Drug News

Crack Cocaine – USA
Police confuse candy for crack – United Press International, Inc.

New York police are refusing to apologize to two men arrested for drug possession and held for a week over what turned out to be a bag of candy.

Drug Rehab – Cambodia
Report Details Torture in Cambodian Drug Rehab Centers – SPHERE

Drug rehabilitation centers in Cambodia are being used to torture and extort money from detainees, according to a report released Monday by the international human rights group Human Rights Watch. The group alleges that the government-run detention centers are not rehabilitating drug users but instead holding them illegally, often at the request of inmates’ families.

Heroin – USA
Pair in Colorado Springs busted with “balloons” of heroin – DenverPost.com

Police in Colorado Springs acting on a tip arrested a suspected drug dealer and buyer who were driving around with 60 balloons containing heroin.

Heroin – Scotland
Anthrax claims eighth drug addict victim in Scotland – DailyRecord.co.uk

THE number of drug addicts who have died after being infected with anthrax has risen to eight, officials said today.

Underage Drinking – USA
Drunk 15-year-old caught for hit-and-run crash – ColoradoConnection.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — An unlicensed, drunk 15-year-old boy was caught by Colorado Springs police officers after he allegedly drove southbound in the northbound lanes of Academy Boulevard Saturday night, then managed to speed onto I-25 with officers in pursuit.

Alcohol – India
Man beaten to death in west Delhi – Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) A man was beaten to death and his younger brother was severely injured by four allegedly drunk men when the duo objected to their urinating on their house’s wall in west Delhi, police said Saturday. One of the assailants has been arrested.

Drug Addiction – USA
Celebrity Addiction A Growing Tragedy – TransworldNews

Celebrity drug addiction gives us a tragic look at the limelight. Far too many celebrities are suffering with or dying from drug addiction or the circumstances surrounding it.

Cocaine – Europe
Study Reveals The Role Played By Cocaine In Sudden Death – Medical News Today

Forensic pathologists have shown that over three per cent of all sudden deaths in south-west Spain are related to the use of cocaine. They believe their findings can be extrapolated to much of the rest of Europe, indicating that cocaine use is a growing public health problem in Europe and that there is no such thing as “safe” recreational use of small amounts of the drug.

Drugs – Mexico
Mexico-US Cooperation Cited in 2nd Druglord Arrest – ABC News International

The capture of a brutal druglord accused of ordering massacres, beheadings and the dissolving of bodies in caustic soda marks the second time in less than a month Mexico has taken down one of its most powerful traffickers.

Alcohol – USA
Muhammad Abu Tahir Charged In Denver With Disrupting Crew – The Huffington Post

A passenger on a diverted AirTran Airways flight accused of becoming unruly after he was refused more alcohol was charged Wednesday with interfering with a flight crew.

Alcohol – USA
Internet-Based Intervention for Alcohol Abusers – Alcohol Problems and Solutions

Few problem drinkers are willing to use in-person services for alcohol abuse. Therefore, the use of internet-based interventions holds promise in overcoming such resistance.

Heroin – Scotland
Seventh Scots anthrax drug death – BBC News

A seventh person with anthrax has died as infection among heroin users continues to spread around the country, health officials have confirmed.

Heroin – Scotland
‘Anthrax heroin’ cases spreading – BBC News

Health officials believe contaminated heroin – thought to be responsible for cases of anthrax in Glasgow – may be circulating elsewhere in Scotland.

Drug Trafficking – USA
Two arrested for trafficking heroin – CarolinaLive.com

The Florence County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrests of two men accused of trafficking heroin.

Drug Overdose – USA
Mass. Parents Going On Trial In Girl’s Overdose – Associated Press

Before she turned 3, Rebecca Riley was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity and bipolar disorders. By age 4 she was dead. Authorities said her body succumbed to a cocktail of prescription drugs typically given to adults.

Marijuana – USA
Fla. Cops Hold Pot Plants Hostage, Leave Ransom Note for “Dumbest” Grower – Crimesider

A pot grower in the Florida Keys apparently had such a craving for his missing marijuana plants, that he fell for a police plot even they didn’t think would work!

Drug Abuse – USA
Exclusive: TSA Workers Caught Using Drugs? – MMX, CBS Interactive Inc.

The Transportation Security Administration, already suffering from embarrassment after a man walked into a terminal unchecked at Newark’s airport, now face allegations that its employees at Los Angeles International Airport were caught on tape using drugs, CBS affiliate KCAL reports.

Cocaine – USA
Reggae Star Banton Moved To Tampa Before Hearing – Associated Press

Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton has been moved to Tampa in advance of a federal court appearance on drug charges.

Marijuana – USA

Pot Found During Traffic Stop Allowed as Evidence - The Associated Press

A federal appeals court says prosecutors can use 470 pounds of marijuana as evidence because the Nebraska traffic stop that led to the drug’s seizure was valid.

Opium – Afghanistan

US grapples with complexity of Afghan drug problem - The Associated Press

KHAN NESHIN, Afghanistan (AP) – The arrival of U.S. Marines has disrupted the illegal drug trade in opium-rich Helmand province – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Heroin – Scotland

Another Death Attributed to Anthrax in Heroin- MedIndia

Doctors in Scotland have confirmed another heroin related death in which the drug was contaminated with anthrax, bringing the number of such cases to three.

Alcohol – USA

Russian vodka drinkers pay the price - euronews

Heavy drinkers in Russia face a new headache – a financial one this time – in an attempt to cure the country’s chronic alcohol problem. Vodka is the tipple of choice as boozers prepare to down more than a few during the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays. But the cheapest half-litre bottle nearly doubled in price today, to 89 roubles (about two euros), to tackle Russia’s liquid love affair.

Alcohol – USA

It’s Not a Hangover, It’s an Allergic Reaction - HealthScout

For people with allergies and asthma, toasting the New Year could result in more than a hangover; it could also set off a variety of unpleasant reactions, warns an organization of allergists.

Drug War – Mexico

Slums are front lines in Mexican drug war - The Dallas Morning News

“In this block alone, all the teens were either killed or disappeared”, said Pedro Reyna Diaz, 46, whose two stepsons were among those swept up in the drug cartel warfare waged in this neglected neighborhood. “An entire generation was lost.”

METH – USA
Idaho Meth Project targets minorities – FOX Idaho News

A year after a campaign was launched to warn teens and young adults away from methamphetamine through graphic television, radio, print and billboard ads, the Idaho Meth Project is targeting minority groups.

METH – USA
Shaken or cooked, meth can still kill – San Marcos Daily Record

It hasn’t been seen on the local level yet, but narcotics authorities are on the lookout for a new generation of methamphetamine that is said to be easier and cheaper to make, but just as dangerous as old-style “cooking” operations.

ALCOHOL – USA
Internet Can Help Curb Drinking Among College Students – US News and World Report

Heavy drinking is a growing problem among university students, but an Internet-based intervention may help them control their alcohol use, a new study finds.

ADDICTION – USA
Addicts Celebrate Continuing Recovery – WSMV News

Hundreds of people in middle Tennessee are battling addictions, whether it be to drugs or alcohol. In honor of this month being National Recovery Month, hundreds met at Centennial Park Tuesday to celebrate their continuing recovery from addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
College Drinking Reduced by Online Interventions – Join Together

College students who received Internet-based screening and brief interventions were less likely to drink alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scottish alcohol death toll up to six times UK average – The Scotsman

Deaths linked to alcohol in some areas of Scotland are six times higher than the UK average, new figures reveal. The death rate in Glasgow Shettleston last year was 574 per cent of the UK national average.

ADDICTION – USA
Narconon Louisiana: The Solution To The Drug Addiction Epidemic – Trans World News

Narconon Louisiana, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, opened its doors in 2006 as a resource for locals struggling with addiction. In an area that had seen some of the worst devastation in years after Hurricane Katrina, there was no real solution in place for the rampant drug use.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
OPD takes prescription drug abuse fight statewide – WFIE News

Owensboro Police will be joining the so-called Drug Diversion Task Force set up by the Kentucky Attorney General to fight prescription drug abuse. Police say it’s a growing problem.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Calif. Drug Database to Target Prescription Abuse – ABC News

California is about to join 20 other states who have a database to monitor people abusing prescription drugs. The idea is to prevent people from going to different doctors to get their drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
What parents should know about teen use of prescription – The Plain Dealer

The fact of the matter is that teens are abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs in alarming numbers. This is the first of two columns about that abuse, and what parents need to know.

ALCOHOL – UK
In Young University Students, Attention And Working Memory Affected By Binge Drinking – Medical News Today

Binge drinkers are defined as males who drink five or more standard alcohol drinks, and females who drink four or more, on one occasion and within a two-hour interval.

DRUGS – UK
Drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2008 – Scottish Government

Statistics of drug-related deaths in 2008 and earlier years, broken down by cause of death, selected drugs reported, age and sex, includes three tables of figures for Health Board areas.

DRUGS – UK
Older generation blamed as drug deaths soar – The Scotsman

The human cost of long-term drug use was laid bare yesterday, as figures show Scotland’s drug death toll has risen to record levels, with a sharp increase in deaths among older users.

ALCOHOL – UK
Don Shenker: We need action to shield children from alcohol – Yorkshire Post

Last month’s statistics from the NHS revealed the true extent of children’s drinking in England and a worrying pattern which has emerged over recent years.

ALCOHOL – UK
Charity warns over child drinkers – BBC News

Fewer children are drinking but those who do are consuming more than ever before, a charity has warned. Alcohol Concern said the number of under-18s admitted to hospital has risen, and more have liver disease.

DRUGS – UK
Drug experts advise ban on Spice – Guardian

The government’s drug experts today advised the home secretary to ban Spice, a herbal smoking mixture thought to be as strong as some strains of skunk cannabis.

CANNABIS – UK
Heroin laced cannabis heading to Brighton streets, police fear – The Argus

Dealers are lacing cannabis with highly addictive heroin to get users hooked on the deadly drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
Oral Cancer Tied to U.K. Binge Drinking Plague – Join Together

Cases of oral cancer have risen sharply among middle-aged Britons since the mid-1990s, and health experts place the blame on binge drinking and a surge in alcohol consumption in the U.K.

DRUGS – UK
Drug death toll in Scotland reaches record levels with 574 people falling victim last year – Daily Record

Experts believe the death rate is rising partly because of the growing numbers of older drug users, many having been been addicts for several years.

ADDICTION – UK
Report says recession will cause rise in alcoholism and drug addiction – Mirror

Alcoholism, wife-beating and drug addiction will soar with the arrival of a “second wave” of recession, it is warned today.

ALCOHOL – USA
Ford To Speak At Alcohol Awareness Program – KTUL News

Oklahoma State men’s head basketball coach Travis Ford will be the keynote speaker at the fourth-annual Alcohol Awareness Program hosted by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity of OSU.

ALCOHOL – USA
Heavy Alcohol Consumption a Cancer Risk – Wine Spectator

A recent study by Montreal researchers found a strong link between heavy alcohol consumption and six different types of cancer in men.

ALCOHOL – USA
Travis Ford to speak at alcohol awareness event at Oklahoma State – KFSM News

Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford plans to speak next week as part of the annual Alcohol Awareness Program hosted by one of the school’s fraternities.

METH – USA
Recognizing the many faces of methamphetamine – Examiner

If you are expecting to see photographs of people with bad skin and bad teeth, don’t hold your breath because I have found that is not always the case. Meth addiction affects people from all walks of life and it is not always obvious by appearance. Certainly, the signs become more obvious with time, but spotting a meth addict is not such an easy task.

METH – CANADA
Tainted town – Ottawa Citizen

Hawkesbury’s mayor says her town isn’t ‘saturated’ with drugs, and says OPP ought to help with big policing bills by sending more officers free of charge.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Many Adolescents Share Prescription Medication – Modern Medicine

One-fifth of U.S. adolescents report sharing prescription medication, and efforts to reduce this practice may be justified, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Friends Don’t Give Friends Prescription Drugs – NPR

It’s long been known that some teenagers raid the family medicine cabinet or a friend’s locker for legal drugs that will get them high. But a new survey suggests that’s not their only prescription drug problem.

HEROIN – USA
Rise in heroin use among youth alarms officials – Roanoke

The first guilty plea is set for today in a Roanoke-area heroin distribution case that is one of several raising alarms among law enforcement agencies, whose officers worry that use of the drug is spreading to younger people.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
UN Agency Warns on Marijuana, Prescription Drugs – Join Together

The International Narcotics Control Board’s (INCB) annual report includes a warning against potent pot and calls for greater controls on Internet pharmacies, but also says that opiate-based painkillers need to be made more available globally.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Use and Cancer Risk and Other Health News – US News and World Report

Consuming as little as one alcoholic drink per day may increase the risk of several types of cancer in middle-aged women, according to a new study published online yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

METH – USA
Economic Study Estimates Meth Abuse Costs Georgia $1.3 Billion, $23 Billion Nationally – Herald Gazette

A recent RAND Corporation study, “The Economic Cost of Meth Use in the United States,” estimates that the national cost of Meth abuse in one year alone exceeds $23.4 billion.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
State must step up prescription drug abuse fight –

At least 40 people in Cabell County died of accidental overdose involving prescription drugs from 2001 to 2006. West Virginia experienced the nation’s largest increase in drug overdose mortality rates from 1999 to 2004, with most of those deaths associated with non-medical use of narcotic painkillers.

ALCOHOL – UK
Gender Divide In Scotland’s Alcohol-Related Deaths – Medical News Today

More than twice as many men die every year in Scotland from alcohol misuse than women, a study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the University of Glasgow has revealed.

ALCOHOL – UK
Regular Light Alcohol Drinking Raises Cancer Risk For Women – Medical News Today

Women who regularly consume one or two alcoholic drinks each day have a notably higher chance of developing cancers compared to women who do not drink regularly, says a new report from Cancer Research UK.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Effort helps dispose of old, unused prescription drugs – AZ Central

Pinal County officials invite Valley residents to safely dispose of their unused or expired prescription drugs at a “drug turn-in” during the Lost Dutchman Days of Apache Junction.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
MT DEA squad focusing on prescription drug cases – Montana’s News Station

The Drug Enforcement Administration currently has seven special agents working in Montana, but they want to add more agents to help with drug cases.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Having Easier Time Getting Prescription Drugs – US News and World Report

It’s easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin or Ritalin than it is to get beer, say a growing number of American teens.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen drug abuse – Watertown Daily Times

Surveys have shown a decline in illegal drug use by teenagers in recent years, but many of the same surveys have also shown an increase in the teens abusing prescription drugs.

METH – USA
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries – Drug War Chronicles
First Global Conference on Methamphetamine to Feature 80 Speakers from 16 Countries
Full Program Agenda Available for Conference September 15-16, 2008, Prague, Czech Republic.

METH – USA
The Lure Of Methamphetamine – Black Voice News

It’s known by many names: meth, crystal, ice, methamphetamine, speed, crank, glass, yaba, tina and many others. Methamphetamine is also extremely addictive and is plowing through the nation, from coast to coast and from city to countryside, leaving behind a trail of broken families and destroyed lives.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Govt urged to collect better data on alcohol consumption – ABC News

A leading Australian health scientist is calling on the Federal Government to order liquor retailers to provide accurate data on alcohol sales in Australia.

ALCOHOL – AUSTALIA
Australia failing to collect data on alcohol consumption – The Australian
DOCTORS say policies to tackle drinking are under threat from a lack of figures on alcohol consumption and warn Australia may become the only OECD nation not to collect the information.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs are in drinking water – Best Syndication

It sounds like the plot of a bad movie; people taking low doses of antibiotics without knowing it until they are no longer able to fight off even simple infections. Believe it or not, this is rapidly becoming a stark reality.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Free outdated prescription drug disposal available Saturday – Times Daily

Curtis Burns said that in at least three out of four households in the Shoals there are outdated prescription drugs that should be disposed of.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse “rampant” in Ohio – WTAM News Radio

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services has released its biannual report on the latest drug trends across the state.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone use, deaths increasing – Statesman

A synthetic form of opium, it is a cheap and powerful pain reliever that has helped millions. But because it is also abused by thrill seekers and prescribed by doctors unfamiliar with its risks, methadone is now the fastest-growing cause of narcotic deaths.

DRUGS – CUBA
US Teens Have Easy Access to Drugs – Prensa Latina

An increasing number of US teens gets, illegally, medicines that should be obtained under prescription, something considered in the threshold of consuming drugs like heroine, said a research revealed on Thursday.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Survey Finds Teens Have Easy Access to Prescription Drugs – Chatter Shmatter

Gaining access to dangerous prescription drugs is becoming easier than buying beer for US teenagers according to the results of a new survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Easier For Teens To Get Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – Chattah Box

A new report released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, has found that it is easier for teenagers in the U.S. to get prescription drugs, compared to getting alcohol, such as beer.

DRUGS – UK
Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2008 – Information Center

This annual statistical report presents information on drug misuse among both adults and children. It includes a focus on young adults.

ALCOHOL – UK
Industry body releases guidance on tackling public underage drinking – Alcohol Policy

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has released a new guidance document ‘A New Way of Tackling Public Underage Drinking: Community Alcohol Partnerships’ which claims to be a new model for local enforcement to tackle underage drinking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Are Americans in Denial about the Widespread Abuse of Prescription Drugs? – Pushing Back

As youth drug use continues to decline nationwide, we very concerned about the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among teens.

DRUGS – UK
Drug treatment outcomes tool: fit for purpose and delivering world-beating data – NTA

The Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) – the tool used for monitoring the effectiveness of substance misuse treatment in England – has been assessed by peer-review as fit for purpose and is published in the journal, Addiction, (September edition, 2008) this week.

DRUGS – USA
Parents’ prescription drugs pose risk to teens – San Francisco Chronicle

The survey, released Thursday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, found that parents are dropping the ball on preventing their kids from using drugs, drinking and smoking. Teenagers surveyed said it’s easier to buy narcotics than beer.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs Easier To Get Than Beer – Injury Board

Kids assume drugs are safe. After all, they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they are in their parents’ medicine chests.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Youngsters Can Procure Prescription Drugs Easier Than Beer – eFlux Media

More youngsters say it’s easier for them to get prescription drugs than it is to acquire beer, shows a new survey released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

DRUGS – USA
Youth access to drugs increases – Christian Science Monitor
Teenagers can get their hands on marijuana and prescription drugs more rapidly and easily this year than last, according to a new study. However, greater drug availability has not yet translated into greater drug abuse in the group – marijuana use among teens continues to decline.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Easily, Illegally Access Prescription Drugs – eMax Health

Teens report it’s easier for them to access prescription drugs than beer, a fact that urges parents to be more attentive. Thirty four percent of teenagers abuse prescription drugs and harm their health without realizing it.