Drug News

Drug & Alcohol Rehab – USA
‘Two and a Half Men’ star Charlie Sheen goes into rehab – Norwalk Reflector

LOS ANGELES (MCT) – In a surprise development Tuesday that casts doubt on the rest of its season, television’s top-rated sitcom, “Two and a Half Men,” halted production after its star Charlie Sheen announced he was checking into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic.

Heroin – UK
Drug addict’s ‘letter to heroin’ published after her death –Telegraph.co.uk

The family of a teenage drug addict who wrote a moving letter to heroin days before she overdosed have released her words in the hope of inspiring other youngsters to steer clear of drugs.

Drug Addiction – USA
Kelly O: Drugs worse than being fat – Press Association

Kelly Osbourne claims she was looked down on for being overweight more than she was for her drug addiction.

Drug Testing – USA
Cubs minor leaguer says bring on testing – MESA, Ariz. – Southtown Star

While major league players, through their union, have resisted blood testing for performance-enhancing drugs, the Cubs’ top draft pick from last year said he’s all for baseball’s plan to start blood-testing minor leaguers for HGH.

Drug Prevention – USA
More Than $1.1 Million In Grants Available For Community-Based Drug Prevention Coalitions – Medical News TODAY

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing the availability of more than $1.1 million for new Drug Free Communities Support Mentoring program (DFC Mentoring) grants. An estimated 15 new Mentoring grants will be awarded (up to $75,000 per grant, per year) to drug and alcohol prevention community coalitions from across the nation. The length of the project period is up to two years.

Prescription Drug Abuse – Nepal
Date rape drugs, prescription pill abuse rising, warns report – Thaindian News

Kathmandu, Feb 25 (IANS) The use of “date rape drugs” as well as abuse of prescription drugs is rising with India emerging as one of the main sources of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies, drugs watchdog International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned.

ALCOHOL – USA
Chronic Alcohol Consumption Interferes With Body Clock – Modern Medicine

Chronic alcohol consumption interferes with circadian rhythms in hamsters, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

ALCOHOL – UK
U.S. Colleges With Biggest Student Drinking Problems Have Failed To Turn The Tide – Medical News Today

The research, published in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, found that at 18 heavy-drinking U.S. campuses, students’ alcohol habits showed little change over a dozen years.

DRUGS – UK
DrugScope Street Drug Trends 2009: Falling Illegal Drug Quality ‘Accelerates Trend’ In Users Combining Different Drugs – Medical News Today

A downward trend in the quality of illegal drugs on the UK’s street drug market could be driving changes in patterns of drug use, with users increasingly interchanging or combining a range of low quality drugs.

ALCOHOL – UK
Top Doctor Backs BMA’s Call To Ban Alcohol Advertising – Medical News Today

The BMA’s call to ban alcohol advertising because of its damaging effects on young people is “a logical recommendation to attempt to reverse the all embracing pro-alcohol culture that has grown up in a period of deregulation and liberalisation over the last quarter of a century.”

DRUGS – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse Still A Problem In Oklahoma – KOKI Fox News

It consumes people, it tears families apart, and it controls the mind, and warps the senses. Prescription drug addiction. It’s a huge problem in Oklahoma, with nine out of 10 drug-related deaths involving pills.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Drop Off – WHSV News

In an effort to get prescription drugs out of the water system around Augusta County, a team from Augusta Health and area pharmacists will have a drop off so people can properly dispose of medicines.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone found in one of four overdose deaths in Brown Co. – Green Bay Press Gazette

A combination of availability and potency has made methadone the most common drug found in fatal overdoses in Brown County.

DRUGS – USA
IDHS’s Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (DASA) Educates Illinoisans on the Safe Use of Methadone During National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month – IGNN

Although methadone has been used for decades to reduce drug withdrawal symptoms, recently it has been increasingly prescribed as a pain reliever for patients whose moderate-to-severe chronic pain does not respond to non-narcotic pain medications, which has led to over prescribing and inappropriate prescribing.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Abuse Risk Rises After Gastric Bypass – ABC News

On Friday’s Live Online at 11 a.m., we learned that an unintended consequence of gastric bypass surgery is the risk of alcohol abuse, said Laura Lagge, a certified alcohol and drug counselor with New Dawn Recovery in Citrus Heights.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, overeating, depression linked – United Press International

TV shows like “Sex and the City” may have glamorized drinking, but excessive alcohol is tied to overeating and depression in young women, U.S. researchers say.

ALCOHOL – USA
Mandatory Alcohol Testing For Truck And Bus Drivers Reduces Alcohol Involvement In Fatal Crashes – Science Daily

Mandatory alcohol testing programs for truck and bus drivers have contributed to a significant reduction in alcohol involvement in fatal crashes, according to a new study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

ALCOHOL – USA
Heavy-drinking Colleges Showing No Improvements – Science Daily

U.S. colleges with the biggest student drinking problems have so far failed to turn the tide, according to a new study.

ALCOHOL – UK
British Medical Association Calls for Ban Alcohol Ads – NACS Online

A new report by the British Medical Association argues that a complete ban on alcohol advertising in the U.K. is “necessary to challenge Britain’s dangerous drinking culture,” reports the Associated Press.

ALCOHOL – USA
Prevention program reduces teen alcohol, tobacco use – Smart Brief

Small and midsize communities that are part of the Communities That Care prevention system have reduced alcohol use among eighth graders by almost 25% and cut the use of smokeless tobacco nearly in half, program data showed.

ALCOHOL – RUSSIA
Medvedev orders swift anti-alcohol controls – Reuters

Russian President Dmitry Medvedvev on Friday gave his officials three months to enact tough restrictions to try and curb alcohol abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Ban Alcohol Ads, British Medical Association Says – Join Together

Citing an alarming rise in alcohol consumption and drinking-related illness and death, the British Medical Association (BMA) is calling for a ban on all types of alcohol advertising.

ALCOHOL – UK
U.K. Should Ban Alcohol Ads, Happy Hours, Doctors Say – Bloomberg

The measures are needed to combat the epidemic of excessive drinking, particularly among young people, the doctors’ group said in a report released today.

ALCOHOL – USA
Mass. consider banning some alcohol advertising – Boston Herald

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban alcohol advertising on state property.

ALCOHOL – USA
Call for clearer labels on alcohol – RTE News

The Health Service Executive’s Alcohol Implementation Group has recommended that clear health-warning labels be placed on all alcohol products sold in Ireland.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey tries to map colleges’ alcohol policies – The Roanoke Times

School is just back in session for most college students, but campus life has been on our minds all summer here at The Roanoke Times. Our ongoing series, Under 21, which looks at college drinking and the Amethyst Initiative to re-examine the legal drinking age, didn’t take a summer break.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drug, alcohol violations top list of campus crime – Poughkeepsie Journal

The most frequently reported statistics in a federal college crime database are not burglaries, sexual offenses or other crimes. Rather, they are infractions – liquor and drug law violations – that often lead to those crimes.

DRUGS – USA
Pain drugs get addiction warning – Top News United States

The Government’s drug watchdog has warned against over the counter painkillers that contain codeine since it can become addictive in just three days.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine arrests ‘rise since 2004′ – The Press Association

The number of people arrested for possession and supply of cocaine has risen since 2004 in some parts of Scotland, new figures have revealed.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Rehab – Trans World News

Most people never second guess their doctors.  Often times a personal bond is formed; after all this is the person that helps you, makes you better when you are ill, and counsels you when you have questions.

ADDICTION – USA
Remember those fighting addiction – Daily Record

This September marks the 20th National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. That spans a generation of celebrations of our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and other loved ones being returned to us from the torments of addiction. Over the course of the past two decades, tens of thousands of New Jersey families have been made whole again through recovery.

ALCOHOL – USA
Sept. proclaimed Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month – Saipan Tribune

After 20 years of being an excessive alcohol drinker, which included a 90-day jail term and several DUIs, Willaim Kintz said he just couldn’t handle it anymore and he voluntarily checked in at the Community Guidance Center’s treatment and recovery program.

PAINKILLER – HONG KONG
Painkiller Tylenol recalled – Health and Community

Jacobson Medical (Hong Kong) is recalling Tylenol Extended Relief Tab 650mg as the painkiller has been sold in unregistered packages, the Department of Health said today.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinkers Often Drive Drunk, Researchers Say – Join Together

A study of 14,000 binge drinkers found that 12 percent admitted driving after their most recent episode of heavy alcohol consumption.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Cutting Agent Leads to Illness – Join Together

Drug users who ingested cocaine cut with a substance called levamisole have contracted a blood disease known as agranulocytosis in Massachusetts and other states.

COCAINE – USA
Dramatic rise in cocaine addiction – RTE News

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of people treated for cocaine addiction, according to figures released by the Health Research Board.

DRUGS – UK
Blueprint Drugs Education: The Response of Pupils and Parents to the Programme – Home Office

The Blueprint drug education programme was an evidence-based, multi-component programme that was piloted in 23 schools in England during the spring terms of 2004 and 2005.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drink a factor in surgery deaths – BBC News

Alcohol abuse was a factor in the deaths of one in 15 patients who died in hospitals last year while under the care of surgeons, figures have shown.

DRUGS – UK
Kicking the habit of drug-driving – Times Online

Taking up two parking spaces would be considered bold. But three? Well, that is a little reckless, given the circumstances. With a flourish, G-Star brings his Subaru Impreza to a diagonal halt in the temporary police car park, composes an expression somewhere between hurt innocence and pliant confusion, and blows into the Breathalyser.

ALCOHOL – USA
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month – Addiction Inbox

Recovery Month, an annual September observance highlighting the benefits of substance abuse treatment, kicked off on August 31 when President Obama issued a proclamation.

METH – USA
Feds plan $9 million ad campaign to fight meth in MO, elsewhere – Kansas City Star

It’ll run now through November and appear on TV, in newspapers, online and on billboards. Missouri (but not Kansas) was one of 16 states that were deemed to have the worst meth rates in the nation.

METH – USA
Missouri no longer alone in meth fight – Missouri Net

Missouri has the dubious distinction of being the methamphetamine capital of the country and largely has been left to fight meth on its own. That, though, is changing. National attention has come to the fight against meth.

ALCOHOL – USA
When Getting Drunk Is Cheap – New York Times

Anyone who has spent time around a college campus knows that the local bars offer drink specials to entice the party crowd.

ALCOHOL – USA
Does Drinking in Front of Kids Put Them at Risk for Alcohol Problems? – FOX News

You know, if you abuse alcohol in front of your kids, then, look, the kids are going to think it’s all right, and they’re going to go on in their adult life.

ALCOHOL – USA
One in 10 Binge-Drinkers Drive Afterward: Study – ABC News

More than 10 percent of U.S. adults who binge-drink admits to getting behind the wheel after doing so, a government study finds.

ALCOHOL – USA
Massachusetts Group Takes on Big Alcohol to Take Down Exploitative Alcohol Ads – Reuters

The Massachusetts State Legislature may soon have an opportunity to ban alcohol advertisements on Commonwealth property, including bus shelters and subway cars.

METH – USA
“Shake and Bake” Meth Cooking Increases Bay County Sheriff’s Workload – WJHG News

Meth labs have gone ultra-mobile. Captain Faith Bell with the Bay County Sheriff’s office’s Special Investigations Division, says, “The most tell-tale signs are, of course, the batteries, and the Sudafed. It requires a lot of these things, these ice packs.”

METH – USA
Arizona Targeted in Federal Anti-Meth Ad Campaign; Are They Trying to Tell Us We Have a Problem? – Phoenix New Times

According to national statistics, you are likely to see more toothless meth-heads roaming the streets of Phoenix than almost anywhere in the country. As a result, Phoenicians have a new anti-meth ad campaign to look forward to, compliments of the federal government.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drinkers consuming more by ‘stealth’ as home drinking rises – Alcohol Policy

The increase in strength of drinks and rise in home consumption have led to drinkers inadvertently drinking more units, research from industry market research specialists Mintel has revealed.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drinking Among College Students Affected By Cheap Drinks At College Bars – Medical News Today

It’s no secret that alcohol use among college students can cause a number of problems, including injury, violence and even death.

METH – USA
The Meth Crisis: From San Diego to America’s Heartland – KPBS News

Of all the substances that people abuse to get high, of all the illegal things people can become addicted to, methamphetamine remains in a class by itself. It’s relatively easy to make, it produces an energetic, euphoric high and the ravage it can wreak on a human body has no equal.

METH – USA
Anti-Meth ads coming to St. Louis – Examiner

New ads are going to be unveiled in the St. Louis area as a deterrent to methamphetamine drug use and manufacturing.

ALCOHOL – USA
Russian Leader Set to Tackle Nation’s Drinking Problem – Join Together

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who calls alcoholism a “national calamity,” plans to work with the nation’s parliament this fall to tackle the country’s drinking problem by proposing an increase in taxes, stricter labeling laws, and restrictions on where alcohol can be sold.

MARIJUANA – USA
Male Sexual Problems Caused by Marijuana Use, Study Says – Join Together

Men who smoke marijuana may have more problems achieving orgasm during sex than abstainers, according to a new Australian study.

DRUGS – USA
After Drug Rehab, Is Relapse A Part Of Recovery? – Press Release

While many schools of thought point to relapse rates of up to 60%, there is one drug treatment program that defies the odds when helping addicts recover from addiction.

ADDICTION – USA
Celebration to be held for those who have overcome addictions – South Carolina News

Coastal Recovery Center is planning a special event to increase awareness of addictions, treatment, and recovery in Myrtle Beach. According to a news release from Coastal Recovery Center, the event will celebrate people in recovery from addiction with their inspiring testimonies of their changed lives.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction Recovery Celebration Scheduled for Durham – My NC

The Durham Center will team this month with Partnership for a Healthy Durham, Duke University Health System, Urban Ministries of Durham, El Centro Hispano and DurhamTRY to hold its fourth annual Recovery Celebration Block Party as part of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

METH – USA
Anti-meth ads seek to show addiction’s toll on Oklahomans – News OK

New anti-methamphetamine ads start this month and target Oklahoma and 15 other states, the White House drug czar said Tuesday.

ADDERALL – USA
Keep those pills in shape – Fierce Pharma Manufacturing

B arr Labs initiated a recall in mid-August for generic Adderall tablets that may contain too much of the active pharmaceutical ingredients dextroamphetamine and dl-amphetamine, posing a superpotency risk to users of the ADHD drug.

HEROIN – IRELAND
Use of heroin and cocaine still rising, report finds –Irish Times

Heroin and cocaine use continues to rise throughout Ireland, a new study by the Health Research Board shows.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine 101: A brief overview – Examiner

Methamphetamine (meth) is one of the most addictive drugs on the street today, affecting families from all walks of life. While is easy to become addicted, it is hard to become and remain drug free. Especially for teenagers, who live “for the moment” rather than looking at the long term picture of their life.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
More Teens Are Abusing ADHD Prescription Drugs – Healia Health

More teens are calling for help with ADHD prescription drug abuse, according to information obtained from the American Association of Poison Control Center. Calls to the center from 13-19 year-old victims regarding prescription ADHD medication abuse rose 76% between 1998 and 2005.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription medication abuse: Michael Jackson is not the only one – Examiner

Prescription medication abuse is not just a problem for movie stars and pop idols.  It happens to everyday people all around us – all the time.

DRUGS – UK
Drug-related Deaths In The UK Continue To Rise – Medical News Today

A report released by St George’s, University of London reveals there were 1,952 UK drug-related deaths in 2008, an increase of 2.7 per cent from the previous year.

MARIJUANA – USA
Study Says It’s Easier For Teens To Buy Marijuana Than Beer – KPVI News

A recent study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has some startling results about teens and drugs.

ADDICTION – USA
Rally to raise awareness about drug addiction and treatment – Lower Hudson Journal news

If you’re a parent struggling with addiction to alcohol or drugs, your child has a higher likelihood of becoming an addict or marrying one.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol policy enforced – Tulane Hullabaloo

Tulane University Police Department, in conjunction with the New Orleans Police Department and other local agencies, is poised to take a tougher stance on underage drinking in an effort to keep students safe.

DRUGS – UK
DrugScope: Levels Of Drug-Related Deaths ‘extremely Concerning’ – Medical News Today

DrugScope has responded to the publication of new government figures showing that deaths related to illegal drugs in England and Wales are at their highest levels since 2001.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Ads on Cable TV Reach Young Audiences – US News and World Report

Cable TV shows that attract a significant proportion of teenage viewers are also those that have the most ads for alcohol, new research has found.

METH – USA
Police on the lookout for ‘shake and bake’ meth – KDRV News

A few years ago, making meth required a complex lab. However, now drug users in the southeastern part of the United States are making meth with only a coke bottle and a few other ingredients. It’s what police are calling the ‘shake and bake’ method.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Advertising Reaching Too Many Teens On Cable TV – Medical News Today

A new study from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, in collaboration with UCLA, has found a striking correlation between teenage viewership and the frequency of alcohol advertising on cable television.

ALCOHOL – USA
Annual campaign targets drunken drivers – Daytona Beach News-Journal

Law enforcement officers across the state will “aggressively look for and arrest” drunken drivers as part of a campaign that started Friday, officials said. The effort is part of the annual nationwide “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” effort, according to a statement released by the Florida Department of Transportation.

ALCOHOL – USA
Police crack down on drunken driving, especially by teenagers – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As several dozen football players sweated on a practice field yesterday, a group of their Northgate High School classmates played another brand of defense.

METH – USA
Prosecutor: meth makers now use instant cold packs – The Chicago Tribune

A southern Indiana prosecutor says methamphetamine cookers have found a new way to make the illegal drug.

CODEINE – USA
Give Kids Ibuprofen, Not Codeine, for Broken Arms – Citizens Report

Treat a child’s broken arm with an over-the-counter (OTC) drug like ibuprofen, researchers are saying. A study conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin shows that the ibuprofen is superior to acetaminophen and codeine when used to treat broken arm pain.

HEROIN – USA
Overdose increase surprises area officials – The Olympian

The number of probable heroin overdoses in Thurston County has risen sharply, and public health officials and police are at a loss to explain why.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest – The Daily Kenoshan

To combat the deadly dangers of drunken driving,  Pleasant Prairie police officers will be out in force to arrest impaired motorists as part of a nationwide law enforcement crackdown from Aug. 21 through Sept. 7.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drunken driving arrests among women increase as new public health issue emerges – Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Crime reports show drunken driving arrests among women are rising rapidly in the United States, while DUI arrests among men are falling.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drunk driving enforcement crackdown – Bayshore Courier News

Law enforcement officials from Holmdel will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the summer 2009 (Over the Limit, Under Arrest) campaign.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Scams Happening in the Ozarks – Ozark First

It’s not exactly what the doctor ordered, but a scam involving prescription drugs is making its way through several Ozarks communities.

DRUGS – UK
Orthodox community steps up its anti-drugs campaign – The JC

A strictly Orthodox charity is planning to step up its campaign over the next few weeks to educate its constituency about the risk of drugs.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Rises as a Painkiller With Big Risks – The New York Times

A synthetic form of opium, it is cheap and long lasting, a powerful pain reliever that has helped millions. But because it is also abused by thrill seekers and badly prescribed by doctors unfamiliar with its risks, methadone is now the fastest growing cause of narcotic deaths.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Becoming Local Drug of Choice – WSAZ News

Heroin, one of the deadliest drugs in the country, is taking a toll locally — quickly becoming the drug of choice.

HEROIN – UK
Red alert for heroin users – Evening Telegraph

Heroin is cut with other substances to maximise dealers’ profits and whatever red heroin has been cut with creates new and potentially fatal risks. The drug, off-red in colour, crystallises quickly in the syringe so addicts must shoot up quickly.

ALCOHOL – USA
CADCA Survey Finds Alcohol Top Problem Facing Communities – CADCA

According to CADCA´s 2007 Annual Survey of Coalitions, 68 percent of community anti-drug coalitions across the country ranked alcohol as the number one problem facing their community.

METH – USA
New Publication Offers Strategies to Tackle Methamphetamine Abuse – CADCA

According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 5.8 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 or older have abused methamphetamine (meth) at least once in their lifetimes.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Cocktail in a pocket entices teen drinkers – Sydney Morning Herald

ShotPak is a line of alcoholic beverages that comes in shot-sized, laminated-foil plastic pouches reminiscent of the drinks American children pack in their school lunches.

HEROIN – UK
Addicts warned over red heroin – The Courier

POLICE IN Tayside fear that deadly “red heroin” may have reached the region—and warned addicts to stay away from the contaminated substance.

DRUGS – USA
Latest Drug Trends Show Rampant Heroin Abuse – News Radio WTVN

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug-Addiction Services has released its biannual report on the latest drug trends across the state.

ADDICTION – SOUTH AFRICA
Addiction to potentially deadly drug Cat surging – Weekend Post

SCHOOLS, businesses and nightclubs in Nelson Mandela Bay are fast falling prey to a new and potentially deadly designer drug called Cat, which is becoming the latest craze among teens and young adults.