Drug News

COCAINE – USA
Crack Use Worsens Outcomes in HIV-Infected Women – Join Together

A study of nearly 1,700 HIV-infected women has found that use of crack cocaine results in a deterioration of immune status and can counteract the effects of antiretroviral medication.

ALCOHOL – USA
University of Florida Launches Attack on Party Image – Join Together

Just days after a publication named it the nation’s top party school, the University of Florida officially proposed dramatic changes to its campus code of conduct that include bans on kegs and drinking games.

ALCOHOL – USA
College Coaches’ Pleas for Ban on Alcohol Ads Fail to Move NCAA – Join Together

Members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA’s) executive committee have decided not to move toward tougher restrictions on televised alcohol ads during college sports events.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol-fuelled offences soar with 24 hour drinking – Telegraph

Crime statistics gathered from almost every police force in the country show that public order offences have increased by 136 per cent in the past four years.

ADDICTION – USA
Substance abuse seen as a growing problem as boomers age – Seattle PI

One study shows that by 2020, the number of adults 50 and older with substance abuse problems will skyrocket from the 1999 estimate of two and a half million to five million.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Ecstasy just another in long line of national pastimes – The Sydney Morning Herald

It seems that despite extensive education and interdiction, Australia’s youth have embraced this drug like no other. The market remains buoyant.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Dying in ecstasy as drug use soars – News.com.au

It’s not surprising that the world’s two biggest ecstasy busts have been in Australia. That’s because UN figures reveal Australians are easily the world’s biggest users, per head of population.

METH – USA
Meth use drops, other drugs increase – KTVN News

Reno police say that after a year of community efforts that targeted children and educated parents about a methamphetamine epidemic, meth activity has declined. But the use of heroin and cocaine are on the rise, mainly because of a decline of meth availability and a price increase.

METH – USA
Local drug use: Meth down, heroin up – Carson Times

After more than a year of community efforts that targeted children and educated their parents about a methamphetamine epidemic, meth activity has declined, police say.

COCAINE – BRAZIL
Cocaine Seizures…in West Africa? – Comunidade Segura

Cocaine use in Europe has tripled in the last decade, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), while the number of cocaine users in the United States has been consistently falling.

OPIUM – USA
Modern Pain Killers: Biggest Medical Hoax in Last 100 Years – US Recall News

Starting in 1986, with the misinterpretation of the World Health Organization’s paper concerning terminal pain, the morphinan molecule has come back with a vengeance in the form of oxycodone (Percocet and Oxycontin) and hydrocodon (Vicodin and Lorcet).

RITALIN – USA
Work Stress, Anxiety And Depression Aren´t Caused By A Lack Of Prozac – American Chronicle

It is interesting to observe that the discovery of the drug Ritalin prompted a sudden epidemic in children diagnosed with ADHD. Has the development of anti-depressant drugs and anti-anxiety medication triggered the rise in cases of work related stress?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens abusing easy-to-get prescription drugs – Victorville Daily Press

For many teenagers wanting to get high, their drug of choice is no further away than their parent’s medicine cabinet. Pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs used by teens today, according to the National Drug Policy.

COCAINE – IRELAND
Irish bank notes show high levels of cocaine – Herald

IRISH Euro banknotes in circulation in Spain have one of the highest levels of cocaine traces, a new study has found.

CANNABIS – IRELAND
Cannabis on sale now eight times stronger – Herald

HERBAL cannabis on sale in Ireland is now up to eight times stronger than it was a decade ago, an addiction expert has said.
ALCOHOL – USA
Last call – Chicago Sun-Times

A new study shows that not only do we drink less as we get older, but boozing by younger generations is on the decline, too

ALCOHOL – USA
College Coaches Hope to Bench Alcohol Advertising – Join Together

More than 100 college athletic coaches are asking the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to eliminate televised alcohol advertising during college sports broadcasts.

ALCOHOL – USA
Getting Older, Drinking Less, Study Finds – Join Together

Participants in this comprehensive, long-term health study generally drank less as they got older and later generations drank less than their predecessors.

COCAINE – USA
Study: U.S. Paper Money Covered With Cocaine – Fox News

Paper money contains high traces of cocaine, regardless of whether or not the paper money came into direct contact with the drug.

COCAINE – USA
U.S. money contains highest traces of cocaine – MSNBC News

Paper money contains high traces of cocaine, regardless of whether or not the paper money came into direct contact with the drug. And U.S. bills take the top spot, covered in the greatest amount of the illegal powder.

DRUGS – UK
Young people and drugs - young people talk directly to government – Mentor

As figures are released showing that young people’s drug use is falling, a group of young people working with the drug prevention charity Mentor UK send out a strong message to government about what is needed to maintain and improve on this reduction.

DRUGS – USA
Teens Cite School Pressure For Drug Abuse – MSNBC News

According to a recent study, teenagers said academic pressure is the leading cause of drug use. Video: Students Blame Academic Pressure For Drug Abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Huge Prescription Drug Round-up – CBS News

In all, an estimated 100,000 pills collected from people who wanted to properly discard their unused or unwanted drugs.

ADDERALL – USA
Prescription drugs can be problem for teens – Joplin Globe

Americans live in a heavily medicated culture. Whatever problem we have, there is a pill for it.

DRUGS – USA
Teens Using Drugs to Cope with Stress, Parents Underestimating Pressures – Join Together

A new study released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America reveals a troubling new insight into the reasons why teens use drugs.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin concerns increase among some police – WSLS News

A month long investigation by 10 On Your Side reveals worries about some law enforcement agencies about a increase in heroin use.

ALCOHOL – UK
New calls for drink-drive limit to be cut – The Herald

Fresh calls have been made to lower the drink-drive limit after a survey showed that more than 40% of women and almost 60% of men had got behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK

Police may get right to stage random breath tests to tackle drink-driving – Times Online

Police could be given the power to carry out random breath tests on motorists as part of a new package of measures to tackle drink-driving.

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.

PAINKILLER – USA
Finding the right substance abuse rehab for you! – Trans World News

Every substance abuse treatment center offers nominally different rehab programs for different types of addiction. Too often, though, the differences between those programs are only superficial, and the benefits of them are, in practice, nonexistent.

METH – USA
AG steamed over ‘meth coffee’ – World Net Daily

You can “chew them whole, snort the powder dry, cook it over a lighter and huff,” a San Francisco-based Meth Coffee company claims, but Illinois Attorney-General Lisa Madigan is brewing with anger over a marketing campaign that she says promotes drug use.

ALCOHOL – USA
Recovery Month Toolkits Available Now – Join Together

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

DRUGS – USA
Drug-related deaths in Utah reach a new high – KSL TV News

A report from the state medical examiner says drugs killed 519 people in Utah last year. That breaks the previous record of 485. The report also shows a disturbing and growing trend: Prescription drugs are now behind the majority of drug-related deaths in Utah.

HEROIN – USA
As the price of heroin drops, the drug is attracting younger users – Farmingham

The first time he dabbled with the drug he was a teen in the late 1960s, when a bag of heroin was about $30-$40 per bag, he recalls.

ALCOHOL – USA
OHSU working on drug that takes the pleasure out of drinking alcohol – KPIC

Oregon Health & Sciences University is developing a drug that could take the buzz out of drinking alcohol, raising the question of whether alcoholism could be cured with a simple pill.

COCAINE – UK
UCSF Study Shows That Cocaine Addiction Is Linked To Voluntary Drug Use And Cellular Memory – Medical News Today

Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain’s reward center even after several months of abstinence from the drug, while their involuntary counterparts had no such memory, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

COCAINE – UK
New Study Finds Persistent Brain Changes In Response To Cocaine Depend On The Expectation Of Reward – Medical News Today

Drug addiction dramatically shifts a person’s attention, priorities, and behaviors towards a focus almost entirely on seeking out and taking drugs.

HEROIN – UK
Most Scots think alcohol is worse than heroin – Sunday 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.

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.

DRUGS – UK
Rapid rise seen in fatal medication errors at home – The Associated Press

Deaths from medication mistakes at home, like actor Heath Ledger’s accidental overdose, rose dramatically during the past two decades, an analysis of U.S. death certificates finds.

DRUGS – UK
Mexico battles drug addiction – United Press International

Health officials report drug addiction is a growing problem in Mexico since the government’s crackdown on cartels and stepped-up U.S. border enforcement.

DRUGS – USA
Drug-abuse backlash in Mexico – Arizona Republic

Mexico confronts a growing problem with drug addiction, a phenomenon that some experts blame on the Mexican government’s crackdown on drug cartels and stepped-up U.S. border enforcement.

HEROIN – USA
Student heroin use meeting – WWMT News

A Kalamazoo County community will come together to fight a dangerous trend Monday. They are concerned over teenagers abusing heroin and other drugs.

METH – USA
Expert educates law enforcement about dangers of meth – Foster’s Daily Democrat

Meth is more addictive than cocaine, crack-cocaine and amphetamines, and meth labs are driven by addiction, not by finance.

ALCOHOL – USA
Trailer donation aids Elkins’ alcohol awareness program – Northwest Arkansas Times

Elkins police have a way to transport their donated drunk driving education golf cart thanks to an additional donation by a local business, Ranalli Farms.

ALCOHOL – USA
Stemming the Tide of Alcohol? – red Orbit

When the head of the Royal College of Physicians says we are on the verge of a “tsunami” of alcohol-related health problems, perhaps we should all put down our pints or wine glasses and listen.

RITALIN – USA
AntiDepressants and Suicide – Injury Board

All but lost in the story is the fact that David had been prescribed “Ritalin, Zoloft and antidepressants, each with the broken promise of some return to normalcy.”

ALCOHOL – UK
Pub chains flout drinking rules – Times Online

Pub chains are flouting their own rules on responsible drinking by selling double measures of spirits cheaper than singles, offering two-for-one promotions and holding happy hours where prices are slashed.

METHAMPHETAMINE – NEW ZEALAND
Ecstasy and cocaine gain ground on P – Stuff

NEW Zealand is winning the battle against methamphetamine, but ecstasy and cocaine use has doubled, an international drug report says.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Found Online, Abused by Teens – Westport News

A Columbia University study has shown that prescription drugs can be easily bought on the Internet, while another study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America indicates that many teens are abusing them.

METH – USA
Madison County Officials Meet With DEA to Discuss Meth Enforcement – WAAY

Madison County leaders were briefed Thursday by a Drug Enforcement Administration on the latest methods of fighting methamphetamine production.

DRUGS – UK
Scotland’s Higher Death Rate Partly Explained By Drug Abuse – Medical News Today

Death rates in Scotland are higher than in England and Wales, and a new study published on bmj.com finds that drug abuse in Scotland is a key factor contributing to this difference.

ALCOHOL – UK
California Alcohol Problems Drain $38 Billion Annually – Medical News Today

Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, held a news conference and town hall meeting in Los Angeles today to release the disturbing findings of its landmark report, The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Such a comprehensive study has never been done in California.

ALCOHOL – USA
Tell NCAA President Myles Brand that Beer Ads Don’t Belong in College Sports Television – Take Action

Since 2005, 348 institutions of higher education — including Arizona State, Ohio State, Texas Tech, and the Universities of Florida, Minnesota, and Nebraska — and 16 athletic conferences have endorsed the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV’s “College Commitment” pledge to work toward eliminating beer advertising during televised college sports.
DRUGS – USA
Family Meals Have Greater Protective Effect on Girls – Join Together

University of Minnesota researchers have found that while middle-school girls who share regular family meals see beneficial effects throughout their teenage years on substance-using behaviors, boys do not experience the same effects from a regular family presence at the dinner table

ADDICTION – USA
3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery – Join Together
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, in partnership with New Century Institute and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, is pleased to host “The 3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery: Inspiring Leadership, Changing Lives.”

HEROIN – USA
Multnomah County Warns Of Fatal Heroin Overdoses – eMaxHealth

A handful of overdose deaths in the last few weeks, along with a steady rise in heroin-related deaths over the past year, have raised concerns among county health officials.

PAINKILLER – USA
Illegal narcotic linked to death increase – United Press International

At least 1,000 people died in a two-year surge of fatalities resulting from an illegal version of the painkiller fentanyl, government officials said.

PAINKILLER – USA
Illegal Painkiller Cited in Overdose Surge – The Wall Street Journal
A two-year wave of deaths caused by an illegal street version of the powerful painkiller fentanyl claimed more than 1,000 lives, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the government’s first assessment of the outbreak’s toll.

DRUGS – UK
Scotland facing ‘drugs Doomsday’ – BBC News

Scotland could find itself facing a drugs Doomsday that would see primary school children following their parents into drug use, an expert has warned.

DRUGS – UK
The drugs scourge – The Herald

Drug-users tend to die young, but we know surprisingly little about those who survive the dangers of overdose or violence to which their lifestyle makes them susceptible.

DRUGS – UK
Drug abuse inquiry unravels secret of higher death rates in Scotland – The Herald

Drug abuse is a key factor behind previously unexplained higher death rates in Scotland compared to England and Wales, according to a study published today.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol hospital admissions hide individual tragedies – BMA

The new government figures released today (Tuesday 22 July 2008) revealing that 811,000 people in England were admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse problems in 2006 hide the individual tragedies that hospital frontline staff see day in day out, said the BMA.

ALCOHOL –USA
Family Meals Can Help Teen Girls Avoid Drugs, Alcohol – The WashingtonPost

Eating meals together as a family can reduce a teen girl’s risk of turning to alcohol or drugs, a new study suggests.

ALCOHOL – UK
Frontline Health Staff See Individual Tragedies Of Alcohol Misuse Problems In England – Medical News Today

According to government figures published today, 811,000 people were admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse problems in 2006 in England. The figures hide the individual tragedies that hospital frontline staff see everyday, says the British Medical Association.

CANNABIS – SOUTH AFRICA
SA drug culture hit by ‘very dangerous’ cannabis – Daily Dispatch

A NEW strain of higher-potency cannabis was being produced that is more addictive than ever before, says a UN official.

DRUGS – USA
U.S. Ranks #1 in Consumption of Pot, Cocaine, Smokes – Alter Net

According to a new study released June 30 by the World Health Organization, the U.S. leads the world and — just in time for the Olympics — takes the gold for the use of tobacco, pot, and cocaine, far outpacing other countries.

DRUGS – USA
Random Student Drug Testing Stops Drug Use Before it Begins – Pushing Back

The goal of prevention is to stop substance use before it ever begins. Believing not only in this mission but in our ability to achieve it, this Administration outlined a strategy 6 years ago that called upon multiple sectors of society—parents, schools, employers, communities, and the media—to help Americans, and youth in particular, take a stand against drugs.

PROZAC – AUSTRALIA
Subsidised Prozac prescribed to children – NEWS.au.com

Several hundred thousand scripts for anti-depressants such as Zoloft and Prozac were last year prescribed to children and subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, despite the Federal Government’s own drug watchdog not recommending them for use by anyone under the age of 24.

HEROIN – UK
Health experts to join families at heroin information event – Tyrone Times

HEALTH professionals and families whose loved ones have been affected by the devastating drug heroin, will be on the panel at a special information evening organised by Dungannon based alcohol and drugs awareness centre, Breakthru.

HEROIN – USA
Lebanon County coroner warns of spike in heroin-related deaths – PennLive

Lebanon County Coroner Dr. Jeffery A. Yocum has issued a warning about deaths in Lebanon City within the past week in which heroin use was a contributing factor. It is uncertain if this illegal product is tainted or of unusual purity, according to the warning.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription mistakes a scary, growing trend – Norwhich Bulletin

Pharmacy errors are increasing, according to the Institute of Medicine and the National Boards of Pharmacy. About 5 percent of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. each year are incorrect, and 7,000 people die each year because of pharmacy mistakes.

DRUGS – UK
The misery of youth: Teenagers depressed and fearful as drink, drugs and crime take their toll – Daily Mail
Young people believe they are unhappier than ever before as crime, alcohol and drugs wreck their lives, according to a report. Instead of enjoying their youth, many are in the depths of depression, the survey found.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Abuse of prescription drugs a concern – Bennington Banner

The problem of prescription drug abuse has been on the increase throughout the country, causing law enforcement officials and doctors to re-examine the tactics used to combat it.

ALCOHOL – UK
Overindulgence Of Alcohol Encouraged By Loud Music – Medical News Today

Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment - in this case, music - can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices, and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. A study of the effects of music levels on drinking in a bar setting has found that loud music leads to more drinking in less time.

ALCOHOL – USA
Beach alcohol rules on tap for SRIA meeting – Pensacola News Journal

No drinking alcohol. No loud music. No employees parking in the patrons’ spaces. Designating an alcohol-free section of the Gulf side of Pensacola Beach, excluding restaurants or bars.

ALCOHOL –USA
Permanent Beach Alcohol Ban To Be Decided In November – KGTV News

Voters should be asked in November whether to make the one-year trial ban on alcohol at San Diego’s beaches permanent, two City Council members said Tuesday.

ALCOHOL –UK
Cheap alcohol is fuelling binge drinking, study says –Telegraph
The research, carried out by Sheffield University, examined the impact of cheap supermarket deals on beer, wine and spirits and identified a link with binge drinking.