Drug News

MARIJUANA – USA
Pot smoking may more than double crash risk – USA Today

Drivers who get behind the wheel after using marijuana run more than twice the risk of crashing compared to others, a new study finds.

DRUG REHAB – USA
30 Days in a Drug Rehab: A Shortchange, Not a Shortcut – San Francisco Gate

Many people that continue to relapse after leaving treatment may not need more of the same but longer stays in treatment before being discharged.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Rx for Danger: Total weight of pills, not amount of drugs in them, triggers longer sentences – Orlando Sentinel

Todd Hannigan wanted to end his life. He ended up with a 15-year-prison sentence instead. Two years ago, Hannigan, now 43, took a bottle of Natural Light and 31 of his mother’s painkillers to Orlando’s Cherry Tree Park, where a police officer caught him drinking the beer at a picnic table.

ALCOHOL – USA
How alcohol use was cut at two Seattle schools – The Seattle Times
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Alcohol use at Nathan Hale and Roosevelt high schools has nearly been cut in half in the past four years. How did they do it?

HEROIN – USA
Overdoses indicate heroin use up in Saginaw – Chicago Tribune

A rise in the number of heroin overdose cases in Saginaw has authorities worried wider use of the drug is making a comeback.

METHAMPHETAMINE – AUSTRALIA
Surge in crystal meth use prompts concern at mental health effects – Syndey Morning Herald
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Use of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, by drug users in Australia has increased significantly since last year, research shows. Almost half of injecting drug users and a quarter of regular ecstasy users this year reported using ice in the previous six months

ECSTASY – USA
Man faces 20 years on Ecstasy charge – Daily Comet‎

NEW ORLEANS – A 27-year-old Gretna man faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to traffic in the synthetic drug Ecstasy.

ALCOHOL – USA
Two-Question Screen Can Help Doctors Spot Teen Alcohol Problems – Time Healthland

Two questions asked during a regular pediatrician’s visit could help identify youth with drinking problems.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Parents’ View of Teen Drug Use: Your Kid, Not Mine – Web MD

One in 10 parents surveyed believed their own teenage child had used alcohol during the previous year. And just one in 20 believed their teen had smoked marijuana.
Teens themselves reported a much higher rate of substance use in a separate poll released late last year. About half of 10th-graders said they had used alcohol over the previous 12 months; about one in 4 (28%) reported marijuana use.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in U.S., data show – LA Times

Fueling the surge are prescription pain and anxiety drugs that are potent, highly addictive and especially dangerous when combined with one another or with other drugs or alcohol.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Oxycodone bust tied to Westchester airport highlights US explosion – The Journal News

Ten years ago, if a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent were told he would be chasing traffickers in illicit prescription drugs like pain relievers and sedatives, he likely would have laughed. Not anymore. “Now, those same guys that would have laughed at it, they’re chasing this stuff all the time,”

HEROIN – USA
Dope-sick: Youths migrate to heroin as deaths spike – Belleville News Democrat

The suburban youth drug culture is graduating. Marijuana, alcohol and the occasional acid trip are being replaced by powerful painkillers and the drug blamed for more local overdose deaths: heroin. “It’s in your backyard. You just don’t know it.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Abuse of Xanax Leads a Clinic to Halt Supply – New York Times

Gayle Mink, a nurse practitioner at a community mental health center here, had tired of the constant stream of patients seeking Xanax. Because of the clamor for the drug, and concern over the striking number of overdoses involving Xanax here and across the country, Seven Counties doctors stopped writing new prescriptions for Xanax and its generic version, alprazolam, in April and plan to wean patients off it completely by year’s end.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Synthetic drugs bring new rush hour to downtown Duluth – Duluth News Tribune

On many mornings, it looks like it’s the hottest business in downtown Duluth. Dozens of customers line up in front of the Last Place on Earth head shop on Superior Street to buy designer drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
12 Health Risks of Chronic Heavy Drinking – Web MD

It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver and injuries sustained in automobile accidents. But if you think liver disease and car crashes are the only health risks posed by drinking, think again: Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases.

METHAMPHETAMINE – NEW ZEALAND
Addiction Brought Woman’s Downfall – Wanganui Chronicle

A Wanganui woman’s downfall from a good upbringing and acclaim as a top student to being jailed on drugs charges was “a classic methamphetamine story”.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
‘Pill-mill’ doctors responsible for much prescription-drug abuse – TC Palm
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How about a “zero tolerance” policy for the pill-mill doctors? Let’s levy a fine closer to $100,000 than $10,000, permanently revoke their medical license, and deliver a mandatory prison term for homicide. In the “war against drugs,” these doctors are the worst kind of war criminal.

BATH SALTS – USA
Bath salts: America’s newest drug addiction – Examiner.com

Synthetic drugs, being sold under the facade of “bath salts,” have quickly become a cause for alarm with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and federal authorities.

COCAINE – BRAZIL
Outrage: Rio Drug Dealers Sell Amy Winehouse Brand Cocaine‎ – Student Operated Press

Drug dealers in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro are packaging their product with pictures of Amy Winehouse in a bid to make the drug more attractive to younger users.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Campus Life 101: Staying Sober – Fox News

As a high school senior, Aaron Weir decided to attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock, not for any particular academic program but for the hospitality that school extends toward students in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction. “I was 16 years old when I got clean and sober and I want to stay that way in college.”

HEROIN – USA
Heroin ‘lamp shades’ lead to arrest – Washington Post

Upon closer inspection, the officers noticed that the frames contained a “brown powdery substance” that tested positive for heroin. A lot of it.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Arrests won’t solve prescription drug problem, leaders say‎ – Charleston Gazette

“Law enforcement cannot arrest our way out of this problem,” Smithers said. “It’s way beyond that.” West Virginia has the nation’s highest rate of drug overdose deaths. More than 90 percent involve prescription drugs.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Teens take road to addiction early in life – Times Free Press

The road to teen addiction often begins when children are still young enough to climb into their parents’ laps. The majority of alcohol and drug abuse begins right before adulthood, Columbia researchers said, but small children who see their parents smoking, drinking or pill-popping are more likely to give it a whirl during their teenage years.

HEROIN – USA
Richland man charged in 3rd heroin-related death – The News Tribune

A 35-year-old alleged drug dealer now is charged with the deaths of three Tri-Citians who overdosed after using his heroin. In the newest case filed against Brian Haney Burt, the Richland man reportedly found the victim in a poor condition but panicked and left without getting help.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
A Real Debate About Drug Policy – ‎Wall Street Journal

Drug use in the US is no lower than in countries with different approaches. We believe that drug addiction is harmful to individuals, impairs health and has adverse societal effects. So we want an effective program to deal with this problem.

SYNTHETIC DRUGS – USA
Police, counselors, hold breath for July 1 law effect – Winona Post

A local 16-year-old boy suffered a seizure after combining his medications with synthetic marijuana often called “K2.” A woman in Kentucky high on “Plant Food” hallucinated that her two-year-old son was a demon, knocked him unconscious with a folding chair and then threw him onto the passing lane of a major highway. In Louisiana, a man seeing visions when using Plant Food opened a skinning knife and repeatedly slit his face and stomach, but he survived.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Former Psychiatrist Gets Probation In ‘Pill Mill’ Case – The Beverly Hills Courier

A former West Hollywood psychiatrist who wrote prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose to make money to pay for his methamphetamine addiction was sentenced today to three years probation.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription pills blamed for ‘Pharmageddon’ in Kentucky – BBC News

In Kentucky 978 people died from prescription drug overdoses in 2009. It’s hard to meet a family in the state which hasn’t been affected in one way or another. Across the state, a number of treatment and rehabilitation centres are trying to deal with the huge numbers of addicts.

HEROIN/PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS – USA
Heroin all too easy to get, DEA agent tells Colchester forum – Norwich Bulletin

But there’s something else in town not so easily seen, and not celebrated: a supply of heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycontin and vicodin. “It’s not that they get these drugs on the street. They get them from grandma’s house,” Hoffman said.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
‘Silk Road’ website called the Amazon, eBay of heroin, cocaine, drug trafficking – ABC Action News

You can get anything on the internet nowadays — cars, homes, and now, black tar heroin. It’s a website boasting thousands of members that was created in February, according to its administrators. On the main page, they proudly and openly sell LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, and most any other drug you can name.

ECSTASY – CANADA
Strathmore teen charged with trafficking after 15-year-old overdoses on ecstasy, dies – Calgary Herald

Herrmann went into “medical distress” and died in hospital last Friday after taking the yellow pills, each bearing a Mickey Mouse design. His friend, 19-year-old Richard Mulvihill, was also taken to hospital after taking up to four pills.

ALCOHOL – USA
Duncan Sheik Postpones Concert Tour to Deal With Alcohol Abuse – Wall Street Journal

Facing an alcohol problem, Duncan Sheik postponed the first week of a concert tour that was scheduled to start on June 8 in New York.

DRUG REHAB – IRELAND
An artistic form of drug rehab – Irish Times

Can art help transform drug users’ lives? A project in Dublin is proving that it can.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Lindsey Lohan’s Dad Fills Yacht Full of Women From Drug Treatment Center to Shoot TV Show – ‎Broward New Times

Michael Lohan, father of actress Lindsey Lohan, is trying to pitch a reality TV show involving a drug treatment center for women based on a luxury yacht. He already shot a pilot of one episode in Fort Lauderdale using a borrowed yacht and a dozen girls from a local center.

HEROIN, COCAINE – USA
14 indicted on heroin, cocaine charges – BurlingtonFreePress.com
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A four-count indictment has accused 14 people of conspiring to move heroin and crack cocaine from New York City to Vermont, and to sell the drugs in and around Burlington.

HEROIN – USA
Uprooting deadly heroin trio in East County – Portland Tribune

Gresham Police Detective Bob Peterson helped investigate two fatal heroin overdoses, including one in Rockwood, that lead to the arrests of three Troutdale men. “The word needs to get out that we’re going to chase these guys down on all of these overdose deaths. If they sell heroin to someone and it results in their death, we’re going to hold them accountable.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – AUSTRALIA
O’Callaghan ‘avoided asking son about drugs’ – The West Australian

Speaking openly about his son’s methamphetamine addiction this morning, Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan urged parents to ask difficult questions of their children. “You go through this whole process of asking questions and skirting around the issue because sometimes you just don’t want to know the answer,” he said.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Study Reveals Doctors Can Do More To Address Prescription Drug Abuse – Medical News Today

As prescription drug abuse reaches epidemic proportions, a recent study reports disturbingly low monitoring rates for patients taking powerful prescription drugs. Only 8 percent of patients taking opioid pain medications are screened by their doctor.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – THAILAND
Phuket an addicts haven – Phuket Gazette

Although illegal, over-the-counter sale and purchase of benzodiazepine derivative drug like diezapam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax) is common in Thailand, and is even tacitly accepted by many local authorities. However the practice exposes buyers to health risks including addiction or overdose.

DRUG ABUSE – CANADA
DUI: Driving after drug use a growing concern – Globe and Mail

The report concluded that “driving after drug use is a growing issue that is as prevalent as driving after alcohol use – and that drug-impairment may also be a contributing factor to collisions and fatal road crashes.”

ALCOHOL – UK
Amy Winehouse returns to rehab for alcohol abuse – TheCelebrityCafe.com

Amy Winehouse, who has battled substance abuse and mental health issues ever since she burst onto the scene with 2006′s Back to Black, has checked into the UK’s Priory Clinic to seek treatment for alcoholism.

DRUG ADDICTION – UK
Drug laws: 40 years on, only a complete change of approach will do – The Guardian

It is 40 years since Parliament passed the Misuse of Drugs Act. It is remarkable how utterly the system has failed. Drugs are available to anyone who really wants them.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG REHAB – USA
Patrick Kennedy discusses decision to leave Congress – Providence Journal

His public career was “not conducive” to his recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, the former Rhode Island congressman said in a television interview to be aired nationwide on Sunday.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE – USA
Poor economy, drug abuse driving crime, police say – Enterprise News

Fueled by the downturn in the economy and a rise in illegal use of prescription drugs, crime has surged locally and across New England, law enforcement officials say. “It’s the pills, and they inevitably lead to heroin abuse,” said East Bridgewater Sgt. Scott Allen. “It’s the No. 1 problem we’re facing with right now.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
California deputies find mom eating methamphetamine with 4-year old – Washington Post

Investigators say a Southern California mother with her 4-year-old daughter on her lap was eating methamphetamine when deputies arrived at her desert home.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Overall drug-related deaths drop in Oregon – East Oregonian

Statewide, the total number of drug-related deaths dropped in 2010 compared to the year before, but methamphetamine-related deaths rose dramatically.

ECSTASY – USA
Ecstasy drug dulls the brain, study reveals – Empowered News

Ecstasy drug use inflicts long-term and possibly permanent changes to brain tissue, a new study appearing in this month’s issue of Neuropsychopharmacology reveals.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Australia arrests 1600 ‘boozed-up idiots’ – AFP

The trans-Tasman “Operation Unite”, a two-day blitz on public alcohol abuse and related crime that ended Sunday, was the latest attempt to hammer home the …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
University joins group fighting high-risk alcohol use – The Daily Princetonian

The new initiative aims to lower the rate of binge drinking and frequency of destructive behavior that results from binge drinking on college campuses by bringing together teams of students, faculty and administrators from schools across the nation. Princeton is one of 13 colleges to have signed onto the project, with seven more expected to join before June.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Baseball world shocked as Ramirez retires – AFP

LOS ANGELES — The American baseball community expressed surprise and shock that disgraced slugger Manny Ramirez chose to retire rather than take part in the league’s drug rehab programme for a second time. The Tampa Bay player called it a day Friday,

DRUG REHAB – USA
School nurse pushing for Mineral County youth drug rehab – Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune

By Liz Beavers FORT ASHBY – As a school nurse at three schools in the Frankfort District, Tammy Hansford can see a very clear need for drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for adolescents. Noting that there is a normal waiting period of six weeks. “Once somebody decides they want help, you have to get them help,” she said.

ALCOHOL – USA
Few Alcoholics Realize They Need Help – WebMD
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says that of the nation’s 7.4 million adults aged 21 and 64 who have untreated alcohol abuse, only 1.2% believe they could benefit from treatment. And only 7.8% recognize that they need treatment.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Here’s to me – Sydney Morning Herald
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After four years documenting the nation’s escalating toll of alcohol abuse as a health writer, I knew more than most about the consequences of risky drinking. But it didn’t deter me. I was first on the dance floor, last to leave the party and winner of the inaugural ”Jill Stark drinking award” at last year’s staff Christmas bash.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Pregnant women could face ban on buying alcohol – ABC Online
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The Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation owns three shops in Alice Springs and is concerned about the effects of foetal alcohol syndrome in babies. The corporation’s Darryl Pearce says Alice Springs is facing many problems associated with alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Abuse – Effect Of Underage Binge Drinking To Brain Development Disclosed – Star Global Tribune‎

This may come as a surprise to some, but recent surveys indicate that episodes of heavy alcohol drinking within the previous two weeks are reported by 12 percent of 8th graders, 22 percent of 10th graders, 28 percent of 12th grade seniors and 44 …

ECSTASY – CANADA
Bad ecstasy puts several in hospital – TheChronicleHerald
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Several young Haligonians have gotten seriously ill after ingesting bad ecstasy and at least one is still in hospital, Halifax drug officers said Thursday. “They were in a serious medical condition,” said Constable David Lane.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Sheriff: Mobile meth labs create ‘toxic’ dangers to highway cleanup crews – Muskegon Chronicle
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The toxic residue is found on paraphernalia used to make “mobile” methamphetamine labs, said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler. Mobile meth labs are operated out of vehicles and then discarded along highways statewide, Roesler said.

DRUG ADDICTION – UK
Addicts paid to use contraception – BBC News‎

By Liam Blyth & Kieran Turner BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast A US charity says it has paid 26 female drug addicts in Britain to have contraceptive implants or coils fitted. Project Prevention told BBC Radio 5 live it had given the women initial payments of …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Families Anonymous helps family members of drug addicts – WBIR-TV‎

Cooper’s past drug addiction not only hurt him, it hurt his father and mother as well. “We’re just drained,” said Steven’s father, William Cooper. “It drains every aspect of you. Your friends, your companionship. You withdraw. All day long you’re chasing what they’ve done and what they’re going to do and that night when you go to bed your brain is just worn out because that’s all you’re thinking about.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Doctors feeding addicts’ habits with painkillers: all too common – Boston Globe ‎

What’s more, nearly a quarter of all patients (both high- and low-risk) received two or more early refills of the opiates — often a sign of addiction. “We were disturbed to find that patients with a drug use disorder were seen less frequently in the …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Abuse of legal drugs growing problem – Newnan Times-Herald
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Georgia’s top law enforcement officials gathered at a day-long summit this week to forge a strategy to fight back against the growth of prescription drug abuse and addiction in Georgia.

ALCOHOL – USA
Dad, I Prefer the Shiraz – Wall Street Journal‎

Should parents introduce children to help them drink more responsibly or does early exposure lead to an increase in alcohol abuse later on? Kelsey Hubbard talks with WSJ’s Health Columnist Melinda Beck about new government studies on the topic.

ALCOHOL – USA
Christina Aguilera Arrested for Public Intoxication; Refuses Treatment – TheCelebrityCafe.com
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TMZ recently learned that some of Christina’s friends and business associates have been pleading with her to get treatment for alcohol abuse. A source revealed that Christina’s drinking became an issue during her divorce.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Oklahoma Worries About Cost of Meth Lab Cleanup After DEA Cuts Off Funding – Fox News
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The federal government is cutting off funds to help states clean up the mess left behind by methamphetamine labs, raising concerns about the cost local governments will have to shoulder to avert health risks.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Dick Morris calls Ron Paul ‘horrific’ – Politico
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“We don’t have enough laws against drugs?” “No,” Morris replied. “We should drug test every high school student. We should drug test everybody that gets a student loan. Anybody that’s using drugs should not get a government student loan.

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.