Drug News

DRUGS – USA
U.S. has highest rates of cocaine, marijuana use – USA Today

The United States has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. It also has some of the highest rates of drug use, according to a new World Health Organization report.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
NZ ranks second in cannabis, cocaine use survey – Otago Daily Times
New Zealand ranks second only to the United States in a scientific survey of illegal cocaine and cannabis use in 17 countries.

CANNABIS – INDIA
Cannabis abuse common in Indian call centres – IT Examiner

While the use of drugs such as cannabis is illegal in India, and carries a possible prison sentence, joints are still rolled every night in the high tech villages.

PAINKILLER – USA
Drug Makers Say Safety Focus Is Slowing New Medicines: Report – Therapeutics Daily
Nearly four years after Merck & Co. yanked the painkiller Vioxx off the market, beleaguered pharmaceutical-industry executives say they are facing a tough new regulatory climate that is altering the landscape of drug development.

ALCOHOL – UK
Broad Differences In Alcohol, Tobacco And Illegal Drug Use Across Countries – Medical News Today

A survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) research consortium found that the United States had among the highest lifetime rates of tobacco and alcohol use and led in the proportion of participants reporting cannabis (marijuana) or cocaine use at least once during their lifetime.

DRUGS – UK
InterventionTreatment.com Launches Suboxone Treatment Program – Medical News Today

The program will be used to increase Intervention Treatment’s Global mission of providing Intervention and Treatment resources to those affected by alcohol and drug addiction.

DRUGS – USA
U.S. is Tops in Cocaine, Marijuana Use – The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. may lag other countries in measures such as education and health, but we’re out in front on cocaine and marijuana use.

DRUGS – EUROPE
Young People and Drugs among 15-24 years old – European Commission

Analytical report May 2008. 102-page PDF

MARIJUANA – USA
New Report Finds Highest-Ever Levels of THC in U.S. Marijuana – ONDCP

Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released the latest analysis from the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project, which revealed that levels of THC - the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - have reached the highest-ever.

ALCOHOL – SOUTH AFRICA
Alarming increase in drug, alcohol abuse – The Herald Eastern Cape

THE number of people who sought advice and treatment for alcohol and tik (methamphetamine) addiction rose by 100 per cent from April last year to March this year.

ALCOHOL – USA
If under 21, alcohol, drug offenses to be reported to parents – Knoxville News Sentinel

Some Tennessee college students may think being 18 means freedom from parent oversight. Those in state schools will need to rethink that assumption.

DRUGS – PAKISTAN
World Anti-Narcotics Day observed – The Nation

Since independence several intoxicating items have been introduced in the country, however, besides heroin, opium and chars, the injections are the newest and easily product available at medical stores, revealed by the experts while commenting on the eve of “International Anti Narcotics Day.”

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Overdose deaths jump 147% in Indiana – Indianapolis Star

The number of Hoosiers who died from drug overdoses increased 147 percent from 1999 to 2004, a trend driven by the growing abuse of prescription medications, according to a new study.

DRUGS – INDIA
‘Awareness needed to curb drug abuse among kids’ – Express India

Why do so many chemists throw caution to wind while selling Schedule-H drugs without prescription?

DRUGS – USA
Calif. Drug-Reform Initiative Approved as Addiction Groups Choose Sides – Join Together

The state of California recently gave final clearance for the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (NORA) to appear on the November ballot, but some prominent groups in the addiction community have come out in opposition to the measure, fearing its national implications.

PAINKILLER – USA
As FDA Focuses on Safety, Fewer New Drugs Are Approved – The Wall Street Journal

Why are new drug approvals tapering off? For one, there’s the industry’s research labs, which have produced a leaky pipeline of promising products lately.

DRUGS – USA
PDFA Joins Pharma Co. to Warn Against Prescription Drug Abuse – Join Together

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) has joined with the Abbott pharmaceutical firm to sponsor a new campaign against teen prescription-drug misuse.

HEROIN – IRELAND
Children as young as 14 using heroin – Irish Examiner

CHILDREN as young as 12 years of age are abusing drugs and by the time they reach 14 many are addicted to heroin, a study of teenagers in the Dublin region has found.

CANNABIS – UK
Australian Medical Association Launches Publication On Health Risks Of Cannabis Use – Medical News Today

To coincide with Drug Action Week 2008, the Australian Medical Association today launched a brochure about the short and long-term effects of cannabis use.

OPIUM – KENYA
World losing battle against drug abuse: UN – Daily Nation

The world seems to be losing the battle against the production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs, a UN report has warned.

PAINKILLER – USA
Painkiller Deemed Dangerous by Advocacy Group – HULIQ
Some painkillers may do more harm than good. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, is pushing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban a prescription painkiller chemically known as propoxyphene, citing the dangerous risks it poses to consumers.

CANNABIS – UK
Teenage cannabis use revealed – Scotsman

MORE than a quarter of teenagers have tried cannabis by the age of 15, Government figures have found.

CANNABIS – PAKISTAN
Cannabis — a fast emerging health problem in Pakistan – The News International

In Pakistan, the youth comprises more than 20 per cent of the population but unfortunately it is the worst target of drug abuse, as almost five per cent of adult population in the country uses drugs.

DRUGS – USA
Heroin, marijuana use on rise – Glendale News Press

Heroin and marijuana are the most commonly used drugs in Glendale and are primarily being sold to teens, according to police.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol is making women fat – The Daily Telegraph
As women catch up with men in the drinking stakes, their waistlines are also catching up with the beer belly, according to health experts.
DRUGS – UK
Drug Treatment Programs Influenced By State Policies – Medical News Today

State policies have a significant impact on the services performed by substance abuse treatment programs, and could play a key role in efforts to expand the use of research-based “comprehensive” treatment approaches, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Abuse More Common In Insured Patients, Drug Abuse In Uninsured – Medical News Today
Fourteen percent of patients admitted to hospital have alcohol/drug abuse and addiction (ADAA) disorders, the costs for which have risen sharply in recent years, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

METH – USA
County’s Meth Task Force continuing efforts – Hudson Hub-Times

The Summit County Methamphetamine Property Awareness Task Force has agreed on a form to help coordinate the documentation of discovered meth labs on a county-wide level.

METH – USA
False positives are common in drug tests on new moms – Los Angeles Daily News

Hospitals’ initial urine- screening drug tests on pregnant women can produce a high rate of false positives - particularly for methamphetamine and opiates - because they are technically complex and interpretation of the results can be difficult, some experts say.

ALCOHOL – USA
Anheuser to Stop Selling Alcoholic Energy Drinks – Wall Street Journal

Anheuser-Busch Cos. will stop making and selling caffeinated alcoholic drinks as part of a settlement with 11 state attorneys general, the attorneys general said Thursday.

ALCOHOL – CHINA
Some 50 pilots in India fail alcohol tests yearly – China Daily

Around 50 pilots each year in India are grounded for consuming alcohol before taking a flight, foreign media reported Thursday.

METH – USA
Wyoming Meth Project launches statewide campaign – The Torrington Telegram

On June 16, the Wyoming Meth Project advisory board kicked off a campaign that is patterned after a program started in Montana two years ago.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drug, alcohol abuse study measures the high cost of under-treated addiction – The Los Angeles Times

DRUG AND alcohol abuse sets people on a path toward heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. A study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment reports that hospital costs for this medical fallout can be substantial.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcoholic-energy drinks: The ups and the downs – Kansas City Star

It’s not a problem of labeling; it’s a problem with the product. Alcoholic-energy drinks, like Anheuser-Busch’s Tilt, pose dangers to more than just teenagers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Student alcohol use at 45% - MLive

The number of Jackson County minors who have consumed alcohol is in line with national averages listed in a federal report released this week.

ADDICTION – INDIA
Cops alert parents on addiction signs – Calcutta Telegraph

When your gangly teenaged son suddenly takes to smelling boot-polish, it’s a cause for worry. For the round tin box may just contain the first signs of more destructive and expensive addictions.

METH – USA
Madigan announces anti-meth program – The Southern

Meth makers in Southern Illinois soon will have one less tactic in getting the materials they need to make the drug.

DRUGS – U
How to Implement a Model to Get Youth Off Drugs and Out of Crime – RWJF
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that more than 1 million youths, ages 12 to 17, needed treatment for an illicit drug problem in 2003, but only one in 10 actually received help.

DRUGS – UK
Human Rights Take Centre Stage on ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse’ – International Harm Reduction Agency
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has used the UN-sponsored International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to focus on the rights of people who use drugs and people in prison for drug offences, declaring that “No one should be stigmatised or discriminated against because of their dependence on drugs”.

ALCOHOL – USA
Anheuser-Busch ends sales of alcoholic energy drinks – Central Valley Business Times

Anheuser-Busch Inc. is ending sales of its alcoholic energy drinks, including Tilt and Bud Extra, and says it will not produce any caffeinated alcohol beverages in the future.

DRUGS – UK
The 26th Of June International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking – Medical News Today

The 26th of June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was established by the United Nations in 1987. In its 2006 edition, the UNODC launched an anti-drugs campaign entitled “Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs.”

OPIUM – UK
Opium, cocaine threaten Africa and Europe - UNODC – Summary – Earth Times

The surge in opium and cocaine cultivation last year has negative effects on the drug control situation in Africa and Europe, the head of the UN drug agency said

CANNABIS – UK
28% of pupils admit trying cannabis – The Press Association

More than a quarter of teenagers have tried cannabis by the age of 15, Government figures show. Nearly a fifth of 13-year-olds have been in a fight, while 12% admit to having shoplifted, the study said.

ALCOHOL – USA
Anheuser-Busch will stop alcoholic ‘energy’ drinks – CNN News

Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. will reformulate its alcoholic energy drinks to remove caffeine and other stimulants they contain as part of a nationwide legal settlement.

METH – USA
Seniors to hear about meth impacts – The Record-Courier

The Partnership of Community Resources is sponsoring a presentation Thursday at the Douglas County Senior Center to the people often referred to as “first responders” in dealing with methamphetamine use in families.

METH – USA
Community learns meth education – The Morehead News

A highly toxic and addictive drug called meth is being concocted in houses, hotels and mobile homes across the state.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana is Dangerous, but Maybe Not the Way You Think – Red Orbit

Inhaling the smoke of burning coal, wood or leaves is bad for you. Acrid smoke injures the lungs and leads to chronic obstructive lung disease. Smoke contains chemicals such as benzpyrene, which causes cancer. Slow-burning cigarettes release carbon monoxide as well as carbon dioxide.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis tops list of illicit drugs sending people to hospital – New Zealand Herald

Cannabis use is causing more admissions to publicly-funded hospitals than all of the other illegal drugs combined, a police drugs specialist has found.

ADDICTION – INDIA
Delhi Govt adopts preventive strategy to fight drug addiction – Zee News

The Delhi government has adopted the strategy of building “preventive awareness” and providing treatment and counselling to fight drug addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
Youths Exposed to More Alcohol Ads in 2007 – Join Together

Youths ages 12-20 were exposed to an average of 301 TV ads for alcoholic beverages last year, up from 216 in 2001, according to research from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University.

DRUGS – USA
Sewage Study Yields Surprising Info About Drug Use – Join Together

Scientists analyzing the chemical composition of raw sewage in cities in the U.S. and Europe have made some surprising discoveries about drug-use patterns.

ALCOHOL – UK
Think About That Third (or Fourth) Drink – Medical News Today

“Binge drinking” is a useful term that indicates an excessive, unhealthy and dangerous level of drinking. “Binge” drinkers aim to get drunk, often as quickly as possible.

ALCOHOL – UK
When Will It Be Time To Take Action On Alcohol? – Medical News Today

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) expressed disappointment that the Report from the Inquiry into the Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill from the Senate Community Affairs Committee (SCAC) recommended the Bill not be passed.

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA sued over failure to ban painkiller – Fierce Healthcare

A consumer group has sued the FDA over its failure to remove a prescription painkiller from the market, arguing that it’s too dangerous to stay on the market.

DRUGS – UK
Teens Who Abuse Alcohol Or Drugs Are More Likely To Die Young, Pitt Study Finds – Medical News Today

Teens who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to die in early adulthood, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh.

METH – USA
Be On The Lookout for Meth Contaminated Propane Tanks – KIMT News

Propane tanks are not just for grilling but some are using the tanks to make meth. With meth labs on the rise in our area be on the lookout for corroded propane tanks.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey Finds Wales Has Huge Underage Drinking Problem – Join Together

A new health survey conducted in 40 countries finds that Welsh children were the most likely to have been drunk multiple times before reaching the age of 13.

ALCOHOL – UK
Booze plans enough to drive you to drink – Scotsman

IF ever there was an example of why the SNP would make Scotland a confused, sad, mad and bad place to live, it must be its toxic brew of seemingly-attractive authoritarian ideas to change the drinking habits of Scotland’s youth.

ALCOHOL – UK
Shocking adverts in blitz on binge drinking – Times Online

The Home Office is out to quench students’ thirsts for alcohol with a multi-million pound, multi-media campaign, designed to shock.

ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND
Binge rules could drive you to drink – The New Zealand Herald

A report published this month in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found that the number of women aged 18 to 24 who had to go to hospital after binge drinking had more than doubled in less than a decade.
PAINKILLER – USA
Group sues FDA for inaction over its petition to ban risky painkiller – Food Consumer

A prominent consumer group Thursday filed lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration over the agency’s delay in response to its early petition to pull a prescription painkiller off from the marker.

ADDICTION – USA
Catching addiction before it starts: The five stages of drug use – Delta County Independent

Every minute of every day, around the clock, five people try an illicit drug for the first time. That adds up to nearly three million people per year. Tragically, more than half of these initiates are under 18.

ADDERALL – USA
Doctors may soon prescribe addictive drugs online – Forbes

The concern is that patients are more likely to abuse these treatments, and their prescriptions should be monitored more closely.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Hazardous Drinking’ May Be A New ‘Check Stop’ On The Way To Alcohol Dependence – Medical News Today

Current diagnostic guides divide alcohol-use disorders into two categories: alcohol abuse/harmful use and alcohol dependence.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Are You Taking Too Many Medications? – Forbes
The next time you take a peek in your friend’s or neighbor’s medicine cabinet, don’t be surprised if it’s a little crowded.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug use among Malibu youth escalates – Malibu Times

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station-sponsored juvenile intervention team, designed to combat drug and alcohol problems within Malibu and Conejo Valley cities, is working to curb Malibu teen substance abuse, including an increasing abuse of prescription medication.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs kill more people than illicit drugs – Food Consumer

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission this week released a report saying that “the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined”.

METH – USA
Announce ground-breaking anti-meth program – Little Chicago Review

The Wyoming Meth Project today announced the launch of a statewide prevention campaign aimed at significantly reducing first-time methamphetamine use among Wyoming youth.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Stop targeting alcohol at young’ – BBC News

Children’s Commissioner for Wales Keith Towler says a World Health Organisation survey which found children and young people in Wales had been drunk more often than others in the western world is a signal to adults on their own responsibilities.

MARIJUANA – USA
Study Says Marijuana Is Now More Potent – US News and World Report

The project—which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, collected and analyzed samples of seized pot from 48 states and determined that THC levels are almost double what they were in 1983.

CANNABIS – UK
UK children ‘most likely to try cannabis’ – Guardian

Children growing up in the UK are more likely to drink, smoke and to have tried cannabis than in many other western countries, according to a study by the World Health Organisation.

METH – USA
Prevention, Treatment Could Curb Meth Problem – University of Kentucky News

Kentucky, like the rest of the U.S., is grappling with problems related to an apparent rise in methamphetamine abuse. However, the popular perception of a “meth epidemic” tends to overstate the role played by that drug in the overall picture of substance abuse in Kentucky.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Parent targeted in binge drinking TV ads – The Age

The head of a new campaign to curb excessive drinking by targeting parents’ alcohol use in front of children says it’s not about blaming mums and dads.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Abuse Can Damage The Brain By Decreasing Insulin And Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptors – Medical News Today

A new study using postmortem human brain tissue has found that chronic alcohol abuse can decrease levels of genes needed for brain cells to respond to insulin/IGF, leading to neurodegeneration similar to that caused by Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

ALCOHOL – UK
Ordered Drinks Can Be Larger And Have Greater Alcohol Content Than You May Think – Medical News Today

Most alcohol research tends to assume that alcoholic drinks contain the same amount of pure alcohol: 0.6 ounces or 18 milliliters. Why is this important? Because researchers need accuracy to do their job well, and consumers need to know what they’re drinking, especially if they are then going to drive

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Help needed to fight prescription drug abuse – Times-Mail

Clear realities and a big question have come from the newspaper’s six-day look at prescription drug abuse in Lawrence County. The most basic reality is this: Prescription drug abuse kills.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescriptions Killed More Floridians Than Street Drugs In 2007 – Injury Board

A report released this week by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, concludes that prescription drugs killed more Floridians in 2007 than illegal drugs.

METH – USA
Meth Dangers to Propane – KARK TV News

Methamphetamine producers are now using propane tanks to store harmful chemicals, something experts say could have deadly consequences.

ALCOHOL – USA
Random alcohol testing proposed for Chicago police officers who fire their weapons – Chicago Tribune

On-duty Chicago police officers and any officers who shoot their weapons, on or off-duty, would be required to submit to random alcohol tests under a contract proposal sent to the union.

ALCOHOL – UK
Supermarket alcohol price cuts ‘fuelling binge drinking’ – Telegraph

Some best-selling drinks now cost 20 per cent less than they did a year ago, new figures reveal.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Putting a price on alcohol abuse shows a simple first step – Vancouver Sun

No one doubts that alcohol abuse is a major social problem. The evidence — public disorder, drunk driving, failing health and broken homes — confronts us every day.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcopop alarm on children in country areas – Melbourne Herald Sun
Paramedics are reviving 12-year-olds passed out on the streets of rural Victoria after drinking alcopops, a Senate inquiry was told yesterday.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Doctor urges better community alcohol education – ABC News
A Bendigo health emergency specialist says better community education is needed to help curb the number of people admitted to hospital due to alcohol-related problems.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis at highest potency in 30 years – The New Zealand Herald

Marijuana potency increased last year to its highest in more than 30 years, says a report released by the White House.

ALCOHOL – UK
Are British Youth Drinking And Bingeing More? – Medical News Today

The UK Youth Alcohol Action plan was released in June - targeting alcohol use by underage drinkers. The report cites encouraging evidence.

ALCOHOL – UK
How To Save $1 Billion And 800 Lives In Canada – Medical News Today

The economic burden of alcohol abuse costs each Canadian $463 per year. In fact, the direct health care costs for alcohol abuse in Canada exceed those of cancer.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Proposal Expands – WEEK TV

It’s one class project that’s stretching way beyond school grounds. Students at Pontiac Township High School developed the Prescription Drug Disposal Program about five months ago.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse rising among youth – Union Democrat

Alcohol has long been the cornerstone of youthful experimentation. More and more, teens and young adults are tapping into those child-safe orange bottles as an additional means to a high.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
5 Ways to Avoid Prescription Drugs – Stop Aging Now

Before you get that prescription filled, consider what lifestyle changes you could make, first. Just these five changes can make a big difference in your condition or your risk.

METH – USA
Report: Valley teens’ attitudes about meth are changing – ABC TV News

It’s hard not to notice the billboards around the Valley. You know, the ones showing methamphetamine addicts in all their glory, sores on the mouths, rotted out teeth and skin aged beyond their years.

METH – USA
Acoma hosts meth awareness meeting – Cibola County Beacon

It isn’t here in full force, but it will be. It is methamphetamine and it will not let you go once it takes hold.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana more potent than ever – Los Angeles Times

Marijuana is more potent than at any time since scientific analysis of the drug began in the 1970s, according to a report from the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project.

MARIJUANA – UK
US report says Marijuana strength increasing – Telegraph

Marijuana strength has increased to its highest levels in more than 30 years, according to a report by scientists.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says – The New York Times
From “Scarface” to “Miami Vice,” Florida’s drug problem has been portrayed as the story of a single narcotic: cocaine. But for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit.