Drug News

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth fills hospitals with burn patients – Atlanta Journal Constitution

A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment — a burden so costly that it’s contributing to the closure of some burn units.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription for abuse: difficulties for reform effort – Crosscut

Too many people are abusing painkillers, many of them young. Very few abusers are in treatment. And it won’t be easy reversing a history of lax oversight. Washington State has made an aggressive attempt to crack down on the prescription drug epidemic by passing strict new rules governing pain management. But even those may not be enough to stanch the flood of deaths from prescription opiates in this state.

DRUG REHAB – USA
A Bridge to Recovery on Campus – New York Times

In their undergrad uniforms of fleece and sweats, a clutch of Rutgers students gathered on the worn red couches of their dorm’s common room and told their stories. A good-looking, fun-loving 23-year-old described arriving at college freshman year with a daily pot-smoking habit and a close relationship with alcohol. He soon followed the lead of his alcoholic father and was binge drinking. For his self-diagnosed anxiety and depression, he secretly began taking Klonopin, which he bought from another student. By sophomore year, he was taking six a day. And when it ran out, he wound up in a hospital to manage withdrawal, followed by nine months of rehab.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Army report: Suicide rate sets record; some alcohol abuse up 54 percent – Christian Science Monitor

The Afghanistan and Iraq wars make up the longest period of conflict in US history. “There are second- and third-order effects that have grown out of this that our nation has never experienced before.” As much as 43 percent of active-duty soldiers reported binge drinking within the past month. 25-35 percent of wounded soldiers are addicted to prescription or illegal drugs while they await medical discharge. Oxycodone accounts for 95 percent of those prescriptions.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Top-ranked, with policies making it worse: Wisconsin once again is first in binge drinking – Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

Once again, Wisconsin is No. 1. But this time, we’re No. 1 in binge drinking. This isn’t just embarrassing; it borders on social pathology. A fourth of all adults report they are binge drinkers. That’s 50% higher than the national average. These statistics seem substantially underreported because Wisconsin purchases much more alcohol than it reports drinking. The fact is, we don’t take binge drinking and the alcohol-related problems it creates seriously. It’s cultural. Alcohol abuse and problems associated with alcohol have long been accepted or tolerated in this state.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin’s siren song: A force that’s stronger than will or reason – Post Gazette

Their life circumstances, by many measures, couldn’t be more different — he’s a middle-aged black man from a hardscrabble Mon Valley steel town; she’s a young white woman originally from an affluent suburb of Austin, Texas. But what they have in common — heroin addiction early in life — trumps what they don’t. That’s because heroin is as nondiscriminatory as it is destructive.

CLUB DRUGS – USA
Popular club drug replaced by a more toxic one: Cloud Nine – Pocono Record

A popular club drug has been replaced by a more toxic one — one that’s cheaper, more potent and deadlier. Cloud Nine or C-9 is the newest brand in a category of designer drugs that can cause erratic behavior, serious injuries and addiction. It’s among the newest replacement drugs for Ecstasy. Cloud Nine, based on similar chemicals as so-called “bath salts,” is a hallucinogen and stimulant. It’s sometimes marketed as plant food, insect repellent or fertilizer.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Horror no surprise in the U.S. meth capital; Pure ‘poor man’s cocaine’ blamed in wave of domestic slayings – Bend Bulletin

Chronic use of the harsh chemical compound known as speed or crank can lead to psychosis, which includes hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. The stimulant effect of meth is up to 50 times longer than cocaine, so users stay awake for days on end, impairing cognitive function and contributing to extreme paranoia. “Once people who are on meth become psychotic, they are very dangerous. We’re talking about very extreme alterations of normal brain function. Once someone becomes triggered to violence, there aren’t any limits or boundaries.”

DRUG REHAB – USA
Everyone Gets The Lindsay Lohan Treatment w/ White House Drug Policy – Politic 365

Conventional, progressive-thinking wisdom is that alcohol and drug abuse is a disease that should be responded to in a humane way. It entails the thinking that sending folks to treatment may be a better option than locking them up.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Help those recovering from alcohol dependence during the holidays – Newark Advocate

The holiday season is a time to celebrate family and friendships. For many, the calendar is filled with invitations to parties and get-togethers. For others, the holiday season is a time of increased pressure and stress. Those recovering from drug and alcohol dependence might feel anxious about accepting invitations to events where alcohol is involved.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Court Appointed Rehab Center To Re-Open Their Doors – News West 8

A court appointed drug rehab center in Midland had to close their doors this past summer because of budget cuts. Austin cut them out of the picture but now a few months later they got some of their funding back and they’re re-opening their doors.

HEROIN – USA
Man gets 5 years for giving heroin to Stafford man who overdosed – Asbury Park Press

A 27-year-old Staten Island man was sentenced today to five years in prison for distributing heroin to a Stafford man who overdosed on it and later died.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/HEROIN – USA
A look at how prescription pill abuse is fueling the comeback of a deadly drug – The Camarillo Acorn

How does a promising youth with ties to the church go from dreams of football stardom to the commission of a felony robbery in less than a year? “Drugs are the only reason I robbed that house. Just to make money to buy them and sell them or do whatever,” David, 19, said. “I had never even gotten a parking ticket before then.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – BRAZIL
Brazil football legend Socrates dies at the age of 57 following short illness – Daily Mail

Brazil legend Socrates has died at the age of 57 after suffering an intestinal infection. It was the third time in four months that he had been treated at an intensive care unit since alcohol abuse caused his stomach to haemorrhage in August.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Keeps a Grip on City – Gazettextra

Heroin addicts aren’t an easy group to survey. Even anecdotally, it’s hard to get an estimate of how many people in Janesville are using white powder heroin, the addictive narcotic that gained local popularity in early 2008.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth threat rises as cooking labs get smaller, more dangerous – Florida Times Union

Methamphetamine lab seizures in Northeast Florida are about 83 percent higher this year than in all of 2010 at a time when those who make it have turned to a more dangerous way of producing the drug.

HEROIN – USA
Tennessee authorities expect surge in heroin use – ‎Houston Chronicle

Law enforcement agents around Tennessee are bracing for a resurgence of heroin use as prescription drug users turn to the drug, fueled by users’ need for a low-cost alternative and dealers’ aggressive marketing techniques.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
New Drug Tests Target the Poor – In These Times

This year alone, at least 30 state legislatures (including Louisiana, Massachusetts and Illinois) have considered bills that would require people to pass a drug test to become eligible to receive welfare benefits.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Abuse of Pills Jumps in City, Report Shows – Wall Street Journal

Next to marijuana, painkillers are the drugs that New Yorkers are taking illegally more than any other, according to a drug survey by the city’s Department of Health that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
Social Networking Tied to Teen Drug, Alcohol Use – WebMD
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Teens who spend time on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking sites may be more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and use drugs. But it’s not the fact that teens visit social network sites that makes them more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs. Instead, the issue seems to be what they view on those sites.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
The risks of meth labs – Norman Transcript
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Although legislation has reduced the number of illegal methamphetamine labs around the state, the danger of fire and explosion remains. A case reported on by the Tulsa World reminds us of the risks meth cooks take.

DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE – AUSTRALIA
NSW firies blazing over drug tests – ABC Online
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New South Wales fire fighters are threatening industrial action over a State Government plan to introduce random drug and alcohol testing. The Fire Brigade Employees Unions says there is no evidence of drug and alcohol abuse to justify the intrusions of its members’ privacy.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Army hiring more counselors for alcohol abuse – The Associated Press

Washington – The army is increasing its staff of substance abuse counselors by about 30 percent to help the rising number of troops with alcohol problems.

ECSTASY – USA
‘Ecstasy pill’ kills exam party girl, 16 – The Sun

A teenage girl has died of a suspected ecstasy overdose while with a group of pals celebrating their exam results — just days before her 17th birthday. Serena Harding is believed to have suffered a heart attack after taking a tablet at a beauty spot.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Officials warn of prescription drugs in schools – WVLT

Maryville City school officials worry more kids are abusing prescription pills like Oxycontin, Percocet and Adderall.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
No shame, only hope, in fighting your child’s drug addiction – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Really, really good kids become addicted to drugs, and really, really good kids lie, cheat and steal to protect that addiction. The change doesn’t happen overnight.

DRUG ADDICTION – UK
Lib Dems to vote to decriminalise all drug use – The Independent

The proposed reform is based on legislation in Portugal, where the personal use of any controlled drug is no longer a criminal offense.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Former Judge Richard Baumgartner tells his story of drug use – WBIR-TV

Drug addiction can happen to anyone. A criminal court judge for more than a decade, Richard Baumgartner was a family face at community function focused on the prevention of crime and drugs. However, the shocking revelation of his own addiction forced him to step down from the bench.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Michael Jackson’s doctor sued for fueling his drug addiction – Star Lounge

Michael Jackson’s dermatologist Arnold Klein has been accused of fueling the pop star’s addiction to prescription drugs.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Army hiring more counselors for alcohol abuse – ‎The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The army is increasing its staff of substance abuse counselors by about 30 percent to help the rising number of troops with alcohol problems.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
What Parents Should Know About Party Schools – LifeGoesStrong

Headline-grabbing is list of top party schools put out by Princeton Review inevitably draws protests from administrators at the “winning” schools and probably lots of interest from potential students. But most parents look at this list in horror – as they should. You’re paying a fortune for your kid to get an education, not for partying.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Unscrupulous pain clinic operators give good doctors a bad rap – Knoxville News Sentinel

Every month for two years, Freddie McMahan would get in his Lincoln LS and drive to a nearby pain clinic, where a doctor would prescribe him a cocktail of narcotic drugs. Initial prescriptions for codeine and Demerol to treat McMahan’s scoliosis eventually led to large amounts of OxyContin, Xanax and morphine. By the third week of his month’s supply, McMahan would run out, leaving him scrambling to get his fix somewhere else or go into withdrawal.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Our view: All must join war to put meth labs out of business – Utica Observer Dispatch

It’s time to go to war. Looking the other way is no longer an option because the losers in this fight could very well be your neighbors, your friends or even your own family. This war is against methamphetamine. Perhaps it’s being made right now in a home near yours. Methamphetamine is ugly. Users inject it, smoke it, snort it or swallow it. It affects the central nervous system, and is highly addictive. Results: Anxiety, psychotic and violent behavior, paranoia and brain damage. Addicts can die from continued use, if not before.

HEROIN – USA
Cops say they’ve busted huge Park Slope heroin ring – BrooklynPapers.com

Federal investigators say that several “brands” of Heroin like this one called “Cream,” were readily available on the streets of Park Slope. The brownstone neighborhood is slowly getting a reputation as a one-stop shopping destination for drug buyers.

COCAINE – USA
Officials push for stiffer penalties for cocaine possession – WLBZ-TV

“In the city of Portland, cocaine is the drug that is creating the most trouble, we have many stories of how the cocaine has ravaged communities, neighborhoods and families. This law is a policy statement that the state of Maine does not condone drug use,” explained Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Ex-Drug Addict: I’m Forever Grateful to David Wilkerson – Christian Post

“The gang members became drug addicts. The same young men we knew as gang members, we started to know them as drug addicts,” explained Wilkerson, who still directs Teen Challenge Brooklyn.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth lab found in Loup City – Grand Island Independent

LOUP CITY — A 48-year-old Loup City man was arrested Tuesday when the components of a methamphetamine lab were found in downtown Loup City. Jeffrey Arnold was arrested on felony charges.

ALCOHOL – USA
Now is time to talk to teens about alcohol – Marietta Times

Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are 5 times more likely to develop alcohol dependency or abuse alcohol later in life. When drinking is delayed until 21, a person’s risk of serious alcohol problems is reduced by 70%.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Territory doctors tackle alcohol abuse debate – ABC Online

We get lots of people who suffer injuries as a result of alcohol related violence but we also see the effects of long term alcohol use and very young people with chronic illness of many forms relating to alcohol from chronic brain injuries, from recurrent infections which are likely worsened by alcohol, chronic liver disease, acute pancreatitis.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug drop-off points being set up throughout county – The Flint Journal

The drugs eventually will be incinerated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. With a rise in opiate abuse in the area and after a string of fatal overdoses, preventing prescription drug abuse is the major motivation for the drug take-back.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Police investigation leads to major bust – StarPhoenix

In total, 53 grams of cocaine, five pounds of marijuana, numerous prescription pills, a small amount of ecstasy, a large amount of cash and a weapon were seized, along with three vehicles. “We’re sending a clear message to those who choose to deal drugs. It is unacceptable to the good people that choose to live, work and raise their families in our part of the world. This is just the start.”

HEROIN – USA
Heroin exacting a toll on suburbia – Chicago Sun-Times
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Heroin maintains a choke hold on many of those who abuse illegal substances, particularly young Chicago suburbanites. And it is deadlier than ever.

BATH SALTS/HEROIN – USA
Battle Against Bath Salts & Synthetic Marijuana Gains Ground – FOX43.com

Bath salts are power synthetic stimulants designed to rival cocaine or methamphetamine. Those who use bath salts often feel agitated, paranoid, may hallucinate and commit violent acts. “Bath salts may represent the most dangerous drug crisis we face.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Fact-checking claims about the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program – The Florida Independent

The evidence suggests that states which are proactive in their approach to regulation are more effective in reducing the per-capita supply of prescription pain relievers and stimulants.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Suspect: Drug sale was April Fools’ joke – UPI.com
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The task force said Medeiros told the agents she had to take the money to another location to get the drugs from a third-party dealer and she left the scene with $525. Agents said the woman never returned. Medeiros was later located inside a vehicle.

COCAINE – USA
Councilman Arrested, Facing Drug Charge – WSMV Nashville ‎

According to a detective, the arrest came after deputies recently observed Pyrdom as he sold a gram of cocaine in a Walmart parking lot in Shelbyville. “It was a jaw-dropper,” said Moore County Mayor Sloan Stewart.

ECSTASY – USA
Experts study, fear long-term effects of ‘Ecstasy’ – Deseret News

Addiction is not the big concern with MDMA or “Ecstasy”; it’s mostly a weekend party drug, experts said. But evidence of a probable bad long-term impact is growing as researchers delve deeper into MDMA.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – UK
Drug runners to avoid prison under sentencing guidelines – Telegraph.co.uk

Drug runners and small–scale dealers could escape prison even if caught with a 50–gram bag of cocaine or heroin or dozens of Ecstasy pills, under planned new guidance for courts.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth Labs Multiply as Cleanup Dollars Shrink – ABC News

Last year, Sheriff Joe Guy’s department busted 161 meth labs in McMinn County in eastern Tennessee — at an average cost to the federal government of $3250 per lab. This year, he’s expecting at least as many labs as in 2010.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Advocates Push Pols to Reform Rehab, Drug Prevention – ‎Long Island Press

Drug-test student athletes. Strengthen social host laws. Sic drug-sniffing dogs on school lockers. Overhaul the substance-abuse rehabilitation sector. Enact better controls over prescription medication. Require health insurance companies to cover rehab bills.

DRUG REHAB PROGRAM – USA
Letter: Incarceration is waste of taxpayers’ dollars without drug rehab program – ‎TCPalm

The St. Lucie jail has a drug program but a large majority of inmates can’t participate. The jail manager is quoted as saying, “It’s not a right but a privilege.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Officers Target Adults Supplying Alcohol To Minors – NBC Montana

The Lake County Flathead Reservation Alcohol Enforcement Team is banking on that. They’re trying to stop adults from supplying alcohol to minors.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Hickenlooper catches flak for changes in low-alcohol beer sales – Denver Post

Convenience-store owners are accusing Gov. John Hickenlooper of meddling in a battle over who gets to sell low-strength beer in Colorado.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Combinations of drugs can be deadly – Laredo Sun

LAREDO, TX .- “They combine drugs that they can find at home and mix it with ecstasy and drink alcohol. They take drugs, particularly drugs stolen from their homes to enter the party,”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Lawman to fight drugs, corruption within state – Columbus Dispatch

“I wanted someone with a fire in their belly to do this job because we’re going after public corruption, and we’re going after prescription drugs,” DeWine said.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Missouri remains in top 3 state for meth lab seizures – Lakenewsonline.com

Law enforcement agents investigated 1960 incidents with meth labs or parts of meth labs in 2010, compared to 1285 methamphetamine lab seizures in 2007. “Once again, Missouri has the unfortunate distinction of being the leader in meth lab seizures, despite the hard work of the state’s drug task forces and all law enforcement,”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Oklahoma’s Narcotics Bureau to pay for meth lab cleanup – NewsOK.com

Federal funds to clean up methamphetamine labs has run out, and state Narcotics Bureau officials say they will now pay for the costs of cleaning up a problem that’s again on the rise in the state.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Road to OxyContin Addiction – Opposing Views‎

Narconon Trois-Rivieres helped Cliff to end his life of OxyContin addiction by providing holistic treatment which did not involve the use of other drugs. Others are not so fortunate. There are many rehab centers which substitute one drug for another …

DRUG TREATMENT – USA
Bills aim to cut prison costs, improve drug treatment – Louisville Courier-Journal‎

After months of study, the General Assembly will begin considering proposals next week aimed at reducing Kentucky’s soaring prison population and thereby curbing costs through such things as better drug treatment and alternatives to incarceration.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – WORLDWIDE
WHO: Alcohol Abuse Kills 2.5 Million People Each Year – VOANEWS.com

The World Health Organization is calling for action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which kills 2.5 million people every year.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
NASCAR Needs Ounce of Prevention in Substance Abuse Policy – SpeedwayMedia.com‎

They are also stunned when they learn of the amount of alcohol that it takes for their particular body type to be considered legally and functionally impaired. NASCAR must consider being more proactive when it comes to prevention of substance abuse in …

PARTY DRUGS – USA
Husband Slips Ecstasy Into Wife’s Dinner – Cleveland Scene Weekly ‎

Who knows what would drive a man to slip some Ecstasy into his wife’s food. Maybe he thought she’d be more fun high. Maybe he thought it would kick up her sex drive. Maybe he wanted to have a dance party later in the night. …

HEROIN – USA
Heroin overdoses soar in Boston – Boston Herald‎

An apparent spike in heroin overdoses in the Hub has health officials deploying resources to keep the number from rising higher. Heroin overdoses have killed five people in Boston so far this year, said Rita Nieves, Substance Abuse

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Jefferson County sheriff: Several children taken from meth lab home – KMOV.com ‎

The Jefferson County sheriff’s department discovered a meth lab inside a home early Tuesday morning. Residents called the authorities after smelling a strange odor coming from a home on Meadow Drive at Jarvis Road in Joachim, Missouri.

COCAINE/METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Synthetic cocaine, methamphetamine being sold as “bath salts” – WJHG-TV‎

“I saw us go through this years ago with GHB. It started with GHB and then you know other forms of chemicals you could buy at the hardware store. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
More people dying from drug overdose – HealthCanal.com

A study from the University of Colorado Denver has found a substantial increase in US rates of death due to drug overdoses.

HEROIN – USA
Clinics treating more heroin addicts – Austin News ‎

Local treatment centers blame prescription drug addictions that are opening the doors to heroin addictions. As a rodeo clown in his 20′s, Jack Housworth …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Sheriff: New prescription law is hindered by state border – Natchez Democrat ‎

Bordering Louisiana, which does not have such a law, makes the new law only a minor inconvenience to those looking to get pseudoephedrine-based medicine such as Sudafed.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Woman with curtain rod fights levitating God – Detroit Free Press
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“She told police that her friend uses steroids and GHB … Later, she reported that he was texting her from the hospital that he was not sorry for what happened.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE – USA
School calls mandatory substance abuse meeting for parents – NECN‎

Almost all schools have concerns over drugs and alcohol abuse, but Swampscott High School’s new principal is trying to tackle the problem head on. And it’s raising some eyebrows.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Pacific Beach residents take new tack to regulate bars – San Diego Union Tribune ‎

Alcohol abuse has long been a simmering issue in Pacific Beach, which has been ground zero in San Diego’s crackdown on booze. It was a drunken Labor Day …

COCAINE – UK
Border Agency Reveals Varied Methods of Drug Smuggling – BBC News

Officers in Kent found £500000 worth of cocaine packed into yams, which had been cut open and glued back together again.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Good for something: TSA scanner finds passenger’s meth – McClatchy Washington Bureau

Rhonda Renee Simmons is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 12 on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance after police say she got caught with about a gram of methamphetamine in her pocket Tuesday night at the Boise Airport.

MARIJUANA – USA
Experts worry that medical-pot laws promote teen use – Denver Post ‎

The experts say they especially worry that increasingly permissive attitudes surrounding marijuana use might be leading to higher teenage drug use and …

HEROIN – USA
Man sentenced to 6 years in heroin overdose death – Chicago Tribune‎

A southwestern Illinois man has been ordered to spend six years in prison after he admitted his role in the heroin overdose death of another man.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Limits on over-the-counter decongestants could aid fight against meth – The Tennessean

Authorities’ reasoning is that pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in the decongestants, is also a critical element for making methamphetamine.

METHAPHETAMINE – USA
Man told police he was high on meth when he stole car with baby inside – Pioneer Press‎

… with stealing a car in St. Paul last week with a baby inside told police he was “really high” on methamphetamine at the time, a criminal complaint said. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
State expands ID check for drugs – Boston Globe ‎

“The rising number of overdose deaths from prescription drug abuse is a very significant problem in Massachusetts.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse ‘epidemic,’ local doctor says – Beckley Register-Herald‎

Nearly half of all emergency room visits result from prescription drug abuse involving opioid-related medicine, or for a combination of illicit substances, …

ALCOHOL – USA
Students fight back on alcohol abuse – MiamiHerald.com‎

The poster is part of an innovative campaign called “Project Brain” to help change students’ perceptions about alcohol abuse. Having lost several friends …