Drug News

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Quotes: Charlie Sheen On His ‘Drug Use’ – TIME‎

CHARLIE SHEEN, speaking about his latest “drug” of choice to 20/20, dodging rumors that he’s still battling addiction. CBS pulled the plug on this season of Two and a Half Men after Sheen’s radio tirade last week against the show’s creator.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Drug addiction in Utah: Families devastated by prescription pain meds abuse – Fox 13 Now‎

Erin Johnson from the Utah Department of Health shares with FOX 13 how her study gauges drug addiction in Utah and what her results may mean. Her conclusions touch on the culture, religion and family dynamic.

PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS – Canada
Prescription pill addiction ruining lives – Toronto Sun‎

A drug addict since his early 20s, Steven started popping Dexedrine and Ritalin — both stimulants — in 2005 after he ran out of money for cocaine. Steven was crushing up to 30 pills a day and snorting them. With that came vomiting and tremors.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drug addiction hijacks several areas of the brain — and almost all of one’s life – Los Angeles Times‎

More recent research, however, indicates that addiction targets more than the reward system of the brain. Imaging studies show that the brain’s cognitive systems in the prefrontal cortex area are disrupted by drug addiction.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
$125,000 grant awarded to Blount County Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team – Blount Today‎

According to a 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 46 percent of 6th to 12th graders drank more than a few sips of alcohol before the age of 15; 29 percent confirmed the use of alcohol in the last 30 days; and 19 percent of 6th to 12th graders had …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera must face challenges of alcohol abuse – MLive.com‎

He will say that he is taking steps to address his alcohol problem, which became evident Wednesday night, when he was arrested and charged with DUI, resisting an officer without violence and having an open bottle of James Buchanan Scotch in his Land Rover.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Underage Alcohol Use Starts at Home – About – News & Issues‎

“Parents and other adults need to be aware that providing alcohol to children can expose them to an increased risk for alcohol abuse and set them on a path with increased potential for addiction.”

PARTY DRUGS – USA
Rave at Salt Palace results in nearly a dozen arrests – Deseret News‎

It’s the second time in two months that officers have made multiple drug-related arrests at a rave party hosted at the Salt Palace. Prompted by calls from concerned parents, Sgt. Shawn Josephson said the Vice Squad and the Narcotics Unit ..

DRUG REHAB – USA
Dozens of Teens to Be Kicked Out of Rehab – WSIL TV

Recent budget cuts mean Gateway Drug Rehab Centers are set to lose $11 million a year. Gateway used to offer a treatment periods of 90 to 120 days– now 30 days will be the max. Gateway is discharging every client that arrived before January 1st.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
Florida’s new corrections head pushing for drug rehab, job training – Florida Courier‎

In addition, drug rehab, vocational and educational programs have been cut as lawmakers have dealt with increasingly tight budgets. Buss said he said he thinks he can convince legislators and the governor that a little spent up front on those types of programs pays dividends in the end.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Jourdain declares public health emergency over drug addiction – Grand Forks Herald ‎

“We must do whatever we can to curb the scourge of drug abuse,” he said, bringing applause from the audience at the Red Lake Humanities Center. He cited nationwide statistics of 38371 people dying from drug addiction in 2007 and one million emergency room visits caused by drug overdoses in 2009.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Shocking mug shots reveal the toll of drug addiction – msnbc.com ‎

With disturbing before and after photos of drug users’ faces, a new anti-drug campaign may succeed where others have failed, grabbing teens’ attentions by appealing to their vanity. Faces that were normal — even attractive — in initial photos, shot when addicts were first arrested, metamorphose over years, and sometimes just months, into gaunt, pitted, even toothless wrecks.

PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS – USA
Dying for a fix: Oklahoma experiences increase in painkiller deaths – NewsOK.com ‎

Before long, the 33-year-old musician and former bartender felt compelled to feed his drug addiction by faking injuries before a string of doctors and even buying Lortab (hydrocodone) from a crack cocaine addict who looked like somebody’s grandmother.

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL – USA
Miguel Cabrera and 15 Phenoms Who Risked Their Careers with Drugs, Alcohol – Bleacher Report ‎

The following slideshow represents some of the top phenoms who have risked their careers due to alcohol abuse and drugs. Mickey Mantle is one of the most recognizable names in baseball history. By most, he is seen as the face of the Yankee franchise.

ALCOHOL – USA
Mother arrested after toddler drinks alcohol – Fox 59

An Indianapolis woman is facing charges of child neglect, after police say her nearly 2-year-old son suffered the effects of alcohol poisoning.

ALCOHOL – USA
Suspects identified in death of girl by ‘extreme alcohol poisoning’ – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Authorities are still trying to find the mother of a 4-year-old girl who died of “extreme alcohol poisoning” in an Alpharetta apartment.

DRUG ADDICTION AND REHAB – MEXICO
Rehab: A Public Nightmare in Tijuana – San Diego Reader ‎

Right before they ask for a donation, they mention the benefits of drug rehabilitation. Most of them are young men, but it is possible to spot women as well. They usually sell chocolate, lollypops, canned sodas, water, and even incense.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug users leaving treatment centers in Illinois, service providers say – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Social service providers say drug addicts are walking out of detox centers around Illinois this week, upon learning that the state government is eliminating funding for substance abuse treatment services, in a move expected to save $53 million.

HEROIN – UK
Patsy Palmer: ‘I’m glad I turned down heroin’ – What’s On TV ‎

In an interview due to air on ITV1 in the next few weeks, Patsy told how she was offered heroin once but refused as she feared she might end up like her drug-addict brother. According to The Sun, Patsy said: “I was offered heroin once, I remember it well.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
McMinn Co Sheriff Challenges Retailers Not to Sell Main Component in Meth – WDEF News 12

Wolfenden is on the front line in the war against methamphetamine. The pharmacist already keeps over the counter drugs with pseudoephedrine, a chief component in meth, behind the counter at his Cleveland and Athens stores. But now Sheriff Joe Guy wants to take it a step further.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Mother of children who died in fire denied bond – Atlanta Journal Constitution‎

Neibi Brito, 22, whose children died in what police suspect was a fire caused by chemicals used in methamphetamine production, is being held without bond, pending a preliminary hearing this Wednesday.

ECSTASY – CANADA
Candy-shaped drugs unsafe: RCMP – CBC ‎

Police are worried teenagers are being duped into believing the illegal drug ecstasy is not dangerous. RCMP Cpl. Steve Conohan said traffickers are selling ecstasy pills that look like valentine’s candies to suggest they are harmless.

ECSTASY – USA
The puzzling controversy over an Ecstasy fact card – Los Angeles Times‎

As a physician who has researched and written extensively about MDMA, I took a keen interest in the Ecstasy fact card controversy developing in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health is taking quite a bit of heat …

ALCOHOL – USA
Ala. bans drinks that combine alcohol and caffeine – Bloomberg ‎

The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has banned the sale in Alabama of canned beer-like drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol. This includes the drink Four Loko, which is popular on some college campuses.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Kasich vows to defeat drug addiction, starting in Scioto County – Zanesville Times Recorder

In 2010, 9.7 million doses of prescription painkillers were dispensed in Scioto County to 78,000 patients. The number equates to 123 doses for every man, woman and child in the county.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Seeking distance from drug addict brother – Boston Globe

Q. My adult brother is a drug addict. “Keith” has been in and out of rehab, but hasn’t succeeded in staying clean. He lies to family members and lives in …

DRUG ADDICTION – ENGLAND
Husband of jailed Kent wife talks of drug ‘devastation’ – BBC News

A husband whose wife was jailed for trying to stop their daughter buying heroin has described the devastation drug addiction has caused his family.

HEROIN – CANADA
Two local girls die from heroin overdose in same week – ABC12.com

Just last week, ABC12 News aired a special report about the growing problem of heroin in the community. That same day the parents of 17-year-old Briona …

PARTY DRUGS – CANADA
Canada takes steps to ban Miley Cyrus party drug Salvia – Vancouver Sun

The federal Conservative government is proposing to add Salvia Divinorum to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Smoking the concentrated …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Supporters of anti-meth bill say compromise could lead to passage – Louisville Courier-Journal

Supporters of a bill that would require a prescription for some over-the-counter cold medicines as a means of curbing methamphetamine manufacturing in in Kentucky say a compromise now being discussed could lead to its passage.

ALCOHOL – USA
3 charged in alcohol death of teen – Chicago Tribune

AP Tazewell County prosecutors say they have charged two men in the alcohol-related death of a teenaged Pekin girl.

PARTY DRUGS – CANADA
Police uncover new party drug in GTA raid- CityNews ‎

“This is our first seizure and it does concern us as it is one more drug out on the street. It is a recreational drug and a party drug. It produces a similar effect as MDMA (ecstasy), amphetamines and cocaine. The street price is similar to cocaine.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – UK
I strolled into riot jail and found inmates taking drugs & boozing – The Sun

As one inmate gleefully told me: “It’s still party time at Ford, man.” Last month a senior prison officer at the jail told me anonymously that security at McDonald’s was tougher than at Ford. So I decided to put it to the test. …

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
County to drop Prop. 36 drug treatment: Lack of state funding ends program for minor drug offenders – Santa Cruz Sentinel‎

SANTA CRUZ — The county’s Proposition 36 drug treatment program, which provides counseling services to minor drug offenders, will be phased out by March 1 due to a lack of state funding, officials said. Under the 2000 state voter …

HEROIN – USA
Few options for drug treatment – WLFI.com ‎

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After three people overdosed on heroin last weekend, officials are raising concerns about the lack of treatment for the drug in our area.

DRUG COURT – USA
KY bill sends criminals to rehab, not jail – 14WFIE.com ‎

The cost for correctional facilities has increased by $300 million in the past 20 years, the house believes criminals with low level drug offenses should be considered for treatment instead of jail time to cut costs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcoholism and Drug Use in Baseball – BoSox Injection ‎

Cabrera spent 3-months undergoing alcohol abuse treatment at the end of 2009 and into 2010, but now faces a relapse and more issues related to his disease. Many fans are outraged and want him suspended, but what issue does a suspension solve?

ALCOHOL – USA
Many Kids Who Drink Get Liquor From Home: Report – BusinessWeek ‎

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 5000 youngsters and teens under the age of 21 die each year as a result of underage drinking, including deaths from falls, burns and drowning. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING – USA
Rogers urges Fla. governor not to cancel drug monitoring system – Lexington Herald Leader ‎

“On behalf of my constituents, who continue to suffer from out-of-control and escalating prescription drug diversion originating from your state, I respectfully ask that you reverse your position on the value of and unquestionable need for” the monitoring system.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Florida hospitals see rise in drug-addicted newborns – AZ Central.com‎

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s prescription-drug epidemic – already responsible for nearly seven deaths a day – is taking its toll on the youngest, most vulnerable in its communities: newborns. In 2009, nearly 1,000 babies born in Florida hospitals were treated for drug-withdrawal syndrome.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT – USA
Report shows substance treatment is a money saver – KHQ Right Now

Research by Washington State University’s Public Policy Center shows for every $1 spent on treatment costs, Idaho saves $1.38 on criminal justice costs. Idaho Office of Drug Policy program manager Sharon Burke told state budget writers Monday that …

DRUG LAWS – USA
Kentucky House committee approves changes to drug penalties – Lexington Herald Leader

It would reduce penalties for drug possession — often to misdemeanors — and allow courts to send minor offenders to addiction treatment and place them on an appropriate level of community supervision. Simply locking up everyone convicted for drug …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Will Rehab Ruin El DeBarge Music Comeback? – The Stir ‎

He has been arrested on three occasions for drug possession and served almost two years in prison from 2008 to 2009. The struggle of addiction doesn’t ever go away, but if he’s still using, then he is smart to get treatment before putting himself out there on tour.

DRUG COURT – CANADA
Safe jails, safer streets – Calgary Herald ‎

One need only look at the cost effectiveness of drug treatment courts, where addicts agree to monitoring and treatment as an alternative to jail time. Studies have shown that drug courts save the health and criminal justice systems $4 for every $1.

DRUG COURT – USA
Local Drug Court earns state certification – The Tennessean ‎

“The drug court program is an alternative to incarceration and integrates chemical dependency treatment and community resources with the criminal justice system.” Judge Robert E. Burch presides over Drug Court each Thursday night to review …

MARIJUANA/ALCOHOL – USA
If marijuana is too dangerous, what about alcohol? – Baltimore Sun ‎

Did it ever occur to Mr. Gimbel that alcohol abuse also causes psychosis? Is he ignorant of the damage done to individuals and society from alcohol every year? And I’m not just referring to traffic accidents and deaths from drunk driving. …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
DC Prosecutors Won’t Use Breath Test Results – W*USA 9 ‎

Last year, DC police revealed problems with their breath testing equipment that sometimes resulted in the machines showing people with higher blood-alcohol concentrations than they actually had. Acting Attorney General Irvin Nathan said Tuesday that …

ALCOHOL TREATMENT – USA
Recovery Now TV Recommends Early Alcoholism Recovery Treatment for Successful Long-Term Recovery in Teens – Benzinga

It also shows how important it is for parents to get alcoholism recovery treatment for their teens early on so that they can learn how to live their life without alcohol abuse. Recovery Now TV has established some guidelines for talking to teens about the dangers of abusing alcohol.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Road to OxyContin Addiction – Opposing Views‎

Narconon Trois-Rivieres helped Cliff to end his life of OxyContin addiction by providing holistic treatment which did not involve the use of other drugs. Others are not so fortunate. There are many rehab centers which substitute one drug for another …

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
Bills aim to cut prison costs, improve drug treatment – Louisville Courier-Journal‎

After months of study, the General Assembly will begin considering proposals next week aimed at reducing Kentucky’s soaring prison population and thereby curbing costs through such things as better drug treatment and alternatives to incarceration.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – WORLDWIDE
WHO: Alcohol Abuse Kills 2.5 Million People Each Year – VOANEWS.com

The World Health Organization is calling for action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which kills 2.5 million people every year.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
NASCAR Needs Ounce of Prevention in Substance Abuse Policy – SpeedwayMedia.com‎

They are also stunned when they learn of the amount of alcohol that it takes for their particular body type to be considered legally and functionally impaired. NASCAR must consider being more proactive when it comes to prevention of substance abuse in …

PARTY DRUGS – USA
Husband Slips Ecstasy Into Wife’s Dinner – Cleveland Scene Weekly ‎

Who knows what would drive a man to slip some Ecstasy into his wife’s food. Maybe he thought she’d be more fun high. Maybe he thought it would kick up her sex drive. Maybe he wanted to have a dance party later in the night. …

HEROIN – USA
Heroin overdoses soar in Boston – Boston Herald‎

An apparent spike in heroin overdoses in the Hub has health officials deploying resources to keep the number from rising higher. Heroin overdoses have killed five people in Boston so far this year, said Rita Nieves, Substance Abuse

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Jefferson County sheriff: Several children taken from meth lab home – KMOV.com ‎

The Jefferson County sheriff’s department discovered a meth lab inside a home early Tuesday morning. Residents called the authorities after smelling a strange odor coming from a home on Meadow Drive at Jarvis Road in Joachim, Missouri.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Ray Lucas Chronicles Drug Rehab On Facebook – News One‎

Lucas has decided to write about his journey through drug rehab on Facebook to draw attention to what he calls the NFL’s indifference to retirees’ chronic health problems and to encourage other retirees with addiction problems to seek help.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Charlie Sheen lauded for giving anti-drug speech to UCLA baseball team – Examiner.com‎

As a result, Sheen is now in a personalized drug rehab program where he is being monitored around the clock at his lavish LA mansion. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
For some troops, wide use of medications can be deadly – Boston Globe

“Prescription drug use is on the rise,” the report said, noting that medications were involved in one-third of the record 162 suicides by active-duty …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug database key to halting abuse – Bradenton Herald‎

Just as the momentum in Florida’s years-long battle to curb prescription drug abuse gained steam, another setback occurs — this one more baffling and and frustrating than all the others combined.

ALCOHOL – WORLDWIDE
Alcohol Kills More than AIDS, TB or Violence: WHO – Independent-Bangladesh

Alcohol causes nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence, the World Health Organization warned on Friday.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE– USA
Communication key to drug and alcohol abuse prevention – Faribault Daily News‎

Communicating with your child about the risks of drug and alcohol use tells your child not only facts but that you love and care about them. …

ECSTASY – USA
Warning flier about taking Ecstasy — a lifesaver or a how-to guide? – Los Angeles Times

warning to Ecstasy users to “stay away” from the popular rave party drug. This flier also, rightly or wrongly, offered safety tips on what to do if you do …

ECSTASY – USA
Some at concert arrested on drug charges – Online Athens‎

Some dealers were arrested after selling Ecstasy to plainclothes officers, while several other people were booked into the Clarke County Jail.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Lindsay Lohan’s legal woes: The timeline – CNN

Well, here’s a timeline: January, 2007: Lindsay Lohan entered a drug rehab program for the first time. She continued work on the movie “I Know Who Killed …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Woman on mission to help babies born with drug addictions – KOMO News

Wendy White of Mill Creek is on a mission to help babies born with a drug addiction by calling on doctors and nurses to help open a nursery …

DRUG ABUSE – SCOTLAND
The myth and the reality – Glasgow Evening Times

The Scottish Government has increased the money it spends on tackling drug addiction, upping it by 20% to £28.6million since 2006. …

HEROIN – USA
In the Name of Heroin: Pearce Describes Drug-Induced Robbery – Fairfield Patch

Nicole Pearce described in detail the couple’s heroin addiction that was supported by a robbery/killing spree. The jury in the double murder trial of …

METHADONE – USA
Mother pleads guilty to overdosing girl – TheNewsTribune.com

A recovering heroin addict has pleaded guilty to giving her 12-year-old daughter a fatal dose of methadone. A recovering heroin addict has pleaded guilty to …

ALCOHOL – USA
House advances proposed ban on energy drinks – Live 5 News

“Alcohol and energy drinks, its just a bad combination. … When you hear about those energy drinks with alcohol, you hear about the ‘craze. …

ALCOHOL – UK
Girl, six, rushed to hospital after getting dangerously drunk – Daily Mail

It is not known how she got hold of the alcohol or what she drank. But health and welfare officers said they were investigating whether the girl was in need …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Florida Pain Clinic Society Opposes Rx Monitoring System Repeal – PR Newswire

… proposal to repeal the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The PDMP system is the single most important weapon in the war on Rx drug abuse, …

BATH SALTS – USA
Mom says ‘bath salts’ almost killed my son – KTVB ‎

“He was flailing, he had no control over his own body, he was flailing horribly, his blood pressure and his heart rate and everything were just off the charts,”

DRUG ADDICTION – CANADA
Health professionals denounce Bill S-10 – Metro Canada ‎

… public health are more effective at curbing drug use than increased enforcement. “Jail is an inappropriate response (to addiction),” Boyd said. …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Whoopi gets graphic on The View about her drug addiction – Examiner.com‎

It was abundantly clear that Whoopi was both authentic and knowledgeable about drug addiction. While the other ladies of The View were dropping their usual …

DRUG REHAB – SCOTLAND
Drug programme gave me a future – Scotsman‎

A MOTHER-of-three who beat a decades-long drug addiction thanks to a city rehabilitation project is backing a new multi-million-pound scheme …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Gil Kerlikowske on the Drug War – Drug WarRant‎

It is born out of the recognition that our drug problem is a major public health threat, and that drug addiction is a preventable and treatable disease. …

ALCOHOL ADDICTION – USA
Call for prison alcohol screening – The Press Association ‎

A study of prisoners’ health needs has found that up to three quarters of male inmates have a problem with alcohol.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Police: Driver’s blood alcohol level more than 5 times legal limit – Tbo.com ‎

Pinellas forensic toxicology expert Ron Bell said a blood alcohol level of .430 can be enough to kill someone. …