Drug News

HEROIN – UK
Pete Doherty: who will stop the Pied Piper of heroin? – Telegraph.co.uk

Three children, three bright futures, three pairs of grief-stricken parents. And one man linking them all: Pete Doherty, the singer – the not-so-angelic singer. Thirty-two years old, 15 court appearances in eight years, 25 drugs convictions, plus three more for burglary, driving without insurance and assault.

METHADONE/HEROIN – UK
Failure to help drug addicts is costing Britain £3.6bn a year – The Independent

Its author, Kathy Gyngell, said: “By sponsoring addiction, drug treatment has entrenched a costly dual dependency – on drugs and on welfare.” Three-quarters of those in treatment programmes are on methadone, amounting to 150000 people.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/HEROIN – USA
Atlantic County narcotics officer says teen drug use rising – Press of Atlantic City

An Atlantic County narcotics investigator told a state commission investigating the rise in drug use among teenagers that he has seen many high school students progress from getting drugs from their parents to buying heroin on the streets.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Local drug addict speaks out about success of Georgia Meth Project – WRDW TV

They are graphic commercials, showing drug use at its worst, but
new research shows The Georgia Meth Project is working. Information released by Governor Deal today shows, more teenagers believe meth is dangerous, and they say the ads are sending a message loud and clear.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol is teen drug of choice – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Teens reported consuming alcohol more than any other drug. They also reported having the lowest levels of perceived harm from drinking alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Gun Owners More Likely to Abuse Alcohol – Laboratory Equipment

Binge drinking, chronic heavy alcohol use and drinking and driving are all more common among gun owners than among non-owners, even after adjusting for age.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Teens’ toxic combo: Boredom, alcohol and drugs – St. Augustine Record

Summer is often a point of concern for parents as their young people tend to have more free time and less adult supervision. These two factors can be a toxic combination fueled by boredom and risky decision making when it comes to alcohol and other drug use.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
A County Takes Down Prescription ‘Pill Mills’ – NPR

Behind her is a memorial to victims of prescription drug abuse. Many of the clinics are blamed for prescription drug abuse in a state where the leading cause of accidental death is unintentional drug overdose.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Parents have role in kids’ drug decisions – Knoxville News Sentinel

The point of this column is to make clear that we, as parents, have something to say, and something to do, about whether our children are ensnared by drug abuse and addiction. By being proactive and taking simple, commonsense measures, we can go a long way towards protecting our kids.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Children Eat Meth, Thinking It was Candy; Mother Arrested – KTBS

LONGVIEW, Texas — A woman has been arrested after her children told police they tried methamphetamine drugs because they thought it was candy. Amanda Gail Walker, 30, of Hallsville was arrested.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Old habits die hard: Rise in number of alcohol and drug addicts over 50 in the US – Daily Mail

They are not your average alcoholics or drug addicts, and in fact if you looked around the room you would never guess that this is what binds them together. But for the group of over 60s, they know that addictions know no age.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin needles found near kid’s toys – Iowa City Press Citizen

Many of the drug-related items were found in the room belonging to Hinshaw’s child. Inside the room, officers found razor blades with drug residue, packaged marijuana and a “large pile of several hundred used syringes” near piles of the daughter’s toys … the worst case of a child being exposed to drugs the officers had ever seen.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse growing problem in Indiana – Chicago Tribune

Prescription drugs are playing an increasing role in the drug-related crimes that are filling up Indiana’s prisons. “I would say 75 to 80 percent of all cases I handle, whether it be meth or cocaine, also had some sort of prescription drug.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Keith McCants: ‘I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me’ – National Football Post

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Alabama linebacker Keith McCants’ downward spiral is a sad story of self-inflicted blows, a tale of drug addiction, depression, wasted potential, wasted money and wasted opportunities.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Former Celtics Player Discusses Drug Addiction in New Book – Patch.com

Chris Herren, a basketball legend from Fall River, and a Portsmouth resident, realized his dreams by playing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA, only to lose it all to drug addiction.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
FBI to probe Warren drug cases – Iowa City Press Citizen

FBI agents have agreed to investigate Warren County’s handling of drug-related criminal cases in light of a former prosecutor’s methamphetamine arrest.

HEROIN – USA
Seven-year-old ‘gave away heroin at school’ – Ninemsn

A seven-year-old schoolboy has been caught giving free bags of heroin to his classmates in Pittsburgh in the US. Police are investigating after a teacher caught the student with 18 bags of heroin in his backpack and locker at Quentin Roosevelt Elementary School.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse legislation nixes ‘pill mills’ – The Newark Advocate

John Kasich signed legislation Friday afternoon aimed at confronting the supply side of prescription drug abuse. Abuse of medication, especially prescription pain relievers in the opiate family, has been called an “epidemic.”

ALCOHOL – USA
How Marylanders beat the alcohol lobby – Washington Post

The case for the new alcohol tax — a 3-percentage-point addition to the state’s 6 percent sales tax — was strong. It will save lives, prevent crime and help to avert thousands of cases of alcohol abuse or dependence. It will also raise at least $85 million in revenue a year.