Drug News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Pill Deaths Continue – Tampa Tribune

Three times more Floridians died from prescription pill abuse last year than from a fatal overdose of an illegal drug.

METH – USA
Free home meth test kits at Superday – Wyoming Tribune
Up to 250 testing kits will be provided free at Superday to tenants or property owners concerned about prior methamphetamine use or laboratories in their residence.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Revealed: Students drowning in alcohol – Daily Nation

The devastating effects of alcohol and drugs on young people in Kenya can be laid bare today.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Industry invests millions to curb alcohol abuse – Daily Nation

It was not until four years ago that the country’s alcoholic beverage manufacturers stepped up efforts to encourage responsible drinking.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol linked to brain damage – Times of India

You might not just realize this while downing a mug of chilled beer on a summer afternoon, but a new study has revealed that too much alcohol can cause permanent damage to brain.

PAINKILLER – USA
Group Sues FDA in Effort to Ban Painkiller – Washington Post

A prescription painkiller sold under names including Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

ALCOHOL – USA
NIAAA Publishes Guidelines on Physician Alcohol Interventions – Join Together

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has published new advice for physicians interested in “Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much.”

HEROIN – USA
Oregon fears heroin is tempting more kids – The Oregonain

In the wake of Oregon’s crackdown on methamphetamine, police say, heroin has become a cheaper, more plentiful alternative, especially for kids tempted to venture beyond marijuana and alcohol.

PAINKILLER – USA
Public Citizen Sues FDA for Failure to Act on Darvon – Consumer Affairs

Public Citizen sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today for failing to act on its petition to withdraw Darvon, Darvocet and all drugs containing propoxyphene gradually from the market as is now required in the United Kingdom.

Concert focuses on meth problem – Appeal-Democrat

Friday Night Live is planning an all-day concert on Saturday to raise awareness of methamphetamine abuse in the Yuba-Sutter area.

METH – USA
Pharmacology of crystal meth – Eurek Alert

When smoked, crystal meth rapidly achieves high concentrations in the brain without the burdens of the intravenous route. Kish reviews the actions of methamphetamine and explains the potential role of dopamine in methamphetamine craving.

METH – USA
Concert Held in Idaho to Raise Money Against Meth – Local ABC News

This all day all age benefit concert features local bands donating their time and talent.
They held this to try to help raise awareness about the devastating impact of Meth
in Idaho.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Florida Medical Examiner’s report show prescription drugs more deadly – North Florida News Daily

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Florida Medical Examiners Commission released the state’s annual report on Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons.

RITALIN – USA
Enquirer seeks sources for substance abuse series – Battle Creek Enquier

Substance abuse among young people does not afflict just one group. Teens from all walks of life use drugs and alcohol both to tune out and to tune in.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Florida Reports Prescription Drugs Killing Far More People than Illicit Drugs – Join Together

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission says that autopsies show that prescription drugs kill three times more people in Florida than all illicit drugs combined

METH – USA
Anti-meth campaign kicks off – CBS Denver News

The Wyoming Meth Project has launched a campaign to prevent young people from trying the highly addictive drug with a campaign fueled by television, radio and print advertisements.

ALCOHOL – USA
Namibia: Festival Against Drugs and Alcohol – All Africa

The 3rd year social work students of the University of Namibia in conjunction with Bank Windhoek, Coalition on Responsible Drinking, Namibia Breweries, and the Drug Awareness Group are organizing a TADA choir festival that will take place this Saturday.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scottish Suicide And Homicide Rates Fueled By Drink And Drugs – Medical News Today

Alcohol and drug misuse mean Scots are almost twice as likely to kill or take their own life compared to people living in England and Wales, published research reveals.

CANNABIS – UK
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) - Cannabis review meeting – Home Office
In July 2007, the Home Secretary asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to review the classification of cannabis.

METHADONE – USA
Man fights what son could not – The Boston Globe

Fatal methadone overdoses in Massachusetts have risen more than 400 percent in recent years, according to the state Department of Public Health, up from 17 in 2002 to 86 in 2005, the latest available data.

METH – USA
Otter kicks off meth project – Capital Press
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter announced the launch of the Idaho Meth Project during his combined State of the State and budget address, officially opening the 2008 state legislative session here Jan. 7.

DRUGS – USA
Cocaine overtaking meth as Canyon County drug of choice – KPAX TV News

Cocaine has overtaken methamphetamine as the drug of choice in Canyon County.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Let’s monitor prescriptions – The Wichita Eagle

Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem that can have devastating outcomes if left unchecked. This is an issue of deep concern to our community’s physicians and the Medical Society of Sedgwick County.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study ignores prescription abuse – Nashua Telegraph

The study, which dubbed today’s teens as “Generation Rx,” found the most popular drugs were painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin.

METH – USA
Renters face menace of meth – Tulsa World
Legislation being drafted for consideration in the upcoming session would require landlords to clean homes that were once the sites of methamphetamine labs before renting out the residences.

METH – USA
Oklahoma renters face menace of meth – KTEN TV News

A proposal to require landlords to clean homes where methamphetamine labs operated before renting out the residences again would help keep renters safe, officials said.

DRUGS – USA
Statement from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association on the SAMHSA Findings on Cough Medicine Abuse – Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Following is a statement by Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A., president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), regarding today’s release of the U.S. Health and Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Association’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey, which reported data on the prevalence of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse among 12- to 25-year-olds in 2006.

PAINKILLER – PAKISTAN
Long-Term pain killer use may harm Kidneys – International News Network

Long-term, habitual use of the painkiller acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol, may cause a decline in kidney function in some people, a study of middle-aged women said.