Drug News

DRUGS – UK
Last Call for Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives Awards – Home Office

Anyone who wishes to nominate a drug treatment team, police officer or volunteer who has gone that extra mile to tackle drugs has just ten days to make their local hero an example for the nation.

METH – ASIA
Methamphetamine usage rising – IRIN

Typically smoked, the potent central nervous system stimulant is highly addictive, causing paranoia, delusions and hallucinations.

DRUGS – USA
NJ Launches Campaign Against Medicine Abuse – Evening Bulletin

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) announced Monday a statewide public service campaign titled “Grandma’s Stash,” to raise awareness that misuse of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana as America’s most prevalent drug problem.

DRUGS – USA
WLPD teams with site to offer free drug tests – Journal and Courier

The urinalysis test recognizes the 10 most common illegal drugs: cocaine, amphetamine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, benzodiazepine, oxycodone, propoxyphene and MDMA, more commonly known by its street name, ecstasy.

ALCOHOL – UK
BMA Scotland Response To The Scottish Government’s Proposed Strategy To Tackle Alcohol Misuse – Medical News Today

Doctors called for action, not words, to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland.

ALCOHOL – USA
Underage, drunken fans can buy alcohol at stadiums – Dallas Morning News

Actors posing as drunken sports fans successfully bought alcohol from U.S. stadium vendors almost nine out of 10 tries, according to a University of Minnesota study.

ALCOHOL – USA
Even if you look drunk at a game, you can likely keep buying booze – Chicago Tribune

The stadiums and arenas of Chicago have seen untold amounts of alcohol-fueled mayhem, from obscene yelling to savage, bare-knuckle brawls. But according to a study released Wednesday, sports venues could be bringing some of this chaos on themselves.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study Finds Sports Stadiums Serve Alcohol to Intoxicated, Underage Fans – Join Together

An undercover operation conducted as part of research sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Research Program (SAPRP) found that apparently underage and intoxicated fans have a relatively easy time purchasing alcohol at professional sports events.

METH – UK
‘Meth’ adverts to scare US teens – BBC News

Advertisement: An advertising campaign designed to scare teenagers away from using the drug ‘meth’ has been launched in the US.

METH – UK
Montana meth ads winning drug battle – BBC News

They call Montana “Big Sky Country” or “The Last Best Place” - and it is easy to see why with its wide open spaces, majestic mountains and meandering rivers. But there is a far less wholesome side to this wilderness, a problem more associated with grim urban despair - drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Scams Happening in the Ozarks – Ozark First

It’s not exactly what the doctor ordered, but a scam involving prescription drugs is making its way through several Ozarks communities.

DRUGS – UK
Orthodox community steps up its anti-drugs campaign – The JC

A strictly Orthodox charity is planning to step up its campaign over the next few weeks to educate its constituency about the risk of drugs.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Rises as a Painkiller With Big Risks – The New York Times

A synthetic form of opium, it is cheap and long lasting, a powerful pain reliever that has helped millions. But because it is also abused by thrill seekers and badly prescribed by doctors unfamiliar with its risks, methadone is now the fastest growing cause of narcotic deaths.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Becoming Local Drug of Choice – WSAZ News

Heroin, one of the deadliest drugs in the country, is taking a toll locally — quickly becoming the drug of choice.

HEROIN – UK
Red alert for heroin users – Evening Telegraph

Heroin is cut with other substances to maximise dealers’ profits and whatever red heroin has been cut with creates new and potentially fatal risks. The drug, off-red in colour, crystallises quickly in the syringe so addicts must shoot up quickly.

ALCOHOL – USA
CADCA Survey Finds Alcohol Top Problem Facing Communities – CADCA

According to CADCA´s 2007 Annual Survey of Coalitions, 68 percent of community anti-drug coalitions across the country ranked alcohol as the number one problem facing their community.

METH – USA
New Publication Offers Strategies to Tackle Methamphetamine Abuse – CADCA

According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 5.8 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 or older have abused methamphetamine (meth) at least once in their lifetimes.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Cocktail in a pocket entices teen drinkers – Sydney Morning Herald

ShotPak is a line of alcoholic beverages that comes in shot-sized, laminated-foil plastic pouches reminiscent of the drinks American children pack in their school lunches.

HEROIN – UK
Addicts warned over red heroin – The Courier

POLICE IN Tayside fear that deadly “red heroin” may have reached the region—and warned addicts to stay away from the contaminated substance.

DRUGS – USA
Latest Drug Trends Show Rampant Heroin Abuse – News Radio WTVN

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug-Addiction Services has released its biannual report on the latest drug trends across the state.

ADDICTION – SOUTH AFRICA
Addiction to potentially deadly drug Cat surging – Weekend Post

SCHOOLS, businesses and nightclubs in Nelson Mandela Bay are fast falling prey to a new and potentially deadly designer drug called Cat, which is becoming the latest craze among teens and young adults.

ALCOHOL – USA
Report: Parents ‘Clueless’ About Teen Drug, Alcohol Abuse – Fox News

An annual survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York reported that parents are clueless when it comes to their teenagers’ behavior, which contributes to their drug and alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Industry Targets Latino Teens – Al Dia (Filadelfia)

“Hispanic young people are more likely to drink and get drunk at an earlier age than non- Hispanic white or African American young people”- The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)2003.

ALCOHOL – USA
Acting surgeon general to address alcohol issues at MSU – KPAX TV News

The acting surgeon general of the United States will visit Montana State University Wednesday to discuss collegiate alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – UK
Fifteen thousand people die from alcohol-related diseases every year – Telegraph

For the first time, researchers have calculated the number of deaths from conditions such as cancers, accidents and heart disease which are related to drinking but not wholly caused by alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK
Males Account For Nearly 80 Per Cent Of Drug Related Deaths – Medical News Today

Nearly 80 per cent of people in England and Wales who died due to illicit drug use in 2006 were male, an NHS Information Centre bulletin shows.
DRUGS – UK
Children hospitalised after taking drugs soars by up to 50% under Labour – Daily Mail

The number of children taken to hospital because of drug use has soared since Labour took office, figures have revealed.

COCAINE – UK
Teen cocaine use hits new record levels – Metro

More young people have admitted using cocaine than ever, new figures have showed. The proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds saying the used the Class A drug in the previous year has risen to 6% for the first time.

DRUGS – UK
Child drug hospital admissions jump by 45pc – Telegraph

The figures released by the NHS Information Centre also show the number of teenagers and young people who needed hospital care because of drugs also increased by more than 10 per cent over the same period, to nearly 10,000 last year.

DRUGS – UK
Working together to beat the blight of drugs in our city – Peterborough Today

A WARNING about a dangerous batch of heroin on the streets of Peterborough splashed across the front page of The ET may not sound like a success story for the police. But for Detective Chief Inspector Gary Goose, the fact the problem was raised by health workers and could then be investigated and publicised is an example of how a more joined-up approach to tackling drugs is working well.

METH – USA
Health officials want meth history on house listings – Standard Net

A meth house is a meth house no matter how much residue is left, according to state standards. However, under current state law, sellers and landlords do not have to disclose to potential buyers or renters if former residents used meth in the house.

DRUGS – CUBA
US Teens Have Easy Access to Drugs – Prensa Latina

An increasing number of US teens gets, illegally, medicines that should be obtained under prescription, something considered in the threshold of consuming drugs like heroine, said a research revealed on Thursday.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Survey Finds Teens Have Easy Access to Prescription Drugs – Chatter Shmatter

Gaining access to dangerous prescription drugs is becoming easier than buying beer for US teenagers according to the results of a new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Easier For Teens To Get Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – Chattah Box

A new report released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, has found that it is easier for teenagers in the U.S. to get prescription drugs, compared to getting alcohol, such as beer.

DRUGS – UK
Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2008 – Information Center

This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults.

ALCOHOL – UK
Industry body releases guidance on tackling public underage drinking – Alcohol Policy

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has released a new guidance document ‘A New Way of Tackling Public Underage Drinking: Community Alcohol Partnerships’ which claims to be a new model for local enforcement to tackle underage drinking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Are Americans in Denial about the Widespread Abuse of Prescription Drugs? – Pushing Back

As youth drug use continues to decline nationwide, we very concerned about the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among teens.

DRUGS – UK
Drug treatment outcomes tool: fit for purpose and delivering world-beating data – NTA

The Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) – the tool used for monitoring the effectiveness of substance misuse treatment in England – has been assessed by peer-review as fit for purpose and is published in the journal, Addiction, (September edition, 2008) this week.

DRUGS – USA
Parents’ prescription drugs pose risk to teens – San Francisco Chronicle

The survey, released Thursday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, found that parents are dropping the ball on preventing their kids from using drugs, drinking and smoking. Teenagers surveyed said it’s easier to buy narcotics than beer.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Easier To Get Than Beer – Injury Board

Kids assume drugs are safe. After all, they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they are in their parents’ medicine chests.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Youngsters Can Procure Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – eFlux Media

More youngsters say it’s easier for them to get prescription drugs than it is to acquire beer, shows a new survey released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

DRUGS – USA
Youth access to drugs increases – Christian Science Monitor
Teenagers can get their hands on marijuana and prescription drugs more rapidly and easily this year than last, according to a new study. However, greater drug availability has not yet translated into greater drug abuse in the group – marijuana use among teens continues to decline.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Easily, Illegally Access Prescription Drugs – eMax Health

Teens report it’s easier for them to access prescription drugs than beer, a fact that urges parents to be more attentive. Thirty four percent of teenagers abuse prescription drugs and harm their health without realizing it.

ALCOHOL – UK
Judge who promised ‘zero tolerance on alcohol-related violence’ lets off drunken yob who threatened to stab policeman – Daily Mail

His declaration that all youths involved in alcohol-related violence should expect to go to jail was seen as striking a blow for safer streets. And as a senior legal figure, Judge Graham Cottle’s vow to take a ‘zero tolerance’ approach carried serious weight.

ALCOHOL – UK
Police to run drink awareness sessions for new first-year students – CRP News
Incoming first-year students at St Andrews University are to be given anti-drinking lessons from the police. Binge drinking has become an unwelcome feature of some traditional events at the university, which may be discontinued as a result.

ALCOHOL – UK
Booze-check website for students to be extended – CRP News

Health researchers at Leeds University have developed a website that encourages students to keep track of their drinking. The system seems to help reduce individual drinking levels and now is being rolled out to other universities.

ALCOHOL – UK
Shame of binge drink Britons abroad as number arrested on holiday soars 15% - Daily Mail

Drunken and loutish holidaymakers have sent Britain’s reputation abroad plunging to new depths. A shocking Foreign Office report reveals a huge rise in the number of arrests of Britons overseas.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
How Big Pharma Is Fooling You — and Your Doctor — with Junk Science – Alter Net

It’s no secret that the pharmaceutical industry trades in junk science. Prescription drug companies distort research, fudge measures of drug effectiveness and generally control our knowledge of what works in medication.

ALCOHOL –USA
University to monitor alcohol incidents as new dorm opens – Gateway

It might come as a surprise to those students living on campus that despite being of legal age to consume alcohol, they are prohibited by the code of conduct and university policy from possessing alcohol while on university property.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol linked to rise in British arrests abroad – Guardian

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.

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.

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.

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.