Drug News

ALCOHOL ABUSE – WORLDWIDE
Alcohol Abuse: Is Binge Drinking Impacted By Romantic Relationships? – Huffington Post
‎
Who you date could influence how you drink, according to a new study from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Online pharmacies feed prescription drug abuse – New York Daily News

America’s addiction to prescription drugs is fed via the Internet, not just through prescriptions signed by a doctor. “Controlled prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Xanax and Ritalin are easily purchased over the Internet without a prescription, yet physician awareness of this problem is low.”

HEROIN – USA
Heroin epidemic brings death to Metro East – The Telegraph

The number of heroin deaths prompted authorities to institute new ways of investigating the incidents, and law enforcement officials and educators were moved to set up a continual education program to reach parents and students.

ECSTASY – USA
Victim’s kin warn about ecstasy – The Province

An Abbotsford family struggling to cope with the tragic loss of their teenage daughter at Christmas is warning other parents and teens of the dangers of ecstasy.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Injected drug linked to higher suicide risk – Zee News
‎
Drug abusers who inject themselves with methamphetamine had an 80 higher chance of attempting suicide than those who rely on other substances, says a study.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Veterans Possibly Targeted By Prescription Drug Abusers – NBC4i.com

There is a new trend in the world of prescription drug abuse: veterans possibly being targeted by prescription drug abusers who want large amounts of drugs quickly.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Domestic abuse increases significantly over the holidays – KNDO

Domestic abuse increases significantly over the holidays. Domestic violence crimes happen more around this time every year. Alcohol usage is increased and that can sometimes lead to unfortunate tragedies in the family. It’s a national problem. During night patrols, officers will respond to several calls of family fights during the holidays.

HEROIN/MARIJUANA/COCAINE – USA
25 Charged with Supplying Heroin, Marijuana, Cocaine in Moon, Beaver County, Pennsylvania – Moon.Patch.com

25 facing drug charges in a roundup led by investigators from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office that stretched from Beaver to Allegheny counties.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drug-testing proposal for welfare recipients debated – New Philadelphia Times Reporter

A proposal to require welfare recipients to pass a drug test — an idea being pushed by GOP lawmakers in Ohio and other states — is being questioned as an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Chris Rene says he’d use ‘The X Factor’ prize money to create a rehab center – OnTheRedCarpet.com

Chris Rene says if he wins “The X Factor” he’ll take the $5 million prize money and use it to create a rehab center for individuals like himself.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Long struggles with drugs ended in death – StarNewsOnline.com

Prescription drug abusers do not fit neatly into a profile or a stereotype, but range from the teenager stealing bottles from the medicine cabinet to the senior chewing pills to quell chronic pain.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug Tampering Cases Show Gaps in Nurse Regulation in Kansas – Insurance Journal

A nurse with a prior felony conviction for forging prescriptions dilutes morphine solutions for five Halstead, Kan., nursing home patients. Another nurse convicted of stealing drugs from patients at an Emporia home gets another job in Topeka, where she adds tap water to a painkiller prescribed for a 105-year-old patient. Still another nurse …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Adolescent drinking may be as important a risk factor for criminal activity as illicit drug use – Eureka Alert

Alcohol use has often been linked to criminal activity on the part of both perpetrators as well as victims. While this relationship has been well documented among adults, fewer studies have explored this relationship among adolescents. A new study has found a strong relationship between drinking during adolescence and the commission of crimes, and criminal victimization, for both genders.

DRUG REHAB – USA
A young woman struggles with oxy addiction and recovery – Tampabay.com

When her mom came to pick her up for drug court that morning, Stacy Nicholson was still high. She staggered to the door, fumbled with the bungee cord that kept it closed, blinked back the sunlight.

ECSTASY – SCOTLAND
Warning over ecstasy pills that raise overdose risk – BBC News

Police have issued a warning about an ingredient in some ecstasy tablets which could lead to overdosing. partygoers should be aware of the potentially fatal risks. Tablets which look like ecstasy have been found to contain a drug called PMMA. The substance has been blamed for several deaths across Europe.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Narconon East US Director Has Holiday Tips For Intervention And Drug Rehab Alternatives – PR Web

Narconon East US Executive Director, Yvonne Rodgers, has lifesaving holiday tips of an unusual nature. Her tips are for the loved ones and parents of those struggling with substance abuse and cover drug abuse intervention and drug rehab as an alternative to jail.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug addiction skyrocketed 430% over past decade; Drug rehab for painkiller abuse soars – New York Daily News

The increase is even more pronounced given that over the same time period the overall rate of substance-abuse-related admissions to rehab facilities has flatlined.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin industry growing in Arizona – Tucson Citizen
‎
It also has helped push heroin and other opiates past cocaine and amphetamines as the top drug-related reason in Arizona for emergency-room admissions and inpatient hospital discharges.

ALCOHOL – USA
Former Herriman HS teacher arrested for allegedly providing alcohol to minors – Fox 13 Now
‎
21-year-old Kylie Devey, a special education teacher and assistant softball coach at Herriman High School, is charged with five counts of providing alcohol to minors after parents of a student alerted the school district of the alleged incident.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin drove ex-teacher to steal school computers, rob bank – Pittsburgh Post Gazette

A former school teacher accused of stealing 22 computers from Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts high school pleaded guilty today to robbery, burglary and criminal conspiracy. Her attorney said all of the crimes were driven by the couple’s heroin addiction.

ECSTASY – USA
Ecstasy causes changes in the brain – UPI.com

Recreational use of the illegal drug Ecstasy, which produces feelings of euphoria, is associated with chronic changes in the human brain.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Once-Prominent Colorado Sheriff Now Faces Charges – Fox News
‎
Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan is accused of using and distributing methamphetamine in exchange for sex, according to authorities.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol diseases double in 7 years – The Independent
‎
Nearly 1.2 million people in England needed in-patient hospital treatment for alcohol related cancers, liver diseases and poisoning in 2010-11 – a 9 per cent rise on the previous year. There have already been over 7,000 hospital admissions for young people under the age of 18 in 2011.

BATH SALTS/SYNTHETIC DRUGS – USA
House votes to ban so-called ‘bath salts,’ other synthetic drugs that mimic marijuana, cocaine – Washington Post

The House voted Thursday to ban synthetic drugs nicknamed “bath salts” and other compounds that mimic marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Everyone Gets The Lindsay Lohan Treatment w/ White House Drug Policy – Politic 365

Conventional, progressive-thinking wisdom is that alcohol and drug abuse is a disease that should be responded to in a humane way. It entails the thinking that sending folks to treatment may be a better option than locking them up.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Help those recovering from alcohol dependence during the holidays – Newark Advocate

The holiday season is a time to celebrate family and friendships. For many, the calendar is filled with invitations to parties and get-togethers. For others, the holiday season is a time of increased pressure and stress. Those recovering from drug and alcohol dependence might feel anxious about accepting invitations to events where alcohol is involved.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Court Appointed Rehab Center To Re-Open Their Doors – News West 8

A court appointed drug rehab center in Midland had to close their doors this past summer because of budget cuts. Austin cut them out of the picture but now a few months later they got some of their funding back and they’re re-opening their doors.

HEROIN – USA
Man gets 5 years for giving heroin to Stafford man who overdosed – Asbury Park Press

A 27-year-old Staten Island man was sentenced today to five years in prison for distributing heroin to a Stafford man who overdosed on it and later died.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/HEROIN – USA
A look at how prescription pill abuse is fueling the comeback of a deadly drug – The Camarillo Acorn

How does a promising youth with ties to the church go from dreams of football stardom to the commission of a felony robbery in less than a year? “Drugs are the only reason I robbed that house. Just to make money to buy them and sell them or do whatever,” David, 19, said. “I had never even gotten a parking ticket before then.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – BRAZIL
Brazil football legend Socrates dies at the age of 57 following short illness – Daily Mail

Brazil legend Socrates has died at the age of 57 after suffering an intestinal infection. It was the third time in four months that he had been treated at an intensive care unit since alcohol abuse caused his stomach to haemorrhage in August.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Keeps a Grip on City – Gazettextra

Heroin addicts aren’t an easy group to survey. Even anecdotally, it’s hard to get an estimate of how many people in Janesville are using white powder heroin, the addictive narcotic that gained local popularity in early 2008.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth threat rises as cooking labs get smaller, more dangerous – Florida Times Union

Methamphetamine lab seizures in Northeast Florida are about 83 percent higher this year than in all of 2010 at a time when those who make it have turned to a more dangerous way of producing the drug.