Would you like your meth in strawberry or cherry flavor?

Recent reports have surfaced of a pink-colored, strawberry-flavored methamphetamine that was seized in Nevada. The idea of a candy-like substance, which some officials fear is targeting youth, has created quite a buzz.

News outlets have covered the story from at least nine states, yet it appears there is still only one confirmed seizure of the substance. This leaves some people wondering whether it was an isolated incident that got a lot of attention or if there are legitimate fears of some meth manufacturers trying to target new users by making the drug more appealing to young people.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that more than 10 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried methamphetamine at some point in their lives. According to results from the 2005 Monitoring the Future Study, current meth use among high school seniors decreased from 1.7 percent in 2003 to 0.9 percent in 2005.

Methamphetamine found on the streets is often made in home-based labs that use an array of toxins to create the chemical transformation. Some ingredients may include lithium battery acid, red phosphorus, anhydrous ammonia, and its base of pseudo-ephedrine.

Taking even small amounts of methamphetamine can result in increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia. Other effects of methamphetamine abuse may include irritability, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, and cardiovascular collapse and death. Long-term effects may include paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, memory loss, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and severe dental problems.

Article by Eric Mitchell

Afghan wants to legalize their poppies

Afghanistan supplies up to 90% of the world’s opium cultivation, according to some estimates, despite being illegal. Recently there have been some advocates trying to get it legalized and subsidized in the country.

The U.S. State Department issued a release this week saying, "In recent months, we have seen several articles and reports advocating the legalization of opium in Afghanistan ... The governments of Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are all opposed to the legalization of opium in Afghanistan, as are the relevant technical agencies of the United Nations."

For the 2006 growing season, farmers participating in India's licit market were paid anywhere from $16 to $49 per-kilogram of opium gum (the lower end of this price range being far more typical). In contrast, a trafficker in Afghanistan was willing to pay $138 per-kilogram of opium gum on average in 2005 and $125 on average in 2006.

According to the United States Economic & Social Commission for Western Asia, opium poppy is a profitable crop that is produced with cheap labor (women, children and refugees). In 2002, gross income from the opium poppy crops in Afghanistan rose to $1.2 billion. Afghan farmers were offered $1,250 per hectare (about 2.5 acres) by the government to destroy their crops, but they are expected to receive $16,000 per hectare in profits from drug processors and traffickers for growing the poppies.

A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime last September showed the area under opium cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record 165,000 hectares in 2006 compared with 104,000 in 2005 (an increase of 59 percent overall). In the southern province of Helmand, where Taliban insurgents have scaled up their attacks on Afghan government and international forces, cultivation soared 162 percent to 69,324 hectares.

Unfortunately, in the Afghan economy, the financial gain outweighs the devastation caused by the pain-killing drugs the opium poppy is used for, such as heroin. Officials say that roughly 80 percent of the heroin found in Europe comes from Afghanistan as well as nearly all of the supply in Russia. However, an increasing amount continues to find its way to the U.S.

Article by Eric Mitchell

Do we need more laws to handle underage drinking, or do we teach responsibility?

Approximately 5,000 young people under 21 die each year due to underage drinking.

Recent occurrences in several states have lawmakers working to figure out something they can do to help save lives and prevent teenagers and young adults from causing more damage to themselves and others.

Some areas have resorted to local ordinances that include heavy fines for adults whose houses are used for underage drinking parties – whether they’re home or not. Other laws include keg registration, where the purchaser of the alcohol is the one punished if it is found to be consumed by people underage.

Part of the problem is that some parents adopt the attitude of "at least it’s at my house where I know they’re safe," which may have its merits, but also fosters the idea that consuming alcohol to the point of getting buzzed or drunk is okay.

According to a recent national survey, about 10.8 million people ages 12-20 (28.2 percent) reported past month alcohol use in 2005. Nearly 7.2 million of these underage drinkers (18.8 percent) were binge drinkers and 2.3 million (6.0) were heavy drinkers. These figures have remained essentially the same since 2002.

Along with the immediate problems caused by underage drinking, there are residual effects on society as well.

For example, those who begin drinking in their early teens are at greater risk of developing alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. This means additional costs for rehabilitation programs, increased risk of future DUI/DWI, increased risk of accidents caused at work, etc.

However, with about half of the adult population being current drinkers, other people feel that if someone is old enough to die for our country in the military, then they’re old enough for have a drink. That may be true, but if consuming alcoholic beverages at a young age is going to continue to be prevalent in this society, then someone has to teach young people how to be responsible with such a dangerous substance, if that is at all possible.

It’s actually a shame that we have to develop laws with fines and penalties to try and correct a situation when more focus should be placed on effective education and prevention.

Article by Eric

Is Buprenorphine the new cure for drug withdrawal?

The Federal Government recently increased the total number of patients that doctors are allowed to prescribe buprenorphine to. Up until now, physicians certified to prescribe the drug were limited to 30 patients, but that has recently been changed to 100.

Buprenorphine is a synthetic opiate agonist/antagonist, meaning in smaller amounts it actually blocks some of the withdrawal effects and limits the sensation of being “high”. In larger amounts it still has the opiate properties and painkilling effects as other drugs in this class. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October of 2002.

When being prescribed buprenorphine (brand names include Suboxone and Subutex) on an outpatient basis or in a medical detox setting, the drug is administered to people coming down from opiates such as heroin, oxycontin and methadone over a short period of time to decrease the severity of withdrawal symptoms.

However, some doctors have begun using it as a maintenance drug, much like methadone is used, and both chronic pain patients as well as opiate addicts are finding the darker side of the drug, because it’s still in the opiate family.

While many in the addiction treatment field have been quick to jump on the buprenorphine bandwagon, others say the jury is still out on whether or not this could wind up like another methadone.

We feel that in some limited cases, drugs like buprenorphine may be used for a short period of time, but the ultimate goal of the rehabilitation process would be to get off all drugs.

Article by Eric