Drug News

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.

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.