Drug News

COCAINE – IRELAND
How the cocaine trade is spreading – Irish Times

It also gives a revealing glimpse into the huge transatlantic cocaine trade from Latin America now targeting Ireland as a transit point and destination. The case shows how this country has joined certain West African states, together with Spain and Portugal as parts of those smuggling routes.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Drug, alcohol violence surge at Albany Hospital – ABC News

The WA Country Health Service says there has been an increasing level of violence towards staff at the Albany Hospital from drug- or alcohol-affected patients.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol limit for boaters to be reduced in line with drivers – Kansas City Star

Boaters beware: The legal blood-alcohol content for driving a watercraft will go from 0.10 to 0.08 beginning Aug. 28 under legislation sent to Gov. Matt Blunt of Missouri.

RITALIN – USA
Liddell Laboratories Sends Open Letter to Consumer Reports - In Defense of Homeopathy – Market Watch

The British Homeopathic Journal, Frei & Thurneysen, 2001, This study was performed on 115 children (average age 8.3 years) comparing homeopathic treatment with that of methylphenidate (Ritalin) for children suffering from ADHD symptoms.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin deaths prompt warning – Lebanon Daily News

A rash of heroin-overdose deaths — at least three in the past week — have prompted the Lebanon County coroner to issue a warning to users. Dr. Jeffrey Yocum said yesterday that tests are being done to determine if the heroin is especially pure or if it is laced with another deadly substance.

HEROIN – USA
U.S. fentanyl deaths top 1,000 over 2 years – USA Today

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.

HEROIN – USA
More than 1,000 fentanyl deaths tracked to Mexican drug operation – Detroit Free Press

More than 1,000 deaths linked to the painkiller fentanyl were reported nationally during a two-year span, traced to a drug operation in Mexico, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PAINKILLER – USA
Number of overdoses from painkiller peak – ABC Local News

Three years ago, doctors in Chicago started noticing a wave of overdoses of the painkiller Fentanyl.

PAINKILLER – USA
Report: Wayne County third in nation for fentanyl deaths over two-year period – Det News

Wayne County was third in the nation in fentanyl-related deaths during the worst epidemic of fatal overdoses involving the potent painkiller, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription for addiction: Health Department to create drug abuse focus group – The Missoulian

The hydra-headed problem of prescription drug abuse has struck a chord with the Missoula City-County Health Department, and the agency is developing a focus group to address the crisis.

PAINKILLER – USA
Prescription for addiction: Painkillers only a click away – The Missoulian

Despite recent efforts to regulate Internet pharmacies, the majority of Web sites peddling controlled drugs do not require a prescription. As a result, a vast unregulated online drug bazaar has emerged, according to officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

DRUGS – USA
British Authorities Credit Health Messages for Drop in Youth Drug Use Rates – Join Together

Department of Health leaders in England are attributing decreases in drug experimentation rates among the nation’s young teenagers to a well-financed campaign on drugs’ dangers.

METH – USA
Survey shows misconceptions about meth – Casper Star-Tribune
Wyoming teens and young adults believe that methamphetamine is low-risk and easily accessable, according to a new statewide survey by the Wyoming Meth Project.

DRUGS – UK
Crackdown on drugs use in prisons – BBC News
Prisons’ Minister Paul Goggins said a series of robust new measures would be introduced to help stem the flow of drugs within the prison system.

ALCOHOL – UK
Tackling alcohol misuse – Scottish Government
Tackling alcohol misuse is theme of a series of visits the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will make today.

MARIJUANA – USA
‘Marijuana Addiction — The Key to Overcoming the Emotional Component’ Revealed by Hale Dwoskin – PR Web

Hale Dwoskin, featured teacher in the blockbuster book and film “The Secret” and author of The New York Times bestseller The Sedona Method, has revealed a powerful way to help overcome the emotional component of marijuana addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
Long Fight to Regulate Alcopops Faces Key Hearing in Nebraska – Join Together

A Nebraska youth alcohol-prevention group has been grappling with state lawmakers, regulators and the alcohol industry for years to get alcopops classified as liquor, not beer, and the rollercoaster process will make a key stop on July 31 as the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission holds a hearing on the classification issue.

DRUGS – USA
Psychiatrists Received Biggest Chunk of Pharmaceutical Company Payoffs, Vermont Study Finds – Join Together

With abuse of prescription drugs a growing problem, Vermont is one of a handful of states that require pharmaceutical companies to report how much cash and gifts they give to doctors.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Addiction – Trans World News
“Coca leaves have been used for centuries by natives as a stimulant,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana Mouth Spray: The New Pain Reliever? – Fox News

A new marijuana mouth spray aimed at relieving pain is being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in clinical trials, USA Today reported.

PAINKILLER – USA
Painkiller Patch Fentanyl May Have Killed 3,500 People, Warns FDA – Natural News

The popular patch version of the pain killer fentanyl is suspected in more than 3,500 deaths, and the FDA has issued a new warning about its use.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction helps hide what’s within – Republican Eagle

In the past year I have written several letters about meth addiction and some of the feelings that go along with it. More and more people have come to me commenting on how they substitute the word alcohol in place of meth.

ADDICTION – CANADA
Regular exercise may counter addiction – Calgary Herald

A Davidson College study in drug and alcohol dependence compared self-administered cocaine use between two groups of caged rats — those with an exercise wheel and the rest without.

ADDICTION – USA
STAGES of Recovery program addresses addiction – Lubbock Online

According to a Texas Department of State and Health Services survey of college students conducted in spring 2005, 11 percent of Texas college students were frequent binge drinkers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol impact area proves power of community – The News Tribune

Neighborliness is a powerful thing. A few years ago, when Whitman area resident Pat McGregor started noticing his neighborhood declining around him, he knew that stopping the degradation would require cutting off the supply of cheap booze that keeps street drunks plastered.

ALCOHOL – UK
Bachelot seeks under-18 alcohol ban – The Press Association
France’s health minister said she is working on a Bill which would prevent under-18s drinking in bars or buying alcohol at supermarkets.

ALCOHOL – UK
Risky Drinking In Over 55s Becomes The Focus Of New Research – Medical News Today

A new study led by Simon Coulton, Professor of Health Services Research at the Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, aims to improve services for over 55s caught up in ‘risky drinking’.

ALCOHOL – USA
U.K. Health Official Wants Zero Tolerance for Alcohol Use by Young Drivers – Join Together

Drivers ages 17 to 20 should not be allowed to legally operate motor vehicles with any detectable level of alcohol in their bodies, according to Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer in England.

DRUGS – UK
Hair tests for drugs wins award – BBC News

Cardiff-based TrichoTech will receive royal recognition for work developing new ways of testing for substance misuse over periods of months.

DRUGS – UK
Drug Use, Smoking and Drinking among young people in England 2007 – NHS

This report contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils aged in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). Overall, 7,831 pupils in 273 schools in England completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2007.

DRUGS – USA
Helpful Drugs-Dangerous Abuse – Trans World News

Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia warns that the abuse of these drugs can lead to a deadly drug addiction.

DRUGS – USA
Drug Rehab Warns of Internet Drug Sales – Trans World News
What amazes me is that a supervised 13-year old actually ordered and received Ritalin, a controlled substance, and used her own height, weight and age when filling out the internet order form.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
New Zealands regional drugs – Undertheradar

Cannabis was still the king of the country’s drugs, with the highest use and availability of any illegal substance.

ADDICTION – USA
Children often innocent victims of adult addiction, drug abuse – Indiana Gazette

For one 12-year-old girl, addiction is a drawing of a green monster with red eyes that has a steel band around her mom, dad and older sister. It carries a bag of alcohol, nicotine and inhalants.

ADDICTION – USA
Chili teen’s painting takes aim at addiction – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Jonathan Duran Quintela doesn’t have a close friend or family member with substance abuse problems, but he didn’t need that to understand addiction.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
The launch of new prescription monitoring system announced – Norwalk Plus Magazine

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the launch of a new Internet-based prescription monitoring system to prevent the abuse of controlled substance prescription drugs.

METH – USA
Meth: Destroying countless families – Searcy Daily Citizen

Folks, drugs in and around White County are an epidemic. People from all walks of life, rich and poor, white and black, are all being victimized by meth.

ALCOHOL – USA
Diageo Applauds New Law in California That Increases Penalties on Alcohol-Related Reckless Drivers – Market Watch

Diageo, the world’s leading spirits, wine and beer company applauds California’s Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger for adopting Assembly Bill No. 2802, increasing the penalties for motorists convicted of alcohol-related reckless driving.

COCAINE – USA
The killing white powder! Its time to address cocaine abuse & addiction – Trans World News

Cocaine rehabs aren’t all alike. Unfortunately, too many prospective patients assume otherwise in their search for a private treatment facility.

METH – CANADA
Meth sold as ecstacy, N.L. police say – CBC News

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said Wednesday that some recent drug seizures of what they thought was ecstasy, was actually methamphetamine.

METH – CANADA
Police issue warning about illegal drugs – The Telegram

Some pills sold as Ecstasy may actually be the more powerful and addictive methamphetamine.

METHADONE – USA
High Dosage Methadone Users Can Now Utilize Medical Detox – PR Web

Novus Medical Detox Center announced this week that they have successfully detoxed a number of patients that had been taking high daily doses of methadone–something few other medical detox facilities will even attempt.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Abuse Continues – Trans World News

Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia warns that methadone abuse continues despite evidence that methadone misuse can cause death.

PAINKILLER – USA
Painkiller abuse treatment done in a very exclusive & loving environment – Trans World News

Painkiller abuse is different than alcohol abuse is different than cocaine abuse, and so perhaps it should go without saying that painkiller treatment and alcohol treatment and cocaine treatment must all proceed along distinct tracks.

PAINKILLER – USA
Officials urge action on painkiller abuse – Las Vegas Sun

State legislators and regulators Monday called the Sun’s reports about the startling rise in the use of narcotic painkillers in Nevada a wake-up call to improve patient care in the state.

ADDICTION – MALAYSIAN
Drug Addiction, A Chronic Brain Disease – Bernama

The number of drug addicts is anticipated to double by 2015 from the current 270,000 and the figure indicates addiction to drugs is more than a social or behavioural problem.

ADDICTION – CANADA
America’s Top Drug and Alcohol Rehab offers Soma Addiction Treatment – FPRC

Like other prescription drugs, the abuse of Soma is associated with tolerance, dependence and addiction. The signs and symptoms have no fundamental difference from those that can be found accompanying the abuse of other prescription medications with tranquilizer or sedative effects.

ALCOHOL – USA
Town Hall meeting set to discuss alcohol abuse – Jackson County Chronicle

Dinking rates continue to rise in our community for adults and children. Deaths continue to rise in our county due to drunk driving either being a passenger, driver, bystander or occupant. Intervention and prevention are tools that the community can use to prevent these articles from re-appearing.

ALCOHOL – USA
Campus Alcohol Abuse – KFYR TV News

For many young people, college is their first taste of freedom. And that freedom often involves alcohol. North Dakota leads the country when it comes to underage drinking. Recent survey results show fewer students are drinking alcohol than in years past, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do.

PAINKILLER – USA
TRACKING NEVADANS’ APPETITE FOR PAINKILLERS – Las Vegas Sun

The Sun discovered the startling increase in the number of narcotic painkillers consumed in Nevada after analyzing several thousand pages of Drug Enforcement Administration reports on the production and distribution of controlled substances to pharmacies and health care practitioners in the United States.

PRESCRIPTION – IRELAND
Prescribing drug abuse – Irish Medical Times

There has been a significant rise in prescriptions of drugs such as Valium (up by a fifth) and Xanax (up by 42 per cent) in the five years since the landmark Benzodazapine Report called for a ‘considerable reduction’ in use of such drugs.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Binge drinking part of culture, say 81% - The Age

A NEW survey shows 81% of people say Australia has a binge drinking culture. Only 15% disagree, and 3% are unsure. The survey was conducted across all ages, both genders and all voting persuasions.

MARIJUANA – USA
Fourteen-year-olds consider first marijuana use – The Reporter

I’m 14 and friends of mine (I’ll call them Janine and Claire), go to Mexico a lot with Janine’s family where they hook up with older people and get drunk. Now, as a “present” to themselves for eight grade graduation, they plan to smoke marijuana.

CANNABIS – USA
Drug Use Highest In U.S. – Ivanhoe

New research reveals despite strong drug policies, the United States has the highest levels of cocaine and cannabis use among countries surveyed.

CANNABIS – INDIA
Drug mafia in India switches to high profit hybrid cannabis – Economic Times

A hybrid variety of cannabis, which was found to be used in countries like Mexico, has increasingly become popular among the Indians who grow it illegally as it increases the intoxication level and also double their production and profit margin.

ALCOHOL – USA
What Is Your Alcohol IQ? – Health News Digest
Alcohol education is tricky business. We educate people not to drink and drive. We caution about drinking too much and the dangers of alcohol abuse, but rarely do we give people information on how to drink responsibly.

METH – USA
Education needed to tackle meth problem – Farmington Daily Times

Methamphetamine use in San Juan County is a problem. Since 2002-2003, use and abuse has begun to soar. Although each person may not use meth, everyone is affected in one way or another by someone who does.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Rising use of painkillers taking deadly toll – Las Vegas Sun

The skyrocketing use and abuse of prescription narcotics in Las Vegas is accompanied by a similarly startling increase in the number of fatal overdoses, a Sun analysis has found.

METH – USA
Fight against methamphetamine has evolved – Appeal-Democrat

Yuba County’s director of family court services, has been observing the local methamphetamine scene long enough to know how the drug got one of its early nicknames — crank.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Overdose Awareness Day – Salvation Army

We are inviting you to participate in Overdose Awareness Day 2008. This year, on the 31st August 2008, we will be remembering those who have died from having suffered overdose as well as those who live with permanent injuries from overdose.

DRUGS – UK
World Drug Day 2008 – UN Office on Drug and Crime

On 26 June, UNODC offices around the world held different events to celebrate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. On the same day, UNODC also launched its 2008 World Drug Report.

DRUGS – UK
Nearly one in 10 Welsh prisoners test positive for drugs – Western Mail

NEARLY one in 10 Welsh prisoners has tested positive for drugs in random tests, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

CANNABIS – UK
Skunk ‘psychosis risk’ warning – BBC News

People who smoke the strongest form of cannabis - known as skunk - may be more at risk of psychosis than those who use milder forms, UK researchers claim.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
Alcohol ad regulation could prove troublesome – Sunday Business Post

The new self-regulatory codes on alcohol advertising sound comprehensive, but they could prove tricky to implement in some cases.

ALCOHOL – USA
More Drug, Alcohol Recognition Experts on the Road This Weekend – WFMZ News

Pennsylvania State Troopers will be stepping up patrols this holiday weekend. This year they’re also increasing efforts to recognize drivers who are under the influence.

METH – USA
Miss. Realtors Required To Disclose Meth Lab Houses – WAPT News

Mississippi home buyers will soon be able to find out if the house they want to purchase was used as a meth lab.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
More teens abusing prescription drugs – Canton Repository

When issued by a doctor, prescription drugs are supposed to offer a safe way to help people. They dilute pain, help control behavior, regulate sickness and heal ills. But for some, prescription drugs also offer an easy way to get high. And there are signs that abuse is rising among Ohio teens.

METH – USA
Minnesota’s anti-meth law is a big success story – DL Online

An anti- methamphetamine law passed in Minnesota three years ago has been a big success.

METH – USA
Official: Check your propane tanks – Jackson Sun

People grilling this summer should inspect their propane tanks as some methamphetamine producers are using them to store harmful chemicals.

HEROIN – IRELAND
Increase In Heroin Use in Galway – Galway News

TEENAGE girls have become the latest victims of heroin use in the city as new statistics reveal an escalation in the number of women seeking treatment for addiction to the hard drug.

DRUGS – USA
Venezuela denies drug trafficking on the rise – CNN International News

Venezuela is denying Washington’s accusations that drug trafficking has increased due to a lack of cooperation with the United States.

COCAINE – UK
Cocaine delivered quicker than pizza – North-West Evening Mail
Ninety eight people aged under 20 asked for help for addiction to cocaine in the county last year, and it is claimed the destructive Class A drug can be delivered to your door quicker than a pizza.

ADDICTION – NEW ZEALAND
Codeine addiction increasing: SDHB chief – Southland Times

Southland District Health Board interim chief operating officer Leanne Samuel said codeine abuse was becoming more of an issue.

ADDICTION – USA
Church Joins Fight Against Drug Addiction – Trans World News

A local church in Marietta, Georgia, hearing of the succesful training delivered to other churches in the area, contacted Narconon Drug Rehab GA for training on substance abuse and drug rehabilitation.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Health groups call for tough measures to curb alcohol abuse – ABC News

The Alcohol Policy Forum (APF) is recommending state and federal governments ban all alcohol promotion on television before 9:30pm, including sponsorship of sporting events.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drunken boating standard drops – KRCG News

Gov. Matt Blunt approves tougher rules for boating while intoxicated, making the threshold for drunken boating on lakes and major rivers the same as for motorists.

ALCOHOL – USA
Water Patrol: Heat, alcohol don’t mix – Lake Sun Leader

A reminder from the Missouri Water Patrol: heat and alcohol can be a deadly combination. As the temperature goes up, so does the temptation to have a few too many drinks while out on the water, according to Water Patrol Lt. Col. Mike Smith.

DRUGS – UK
Projects, activities and opportunities – Drug Scope

Problem drug and alcohol users and the benefit system – a call for information. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will soon be publishing a Green Paper/consultation that will include proposals to reform the ‘benefits regime’ (as described in the new drugs strategy) for problem drug users.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Police can now demand blood, urine or saliva samples of suspect drivers – The Vancouver Sun

The stroke of midnight Tuesday delivered new enforcement powers into police hands as a controversial law to bust drivers who are high on drugs came into effect across Canada.

ALCOHOL – USA
Califano Urges NCAA to Ban All Beer and Alcohol Ads at Broadcast Events – Join Together

In a letter dated July 1, 2008, Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Chairman and President of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) at Columbia University, urged the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to eliminate all beer and alcohol advertising at NCAA broadcast events.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
NZ slipping into ‘world’s gutters’ - drug expert – Otago Daily Times

Latest international cannabis use figures prove that New Zealand is descending into “the world’s gutters”, says outspoken drug education expert Mike Sabin.

METH – USA
Meth labs declining in Minnesota – Hutchinson Leader

The report, Methamphetamine in Minnesota: a report on the impact of one illicit drug, is the first comprehensive review of the impact of meth in Minnesota.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Confusion – Today’s TMJ4

Have you ever reached into your medicine cabinet and forgot what that prescription is for? Pharmacists say it happens all the time. Today’s TMJ4’s Courtny Gerrish shows us how to end the confusion.

PRESCRIPTION – UK
MEDai Technology Identifies Prescription Drug Misuse – Earth Times

MEDai, Inc. provides several reports that focus on the identification of potential misuse of prescription drugs, a subject that has quickly climbed to the top of the concerns list for those in the payer space.

METH – USA
A look at meth addiction in Southwest Florida – Wink News

Just how big of a problem has meth become in Lee County? Local addiction specialists say they are hearing from more recovering addicts that meth was one of their drugs of choice.

METH – USA
Drug Use Becoming More Common Worldwide – Join Together
Use of various illicit drugs has become more common worldwide over the years, and the United States has some of the world’s highest rates of lifetime alcohol and tobacco use, according to an international survey conducted by the World Health Organization.

METH – USA
Home disclosure clear on meth – Biloxi Sun Herald

Potential homebuyers in Mississippi now have a means of learning whether that cute cottage on the market was once a meth lab.

MARIJUANA – USA
More Marijuana in the Movies – Join Together

It may not signal a return to the Cheech and Chong days, but marijuana use has definitely staged a comeback on the big screen, drawing laughs and establishing cultural credibility among young moviegoers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Anheuser-Busch to stop mixing alcohol and caffeine – North Platte Bulletin

After months of public criticism, a threatened lawsuit, and an 11-state Attorneys General investigation, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. announced June 26 that it will discontinue the production and marketing of caffeinated alcoholic beverages and pledges to call on other brewers and distillers to follow suit.

ALCOHOL – USA
US leads world in substance abuse, WHO finds – Reuters

The United States leads the world in rates of experimenting with marijuana and cocaine despite strict drug laws, World Health Organization researchers said on Tuesday.

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.