Drug News

COCAINE – USA
Crack Use Worsens Outcomes in HIV-Infected Women – Join Together

A study of nearly 1,700 HIV-infected women has found that use of crack cocaine results in a deterioration of immune status and can counteract the effects of antiretroviral medication.

ALCOHOL – USA
University of Florida Launches Attack on Party Image – Join Together

Just days after a publication named it the nation’s top party school, the University of Florida officially proposed dramatic changes to its campus code of conduct that include bans on kegs and drinking games.

ALCOHOL – USA
College Coaches’ Pleas for Ban on Alcohol Ads Fail to Move NCAA – Join Together

Members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA’s) executive committee have decided not to move toward tougher restrictions on televised alcohol ads during college sports events.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol-fuelled offences soar with 24 hour drinking – Telegraph

Crime statistics gathered from almost every police force in the country show that public order offences have increased by 136 per cent in the past four years.

ADDICTION – USA
Substance abuse seen as a growing problem as boomers age – Seattle PI

One study shows that by 2020, the number of adults 50 and older with substance abuse problems will skyrocket from the 1999 estimate of two and a half million to five million.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Ecstasy just another in long line of national pastimes – The Sydney Morning Herald

It seems that despite extensive education and interdiction, Australia’s youth have embraced this drug like no other. The market remains buoyant.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Dying in ecstasy as drug use soars – News.com.au

It’s not surprising that the world’s two biggest ecstasy busts have been in Australia. That’s because UN figures reveal Australians are easily the world’s biggest users, per head of population.

METH – USA
Meth use drops, other drugs increase – KTVN News

Reno police say that after a year of community efforts that targeted children and educated parents about a methamphetamine epidemic, meth activity has declined. But the use of heroin and cocaine are on the rise, mainly because of a decline of meth availability and a price increase.

METH – USA
Local drug use: Meth down, heroin up – Carson Times

After more than a year of community efforts that targeted children and educated their parents about a methamphetamine epidemic, meth activity has declined, police say.

DRUGS – UK
Back To School: More Stressful Than Parents Think – Medical News Today

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America recently released a survey showing that the number one reason for teenage drug and alcohol abuse is to deal with school-related pressures.

DRUGS – UK
CHILDREN’S DRUG SURVEY – Life Education

One in five 10 year olds (19%), think that heroin is legal, according to a new survey from leading children’s health education charity Life Education.

ALCOHOL – UK
CHILDREN’ ALCOHOL SURVEY – Life Education

Almost a third of children (30%) think that for adults who drink wine, drinking five or more glasses of wine in one night is normal drinking behaviour, says a new survey from leading children’s health education charity Life Education.

METH – USA
McMaster eyes program to steer youths from meth – Greenville News

The images are raw, gut-wrenchingly akin to those black-and-white images of highway carnage that traffic courts once forced offenders to watch. Others ads show the physical toll the drug takes, oozing sores, rotting, falling out teeth, hallucinations, and raw skin from scratching at bugs that exist only in the mind.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Be aware of prescription drug abuse – Vineland Daily Journal

August was recently designated as National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month. With the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reporting that about 9 million people use prescription medication for nonmedical uses, the timing couldn’t have been better.

DRUGS – INDIA
Worrying Trend of Drug Related Deaths in Scotland – Med India

As per the latest report, drug related deaths had reached a record high of 455 during the past year, 8% higher than the previous year and double in 10 years.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol energy drinks a threat to teens – Santa Fe - New Mexican

Alcohol and caffeine is a dangerous mix because the caffeine masks, but does not counteract, alcohol’s effects, resulting in a “wide-awake drunk.” The combination increases the likelihood of drunken driving, unsafe sex, assaults and other alcohol problems.

ALCOHOL – USA
Utah colleges pushing for ban on beer commercials – Salt Lake Tribune

College officials in Utah are among those calling for an end to beer commercials during televised NCAA sporting events.

COCAINE – BRAZIL
Cocaine Seizures…in West Africa? – Comunidade Segura

Cocaine use in Europe has tripled in the last decade, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), while the number of cocaine users in the United States has been consistently falling.

OPIUM – USA
Modern Pain Killers: Biggest Medical Hoax in Last 100 Years – US Recall News

Starting in 1986, with the misinterpretation of the World Health Organization’s paper concerning terminal pain, the morphinan molecule has come back with a vengeance in the form of oxycodone (Percocet and Oxycontin) and hydrocodon (Vicodin and Lorcet).

RITALIN – USA
Work Stress, Anxiety And Depression Aren´t Caused By A Lack Of Prozac – American Chronicle

It is interesting to observe that the discovery of the drug Ritalin prompted a sudden epidemic in children diagnosed with ADHD. Has the development of anti-depressant drugs and anti-anxiety medication triggered the rise in cases of work related stress?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens abusing easy-to-get prescription drugs – Victorville Daily Press

For many teenagers wanting to get high, their drug of choice is no further away than their parent’s medicine cabinet. Pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs used by teens today, according to the National Drug Policy.

COCAINE – IRELAND
Irish bank notes show high levels of cocaine – Herald

IRISH Euro banknotes in circulation in Spain have one of the highest levels of cocaine traces, a new study has found.

CANNABIS – IRELAND
Cannabis on sale now eight times stronger – Herald

HERBAL cannabis on sale in Ireland is now up to eight times stronger than it was a decade ago, an addiction expert has said.
ALCOHOL – USA
Last call – Chicago Sun-Times

A new study shows that not only do we drink less as we get older, but boozing by younger generations is on the decline, too

ALCOHOL – USA
College Coaches Hope to Bench Alcohol Advertising – Join Together

More than 100 college athletic coaches are asking the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to eliminate televised alcohol advertising during college sports broadcasts.

ALCOHOL – USA
Getting Older, Drinking Less, Study Finds – Join Together

Participants in this comprehensive, long-term health study generally drank less as they got older and later generations drank less than their predecessors.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol put before safety with airlines – Belfast Telegraph

There have been several recent flying incidents where passengers, due to alcohol consumption, have become rowdy and aggressive.

ALCOHOL – USA
Chargers Announce New Alcohol, Conduct Policies For Fans – NBC San Diego

Chargers fans had better be on their best behavior when they attend Saturday’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

ALCOHOL – USA
Americans Drinking Less Alcohol – US News and World Report

Americans are drinking less alcohol, with middle-aged people consuming about one-third less than 50 years ago, researchers report.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drinks: Infusing alcohol with botanicals – Seattle Post Intelligencer

Alcohol can be infused with botanicals, marinated with macerated fruits or stirred together with other potions.

ALCOHOL – USA
Pressure Grows to Expel Beer Advertising from NCAA Basketball – Join Together

When the executive committee and Division I board of directors of the National Collegiate Athletic Association meet for their annual gatherings in Indianapolis on August 7, it is likely they will have to take a hard look at the organization’s policies on advertising alcoholic beverages during the “March Madness” national championship basketball tournament.

METHADONE – UK
Drug deaths double in last decade – BBC News

The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland has doubled in the past 10 years, according to new figures.

ADDICTION – USA
Drug Rehab Treatment for the Varying Addiction Problem – Trans World News

Drug addiction on the outside may look the same, an uncontrolled impulse to constantly use the drug of choice. On the inside however, it is a completely different story.

ADDICTION – SOUTH AFRICA
From beauty to drug wreck – IOL

New statistics by the Central Drug Authority reveal that drug addiction is a growing problem - up by 14 percent since last year, according to George Pappas, chairperson of the Gauteng Substance Abuse Forum.

METH – USA
Student survey on alcohol, tobacco, meth and marijuana use gives some a reason to think substance use is declining – Chisago County Press

A few years ago the Lake Improvement District Board would convene its annual meeting and mostly hear complaints about high water levels and flooding of lakeshore parcels. The annual meeting Monday this week for the LID brought out comments from residents concerned about low water levels.

HEROIN – UK
Toll of drug deaths hits fresh high, with worse to come – Scotsman

THE human cost of drug abuse in Scotland could spiral higher in years to come, a minister warned yesterday as figures revealed a record number of deaths from heroin, cocaine and other substances.

COCAINE – USA
Study: U.S. Paper Money Covered With Cocaine – Fox News

Paper money contains high traces of cocaine, regardless of whether or not the paper money came into direct contact with the drug.

COCAINE – USA
U.S. money contains highest traces of cocaine – MSNBC News

Paper money contains high traces of cocaine, regardless of whether or not the paper money came into direct contact with the drug. And U.S. bills take the top spot, covered in the greatest amount of the illegal powder.

DRUGS – UK
Young people and drugs - young people talk directly to government – Mentor

As figures are released showing that young people’s drug use is falling, a group of young people working with the drug prevention charity Mentor UK send out a strong message to government about what is needed to maintain and improve on this reduction.

DRUGS – USA
Teens Cite School Pressure For Drug Abuse – MSNBC News

According to a recent study, teenagers said academic pressure is the leading cause of drug use. Video: Students Blame Academic Pressure For Drug Abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Huge Prescription Drug Round-up – CBS News

In all, an estimated 100,000 pills collected from people who wanted to properly discard their unused or unwanted drugs.

ADDERALL – USA
Prescription drugs can be problem for teens – Joplin Globe

Americans live in a heavily medicated culture. Whatever problem we have, there is a pill for it.

DRUGS – USA
Teens Using Drugs to Cope with Stress, Parents Underestimating Pressures – Join Together

A new study released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America reveals a troubling new insight into the reasons why teens use drugs.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin concerns increase among some police – WSLS News

A month long investigation by 10 On Your Side reveals worries about some law enforcement agencies about a increase in heroin use.

ALCOHOL – UK
New calls for drink-drive limit to be cut – The Herald

Fresh calls have been made to lower the drink-drive limit after a survey showed that more than 40% of women and almost 60% of men had got behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK

Police may get right to stage random breath tests to tackle drink-driving – Times Online

Police could be given the power to carry out random breath tests on motorists as part of a new package of measures to tackle drink-driving.

METH – USA
Meth takes back seat to cocaine in Boise – Idaho Staesman

It may be temporary, but it is still a surprise: Cocaine has unseated methamphetamine as the most prevalent hard drug in Boise, police say.

ALCOHOL – USA
Spotlight on teens at risk – Boston Globe

Drinking and drug use among teens is getting fresh attention in the Pentucket Regional School District following surveys that have heightened concerns about the problem.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scots unaware of safe alcohol limit – The Press Association

Many Scots remain ignorant of how much it is safe to drink or how much alcohol their beverages contain, a survey revealed.

DRUGS – USA
A grimmer reaper: Prescription drugs take too many lives – Salt Lake Tribune

“Use only as directed,” the pill bottles read. It’s advice you can live by. But too many Utahns are failing to heed that warning.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scots ‘ignorant’ of drink levels – BBC News

Many Scots remain ignorant of how much it is safe to drink or how much alcohol drinks contain, a survey has suggested.

ALCOHOL – UK
Most Scots think alcohol is worse than heroin – The Herald

A majority of Scots think alcohol is the drug that causes most harm to society, newly published survey results show. Some 51% of respondents to a module from the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007 said alcohol was the drug which causes most problems for Scotland, compared with 22% who said heroin and 9% who said tobacco.

METH – USA
Old Drug is New Leader Among Users in Treasure Valley – KBOI News

Police in Boise say cocaine has surpassed methamphetamine as the most prevalent illegal hard drug in the area.
MARIJUANA – USA
Get Message Out About Marijuana – Red Orbit

As a Baby Boomer and now a mother of teenagers, I was very interested in the research done on the marijuana available today. A University of Mississippi research project found an increased potency of the drug — double what it was in the ’70s and ’80s! We parents all need to hear that.

ALCOHOL – USA
Excessive Drinking May Exacerbate Metabolic Syndrome Risk – Join Together

A new study has found that individuals who drink in amounts exceeding federal dietary guidelines have an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome associated with cardiovascular disease.

HEROIN – UK
Warning over bug found in contaminated heroin batches – The Herald

A nationwide alert has been issued after a new batch of contaminated heroin, which previously killed more than 40 people mostly in Scotland, was discovered.

DRUGS – USA
Drug-related deaths hit new high in Utah – Salt Lake Tribune

Even as the state is trying to reduce the number of drug-related deaths, Utah has set another record for people killed by pills, powders and needles.

METH – USA
Crystal Methamphetamine - The New Drug of Choice – American Chronicle
Crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice, crank, glass and shards, is today’s street drug of choice.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs May Increase Falls Among Seniors – NBC News

University of North Carolina researchers have released a list of prescription drugs that may increase the risk for falls among seniors who take at least four medications on a regular basis.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription for Disaster – Injury Board

A recent study shows that prescription medication related deaths have drastically increased in the last two decades.

METH – UK
Warning over crystal meth – The Press Association

Ireland must pull together to stop the drug crystal meth ravaging the country, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy warned.

METH – IRELAND
Crystal meth explosion feared – Limerick Post

Limerick must prepare itself for an explosion of crystal meth abuse, and put measures in place to prevent large scale addiction, a city councillor has warned.

METH – USA
Meth Coffee fails to amuse Madigan – Sun Times

“Parody or not, it’s still glorifying drug use and it’s sending a terrible message,” said Madigan’s spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Report Underscores Fatal Risk of Combining Prescriptions, Other Substances at Home – Join Together

While medication-related fatalities in clinical settings have long captured the attention of researchers and health authorities, skyrocketing rates of deaths at home from combining medications and other substances have gone largely unnoticed

HEROIN – UK
Heroin batch death risk warning – BBC News

A warning has been issued to drug users about poor quality “red heroin” circulating in southern Scotland.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Girls smoke dope just as much as boys – The Age

While men in their 20s and 30s are still more likely to smoke the drug than their female counterparts, the gender difference has disappeared among teenagers.

ADDERALL – SPAIN
U.S grapples with rising prescription drug addiction – el Economista

“My friends and I would take a bunch of different pills andbreak them up and put them all together and call it confetti.It could be any combination of anything. We could learn fromit, and continue to take it,” said Roisman, who is now 17.

HEROIN – UK
Police warn over ‘dirty’ heroin – The Herald

A police force has sounded an alert about potentially lethal “dirty” heroin circulating. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary described the substance as “red heroin” and issued a warning that the “poor quality” drug was circulating in the region.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Overdoses Raise Alarms – Portland Observer

Overdose deaths in the last few weeks, along with a steady rise in heroin-related deaths over the past year, have raised concerns among Multnomah County health officials.

HEROIN – USA
Portage community: ‘We need help’ with overdose problem – Wood TV

This community is fed up after several teenage overdose deaths in recent years. So a panel of city, school and community health leaders came together Monday night and put pen to paper to tackle the problem of teenage substance abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Small town takes big step toward controlling prescription drug abuse – Longview Daily News

The southwest Oregon community of Winston, population 4,613, could teach larger cities a thing or two about combating prescription drug abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse more than kids getting high: group – Reuters

As state, federal and local authorities across the United States struggle to contain a rising tide of prescription-drug abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Winston Police Collect Unused Prescription Drugs – KEZI

The Winston Police Department is collecting unused prescription pills to get them out of homes. The agency will dispose of the pills and unwanted medications properly so that they won’t fall into the wrong hands.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Mishaps Cause A Shocking Number of Deaths – Examiner

We tend to worry about medical mistakes in the hospital but a recent study suggests that the hospital may not be the primary site for medical mishaps, at least ones involving prescription drugs.

DRUGS – USA
August Named National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month – Join Together

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) are pleased to lend their support to S.Res. 614, a U.S. Senate resolution designating August as National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Growing prescription drug abuse in U.S – Reuters

U.S. state, federal and local authorities across the United States are struggling to contain a rising tide of prescription drug abuse, which federal data show is now the single-biggest cause for an increase in drug overdose deaths.

DRUGS – UK
Deaths From Combining Drugs And/or Alcohol Skyrocket – Medical News Today

In the first large-scale study of home medication consumption, sociologists at the University of California, San Diego have found a 3,196 percent increase in fatal domestic medication errors involving alcohol and/or street drugs.

ALCOHOL – UK
Why The Alcopop Tax Is Working - Australian Drug Foundation – Medical News Today

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) took aim at the liquor lobby for misleading the public about the Federal Government’s tax increase on ready-to-drink beverages.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Dependence And Hispanics – Medical News Today

A large survey conducted by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health Dallas Regional Campus, which examined alcohol abuse and dependence among Hispanic male populations in the United States, will be expanded to Mexican males living along the U.S.-Mexico border.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Southern Oregon residents dropping off unwanted pills – The Oregonian

Police Department has taken many drugs off the street. The southwest Oregon community recently became the first in Douglas County to start an unused pharmaceutical take-back program.

DRUGS – USA
Health officials warn of contaminated drugs – WRAL News

A dozen people have gone to Wake County emergency rooms in the past week after ingesting cocaine or heroin that might have contaminated, public health officials said Tuesday.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Oregon keeping prescriptions drugs off streets, out of environment – Seattle Post Intelligencer

The southwest Oregon community recently became the first in Douglas County to start an unused pharmaceutical take-back program. To keep prescription drugs away from teens and the water supply, residents are asked to check their medicine cabinets and drop off any unused pills at the police department.

HEROIN – USA
Citizens offer ideas to curb drugsPortage residents respond after heroin overdose death – Kalamazoo Gazette

About 60 people gathered at Portage City Hall for the brainstorming session, motivated by the June death of an 18-year-old Portage woman from a heroin overdose.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
New regulations on sale of alcohol come into force today – Irish Times

STRICT NEW regulations governing the sale and possession of alcohol, which aim to curb public disorder and eliminate underage drinking, come into force today.

METH – CANADA
Meth ingredients easy to find – Barrie Advance

After the bust of a would-be meth lab in Essa Township last week, The Advance wanted to see how easily ingredients needed to create the drug could be obtained in Barrie.

METH – USA
Meth cravings are really intense – Barrie Advance

It’s known as speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, or crystal meth but no matter what it’s called, methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug.

METH – USA
Fantastic Freebies: Me Not Meth T-shirts – Wallet Pop

If you give register for a free account with http://www.menotmeth.org, and then fill out this form, the organization will send you up to 2 free Me-Not-Meth t-shirts or tank tops.

DRUGS – USA
Effective Border Enforcement Spurs More Addiction in Mexico – Join Together

Better border enforcement that is making it increasingly difficult for Mexican cartels to transport illegal drugs into the United States is being cited as the reason for a spike in drug addiction in Mexico.

PAINKILLER – FRANCE
US fentanyl deaths topped 1,000 over 2 years – International Herald Tribune

More than 1,000 people died over two years from an illegal version of the painkiller fentanyl, the government reported Thursday in its first national tally of those deaths.

PAINKILLER – USA
Feds blame at least 1,000 deaths on overdoses from illegal fentanyl – The Star-Ledger

At least 1,000 people nationwide died from overdosing on fentanyl created in illegal laboratories, according to a federal investigation that began after a cluster of the deaths was reported in New Jersey two years ago.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription medication teens’ drug of choice – Ventura County Star

The most popular pills include anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax and Valium, pain pills including Oxycontin and Vicodin, drugs for attention deficit disorder like Adderall and Ritalin, and Soma, a muscle relaxant.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
4 ways to keep your teens from abusing prescription drugs – Indianapolis Star

One in five teenagers admits to having used prescription drugs to get high, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Today there are more new abusers of prescription drugs than of marijuana.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deaths From Prescription Drugs, Alcohol Mix Increase Greatly – Chattah Box

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has shown that more people than ever are dying from accidental drug overdoses. These are being caused by mixing prescription drugs with street drugs, and alcohol.

ADDICTION – USA
Pain pill abuse serious – Muskogee Daily Phoenix

Oklahoma was recently ranked worst in the nation for pain reliever abuse by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.