Drug News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Pill Deaths Continue – Tampa Tribune

Three times more Floridians died from prescription pill abuse last year than from a fatal overdose of an illegal drug.

METH – USA
Free home meth test kits at Superday – Wyoming Tribune
Up to 250 testing kits will be provided free at Superday to tenants or property owners concerned about prior methamphetamine use or laboratories in their residence.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Revealed: Students drowning in alcohol – Daily Nation

The devastating effects of alcohol and drugs on young people in Kenya can be laid bare today.

ALCOHOL – KENYA
Industry invests millions to curb alcohol abuse – Daily Nation

It was not until four years ago that the country’s alcoholic beverage manufacturers stepped up efforts to encourage responsible drinking.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol linked to brain damage – Times of India

You might not just realize this while downing a mug of chilled beer on a summer afternoon, but a new study has revealed that too much alcohol can cause permanent damage to brain.

PAINKILLER – USA
Group Sues FDA in Effort to Ban Painkiller – Washington Post

A prescription painkiller sold under names including Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

ALCOHOL – USA
NIAAA Publishes Guidelines on Physician Alcohol Interventions – Join Together

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has published new advice for physicians interested in “Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much.”

HEROIN – USA
Oregon fears heroin is tempting more kids – The Oregonain

In the wake of Oregon’s crackdown on methamphetamine, police say, heroin has become a cheaper, more plentiful alternative, especially for kids tempted to venture beyond marijuana and alcohol.

PAINKILLER – USA
Public Citizen Sues FDA for Failure to Act on Darvon – Consumer Affairs

Public Citizen sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today for failing to act on its petition to withdraw Darvon, Darvocet and all drugs containing propoxyphene gradually from the market as is now required in the United Kingdom.

New campaign takes cocaine impact to Europe – Reuters

A picture campaign highlighting the devastation caused in Colombia by the production of cocaine for markets in Europe and America came to London on Wednesday before heading across Europe.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol And Energy Drinks Serve Up Double Danger – Medical News Today
People who drink alcohol mixed with energy drinks can double their chances of being hurt or injured after drinking, needing medical attention and travelling with a drunk driver, according to new US research.

HEROIN – USA
Deadly strain of heroin circulating in Hartford – WTNH News

A spokesman for Hartford Hospital says the ER has seen multiple victims who have overdosed on a lethal strain of heroin.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Lower alcohol wines seen as way to curb binge drinking – ABC News

The Australian Wine Research Institute says making wines with a lower alcohol content would be a more effective approach to dealing with irresponsible drinking, than tax rises on alcoholic drinks.

DRUGS – USA
Drug Rehab Warns Against Opiate Addiction – Trans World News

There are many forms of substance addiction. Addiction in any form, of course, should be a cause for raised concern. There are increased risks however that stem from opiate addiction. Unlike forms of stimulant addiction, opiates run a greater risk of overdosing.

HEROIN – USA
Authorities struggle to combat surge in Ohio heroin cases – Huntington Herald Dispatch

Authorities are barely keeping up with a surge in the amount of heroin flowing into the Columbus area, the government’s top anti-drug agent for Ohio said Tuesday.

HEROIN – USA
Eighth Graders Get In-Depth Look At Heroin Use – WMDT News

Eighth graders in Salisbury got an in-depth look at the effects of heroin use Tuesday morning.
ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol Awareness Campaign Inaugurated in UK – Indian Wine Academy

If you don’t know the standard unit of a wine glass, do not despair. A recent alcohol awareness campaign in England has revealed that three-fourth of British drinkers don’t know it either.

ALCOHOL – USA
Del Mar bans alcohol on beaches – San Jose Mercury News

The sands of Del Mar are no longer allowing booze. The City Council on Monday night unanimously approved an emergency ordinance that bans alcohol at city parks and beaches starting Friday and continuing through Labor Day.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol banned at beaches for summer – San Diego Union Tribune

The Del Mar City Council last night unanimously approved an emergency ordinance banning alcohol at city parks and beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

PRESCRIPTION – AUSTRALIA
Prescription drugs making older drivers dizzy, clumsy – Melbourne Herald Sun

DRIVERS, especially those over 55, are putting lives at risk by driving while drowsy, dizzy and clumsy on prescription medication.

PRESCRIPTION – AUSTRALIA
Qlders ignoring prescription drug warnings: survey – ABC News
New research has found that almost a quarter of Queenslanders are ignoring warning labels and driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – AUSTRALIA
Motorists over 55 on prescription drugs are dangerous – Courier Mail

A NEW study shows motorists, especially those aged over 55, are putting lives at risk by driving after taking medicine that can make them drowsy.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Problem of prescription drug abuse to be discussed in Thursday meeting – Sikeston Standard Democrat

A town meeting scheduled for Thursday evening will address the growing problem of prescription drug abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
15 Percent of Americans Say They Drive Drunk, Report Finds – Join Together

About one in seven Americans admit to driving drunk, and states in the upper Midwest — led by Wisconsin — have the highest rates of DUI.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes and Prior DWI – Join Together

Drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes are more likely than sober drivers to have a previous conviction for driving while impaired (DWI), according to recently released data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

METH – USA
Battle against Meth – Stuttgart Daily Leader

Methamphetamine producers will now not only find the ingredients they need to produce the powerful drug behind counters, but will have another road block to stop them from purchasing mass quantities of the products containing ephedrine and psuedoephedrine by way of shopping at different pharmacies.

ALCOHOL – USA
‘Death by Alcohol’ story told to Superior students – Small Town Paper News Service

The coroner there ruled the death accidental and named the cause of death as alcohol poisoning.

MARIJUANA – USA
10 Questions Adolescents Have About Marijuana – US News and World Report

The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently offered adolescents the first ever “Drug Facts Chat Day.” Students from high schools and middle schools across the country submitted anonymous questions online.

ALCOHOL
One in four Iranian students sees no problem with alcohol – AFP

A new survey in Iran shows that 25 percent of university students see no problem in drinking alcohol, which has been strictly forbidden since the Islamic revolution, Mehr news agency reported on Friday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Prevent drunk driving – Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Apparently, drunken driving rates are the worst in the Upper Midwest. Wisconsin leads all states, followed by North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Abuse of painkillers becoming growing concern nationwide – UNH The New Hampshire

According to a national survey done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Administration, four million young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 used prescription painkillers like OxyContin in 2006 for non-medicinal reasons. Of that four million, 1.7 percent met the criteria for dependence or abuse.