Drug News

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.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana Addiction – Trans World News

THC content of modern commercial marijuana in some cases 15 to 20 times more powerful than the marijuana produced in the 60’s and 70’s, marijuana addiction is a real threat.

COCAINE – UK
The new cocaine crisis – Times Online

In recent years, many of Britain’s hospitals have seen a huge increase in what the white coats privately call “cocaine toxic” or “coke strokes”.

ADDICTION – USA
Benzodiazepines-Dangerous Drug Addiction – Trans World News

The benzodiazepine family of depressants is used therapeutically to produce sedation, induce sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and to prevent seizures. In general, benzodiazepines act as hypnotics in high doses, anxiolytics in moderate doses, and sedatives in low doses. Of the drugs marketed in the United States that affect central nervous system function, benzodiazepines are among the most widely prescribed medications.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse On The Rise – WJFW TV News

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 7 million people are currently abusing prescription pills. Prescription abuse is a serious problem many are dealing with. It’s gained popularity due to the availability of drugs like oxycontin, xanax, and vicodin.

METH – USA
As meth wanes, cocaine gains – Argus Leader

Cocaine offers a similar high for about the same cost as methamphetamine, and its popularity hinges in part on the decreased supply of locally produced methamphetamine.

METH – CANADA
Meth-laced ecstasy latest lethal drug to hit city – Winnipeg Sun

Winnipeg police have sounded the alarm again about ecstasy use, announcing yesterday that a 15-year-old boy recently died after taking a meth-laced capsule of the so-called party drug.

PAINKILLER – USA
Illegal Painkiller Overdoses Kill More Than 1,000 Americans – Medical New Today

More than 1,000 Americans died in 6 cities between 2005 and 2007 from overdosing on nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF), in the biggest ever epidemic of overdoses involving illegally produced versions of the painkiller.

ADDICTION – USA
Ketamine Addiction – Trans World News

What many teens don’t realize is that Ketamine can be very addictive and can cause death. Ketamine can be purchased on the internet, so be aware of your child’s internet activity. don’t let them become another Ketamine casualty.

METH – USA
Home buyers should check for hidden and buried toxins – Los Angeles Times

Does your new dream home come with dangerous hidden extras — like a seeping oil well in the backyard or a former meth lab in the bedroom?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HEROIN – USA
Heroin deaths prompt warning – Lebanon Daily News

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

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

More than 1,000 people died over two years from an illegal version of the painkiller fentanyl, the government reported Thursday in its first national tally of those deaths.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

METH – USA
Prosecutors seek help in anti-meth campaign – Visalia Times Delta

The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office is seeking volunteers to help put on a public awareness campaign about the Central Valley’s problem with crystal methamphetamine.

METH – USA
Crackdown on meth has made cocaine cheaper – Grand Junction Sentinel

Nearly anyone these days can recognize the hollowed-out features, skinny limbs and pockmarked skin that characterize someone hooked on methamphetamine, thanks in part to intensive local education campaigns.

ALCOHOL – USA
Prenatal Drinking, Environmental Enrichment: Effects On Neurotrophins Are Independent Of Each Other – Science Daily

Prenatal alcohol exposure may be particularly destructive for neurotrophins, a family of peptides that influence the growth, development and functional plasticity of the fetal brain.

ALCOHOL – USA
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Endangers Neurotrophin Levels – US News and World Report

Exposure to alcohol prenatally could specifically be harmful to neurotrophins, peptides which are involved in the growth and development of the fetal brain, a new study shows.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol + loud music = more alcohol – Los Angeles Times

Trying to limit your alcohol intake is tougher when you’re drinking in a bar with loud music, according to a new study.

ALCOHOL – UK
Loud music in bars makes customers drink more, say scientists – Telegraph

The study, to be published later this year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, said the drinks industry already knows that music can have an effect on how long people stay in bars.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin deaths worry health officials – KEX

An increase of 32-percent in heroin deaths this year has Multnomah County health officials worried.

HEROIN – USA
Methadone Use is on the Rise, and the Effects are Deadly – Injury Board

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, overdoses caused by prescription painkillers are increasing, and Methadone abuse is escalating more rapidly than any other drug.

MWTHADONE – USA
FDA addresses Methadone Dangers – Injury Board

Issued back in 2006, this Health Advisory from the FDA warns against the dangers of methadone and includes important prescribing information for its safe use.

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.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin use on rise in Shelton – Connecticut Post

Arrests this week bear out the police finding that heroin is becoming more widely abused here, especially by teenagers and young adults.

DRUGS – USA
Addictive Drugs Available “With The Click Of A Mouse” – eFlux Media

Despite efforts by governmental agencies to control illegal Internet sales of prescription-free drugs, a large majority of 365 Internet sites continue to advertise or sell them.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol & Drug Abuse News – Med India

he new study led by Mark A. Smith neuroscientist and Associate Professor from Davidson College has suggested that regular exercise can lower the tendency to become addicted to illegal drugs.

ADDICTION – UK
Study finds addictive drugs easily ordered online – The Associated Press

More than three-quarters of Web sites that offer highly addictive medications do not require a prescription, according to a study released Wednesday.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Still Easy To Buy Online – Web Pro News

Although the number of Web sites selling controlled prescription drugs, like OxyContin and Valium, has decreased in the past year, 85 percent of Web sites selling such drugs do not require a prescription.

METH – USA
Idaho Meth Project shows positive results – Idaho Statesman

While our communities cope with the devastation wrought by methamphetamine addiction, we cannot afford to discount the concrete solutions offered by a proven prevention program.

ALCOHOL – USA
Prior Lake working to prevent drug, alcohol problems – Minneapolis Star Tribune

A community task force examining a range of threats to public safety has decided that drugs and alcohol are among the most urgent.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol should carry graphic warning pictures say doctors – Telegraph

Alcohol bottles and cans should carry graphic pictures of liver disease and mouth cancer to deter binge drinking, doctors have said.

MORPHINE – USA
Ratio-Morphine Tablets Recalled in Canada Due to Risk of Accidental Overdose – Pharma Live

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use the prescription drug ratio-Morphine SR in 15 milligram (mg), 30 mg, and 60 mg formats. Some tablets may contain more morphine than the label indicates, exposing patients to the potential risk of accidental overdose.

PAINKILLER – USA
Medicated to Death: Painkillers Kill More Than All Drugs Combined – CBS TV News

Attached to that long list of drugs is long list of families hurting. More than 12 died in recent months from a painkiller overdose, their families’ lives shattered by narcotic abuse.

METH – IRELAND
County drug use increases dramatically – Meath Chronicle

Plans for a new drugs prevention and advisory service centre for Meath and surrounding counties should be ready by the end of the summer.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
New program focuses on prescription drug disposal – The Citizen-Journal

Sheriff George T. Lasater and Liaison Officer William D. Schneider of the Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office announced a new program for the disposal of prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Abuse of prescription painkillers spurs move for online database – Ventura County Star

Pain patients understand why California’s attorney general says he needs to raise $3.5 million to stop addicts and drug dealers who use doctors to stockpile Vicodin and OxyContin.

CODEINE – USA
Australian Researchers Find Serious Side-Effect to Codeine – WCAV News

Australian researchers have found a dangerous new side-effect from using too much Codeine. Approved usage of the opiate has been for severe cough, diarrhea, mild pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. However, Australian researchers have discovered that Codeine can cause hearing impairment.

ALCOHOL – USA
Games Contribute to Youths Drinking Themselves to Death – Join Together

An analysis of federal records shows that 157 college-age individuals drank themselves to death between 1999 and 2005, and a separate analysis of news reports showed that many of the victims were extremely intoxicated.

MORPHINE – CANADA
Warning: Ratio-Morphine Tablets Recalled in Canada Due to Risk of Accidental Overdose – Market Wire

Some tablets may contain more morphine than the label indicates, exposing patients to the potential risk of accidental overdose.

DRUGS – USA
Most drug Web sites breaking federal law – San Francisco Chronicle

The online trade is stoking the rising abuse of addictive and dangerous prescription drugs, the authors and federal officials say.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcoholism-Associated Molecular Adaptations In Brain Neurocognitive Circuits – Medical News Today

After many years of heavy drinking, alcohol produces pathological alterations in the brain. In many alcoholics these changes culminate in massive social deterioration and disorders of memory and learning.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Kids find it easy to get alcohol, drugs – The Australian

MORE than 40 per cent of Year 11 students find it easy to obtain alcohol and drugs, and one in three is more interested in “sensation-seeking” than respecting accepted standards of behaviour.

ALCOHOL – USA
Rising Alcohol Abuse Seen Among Returning Veterans – Join Together

Veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars are increasingly turning to alcohol when they return home to cope with the lingering stress of their combat experiences, sometimes with tragic consequences.

DRUGS – USA
Multiple Drugs Cause Most Overdoses – Join Together

PRESCRIPTION – IRELAND
Prescribing drug abuse – Irish Medical Times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Overdose Awareness Day – Salvation Army

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESCRIPTION – USA
More teens abusing prescription drugs – Canton Repository

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

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

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

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

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