Drug News

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Demi Lovato Opens Up About Drug Abuse: ‘Being A Celebrity Can Be Dangerous – ‎Huffington Post

But the part-Mexican singer, who spent three-months in rehab in November 2010 … how peer pressure and loneliness led her to experiment with drugs in 2010.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse bill wins final passage – WSLS

Kentucky lawmakers have passed a measure that’s intended to curb prescription drug abuse in a state where more people are dying from overdoses than car wrecks. A compromise passed by the House and Senate would require all physicians in the state to use a prescription drug monitoring system so they can more readily spot addicts seeking painkillers.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Saint Jude Retreats Announces Length Of Stay In Drug Rehab Does Matter – PR Web
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The amount of time a guest stays in an alcohol or drug treatment center greatly impacts the outcome of the individuals success in that program.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Experts say communication key to preventing alcohol abuse among teens – Tri Cities
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Communication is the key to preventing alcohol abuse among teenagers. Many teens are exposed to the temptation of underage drinking at an early age, 40 percent of eighth-graders have tried alcohol and one in four is a binge drinker. Around 20 students, school staff and community members gathered for an evening town hall forum entitled “Start Talking, Before They Start Drinking” at Tennessee High School.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Free from drug addiction, former Menard High star returns to baseball – The Town Talk

The young man whose life on drugs careened and collapsed to such a degree that, at one time, he was homeless and nearly committed suicide, has shaken the addiction.

COCAINE – USA
Rihanna Showcases Drug Use, Refuses Rehabilitation? – Christian Post

Rihanna, 24-year-old Barbadian pop singer, recently posted pictures to her Twitter account that showed her breaking down what appeared to be drugs on the head of a man whose shoulders she was seated on in order to see above the crowd

DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT – USA
Veterans who complete intense treatment can have court charges expunged – Post Gazette

Together there are now 80 veterans treatment courts nationwide. In Pennsylvania, recidivism among program participants is just 1 percent. The statistics are even better in Allegheny County, where Judge Zottola can brag about having no recidivism among veterans whose cases he’s heard in treatment court.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Early-intervention program helps teens with alcohol, drug abuse – Longmont Daily Times Call
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Through the clear eyes of sobriety, John Vandegrift looks back on his drug use and sees it for what it was: a coping mechanism. The 21-year-old Littleton resident said he began smoking marijuana as a high school freshman, and two years ago he moved to heavier substances. Heroine became his drug of choice.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Teen Deaths Related to Prescription Drug Abuse Skyrocket – Madison Patch
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Although many teens might otherwise shy away from illegal street drugs, more and more teens are turning to prescription drugs and over the counter medicines to get high.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol abuse hits home – The Western Australian

When my uncle Fred walked into a room, he filled it with warmth and positive energy. People gravitated towards him. He was the sprightly adult who piled us kids — his three children and me — in the back of the Subaru and took us on rollicking adventures to Ningaloo Reef, Rottnest or Kalbarri. He was a pillar of strength, in peak physical condition, a terrific father and had worked his way up to achieve a senior role in a major government organisation. He was all of this and more — until alcohol took it away.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – CANADA
Doctor wants action on First Nation drug crisis – CBC News

Some First Nations say 80 per cent of their population is hooked on prescription painkillers. Prescription drug abuse in northern First Nations is a health emergency that chiefs and doctors say Health Canada refuses to take seriously.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG REHAB – USA
‘Nurse Jackie’: Jackie Meets Her Match in Rehab – Hollywood Reporter
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Now that Nurse Jackie’s Jackie Peyton has admitted she has a problem, the drug-addicted nurse will take the next step and head to rehab during Sunday’s episode of the Showtime dramedy.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin vaccine won’t ‘cure’ what ails addicts – LA Times

The idea of an anti-addiction vaccine is not new. For nearly 40 years scientists have been working on vaccines against all kinds of addictions, including nicotine, marijuana and alcohol. There are even trials of vaccines to prevent obesity. None of the anti-addiction vaccines has yet received Food and Drug Administration approval.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse bill dies in Senate – Courier-Journal

The controversial centerpiece of the 2012 General Assembly — a bill to combat prescription drug abuse — died in the Senate on Thursday after weeks of negotiations between the two chambers of the legislature failed to produce a compromise.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Obama Open to Debate on Drug War, But Legalization Is ‘Not the Answer’ – ABC News
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Amid calls from Latin American leaders to legalize drugs, President Obama said today that he is open to the debate but that legalizing narcotics to counter drug trafficking in the Americas could make matters worse.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – SOUTH AFRICA
‘Prohibitionist’ liquor bill angers alcohol industry – Business Day
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A draft bill from the Department of Health that prohibits the advertising and promotion of alcoholic products has been described as “prohibitionist” and “profoundly disappointing” by the alcohol industry.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Experts: ‘Naïve’ teens don’t realize prescription drug dangers – Tampa Bay Online

Teenagers aren’t scared by prescription drugs. Pills must be safe since Mom, Dad and Grandma all take pain killers for chronic pain, they think. And every year, dentists and doctors prescribe them for millions of children with aching teeth and broken bones. Overdoses, addiction and strip mall pill mills dominate conversations in the battle against addictive prescription medications. But adolescent ignorance is increasingly worrisome.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Kentucky Doctors Must Join Pill Abuse Fight – Kentucky.com

There has been a 900 percent increase in people seeking treatment for substance addiction in Kentucky in the past decade. More than 25,428 Kentuckians were admitted to drug and alcohol rehab programs in 2010.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drugs, Rehab and Bar Mitzvahs: An Afternoon Chat with Author Moshe Kasher – Laist.com

When I got to middle school I felt even more different, but then I found the fuck-ups at the school and started doing drugs and I forgot that I felt different. That was part of the great seductiveness of drugs at that age – it was not recreational, it was therapeutic.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin ring smuggled drugs from Africa to Maryland, feds say – Washington Examiner
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Four men have been arrested in connection with a heroin-distribution ring that allegedly smuggled the drug from Africa and sold it in Maryland.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Painkillers alter how addicts relate to themselves, others – Seattle Times
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Calling them painkillers is almost a misnomer. They don’t actually relieve the pain so much as they affect the way the brain perceives pain, and their extended use can result in the distortion of the brain’s pain/pleasure responses.

HEROIN – USA
As heroin death toll rises, antidote is available — but hard to find – Seattle Times
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Heroin-overdose deaths are rising in the Northwest, and a prescription opiate antidote was made legal in 2010. Unfortunately, authorities say, almost no pharmacies stock it.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – GLOBAL
Alcohol Abuse Screenings at the Dentist – World Dental

Health experts have warned that people who consume alcohol excessively are exposed to an extremely high risk of developing dental disease and mouth cancer.

HEROIN – USA
New, Deadly Heroin Mix Kills Dozen-Plus in NW – KTVZ
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A new, deadly mix of heroin has been sweeping through the Northwest in the past month, causing numerous deaths in Washington state, while Central Oregon police and fire medics said Friday they also have been grappling with a rising number of heroin overdoses.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
System to Curb Abuse of Prescription Painkillers Goes Unused – The Bay Citizen
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Byung Sik Yuh, the owner of Nichols Hill pharmacy in Oakland, filled more than 5,000 online prescriptions for addictive painkillers before the California State Board of Pharmacy moved last year to revoke his license. The patients who picked up the prescriptions at Yuh’s pharmacy had never met their doctors, nor had physical examinations. They filled out a brief online survey and paid an anonymous doctor to write prescriptions over the Internet.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Drug rehab better option than prison – Vineland Daily Journal‎

Drug addicts who go to prison and don’t get treatment to break their habit come out still addicted and inevitably fall back into crime.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Oklahoma tops in prescription painkiller abuse – New England Cable News

Sherri Carwithin was lying on the hardwood floor of her south Oklahoma City home when police found her body, clad in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. Perched on her chest was her small dog, Patches, who growled at the arriving officers. The 51-year-old woman, who had a history of chronic back pain and prescription drug abuse, last was seen alive four days earlier, when she asked a neighbor to give her a ride to the pharmacy.

DRUG ADDICTION – MEXICO
Children Hired to Work as ‘Mules’ by Mexican Drug Gangs – Fox News

Mexican drug gangs have found a new way to transport drugs across the border. Children are being used as “mules” to ferry drugs across the border into the United States or sell them in a nearby Mexican town. Luis Alberto is only 14 but has the wizened gaze of a grown-up hardened by life. He never met his father, worked as a child, was hired by a gang to sell drugs and then got addicted to them.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse efforts under way in county schools – Mount Airy News

The national statistics are alarming: One in four teens will abuse some form of prescription drugs before graduating high school. Nationwide, 100,000 Americans will die this year from prescription drug abuse. That number translates to 270 per day, or twice the number who will be killed in a car accident. With statistics like these, it’s easy to see why the Surry County Schools has become involved in a county-wide task force to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Workshop aims to disable those enabling drug use – Naperville Sun
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Why won’t Johnny quit using drugs? Don’t ask his family. … factors can keep loved ones from stepping in to start the process of treatment and recovery.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug dependence an epidemic in East Central Indiana – Muncie Star Press
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Since 2009, drug overdoses have caused or contributed to 62 deaths in Delaware County. Add Henry County to the mix, and the two counties have seen a combined total of 77 overdose-related deaths in the past three years. “That’s a significant number, and I think there’s probably a bigger problem than we’re seeing. We’re just seeing the tip of it.”

MARIJUANA – USA
New wrinkle in pot debate: stoned driving – The Seattle Times
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Authorities envision a legal threshold for pot that would be comparable to the blood-alcohol standard used to determine drunken driving. But unlike alcohol, marijuana stays in the blood long after the high wears off a few hours after use, and there is no quick test to determine someone’s level of impairment.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Liquor Law Changes Encourage Alcohol Abuse – Hartford Courant‎

Liquor law reform advocates say liquor stores in Connecticut’s border towns would better be able to compete with stores from neighboring states that are not restricted by our laws. They say expanding store hours, lifting the ban on Sunday sales and repealing minimum price barriers would help Connecticut stores. But the reforms also run counter to countless health initiatives aimed at lowering alcohol consumption. Expanding alcohol availability is a step in the wrong direction when it comes to combating alcoholism and drunken driving.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
9 Hospitalized After Long Island Party Promoting “Blackout” Alcohol Consumption – NBC
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About 1,600 people attended the party Saturday night at the Paramount in Huntington, according to Suffolk County police. Nearly all of those taken out by ambulance crews suffered from alcohol poisoning, said Lt. Joseph Condolff.

HEROIN – USA
Parents finding purpose in heroin deaths – Seattle Today

Parents who have lost children to heroin take some solace in sharing their stories, raising awareness and meeting others who are grieving.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
Wake up parents: Alcohol abuse, other drugs threats to kids – Agri-View
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It’s not rising farm input costs, the animal rights movement or even languishing economies in rural communities that are the most alarming threats to rural America. It’s something way too many farm and rural families don’t necessarily even want to acknowledge. It’s alcohol and drugs.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Suncoast Rehabilitation Center & Narconon Drug Rehab ED Responds to News of Recent Drug 10X Stronger Than Vicodin – Chron.com

Suncoast Rehabilitation Center and Narconon Drug Rehab Executive Director, Tammy Strickling, speaks out with grave concerns over the recent news that Pharmaceutical companies are in the final stages of developing a prescription pain killer 10X Stronger than Vicodin. With the dramatic increase in the large numbers of fatal painkiller overdoses, Strickling asks, “Why the need for another painkiller?”

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Rick Scott to Decide on Random Drug Testing for State Employees – Sunshine State News
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State employees would face the chance of being randomly drug tested once every three months under a bill, SB 1358, the Senate approved 26-14 Friday. The bill would also remove provisions that currently prohibit a state agency from firing an employee for failing the test. Employees who fail a test and are required to participate in an alcohol or drug rehabilitation program would have to pay for their treatment.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Study: Movies that show drinking may encourage underage alcohol abuse – ‎NewsChannel

The scientists gave the kids a list of 50 movies, with a varying number of drinking scenes, and asked them which movies they watched. The study linked the amount of alcohol consumed in the films to the prevalence of binge drinking among the 10-to-19-year old participants.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Addiction costs state more than annual budget – Tulsa World
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Addiction costs Oklahoma and its residents an estimated $7.2 billion a year. That’s more than the state government’s budget of $6.7 billion. That’s roughly $1,900 for every man, woman and child in the state. Enough to create about 273,000 median-wage jobs. Enough to build nine skyscrapers like Oklahoma City’s Devon tower. It’s not just a matter of money. The abuse of street and prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances exacts a terrible toll on people’s health, well-being and quality of life.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
One in 10 Americans Recovering From Substance Abuse – Medscape
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Ten percent of adult Americans (23.5 million persons) consider themselves to be in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse, results of a new survey reveal.

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.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
How N.J. plans to put a lid on pain pills – NJ.com

All it took was a single pill. A friend encouraged her to try it, then a doctor prescribed it, no questions asked. A single pill of the painkiller OxyContin and Brenna-Ann Haase was hooked, so much so that she stole cash, jewelry, DVDs, anything she could use to feed her addiction.

DRUG ABUSE – Guam
Dancers say no to drugs: Crew helps teenagers stay sober – Guam PDN

A recovering alcoholic and former Department of Youth Affairs corrections officer, is founder and leader of the Just Say No Dance Crew, a growing group of scrappy teenagers popping and locking their way off the streets and away from drugs and alcohol.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse crisis is detailed – Buffalo News

Prescription drugs continuing to result in crime, overdoses and death. State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s 42-page report documents the year-to-year increase in the number of hydrocodone and oxycodone prescriptions being written in New York State, as well as prescription drug-related addiction and death.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
6 Rehab Movies That Will Leave You Fearing Drugs – Screen Junkies

Rehab movies are designed to warn people about the dangers of substance abuse. The highs and lows of the characters consuming these substances help to educate and enlighten audiences. The stories can ultimately be uplifting, but in order to truly inform people, filmmakers often end up depicting drug abuse as a horrible and arduous disease. They litter their films with many gritty and disgusting scenes to fully show off the horrors of abuse. Keeping with that theme, these six rehab movies will leave people fearing drugs and contemplating a life of abstinence.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Wisconsin has high rate of alcohol use by adults, teens – Herald Times Reporter
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Wisconsin has the highest rates of any state in the nation for adult use of alcohol, adult heavy use of alcohol and adult binge drinking.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Op-Ed: Mobile meth labs and meth addiction out of control in U.S. – Digital Journal
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“There is no drug better suited to making horrible decisions about your children than methamphetamine, which keeps you awake for days and then when you crash it’s like the sleep of a coma, during which you have no idea what’s happening with those kids.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – GLOBAL
Higher alcohol prices may curb drinking: study – Reuters

Findings published in the journal Addiction showed that each 10 percent price hike in the minimum price of beer, liquor and alcoholic beverages led people to drink 3.4 percent less alcohol overall, with consumption of specific types of alcohol falling even more.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Opioid Use a Growing Epidemic in Workers’ Comp – Property Casualty 360

Opioids are intended for short-term use or end-of-life cancer pain. They are meant to be prescribed after major surgeries or major trauma. “Short term” is meant to signify a span of a few days or weeks—not years, as the current trend indicates.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
One addict’s story of prescription drug dangers – NCPR

Jennifer Smith’s addiction severely strained her relationship with her family, forced her to quit her job as a nurse, lead to several stints in drug rehabilitation programs and eventually landed her in jail.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
Alcohol Abuse: Young People Should Be Educated At Sexual Health Clinics, Say Experts – Huffington Post UK
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Young people should be educated on the dangers of alcohol abuse when they attend sexual health clinics, experts have said. With more than 1.5million young people attending the clinics every year, the NHS has been told it is missing “key opportunities” to tackle the “growing problem” of sexually transmitted diseases and hazardous drinking.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Authorities see rise of prescription drug abuse – NCPR

“Spiraling out of control.” And, “Almost an epidemic.” That’s how police, prosecutors, doctors, pharmacists and drug counselors describe the rise of prescription drug abuse in communities across the North Country.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana use up, alcohol use down among US teens – CBS News
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“One thing we’ve learned over the years is that when young people come to see a drug as dangerous, they’re less likely to use it. That helps to explain why marijuana right now is rising.” It’s the fourth straight year marijuana use grew among teens compared with last decade when pot use declined among teens.

CLUB DRUGS – USA
Club Drugs; A Good Time Or A Death Sentence? – Official Wire
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Since the 1980’s there have been dance parties going on called “Raves”. They first became popular in England and have since gained popularity in the U.S. as well. These parties usually consist of many people coming together to dance to electronic music while neon colored lights flash around the dance floor. These parties are often held in remote location such as barns or warehouses so as to avoid raiding. Aside from dancing, most of the people who attend also use drugs.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Three homes in methamphetamine raid deemed unsafe – Daily Press

Three of five homes where 10 people allegedly produced methamphetamine have been deemed unsafe for habitation because of chemicals found inside the homes that were presumably used to make the drug. The new charges are a result of an “analysis of her other children’s rooms” where trace amounts of meth were found.

HEROIN – USA
Alaska teen who was injected with heroin dies – CBS News

‎An Alaska teenager allegedly injected with heroin by a 26-year-old man died Thursday, almost a week after suffering the drug overdose.

CLUB DRUGS – CAFFEINE MIST – USA
Caffeine Mist Is a ‘Club Drug,’ Says Schumer – ABC News
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A caffeine mist marketed as “breathable energy” may become a health hazard for teens and young people. Aeroshot Pure Energy, made by Breathable Foods in Cambridge, Mass., comes in a lipstick-size tube designed to spray a mist of caffeine and B vitamins that dissolve in the mouth, according to the company. The availability and the company’s marketing could sway teens and young adults to mix it with alcohol, creating a potentially dangerous combination. In a statement, Schumer called the product a “club drug” that is “designed to give users the ability to drink until they drop.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug addiction skyrocketed 430% over past decade; Drug rehab for painkiller abuse soars – New York Daily News

The increase is even more pronounced given that over the same time period the overall rate of substance-abuse-related admissions to rehab facilities has flatlined.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin industry growing in Arizona – Tucson Citizen
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It also has helped push heroin and other opiates past cocaine and amphetamines as the top drug-related reason in Arizona for emergency-room admissions and inpatient hospital discharges.

ALCOHOL – USA
Former Herriman HS teacher arrested for allegedly providing alcohol to minors – Fox 13 Now
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21-year-old Kylie Devey, a special education teacher and assistant softball coach at Herriman High School, is charged with five counts of providing alcohol to minors after parents of a student alerted the school district of the alleged incident.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin drove ex-teacher to steal school computers, rob bank – Pittsburgh Post Gazette

A former school teacher accused of stealing 22 computers from Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts high school pleaded guilty today to robbery, burglary and criminal conspiracy. Her attorney said all of the crimes were driven by the couple’s heroin addiction.

ECSTASY – USA
Ecstasy causes changes in the brain – UPI.com

Recreational use of the illegal drug Ecstasy, which produces feelings of euphoria, is associated with chronic changes in the human brain.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Once-Prominent Colorado Sheriff Now Faces Charges – Fox News
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Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan is accused of using and distributing methamphetamine in exchange for sex, according to authorities.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol diseases double in 7 years – The Independent
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Nearly 1.2 million people in England needed in-patient hospital treatment for alcohol related cancers, liver diseases and poisoning in 2010-11 – a 9 per cent rise on the previous year. There have already been over 7,000 hospital admissions for young people under the age of 18 in 2011.

BATH SALTS/SYNTHETIC DRUGS – USA
House votes to ban so-called ‘bath salts,’ other synthetic drugs that mimic marijuana, cocaine – Washington Post

The House voted Thursday to ban synthetic drugs nicknamed “bath salts” and other compounds that mimic marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines.

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.