Drug News

PAINKILLER – USA
OK Painkiller Abuse Increasing – KSBI News

State officials continue to fight a growing problem in Oklahoma.  The number of people abusing prescription pain killers is on the rise.  About 87,000 people in Oklahoma are using prescription drugs for non-medical use.
CANNABIS – IRELAND
Cannabis users highest in North – Irish Times

The use of cannabis by young people is higher in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in Europe, according to a new survey carried out by Queen’s University, Belfast. The survey of 4,000 teenagers in 43 schools in the North found that almost one in 13 children in Northern Ireland had tried cannabis before the age of 12.
COCAINE – USA
Laced Cocaine Prompts Nationwide Health Alert – About-News and Issues

Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole, a veterinary anti-parasitic drug.
ADDICTION – USA
Addiction treatment, recovery: Making us whole again – The Times of Trenton

September marks the 20th National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The two decades span a generation of celebrations of our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and other loved ones who have been returned to us from the torments of addiction.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
MT AG Bullock convenes panel to fight prescription drug abuse – Montana’s News Station

According to Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock, more Montanans die from overdoses of prescription drugs than in traffic crashes.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Problem Worsening – Southern Pines Pilot

Illegal prescription pills, rather than such common illicit substances as marijuana, represent the most serious drug abuse in Moore County, a group of county and municipal leaders were told Thursday.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Accidental Prescription Drug Deaths Spike Upward – Food Consumer

The mortality rate from unintended injury in the U.S. rose 11 percent between 1999 and 2005. The jumps in poisoning deaths and deaths from falls were particularly high and troubling.
HEROIN – USA
Low Price, High Potency Spike Heroin Deaths – The Boston Channel

A lethal combination of rock bottom prices combined with a spike in the potency and availability of heroin on Massachusetts streets has led to a startling increase in the number of heroin-related deaths in recent years.
HEROIN – USA
Worried Long Island Parents Attend Heroin Summit – WCBS News

Heroin. It is cheap, potent and deadly. And its use is growing stunningly fast in suburbs on Long Island. CBS 2 HD spoke to addicts and experts about the issue on Tuesday night.
HEROIN – USA
‘Hillbilly Heroin’ Gets a Makeover – Truthdig

So many people grind up and inject or snort the powerful painkiller OxyContin that the drug’s maker has had to snap a plastic-like coating around the pill. The FDA says the improvement is marginal at best in reducing abuse of the drug, but better than nothing.

METH – USA
State Chosen for Meth Education Campaign – WIBC News

The state ranks second in the nation for meth lab seizures and incidents reported to the Drug and Enforcement Administration. Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Commander Sgt. Niki Crawford says this year has marked a 25-percent increase from 2008, with the numbers on pace to break the record for the number of lab seizures in the state.

ALCOHOL – UK
Reducing youth alcohol drinking through a parent-targeted intervention: the Örebro Prevention Program – Drugs and Alcohol Findings

In Sweden routine parent-school meetings incorporating parenting advice and encouraging commitment to take a strong stand against underage drinking had a remarkable impact on adolescent drunkenness – but would this simple, low-cost tactic work as well in the UK?

DRUGS – UK
Responding to drug driving in Europe – European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Many of the accidents and deaths that occur on European roads are caused by drivers whose performance is impaired by a psychoactive substance. Alcohol alone is estimated to account for up to 10 000 road deaths a year in the European Union, one quarter of all road deaths.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Risky uni drinkers a brain drain – The Age

More than a third of university students drink to harmful levels, risking permanent brain damage. A study published in New Scientist journal yesterday found tertiary students drank more heavily than their non-student peers yet were often unaware their drinking was risky.

DRUGS – UK
Students warned of lethal risks from ‘legal highs’ – The Observer

Students are being warned of the dangers of “legal highs” in a hard-hitting campaign ahead of the start of the new university term. The government-backed campaign, the first of its kind, comes amid rising concern that the drugs, which are sold legally but have many of the properties of illegal substances, can have potentially serious side-effects.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge drinking ups infection risk – BBC News

Going on a drinking binge could leave you wide open to infections, as well as hangovers, work suggests. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol in one session scuppers the immune system by knocking out proteins essential for fighting off bacteria and viruses.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin Epidemic Taking Hold Of Long Island Youth – WCBS TV News

Long thought of as only a plague of the inner city, heroin has now moved into the suburbs, where increased use by teens is alarming officials and leaving families devastated.

HEROIN – USA
Doctor tells Reno group prescription drug abuse can lead to heroin – Reno Gazette-Journal

An addiction medicine specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area warned Washoe County anti-drug advocates Monday that not medically treating prescription drug addicts causes them to turn to heroin because physical withdrawal symptoms are so severe.

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.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug can take deadly turn – WREX News

A state group educates people in Illinois about the dangers of mixing drugs with methadone.

ADDICTION – USA
Organization washes away addiction – UNLV Rebel Yell

September is national recovery month and UNLV’s Student Organization of Addiction Professionals is holding a number of events to bring awareness to addictions of all kinds.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Law enforcement targets out-of-state prescriptions – Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Addicts and drug dealers using out-of-state painkiller prescriptions to fuel their trade were an issue addressed Thursday when a new round of drug indictments and arrests were released by the region’s law enforcement community.

DRUGS – USA
Oxycodone Combined With Many Drugs Pose Risk of Side Effects: Report – About Lawsuits

A recent study has found that combining the painkiller oxycodone with other drugs can cause unexpectedly increased or decreased effects, potentially putting patients at increased risk of excessive sedation or decreased pain fighting effects.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge drinking ups infection risk – BBC News

Going on a drinking binge could leave you wide open to infections, as well as hangovers, work suggests. Drinking copious amounts of alcohol in one session scuppers the immune system by knocking out proteins essential for fighting off bacteria and viruses.

ALCOHOL – USA
PA Liquor Control Board Opens Annual Alcohol Awareness Poster Contest For PA’s K-12 Students – PR News Wire

Students throughout Pennsylvania will once again have the chance to tell their peers about the dangers of alcohol through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s 2009-10 alcohol-awareness poster contest.

ALCOHOL – USA
With Alcohol, Starting Young May Lead to Dependency – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Teens who start drinking before age 15 could jump-start any genetic conditions they might have that predispose them to developing alcohol dependency, according to an Australian study.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse awareness walk planned – The Reporter

The Souderton/Telford branch of “One Life, One Chance” and Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman are hosting a two mile walk and public forum Saturday.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
Drug-driving epidemic worse than thought – New Zealand Herald

New research suggests New Zealand’s drug-driving epidemic may be worse than officials thought.

HEROIN – USA
Study reveals disturbing trend in heroin use – KHOU News

A disturbing trend was revealed in a new study out of the University of Houston. It indicates that heroin use among aging Latino men is exposing others to potentially deadly infectious diseases.

ALCOHOL – USA
Problem Schools Make Little Progress Against Student Drinking – Join Together

Frequent binge drinking has increased over the last decade at colleges with the biggest drinking problems, demonstrating the lack of progress these schools have made in addressing underage and excessive alcohol use.

ALCOHOL – USA
Work of group focuses on alcohol use – Morning Sentinel

Colby College is set to target high-risk, heavy consumption of alcohol among students. After more than a year of study, the Campus Culture Working Group on Tuesday night reported its recommendations, which aim to change the binge-drinking climate on campus through new policies, and by offering students more academic and social options during the week.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol kills up to six times more Scots than UK average – Telegraph

More people than average are dying of drink-related illnesses in 64 of the Scottish Parliament’s 73 constituencies, with huge differences recorded between areas.

DRUGS – UK
Long-Term Adolescent Vulnerability To Drugs Explored By Researchers – Medical News Today

As part of efforts to understand drug abuse, Georgia State University researchers are finding that adolescent rats appear to be less vulnerable to the long-term effects of withdrawal and relapse in certain types of drug use than rats that take the drugs in adulthood.

ALCOHOL – UK
Web-Based Screening And Intervention May Reduce Drinking In University Students – Medical News Today

Web-based screening and personalized interventions for alcohol use may reduce drinking in undergraduate students, according to a report in the September 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

ALCOHOL – USA
New Survey Results: Stop Anyone Impaired by Alcohol From Driving Any Vehicle, Public… – Reuters

People are ready to prevent any driver from starting a vehicle after drinking too much alcohol, even though the technology to do it isn’t available yet.

ALCOHOL – USA
Any Drinking Raises Risk of Traffic Accidents, Researchers Say – Join Together

Even one or two alcoholic drinks can increase the risk of getting into an automobile accident, even if it’s not technically drunk driving, according to Italian researchers.

METH – USA
Idaho Meth Project targets minorities – FOX Idaho News

A year after a campaign was launched to warn teens and young adults away from methamphetamine through graphic television, radio, print and billboard ads, the Idaho Meth Project is targeting minority groups.

METH – USA
Shaken or cooked, meth can still kill – San Marcos Daily Record

It hasn’t been seen on the local level yet, but narcotics authorities are on the lookout for a new generation of methamphetamine that is said to be easier and cheaper to make, but just as dangerous as old-style “cooking” operations.

ALCOHOL – USA
Internet Can Help Curb Drinking Among College Students – US News and World Report

Heavy drinking is a growing problem among university students, but an Internet-based intervention may help them control their alcohol use, a new study finds.

ADDICTION – USA
Addicts Celebrate Continuing Recovery – WSMV News

Hundreds of people in middle Tennessee are battling addictions, whether it be to drugs or alcohol. In honor of this month being National Recovery Month, hundreds met at Centennial Park Tuesday to celebrate their continuing recovery from addiction.

ALCOHOL – USA
College Drinking Reduced by Online Interventions – Join Together

College students who received Internet-based screening and brief interventions were less likely to drink alcohol.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scottish alcohol death toll up to six times UK average – The Scotsman

Deaths linked to alcohol in some areas of Scotland are six times higher than the UK average, new figures reveal. The death rate in Glasgow Shettleston last year was 574 per cent of the UK national average.

ADDICTION – USA
Narconon Louisiana: The Solution To The Drug Addiction Epidemic – Trans World News

Narconon Louisiana, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, opened its doors in 2006 as a resource for locals struggling with addiction. In an area that had seen some of the worst devastation in years after Hurricane Katrina, there was no real solution in place for the rampant drug use.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
OPD takes prescription drug abuse fight statewide – WFIE News

Owensboro Police will be joining the so-called Drug Diversion Task Force set up by the Kentucky Attorney General to fight prescription drug abuse. Police say it’s a growing problem.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Calif. Drug Database to Target Prescription Abuse – ABC News

California is about to join 20 other states who have a database to monitor people abusing prescription drugs. The idea is to prevent people from going to different doctors to get their drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
What parents should know about teen use of prescription – The Plain Dealer

The fact of the matter is that teens are abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs in alarming numbers. This is the first of two columns about that abuse, and what parents need to know.

METH – USA
Soda-Bottle Meth Labs On Rise in Polk County – The Ledger

One-pot methamphetamine labs are popping up in record numbers around unincorporated Polk County, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. But these aren’t traditional meth operations. There are no glass beakers, Bunsen burners or drying trays. The one-pot labs consist of empty soda bottles and about $40 of household chemicals you can find at any Wal-Mart, said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Survey Says: Teens Have Easy Access to Prescription Drugs, Marijuana – Trans World News

Following the findings of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University’s 14th Annual Teen Survey, CNN surveyed teens to see how easy it was to get drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Role of high prescription rate in deaths shown – Wilkes Journal Patriot

New data reflects a connection between Wilkes County’s unusually large number of unintentional prescription drug overdose deaths and the volume of controlled substance prescriptions.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription-drug abuse growing problem – Dubuque Telegraph Herald

Gary Kendell warns parents that the source of a growing Iowa drug problem resides not only close to home, but within the home.

METH – USA
Police: Meth use falls, remains problem – United Press International

Methamphetamine remains a serious problem, despite a national study suggesting its use has dropped dramatically, U.S. law enforcement officials said.

ADDICTION – USA
U.S. addiction at pandemic levels – Times of the Internet

Untreated alcohol and drug addiction in the United States remains at pandemic levels, with little change from year to year, an expert says.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse by teens is a serious issue for families – NJ News

When you think about substance abuse, most likely you think about alcohol and illicit street drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroin. But there is another form of drug abuse that poses a real danger to our loved ones. The abuse of prescription medications is quickly becoming a serious public health problem.

DRUGS – USA
Give Us Your Drugs, County Officials Say – Join Together

Officials in Nassau County, N.Y., are hoping to get to the drugs in your medicine cabinet before your kids do as they battle rising abuse of prescription medications.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Calif prescription database unveiled to curb abuse – Mercury News

Prescription drug addicts who visit multiple doctors to feed their habits are being targeted by a new database for doctors and law enforcement in California.

ALCOHOL – USA
Reducing Drinking In University Students: Web-Based Screening And Intervention May Be Helpful – Medical News Today

A report in the September issue of Archives of Internal Medicine shows that web-based screening and personalized interventions for alcohol use may reduce drinking in undergraduate students.

ADDICTION – UK
DHSS marks alcohol, drug addiction recovery month with special events – Sussex Countian

Each year, the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health joins with providers around the state in honoring the brave men and women who have taken steps towards recovery as well as their families for helping support them in their journey.

ALCOHOL – UK
Drink and drugs a leading cause of youth deaths – Guardian

The deaths of more than 3,000 young people in the UK every year could be prevented and many are precipitated by Britain’s drink and drugs culture, a leading child health expert claims.

METH – USA
Idaho Meth Project hopes to reach Hispanic students – KTVB TV News

The Idaho Meth Project held its 2nd Annual Methamphetamine Education event Sunday in Lakeview Park in Nampa for the Hispanic community.

METH – USA
Officials see comeback of old-style meth – KTUL News

Authorities in Oklahoma have been seeing new evidence that methamphetamine users in the state have been using an old and dangerous method to concoct the illegal stimulant.

METH – USA
Old meth formula is seeing comeback in Oklahoma – News OK

While a method of methamphetamine production not seen since the 1980s has resurfaced and seized the Tulsa area with reports of all-time high busts, Oklahoma City police have yet to see a single instance of the “shake-and-bake” method.

ALCOHOL – RUSSIA
Anti-alcohol programme moves forward – Moscow News

Russia’s anti-alcohol crusade passed an important milestone on Friday with President Dmitry Medvedev putting his signature on a laundry list of plans to fight excessive alcohol consumption.

ALCOHOL – USA
Mandatory alcohol tests for truck drivers save lives – DUI Attorney

A new study from the Mailman School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows mandatory alcohol testing among bus and truck drivers has reduced danger by over 20%.

ALCOHOL – USA
Probation comes easier under new alcohol policy – Tufts Daily

In response to rising rates of alcohol-induced student hospitalizations, university administrators have introduced a stricter alcohol policy this semester, speeding up the process that puts underage drinkers on probation.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol Involvement In Fatal Crashes Reduced By Mandatory Alcohol Testing For Truck And Bus Drivers – Medical News Today

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.

DRUGS – UK
Cocaethlylene ‘use’ may be rising, but is awareness still low? – Alcohol Policy

Cocaethlyne, a unique compound produced by mixing cocaine and alcohol, is reported to significantly increase health risks such as heart attacks or liver damage. However based on anecdotal feedback, cocaethylene is largely unknown by drinkers and even amongst some professionals.

DRUGS – USA
Drug addicts march for recovery – KXLY News

Millions of Americans are enslaved by their addiction to drugs, and this month may provide them with the motivation they need to recover.

ADDICTION – USA
Former Addicts Hold Rally To Celebrate Recovery – NY1 News

Recovering from any type of addiction is often a long road, but the participants in the second annual Recovery Rally on Saturday made great strides.

HEROIN – USA
Painkiller addicts turning to heroin when prescriptions run out – Bristol Press

Bristol Police Detective Sgt. Chris Lennon of the narcotics division, says heroin is the second most prevalent drug his unit runs into, after marijuana.

METH – USA
Wing Fest helps fight meth use – Redwood Times

This is a family friendly event to increase public awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine use and to assist agencies that provide medical and psychological help for members of our community that have been affected by this illegal and damaging drug.

ADDICTION – USA
Forum: Addiction plagues U.S. health – Traverse City Record-Eagle

All you have to do is read the newspaper to be reminded that many Americans suffer from the reality of an addiction every day. From the outside, addiction is not always evident in any given individual. Substance abuse is one of the most severe health and social problems facing our county.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Problems – NBC News

Prescription drugs are ruining lives, hurting our kids and leaving police without many options. Now a Reedsburg teenager is stepping in where adults have failed. Quite literally, these are poison pills. Prescription drugs, no longer needed, laying around and too often in the wrong hands.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Addict Recovers Through Narconon – Trans World News

Because of her addiction to pills, Tanya Mesa didn’t have much of a life. She lost her job, her physical health was deteriorating, and worst of all she lost the love and respect of her family.

HEROIN – USA
Elmhurst police, schools crack down on teen heroin use – Chicago Tribune

A couple hundred parents who attended a community forum at York Community High School in Elmhurst Sept. 10 learned that Elmhurst police and schools are cracking down on heroin use among teens after a student confessed late last school year to using the drug.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Reedsburg Teen Organizes Prescription Drug Disposal Program – WISC News

Scientists say that drinking water across the country contains traces of prescription drugs.
Now, one Reedsburg teenager is trying to do something about that alarming fact.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Disrupts Body Clock, Sleep, Study Demonstrates – Join Together

Alcohol use can disrupt the body’s natural clock and sleeping patterns for days after consumption ends, according to a new animal study.

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.