Drug News

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Demi Lovato Opens Up About Drug Abuse: ‘Being A Celebrity Can Be Dangerous – ‎Huffington Post

But the part-Mexican singer, who spent three-months in rehab in November 2010 … how peer pressure and loneliness led her to experiment with drugs in 2010.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse bill wins final passage – WSLS

Kentucky lawmakers have passed a measure that’s intended to curb prescription drug abuse in a state where more people are dying from overdoses than car wrecks. A compromise passed by the House and Senate would require all physicians in the state to use a prescription drug monitoring system so they can more readily spot addicts seeking painkillers.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Saint Jude Retreats Announces Length Of Stay In Drug Rehab Does Matter – PR Web
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The amount of time a guest stays in an alcohol or drug treatment center greatly impacts the outcome of the individuals success in that program.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Experts say communication key to preventing alcohol abuse among teens – Tri Cities
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Communication is the key to preventing alcohol abuse among teenagers. Many teens are exposed to the temptation of underage drinking at an early age, 40 percent of eighth-graders have tried alcohol and one in four is a binge drinker. Around 20 students, school staff and community members gathered for an evening town hall forum entitled “Start Talking, Before They Start Drinking” at Tennessee High School.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Free from drug addiction, former Menard High star returns to baseball – The Town Talk

The young man whose life on drugs careened and collapsed to such a degree that, at one time, he was homeless and nearly committed suicide, has shaken the addiction.

COCAINE – USA
Rihanna Showcases Drug Use, Refuses Rehabilitation? – Christian Post

Rihanna, 24-year-old Barbadian pop singer, recently posted pictures to her Twitter account that showed her breaking down what appeared to be drugs on the head of a man whose shoulders she was seated on in order to see above the crowd

DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT – USA
Veterans who complete intense treatment can have court charges expunged – Post Gazette

Together there are now 80 veterans treatment courts nationwide. In Pennsylvania, recidivism among program participants is just 1 percent. The statistics are even better in Allegheny County, where Judge Zottola can brag about having no recidivism among veterans whose cases he’s heard in treatment court.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Early-intervention program helps teens with alcohol, drug abuse – Longmont Daily Times Call
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Through the clear eyes of sobriety, John Vandegrift looks back on his drug use and sees it for what it was: a coping mechanism. The 21-year-old Littleton resident said he began smoking marijuana as a high school freshman, and two years ago he moved to heavier substances. Heroine became his drug of choice.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Teen Deaths Related to Prescription Drug Abuse Skyrocket – Madison Patch
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Although many teens might otherwise shy away from illegal street drugs, more and more teens are turning to prescription drugs and over the counter medicines to get high.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
Herbal incense, ‘bath salts’ rip apart user’s life – Shelbyville Times-Gazette

“I’m not an addict,” Brenda Fogus thought as she consumed herbal incense. “It’s not narcotics. I’m not an addict,” Brenda told the staff at a Georgia treatment center, where she’d been taken after a binge on bath salts which led to a long drive to a city where she had no connections. “I’m clean. I’m not using narcotics.” Brenda was lying. To the world — and herself.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Back2Basics Drug Rehab Facility Now Includes Higher Education Classes in Program – SF Gate

Through the recent incorporation of higher education courses at Northern Arizona University, the Back2Basics long-term sober living program pushes addicts to come out of addiction and go back into the classroom.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – CANADA
The long wait for rehab: Parents watch addicted children suffer, and feel compelled to pay for drugs – Ottawa Citizen

Oxy, we know, can wreck your teenager. It can also ruin your resolve as a parent, leave you with only bad choices, introduce you to shame, failure. Armchair psychologists like to toss around terms like “enabling” and “tough love” as verdicts on the trials of parents coping with addiction in their families. But one thing complicates the equation. Being witness to human suffering.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Christie: Give nonviolent criminal addicts treatment – Philly.com

Calling addiction a treatable disease, Gov. Christie said Thursday that he would mandate treatment for nonviolent criminals with drug dependence, a program that would take at least a year to start. In the meantime, Christie would offer yearlong drug treatment to 1,000 to 1,500 low-level offenders now in prison.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Proposal Attempts Alcohol Abuse Prevention – WOWT.com
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A proposed change in a Lincoln ordinance is aimed at curbing liquor violations before they occur. The proposal would require bartenders and others who serve alcohol to take special training classes. The Lincoln Journal Star reports an estimated 7,000 servers or sellers of alcohol would have to take the hour-long class that is tentatively priced at $20. Topics include the signs of intoxication and how to avoid serving underage customers.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Addiction Treatment Advocates Call for More Alcohol Tax Money for Programs – KTVA.Com

Calling substance abuse an epidemic in Alaska, advocates of treatment and prevention say the key to getting more people help is by increasing the amount of dollars used from the alcohol beverage tax – money they say could save lives. The numbers are quite frankly embarrassing and heartbreaking, with substance abuse playing a role in nine of Alaska’s top ten causes of death.

DRUG REHAB – WORLDWIDE
Can Exercise Help Treat Addiction? – Huffington Post

When an individual is trying to recover from addiction, the body and mind miss whatever was producing endorphins in the brain, responsible for that “high” feeling. Add in everyday stress, which can heighten cravings, and the recovery process can be a knockdown, drag-out fight.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Drinking Games Causing Legal, School Problems for Light, Moderate Drinkers – College Times
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A new study suggests that drinking games – and not the actual act of consuming a moderate amount of alcohol – is getting light and moderate drinkers into trouble with the law and school.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drug-testing proposal for welfare recipients debated – New Philadelphia Times Reporter

A proposal to require welfare recipients to pass a drug test — an idea being pushed by GOP lawmakers in Ohio and other states — is being questioned as an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Chris Rene says he’d use ‘The X Factor’ prize money to create a rehab center – OnTheRedCarpet.com

Chris Rene says if he wins “The X Factor” he’ll take the $5 million prize money and use it to create a rehab center for individuals like himself.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Long struggles with drugs ended in death – StarNewsOnline.com

Prescription drug abusers do not fit neatly into a profile or a stereotype, but range from the teenager stealing bottles from the medicine cabinet to the senior chewing pills to quell chronic pain.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug Tampering Cases Show Gaps in Nurse Regulation in Kansas – Insurance Journal

A nurse with a prior felony conviction for forging prescriptions dilutes morphine solutions for five Halstead, Kan., nursing home patients. Another nurse convicted of stealing drugs from patients at an Emporia home gets another job in Topeka, where she adds tap water to a painkiller prescribed for a 105-year-old patient. Still another nurse …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Adolescent drinking may be as important a risk factor for criminal activity as illicit drug use – Eureka Alert

Alcohol use has often been linked to criminal activity on the part of both perpetrators as well as victims. While this relationship has been well documented among adults, fewer studies have explored this relationship among adolescents. A new study has found a strong relationship between drinking during adolescence and the commission of crimes, and criminal victimization, for both genders.

DRUG REHAB – USA
A young woman struggles with oxy addiction and recovery – Tampabay.com

When her mom came to pick her up for drug court that morning, Stacy Nicholson was still high. She staggered to the door, fumbled with the bungee cord that kept it closed, blinked back the sunlight.

ECSTASY – SCOTLAND
Warning over ecstasy pills that raise overdose risk – BBC News

Police have issued a warning about an ingredient in some ecstasy tablets which could lead to overdosing. partygoers should be aware of the potentially fatal risks. Tablets which look like ecstasy have been found to contain a drug called PMMA. The substance has been blamed for several deaths across Europe.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Narconon East US Director Has Holiday Tips For Intervention And Drug Rehab Alternatives – PR Web

Narconon East US Executive Director, Yvonne Rodgers, has lifesaving holiday tips of an unusual nature. Her tips are for the loved ones and parents of those struggling with substance abuse and cover drug abuse intervention and drug rehab as an alternative to jail.

DRUG REHAB – CHINA
Teenage drug abusers fight addiction, seek rehab – China Daily

Eji Lhaze was 14 when he first took “ice”, thinking it was no different from cigarettes. “I was curious how it tasted, because my pals seemed to enjoy every bit of it and sleep like babies after a dose,” he said. “So I just tried a sip.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Florida laws get tougher to crack down on prescription drug abuse – Wink News

Today’s declaration that Florida’s prescription drug abuse crisis is a public health emergency is an aggressive launch of the strong criminal and administrative penalties that are now in effect and will crack down on pill mills in Florida. This ban along with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program will strengthen the oversight of the prescribing of highly addictive drugs and save lives.

DRUG REHAB – USA
U.S. Supreme Court rules longer prison terms not allowed for drug rehab – Sacramento Bee

This was longer than it might have been, but the judge noted that it was long enough to make Tapia eligible for a drug treatment program at a federal prison.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE – USA
Nearly Half of US Teens Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs – WebMD

Nearly half of all American high school students smoke, drink alcohol, or use illicit drugs, according to a new report.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Hope and recovery – Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thierry Wood said she was devastated when she called police in 2007 to arrest her 14-year-old daughter, Nina, whose behavior had become erratic and violent because of her methamphetamine addiction.

ECSTASY – SCOTLAND
Two men die after taking extra-strong ecstasy pills – Herald Scotland

Ecstasy tablets six times stronger than normal may have caused the death of two men in the west of Scotland.

HEROIN – MEXICO/USA
As poppy fields flourish in Mexico, heroin use surges in US – MiamiHerald

What was once a problem largely confined to hubs in California and Texas, Mexican traffickers have expanded into the Midwest and the Atlantic Seaboard. Using savvy marketing tactics, they’ve also repositioned heroin commercially, revamping its image from the inner-city drug of yore, with its junkies and needles, into a narcotic that can be snorted or smoked, appealing to suburban and even rural high school youth.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana Driving Accidents On The Rise – Slate Magazine

Driving while under the influence isn’t just for drunks anymore. There’s a largely unrecognized group causing a growing number of accidents — minor and fatal — across the country: drugged drivers. And many of them may be causing accidents with their use of pot.

MARIJUANA – USA
In Connecticut, Carrying A Small Amount of Marijuana Downgraded from Misdemeanor to Fine – Foxnews.com
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The Connecticut Senate narrowly approved legislation on Saturday that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Oscar De La Hoya Enters Drug Rehab for Substance Abuse – Larry Brown Sports

Former boxer and current promoter Oscar De La Hoya has reportedly entered drug rehab to address a substance problem.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Whitney Houston — 30 Days of Rehab Ain’t Enough! – TMZ.com

Whitney Houston is voluntarily seeking additional treatment for drug and alcohol … TMZ has learned — after completing a 30-day out-patient rehab program earlier this week.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Jeff Conaway Tragedy: Does Dr. Drew Pinsky’s ‘Celebrity Rehab’ Help or Hurt? – foxnews.com

“As usual, Jeff was most likely taking too many medicines. He probably got pneumonia and sat at home too long and was intoxicated by the prescription drugs and didn’t realize he was so sick, and by the time he got to hospital he was in shock. At one point he looked like he was going to make it, but his kidneys shut down.”

DRUG ADDICTION/DRUG COURT – USA
‘I wanted to get off drugs, I just didn’t know how’ – Annapolis Capital

Sharon and Wes Sudduth spent a decade watching as their daughter Melissa Sudduth abused cocaine and heroin and cycled through the county detention center on misdemeanor drug and theft charges.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse and teens – OneNewsNow

11% of the alcohol consumed in the United States is consumed by underage kids. That’s a staggering statistic.

ALCOHOL – SCOTLAND
AFS fears over alcohol abuse in parents – Alcolim

Campaigners in Scotland have raised concerns over the number of parents engaging in high levels of alcohol abuse, it has been revealed. Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) has called for action against the 330,000 children under 16 living with a binge-drinking parent.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Sen. Schumer wants drug website shutdown – YNN

Senator Charles Schumer is asking the government to shutdown a website he calls a digital black market for drugs. Heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine are among the drugs being anonymously sold and bought on the site known as Silk Road. The Senator says the site launched in February and uses restricted access and several layers of secrecy to avoid detection.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Waukomis woman pleads guilty to contributing to death of her daughter – NewsOK.com

Linda Tucker had 10 times the lethal dose of the drug in her system when she died, a state medical examiner reported. Authorities said she had taken the drug with her mother, older brother and her mother’s boyfriend. She lay unresponsive in the back seat of a vehicle for several hours before her mother went for help, but it was too late.

PARTY DRUGS – CANADA
Police uncover new party drug in GTA raid- CityNews ‎

“This is our first seizure and it does concern us as it is one more drug out on the street. It is a recreational drug and a party drug. It produces a similar effect as MDMA (ecstasy), amphetamines and cocaine. The street price is similar to cocaine.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – UK
I strolled into riot jail and found inmates taking drugs & boozing – The Sun

As one inmate gleefully told me: “It’s still party time at Ford, man.” Last month a senior prison officer at the jail told me anonymously that security at McDonald’s was tougher than at Ford. So I decided to put it to the test. …

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
County to drop Prop. 36 drug treatment: Lack of state funding ends program for minor drug offenders – Santa Cruz Sentinel‎

SANTA CRUZ — The county’s Proposition 36 drug treatment program, which provides counseling services to minor drug offenders, will be phased out by March 1 due to a lack of state funding, officials said. Under the 2000 state voter …

HEROIN – USA
Few options for drug treatment – WLFI.com ‎

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After three people overdosed on heroin last weekend, officials are raising concerns about the lack of treatment for the drug in our area.

DRUG COURT – USA
KY bill sends criminals to rehab, not jail – 14WFIE.com ‎

The cost for correctional facilities has increased by $300 million in the past 20 years, the house believes criminals with low level drug offenses should be considered for treatment instead of jail time to cut costs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcoholism and Drug Use in Baseball – BoSox Injection ‎

Cabrera spent 3-months undergoing alcohol abuse treatment at the end of 2009 and into 2010, but now faces a relapse and more issues related to his disease. Many fans are outraged and want him suspended, but what issue does a suspension solve?

ALCOHOL – USA
Many Kids Who Drink Get Liquor From Home: Report – BusinessWeek ‎

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 5000 youngsters and teens under the age of 21 die each year as a result of underage drinking, including deaths from falls, burns and drowning. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING – USA
Rogers urges Fla. governor not to cancel drug monitoring system – Lexington Herald Leader ‎

“On behalf of my constituents, who continue to suffer from out-of-control and escalating prescription drug diversion originating from your state, I respectfully ask that you reverse your position on the value of and unquestionable need for” the monitoring system.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Florida hospitals see rise in drug-addicted newborns – AZ Central.com‎

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s prescription-drug epidemic – already responsible for nearly seven deaths a day – is taking its toll on the youngest, most vulnerable in its communities: newborns. In 2009, nearly 1,000 babies born in Florida hospitals were treated for drug-withdrawal syndrome.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT – USA
Report shows substance treatment is a money saver – KHQ Right Now

Research by Washington State University’s Public Policy Center shows for every $1 spent on treatment costs, Idaho saves $1.38 on criminal justice costs. Idaho Office of Drug Policy program manager Sharon Burke told state budget writers Monday that …

DRUG LAWS – USA
Kentucky House committee approves changes to drug penalties – Lexington Herald Leader

It would reduce penalties for drug possession — often to misdemeanors — and allow courts to send minor offenders to addiction treatment and place them on an appropriate level of community supervision. Simply locking up everyone convicted for drug …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Will Rehab Ruin El DeBarge Music Comeback? – The Stir ‎

He has been arrested on three occasions for drug possession and served almost two years in prison from 2008 to 2009. The struggle of addiction doesn’t ever go away, but if he’s still using, then he is smart to get treatment before putting himself out there on tour.

DRUG COURT – CANADA
Safe jails, safer streets – Calgary Herald ‎

One need only look at the cost effectiveness of drug treatment courts, where addicts agree to monitoring and treatment as an alternative to jail time. Studies have shown that drug courts save the health and criminal justice systems $4 for every $1.

DRUG COURT – USA
Local Drug Court earns state certification – The Tennessean ‎

“The drug court program is an alternative to incarceration and integrates chemical dependency treatment and community resources with the criminal justice system.” Judge Robert E. Burch presides over Drug Court each Thursday night to review …

MARIJUANA/ALCOHOL – USA
If marijuana is too dangerous, what about alcohol? – Baltimore Sun ‎

Did it ever occur to Mr. Gimbel that alcohol abuse also causes psychosis? Is he ignorant of the damage done to individuals and society from alcohol every year? And I’m not just referring to traffic accidents and deaths from drunk driving. …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
DC Prosecutors Won’t Use Breath Test Results – W*USA 9 ‎

Last year, DC police revealed problems with their breath testing equipment that sometimes resulted in the machines showing people with higher blood-alcohol concentrations than they actually had. Acting Attorney General Irvin Nathan said Tuesday that …

ALCOHOL TREATMENT – USA
Recovery Now TV Recommends Early Alcoholism Recovery Treatment for Successful Long-Term Recovery in Teens – Benzinga

It also shows how important it is for parents to get alcoholism recovery treatment for their teens early on so that they can learn how to live their life without alcohol abuse. Recovery Now TV has established some guidelines for talking to teens about the dangers of abusing alcohol.

DRUG ABUSE – UK
Opium perfume ad banned for ‘simulated drug use’ – The Guardian ‎

… and seduced the viewer to become this addiction”. The company said that it was a responsible advertiser and did not intend to use drug imagery in the ad …

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE – USA
NIDA: Drug Abuse Alters Brain Circuitry Long-Term – JoinTogether.org

State-of-the-art brain imaging shows that changes in the brain’s reward circuitry caused by substance abuse likely remain even after drug and alcohol use stop.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Chesco principal tells heartbreak of son’s drug use and death – Pottstown Mercury ‎

Through tears and heartbreak, Rick Dunlap recounted how prescription drug addiction abruptly ended his son’s life.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Porn star Kacey Jordan: ‘Charlie Sheen’s drug use was like a suicide binge’ – Examiner.com ‎

Charlie, who has a long history of alcohol and drug addiction, is now in a personalized three-month drug rehab program at home, where he is being supervised …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Columbia Ivy League Drug Bust: How reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws could help the alleged Ivy League Drug dealers – Slate Magazine

Opponents say the laws were not only outdated, but also ineffective (incarcerated drug addicts had high recidivism rates), costly (it cost more to imprison …

DRUG COURT – USA
Specialty courts: Justice system partners find solutions to ease budgets, reduce crime, and help offenders make lasting changes – WisBar

“Drug courts are a smart way to address the problem of nonviolent offenders who commit crimes driven by drug addiction,” said Dane County Circuit Court …

ECSTASY – USA
Viagra, ecstasy pills mixed as ‘sextacy’ – Toronto Sun ‎

With what some call ‘sextacy,’ the drug Viagra is sometimes paired with ecstasy, a popular and often lethal party drug touted as an aphrodisiac. …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
‘The price of a drink: survey reveals cost of alcohol abuse’ – The Publican

The toll that alcohol takes on many people’s lives is laid bare in a survey which has prompted fresh calls for action to tackle widespread …

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
Treatment not yet a focus of drug task force – Chillicothe Gazette‎

Ted Strickland would have not seen in the task force’s initial report: drug rehab. When Strickland created the task force in April, he instructed it to …

DRUG REHAB – USA
State moving more money out of inmate rehab programs – California Watch

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation quietly transferred millions of dollars out of beleaguered rehabilitation programs last year to cover shortfalls in other areas like prison security.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE – USA
Study: Former NFL Players Are Popping Painkillers and Are in ‘Poor Health’ – TIME

A new study commissioned by ESPN and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that retired NFL players are suffering a lot of pain.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Cutbacks in prescription drug enforcement will cost lives – Tbo.com

Although Florida has seen a steady decline in illegal drug use over the past few years, we continue to face a growing problem with prescription drug abuse …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Solana Beach talk sheds light on the prescription drug abuse gripping San Diego County – Del Mar Times‎

“A big reason for that is we’re seeing a whole new generation of drug addicts who see pills as a cure-all,” he said. “Think about it: When you turn on the TV today, every other commercial is for some magic pill.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
Alcohol Abuse: Middle-Class Women Are ‘New Bingers’ – Express.co.uk

The shocking figures show the middle-classes are fuelling the country’s alcohol crisis, while most of the rest of the nation cut back. …

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Law professionals, students at risk of substance abuse – UI The Daily Iowan

Tindal spoke before a group of University of Iowa law students and faculty members Thursday on the topic of substance abuse among legal professionals and …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Not guilty plea in CA meth-laced breastmilk death – Washington Post

A Northern California woman has pleaded not guilty to killing her 6-week-old baby by feeding him methamphetamine-laced breast milk.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Michael Jackson accused of drug addiction: ‘It was his milk’ – Examiner.com

Michael Jackson is being accused of drug addiction in the involuntary manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray. While the doctor has pled not guilty to …

DRUG COURT REHAB – USA
Addict says drug court got her sober – Philadelphia Neshoba Democrat

Denise Tubby of Philadelphia said that when she started Drug Court she desperately needed help because of her addiction to drugs. She told those gathered in …

HEROIN – USA
Heroin, Rx pain-killer deaths high in 2009 – Zanesville Times Recorder ‎

Orman Hall, director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, said the data reinforces only the widespread belief that heroin and …

DRUG OVERDOSE – SCOTLAND
Report: Drug users given no help – Herald Scotland ‎

More than a third of Scots who died from illegal drug use did not get any help for their addiction, a report showed yesterday. The analysis of 432 deaths …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Up to 35% of wounded soldiers addicted to drugs – USAToday

Medical officials estimate that 25% to 35% of about 10,000 ailing soldiers assigned to special wounded-care companies or battalions are addicted or dependent on drugs

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drugs: Abuse can be lethal – Danville Weekly

“Addiction can happen quickly and recovery can be extremely difficult and costly.” The latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 56 …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Count of children affected by methamphetamine up – Jackson Sun

In a record year for meth lab busts in Tennessee, the illegal drug making also affected a substantially higher …