Drug News

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.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
OxyContin abuse spreads from Appalachia across U.S. – Bellingham Herald
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Nearly every family in eastern Kentucky has been touched by prescription drug addiction and death. In the late 1990s, it was easier to find OxyContin – pure oxycodone with a time release – in Kentucky. The pills’ maker, Purdue Pharma, was selling it “hand over fist” to doctors in eastern Kentucky, rich with coal mine injuries and government health care cards.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Bill Aims to Ban Common Cold Remedy Without a Prescription – KLAS-TV

Senator Leslie says it’s a solution to a growing drug abuse problem in Nevada. She claims it is a proven option and cited Mississippi, which took pseudoephedrine off the market six months ago. She says the state has seen a 90 percent drop in crime …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
City, county, school officials ready drug drop-off – Republican & Herald‎

More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
Health bodies attack government alcohol abuse campaign – ShareCast ‎

A group of health organizations are refusing to sign up for the government’s campaign to tackle alcohol abuse as they feel it does not go far enough.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Doctors Lax in Monitoring Prescription Drug Users – About ‎

The same doctors who are prescribing powerful pain-killing pills to an estimated 48 million Americans are lax in monitoring those patients to determine if they are abusing the drugs, even those who are at high risk for opioid misuse.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
3-year-old Diagnosed as Youngest Ever Alcoholic – Fox 31 KDVR.com ‎

“This is an extreme case and definitely one of the youngest cases of alcoholism we have heard of. However, it does raise the issue of the accessibility of alcohol and how normal it has become.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Bills target meth ingredients; ignore drug, alcohol addiction – The Daily News

Synthetic meth drugs such as methylone, MCPV, mephedrone, methedrone, flephedrone and 3-FMC, which are basically the same substance and are labeled not for human consumption, could be purchased legally until the state began targeting them last week.

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.

BATH SALTS – USA
“Bath Salts” new drug trend – Anahuac Progress ‎

Narconon Arrowhead drug rehab takes a look at the newest street drug of concern, bath salts, which are quickly becoming a second to methamphetamine. All around the country, a white powdered substance with names like Vanilla sky, Ivory Wave, …

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Charlie, The Sheen Is Gone: No amount of rehab — drug, image, or otherwise — can repair his reputation … – Entertainment Weekly ‎

And except for the occasional arrest or stint in rehab, he always ended up back on our TVs, hitting his marks on his top-rated series, playing a PG-13-rated version of himself. But the Good Time Charlie we believed in was laid to rest by his …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Health Watch: Meth Addiction – MyFox Atlanta ‎

Most teenagers don’t think drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana could possibly lead them down the road to drug addiction and jail time, but Deputy King says that’s exactly how many of these young people started out. “I have never met a hard core meth …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Graphic photos of drug addicts won’t stop teens from trying – Medill Reports: Chicago ‎

In Oregon, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office released a recent follow-up to its 2004 documentary titled “Faces of Meth” showing how methamphetamine addicts deteriorated over time.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE – USA
Pill problems plague Georgia – Atlanta Journal Constitution ‎

Prescription drug abuse represents a unique challenge for law enforcement for several reasons. The face of prescription drug dependency, for instance, is primarily white, middle-aged and male. The site of the problem is also more often rural than urban.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Sheen’s actions raise concerns addicts won’t seek help – KATU ‎

Sheen has downplayed his drug use during television interviews. “I am on a drug – it’s called Charlie Sheen,” he said to ABC’s Andrea Canning on a special edition of 20/20. During a CNN interview he said: “I don’t believe myself to be an addict.”

HEROIN – USA
Major Heroin Pipeline Busted – WKBW-TV ‎

(Buffalo, NY) They’re calling it the biggest heroin bust in Western New York history. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced in Buffalo that agents from the Organized Crime Task Force, working with New York State …

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth lab seizures up, meth users know why – TriCities.com ‎

Tennessee ranks tops in the nation when it comes to meth lab seizures and people who have used methamphetamine say there are a few reasons why. Tennessee knocked off the long-standing top spot Missouri held since 2003.

DRUG ADDICTION AND REHAB – MEXICO
Rehab: A Public Nightmare in Tijuana – San Diego Reader ‎

Right before they ask for a donation, they mention the benefits of drug rehabilitation. Most of them are young men, but it is possible to spot women as well. They usually sell chocolate, lollypops, canned sodas, water, and even incense.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug users leaving treatment centers in Illinois, service providers say – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Social service providers say drug addicts are walking out of detox centers around Illinois this week, upon learning that the state government is eliminating funding for substance abuse treatment services, in a move expected to save $53 million.

HEROIN – UK
Patsy Palmer: ‘I’m glad I turned down heroin’ – What’s On TV ‎

In an interview due to air on ITV1 in the next few weeks, Patsy told how she was offered heroin once but refused as she feared she might end up like her drug-addict brother. According to The Sun, Patsy said: “I was offered heroin once, I remember it well.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
McMinn Co Sheriff Challenges Retailers Not to Sell Main Component in Meth – WDEF News 12

Wolfenden is on the front line in the war against methamphetamine. The pharmacist already keeps over the counter drugs with pseudoephedrine, a chief component in meth, behind the counter at his Cleveland and Athens stores. But now Sheriff Joe Guy wants to take it a step further.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Mother of children who died in fire denied bond – Atlanta Journal Constitution‎

Neibi Brito, 22, whose children died in what police suspect was a fire caused by chemicals used in methamphetamine production, is being held without bond, pending a preliminary hearing this Wednesday.

ECSTASY – CANADA
Candy-shaped drugs unsafe: RCMP – CBC ‎

Police are worried teenagers are being duped into believing the illegal drug ecstasy is not dangerous. RCMP Cpl. Steve Conohan said traffickers are selling ecstasy pills that look like valentine’s candies to suggest they are harmless.

ECSTASY – USA
The puzzling controversy over an Ecstasy fact card – Los Angeles Times‎

As a physician who has researched and written extensively about MDMA, I took a keen interest in the Ecstasy fact card controversy developing in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health is taking quite a bit of heat …

ALCOHOL – USA
Ala. bans drinks that combine alcohol and caffeine – Bloomberg ‎

The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has banned the sale in Alabama of canned beer-like drinks that combine caffeine and alcohol. This includes the drink Four Loko, which is popular on some college campuses.

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 …

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 …

DRUG REHAB – USA
NY school officials eye drug rehab at high school – Wall Street Journal

School officials on eastern Long Island are seeking state approval to allow a drug rehab clinic to operate inside a high school.

DRUG ABUSE – UK
Why Britain tops world drug use league – Guardian

Cocaine use in Britain permeates all classes from top to bottom. Price is a factor; it’s cheaper than ever. Experts talk of “child-friendly” prices, “beginners’ offers” and “group discounts”.

DRUG ADDICTION – UK
Kelly Osbourne Blames Fat Jibes For Drug Addiction – Contact Music

Kelly Osbourne is convinced cruel taunts about her weight drove her to drug addiction. The daughter of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has long battled problems with prescription pills and after several stints in rehab, finally kicked her bad habits last year (09).

DRUG ABUSE – US
US Effects of prenatal drug exposure and early life infections on the brain – Medical Daily

New findings released today help identify the long-term impact of the prenatal environment and early parental care on the brain. Using animals as models, researchers help explain why early inflammation and a mother’s exposure to drugs such as nicotine and high doses of pain killers have lasting consequences for children — and even future generations.

HEROIN – IRELAND
Pensioner admits selling cocaine and heroin – RTE Ireland

A 73-year-old man, who became a crack and heroin dealer after his pension was cut, has been given a four-year suspended sentence. A 73-year-old man, …

ECSTASY – US
Cow Palace bans 2 concerts in wake of overdoses – San Francisco Chronicle

Two people who attended the Pop 2010 rave in May died of ecstasy overdoses and at least six others required treatment. Two people died of overdoses at a …

METHAMPHETAMINE – US
Mother sentenced for meth lab explosion that injured child – NFW Daily News

The mother of the baby who was badly burned in a meth lab explosion last year sought mercy in a Bay County courtroom Wednesday but received little.

ALCOHOL – US
It’s Alcohol Awareness Month – The Daily Reporter

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and American Society of Addiction Medicine define alcoholism as a “primary, chronic disease …

Heroin – New York
Three arrested in Port Jervis heroin bust – recordonline.com

PORT JERVIS — City police Tuesday arrested a Monticello man they say sold heroin to undercover officers.

Alcohol Abuse – Australia
Indigenous leaders fear rise in drug, alcohol abuse – ABC | Indigenous

A Cape York leader in far north Queensland says he is concerned about the impact a High Court decision could have on substance abuse in the community.

Meth Lab – South Carolina
Meth lab discovered in Hartsville neighborhood - CarolinaLive.com

The discovery of a meth lab at a home in a Harstville community sent shock waves of alarm through the neighborhood. Those living nearby were understandably concerned because their homes weren’t the only thing in danger. There’s a school just 500 yards away.

Meth & Marijuana – Iowa
Iowa Drug Report Shows Issues With Meth, Marijuana – Action3News.com

Des Moines, IA (AP) – Iowa drug control officials have issued a new report that finds the state has an escalating synthetic drug abuse problem and there has been an increase in need for treatment for methamphetamine and marijuana users.

Cocaine – Arizona
Border officers seize $12 million in cocaine – azcentral.com

NOGALES – Border officers in the southeastern Arizona city of Nogales made three separate cocaine seizures worth a combined $12.1 million in one day.

Heroin – New York
Drug Dealers Caught on Google Street View – abcNews/Technology

Google Street View sightings tend to be more peculiar than practical — in the past year alone, the globe encompassing image service has turned up photos of a so-called two-headed man, a “dead” girl and a snake out for a walk with its owner. But the latest additions to the canon of Street View spectacles are so valuable they might be used in a court of law.

Heroin – Australia
Australian woman who hid heroin in stomach held – Thaindian News

Sydney, Nov 6 (IANS) An Australian woman has been arrested here after she was found to have swallowed 41 balloons filled with heroin, a media report said Saturday.

Meth-Related Death – UK
10-day-old girl dies in washing machine – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (IANS) A 10-day-old girl died in Britain when her mother put her in a washing machine with a pile of laundry, a media report said Monday.

Caffeinated Alcohol Ban – Michigan
Michigan Bans Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks – CSP

LANSING, Mich. — The state of Michigan has banned caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) rescinding the approval of all “alcohol energy drinks.” The commission will notify beverage makers via a commission order about the product ban; they will have 30 days to remove these products from the state of Michigan, it said.

Drug Raid – Ohio
Holmesville meth raid ‘went really well and no one got hurt’ - The-Daily-Record.com

MILLERSBURG — Deputies donned camo and checked their weapons and gas masks, then checked them again.

Heroin Seizure – Nevada
Las Vegas heroin seizure worth $1 million – UPI.com

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 7 (UPI) — Police say the $1 million worth of heroin seized at the Las Vegas airport was the largest in the city in recent history.

Cocaine – UK
Benson Offia in court for a 3 million Pounds cocaine haul – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (THAINDIAN NEWS) British Officers will take a man accused of possessing one of the highest quantities of cocaine in the country to court today. The street value of the drug that was seized from the man is estimated to be worth £3 million. He is charged with possessing Class A drug with the intent to sell.