Dec 1 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPTION - US
Warning on Paxil - New York Times
Women who are pregnant, or plan to be, should avoid taking Paxil because of a risk of birth defects, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has warned.

METH - US
Collateral damage of methamphetamine addiction
Monroe County ranks among the top five counties in Tennessee for methamphetamine lab seizures. Law agencies say they are making progress in stamping out meth use across the state, but their work isn't done yet.

METH - US
State's mission to curb methamphetamine
Methamphetamine, by any name, is a dangerous drug migrating from western states and Mexico, state officials warned Thursday. Gov. M. Jodi Rell joined U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor, Chief State's Attorney Kevin T. Kane, Public Safety Commissioner Leonard C. Boyle and other law enforcement and health officials to ask for the public's help in fighting the drug.

MARIJUANA - US
Medical Marijuana: California Supreme Court Rules Patients Can Transport It
The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state's medical marijuana laws allow people to transport the drug as long as they can show it was for their personal medical use. The court said that the law protects even patients carrying large amounts of weed as long as they can show it is consistent with their medical needs.

HEROIN - US
Growing heroin addiction problem in Waterford
Heroin addicts trying to kick the habit in Waterford have to wait a minimum of ten months before they can even get assessed for suitability for the methadone programme operated from the HSE’s Community Care building on the Cork Road.

PAINKILLER - US
Painkillers may reduce effectiveness of vaccines
The intake of painkillers at the time of vaccination may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, suggests a new study. When a person is vaccinated, the goal is to produce as many antibodies as possible to effectively neutralise the infection, reported science portal EurekAlert.

COCAINE - IRELAND
Cocaine deaths here may be under-reported, says poison doctor
The Director of the National Poisons Information Centre in Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, Dr Joe Tracey, said he is “convinced there are an awful lot more people dying from cocaine than are being picked up” and the Centre recorded only two cocaine deaths last year.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghanistan's progress might be thwarted by Opium production
Afghanistan's soaring opium production threatens to wreck efforts to rebuild the country after years of war, the UN and the World Bank have warned.