Drug News

Drug Addiction – Russia
Drug addiction major threat to Russia – Medvedev – RIANOVOSTI

Drug addiction poses a serious threat to Russian development, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at the International anti-drugs forum in Moscow. The president called on the international community to prevent the global spread of drug crimes that fuel terrorism.

Drug Trafficking Arrests – California
2 dozen alleged gang members arrested in sweep – The Modesto Bee

FRESNO, Calif. — Authorities have arrested two dozen alleged members of a longtime Northern California street gang on drug trafficking and other charges.

Youth Drug Use – Pakistan
Charas, cannabis epidemic hits Karachi schools and colleges – Thaindian News

Karachi, June 9 (ANI): A recent meeting was called by Sindh government discussed that top schools and colleges should be ‘closely monitored’ in the wake of soaring cases of drug abuse in institutes. This decision was taken at a meeting of the provincial Narcotics Interdiction Committee (NIC), which was chaired by the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Mr Fazal-ur-Rehman. Participants demanded enhanced coordination between the law-enforcement agencies and other organizations to curb the narcotics menace. According to The News, President of Pakistan Society, Dr Saleem Azam, whose organisation has been treating drug addicts since 1982, said that charas, marijuana, cannabis, “ecstasy” tablets and “dating drug or club drug” (MAMD) were being increasingly consumed by youths at an alarming level.

Meth – Oregon
Fewer Meth-Related Visits To Emergency Department Following 2006 ‘anti-Meth’ Legislation – Medical News TODAY

The number of methamphetamine-related emergency room visits decreased significantly in the year following the implementation of Oregon’s law prohibiting the sale of over-the-counter decongestant containing pseudoephedrine, according to Oregon Health & Science Emergency Department physician-researchers.

Alcohol – Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan In Trouble, Yet Again! – Thaindian News

June 9, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Getting into trouble, one after another, seems to have become Lindsay Lohan’s destiny. The latest in her series of ongoing troubles is the setting off of the alcohol detection bracelet that she was ordered to wear by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Drug Overdose – Scotland
Heroin addict jailed for dipping baby’s dummy in methadone to stop him crying  - DailyRecord.co.uk

A TWISTED heroin addict dipped a baby boy’s dummy in methadone because he wouldn’t stop crying.

Marijuana – Michigan
Family practice drops patient for drug abuse – BattleCreekEnquirer.com

A family practice is cracking down on patients who abuse their prescriptions, but one woman says the tough love has gone too far.

Alcohol & Drug Prevention – North Carolina
Cherokee casino payments may deter alcohol, drug use among young members – CITIZEN-TIMES.com

CHEROKEE — Although Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel is now serving alcohol, the casino might play a role in keeping teenagers away from drinking and drugs, according to experts.

Prescription Drug Abuse – USA
Medical Community Responds to Prescription Drug Abuse – Bio-Medicine

Pill Popping to the Extreme: Prescription Drug Abuse impacts the home and workplace from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to Main Street in small towns across America. The medical community has issued guidelines to monitor adherence to pain management therapies in order to counteract this growing epidemic.

Drug Related Deaths – Russia
Sharp increase in drug-related deaths in Moscow – Thaindian News

Moscow, June 1 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Moscow has seen a sharp increase in deaths related to drug overdoses in the last four years, health care officials have said.

Underage Drinking Increase – USA
Underage Drinking Emergency Room Visits Rise Over Holiday – HealthDay

Daily emergency room visits 11 percent higher over Memorial Day weekend than an average day

Club Drug Dangers – Study
Club Drug ‘Special K’ Could Leave Users Incontinent – MedicineNet.com

Long-term abuse of the recreational drug ketamine, often called “Special K” by the young partygoers who use it, is now linked to a heightened risk for pelvic pain and urinary incontinence.

Mephedrone – UK
Legal high mephedrone linked with 26 deaths in UK – Telegraph.co.uk

A legal drug the Government is expected to ban could have been involved in the deaths of at least 26 users in the UK, it was disclosed today.

Drug War – Mexico / USA
In Texas, Fear Follows Mexicans Who Flee Drug War – abc NEWS / U.S.

Shadow of drug war falls over rural Texas, apparently following Mexicans who fled violence

Cocaine – UK
Boxer Calzaghe apologises for taking cocaine – Thaindian News

London, Mar 29 (ANI): Boxing legend and Strictly Come Dancing star, Joe Calzaghe, has apologised for taking cocaine.

Drunk In Public – Pennsylvania
Police: Drunk Pa. Man Tried To ‘Revive’ Opossum – The Associated Press

State police have charged a central Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen giving mouth-to-mouth “resuscitation” to a long-dead opossum along a highway.

Drug Trade – China & UK
Chinese factories supplying new ‘legal highs’ to Brit dealers – Thaindian News

London, Mar 29 (ANI): A new probe into “legal highs” has found that Chinese chemical factories are supplying drugs like mephedrone and methylone to British dealers.

Underage Drinking Awareness – Minnesota
New ad campaign warns people on providing alcohol to underage drinkers – The Medical News

Moviegoers at some theaters this weekend will be reminded to be careful when they serve alcohol.

Drug-Related Deaths – UK
Government blamed for delays in banning legal drug mephedrone linked to deaths of two teenagers – DailyRecord.co.uk

MINISTERS were today blamed for “delays” in banning a legal drug linked to the deaths of two young men.

Meth Study – Universal
Study Links Prenatal Meth Exposure to Brain Abnormalities in Kids – MeD India

Children who are exposed to prenatal methamphetamine more likely to develop brain abnormalities than prenatal exposure to alcohol, a study said Tuesday.

Prescription Drug Theft – Connecticut
Hollywood-style heist nets $75 million in pills – azcentral.com

HARTFORD, Conn. - In a Hollywood-style heist, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a warehouse, rappelled inside and scored one of the biggest hauls of its kind: not diamonds, gold bullion or Old World art, but about $75 million in antidepressants and other prescription drugs.

Drunk Driving Consequences – USA
What Happens If You Are Arrested for Drunk Driving? – About.com: Alcoholism

Going to Court Is Just the First Step…

Alcohol Fueled Violence – Minnesota
Drunk teacher allegedly bites man’s ear in attack – azcentral.com

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old woman was drunk when she attacked the man at the Uptowner about 4 a.m. Sunday. A criminal complaint said the 33-year-old man was eating with friends when one made a comment about one of the women with the suspect.

Mephedrone – UK
Mephedrone deaths: teachers have to hand drug back after confiscating it in lessons – Telegraph.co.uk

Teachers who confiscate mephedrone from children as young as eight have to hand the drug back at the end of the school day because it remains legal, it has emerged.

Ecstasy – USA
Man, 70, sentenced for ecstasy smuggling – UPI.com

A 70-year-old man sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling ecstasy was an ideal “mule” to transport the drug into the United States, a prosecutor says.

Substance Abuse – USA
Maine Releases Substance Abuse Services Report Card – Join Together

The Maine Substance Abuse Services Commission released the first ever Substance Abuse Services Report Card modeled after a 2006 report, Blueprint for the States: Policies to Improve the Ways States Organize and Deliver Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment, published by Join Together, a program of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Mephedrone – UK
Clubbers are ‘turning to new legal high mephedrone’ – BBC Newsbeat

The powerful legal high mephedrone is becoming much more widely used on the British club scene, a survey suggests.

Prescription Drugs – USA
Teen Myth: Prescription Drugs Are Safer – About.com

If you are a teenager, chances are you have heard friends suggest that taking prescription medications is safer than using illegal drugs because, after all, they are medicine. Medicine is good for you, right? But if you think about it, you just might not buy into the myth that all medicine is safe or good for you.

Alcohol – India
Drunk men assault police sub-inspector in Ghaziabad – Thaindian News

Ghaziabad, Jan 15 (IANS) A police sub-inspector was beaten up by a group of drunk men in a crime-prone area of Ghaziabad late Thursday night, police said Friday.

Alcohol – USA
Holiday drunken driving campaign nets 300 arrests across Michigan – MLive.com

Police across Michigan made 300 arrests between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3 as part of the “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” campaign, Michigan State Police said.

Alcohol – Australia
Injury Pattern More Serious Among Intoxicated Pedestrians - MedIndia

As Australians commence a season of parties and family get-togethers over the Christmas-New Year period, the AMA is highlighting the need for extra care with alcohol consumption and travel – not just for drivers, but also for pedestrians.

Cocaine – USA
Police: CA Raid Yields $1 Million Worth Of Cocaine – The Associated Press

More Than $1 Million Worth Of Cocaine Seized During Drug Raid In California

Painkillers – USA
Steven Tyler In Rehab For Painkiller Addiction – The Associated Press

Steven Tyler has entered a rehabilitation facility to treat an addiction to painkillers the Aerosmith frontman has taken to cope with 10 years of performance injuries.

GBL – United Kingdom
GBL drug death identified by UK doctors – BBC News

The first known death from a drug popular with clubbers has emerged the day the government banned it.

Cocaine – United Kingdom
£375m cocaine found on ‘UK’ Ship – The Sun

COCAINE worth a third of a BILLION pounds has been seized on a ship bound for Britain. Cops found an astonishing 1.5 tons of the drug on the Destiny Empress off the Spanish coast.

Marijuana – USA
Teen Marijuana Use Might Have Lasting Effects on Mood, Anxiety – HealthScout

Marijuana use among teens may trigger neurological changes in the developing brain that lead to increased anxiety and stress levels that could persist into adulthood, new animal research suggests.

ALCOHOL – USA
Women and the bottle leading to more DUI’s – Examiner

It is safe to say that being a smart drinker is something everyone is individually responsible for. That being said, a new report says that women in the U.S. are consuming more alcohol, and drunken-driving arrests among females are rising rapidly while declining among men.

METH – UK
The City Addicted to Crystal Meth – Guardian

Louis Theroux is at a barbecue in California. That sounds more glamorous than it is, because this is Louis Theroux – The City Addicted to Crystal Meth (BBC2, Sunday) and he’s with a bunch of drug addicts in Fresno.

METH – USA
Hawaii Meth Project: Don’t — ‘even once’ – Maui News

A narcotics police captain, a judge and the island’s medical examiner provided real-life stories and statistics to underscore an anti-methamphetamine campaign aimed at young people across the state.

DRUGS – UK
Antidepressants once seen as miracle drugs: now risks are becoming evident – Guardian

Since the horror of the Thalidomide scandal in the 1960s, pharmaceutical companies and medicines regulators have been acutely aware of the dangers drugs may pose to the unborn child.

ALCOHOL – USA
Critics Want Tougher Government Regulations for Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks – Join Together

Various state attorneys general and advocacy groups are calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to ban caffeine-infused alcohol drinks from the market — or at a minimum add warning labels stating that combining caffeine and alcohol can cause health risks.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription “Sharing” Among Teens Widespread, Dangerous – Health Behavior News Service

What if a teenager with acne who is taking Accutane — a drug linked to birth defects — gives some to her friend, who is pregnant but does not yet realize it? Unfortunately, this is a realistic scenario.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Use, Drug Busts Up, According to Police – ABC News

From California to New York, law enforcement agents are reporting a troubling rise in the use of heroin as availability of the drug rises and prices drop.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Drug use by at-risk teens causes alarm – Stuff

Many teenagers in the school system of last resort are smoking pot. The high rates of drug abuse are among concerns about the alternative education system that have prompted Education Minister Anne Tolley to review its funding.

CANNABIS – UK
Stress, dieting may lead to positive cannabis test – Thaindian

A new study has revealed that stress and dieting can lead to a positive cannabis test long after the drug was last used.

METH – USA
Testing at 96 Oregon sewage plants shows meth, cocaine and ecstasy – Oregon Live

Last year, researchers at Oregon State University, the University of Washington and McGill University took one-day samples from 96 Oregon sewage treatment plants that volunteered to participate.

METH – USA
Drug Rehab in Connecticut Sees increased Methamphetamine – Trans World News

Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center has noticed a trend in articles published showing that many Mexican drug cartels are now using the same routes that they use to smuggle cocaine and heroin to smuggle meth as well as the ingredients to make meth to the east coast.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol and Trauma: Blood Test Gets to the Truth – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Testing the blood-alcohol level of trauma patients could help medical personnel identify those at risk for further complications from drinking issues.

ALCOHOL – USA
Blood Alcohol Level May Help Predict Complications After Trauma – MedPage Today

Testing blood alcohol levels could also identify high-risk patients who may need counseling in addition to medical treatment, they said.

ADDICTION – USA
Alcoholism And Drug Addiction On The Rise – PR Web

Addiction to prescription pain medication amongst adults is also on the rise. People underestimate the addictive qualities of prescription medication such as benzodiazepines and opiates.

DRUGS – UK
Rise in Class A drug use – survey – BBC News

The British Crime Survey found almost four in every 100 people used a Class A drug in 2008-09 despite the overall use of illicit drugs remaining stable.

COCAINE – UK
Cocaine Britain: 25 per cent rise in the last year – The Independent

The number of cocaine users in Britain has risen by 25 per cent in a year to almost one million, official figures revealed yesterday, prompting calls for the Government to rethink its anti-drugs strategy.

ALCOHOL – UK
Social norms interventions to reduce alcohol misuse in University or College students – The Cochrane Library

Drinking is influenced by youth (mis)perceptions of how their peers drink. If misperceptions can be corrected, young people may drink less. To determine whether social norms feedback reduces alcohol misuse in university or college students.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
None for the road: limit for drink-driving to be slashed – Independent

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has vowed to introduce a new lower limit for drink driving before the end of the year despite opposition from publicans.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine-cola? Red Bull saga spreads – Examiner

Austrian health officials confirm that they have found trace levels of cocaine in test samples of Red Bull Cola energy drinks. This after retailers in six German states have stopped selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after tests by authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state found 0.4 micrograms of cocaine per liter in the drink.

COCAINE – USA
Red Bull’s cocaine problem spreads to Austria – Examiner

The Austrian health ministry confirmed that it has found trace levels of cocaine in test samples of Red Bull Cola energy drinks. Spokeswoman Sigrid Rosenberger said the findings hovered near the lowest detectable levels, and do not pose a health risk.

COCAINE – USA
Red Bull Isn’t Red-Faced About Cocaine Chatter – Forbes

The Food and Drug Administration of Jordan and lawmakers in Germany are banning the sale of Red Bull Simply Cola after a study released this month by the German Nordrhein-Westfalen Institute of Health and Work said it found small amount of cocaine in the cola drink.

ALCOHOL – USA
Groups’ survey to help parents with teenage alcohol use – Lancaster Eagle Gazette

Springtime often marks the months when teens celebrate everything from their senior proms to high school graduations. But officials at the Drug-Free Action Alliance and Prevention Works for a Drug-Free Fairfield County know that, with those celebrations, also comes a potential danger for young adults.

ALCOHOL – UK
Defining Binge Drinking for Children and Adolescents – Drug Education News

The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, when he wrote his recent guidance on alcohol for children, young people and their parents talked alot about binge drinking, but didn’t define binge drinking differently for children or young people.

ALCOHOL – USA
Colleges Need to Target Biggest Drinkers, Study Says – Join Together

College students who drink the most are at highest risk of injury and should be a focus of campus-based prevention efforts, according to the authors of a new study from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

METH – USA
HAC to kick off drug awareness program – Jack County Herald

Communities all across America are suffering from the plague of methamphetamine production and usage and the Jack County Health Action Coalition is taking a proactive approach to putting a damper on the problem.

DRUGS – UK
Sexual Crimes: Narrow Window For Detection Of Knock-Out Drugs – Medical News Today

Drug-facilitated sexual crimes are increasing. The Bonn Institute for Forensic Medicine has recorded that the number of examinations on the use of intoxicants in sexual offences within their catchment area increased 10-fold between 1997 and 2006.

ALCOHOL – UK
Transplant row over organs for drinkers – Guardian

Heavy drinkers are receiving nearly one in four of the UK’s liver transplants, it was revealed last night, igniting a furious row about the ethics of allocating organs to people with alcohol problems.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Ecstasy use shoots up across the city – The Sydney Morning Herald

The use of ecstasy in Sydney has skyrocketed by as much as 112 per cent in the past two years, highlighting the ineffectiveness of deterrent strategies such as sniffer dogs, a drug expert has said.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Substance abuse the tip of the iceberg – Science Alert

The first study profiling young people who attend alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services in New Zealand has revealed a number of areas that need to be addressed in order to provide more effective treatment for this age group.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
US expert: Women use drugs for weight loss – TVNZ

One of the reasons more women are turning to drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine is to lose weight, a visiting expert from the United States told Close Up.

COCAINE – UK
NHS Forth Valley issues health warning for cocaine users – STV News

Health professionals in the Forth Valley area have been issued with a warning to be vigilant after two cocaine users in Glasgow were treated for a rare and life-threatening condition associated with the use of the drug.

DRUGS – USA
Why Isn’t There Nearly As Big A Fuss About Amphetamines In Baseball As There Is About Steroids? – Fan IQ

What is the definition of performance enhancing drugs?  Personally, I believe it means any drug that allows a player to perform at a higher level than if he never took the drug.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Fight against alcohol through plays – Times of India

A creative way to fight against consumption of alcohol is to hold street plays across the state. And this is what the temperance board under the information and Kannada culture department will do.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol abuse leads to rise in liver swaps – Independent

The past decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of transplanted livers going to people whose own organs have been damaged by alcohol misuse.

ALCOHOL – UK
Research shows success of optional education courses for binge offenders – CRP News

Dacorum Borough’s Alcohol Diversion Scheme has shown that optional educational courses can be an effective way of engaging with binge drinkers, changing their behaviour and reducing violence and disorder.