Drug News

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.

ECSTASY/LSD – USA
Columbia University student from Beach Haven is charged with selling LSD – The Star-Ledger

… along with four other students, with selling undercover investigators nearly $11000 worth of drugs since July, including ecstasy and LSD-spiked candy.

HEROIN – USA
Hooked on heroin – St. George Daily Spectrum

As our reporters investigated heroin abuse for a series of stories that begins today in The Spectrum Daily News, we learned that there are no simple answers.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drugs provide fix when addicts can’t get heroin – Bridgewater Independent

Heroin busts are also turning up prescription drugs as addicts use pills as “fillers” when they can’t get heroin, police said. …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
The ‘typical’ drug user Others’ views – istockAnalyst.com ‎

Whatever your idea of a “typical” drug abuser, you would likely be wrong, especially when it comes to prescription drugs. Abuse is a potential problem in …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Teen drug overdoses on rise – KFOR ‎

Just because it’s a prescription drug, it can be every bit as dangerous and deadly as anything they buy on the streets.” At Eagle Ridge Institute in …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse hinders academic success – The Kentucky Kernel

A popular type of medication college students abuse are stimulants, which include Adderall and Ritalin, or other common names such as Concerta, Focalin, Dexedrine and Vyvanse.

COCAINE – USA/COLOMBIA
New Data Show Cocaine Market Under Significant Stress – Foster Folly News

According to new US Government estimates conducted annually, the potential production capacity for pure cocaine in Colombia has declined for yet another …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Fla. officials say prescription pill abuse rivals ’80s crack cocaine epidemic – The Florida Independent

Florida law enforcement and drug officials Thursday compared a spike in deaths associated with prescription drug abuse.

Illegal Prescription Drug Distribution – USA
South Carolina doctor sentenced for illegal drug distribution – Thaindian News

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) – A doctor, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, was sentenced to 41 months of supervised release for conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald announced on Friday.

Drug Prevention – USA & Mexico
U.S. and Mexico issued a declaration of drug demand reduction cooperation – Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – The White House announced on Friday that government officials from the U.S. and Mexico issued a declaration of drug demand reduction cooperation.

Drug Rehabilitation – World News
Narconon network celebrates its 44th birthday – Behavioral Health Central

The Narconon drug rehabilitation program began on February 19th, 1966, based on a decision by Arizona State Prison inmate by the name of William Benitez. After reading a book by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, “The Fundamentals of Thought”, Benitez recognized there could be a whole new approach to curing himself and helping others get permanently off drugs – concentrate on your abilities, rather than your addiction. It sounds simple now, but it wasn’t to an inmate who had tried every other method to get off drugs way back in ’66.

Prescription Drug Abuse – USA
Superwoman syndrome credited to popping prescription pills – Thaindian News

New York, Feb 26 (ANI): A survey has revealed that most women, who are overwhelmed by jobs, kids and commitments, pop prescription pills to boost their energy, calm them down or for any other non medical reason.

Drunk Driving – USA
Police: Drunk man drove off with gas hose – UPI.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Feb. 25 (UPI) — Indiana police said they arrested an alleged drunk driver who drove away from a gas station with the nozzle and hose still attached to his vehicle.

Drug Related Incarceration – USA
Michael Douglas’ son Cameron to stay in jail until sentencing – Thaindian News

New York, Feb 26 (ANI): It has emerged that actor Michael Douglas’ drug-dealing son, Cameron, will remain in jail until he is sentenced in April.

Alcohol – USA
On College Football Game Days, Efforts to Deter Binge Drinking – The New York Times

Shortly before kickoff at a Minnesota college football game, two students were greeted with breathalyzer tests, part of a new program to deter binge drinking at the games.

Drugs – USA
U.S. Adds Drones to Fight Smuggling – The New York Times

PALMDALE, Calif. — To help spot and track smugglers, the Homeland Security Department is expanding its use of drones, the unmanned aircraft widely used in Iraq and other war zones, beyond the Mexican and Canadian borders to the Caribbean and possibly other seas.

Marijuana – USA
Medical Marijuana: No Longer Just for Adults – The New York Times

At the Peace in Medicine Healing Center in Sebastopol, the wares on display include dried marijuana — featuring brands like Kryptonite, Voodoo Daddy and Train Wreck — and medicinal cookies arrayed below a sign saying, “Keep Out of Reach of Your Mother.”

Underage Drinking / Drugs – USA
Report Alcohol Overdoses Without Fear, Texas Tells Kids – Join Together

Texas youth can report alcohol overdoses or other problems without fear of being charged with underage drinking under a new policy announced by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).

DUI – UK
Phone App Allows Drinkers to Track Consumption – Join Together

The U.K. health ministry has released a software application for iPhone and Windows phones intended to empower users to keep better track of their drinking, the BBC reported Dec. 1.

Prescription Drugs – USA
Prescription drugs easily acquired from rogue Web sites – Tampabay.com

People can’t buy heroin or cocaine online, but a few clicks of the mouse get them darned close…

Youth – Prescription Drugs – USA
Youth Prescription Drug Abuse On Rise In ND – CBSNews.com

BISMARCK, N.D. – Young people are abusing prescription drugs with alarming frequency, sometimes during “pharm parties” where pills are set out like candy, a man whose son died of an overdose of painkillers told a conference Tuesday.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
PSA Targets Teens Who Abuse Prescription Drugs – KSWT News

A new video aims to highlight the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, and it all comes as experts report an increase in pill popping among teens.  A commercial spot by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America takes place in a morgue, and it’s supposed to be a sobering reminder that abusing prescriptions can be deadly.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Pain Pill Addiction: 6 Tips From a Mother Whose Son Overdosed – US News and World Report

Seeing a family member struggle with addiction to prescription painkillers can be tough, especially when it’s your child.

MARIJUANA – USA
Be alert for marijuana or meth ‘trash’ – Carroll County Comet

Hunters taking to the woods, farmers harvesting and many people taking walks through the woods or along county roads should be alert for evidence of methamphetamine labs or marijuana growing operations.

DRUGS – USA
Drug kits ‘invasion of privacy’ – The Ashburton Guardian

The $225 kits can give a drug history of a child for the past 90 days from taking around 90 to 120 strands of hair cut off at scalp level and sending it to a lab. The hair is then tested for seven illegal drugs; marijuana, cocaine, opiates such as codeine and morphine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and PCP (Phencyclidine).

METH – USA
Pictures of ‘meth mouth’ show teens drug’s dangers – Honolulu Advertiser

In just a couple of school presentations so far this year, speakers from the Hawaii Meth Project have discovered that gruesome photos of an extremely painful condition called “meth mouth” send a more vivid anti-crystal methamphetamine message to Hawaii’s teenagers than any statistics or warnings from adults.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescriptions now biggest cause of fatal drug overdoses – USA Today

Addiction to prescription painkillers — which kill thousands of Americans a year — has become a largely unrecognized epidemic, experts say. In fact, prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal overdoses each year.

DRUGS – USA
ADHD Madness – The Jewish Journal

In my past life of teaching special education and practicing as a child therapist (ok, not my past life, but many moons ago), I have seen far too many children “drugged” to make their teachers’ jobs easier.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Medicaid: Prescription Drug Abuse Rampant – Trans World News

A recent report by the government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed Wednesday that millions of dollars are being spent by Medicaid to buy addictive prescription drugs which are abused.

METH – USA
First visible sign of meth use is rotten teeth – The Payson Roundup

What continuous or extended use of meth does to your mouth is permanent and cannot be “naturally repaired.” “Meth Mouth” has been so well documented, references are showing up in current fiction novels.

METH – USA
New Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment Promising – Trans World News

Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, intra-nasally (snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Kenmore: Hospital reclaims unused prescription pills – Tonawanda News

Modern medicine is working day and night to give mankind a pill to cure just about everything, but when used or disposed of improperly those same drugs can do even more harm.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription pill-popping soars among white-collar Victorians – The Age

Addiction to prescription painkillers is soaring, with the number of Victorians being treated in hospital emergency departments more than doubling in the past five years.

DRUGS – USA
End Drug Abuse And Get Your Life Back – Trans World News

Statistics state that over 28 million adults and young people are abusing drugs. You do not have to become a part of this statistic, but if you already are there is help.

METH – USA
Cheaper and easier way to make meth moves into Wythe and Smyth counties – WSLS News

State police are worried about a growing drug trend they’re just starting to see in our area. It’s called the “shake-and-bake.”

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Unwanted prescription drugs collected – WIVB News

A program aimed at helping the environment took place in Niagara County on Saturday. The cars kept coming and going. They were all doing their part to recycle unwanted pharmaceuticals.

ALCOHOL – USA
Your Opinion: Stop teens’ access to alcohol – Battle Creek Enquirer

According to scientific research, most teens who drink obtain alcohol from social sources. This means they are sneaking alcohol from their parents’ homes; having older friends buy it; or are obtaining it at parties.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse Hits Campuses Hard – Trans World News

Many campuses nationwide are taking prescription drug abuse seriously. “Aderall, Ritalin, and other prescription drugs are being abused at an alarming rate,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director of The Atlanta Recovery Center. “We have seen an increase in the past few years of college students seeking help for their prescription drug addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
Residents Attend Alcohol and Drug Recovery Symposium – WCTV News

Area residents are taking brave steps in the fight against alcohol and drug addiction, and they’re supporting each other along the way. The French Town Outreach Center hosted an alcohol and drug recovery symposium at the Leon County Health Department today.

ADDICTION – USA
National Addictions Recovery Month Underway – State Journal

For many people an addiction is an uphill battle. But National Addictions Recovery Month is designed to bring light to those struggles and help those in need.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Taking the Fun Out of Popping Pain Pills – The New York Times

People have crushed them using bookends, hammers, mortars and pestles, and then snorted the powder, according to doctors who study addiction. They’ve chewed and swallowed fistfuls of pills.

METH – USA
Sheriff Warns Of New Meth Recipe Cooking – Central Florida News

A new recipe for methamphetamine is circulating, making it easier for addicts to get their hands on the potent drug.

METH – USA
Consider donating time to Meth Task Force – Jordan Independent

For the third consecutive year, the Scott County Meth Task Force is hosting its most significant fund-raiser of the season – Tee It Up For The Task Force golf fund-raiser Sept. 18 at Stonebrooke Golf Course in Shakopee.

ALCOHOL – UK
How Binge Drinking Undermines The Immune System – Medical News Today

US researchers have confirmed that binge drinking undermines the immune system and weakens the body’s ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards by inhibiting certain signalling molecules that launch pro-inflammatory responses.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge Drinkers Let Down Guard Against Infection – Medical News Today

As if a bad hangover wasn’t enough of a deterrent, new research has shown how binge drinking weakens the body’s ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Hospital holds prescription drop off – WIVB News

A local hospital has started a new program to reduce some of the dangers associated with prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deaths from prescription drugs rise in Manitowoc County – Herald Times Reporter

Last year, seven people died in Manitowoc County as a result of drug overdoses. Through August, another seven had overdosed this year, according to County Coroner Curt Green. Of those 14 deaths, only one was the result of a drug other than a prescription medication.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction addressed, recovery celebrated – KLEW TV News

September is National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery month and on Friday people from both sides of the river spanned the Interstate Bridge in support of recovery in something called Hands Across the Bridge.

PAINKILLER – USA
U.S. issues warning on fentanyl patch use – Sun Journal

Improper use of patches that emit the painkiller fentanyl is still killing people, the government said Friday – its second warning in two years about the powerful narcotic.

METH – USA
APD: Mobile meth labs endanger residents – KRWE News

Drug users and drug dealers are taking their habits on the road, which could provide dangerous circumstances for Duke City residents.

METH – USA
Meth dealers have no boundaries, neither do law enforcement – KTRE News

The investigation actually began in Nacogdoches County, Precinct 4 by the constable’s office. After weeks of surveillance the arrest went down in Nacogdoches County, Precinct one.

METH – USA
Warning about shake and bake Meth – WALB News

South Georgia drug agents have a warning tonight about a new kind of Meth lab. They say the labs are dangerous and people might stumble innocently on them.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Painkiller Dependence and Medically Assisted Recovery – Empow Her

Have you ever started taking pain medications only to discover that long after the pain had gone you were still taking the pills out of habit? Over 5.2 million Americans are currently using prescription pain relievers such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Morphine and Codeine non-medically.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Sharing Prescription Meds Common Among U.S. Teens – Atlanta Journal Constitution

About 20 percent of U.S. teens exchange prescription drugs such as antibiotics and allergy medications with friends, a practice that can be dangerous and potentially deadly, warns a new study.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription abuse draws attention – Muskogee Daily Phoenix

The danger of local young people abusing prescription drugs is getting worse, according to the Muskogee Community Anti-Drug Network.

ALCOHOL – UK
Heavy drinking culture blamed for surge in oral cancers – Guardian

Growing numbers of 40-somethings are developing mouth, lip and tongue cancer because they drink too much alcohol, Cancer Research UK warns today.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teen Health Threatened By Binge Drinking And Smoking – Medical News Today

As teens head back to school, health teachers may want to revise their lesson plans. Temple researchers have found that kids who engage in heavy drinking will more than likely also engage in heavy smoking, and they say educators can help combat the trend by addressing both topics as one health risk.

ALCOHOL – USA
Women and the bottle leading to more DUI’s – Examiner

It is safe to say that being a smart drinker is something everyone is individually responsible for. That being said, a new report says that women in the U.S. are consuming more alcohol, and drunken-driving arrests among females are rising rapidly while declining among men.

METH – UK
The City Addicted to Crystal Meth – Guardian

Louis Theroux is at a barbecue in California. That sounds more glamorous than it is, because this is Louis Theroux – The City Addicted to Crystal Meth (BBC2, Sunday) and he’s with a bunch of drug addicts in Fresno.

METH – USA
Hawaii Meth Project: Don’t — ‘even once’ – Maui News

A narcotics police captain, a judge and the island’s medical examiner provided real-life stories and statistics to underscore an anti-methamphetamine campaign aimed at young people across the state.

DRUGS – UK
Antidepressants once seen as miracle drugs: now risks are becoming evident – Guardian

Since the horror of the Thalidomide scandal in the 1960s, pharmaceutical companies and medicines regulators have been acutely aware of the dangers drugs may pose to the unborn child.

ALCOHOL – USA
Critics Want Tougher Government Regulations for Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks – Join Together

Various state attorneys general and advocacy groups are calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to ban caffeine-infused alcohol drinks from the market — or at a minimum add warning labels stating that combining caffeine and alcohol can cause health risks.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription “Sharing” Among Teens Widespread, Dangerous – Health Behavior News Service

What if a teenager with acne who is taking Accutane — a drug linked to birth defects — gives some to her friend, who is pregnant but does not yet realize it? Unfortunately, this is a realistic scenario.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Use, Drug Busts Up, According to Police – ABC News

From California to New York, law enforcement agents are reporting a troubling rise in the use of heroin as availability of the drug rises and prices drop.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Drug use by at-risk teens causes alarm – Stuff

Many teenagers in the school system of last resort are smoking pot. The high rates of drug abuse are among concerns about the alternative education system that have prompted Education Minister Anne Tolley to review its funding.

CANNABIS – UK
Stress, dieting may lead to positive cannabis test – Thaindian

A new study has revealed that stress and dieting can lead to a positive cannabis test long after the drug was last used.

PAINKILLER – USA
Pharmaceutical drugs affecting water quality – Statesman Journal

In her July 25 guest opinion, Karen Wheeler of the Department of Human Services refers to the dangers of methamphetamine and other “street drugs” in Oregon’s untreated wastewater.

PAINKILLER – USA
Don’t flush that! – The Courier News

Elgin Township was going to have a drop-off program for pharmaceuticals that residents no longer want or need, but plans fell apart.

ALCOHOL – UK
More Than 1 In 10 Major Injuries In Ontario Involve High Blood Alcohol Levels – Medical News Today

A study of hospitalizations for severe injury in Ontario’s designated trauma centres shows alcohol was involved in at least 12% of major trauma cases in 2007-2008.

PAINKILLER – USA
One in 10 High School Seniors Have Used Narcotic Painkillers – MSN Health and Fitness News

Pain relief isn’t the main reason why one in 10 high school seniors have tried opioid drugs, a new U.S. study finds.

ALCOHOL – USA
Bill Would Mandate Use of Ignition-Interlock Devices – Join Together

A federal transportation bill now being debated in Congress would compel all states to require convicted drunk drivers to install alcohol-detecting ignition-interlock devices on their vehicles.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
More teens using prescription painkillers to get high – Bartlesville News

Experts say more and more teenagers are using prescription painkillers to get high. Other studies have found many teens get strong painkillers from their own previous prescriptions.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
12 percent of U.S. teens report opioid use – United Pres International

Some 12 percent of U.S. high school seniors say they have taken opioid drugs without a prescription for pain, relaxation or to get high, researchers said.

DRUGS – UK
Pain Relief Only One Motive For Opioid Use Among High School Seniors – Medical News Today

Taking opioid drugs without a prescription appears relatively common among high school seniors, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

ALCOHOL – UK
Heavy Drinkers Of Beer And Spirits Face Significantly Increased Cancer Risk – Medical News Today

Heavy drinkers of beer and spirits face a much higher risk of developing cancer than the population at large, says a group of Montreal epidemiologists and cancer researchers.