Drug News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse: Part One – KAUZ News

Texoma is facing growing drug problem. Experts say more residents are becoming addicted to prescription and over-the-counter medications.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge drinking summit – ABC News

Dr Nelson is convening a four hour summit on binge drinking in Canberra today, with about 20 people from various interest groups.

ALCOHOL – USA
College chiefs urge new debate on drinking age – CNN News
College presidents from about 100 of the nation’s best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

ALCOHOL – UK
Deaths by drugs or drink ‘are now run of the mill’ – Wales Online

A CORONER who has overseen the spate of apparent suicides in a Welsh community said drug and alcohol deaths had gone from non-existent to “run of the mill” during his time in the role.

DRUGS – UK
Drugs fuel admissions to Bristol hospitals – This is Bristol

More than 280 people were admitted to hospitals in the Bristol area due to drug problems last year, according to new figures.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge drinking is turning Britain into ‘Wild West’ – Telegraph

The Tory leader claims a culture of excess is “taking over our streets” and many areas were now “uninhabitable”.

ADDICTION – USA
Recovery Month Planning Materials Now Available Online – Pushing Back

Recognizing that addiction to drugs is a treatable disease and that recovery is possible, ONDCP has supported innovative and effective programs designed to help expand the availability of treatment services.

METH – USA
A New Weapon Against Meth Abuse – US News and World Report
The federal drug czar’s office has shown preliminary interest in a new Internet-based program from an Australian maker to track pharmacy purchases of pseudoephedrine, which can be abused to make methamphetamine.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse – WSIL TV News

More people are getting high by abusing prescription pills. An expert on prescription abuse is in our region to talk about the dangers of the drugs and prevention.

ALCOHOL – UK
Excessive alcohol use linked to fertility problems – Telegraph

Excessive drinking has been linked to having children later in life, possibly because alcohol damages fertility, scientists have suggested.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Survey: Youngsters Can Procure Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – eFluxMedia
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.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Illegally Access Prescription Drugs – Ontario Now

A new study has revealed that nearly 34 percent of today’s teenagers are engaged in some type of prescription drug abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Having Easier Time Getting Prescription Drugs – US News and World Report

It’s easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin or Ritalin than it is to get beer, say a growing number of American teens.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen drug abuse – Watertown Daily Times

Surveys have shown a decline in illegal drug use by teenagers in recent years, but many of the same surveys have also shown an increase in the teens abusing prescription drugs.

METH – USA
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries – Drug War Chronicles
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries
Full Program Agenda Available for Conference September 15-16, 2008, Prague, Czech Republic.

METH – USA
The Lure Of Methamphetamine – Black Voice News

It’s known by many names: meth, crystal, ice, methamphetamine, speed, crank, glass, yaba, tina and many others. Methamphetamine is also extremely addictive and is plowing through the nation, from coast to coast and from city to countryside, leaving behind a trail of broken families and destroyed lives.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Govt urged to collect better data on alcohol consumption – ABC News

A leading Australian health scientist is calling on the Federal Government to order liquor retailers to provide accurate data on alcohol sales in Australia.

ALCOHOL – AUSTALIA
Australia failing to collect data on alcohol consumption – The Australian
DOCTORS say policies to tackle drinking are under threat from a lack of figures on alcohol consumption and warn Australia may become the only OECD nation not to collect the information.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs are in drinking water – Best Syndication

It sounds like the plot of a bad movie; people taking low doses of antibiotics without knowing it until they are no longer able to fight off even simple infections. Believe it or not, this is rapidly becoming a stark reality.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Free outdated prescription drug disposal available Saturday – Times Daily

Curtis Burns said that in at least three out of four households in the Shoals there are outdated prescription drugs that should be disposed of.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse “rampant” in Ohio – WTAM News Radio

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

METHADONE – USA
Methadone use, deaths increasing – Statesman

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

PAINKILLER – USA
Finding the right substance abuse rehab for you! – Trans World News

Every substance abuse treatment center offers nominally different rehab programs for different types of addiction. Too often, though, the differences between those programs are only superficial, and the benefits of them are, in practice, nonexistent.

METH – USA
AG steamed over ‘meth coffee’ – World Net Daily

You can “chew them whole, snort the powder dry, cook it over a lighter and huff,” a San Francisco-based Meth Coffee company claims, but Illinois Attorney-General Lisa Madigan is brewing with anger over a marketing campaign that she says promotes drug use.

ALCOHOL – USA
Recovery Month Toolkits Available Now – Join Together

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

DRUGS – USA
Drug-related deaths in Utah reach a new high – KSL TV News

A report from the state medical examiner says drugs killed 519 people in Utah last year. That breaks the previous record of 485. The report also shows a disturbing and growing trend: Prescription drugs are now behind the majority of drug-related deaths in Utah.

HEROIN – USA
As the price of heroin drops, the drug is attracting younger users – Farmingham

The first time he dabbled with the drug he was a teen in the late 1960s, when a bag of heroin was about $30-$40 per bag, he recalls.

ALCOHOL – USA
OHSU working on drug that takes the pleasure out of drinking alcohol – KPIC

Oregon Health & Sciences University is developing a drug that could take the buzz out of drinking alcohol, raising the question of whether alcoholism could be cured with a simple pill.

COCAINE – UK
UCSF Study Shows That Cocaine Addiction Is Linked To Voluntary Drug Use And Cellular Memory – Medical News Today

Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain’s reward center even after several months of abstinence from the drug, while their involuntary counterparts had no such memory, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

COCAINE – UK
New Study Finds Persistent Brain Changes In Response To Cocaine Depend On The Expectation Of Reward – Medical News Today

Drug addiction dramatically shifts a person’s attention, priorities, and behaviors towards a focus almost entirely on seeking out and taking drugs.

HEROIN – UK
Most Scots think alcohol is worse than heroin – Sunday 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.

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.

DRUGS – UK
Rapid rise seen in fatal medication errors at home – The Associated Press

Deaths from medication mistakes at home, like actor Heath Ledger’s accidental overdose, rose dramatically during the past two decades, an analysis of U.S. death certificates finds.

DRUGS – UK
Mexico battles drug addiction – United Press International

Health officials report drug addiction is a growing problem in Mexico since the government’s crackdown on cartels and stepped-up U.S. border enforcement.

DRUGS – USA
Drug-abuse backlash in Mexico – Arizona Republic

Mexico confronts a growing problem with drug addiction, a phenomenon that some experts blame on the Mexican government’s crackdown on drug cartels and stepped-up U.S. border enforcement.

HEROIN – USA
Student heroin use meeting – WWMT News

A Kalamazoo County community will come together to fight a dangerous trend Monday. They are concerned over teenagers abusing heroin and other drugs.

METH – USA
Expert educates law enforcement about dangers of meth – Foster’s Daily Democrat

Meth is more addictive than cocaine, crack-cocaine and amphetamines, and meth labs are driven by addiction, not by finance.

ALCOHOL – USA
Trailer donation aids Elkins’ alcohol awareness program – Northwest Arkansas Times

Elkins police have a way to transport their donated drunk driving education golf cart thanks to an additional donation by a local business, Ranalli Farms.

ALCOHOL – USA
Stemming the Tide of Alcohol? – red Orbit

When the head of the Royal College of Physicians says we are on the verge of a “tsunami” of alcohol-related health problems, perhaps we should all put down our pints or wine glasses and listen.

RITALIN – USA
AntiDepressants and Suicide – Injury Board

All but lost in the story is the fact that David had been prescribed “Ritalin, Zoloft and antidepressants, each with the broken promise of some return to normalcy.”

ALCOHOL – UK
Pub chains flout drinking rules – Times Online

Pub chains are flouting their own rules on responsible drinking by selling double measures of spirits cheaper than singles, offering two-for-one promotions and holding happy hours where prices are slashed.

METHAMPHETAMINE – NEW ZEALAND
Ecstasy and cocaine gain ground on P – Stuff

NEW Zealand is winning the battle against methamphetamine, but ecstasy and cocaine use has doubled, an international drug report says.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Found Online, Abused by Teens – Westport News

A Columbia University study has shown that prescription drugs can be easily bought on the Internet, while another study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America indicates that many teens are abusing them.

METH – USA
Madison County Officials Meet With DEA to Discuss Meth Enforcement – WAAY

Madison County leaders were briefed Thursday by a Drug Enforcement Administration on the latest methods of fighting methamphetamine production.

DRUGS – UK
Scotland’s Higher Death Rate Partly Explained By Drug Abuse – Medical News Today

Death rates in Scotland are higher than in England and Wales, and a new study published on bmj.com finds that drug abuse in Scotland is a key factor contributing to this difference.

ALCOHOL – UK
California Alcohol Problems Drain $38 Billion Annually – Medical News Today

Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, held a news conference and town hall meeting in Los Angeles today to release the disturbing findings of its landmark report, The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Such a comprehensive study has never been done in California.

ALCOHOL – USA
Tell NCAA President Myles Brand that Beer Ads Don’t Belong in College Sports Television – Take Action

Since 2005, 348 institutions of higher education — including Arizona State, Ohio State, Texas Tech, and the Universities of Florida, Minnesota, and Nebraska — and 16 athletic conferences have endorsed the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV’s “College Commitment” pledge to work toward eliminating beer advertising during televised college sports.
DRUGS – USA
Family Meals Have Greater Protective Effect on Girls – Join Together

University of Minnesota researchers have found that while middle-school girls who share regular family meals see beneficial effects throughout their teenage years on substance-using behaviors, boys do not experience the same effects from a regular family presence at the dinner table

ADDICTION – USA
3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery – Join Together
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, in partnership with New Century Institute and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, is pleased to host “The 3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery: Inspiring Leadership, Changing Lives.”

HEROIN – USA
Multnomah County Warns Of Fatal Heroin Overdoses – eMaxHealth

A handful of overdose deaths in the last few weeks, along with a steady rise in heroin-related deaths over the past year, have raised concerns among county health officials.

PAINKILLER – USA
Illegal narcotic linked to death increase – United Press International

At least 1,000 people died in a two-year surge of fatalities resulting from an illegal version of the painkiller fentanyl, government officials said.

PAINKILLER – USA
Illegal Painkiller Cited in Overdose Surge – The Wall Street Journal
A two-year wave of deaths caused by an illegal street version of the powerful painkiller fentanyl claimed more than 1,000 lives, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the government’s first assessment of the outbreak’s toll.

DRUGS – UK
Scotland facing ‘drugs Doomsday’ – BBC News

Scotland could find itself facing a drugs Doomsday that would see primary school children following their parents into drug use, an expert has warned.

DRUGS – UK
The drugs scourge – The Herald

Drug-users tend to die young, but we know surprisingly little about those who survive the dangers of overdose or violence to which their lifestyle makes them susceptible.

DRUGS – UK
Drug abuse inquiry unravels secret of higher death rates in Scotland – The Herald

Drug abuse is a key factor behind previously unexplained higher death rates in Scotland compared to England and Wales, according to a study published today.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol hospital admissions hide individual tragedies – BMA

The new government figures released today (Tuesday 22 July 2008) revealing that 811,000 people in England were admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse problems in 2006 hide the individual tragedies that hospital frontline staff see day in day out, said the BMA.

ALCOHOL –USA
Family Meals Can Help Teen Girls Avoid Drugs, Alcohol – The WashingtonPost

Eating meals together as a family can reduce a teen girl’s risk of turning to alcohol or drugs, a new study suggests.

ALCOHOL – UK
Frontline Health Staff See Individual Tragedies Of Alcohol Misuse Problems In England – Medical News Today

According to government figures published today, 811,000 people were admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse problems in 2006 in England. The figures hide the individual tragedies that hospital frontline staff see everyday, says the British Medical Association.

CANNABIS – SOUTH AFRICA
SA drug culture hit by ‘very dangerous’ cannabis – Daily Dispatch

A NEW strain of higher-potency cannabis was being produced that is more addictive than ever before, says a UN official.

DRUGS – USA
U.S. Ranks #1 in Consumption of Pot, Cocaine, Smokes – Alter Net

According to a new study released June 30 by the World Health Organization, the U.S. leads the world and — just in time for the Olympics — takes the gold for the use of tobacco, pot, and cocaine, far outpacing other countries.

DRUGS – USA
Random Student Drug Testing Stops Drug Use Before it Begins – Pushing Back

The goal of prevention is to stop substance use before it ever begins. Believing not only in this mission but in our ability to achieve it, this Administration outlined a strategy 6 years ago that called upon multiple sectors of society—parents, schools, employers, communities, and the media—to help Americans, and youth in particular, take a stand against drugs.

PROZAC – AUSTRALIA
Subsidised Prozac prescribed to children – NEWS.au.com

Several hundred thousand scripts for anti-depressants such as Zoloft and Prozac were last year prescribed to children and subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, despite the Federal Government’s own drug watchdog not recommending them for use by anyone under the age of 24.

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.

PRESCRIPTION – ROMANIA
Prescription Drug Addiction and Recovery, “The Night is Always Darkest Before the Dawn” – PR Log

SouthCoast Recovery believes it’s imperative for clients to learn how to have fun without drugs and alcohol, often taking their clients to the filming of television shows, on fishing trips, or to other events to help them transition back into a sober way of life.

RITALIN – UK
How smart are ’smart drugs’? – Times Online

There’s a buzz about modafinil, meant to make you brighter and more energized. But does it work, and at what cost?

METHAMPHETAMINES – USA
Amphetamines: Killer Stimulants – Trans World News

Amphetamines, whether prescription drugs, such as Adderall® or Dexedrine®, or illegal methamphetamine, can cause drug addiction that ruins the drug addict’s life.

METH – USA
Prescription for addiction: Abuse of painkillers fastest-growing drug problem in Montana – Missoulian

While gruesome images of meth addicts grab the billboards, the number of people abusing prescription painkillers statewide has skyrocketed, with a startling increase in fatal overdoses.

METH – USA
Meth coalition to hear update on treatments – Rapid City Journal

Trends in treating methamphetamine addiction will be reviewed at a public program Thursday, July 24. Donita Reeves of the Rapid City-Pennington County Alcohol & Drug Programs will be the featured speaker.

METH – USA
War on meth focuses on pseudoephedrine – WFIE TV News

In the war on meth, police have been trying to control access to pseudoephedrine. In the past month, EPD has filed over 70 summons against customers buying illegal amounts of the drug at local pharmacies.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Warning: Recall of Sandoz Timolol Ophthalmic Solution – Market Watch

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use the prescription drug Sandoz Timolol Ophthalmic Solution in 0.25% and 0.5% strengths, because some bottles may contain more of the active ingredient (timolol maleate) than indicated on the label, exposing patients to an increased risk of adverse events.

METH – USA
Meth lab cleanup rules changed – Louisville Courier-Journal

State legislators in the last session beefed up a law that guides the cleanup of methamphetamine labs.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol education scheme launched – BBC News

A campaign to educate the public about alcohol units and responsible drinking has been launched by retailers.

CANNABIS – IRELAND
Cannabis far more toxic to the adolescent brain – The Independent
CANNABIS is far more toxic to the brains of young people who are exposed to the drug, than it is to adults, according to ground-breaking new Irish research.

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.