Drug News

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 – AUSTRALIA
Crack cocaine and heroin costs less than a pint of beer – Courier Mail

DEADLY drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine are being peddled for less than a pint of beer on the streets of England.

DRUGS – UK
Drug addiction: ‘The true cost often ends in tragic loss of life’ – Scotsman

It also demonstrates that addiction knows no bounds and that drug misuse is not confined, as many would choose to believe, to areas of deprivation.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Medical Mixups; Hospital Prescription Drug Error Can Lead to Deaths – Injury Board

We have been aware of the shocking reality that 98,000 hospitalized patients die each year in the United States due to error for nearly a decade. What has been done?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Drugstore slipups a prescription for death – New York Daily News

New York pharmacists filled an estimated 210,000 prescriptions with the wrong drug or dose in 2006, putting patients at risk of illness and even death, a new analysis shows.

ALCOHOL – USA
U.K. Docs Want Graphic Warnings on Alcohol Packages – Join Together

Alcoholic beverages should feature the same kind of graphic images and warnings found on tobacco products.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teachers to be given power to search for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes – Times Online

Teachers will be allowed by law to search children for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in school under proposals today which will be accepted by the Schools Secretary.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teachers to get powers to search pupils for drugs and alcohol – Telegraph
Teachers will be given powers to search pupils for drugs and alcohol as part of a new drive to restore discipline in schools.

ALCOHOL – UK
France gets tough on alcohol – Scotsman

FRANCE is to ban drinking in public near schools and the sale of alcohol to minors as part of a crackdown on binge-drinking among youths.

METH – USA
Ads help teens see dangers of meth – The Arizona Republic

Over the last year, the Arizona Meth Project has delivered riveting depictions of the dangers of meth use to young Arizonans.

ALCOHOL – USA
FTC Supports Self-Regulation of Alcohol Industry Ads – Join Together

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that 92 percent of alcohol advertising meets the industry’s self-imposed threshold on limiting underage exposure to beer, wine and liquor ads and urged the industry to expand the self-regulatory standards to event sponsorships as well as TV and Internet ads.

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.

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.

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.

HEROIN – USA
Peoria PD: Heroin use on rise – WHOI News
Girls as young as 16-years-old are starting to try heroin, and Peoria police said they have seen a large increase in its use.

HEROIN – AUSTRALIA
‘Hillbilly heroin’ makes its mark on Australian streets – ABC Online News

There are any number of illegal drugs on Australian streets at any one time, but a relative newcomer, known as ‘hillbilly heroin’, is becoming more popular.

METH – USA
Omaha drug task force to educate groups about meth – Omaha World-Herald

The Omaha Metro Drug Task Force is organizing informal presentations for groups in the Omaha area about methamphetamine.

METH – MONTENEGRO
Success for Crystal Meth Drug Addict on Youtube – PR Canada

According to Narconon Trois-Rivières, Crystal methamphetamine (more commonly referred to as crystal meth) is a drug known to cause severe addiction problems. Meth is still a drug of choice for many since it is easily available to anyone and cheaper than numerous other drugs.

METH – USA
County cracks down on drug used in meth – The Chicago Tribune
State law allows the purchase of only three grams per week of certain cold medications that are used to make meth. Retailers are required to keep a log.

METH – USA
Blue Rhino Responds to Concerns Over Propane Tanks and Methamphetamine Production – Business Wire

With the 4th of July weekend on the horizon, Blue Rhino, America’s leading brand of propane tank exchange, is reassuring grillers of the safety of its tanks in light of safety concerns regarding propane tanks and the production of methamphetamine.

DRUGS – USA
Adolescent Drinkers, Drug Users Die Younger – Join Together

Adolescent substance-abuse disorders are a predictor of young-adult mortality, new research from the University of Pittsburgh concludes.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine, Booze and Energy Drinks: What Now for Parents? – National Ledger

Many are also worried that the energy drinks are fast becoming a favorite as a mixer fro alcohol and other parents are worried that their teens are mixing drugs, alcohol and the caffeine-laden drinks to catch a high.

MARIJUANA – USA
U.S. Marijuana Capital Toughens Enforcement – Join Together

Voters in Mendocino, Calif., have voted to tighten rules on the amount of marijuana a medical user may possess, a significant step in a community known to be a hotbed for both marijuana cultivation and support of medical marijuana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Proposal Expands – WEEK TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MARIJUANA – UK
US report says Marijuana strength increasing – Telegraph

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

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