Drug News

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.

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.

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. …

DRUG REHAB – USA
‘Golden voice’ Ted Williams departs drug rehab – CNN International

Ted Williams, the homeless “golden voice” sensation on the internet, checked himself out of drug rehab 12 days after …

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Overhaul proposed in treatment of area alcohol and drug addicts – Dayton Daily News

A two-year study of Montgomery County’s alcohol and drug addiction services recommends an overhaul of the system, making treatment more individualized and immediate.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Alcohol delays, breaks marriages, study finds – CNN‎

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says 17.6 million adults in the United States abuse alcohol or are dependent on alcohol.

OPIUM – AFGHANISTAN
Opium addiction in Afghanistan includes infants – Malaysia Sun‎

Afghanistan is a major producer of the world’s opium and is facing an ever-increasing epidemic of drug use at home as well, with infants in some areas being …

BATH SALTS – USA
Officials fear bath salts are growing drug problem – AllVoices

Bath salts is an innocuous household item that most of us have in our homes, most likely, our bathrooms. Used to soak aching muscles, we would think nothing of leaving them stored, unsecured in our cabinets, right?

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Senator committed to attacking drug abuse – Marietta Times‎

… we can better educate Ohioans about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. And save Ohio families while rebuilding our communities. The drug addiction …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
PR firm with past ties to drugmakers to run Ohio’s anti-overdose program – Chillicothe Gazette‎

It also showed most doctors were not taking advantage of a statewide database designed to curb addicts’ prescription drug abuse. Fleishman, which had the …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Drinking is growing problem on campus – Texas A&M The Battalion

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said that binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings one’s blood alcohol …

DRUG REHAB – ABU DHABI
Drug rehab centers to be set up in prisons – The National

Drug rehabilitation centers will be set up inside jails to combat drug use among prisoners. “We are currently studying the project and it will …

DRUG REHAB – USA
Addiction TV: Help or hindrance? – Indianapolis Star

In October, he was ordered to enter a drug rehab program that will not be part of any reality show. After the arrest, he was approached by VH1, …

HEROIN – USA
Jury seated in heroin overdose case – La Crosse Tribune ‎

Attorneys Monday selected the jury for the trial of a La Crosse man accused of providing the heroin that killed his girlfriend. …

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol test uses hair or nails – UPI.com ‎

A test that measures ethyl glucuronide in fingernails and hair reliably determines alcohol exposure for the past 90 days, US Drug Testing …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth thrives despite tracking – The Spokesman Review ‎

Electronic systems that track sales of the cold medicine used to make methamphetamine have failed to curb the drug trade and instead created a vast, …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Woman gets prison in meth fire that killed her husband – Tulsa World

A woman was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison on a murder charge linked to a meth-lab fire that killed her husband. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
East Texas not immune to prescription drug problem – KETK ‎

Whether by accident or intent, prescription drug abuse in Texas is at a startling high, according to a recent report from …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Tools exist today to help Oregon fight prescription drug abuse – OregonLive.com

The problem is arguably greatest among Oregon’s teens: the state has the highest rate of prescription drug abuse among 15-to-19-year-olds nationwide. …

DRUG ADDICTION – KENYA
‘I saw my friends die but I could not beat the urge’ – The Standard

He lost his job at the Mombasa Municipal Council due to drug addiction. Many young people would come to our group to be introduced to drugs because we …

HEROIN – USA
Police Arrest 72-Year-Old Man Accused Of Trafficking 244 Heroin Balloons – KUT News

We don’t often hear about heroin busts from the Austin Police Department. But today APD tells about the arrest of 72-year-old Robert Ramos …

HEROIN – USA
From Iron Bars to Ironman: Ex-Heroin Addict Turns to Triathlons – Opposing Views

In 2003, Niemeyer was a 27-year-old homeless heroin addict in an Idaho jail, awaiting sentencing for drug possession and burglary.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse Sends More People to the Hospital – New York Times

In September, the Drug Enforcement Administration organized the first national prescription drug take-back program, and thousands of people dropped off old …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Drug abusers drain millions from Medicaid – Bizjournals.com

RALEIGH – In an effort to better control Medicaid costs, the state of North Carolina is implementing new systems aimed at curbing drug abuse by Medicaid …

ALCOHOL – USA
Craving for alcohol linked to obesity – msnbc.com

“They tend to be malnourished, or at least under-nourished because many replace their food intake with alcohol.” Further, the study showed men and women …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
FCSO targets Rx abuse – Forsyth County News Online

According to the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency, 34 states as of July had active prescription drug monitoring programs. …

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol is more harmful than cocaine, heroine and ecstacy, study reveals – Health(Y) Destination

Professor David Nutt, the government’s former chief drug adviser conducted a study on alcohol and it revealed that alcohol causes more damages to health …

DRUG REHAB – CANADA
‘Fetal rights’ mom: Drug rehab a ‘miracle’ – UPI.com

A Canadian woman involved in a landmark fetal rights case in 1996 says facing forced drug treatment led to the “miracle” of her getting free from addiction.

MARIJUANA – USA
Teen marijuana use rising after years of decline – San Francisco Chronicle
‎
… who noted that in California, more teenagers are admitted to inpatient addiction programs for marijuana use than for any other drug, including alcohol. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Funds awarded for addiction treatment – Youngstown Vindicator

Alcohol and drug addiction programs in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties will receive shares of $5 million to be dispersed to all counties in Ohio. …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Fighting a Culture of Drunkenness – WBAY
Wisconsin’s culture of drinking has turned into a culture of drunkenness

“We really have our heads in the sand, and I’m hoping this paper will bring more attention and more focus to the problem so that we can address it and stop pretending that it isn’t a serious problem.”

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Our addiction fuels the Mexican drug war – NMPolitics.net ‎

America has a ravenous appetite for drugs, legal and illegal. There’s a drug store on nearly every corner. When we have a problem, we generally don’t think about exercise, or eating better. We want to pop a pill and get on with things.

DRUG LEGALIZATION – USA
The decriminalization of heroin – The Periscope Post

All drugs, including heroin and cocaine, should be legalized according to MP Bob Ainsworth, the former Defence Secretary. Ainsworth argued that it is better …

HEROIN – KOSOVO
Prime Minister of Kosovo Accused of Leading a Heroin and Organ-Stealing Ring – Gawker ‎

… of exerting “violent control” over Eastern Europe’s heroin trade and conducting “assassinations, detentions, beatings and interrogations. …

CLUB DRUGS – USA
6 charged in theft of drugs from animal hospitals – Pittsburgh Post Gazette‎

The attorney general’s office said it has become “a popular club drug among teens and young adults at dance clubs and raves.” In high doses…

Heroin – New York
Three arrested in Port Jervis heroin bust – recordonline.com

PORT JERVIS — City police Tuesday arrested a Monticello man they say sold heroin to undercover officers.

Alcohol Abuse – Australia
Indigenous leaders fear rise in drug, alcohol abuse – ABC | Indigenous

A Cape York leader in far north Queensland says he is concerned about the impact a High Court decision could have on substance abuse in the community.

Meth Lab – South Carolina
Meth lab discovered in Hartsville neighborhood - CarolinaLive.com

The discovery of a meth lab at a home in a Harstville community sent shock waves of alarm through the neighborhood. Those living nearby were understandably concerned because their homes weren’t the only thing in danger. There’s a school just 500 yards away.

Meth & Marijuana – Iowa
Iowa Drug Report Shows Issues With Meth, Marijuana – Action3News.com

Des Moines, IA (AP) – Iowa drug control officials have issued a new report that finds the state has an escalating synthetic drug abuse problem and there has been an increase in need for treatment for methamphetamine and marijuana users.

Cocaine – Arizona
Border officers seize $12 million in cocaine – azcentral.com

NOGALES – Border officers in the southeastern Arizona city of Nogales made three separate cocaine seizures worth a combined $12.1 million in one day.

Heroin – New York
Drug Dealers Caught on Google Street View – abcNews/Technology

Google Street View sightings tend to be more peculiar than practical — in the past year alone, the globe encompassing image service has turned up photos of a so-called two-headed man, a “dead” girl and a snake out for a walk with its owner. But the latest additions to the canon of Street View spectacles are so valuable they might be used in a court of law.

Heroin – Australia
Australian woman who hid heroin in stomach held – Thaindian News

Sydney, Nov 6 (IANS) An Australian woman has been arrested here after she was found to have swallowed 41 balloons filled with heroin, a media report said Saturday.

Meth-Related Death – UK
10-day-old girl dies in washing machine – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (IANS) A 10-day-old girl died in Britain when her mother put her in a washing machine with a pile of laundry, a media report said Monday.

Caffeinated Alcohol Ban – Michigan
Michigan Bans Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks – CSP

LANSING, Mich. — The state of Michigan has banned caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) rescinding the approval of all “alcohol energy drinks.” The commission will notify beverage makers via a commission order about the product ban; they will have 30 days to remove these products from the state of Michigan, it said.

Drug Raid – Ohio
Holmesville meth raid ‘went really well and no one got hurt’ - The-Daily-Record.com

MILLERSBURG — Deputies donned camo and checked their weapons and gas masks, then checked them again.

Heroin Seizure – Nevada
Las Vegas heroin seizure worth $1 million – UPI.com

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 7 (UPI) — Police say the $1 million worth of heroin seized at the Las Vegas airport was the largest in the city in recent history.

Cocaine – UK
Benson Offia in court for a 3 million Pounds cocaine haul – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (THAINDIAN NEWS) British Officers will take a man accused of possessing one of the highest quantities of cocaine in the country to court today. The street value of the drug that was seized from the man is estimated to be worth £3 million. He is charged with possessing Class A drug with the intent to sell.