Drug News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescriptions are top drug abused by teens – Cleveland Daily Banner

Nationwide prescription drugs have become the second most abused illegal drug, behind marijuana, among young people ages 12 to 17, but not in Bradley County.

METH – USA
Officials keep an eye out for meth – Morning Sentinel

But while they don’t produce a lot of the drug, Maine meth labs represent a subculture of drug users that officials are watching carefully.

MORPHINE – CANADA
‘Dode’ for a cheap high – South Asian Focus

Poppy powder, a derivative of highly addictive and illegal opium, is openly sold in some meat shops in Brampton and Mississauga. Its use is raising questions about its legality and potentially harmful effects for those seeking an unconventional ‘high’.

DRUGS – CANADA
SouthCoast Recovery, Orange County California’s Foremost Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center – Free Press Release Center

SouthCoast Recovery, a premier California alcohol and drug rehab center, announces the addition of a Adderall Treatment Program to its 30, 60, 90-day and six month residential treatment programs.

ADDICTION – USA
When you decide you can’t stop your addiction on your own, here is the rehab call – Trans World News

Privacy is and must be the bedrock of the drug rehabilitation process. Some drug treatment centers merely pay lip service to that principle. Cliffside Malibu makes it a way of life.

ALCOHOL – UK
No alcohol for young drivers call – BBC News

The legal blood alcohol limit should be cut to zero for drivers aged 17 to 20, England’s chief medical officer says.

ADDICTION – BULGARIA
The Sober Sources Network Offers Thorough Addiction Support – PR-USA

Addiction recovery, no matter the type of addiction, has become the focus of several online sites. The Sober Source Network is the flourishing and leading resource network offering support for alcoholism and addiction.

ALCOHOL – UK
Cops launch drink, drug, driving blitz – Evening Times

A SUMMER crackdown on drink drivers has been launched today with a series of high-visibility police patrols across the west of Scotland.

DRUGS – IRELAND
Illegal drug use - Urgent wake-up call needed – Drugs.ie

For too long people tolerated drink driving, but the carnage on our roads served as a wake-up call. The victims were often young people overcome by the influence of alcohol and a sense of bravado.

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.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Many Buying Prescriptions Online Without Authorization – WLNS TV News

Just about anything can be purchased from the convenience of your home with just the click of a mouse, but now a new report says people are using this easy method to buy drugs online that are not supposed to be available over the counter.

ALCOHOL – USA
Milford official proposes student alcohol testing – Newsday

Milford’s superintendent of schools is proposing that students be subjected to breath testing for alcohol at school functions.

DRUGS – USA
What Happens When Entire Cities Become “Drug-Free School Zones”? – Drug Law Blog

What happens when laws that enhance drug sentences in “drug-free school zones” end up covering almost the entire geographical area of a city because of the density of school concentration in the area?

METHADONE – USA
N.C. methadone overdoses rise – Myrtle Beach Sun News

Methadone, long prescribed as an alternative to heroin, is proving to be a hazard of its own.

METHADONE – USA
Killer or cure – Altoona Mirror

A drug commended years ago for helping to loosen heroin’s deadly grip in Pennsylvania and beyond may now be the region’s No. 1 killer.

METH – USA
Pharmacy logs already helping meth prosecutions – Press-Register

Records of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine purchases already have begun to help authorities put away people who provide methamphetamine cooks with the vital raw ingredients they need to churn out the drug, according to prosecutors and a review of court records.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription For Addiction - And Death – The Chattanoogan

We are on course to see a 450% increase in prescription drug abuse/addiction by children ages 10 - 17, from 2002 through 2008. When are we going to wake up?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription painkiller deaths spike in Nevada – Monterey County Herald

A newspaper investigation found skyrocketing abuse of prescription narcotics in southern Nevada, accompanied by a startling increase in the number of fatal overdoses.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse growing, seen as safe high among teens, experts say – My West Texas
http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2008/07/13/news/top_stories/prescription_drugs_sunday.txt
When an adolescent was rushed to Midland Memorial’s Emergency Room within the last year because of a prescription drug overdose, it looked like everything was under control. Such overdoses aren’t uncommon, officials said, and like others, this patient showed all the signs of being in stable condition and was released. But, soon after going home, the young adult died.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Web sites linked to rise in prescription-drug abuse – Omaha World-Herald

A large majority of 365 Internet sites that advertise or sell controlled medications by mail are offering to supply the drugs without a proper prescription, according to a new study.

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.

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 – 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.

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-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.