Drug News

ALCOHOL – USA
Anheuser to Stop Selling Alcoholic Energy Drinks – Wall Street Journal

Anheuser-Busch Cos. will stop making and selling caffeinated alcoholic drinks as part of a settlement with 11 state attorneys general, the attorneys general said Thursday.

ALCOHOL – CHINA
Some 50 pilots in India fail alcohol tests yearly – China Daily

Around 50 pilots each year in India are grounded for consuming alcohol before taking a flight, foreign media reported Thursday.

METH – USA
Wyoming Meth Project launches statewide campaign – The Torrington Telegram

On June 16, the Wyoming Meth Project advisory board kicked off a campaign that is patterned after a program started in Montana two years ago.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drug, alcohol abuse study measures the high cost of under-treated addiction – The Los Angeles Times

DRUG AND alcohol abuse sets people on a path toward heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. A study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment reports that hospital costs for this medical fallout can be substantial.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcoholic-energy drinks: The ups and the downs – Kansas City Star

It’s not a problem of labeling; it’s a problem with the product. Alcoholic-energy drinks, like Anheuser-Busch’s Tilt, pose dangers to more than just teenagers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Student alcohol use at 45% - MLive

The number of Jackson County minors who have consumed alcohol is in line with national averages listed in a federal report released this week.

ADDICTION – INDIA
Cops alert parents on addiction signs – Calcutta Telegraph

When your gangly teenaged son suddenly takes to smelling boot-polish, it’s a cause for worry. For the round tin box may just contain the first signs of more destructive and expensive addictions.

METH – USA
Madigan announces anti-meth program – The Southern

Meth makers in Southern Illinois soon will have one less tactic in getting the materials they need to make the drug.

DRUGS – U
How to Implement a Model to Get Youth Off Drugs and Out of Crime – RWJF
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that more than 1 million youths, ages 12 to 17, needed treatment for an illicit drug problem in 2003, but only one in 10 actually received help.

DRUGS – UK
Human Rights Take Centre Stage on ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse’ – International Harm Reduction Agency
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has used the UN-sponsored International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to focus on the rights of people who use drugs and people in prison for drug offences, declaring that “No one should be stigmatised or discriminated against because of their dependence on drugs”.

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.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Pill Deaths Continue – Tampa Tribune

Three times more Floridians died from prescription pill abuse last year than from a fatal overdose of an illegal drug.

METH – USA
Free home meth test kits at Superday – Wyoming Tribune
Up to 250 testing kits will be provided free at Superday to tenants or property owners concerned about prior methamphetamine use or laboratories in their residence.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Revealed: Students drowning in alcohol – Daily Nation

The devastating effects of alcohol and drugs on young people in Kenya can be laid bare today.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Industry invests millions to curb alcohol abuse – Daily Nation

It was not until four years ago that the country’s alcoholic beverage manufacturers stepped up efforts to encourage responsible drinking.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol linked to brain damage – Times of India

You might not just realize this while downing a mug of chilled beer on a summer afternoon, but a new study has revealed that too much alcohol can cause permanent damage to brain.

PAINKILLER – USA
Group Sues FDA in Effort to Ban Painkiller – Washington Post

A prescription painkiller sold under names including Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

ALCOHOL – USA
NIAAA Publishes Guidelines on Physician Alcohol Interventions – Join Together

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has published new advice for physicians interested in “Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much.”

HEROIN – USA
Oregon fears heroin is tempting more kids – The Oregonain

In the wake of Oregon’s crackdown on methamphetamine, police say, heroin has become a cheaper, more plentiful alternative, especially for kids tempted to venture beyond marijuana and alcohol.

PAINKILLER – USA
Public Citizen Sues FDA for Failure to Act on Darvon – Consumer Affairs

Public Citizen sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today for failing to act on its petition to withdraw Darvon, Darvocet and all drugs containing propoxyphene gradually from the market as is now required in the United Kingdom.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Pill Deaths Continue – Tampa Tribune

Three times more Floridians died from prescription pill abuse last year than from a fatal overdose of an illegal drug.

METH – USA
Free home meth test kits at Superday – Wyoming Tribune

Up to 250 testing kits will be provided free at Superday to tenants or property owners concerned about prior methamphetamine use or laboratories in their residence.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Revealed: Students drowning in alcohol – Daily Nation

The devastating effects of alcohol and drugs on young people in Kenya can be laid bare today.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Industry invests millions to curb alcohol abuse – Daily Nation

It was not until four years ago that the country’s alcoholic beverage manufacturers stepped up efforts to encourage responsible drinking.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol linked to brain damage – Times of India

You might not just realize this while downing a mug of chilled beer on a summer afternoon, but a new study has revealed that too much alcohol can cause permanent damage to brain.

PAINKILLER – USA
Group Sues FDA in Effort to Ban Painkiller – Washington Post

A prescription painkiller sold under names including Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

ALCOHOL – USA
NIAAA Publishes Guidelines on Physician Alcohol Interventions – Join Together

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has published new advice for physicians interested in “Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much.”

HEROIN – USA
Oregon fears heroin is tempting more kids – The Oregonain

In the wake of Oregon’s crackdown on methamphetamine, police say, heroin has become a cheaper, more plentiful alternative, especially for kids tempted to venture beyond marijuana and alcohol.

PAINKILLER – USA
Public Citizen Sues FDA for Failure to Act on Darvon – Consumer Affairs

Public Citizen sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today for failing to act on its petition to withdraw Darvon, Darvocet and all drugs containing propoxyphene gradually from the market as is now required in the United Kingdom

PAINKILLER – USA
FDA sued over failure to ban painkiller – Fierce Healthcare

A consumer group has sued the FDA over its failure to remove a prescription painkiller from the market, arguing that it’s too dangerous to stay on the market.

DRUGS – UK
Teens Who Abuse Alcohol Or Drugs Are More Likely To Die Young, Pitt Study Finds – Medical News Today

Teens who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to die in early adulthood, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh.

METH – USA
Be On The Lookout for Meth Contaminated Propane Tanks – KIMT News

Propane tanks are not just for grilling but some are using the tanks to make meth. With meth labs on the rise in our area be on the lookout for corroded propane tanks.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey Finds Wales Has Huge Underage Drinking Problem – Join Together

A new health survey conducted in 40 countries finds that Welsh children were the most likely to have been drunk multiple times before reaching the age of 13.

ALCOHOL – UK
Booze plans enough to drive you to drink – Scotsman

IF ever there was an example of why the SNP would make Scotland a confused, sad, mad and bad place to live, it must be its toxic brew of seemingly-attractive authoritarian ideas to change the drinking habits of Scotland’s youth.

ALCOHOL – UK
Shocking adverts in blitz on binge drinking – Times Online

The Home Office is out to quench students’ thirsts for alcohol with a multi-million pound, multi-media campaign, designed to shock.

ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND
Binge rules could drive you to drink – The New Zealand Herald

A report published this month in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found that the number of women aged 18 to 24 who had to go to hospital after binge drinking had more than doubled in less than a decade.
PAINKILLER – USA
Group sues FDA for inaction over its petition to ban risky painkiller – Food Consumer

A prominent consumer group Thursday filed lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration over the agency’s delay in response to its early petition to pull a prescription painkiller off from the marker.

ADDICTION – USA
Catching addiction before it starts: The five stages of drug use – Delta County Independent

Every minute of every day, around the clock, five people try an illicit drug for the first time. That adds up to nearly three million people per year. Tragically, more than half of these initiates are under 18.

ADDERALL – USA
Doctors may soon prescribe addictive drugs online – Forbes

The concern is that patients are more likely to abuse these treatments, and their prescriptions should be monitored more closely.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Hazardous Drinking’ May Be A New ‘Check Stop’ On The Way To Alcohol Dependence – Medical News Today

Current diagnostic guides divide alcohol-use disorders into two categories: alcohol abuse/harmful use and alcohol dependence.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Are You Taking Too Many Medications? – Forbes
The next time you take a peek in your friend’s or neighbor’s medicine cabinet, don’t be surprised if it’s a little crowded.

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

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Heroin, cocaine seizures soar at Australia’s borders – The Age

Heroin seizures at Australia’s borders rose to a record high last financial year, while detections of cocaine also soared, new figures show.

HEROIN – AUSTRALIA
Illicit drugs: get it in the mail – The Sydney Morning Herald

Drug traffickers are increasingly using the mail system to post illicit drugs to Australia, as the number of heroin detections at the border reached the highest on record, a national crime report shows.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
South Florida leads the state in prescription drug deaths – Sun-Sentinel

Prescription drug overdose deaths skyrocketed in South Florida last year, surpassing increases in the state overall.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Pharmaceuticals Kill More Than Street Drugs – News 4 JAX

A report released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission revealed that common prescription drugs were responsible for more deaths in 2007 than common illegal drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs bigger killers than illegal drugs – WWSB TV News
A report says that deaths caused by prescription drugs were three times as high as those caused by illegal drugs in Florida last year.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse placed on joint agenda – Los Altos Town Crier

What should be on the agenda, and why, precipitated a feisty back and forth between council and school board members last month.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse costs each Cdn. $463 annually, study finds – Canada.com

Alcohol abuse costs each Canadian an estimated $463 annually, according to a study by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

MORPHINE – USA
Ethex recalls morphine tablets – Prescribing Reference

Ethex has voluntarily recalled a single lot of morphine sulfate 60mg extended-release tablets due to a report of a tablet with double-thickness which may contain twice the level of active ingredient.

MARIJUANA – UK
Marijuana potency increases in 2007 – The Associated Press

Marijuana potency increased last year to the highest level in more than 30 years, posing greater health risks to people who may view the drug as harmless, according to a report released Thursday by the White House.

ADDICTION – USA
Pivotal Breakthrough Made In Alcohol Addiction Treatment – Science Daily

Alcoholism is a devastating disease in part because of the ’symptom’ of heavy drinking but more so due to the extensive harm it causes physical organs, such as the heart and liver.

ALCOHOL – USA
Early Drinking and Adult Alcohol Dependence Increases Among Americans – Join Together

A study of individuals born between 1934 and 1983 found that more Americans began drinking alcohol at an early age over the decades, especially women, and that those who did drink at a younger age were more likely to be alcohol-dependent as adults.

METH – USA
Two-thirds of Glenn eighth-graders know someone who uses methamphetamine – Enterprise Record
Though a survey recently completed in Glenn County shows low student methamphetamine use in the middle-school population, it also shows nearly two-thirds of those questioned know someone who uses.

METH – USA
Chinese Now Dominate ‘Ice Distribution’ In Northern Marianas – Pacific Magazine

Department of Public Safety Commissioner Claudio K. Norita and Police Sergeant Alfred Celes, in a press briefing, said Chinese nationals have pushed out the Japanese, Filipinos and locals who used to dominate the distribution of crystal methamphetamine.

COCAINE – UK
High impulsivity predicts the switch to compulsive cocaine-taking – Cambridge Network

Many individuals take addictive drugs at some point in their lives – not just illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin, but also legal and commonly available substances such as alcohol and nicotine.

COCAINE – CANADA
Cocaine use rises after three years of decline – Canada Free Press

COCAINE use among young people in Britain is on the rise after three years of decline, a survey showed last week.

METH – USA
Drug measures: Success of Montana Meth project unclear – Southern Idaho Business

It’s been nearly three years since images of strung-out teens flooded Montana primetime TV as part of the statewide Montana Meth Project aimed at warning kids of the dangers of methamphetamine.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Wine uncorks challenge to beer as alcohol drink of choice: StatsCan – CBC

Beer continues to be Canada’s top alcoholic drink, though a growing number of consumers are favouring wine, according to a Statistics Canada report released Monday.

ALCOHOL – BULGARIA
Bulgaria, Germany Rank First in Europe in Alcohol Consumption – Sofia News Agency

The Bulgarians and the Germans occupy the first place in Europe in the consumption of hard liquor.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin addiction is on the rise in New York State – am New York

Heroin addiction in New York, which ravaged city neighborhoods in the 1970s, has been creeping up again, officials said.

COCAINE – UK
Researchers Learn More About Cocaine Related Brain Damage – Medical New Today

When mothers use cocaine during pregnancy, the exposure of the developing brain to the substance can cause specific neurological and behavioral abnormalities.

ADDICTION – USA
Exercise may fight addiction – The Enquirer

New approaches for treating and preventing drug addiction range from low-tech - regular exercise - to high-tech such as experimental vaccines aimed at helping to prevent former drug users from relapsing.

ALCOHOL – UK
Online Booze Tracker Can Help Beat Cancer – Medical News Today

If you find it difficult to keep track of just how many glasses of wine you’ve consumed during the week, help is at hand thanks to Cancer Research UK.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Proper disposal of prescription medications – Battle Creek Enquirer

The Calhoun County Medicine Abuse Prevention Task Force of the Substance Abuse Council, in collaboration with the Calhoun County Public Health Department, encourages everyone to take advantage of the June 7th Hazardous Waste Collection in Marshall. In addition to old flashlight batteries, pesticides, or car cleaner, Calhoun County residents can drop off any unused prescription medication.

DRUGS – USA
Study Finds Link Between Amphetamine Abuse, Heart Attacks in Young Adults – Health News Digest

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

ALCOHOL – UK
TEENAGERS CAN GET ALCOHOL AS EASY AS A COKE – UK Daily Express

THE alarming state of Boozy Britain and the menace of underage drinking was yesterday laid bare by a police chief.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Tearaway toddlers prescribed ADHD drugs – Mercury

Figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal 311 children in NSW aged five and under depend on controversial medication, including 58 four-year-olds and 13 three-year-olds.

RITALIN – AUSTRALIA
Drugs for toddlers? You must be kidding – News.com.au

SOMEWHERE between the traffic report and an erectile dysfunction advertisement, John Deeks booms over your breakfast cereal: “Does your two-year-old make careless mistakes? Do they appear to not be listening to you? Does your son crawl around or climb on things? Or is your daughter easily distracted and babbles excessively?”

DRUGS – USA
The Fatal Chemical Reaction – Tampa Tribune

The common stimulant drugs - cocaine, crystal meth, Ritalin and Adderall - are short-acting and they keep a person awake. The common narcotic drugs - oxycontin, vicodin and methadone - are long-acting and make the brain sleepy, including the part of the brain that drives the reflex to breathe.

ALCOHOL – USA
London revelers mark drink ban with subway chaos – CNN International News

London’s subway system was engulfed by thousands of revelers Saturday night, marking the introduction of an alcohol ban on the mass transit network.

ALCOHOL – UK
Parents to be told alcohol limits for children – Telegraph

Ministers will announce plans to encourage “responsible” drinking at home by youngsters under adult supervision with official advice that could set recommendations for children as young as 12.

ALCOHOL – UK
Tube alcohol party shuts six stations – Telegraph
Thousands of people boarded Circle Line trains to mark the final few hours before the start of an alcohol ban on public transport in the capital came into force on Sunday.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
A dose of honesty in prescription drug ads – Boston Globe

LAST MONTH, a congressional committee held a hearing to examine the extent to which drug companies run misleading ads about their products. The committee spotlighted TV commercials for three drugs.

METHADONE – UK
New approach to tackling drugs in Scotland – eGov monitor

The first national drugs strategy since devolution was launched today. Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing hailed it as “a new era” in Scotland’s approach to tackling drugs.