Drug News

METH – AUSTRALIA
Heart disease killing methamphetamine users – Herald Sun

AUTOPSIES on more than 200 Australians who died from methamphetamine use show disturbingly high rates of heart disease.

ALCOHOL – UK
Offenders could face drink tests to cut rates of reoffending – The Scotsman

OFFENDERS could be regularly tested for alcohol in an attempt to break the cycle of drinking and crime in Scotland, under plans to be unveiled today.

ALCOHOL – UK
School Lessons Reduce Alcohol-Related Harm – Drug and Alcohol Findings

In Australia a rare trial of a harm reduction curriculum showed that it can safeguard pupils at both ends of the alcohol risk spectrum - reducing adverse consequences among drinkers, while promoting moderation and abstinence among initial non-drinkers.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Zero alcohol’ for young drivers – BBC News

Under-21s should be not allowed a single drop of alcohol before driving, government advisors will recommend.

DRUGS – UK
New Nationwide Report Reveals That 5 Million People Participate In Self-Help Groups Each Year – Medical News Today

New data indicate that 2.3 million people who participate in self-help groups for alcohol or illicit drug use currently abstain from use of these substances.

HEROIN – USA
I-Team: Parents, Beware Of Heroin – Today TMJ 4

Heroin is hitting Milwaukee’s affluent suburbs hard. In the first six months of this year, more people died from heroin in Waukesha County than in any other entire year.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction and the Holidays – Trans World News

When families get together for the holiday season, aside from the joy of seeing family members, one painful fact may emerge.

DRUGS – USA
Ecstasy is back, but with a twist – Sun Sentinel

A popular drug that once ruled the South Florida rave and pop dance club scenes is making a menacing comeback, ending a five-year lull. Local police say they’ve come across more Ecstasy pills on the street lately, and more often than not they’re laced with methamphetamine.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA issues warnings on Indian-made generic prescription drugs – Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday put the Indian generic drug giant Ranbaxy on notice that it would block entry to the U.S. market of 25 generic prescription drugs widely used by American consumers.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse vexes the medical profession – The Plain Dealer

Some say prescription drug abuse is on the rise among health-care professionals. Others say the numbers have not changed much, but that drugs of choice are more powerful, and addicted professionals often go to greater lengths to get them.

DRUGS – USA
Drug abuse by teens takes prescriptive turn – Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Teens increasingly are becoming addicted to prescription and over-the-counter drugs, substances as lethal as any illicit drug but often more readily available.

METH – USA
Hot New Country Group to Help Raise Money for Idaho Meth Project – Local News

One of country music’s hottest new groups will be in Idaho Falls to help raise money for the Idaho Meth Project.

METH – UK
Crystal meth: easy to make, highly dangerous and devastating some US states – Channel 4 News

It is one of the most dangerous drugs known to man and can be made from legal and easily obtainable ingredients.

ADDICTION – USA
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month set; State, local agencies partner together – Cape Coral Daily Breeze

The Department of Children and Families will join community partners across the state to bring local awareness to the issue of drug and alcohol addiction.

ADDICTION – USA
Fundraiser to benefit addiction treatment groups – Albany Times Union

While addicts struggle to recover, some of the agencies that serve them struggle to survive.

DRUGS – USA
Family Day – CASA

A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. Family Day reminds parents that Dinner Makes A Difference!

DRUGS – USA
College Campuses Concerned About Prescription Drug Abuse – Trans World News

Many campuses nationwide are taking prescription drug abuse seriously. Adderral, Ritalin, and other prescription drugs are being abused at an alarming rate.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prevent prescription drug abuse – The Spectrum

As parents, we worry about our teenagers and drugs. We see the results of teen drug use in the media, our neighborhoods and sometimes in our own families. Did you know that a significant source of the drugs teens abuse is our own medicine cabinets?

DRUGS – UK
Last Call for Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives Awards – Home Office

Anyone who wishes to nominate a drug treatment team, police officer or volunteer who has gone that extra mile to tackle drugs has just ten days to make their local hero an example for the nation.

METH – ASIA
Methamphetamine usage rising – IRIN

Typically smoked, the potent central nervous system stimulant is highly addictive, causing paranoia, delusions and hallucinations.

DRUGS – USA
NJ Launches Campaign Against Medicine Abuse – Evening Bulletin

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) announced Monday a statewide public service campaign titled “Grandma’s Stash,” to raise awareness that misuse of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana as America’s most prevalent drug problem.

DRUGS – USA
WLPD teams with site to offer free drug tests – Journal and Courier

The urinalysis test recognizes the 10 most common illegal drugs: cocaine, amphetamine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine, benzodiazepine, oxycodone, propoxyphene and MDMA, more commonly known by its street name, ecstasy.

ALCOHOL – UK
BMA Scotland Response To The Scottish Government’s Proposed Strategy To Tackle Alcohol Misuse – Medical News Today

Doctors called for action, not words, to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland.

ALCOHOL – USA
Underage, drunken fans can buy alcohol at stadiums – Dallas Morning News

Actors posing as drunken sports fans successfully bought alcohol from U.S. stadium vendors almost nine out of 10 tries, according to a University of Minnesota study.

ALCOHOL – USA
Even if you look drunk at a game, you can likely keep buying booze – Chicago Tribune

The stadiums and arenas of Chicago have seen untold amounts of alcohol-fueled mayhem, from obscene yelling to savage, bare-knuckle brawls. But according to a study released Wednesday, sports venues could be bringing some of this chaos on themselves.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study Finds Sports Stadiums Serve Alcohol to Intoxicated, Underage Fans – Join Together

An undercover operation conducted as part of research sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Research Program (SAPRP) found that apparently underage and intoxicated fans have a relatively easy time purchasing alcohol at professional sports events.

METH – UK
‘Meth’ adverts to scare US teens – BBC News

Advertisement: An advertising campaign designed to scare teenagers away from using the drug ‘meth’ has been launched in the US.

METH – UK
Montana meth ads winning drug battle – BBC News

They call Montana “Big Sky Country” or “The Last Best Place” - and it is easy to see why with its wide open spaces, majestic mountains and meandering rivers. But there is a far less wholesome side to this wilderness, a problem more associated with grim urban despair - drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Having Easier Time Getting Prescription Drugs – US News and World Report

It’s easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin or Ritalin than it is to get beer, say a growing number of American teens.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen drug abuse – Watertown Daily Times

Surveys have shown a decline in illegal drug use by teenagers in recent years, but many of the same surveys have also shown an increase in the teens abusing prescription drugs.

METH – USA
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries – Drug War Chronicles
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries
Full Program Agenda Available for Conference September 15-16, 2008, Prague, Czech Republic.

METH – USA
The Lure Of Methamphetamine – Black Voice News

It’s known by many names: meth, crystal, ice, methamphetamine, speed, crank, glass, yaba, tina and many others. Methamphetamine is also extremely addictive and is plowing through the nation, from coast to coast and from city to countryside, leaving behind a trail of broken families and destroyed lives.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Govt urged to collect better data on alcohol consumption – ABC News

A leading Australian health scientist is calling on the Federal Government to order liquor retailers to provide accurate data on alcohol sales in Australia.

ALCOHOL – AUSTALIA
Australia failing to collect data on alcohol consumption – The Australian
DOCTORS say policies to tackle drinking are under threat from a lack of figures on alcohol consumption and warn Australia may become the only OECD nation not to collect the information.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs are in drinking water – Best Syndication

It sounds like the plot of a bad movie; people taking low doses of antibiotics without knowing it until they are no longer able to fight off even simple infections. Believe it or not, this is rapidly becoming a stark reality.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Free outdated prescription drug disposal available Saturday – Times Daily

Curtis Burns said that in at least three out of four households in the Shoals there are outdated prescription drugs that should be disposed of.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse “rampant” in Ohio – WTAM News Radio

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services has released its biannual report on the latest drug trends across the state.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone use, deaths increasing – Statesman

A synthetic form of opium, it is a cheap and powerful pain reliever that has helped millions. But because it is also abused by thrill seekers and prescribed by doctors unfamiliar with its risks, methadone is now the fastest-growing cause of narcotic deaths.

ALCOHOL – USA
Report: Parents ‘Clueless’ About Teen Drug, Alcohol Abuse – Fox News

An annual survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York reported that parents are clueless when it comes to their teenagers’ behavior, which contributes to their drug and alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Industry Targets Latino Teens – Al Dia (Filadelfia)

“Hispanic young people are more likely to drink and get drunk at an earlier age than non- Hispanic white or African American young people”- The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)2003.

ALCOHOL – USA
Acting surgeon general to address alcohol issues at MSU – KPAX TV News

The acting surgeon general of the United States will visit Montana State University Wednesday to discuss collegiate alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – UK
Fifteen thousand people die from alcohol-related diseases every year – Telegraph

For the first time, researchers have calculated the number of deaths from conditions such as cancers, accidents and heart disease which are related to drinking but not wholly caused by alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK
Males Account For Nearly 80 Per Cent Of Drug Related Deaths – Medical News Today

Nearly 80 per cent of people in England and Wales who died due to illicit drug use in 2006 were male, an NHS Information Centre bulletin shows.
DRUGS – UK
Children hospitalised after taking drugs soars by up to 50% under Labour – Daily Mail

The number of children taken to hospital because of drug use has soared since Labour took office, figures have revealed.

COCAINE – UK
Teen cocaine use hits new record levels – Metro

More young people have admitted using cocaine than ever, new figures have showed. The proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds saying the used the Class A drug in the previous year has risen to 6% for the first time.

DRUGS – UK
Child drug hospital admissions jump by 45pc – Telegraph

The figures released by the NHS Information Centre also show the number of teenagers and young people who needed hospital care because of drugs also increased by more than 10 per cent over the same period, to nearly 10,000 last year.

DRUGS – UK
Working together to beat the blight of drugs in our city – Peterborough Today

A WARNING about a dangerous batch of heroin on the streets of Peterborough splashed across the front page of The ET may not sound like a success story for the police. But for Detective Chief Inspector Gary Goose, the fact the problem was raised by health workers and could then be investigated and publicised is an example of how a more joined-up approach to tackling drugs is working well.

METH – USA
Health officials want meth history on house listings – Standard Net

A meth house is a meth house no matter how much residue is left, according to state standards. However, under current state law, sellers and landlords do not have to disclose to potential buyers or renters if former residents used meth in the house.

METH – CAMBODIA
Crystal meth use spreads: report – The Phnom Penh Post

According to government figures, the number of drug users nationwide has dropped below 6,000, but methamphetamines dominate the diet of the Kingdom’s dedicated junkies.

DRUGS – USA
New Albany High School parents receive free kits to test for 12 common drugs – News and Tribune

Parents at New Albany High School seemed receptive to a new program that allows them to take home a drug-testing kit for free. The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools Corp. is hosting programs that educate parents about drug-use as well as how to use the kits.

ALCOHOL – USA
Teens Can Get Prescription Drugs Easier Than Alcohol – dB Techno

According to a new report released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, it is now easier for teenagers in the U.S. to get their hands on prescription drugs, than it is for them to get their hands on alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Get facts on college alcohol use – Louisville Courier Journal

CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov has a wealth of information about alcohol abuse and binge drinking among college students.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Alcohol ban enforced in Jasper National Park – Edmonton Journal

Park officials are spending up to $100,000 contracting Securiguard Securities Ltd. to enforce the ban, which remains in effect from June 27 and Sept. 1 and forbids campers to consume alcohol between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

DRUGS – USA
CASA: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIII: Teens and Parents – Join Together

Those who fail to monitor their children’s school night activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of drugs in their children’s schools, and set good examples — increase the risk that their 12- to 17-year old children will smoke, drink, and use illegal and prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Access to Prescription Drugs Easier for Teens – Join Together

When asked “Which is easiest for someone your age to buy: cigarettes, beer, marijuana, or prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin or Ritalin, without a prescription?” 19 percent responded that it was easier to find prescription drugs, compared to 13 percent one year ago.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Cite Ease of Access To Drugs – The Washington Post

A growing number of teenagers say it’s easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs than to buy beer, according to a survey published today.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teen breath-test reduces crime - but is not enough, says mayor – CRP News

Crime in a North Wales resort town was cut by more than 20% after youngsters were breath-tested as part of police crackdown on anti-social behaviour. But the local mayor, an ex-policeman, regrets that such schemes are not permanent.

DRUGS – CUBA
US Teens Have Easy Access to Drugs – Prensa Latina

An increasing number of US teens gets, illegally, medicines that should be obtained under prescription, something considered in the threshold of consuming drugs like heroine, said a research revealed on Thursday.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Survey Finds Teens Have Easy Access to Prescription Drugs – Chatter Shmatter

Gaining access to dangerous prescription drugs is becoming easier than buying beer for US teenagers according to the results of a new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Easier For Teens To Get Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – Chattah Box

A new report released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, has found that it is easier for teenagers in the U.S. to get prescription drugs, compared to getting alcohol, such as beer.

DRUGS – UK
Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2008 – Information Center

This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults.

ALCOHOL – UK
Industry body releases guidance on tackling public underage drinking – Alcohol Policy

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has released a new guidance document ‘A New Way of Tackling Public Underage Drinking: Community Alcohol Partnerships’ which claims to be a new model for local enforcement to tackle underage drinking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Are Americans in Denial about the Widespread Abuse of Prescription Drugs? – Pushing Back

As youth drug use continues to decline nationwide, we very concerned about the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among teens.

DRUGS – UK
Drug treatment outcomes tool: fit for purpose and delivering world-beating data – NTA

The Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) – the tool used for monitoring the effectiveness of substance misuse treatment in England – has been assessed by peer-review as fit for purpose and is published in the journal, Addiction, (September edition, 2008) this week.

DRUGS – USA
Parents’ prescription drugs pose risk to teens – San Francisco Chronicle

The survey, released Thursday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, found that parents are dropping the ball on preventing their kids from using drugs, drinking and smoking. Teenagers surveyed said it’s easier to buy narcotics than beer.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Easier To Get Than Beer – Injury Board

Kids assume drugs are safe. After all, they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they are in their parents’ medicine chests.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Youngsters Can Procure Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – eFlux Media

More youngsters say it’s easier for them to get prescription drugs than it is to acquire beer, shows a new survey released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

DRUGS – USA
Youth access to drugs increases – Christian Science Monitor
Teenagers can get their hands on marijuana and prescription drugs more rapidly and easily this year than last, according to a new study. However, greater drug availability has not yet translated into greater drug abuse in the group – marijuana use among teens continues to decline.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Easily, Illegally Access Prescription Drugs – eMax Health

Teens report it’s easier for them to access prescription drugs than beer, a fact that urges parents to be more attentive. Thirty four percent of teenagers abuse prescription drugs and harm their health without realizing it.

ALCOHOL – UK
Fall Semester - A Time For Parents To Discuss The Risks Of College Drinking – Medical News Today

As college students arrive on campus this fall, it’s a time of new experiences, new friendships, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Unfortunately for many, it is also a time of excessive drinking and dealing with its aftermath-vandalism, violence, sexual aggression, and even death.

DRUGS – UK
Experts Encourage More Research Into Drugged Driving - New Study Guidelines Released – Medical News Today

Driving under the influence of drugs, also known as drugged driving, is a growing problem in many countries. In the United States alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2006.

PAINKILLER – USA
OxiContin the drug of choice of abusers – Jacksonville Daily News

When it comes to the abuse of prescription drugs in Jacksonville, police say OxiContin is by far the local favorite.

PAINKILLER – UK
Recalls – The Associated Press

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. said one lot of 75 microgram-per-hour Fentanyl Transdermal System patches is being recalled from wholesalers and pharmacies.

DRUGS – USA
Olympics Officials Admit Endless Battle with Drug Cheating – Join Together

Amid a wealth of new designer drugs and ways to elude testing, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials acknowledge that they may never be able to guarantee an Olympics free of doping scandals.

ALCOHOL – UK
Men unaware of link between alcohol and cancer – Cancer Research UK

The message that drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer is not getting through to the majority of men, an international charity has warned.
DRUGS – USA
Cocaine Use Rising in England as Cannabis Declines – Bloomberg

Use of cocaine and ecstasy rose in England and Wales last year as the number of people smoking cannabis declined, a government report showed.

HEROIN – USA
Youths’ heroin use rises – Akron Beacon Journal

Heroin abuse among white youth and young suburban adults is increasing in Ohio, according to a new report released today.

ALCOHOL – USA
Universities Move to Correct Misconceptions on Student Drinking Norms – Join Together

Several universities are working hard to correct some students’ notions about the extent of drinking in campus, armed in some cases with detailed data on actual patterns in student drinking behaviors.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, Tobacco Products Remain Popular in Tough Times – Join Together

Consumers worldwide are leaving room for purchases of alcohol and tobacco products even as they tighten their belts on other spending during difficult economic times

METH – USA
Meth takes back seat to cocaine in Boise – Idaho Staesman

It may be temporary, but it is still a surprise: Cocaine has unseated methamphetamine as the most prevalent hard drug in Boise, police say.

ALCOHOL – USA
Spotlight on teens at risk – Boston Globe

Drinking and drug use among teens is getting fresh attention in the Pentucket Regional School District following surveys that have heightened concerns about the problem.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scots unaware of safe alcohol limit – The Press Association

Many Scots remain ignorant of how much it is safe to drink or how much alcohol their beverages contain, a survey revealed.

DRUGS – USA
A grimmer reaper: Prescription drugs take too many lives – Salt Lake Tribune

“Use only as directed,” the pill bottles read. It’s advice you can live by. But too many Utahns are failing to heed that warning.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scots ‘ignorant’ of drink levels – BBC News

Many Scots remain ignorant of how much it is safe to drink or how much alcohol drinks contain, a survey has suggested.

ALCOHOL – UK
Most Scots think alcohol is worse than heroin – The Herald

A majority of Scots think alcohol is the drug that causes most harm to society, newly published survey results show. Some 51% of respondents to a module from the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007 said alcohol was the drug which causes most problems for Scotland, compared with 22% who said heroin and 9% who said tobacco.

METH – USA
Old Drug is New Leader Among Users in Treasure Valley – KBOI News

Police in Boise say cocaine has surpassed methamphetamine as the most prevalent illegal hard drug in the area.
MARIJUANA – USA
Get Message Out About Marijuana – Red Orbit

As a Baby Boomer and now a mother of teenagers, I was very interested in the research done on the marijuana available today. A University of Mississippi research project found an increased potency of the drug — double what it was in the ’70s and ’80s! We parents all need to hear that.

ALCOHOL – USA
Excessive Drinking May Exacerbate Metabolic Syndrome Risk – Join Together

A new study has found that individuals who drink in amounts exceeding federal dietary guidelines have an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome associated with cardiovascular disease.

HEROIN – UK
Warning over bug found in contaminated heroin batches – The Herald

A nationwide alert has been issued after a new batch of contaminated heroin, which previously killed more than 40 people mostly in Scotland, was discovered.

DRUGS – USA
Drug-related deaths hit new high in Utah – Salt Lake Tribune

Even as the state is trying to reduce the number of drug-related deaths, Utah has set another record for people killed by pills, powders and needles.

METH – USA
Crystal Methamphetamine - The New Drug of Choice – American Chronicle
Crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice, crank, glass and shards, is today’s street drug of choice.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs May Increase Falls Among Seniors – NBC News

University of North Carolina researchers have released a list of prescription drugs that may increase the risk for falls among seniors who take at least four medications on a regular basis.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription for Disaster – Injury Board

A recent study shows that prescription medication related deaths have drastically increased in the last two decades.

METH – UK
Warning over crystal meth – The Press Association

Ireland must pull together to stop the drug crystal meth ravaging the country, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy warned.

METH – IRELAND
Crystal meth explosion feared – Limerick Post

Limerick must prepare itself for an explosion of crystal meth abuse, and put measures in place to prevent large scale addiction, a city councillor has warned.

METH – USA
Meth Coffee fails to amuse Madigan – Sun Times

“Parody or not, it’s still glorifying drug use and it’s sending a terrible message,” said Madigan’s spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Report Underscores Fatal Risk of Combining Prescriptions, Other Substances at Home – Join Together

While medication-related fatalities in clinical settings have long captured the attention of researchers and health authorities, skyrocketing rates of deaths at home from combining medications and other substances have gone largely unnoticed

HEROIN – UK
Heroin batch death risk warning – BBC News

A warning has been issued to drug users about poor quality “red heroin” circulating in southern Scotland.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Girls smoke dope just as much as boys – The Age

While men in their 20s and 30s are still more likely to smoke the drug than their female counterparts, the gender difference has disappeared among teenagers.