Drug News

DRUGS – USA
U.S. has highest rates of cocaine, marijuana use – USA Today

The United States has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. It also has some of the highest rates of drug use, according to a new World Health Organization report.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
NZ ranks second in cannabis, cocaine use survey – Otago Daily Times
New Zealand ranks second only to the United States in a scientific survey of illegal cocaine and cannabis use in 17 countries.

CANNABIS – INDIA
Cannabis abuse common in Indian call centres – IT Examiner

While the use of drugs such as cannabis is illegal in India, and carries a possible prison sentence, joints are still rolled every night in the high tech villages.

PAINKILLER – USA
Drug Makers Say Safety Focus Is Slowing New Medicines: Report – Therapeutics Daily
Nearly four years after Merck & Co. yanked the painkiller Vioxx off the market, beleaguered pharmaceutical-industry executives say they are facing a tough new regulatory climate that is altering the landscape of drug development.

ALCOHOL – UK
Broad Differences In Alcohol, Tobacco And Illegal Drug Use Across Countries – Medical News Today

A survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) research consortium found that the United States had among the highest lifetime rates of tobacco and alcohol use and led in the proportion of participants reporting cannabis (marijuana) or cocaine use at least once during their lifetime.

DRUGS – UK
InterventionTreatment.com Launches Suboxone Treatment Program – Medical News Today

The program will be used to increase Intervention Treatment’s Global mission of providing Intervention and Treatment resources to those affected by alcohol and drug addiction.

DRUGS – USA
U.S. is Tops in Cocaine, Marijuana Use – The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. may lag other countries in measures such as education and health, but we’re out in front on cocaine and marijuana use.

DRUGS – EUROPE
Young People and Drugs among 15-24 years old – European Commission

Analytical report May 2008. 102-page PDF

MARIJUANA – USA
New Report Finds Highest-Ever Levels of THC in U.S. Marijuana – ONDCP

Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released the latest analysis from the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project, which revealed that levels of THC - the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - have reached the highest-ever.

CANNABIS – UK
Australian Medical Association Launches Publication On Health Risks Of Cannabis Use – Medical News Today

To coincide with Drug Action Week 2008, the Australian Medical Association today launched a brochure about the short and long-term effects of cannabis use.

OPIUM – KENYA
World losing battle against drug abuse: UN – Daily Nation

The world seems to be losing the battle against the production, trafficking and use of illicit drugs, a UN report has warned.

PAINKILLER – USA
Painkiller Deemed Dangerous by Advocacy Group – HULIQ
Some painkillers may do more harm than good. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, is pushing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban a prescription painkiller chemically known as propoxyphene, citing the dangerous risks it poses to consumers.

CANNABIS – UK
Teenage cannabis use revealed – Scotsman

MORE than a quarter of teenagers have tried cannabis by the age of 15, Government figures have found.

CANNABIS – PAKISTAN
Cannabis — a fast emerging health problem in Pakistan – The News International

In Pakistan, the youth comprises more than 20 per cent of the population but unfortunately it is the worst target of drug abuse, as almost five per cent of adult population in the country uses drugs.

DRUGS – USA
Heroin, marijuana use on rise – Glendale News Press

Heroin and marijuana are the most commonly used drugs in Glendale and are primarily being sold to teens, according to police.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol is making women fat – The Daily Telegraph
As women catch up with men in the drinking stakes, their waistlines are also catching up with the beer belly, according to health experts.
DRUGS – UK
Drug Treatment Programs Influenced By State Policies – Medical News Today

State policies have a significant impact on the services performed by substance abuse treatment programs, and could play a key role in efforts to expand the use of research-based “comprehensive” treatment approaches, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Abuse More Common In Insured Patients, Drug Abuse In Uninsured – Medical News Today
Fourteen percent of patients admitted to hospital have alcohol/drug abuse and addiction (ADAA) disorders, the costs for which have risen sharply in recent years, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

METH – USA
County’s Meth Task Force continuing efforts – Hudson Hub-Times

The Summit County Methamphetamine Property Awareness Task Force has agreed on a form to help coordinate the documentation of discovered meth labs on a county-wide level.

METH – USA
False positives are common in drug tests on new moms – Los Angeles Daily News

Hospitals’ initial urine- screening drug tests on pregnant women can produce a high rate of false positives - particularly for methamphetamine and opiates - because they are technically complex and interpretation of the results can be difficult, some experts say.

METH – USA
Seniors to hear about meth impacts – The Record-Courier

The Partnership of Community Resources is sponsoring a presentation Thursday at the Douglas County Senior Center to the people often referred to as “first responders” in dealing with methamphetamine use in families.

METH – USA
Community learns meth education – The Morehead News

A highly toxic and addictive drug called meth is being concocted in houses, hotels and mobile homes across the state.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana is Dangerous, but Maybe Not the Way You Think – Red Orbit

Inhaling the smoke of burning coal, wood or leaves is bad for you. Acrid smoke injures the lungs and leads to chronic obstructive lung disease. Smoke contains chemicals such as benzpyrene, which causes cancer. Slow-burning cigarettes release carbon monoxide as well as carbon dioxide.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis tops list of illicit drugs sending people to hospital – New Zealand Herald

Cannabis use is causing more admissions to publicly-funded hospitals than all of the other illegal drugs combined, a police drugs specialist has found.

ADDICTION – INDIA
Delhi Govt adopts preventive strategy to fight drug addiction – Zee News

The Delhi government has adopted the strategy of building “preventive awareness” and providing treatment and counselling to fight drug addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
Youths Exposed to More Alcohol Ads in 2007 – Join Together

Youths ages 12-20 were exposed to an average of 301 TV ads for alcoholic beverages last year, up from 216 in 2001, according to research from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University.

DRUGS – USA
Sewage Study Yields Surprising Info About Drug Use – Join Together

Scientists analyzing the chemical composition of raw sewage in cities in the U.S. and Europe have made some surprising discoveries about drug-use patterns.

ALCOHOL – UK
Think About That Third (or Fourth) Drink – Medical News Today

“Binge drinking” is a useful term that indicates an excessive, unhealthy and dangerous level of drinking. “Binge” drinkers aim to get drunk, often as quickly as possible.

ALCOHOL – UK
When Will It Be Time To Take Action On Alcohol? – Medical News Today

The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) expressed disappointment that the Report from the Inquiry into the Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill from the Senate Community Affairs Committee (SCAC) recommended the Bill not be passed.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug use among Malibu youth escalates – Malibu Times

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station-sponsored juvenile intervention team, designed to combat drug and alcohol problems within Malibu and Conejo Valley cities, is working to curb Malibu teen substance abuse, including an increasing abuse of prescription medication.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs kill more people than illicit drugs – Food Consumer

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission this week released a report saying that “the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined”.

METH – USA
Announce ground-breaking anti-meth program – Little Chicago Review

The Wyoming Meth Project today announced the launch of a statewide prevention campaign aimed at significantly reducing first-time methamphetamine use among Wyoming youth.

ALCOHOL – UK
‘Stop targeting alcohol at young’ – BBC News

Children’s Commissioner for Wales Keith Towler says a World Health Organisation survey which found children and young people in Wales had been drunk more often than others in the western world is a signal to adults on their own responsibilities.

MARIJUANA – USA
Study Says Marijuana Is Now More Potent – US News and World Report

The project—which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, collected and analyzed samples of seized pot from 48 states and determined that THC levels are almost double what they were in 1983.

CANNABIS – UK
UK children ‘most likely to try cannabis’ – Guardian

Children growing up in the UK are more likely to drink, smoke and to have tried cannabis than in many other western countries, according to a study by the World Health Organisation.

METH – USA
Prevention, Treatment Could Curb Meth Problem – University of Kentucky News

Kentucky, like the rest of the U.S., is grappling with problems related to an apparent rise in methamphetamine abuse. However, the popular perception of a “meth epidemic” tends to overstate the role played by that drug in the overall picture of substance abuse in Kentucky.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Parent targeted in binge drinking TV ads – The Age

The head of a new campaign to curb excessive drinking by targeting parents’ alcohol use in front of children says it’s not about blaming mums and dads.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Abuse Can Damage The Brain By Decreasing Insulin And Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptors – Medical News Today

A new study using postmortem human brain tissue has found that chronic alcohol abuse can decrease levels of genes needed for brain cells to respond to insulin/IGF, leading to neurodegeneration similar to that caused by Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

ALCOHOL – UK
Ordered Drinks Can Be Larger And Have Greater Alcohol Content Than You May Think – Medical News Today

Most alcohol research tends to assume that alcoholic drinks contain the same amount of pure alcohol: 0.6 ounces or 18 milliliters. Why is this important? Because researchers need accuracy to do their job well, and consumers need to know what they’re drinking, especially if they are then going to drive

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Help needed to fight prescription drug abuse – Times-Mail

Clear realities and a big question have come from the newspaper’s six-day look at prescription drug abuse in Lawrence County. The most basic reality is this: Prescription drug abuse kills.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescriptions Killed More Floridians Than Street Drugs In 2007 – Injury Board

A report released this week by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, concludes that prescription drugs killed more Floridians in 2007 than illegal drugs.

METH – USA
Meth Dangers to Propane – KARK TV News

Methamphetamine producers are now using propane tanks to store harmful chemicals, something experts say could have deadly consequences.

ALCOHOL – USA
Random alcohol testing proposed for Chicago police officers who fire their weapons – Chicago Tribune

On-duty Chicago police officers and any officers who shoot their weapons, on or off-duty, would be required to submit to random alcohol tests under a contract proposal sent to the union.

ALCOHOL – UK
Supermarket alcohol price cuts ‘fuelling binge drinking’ – Telegraph

Some best-selling drinks now cost 20 per cent less than they did a year ago, new figures reveal.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Putting a price on alcohol abuse shows a simple first step – Vancouver Sun

No one doubts that alcohol abuse is a major social problem. The evidence — public disorder, drunk driving, failing health and broken homes — confronts us every day.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcopop alarm on children in country areas – Melbourne Herald Sun
Paramedics are reviving 12-year-olds passed out on the streets of rural Victoria after drinking alcopops, a Senate inquiry was told yesterday.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Doctor urges better community alcohol education – ABC News
A Bendigo health emergency specialist says better community education is needed to help curb the number of people admitted to hospital due to alcohol-related problems.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis at highest potency in 30 years – The New Zealand Herald

Marijuana potency increased last year to its highest in more than 30 years, says a report released by the White House.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORPHINE – USA
Ethex recalls morphine tablets – Prescribing Reference

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALCOHOL – USA
Most Binge Drinking Takes Place in Public, Involves Beer – Join Together

About half of all binge drinking takes place in public and in large groups, increasing the risk of injury, according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DRUGS – USA
Students Get the ‘Dirt’ on Drugs – Join Together

A Boston based actor and comedian who performs an irreverent one-man show on drugs and making good choices has become a hit with young audiences.

ADDICTION – USA
More research planned into whether exercise can help prevent addiction – WDBJ News
Studies in both humans and animals suggest that exercise may help prevent drug or alcohol addiction. The government is pumping more money into research to find out.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Popular prescriptions can cause dependence – Whittier Daily News

Physicians prefer the term “dependence” because it describes withdrawal symptoms rather than depravity. Problems with withdrawal don’t occur only with drugs of abuse. Many prescription medications can cause unpleasant symptoms if they are stopped suddenly.

DRUGS – USA
Arlington officials identify drug found in drinking water – KDBC News

Drinking water in Arlington, Texas, tested positive for trace concentrations of the anti-anxiety medication meprobamate. That’s what city officials revealed today in response to a series of public records requests.

METH – USA
Prosecutor Warns About Propane Tanks Used For Meth – WLWT TV News

The Hamilton County prosecutor is asking the public to keep an eye on any propane tanks they buy for their grill this summer.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Binge-drinking linked to increase in harm – News.com.au
BINGE drinking is being blamed for a dramatic increase in alcohol-related harm among young people.

ALCOHOL – UK
Brain protein cuts excessive alcohol drinking – Telegraph

The new approach is remarkable because it prevented relapse - the common tendency found in sober alcoholics to easily return to heavy drinking after just one glass.

METH – USA
Two-thirds of Glenn eighth-graders know someone who uses methamphetamine – Enterprise Record

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

METH – USA
Drug measures: Success of Montana Meth project unclear – Southern Idaho Business
It’s been nearly three years since images of strung-out teens flooded Montana primetime TV as part of the statewide Montana Meth Project aimed at warning kids of the dangers of methamphetamine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Cannabis use leads to brain damage – Radio Australia

A new Australian study says long term, heavy cannabis use causes brain damage that’s equivalent to mild traumatic brain injury or premature ageing.

CANNABIS – UK
Groups unite to beat the cannabis problem – Telegraph and Argus

The conference brought together a range of speakers from health and social care, magistrates and the police, to discuss the extent of the problem, explore the latest research, examine cultural and political perspectives and what services are available.

ALCOHOL – UK
Minister Wallace Warns Alcohol Advertising Executives Of The Need For Full Compliance With The New Advertising Codes, Ireland – Medical News Today
Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special responsibility for Health Promotion and Food Safety warned advertising executives for the main Irish alcohol brands of the need for full compliance with the revised Codes on Advertising, Marketing and Sponsorship.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Proper disposal of unused, outdated prescription drugs prevents abuse – White Mountain Independent

Navajo County residents are beginning to respond to the current to properly dispose of unused and outdated prescription and over the counter medications.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Database To Help Spot Prescription-Drug Abusers – Sci-Tech Today

An online prescription drug database that allows doctors and pharmacists to track a patient’s medication history instantly and deter addicts from “doctor-shopping” is expected to launch statewide next year, officials announced Wednesday.

ADDICTION – USA
Cliffside Malibu winning the battle over cocaine addiction – Trans World News

No one beats cocaine addiction alone. The good news is that there are plenty of cocaine rehab facilities in Los Angeles, all of them promising to help cocaine abusers get sober for good. The only catch is that they can’t all deliver on their rhetoric.

ALCOHOL – UK
Advertising, Alcohol And Adolescents – Medical News Today

The advertising of alcohol, the marketing of alcoholic products, peer pressure and parental influence all play a part in the level of alcohol consumption among young people.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse becoming major problem in Covington County – Andalusia Star News

For the last two years, the abuse of prescription pills has risen; almost to the point it shadows the use of methamphetamines in Covington County, according to DTF commander Mark Odom.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Series looking at prescription drug abuse – Times-Mail News
It has changed — and claimed — lives. It threatens the well-being of abusers and their families. It challenges schools, police departments, courts and mental health professionals. And it is not limited by age or social status.