in the Akron home.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Combating Prescription Drug Abuse – WSAZ News

Law enforcement officers in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky took a day Tuesday to say this: prescription pill abusers may put up a fight, but we’re reloading and doubling our efforts to win the war.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Many Teens Share Prescription Drugs: Study – ABC News

Many teenagers may be sharing their prescription medications with their friends, putting them at risk of drug side effects or having a health problem go undiagnosed, a new survey finds.

ALCOHOL – USA
Voters to decide on downtown alcohol sales – The Daily News

Voters will get a chance in November to decide whether to legalize alcohol in Friendswood’s downtown district, where alcohol has been banned since 1963.

ADDICTION – USA
Planning Effective Addiction Interventions – Trans World News

In planning addiction interventions, one of the important elements that you need to have in place is different recovery alternatives. In other words, as part of addiction interventions, it is crucial that the person who is the subject of any given intervention be told of the different treatment and recovery options that are available.

ALCOHOL – USA
New Middle-Age Crisis: Drinking Over 50 – ABC News

Binge drinking does not occur just among teenagers or college students. A recent study indicated that drinking large amounts of alcohol is now more prevalent among middle-aged adults than previously thought.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction to Benzodiazepenes Being Treated with Unique Recovery Program – Trans World News

Addiction to benzodiazepens which are prescibed for anxiety is less common than the opiates that are prescribed for pain.  However, benzodiazepenes (or “benzos”) are still habit forming and can lead gradually into abuse and then to full blown physical and mental addiction.

ALCOHOL – UK
National Survey Reveals Binge Drinking In Older Americans – Medical News Today

Binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks on the same occasion within the past 30 days, was reported by 14 percent of men and 3 percent of women age 65 or older.

HEROIN – USA
Younger people turn to heroin; possible link to prescription drug abuse – KRNV News

Heroin use overall in Northern Nevada is climbing at an alarming rate, but the Regional Street Enforcement Team says the situation is even more concerning because younger people are buying the drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
Police chief: Don’t drink and drive – Edmond Life and Leisure

Alcohol related traffic fatalities are on the rise and heavy enforcement during the holiday period has proven to be a deterrent, sending out the strong message that drinking and driving over the legal limit will not be tolerated.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin deaths surge in Will County – Naperville Sun

Health officials, narcotics agents and the coroner agree: We are in the midst of a heroin epidemic.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking: Not for Kids Only – Join Together

More than one in five men ages 50-64 report consuming five or more alcoholic beverages at a single sitting within the past month, shattering the myth that binge drinking is strictly a problem for college students.

ALCOHOL – UK
Call for alcohol laws as liver disease soars – The Observer

Excessive drinking habits have led to a sharp rise in alcohol-related disease in England over the past five years, with cases of cirrhosis increasing by 42% since 2004, to almost 5,000 cases a year.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Congress should reimpose ban on TV prescription drug ads – The Modesto Bee

Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the power to regulate tobacco advertising, it should consider doing the same for another potentially addictive substance — prescription drugs.

COCAINE – UK
US banknotes show cocaine traces – BBC News

The largest study of banknotes has found that 95% of dollar bills in Washington DC bear traces of the illegal drug cocaine.

COCAINE – USA
Nearly 90% of U.S. money has traces of cocaine – TIME

A study that tested paper money from 30 big cities in five countries—including the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China and Japan—found that big metropolitan areas in both Canada and the U.S. have an alarmingly high presence of cocaine on their currency, with traces of the narcotic on 85-90% of bills.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine on Money: Drug Found on 90% of U.S. Bills – National Geographic

If you live in the United States or Canada, chances are you have cocaine in your wallet. Nearly nine out of ten bills circulating in the U.S. and its northern neighbor are tainted with cocaine, according to what’s being called the most definitive research to date on the subject.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Contaminates Majority of U.S. Currency – Scientific American

For cocaine users, a rolled up $20 bill may be the most convenient tool for snorting the powder form of the drug. Or so it would seem from a new analysis of 234 banknotes from 18 U.S. cities that found cocaine on 90 percent of the bills tested.

ALCOHOL – USA
KU to require online alcohol education course – Kansas City Star

The University of Kansas is requiring new students ages 22 and younger to complete a two-hour online course teaching them the dangers of alcohol use. Students will have to finish the first part of the course by Sept. 24 and the second part by Nov. 1. Both parts must be completed for the student to enroll in spring semester.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey Finds Binge Drinking Among Older People, Too – US News and World Report

Binge drinking isn’t just a problem of young people, researchers say. In a nationwide survey of people 50 to 64 years old, nearly a quarter of the men and nine percent of the women told Duke University researchers they had engaged in binge drinking in the previous 30 days.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin high here getting cheaper – The Columbus Dispatch

Mexican drug cartels have saturated Columbus’ heroin market, pushing down the price of a kilogram and hooking a larger share of the city’s users.

PAINKILLER – USA
70,000 U.S. kids overdose each year — accidentally — on everyday household meds – TIME

Some 100,000 kids end up in U.S. emergency rooms each year because they’ve accidentally been poisoned. No, they’re not all raiding the cupboard full of cleaning supplies.

ADDICTION – USA
10 reasons to kick addictions – Desert News

Making the decision to give up an addiction may seem like a simple act to those who have never struggled with the issue. The truth is that sobriety is a process that, for those who follow the path, will last a lifetime. The great news is that by enduring and eventually embracing the process, you will also have a life. Here are 10 reasons to get started.

DRUGS – USA
Rescue Ink helps young people striving to quit drugs, alcohol – Zanesville Times Recorder

Smith along with her husband, Richard, have opened a new store in New Lexington with that idea in mind. Rescue Ink, at 126 Main St., has clothes, bikes, shoes and other items at prices that are affordable to those families and teens finding themselves in financial crisis.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Abuse Is Treated With The Most Extensive Treatment Programs – Trans World News

Sunset Malibu, an exclusive treatment center on the California coast, has long been a transformational force in the field of rehabilitation and recovery. Now, Sunset is announcing its redoubled efforts in the fight against alcohol dependency.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Your prescription drugs can kill – Dubuque Telegraph Herald

Iowa health officials warn of the growing threat of unintentional poisoning. A University of Iowa report shows the state’s number of unintentional poisoning deaths rose from 67 in 2002 to 160 in 2008.

ADDICTION – USA
Campaign focuses on addiction awareness – Scarlet Scuttlebutt

NCADD’S eighth annual Tree of Hope campaign is designed to raise the consciousness in Middlesex County to the fact that addiction is an illness from which many do recover, and to celebrate those recoveries.

ADDICTION – INDIA
Drug addiction among adolescents on the rise – Indian Express

The alarming trend of adolescents taking to drugs, including sniffing petroleum products, cigarettes, alcohol and even smack, has caught up across all economic strata in the city, doctors dealing with such cases say.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Is A Growing Problem in Tri-State – WKRC TV News

A disturbing national trend is gaining a foothold in Northern Kentucky. Police says heroin is quickly becoming the drug of choice. Heroin has come and gone over the years but very recently it has come back, very strong.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking Affects Even Sober Brain, Study Finds – Join Together

Self-reported binge drinkers performed worse on cognitive tests compared to non-bingers, even when they were sober.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Medications Pose High Poisoning Risk For Children – Free Internet Press

Parents may want to lock the medicine cabinet as well as the cabinet under the sink. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that more than twice as many children are accidentally poisoned with prescription or over-the-counter medicines as with household consumer products.

ALCOHOL – USA
Middle-schoolers experience effects of alcohol while wearing goggles – The Desert Sun

A group of local middle school kids got to experience what it’s like to be drunk Thursday — without the alcohol. The students - members of the La Quinta Police Middle School Cadet Academy - donned “drunk goggles,” then took a simulated field sobriety test and drove golf carts through an orange pylon course.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol use affects entire campus – The Daily Gamecock

Alcohol is a major topic for many college students across the nation, whether it concerns Friday night plans or new regulations. Regardless of whether a college-aged student drinks on a regular basis or rarely or never, alcohol has the potential to affect everyone.

METH – USA
State looking to fix meth clean-up problem – KSN TV News

Budget cuts now mean the state is no longer funding a program to clean up meth labs. The DEA is now in charge, but the Kansas Bureau of Investigation says since the federal agency took over, law enforcement has been waiting up to eight hours for a clean-up crew. And now the KBI is looking for solutions.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Valley Schools Fight Prescription Drug Abuse – WHSV News

Officials from various school districts in the Valley are trying to put an end to what they’re calling one of the biggest problems hitting our schools. One school board member in Augusta County says it saw double the amount of prescription drugs in the school system last school year versus the year before.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
How to Keep Prescription Drugs Away From Your Kids – Health News Digest

How many prescriptions do you have in your home? Because they’re free and easy to find, they may be what your child uses to get high.

DRUGS – USA
Drug abuse large part of crime in North Port – Sarasota Herald Tribune

A police report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows violent crimes essentially level compared with 2008, and property crimes such a burglary dropped by 9 percent.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin: More Than A Big City Problem – NBC News

It’s no longer thought of as just a “big city problem.” Heroin is showing up in smaller communities all over our area. Mt. Horeb is known for a lot of things. Heroin would probably not be one of them. But police are seeing it here as well. And just like other areas in south central Wisconsin, it’s got their attention.

ALCOHOL – USA
Women and Men in Drug Rehab or Alcohol Treatment – Trans World News

Studies and surveys conducted by various state and federal agencies have shown that the ratio of males to females who enter drug rehab or alcohol treatment is 2.3 to 1 respectively. Recent census data indicates an almost even number of men and women in the US.

METH – USA
The dangers of methamphetamine – Richmond Register

Representatives of state and federal law enforcement agencies gathered with media members in an airplane hangar Wednesday morning to discuss the rise in methamphetamine production.

DRUGS – USA
Substance Abuse Treatment Facilitator Locator – SAMHSA

To locate the drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs nearest you, find your State on the map below and click on it.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study urges action to get patients to follow prescriptions – Boston Globe

Patients who do not take their medications as prescribed pay a price in poorer health, more frequent hospitalizations, and a higher risk of death.

DRUGS – USA
Drugs 101: Introduction to Marijuana – Examiner

When I was in high school, so many, many years ago, marijuana was the drug of choice. Cocaine was around, but it was expensive. Speed was available, as was LSD and mushrooms, all cheap and easy to obtain. Methamphetamine, crack cocaine, MDMA, GHB and ecstasy, were not around yet.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
1 in 5 teens shares prescriptions – USA Today

About 20% of U.S. teens exchange prescription drugs such as antibiotics and allergy medications with friends, a practice that can be dangerous and potentially deadly, warns a new study.

ALCOHOL – UK
Reducing Drinking And Preventing Relapse Using A Synthetic Derivative Of The Kudzu Vine – Medical News Today

Kudzu and its extracts and flowers have been used in traditional Chinese folk medicine to treat alcoholism for about 1,000 years.