Happy New Year
Hope everyone is having a fun and safe New Year's celebration.
See you next year!!
See you next year!!
Drug News
SundayDec 29 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, crowded roads are a bad mix this weekend – Statesman Journal
New Year’s Eve packs a dangerous combination of factors: lots of drivers hastening to parties, lots of alcohol flowing.
METH – USA
Tahoe teens win anti-meth film grant – The Union
A group of Kings Beach teens will become movie producers, actors and camera operators this January as they educate the community about the dangers of methamphetamine.
Alcohol, crowded roads are a bad mix this weekend – Statesman Journal
New Year’s Eve packs a dangerous combination of factors: lots of drivers hastening to parties, lots of alcohol flowing.
METH – USA
Tahoe teens win anti-meth film grant – The Union
A group of Kings Beach teens will become movie producers, actors and camera operators this January as they educate the community about the dangers of methamphetamine.
Labels: alcohol, methamphetamine
Dec 28 Drug Headlines
OPIUM – INDIA
Rebels boosting poppy business in Myanmar – Hindustan Times
Poppy trade is flourishing in Myanmar, thanks to the activities of a rebel group that has the support of the country's military regime, a media report said.
GENERAL – USA
New Year's Eve, A Time to Help Those with Addiction – CBS News
New Year's Eve parties are the devil for people who are struggling with an addiction. "That belief that everyone should go out and celebrate and, of course, most celebrating involves alcohol, and so I do believe that it's a definite time of relapse for a lot of people," says Wausau Health Services Director Deborah Piskoty.
ALCOHOL – UK
Every day more than 70 victims seek help after alcohol-fuelled attacks – Scotsman News
ALCOHOL-FUELLED violence is responsible for nearly 30,000 admissions to Scotland's hospitals each year and the problem is getting worse, according to a stark new report.
ALCOHOL – CANADA
Happy Healthy Holidays! – Body and Health
This time of year, many festivities involve alcohol. And with social events sometimes around every corner, it's easy to let our alcohol consumption increase.
METH – USA
Methamphetamine use increases artery tears & stroke risk – Zee News
Washington, Dec 27: Methamphetamine use may be associated with increased risks of major neck artery tears and stroke, according to an article published in the December 26, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
ALCOHOL – USA
Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage But Patients Should Stop Drinking As Soon As Possible – Medical News Today
The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Brain [1], used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients (ten men, five women).
GENERAL – USA
Are Drugs Not Approved By The FDA Safe? - Health Lifeline
We go to the doctor, get a prescription and assume it is safe, but each year, physicians and pharmacists unknowingly give patients drugs that don't have the government's OK.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study: Teens Using More Prescription Drugs – kxan.com
A new study shows the lengths some teenagers are going to to get high. They're using everything from Ritalin to painkillers. Some are even crushing, then snorting the prescription drugs.
METH – USA
Meth might hurt ability to feel normal pleasure – The Post and Courier
Ronald See, a professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the effects of methamphetamine may be more damaging than some other illegal drugs because it produces a long-lasting high of eight hours or more.
Rebels boosting poppy business in Myanmar – Hindustan Times
Poppy trade is flourishing in Myanmar, thanks to the activities of a rebel group that has the support of the country's military regime, a media report said.
GENERAL – USA
New Year's Eve, A Time to Help Those with Addiction – CBS News
New Year's Eve parties are the devil for people who are struggling with an addiction. "That belief that everyone should go out and celebrate and, of course, most celebrating involves alcohol, and so I do believe that it's a definite time of relapse for a lot of people," says Wausau Health Services Director Deborah Piskoty.
ALCOHOL – UK
Every day more than 70 victims seek help after alcohol-fuelled attacks – Scotsman News
ALCOHOL-FUELLED violence is responsible for nearly 30,000 admissions to Scotland's hospitals each year and the problem is getting worse, according to a stark new report.
ALCOHOL – CANADA
Happy Healthy Holidays! – Body and Health
This time of year, many festivities involve alcohol. And with social events sometimes around every corner, it's easy to let our alcohol consumption increase.
METH – USA
Methamphetamine use increases artery tears & stroke risk – Zee News
Washington, Dec 27: Methamphetamine use may be associated with increased risks of major neck artery tears and stroke, according to an article published in the December 26, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
ALCOHOL – USA
Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage But Patients Should Stop Drinking As Soon As Possible – Medical News Today
The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Brain [1], used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients (ten men, five women).
GENERAL – USA
Are Drugs Not Approved By The FDA Safe? - Health Lifeline
We go to the doctor, get a prescription and assume it is safe, but each year, physicians and pharmacists unknowingly give patients drugs that don't have the government's OK.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study: Teens Using More Prescription Drugs – kxan.com
A new study shows the lengths some teenagers are going to to get high. They're using everything from Ritalin to painkillers. Some are even crushing, then snorting the prescription drugs.
METH – USA
Meth might hurt ability to feel normal pleasure – The Post and Courier
Ronald See, a professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the effects of methamphetamine may be more damaging than some other illegal drugs because it produces a long-lasting high of eight hours or more.
Labels: alcohol, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 27 Drug Headlines
GENERAL – USA
Popular heartburn drugs linked to hip fractures – CNN Health
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA To Crack Down On Unapproved Prescription Drugs – Keyetv
Millions of prescriptions are being filled each day for drugs that don't have the Food and Drug Administration approval. Doctors, pharmacists and patients usually have no idea the meds aren't OK'd by the government.
METH – USA
Methamphetamine May Trigger Ischemic Stroke – Medpage
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 26 -- Methamphetamine users may develop carotid artery dissections, leading to a severe stroke, an effect also seen in cocaine users, according to researchers here.
Popular heartburn drugs linked to hip fractures – CNN Health
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA To Crack Down On Unapproved Prescription Drugs – Keyetv
Millions of prescriptions are being filled each day for drugs that don't have the Food and Drug Administration approval. Doctors, pharmacists and patients usually have no idea the meds aren't OK'd by the government.
METH – USA
Methamphetamine May Trigger Ischemic Stroke – Medpage
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 26 -- Methamphetamine users may develop carotid artery dissections, leading to a severe stroke, an effect also seen in cocaine users, according to researchers here.
Labels: methamphetamine, prescription
Dec 26 Drug Headlines (and 23, 24 & 25)
GENERAL – US
Survey: Teens abusing more legal drugs – Examiner
That’s the increasingly popular way for teenagers to get high, according to a new government survey. “This is a phenomenon that has been going on for the last five years,” said Michael Gimbel, Sheppard Pratt Health System’s director of Substance Abuse Education. “We’re seeing a huge increase in teenage use of legal drugs, prescription drugs. The kids actually call it ‘pharming.’ ”
CODEINE – TAIWAN
Foundation says doctors over-prescribing for kids – Taipei Times
Doctors are prescribing redundant and excessive levels of medicines for children, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Health Reform Foundation. Of the 15 prescriptions that the foundation sampled, 13 were determined to be improper. Eleven contained at least five kinds of medicines, although some had as many of 13.
PAINKILLERS – USA
FDA urges mandatory painkiller warnings – Washington Times
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday proposed mandatory labeling for over-the-counter painkillers aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
COCAINE – INDIA
Cocaine on 94 percent of Spanish banknotes: study – DNA World
MADRID: Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world's highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.
METH – USA
Survey will help gauge knowledge, attitudes about meth – STLToday.com
HILLSBORO — How much do you know about methamphetamine? In Jefferson County, which has led the state since 2003 in the number of meth lab raids, the Methamphetamine Action Coalition is planning to survey county residents next spring to gauge public knowledge and attitudes about the drug. The aim is to help develop education, prevention and treatment programs.
PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Fraud – Weau.com
Many people are traveling this holiday weekend, and taking their prescription medications with them. But, pharmacists say some of those people are using holiday travel as an excuse to get drugs they plan to sell or use themselves.
METH – USA
Strokes in Young People Could be Due to Meth – Scientific America
The drug known on the streets as crystal meth could increase the risk of stroke and major tears in neck arteries, neurologists report.
GENERAL – USA
Drugs, alcohol abusers getting younger – Daily News
SANTA CLARITA — Specialists who work with local kids in therapeutic programs and in the schools say drug and alcohol use among teens and adolescents is skewing younger and younger.
Survey: Teens abusing more legal drugs – Examiner
That’s the increasingly popular way for teenagers to get high, according to a new government survey. “This is a phenomenon that has been going on for the last five years,” said Michael Gimbel, Sheppard Pratt Health System’s director of Substance Abuse Education. “We’re seeing a huge increase in teenage use of legal drugs, prescription drugs. The kids actually call it ‘pharming.’ ”
CODEINE – TAIWAN
Foundation says doctors over-prescribing for kids – Taipei Times
Doctors are prescribing redundant and excessive levels of medicines for children, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Health Reform Foundation. Of the 15 prescriptions that the foundation sampled, 13 were determined to be improper. Eleven contained at least five kinds of medicines, although some had as many of 13.
PAINKILLERS – USA
FDA urges mandatory painkiller warnings – Washington Times
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday proposed mandatory labeling for over-the-counter painkillers aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
COCAINE – INDIA
Cocaine on 94 percent of Spanish banknotes: study – DNA World
MADRID: Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world's highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.
METH – USA
Survey will help gauge knowledge, attitudes about meth – STLToday.com
HILLSBORO — How much do you know about methamphetamine? In Jefferson County, which has led the state since 2003 in the number of meth lab raids, the Methamphetamine Action Coalition is planning to survey county residents next spring to gauge public knowledge and attitudes about the drug. The aim is to help develop education, prevention and treatment programs.
PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Fraud – Weau.com
Many people are traveling this holiday weekend, and taking their prescription medications with them. But, pharmacists say some of those people are using holiday travel as an excuse to get drugs they plan to sell or use themselves.
METH – USA
Strokes in Young People Could be Due to Meth – Scientific America
The drug known on the streets as crystal meth could increase the risk of stroke and major tears in neck arteries, neurologists report.
GENERAL – USA
Drugs, alcohol abusers getting younger – Daily News
SANTA CLARITA — Specialists who work with local kids in therapeutic programs and in the schools say drug and alcohol use among teens and adolescents is skewing younger and younger.
Labels: cocaine, codeine, methamphetamine, painkillers, prescription
Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa
Here is to a year of handling the drug problem!
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa
Here is to a year of handling the drug problem!
Dec 22 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - UK
Number of children treated for drug abuse ‘shocking’
The number of children being treated for drug abuse has reached shocking levels, the Deputy First Minister admitted yesterday, as he was attacked by both the SNP and Tories over the Scottish Executive's record.
GENERAL - US
Many Youths Admitted to Hospitals for Alcohol or Drug Dependence Don't Receive Treatment
Forty percent or more of the youths ages 20 or younger admitted to U.S. hospitals for substance dependence or related psychoses in 2000 had no documentation of receiving alcohol or drug treatment during their stay, according to an analysis of data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
GENERAL - US
Overall Youth Drug Use Down in 2006, But Survey Sees Trouble Brewing with Inhalants, Prescription Drugs, Smoking
The number of American youths who tell researchers that they used illicit drugs within the last year continues to inch downward, but the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey also found stubbornly high levels of prescription-drug abuse and an end to the decline in smoking among young teens.
Number of children treated for drug abuse ‘shocking’
The number of children being treated for drug abuse has reached shocking levels, the Deputy First Minister admitted yesterday, as he was attacked by both the SNP and Tories over the Scottish Executive's record.
GENERAL - US
Many Youths Admitted to Hospitals for Alcohol or Drug Dependence Don't Receive Treatment
Forty percent or more of the youths ages 20 or younger admitted to U.S. hospitals for substance dependence or related psychoses in 2000 had no documentation of receiving alcohol or drug treatment during their stay, according to an analysis of data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
GENERAL - US
Overall Youth Drug Use Down in 2006, But Survey Sees Trouble Brewing with Inhalants, Prescription Drugs, Smoking
The number of American youths who tell researchers that they used illicit drugs within the last year continues to inch downward, but the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey also found stubbornly high levels of prescription-drug abuse and an end to the decline in smoking among young teens.
Dec 21 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL – CANADA
Riding Under The Influence: New Study Shows More Than A Quarter Of High School Students In Atlantic Canada Have Accepted Rides With Drunk Drivers – Medical News Today
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for Canadian teenagers, and according to recent statistics, alcohol is involved in 40% of these fatalities.
PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Popping Prescription Drugs Like Vicodin More Often - eCanadaNow
Los Angeles (eCanadaNow) - A new study finds that fewer teens are using illegal drugs than ever before but more teens are using legal drugs more often
DRUGS – USA
Methamphetamine Update: 'Tis the Season – ChicoER.com
The following is another poem from an addict reflecting the travesty of addiction and the hope that recovery offers. THE DARK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
DRUGS – USA
Study: Teens getting high on legal drugs – CNN Health
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Slightly fewer adolescents abused illegal drugs and alcohol in 2006, but fairly high numbers of them continued to abuse prescription narcotics, according to a new study.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens turn to cough syrup to get high, feds say - MSNBC
WASHINGTON - Teens increasingly are getting high with legal drugs like painkillers and mood stimulants, and they’re turning to cough syrup as well, says a government survey released Thursday.
CODEINE – TAIWAN
Parents urged to beware safety of medicines for children – China Post
The Taiwan Health Reform Foundation yesterday called for parents to beware the safety of the medicines prescribed by doctors for children, lest their children should suffer from redundant or problematic medicines.
Riding Under The Influence: New Study Shows More Than A Quarter Of High School Students In Atlantic Canada Have Accepted Rides With Drunk Drivers – Medical News Today
Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for Canadian teenagers, and according to recent statistics, alcohol is involved in 40% of these fatalities.
PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Popping Prescription Drugs Like Vicodin More Often - eCanadaNow
Los Angeles (eCanadaNow) - A new study finds that fewer teens are using illegal drugs than ever before but more teens are using legal drugs more often
DRUGS – USA
Methamphetamine Update: 'Tis the Season – ChicoER.com
The following is another poem from an addict reflecting the travesty of addiction and the hope that recovery offers. THE DARK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
DRUGS – USA
Study: Teens getting high on legal drugs – CNN Health
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Slightly fewer adolescents abused illegal drugs and alcohol in 2006, but fairly high numbers of them continued to abuse prescription narcotics, according to a new study.
PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens turn to cough syrup to get high, feds say - MSNBC
WASHINGTON - Teens increasingly are getting high with legal drugs like painkillers and mood stimulants, and they’re turning to cough syrup as well, says a government survey released Thursday.
CODEINE – TAIWAN
Parents urged to beware safety of medicines for children – China Post
The Taiwan Health Reform Foundation yesterday called for parents to beware the safety of the medicines prescribed by doctors for children, lest their children should suffer from redundant or problematic medicines.
Labels: alcohol, codeine, prescription
Dec 20 Drug Headlines
GENERAL – UK
COKE EPIDEMIC GRIPS NATION: Addiction has tripled in 5 years – Daily Record UK
SCOTLAND is facing a fast-growing cocaine and crack problem, shock figures out yesterday reveal.
METHADONE – SCOTLAND
Widespread use of methadone 'fails to tackle the damage of drug abuse' – Scotsman News
SCOTLAND'S reliance on methadone is failing to tackle the damage wreaked on society by drug abuse, it was claimed yesterday, as new figures showed a massive rise in the use of the heroin substitute.
ALCOHOL – JAMAICA
The genesis of alcohol abuse - Jamaica Gleaner
The younger a boy is when he starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he will be a risky drinker as an adult, says the results of a four-year survey of male Marine Corps recruits that raises concerns for society at large.
METH – CANADA
Meth ed falling short – Goldstream News
While we applaud the provincial government’s efforts to fund groups like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to far too little far too late.
CODEINE – USA
Stronger warnings urged for painkillers - Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON -- The government on Tuesday proposed stronger safety warnings for non-prescription painkillers found in most family medicine cabinets, as well as many an office drawer and gym bag, including aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and Aleve.
CANNABIS – CANADA
Drug-driving rate doubles in 15 years – Globe and Mail
The number of people getting behind the wheel after smoking pot has more than doubled in the past 15 years, a trend spurred by the belief that being nabbed for drugged driving is far less likely than being caught driving drunk, new research shows.
PAINKILLERS – CANADA
The FDA's Painkiller Warning: How to Avoid Taking Too Much - Time
An overdose of Tylenol can damage the liver. The problem is, we’re often taking it when we don’t even realize it.
COKE EPIDEMIC GRIPS NATION: Addiction has tripled in 5 years – Daily Record UK
SCOTLAND is facing a fast-growing cocaine and crack problem, shock figures out yesterday reveal.
METHADONE – SCOTLAND
Widespread use of methadone 'fails to tackle the damage of drug abuse' – Scotsman News
SCOTLAND'S reliance on methadone is failing to tackle the damage wreaked on society by drug abuse, it was claimed yesterday, as new figures showed a massive rise in the use of the heroin substitute.
ALCOHOL – JAMAICA
The genesis of alcohol abuse - Jamaica Gleaner
The younger a boy is when he starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he will be a risky drinker as an adult, says the results of a four-year survey of male Marine Corps recruits that raises concerns for society at large.
METH – CANADA
Meth ed falling short – Goldstream News
While we applaud the provincial government’s efforts to fund groups like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to far too little far too late.
CODEINE – USA
Stronger warnings urged for painkillers - Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON -- The government on Tuesday proposed stronger safety warnings for non-prescription painkillers found in most family medicine cabinets, as well as many an office drawer and gym bag, including aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and Aleve.
CANNABIS – CANADA
Drug-driving rate doubles in 15 years – Globe and Mail
The number of people getting behind the wheel after smoking pot has more than doubled in the past 15 years, a trend spurred by the belief that being nabbed for drugged driving is far less likely than being caught driving drunk, new research shows.
PAINKILLERS – CANADA
The FDA's Painkiller Warning: How to Avoid Taking Too Much - Time
An overdose of Tylenol can damage the liver. The problem is, we’re often taking it when we don’t even realize it.
Labels: alcohol, cannabis, codeine, methadone, methamphetamine, painkillers, prescription
Dec 19 Drug Headlines
PAINKILLERS - CANADA
U.S. officials push to beef up painkiller warnings - The Star
Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects.
CANNABIS - CANADA
Drug driving doubled since 1989 - Edmonton Sun
A study coming on the heels of federal efforts to discourage drug-impaired drivers indicates driving under the influence of marijuana and hashish has more than doubled since 1989. The survey by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says young males are driving under the influence of cannabis as often as, or more often, than they drive under the influence of alcohol.
ALCOHOL – USA
Too Much Christmas Cheer? A Number Of Tips On Staying In Control Over The Festive Season - Medical News Today
Christmas is a time when the drinks flow freely- there are more parties than usual and the temptation is to overindulge a little. After all, there are always New Year’s resolutions!
PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA Panel Recommends Warning For Adult Antidepressant Suicide Risk - Medical News Today
An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday voted 6-2 in favor of updating black box warnings on antidepressants to state that there is an increased suicide risk for young adults up to age 25, the New York Times reports (Carey, New York Times, 12/13).
ALCOHOL – CANADA
Blood alcohol levels have paradoxical effect on brain injuries
A study led by trauma surgeon Dr. Homer Tien out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, shows that alcohol has a paradoxical effect on mortality of patients admitted to hospital with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
ALCOHOL - UK
Alcohol Abuse 'Severely Impairs the Brain'
Excessive alcohol consumption over an extended period of time can have a drastic impact upon the brain, new research suggests. Scientists in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Italy examined 15 alcoholic men and women over a period of 38 days after they stopped drinking and the changes observed in their brains were remarkable.
U.S. officials push to beef up painkiller warnings - The Star
Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects.
CANNABIS - CANADA
Drug driving doubled since 1989 - Edmonton Sun
A study coming on the heels of federal efforts to discourage drug-impaired drivers indicates driving under the influence of marijuana and hashish has more than doubled since 1989. The survey by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says young males are driving under the influence of cannabis as often as, or more often, than they drive under the influence of alcohol.
ALCOHOL – USA
Too Much Christmas Cheer? A Number Of Tips On Staying In Control Over The Festive Season - Medical News Today
Christmas is a time when the drinks flow freely- there are more parties than usual and the temptation is to overindulge a little. After all, there are always New Year’s resolutions!
PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA Panel Recommends Warning For Adult Antidepressant Suicide Risk - Medical News Today
An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday voted 6-2 in favor of updating black box warnings on antidepressants to state that there is an increased suicide risk for young adults up to age 25, the New York Times reports (Carey, New York Times, 12/13).
ALCOHOL – CANADA
Blood alcohol levels have paradoxical effect on brain injuries
A study led by trauma surgeon Dr. Homer Tien out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, shows that alcohol has a paradoxical effect on mortality of patients admitted to hospital with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
ALCOHOL - UK
Alcohol Abuse 'Severely Impairs the Brain'
Excessive alcohol consumption over an extended period of time can have a drastic impact upon the brain, new research suggests. Scientists in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Italy examined 15 alcoholic men and women over a period of 38 days after they stopped drinking and the changes observed in their brains were remarkable.
Labels: alcohol, cannabis, painkillers, prescription
Dec 18 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL - UK
Britain's booziest Christmas ever - The Independent
Price wars in supermarkets and drink promotions in pubs are making alcohol cheaper than ever. And we're lapping it up, as this exclusive survey for the 'IoS' reveals. Which is why police are calling for a ban on advertising aimed at young drinkers and doctors are warning of record levels of liver disease. Sophie Goodchild and Marie Woolf report
GENERAL - BRAZIL
Brazil's teenagers - gangs and drugs - The Star
For teenagers in Rio de Janeiro's mean slums, working in the drug trade is a lucrative way to make a living. It's also a fast way to dying. Youths as young as 11 start off as messengers and look-outs for the drug gangs that control the packed shantytowns known as favelas, then earn promotion to soldiers or sellers.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Baby labels on alcohol - The Daily Telegraph
Warning labels telling pregnant mothers they risk doing irreversible harm to their unborn children by drinking could be put on alcoholic products after the number of damaged babies has soared.
ECSTASY - UK
The Ecstasy and the agony - UK Times
As the first wave of Ecstasy users reach their forties, research suggests that the drug can cause long-term brain damage
COCAINE - COLOMBIA & ECUADOR
Ecuador just says no to Colombia coca fumigation - CNN
Ecuador will not back down from its demand that Colombia halt aerial fumigation of coca plantations along their shared border, President Alfredo Palacio said.
CANNABIS - US
Pot is called biggest cash crop - LA Times
The $35-billion market value of U.S.-grown cannabis tops that of such heartland staples as corn and hay, a marijuana activist says.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Sleep Medicine Ambien Abused by Teens - Join Together
Some adolescents are misusing the prescription sleep medication Ambien, which they say causes hallucinations and blackouts.
MARIJUANA - MEXICO
Mexican Officials Find Nearly 1,800 Marijuana Fields - Fox News
Mexican soldiers and federal police sent to restore order in Michoacan state have discovered 1,795 marijuana fields in the past week and seized or destroyed marijuana worth about $8.2 million, security officials said Monday.
MARIJUANA - US
OPD: 381 percent more marijuana confiscated this year
The Street Crimes Division of the Owensboro Police Department increased their arrests by 37 percent and cash recovery to 43 percent. But the biggest change, they confiscated 381 percent more marijuana than in 2005.
GENERAL - US
In jail study, most inmates used marijuana, cocaine - The Herald
More men and women are being booked into the Snohomish County Jail with marijuana and cocaine in their systems than any other drug, including methamphetamine, according to a new study.
CANNABIS - NEW ZEALAND
Police to target cannabis growing
Cannabis growing season is under way in the Taupo district and so is a police crackdown into the operations.
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Cold turkey plan for Scots addicts - The Scotsman
The biggest shake-up of drugs policy for 20 years is to be pushed through by Labour in a bid to get Scotland's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other deadly substances.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Governor of Afghanistan's biggest opium-producing province replaced; 5 killed in violence - International Herald Tribune
The Afghan government has fired the governor of its biggest drug-producing province, while clashes and a suicide bombing killed six militants and wounded six U.S.-led coalition troops, officials said Monday.
Britain's booziest Christmas ever - The Independent
Price wars in supermarkets and drink promotions in pubs are making alcohol cheaper than ever. And we're lapping it up, as this exclusive survey for the 'IoS' reveals. Which is why police are calling for a ban on advertising aimed at young drinkers and doctors are warning of record levels of liver disease. Sophie Goodchild and Marie Woolf report
GENERAL - BRAZIL
Brazil's teenagers - gangs and drugs - The Star
For teenagers in Rio de Janeiro's mean slums, working in the drug trade is a lucrative way to make a living. It's also a fast way to dying. Youths as young as 11 start off as messengers and look-outs for the drug gangs that control the packed shantytowns known as favelas, then earn promotion to soldiers or sellers.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Baby labels on alcohol - The Daily Telegraph
Warning labels telling pregnant mothers they risk doing irreversible harm to their unborn children by drinking could be put on alcoholic products after the number of damaged babies has soared.
ECSTASY - UK
The Ecstasy and the agony - UK Times
As the first wave of Ecstasy users reach their forties, research suggests that the drug can cause long-term brain damage
COCAINE - COLOMBIA & ECUADOR
Ecuador just says no to Colombia coca fumigation - CNN
Ecuador will not back down from its demand that Colombia halt aerial fumigation of coca plantations along their shared border, President Alfredo Palacio said.
CANNABIS - US
Pot is called biggest cash crop - LA Times
The $35-billion market value of U.S.-grown cannabis tops that of such heartland staples as corn and hay, a marijuana activist says.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Sleep Medicine Ambien Abused by Teens - Join Together
Some adolescents are misusing the prescription sleep medication Ambien, which they say causes hallucinations and blackouts.
MARIJUANA - MEXICO
Mexican Officials Find Nearly 1,800 Marijuana Fields - Fox News
Mexican soldiers and federal police sent to restore order in Michoacan state have discovered 1,795 marijuana fields in the past week and seized or destroyed marijuana worth about $8.2 million, security officials said Monday.
MARIJUANA - US
OPD: 381 percent more marijuana confiscated this year
The Street Crimes Division of the Owensboro Police Department increased their arrests by 37 percent and cash recovery to 43 percent. But the biggest change, they confiscated 381 percent more marijuana than in 2005.
GENERAL - US
In jail study, most inmates used marijuana, cocaine - The Herald
More men and women are being booked into the Snohomish County Jail with marijuana and cocaine in their systems than any other drug, including methamphetamine, according to a new study.
CANNABIS - NEW ZEALAND
Police to target cannabis growing
Cannabis growing season is under way in the Taupo district and so is a police crackdown into the operations.
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Cold turkey plan for Scots addicts - The Scotsman
The biggest shake-up of drugs policy for 20 years is to be pushed through by Labour in a bid to get Scotland's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other deadly substances.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Governor of Afghanistan's biggest opium-producing province replaced; 5 killed in violence - International Herald Tribune
The Afghan government has fired the governor of its biggest drug-producing province, while clashes and a suicide bombing killed six militants and wounded six U.S.-led coalition troops, officials said Monday.
Labels: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, prescription
Dec 17 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Cold turkey plan for Scots addicts - The Scotman
The biggest shake-up of drugs policy for 20 years is to be pushed through by Labour in a bid to get Scotland's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other deadly substances.
GENERAL - US
Drugs might be the reason the season has been so violent - Our Midland
A carjacking and attempted kidnapping in broad daylight at a grocery store in Midland has a number of people wondering what is going on in our community. Even the police have taken notice, with one official saying that criminal behavior in Midland is changing and becoming more serious.
HEROIN - US
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears - BBC
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear. Two men and a woman, aged in their 20s, died in separate incidents while a fourth man remains seriously ill.
HEROIN - UK
Take the war on drugs to the poppy fields - The Observer
Heroin isn't a snob. Nor, to be strictly accurate, is it an inverted snob. Here at least it cannot be faulted. Class As are impressively classless; heroin is happy to enter your bloodstream whatever your bloodline.
GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Bongs set for national ban
The Howard Government is pushing for a ban on the sale of marijuana bongs throughout Australia. The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, said the Government believed the legal sale of bongs sent a tacit signal that the Government approved the use of such drugs.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice smuggled in through 'porous borders'
Cracks in Australia's border protection are being blamed for the smuggling of the potentially lethal drug ice. NSW Police Minister John Watkins accused the federal government on Sunday of not doing enough to catch drug smugglers, saying more shipping containers should be checked for ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine.
GENERAL - US
Sobering Vacation
A new wave of addiction treatment centers is turning Malibu into the capital of luxury rehab -- and raising questions about whether five-star service and recovery mix.
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Scotland shakes up drug laws
Scotland is undergoing a shake-up in its drug policy, with proposals to help get the country's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other drugs.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Drug war, Taliban, poppies are all in full flower Opium, thugs bloom under U.S. policies in Afghanistan war
A little more than five years since the start of the Bush administration's Afghan war, the "ousted" Taliban is back in full flower, and so is the notorious Afghan poppy. There's no doubt the two are intimately connected.
HEROIN - UK
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear.
GENERAL - US
Meth down, heroin on rise
Lately, when grand juries hand up indictments for drug charges, meth-lab cooks are conspicuously absent, and the drugs of choice now seem to be heroin, cocaine and pills.
MARIJUANA - UK
Drug dealers offer cash to home growers
After a police crackdown in Britain, drug dealers reportedly are paying customers to grow marijuana in their homes.
Cold turkey plan for Scots addicts - The Scotman
The biggest shake-up of drugs policy for 20 years is to be pushed through by Labour in a bid to get Scotland's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other deadly substances.
GENERAL - US
Drugs might be the reason the season has been so violent - Our Midland
A carjacking and attempted kidnapping in broad daylight at a grocery store in Midland has a number of people wondering what is going on in our community. Even the police have taken notice, with one official saying that criminal behavior in Midland is changing and becoming more serious.
HEROIN - US
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears - BBC
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear. Two men and a woman, aged in their 20s, died in separate incidents while a fourth man remains seriously ill.
HEROIN - UK
Take the war on drugs to the poppy fields - The Observer
Heroin isn't a snob. Nor, to be strictly accurate, is it an inverted snob. Here at least it cannot be faulted. Class As are impressively classless; heroin is happy to enter your bloodstream whatever your bloodline.
GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Bongs set for national ban
The Howard Government is pushing for a ban on the sale of marijuana bongs throughout Australia. The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, said the Government believed the legal sale of bongs sent a tacit signal that the Government approved the use of such drugs.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice smuggled in through 'porous borders'
Cracks in Australia's border protection are being blamed for the smuggling of the potentially lethal drug ice. NSW Police Minister John Watkins accused the federal government on Sunday of not doing enough to catch drug smugglers, saying more shipping containers should be checked for ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine.
GENERAL - US
Sobering Vacation
A new wave of addiction treatment centers is turning Malibu into the capital of luxury rehab -- and raising questions about whether five-star service and recovery mix.
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Scotland shakes up drug laws
Scotland is undergoing a shake-up in its drug policy, with proposals to help get the country's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other drugs.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Drug war, Taliban, poppies are all in full flower Opium, thugs bloom under U.S. policies in Afghanistan war
A little more than five years since the start of the Bush administration's Afghan war, the "ousted" Taliban is back in full flower, and so is the notorious Afghan poppy. There's no doubt the two are intimately connected.
HEROIN - UK
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear.
GENERAL - US
Meth down, heroin on rise
Lately, when grand juries hand up indictments for drug charges, meth-lab cooks are conspicuously absent, and the drugs of choice now seem to be heroin, cocaine and pills.
MARIJUANA - UK
Drug dealers offer cash to home growers
After a police crackdown in Britain, drug dealers reportedly are paying customers to grow marijuana in their homes.
Labels: heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine
Dec 16 Drug Headlines
Slow, must be the weekend before Xmas thing. Here you go:
METH - US
Mobile Meth Lab Found in Marshall County
It's a first for Marshall County and a potentially dangerous find for the West Virginia State Police. State troopers made a routine traffic stop Thursday night of a vehicle and conducted a search that turned up ingredients for a methamphetamine lab.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
US Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.
METH - US
Mobile Meth Lab Found in Marshall County
It's a first for Marshall County and a potentially dangerous find for the West Virginia State Police. State troopers made a routine traffic stop Thursday night of a vehicle and conducted a search that turned up ingredients for a methamphetamine lab.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
US Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.
Labels: heroin, methamphetamine
Dec 15 Drug Headlines
MARIJUANA - US
Prosecutors may change marijuana limits
Limits on the number of marijuana plants people with doctors' recommendations are allowed to grow in Nevada County may become more stringent in coming months, as the district attorney-elect re-evaluates local standards for cultivation of the drug.
MARIJUANA - US
City aims to prohibit medicinal marijuana dispensaries
Simi Valley could soon become the first city in Ventura County to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Southwest Asia: US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
Office of National Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced Saturday at a Kabul press conference that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.
METH - US
Governor Wants Money for Meth-Addicted Mothers
In addition to a big tax cut and a hefty gift for public schools, Governor Jon Huntsman Junior wants five million dollars to help meth-addicted mothers recover. Salt Lake City Meth Initiative Project Manager Marjean Searcy hopes the money will cut current waiting lists for treatment.
GENERAL - US
Bangor: Addiction treatment of mothers explored
The growing problem of opiate addiction was the focus of a presentation at Eastern Maine Medical Center on Thursday morning by national specialist and researcher Dr. Martha Wunsch, M.D.
HEROIN - US
Seizures Show increase in heroin smuggling
Officials report a substantial increase in the smuggling of heroin although seizures of other drugs are remaining stable . Seizures by the Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force have shown an increase in heroin smuggling.
Prosecutors may change marijuana limits
Limits on the number of marijuana plants people with doctors' recommendations are allowed to grow in Nevada County may become more stringent in coming months, as the district attorney-elect re-evaluates local standards for cultivation of the drug.
MARIJUANA - US
City aims to prohibit medicinal marijuana dispensaries
Simi Valley could soon become the first city in Ventura County to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.
HEROIN - AFGHAN
Southwest Asia: US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
Office of National Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced Saturday at a Kabul press conference that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.
METH - US
Governor Wants Money for Meth-Addicted Mothers
In addition to a big tax cut and a hefty gift for public schools, Governor Jon Huntsman Junior wants five million dollars to help meth-addicted mothers recover. Salt Lake City Meth Initiative Project Manager Marjean Searcy hopes the money will cut current waiting lists for treatment.
GENERAL - US
Bangor: Addiction treatment of mothers explored
The growing problem of opiate addiction was the focus of a presentation at Eastern Maine Medical Center on Thursday morning by national specialist and researcher Dr. Martha Wunsch, M.D.
HEROIN - US
Seizures Show increase in heroin smuggling
Officials report a substantial increase in the smuggling of heroin although seizures of other drugs are remaining stable . Seizures by the Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force have shown an increase in heroin smuggling.
Labels: heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine
Dec 14 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPTION - US
FDA Set to Add to Antidepressant Warnings, Allow Emotion to Sway Policy
It seems all but a certainty that the FDA will proceed forward with its plan to add to the existing black box warning on SSRI class antidepressants. After hearing testimony and deliberating yesterday, the FDA's advisory panel recommended that the current warnings be expanded to include warnings of increased suicidality among those receiving antidepressants up to the age of 24.
METH - AUSTRALIA
States urged to ban 'ice' pipes - ABC News
The Federal Government is pushing for tougher action from the states to deal with problems associated with crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, the drug commonly known as 'ice'.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Parents warned about impact of supplying alcohol to Schoolies - ABC News
A Gold Coast city councillor says parents need to understand the consequences of supplying their teenagers with alcohol to be consumed during Schoolies Week.
ALCOHOL - UK
Drunk, disorderly and unpoliced: coming to a town centre near you
John Reid has surrendered town centres to drunken thugs over the Christmas party season by axing a police crackdown on their appalling behaviour. Police and trading standards teams normally receive an extra £2.5m of cash to flood the streets with extra officers, and stop shops selling alcohol to children.
GENERAL - IRELAND
Many suspected drink drivers on drugs
A new study has found that a significant number of Irish drivers who were suspected of drink driving but were then found to be below the legal blood alcohol level, later tested positive for a range of drugs.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Teens Using Ambien As A 'Party Drug'
The government said Ambien is safe if you follow the directions, but teenagers and college students are using the drug to get high. When Ambien is abused, there are serious health risks. Users said the drug makes them high and even blackout. It is a party drug with street names including "A-minus" and "Zombie pills". College students said they are seeing the drug more and more frequently on campus.
HEROIN - HUNGARY
Hungary to become a key transit country of heroin trade
With a sharp rise in Afghan heroin production, Hungary has become a popular transit country for drug traffickers supplying the western European market, national daily Népszabadság said on Thursday.
HEROIN - IRELAND
Explosion of heroin on streets of Carlow
A huge explosion of heroin has swamped the Carlow market as organised crime gangs target the town. Yet while the local market is awash with drugs and Carlow becomes the latest victim of thieving Dublin crime gangs Carlow gardaí remain desperately understaffed.
GENERAL - CANADA
U.S. Involved in Discussions of Canadian Drug Strategy - Join Together
U.S. government officials are keeping a close eye on discussions of a new national drug strategy in Canada, which appears to be moving toward a more tough-minded approach after the government embraced harm reduction initiatives several years ago.
GENERAL - MEXICO
New President of Mexico Launches Anti-Drug Blitz - Join Togehter
In what is being called the first major initiative since his inauguration earlier this month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered the deployment of about 4,000 troops to help combat drug crime in his home state of Michoacan.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Some Prescription Drugs Not Approved by FDA
All of us, at one time or another, will need prescription drugs, but did you know that your next prescription may not have the government's approval? Oxycodone, hydrochloride, Phenobarbital and chloral hydrate are all popularly prescribed medications, but none of them is FDA approved.
METH - AUSTRALIA
States reject ban on ice pipes
The states and territories have rejected a federal MP's call for a uniform national ban on pipes used to smoke the drug ice.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Drug conference proposes new approaches to ice problem
Methamphetamine is the drug police forces seem to be most worried about at the moment. Also known as ice, crystal, or meth, it can be smoked, injected or swallowed.
METH - US
Santa Barbara County Methamphetamine Prevention Summit Held in Buellton
Santa Barbara County's growing addiction to crystal meth is the subject of the first ever county-wide prevention summit.
FDA Set to Add to Antidepressant Warnings, Allow Emotion to Sway Policy
It seems all but a certainty that the FDA will proceed forward with its plan to add to the existing black box warning on SSRI class antidepressants. After hearing testimony and deliberating yesterday, the FDA's advisory panel recommended that the current warnings be expanded to include warnings of increased suicidality among those receiving antidepressants up to the age of 24.
METH - AUSTRALIA
States urged to ban 'ice' pipes - ABC News
The Federal Government is pushing for tougher action from the states to deal with problems associated with crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, the drug commonly known as 'ice'.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Parents warned about impact of supplying alcohol to Schoolies - ABC News
A Gold Coast city councillor says parents need to understand the consequences of supplying their teenagers with alcohol to be consumed during Schoolies Week.
ALCOHOL - UK
Drunk, disorderly and unpoliced: coming to a town centre near you
John Reid has surrendered town centres to drunken thugs over the Christmas party season by axing a police crackdown on their appalling behaviour. Police and trading standards teams normally receive an extra £2.5m of cash to flood the streets with extra officers, and stop shops selling alcohol to children.
GENERAL - IRELAND
Many suspected drink drivers on drugs
A new study has found that a significant number of Irish drivers who were suspected of drink driving but were then found to be below the legal blood alcohol level, later tested positive for a range of drugs.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Teens Using Ambien As A 'Party Drug'
The government said Ambien is safe if you follow the directions, but teenagers and college students are using the drug to get high. When Ambien is abused, there are serious health risks. Users said the drug makes them high and even blackout. It is a party drug with street names including "A-minus" and "Zombie pills". College students said they are seeing the drug more and more frequently on campus.
HEROIN - HUNGARY
Hungary to become a key transit country of heroin trade
With a sharp rise in Afghan heroin production, Hungary has become a popular transit country for drug traffickers supplying the western European market, national daily Népszabadság said on Thursday.
HEROIN - IRELAND
Explosion of heroin on streets of Carlow
A huge explosion of heroin has swamped the Carlow market as organised crime gangs target the town. Yet while the local market is awash with drugs and Carlow becomes the latest victim of thieving Dublin crime gangs Carlow gardaí remain desperately understaffed.
GENERAL - CANADA
U.S. Involved in Discussions of Canadian Drug Strategy - Join Together
U.S. government officials are keeping a close eye on discussions of a new national drug strategy in Canada, which appears to be moving toward a more tough-minded approach after the government embraced harm reduction initiatives several years ago.
GENERAL - MEXICO
New President of Mexico Launches Anti-Drug Blitz - Join Togehter
In what is being called the first major initiative since his inauguration earlier this month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered the deployment of about 4,000 troops to help combat drug crime in his home state of Michoacan.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Some Prescription Drugs Not Approved by FDA
All of us, at one time or another, will need prescription drugs, but did you know that your next prescription may not have the government's approval? Oxycodone, hydrochloride, Phenobarbital and chloral hydrate are all popularly prescribed medications, but none of them is FDA approved.
METH - AUSTRALIA
States reject ban on ice pipes
The states and territories have rejected a federal MP's call for a uniform national ban on pipes used to smoke the drug ice.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Drug conference proposes new approaches to ice problem
Methamphetamine is the drug police forces seem to be most worried about at the moment. Also known as ice, crystal, or meth, it can be smoked, injected or swallowed.
METH - US
Santa Barbara County Methamphetamine Prevention Summit Held in Buellton
Santa Barbara County's growing addiction to crystal meth is the subject of the first ever county-wide prevention summit.
Labels: alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, prescription
Dec 13 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPTION - US
Antidepressant suicide warning may be expanded - CNN
Treatment with antidepressants increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients up to age 24, according to proposed changes to the drugs' labels unveiled Wednesday by health officials.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Panel to Debate Antidepressant Warnings - New York Times
Public health officials, psychiatrists, grieving parents and outraged former patients will fill a hotel ballroom in Silver Spring, Md., this morning to argue the most bitterly divisive question in psychiatry: do the drugs that doctors prescribe to relieve depression make some people more likely to attempt suicide?
METH - NEW ZEALAND
Concerns over African methamphetamine-like drug in Hamilton
Hamilton Police are concerned an African plant with methamphetamine-like effects is being imported into New Zealand. Last week 10 kilos of the plant khat (pronounced cot or chat) were discovered during searches of two houses in Claudelands, Hamilton.
METH - NEW ZEALAND
Concerns over African methamphetamine-like drug in Hamilton - New Zealand Herald
Hamilton Police are concerned an African plant with methamphetamine-like effects is being imported into New Zealand. Last week 10 kilos of the plant khat (pronounced cot or chat) were discovered during searches of two houses in Claudelands, Hamilton.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice, ice, baby - Online Opinion
The rise in crystal methamphetamine (or ice) use in Australia has vividly illustrated how ineffective, and often counterproductive, current drug policies are. With a Federal Parliamentary inquiry about to hand down a report on how to constrain the illicit market for amphetamines and other synthetic drugs, the question is whether the major parties are ready to put aside political interests and fundamentally reform Australia’s drug strategies.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Panel Wants Broader Antidepressant Labeling - New York Times
Strong warning labels about the suicide risk associated with antidepressants, which now include children and adolescents, should be extended to adults under 25, a federal advisory panel concluded Wednesday.
GENERAL - ECUADOR & COLOMBIA
Ecuador, Colombia in border row - BBC
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion has described a renewed crop-spraying programme by Colombia along their border as a hostile act.
GENERAL - CANADA
U.S. shows us what not to do - Times Colonist
America's hardline approach to battling drug abuse has been a costly disaster. It's painful to watch the federal government stumble toward a disastrously wrong path in its search for a solution to the real problem of drug abuse.
ALCOHOL - CANADA
Students put a face to drinking and driving - Toronto Star
The statistics are numbing: About 1,000 Canadians are killed in alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents each year. That's roughly one-third of all road deaths in Canada, making it what police call the largest criminal cause of death in the country.
METH - US
Some Hunters Find Methamphetamine Labs in Their Midst - Join Together
Hunters in four states recently have discovered methamphetamine labs or their remnants during their excursions in the woods, as drug makers seek more remote areas in which to produce meth.
COCAINE - SPAIN
Spain sees sharp rise in cocaine use - Reuters
The number of Spaniards regularly snorting cocaine has doubled since 1999, taking consumption to among the highest in Europe, the government said on Wednesday.
HEROIN - SWITZERLAND
Decriminalization of Heroin Leads to Drop in Drug Use
Switzerland's change in its drug laws that 10 years ago decriminalized the use of heroin have been closely watched to see if the result would be massive increases in heroin use.
ALCOHOL - US
Know your limit when drinking alcohol
Most of you know what alcohol looks like, how it is packaged and how it makes you feel. Perhaps something you didn't know is that alcohol is a drug. Its scientific name is ethyl alcohol and it is classified as a depressant, the same drug class as a barbiturate or tranquilizer.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Misuse of drug an issue at colleges
When asked if she's aware of students taking nonprescribed ADHD medicines to help them study, University of Notre Dame junior Mary Agee doesn't hesitate. Her answer: "Definitely."
MARIJUANA - US
Tulare Considering Regulating Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries
Tulare County is considering regulating where medicinal marijuana dispensaries are located. Their biggest concerns are how close they'll be to schools and whether patients can smoke marijuana on premises.
GENERAL - MAURITIUS
Alcoholism, drug addiction plague Mauritius, says NGO
Alcohol and drug abuse pose a major social problem in Mauritius with more citizens now addicted to the substances, according to Groupe A deCassis, an NGO fighting against drugs, alcohol and HIV/AIDS in the country.
METH - US
State meth cases down 31 percent in 2006 - The Chetek Alert
Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager recently announced that statistics compiled for the calendar year 2006 show a dramatic decrease in both the number of methamphetamine cases and methamphetamine laboratories in Wisconsin-a success she attributes to Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) enforcement strategies and the efforts of local law enforcement agencies.
Antidepressant suicide warning may be expanded - CNN
Treatment with antidepressants increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients up to age 24, according to proposed changes to the drugs' labels unveiled Wednesday by health officials.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Panel to Debate Antidepressant Warnings - New York Times
Public health officials, psychiatrists, grieving parents and outraged former patients will fill a hotel ballroom in Silver Spring, Md., this morning to argue the most bitterly divisive question in psychiatry: do the drugs that doctors prescribe to relieve depression make some people more likely to attempt suicide?
METH - NEW ZEALAND
Concerns over African methamphetamine-like drug in Hamilton
Hamilton Police are concerned an African plant with methamphetamine-like effects is being imported into New Zealand. Last week 10 kilos of the plant khat (pronounced cot or chat) were discovered during searches of two houses in Claudelands, Hamilton.
METH - NEW ZEALAND
Concerns over African methamphetamine-like drug in Hamilton - New Zealand Herald
Hamilton Police are concerned an African plant with methamphetamine-like effects is being imported into New Zealand. Last week 10 kilos of the plant khat (pronounced cot or chat) were discovered during searches of two houses in Claudelands, Hamilton.
METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice, ice, baby - Online Opinion
The rise in crystal methamphetamine (or ice) use in Australia has vividly illustrated how ineffective, and often counterproductive, current drug policies are. With a Federal Parliamentary inquiry about to hand down a report on how to constrain the illicit market for amphetamines and other synthetic drugs, the question is whether the major parties are ready to put aside political interests and fundamentally reform Australia’s drug strategies.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Panel Wants Broader Antidepressant Labeling - New York Times
Strong warning labels about the suicide risk associated with antidepressants, which now include children and adolescents, should be extended to adults under 25, a federal advisory panel concluded Wednesday.
GENERAL - ECUADOR & COLOMBIA
Ecuador, Colombia in border row - BBC
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion has described a renewed crop-spraying programme by Colombia along their border as a hostile act.
GENERAL - CANADA
U.S. shows us what not to do - Times Colonist
America's hardline approach to battling drug abuse has been a costly disaster. It's painful to watch the federal government stumble toward a disastrously wrong path in its search for a solution to the real problem of drug abuse.
ALCOHOL - CANADA
Students put a face to drinking and driving - Toronto Star
The statistics are numbing: About 1,000 Canadians are killed in alcohol-related motor-vehicle accidents each year. That's roughly one-third of all road deaths in Canada, making it what police call the largest criminal cause of death in the country.
METH - US
Some Hunters Find Methamphetamine Labs in Their Midst - Join Together
Hunters in four states recently have discovered methamphetamine labs or their remnants during their excursions in the woods, as drug makers seek more remote areas in which to produce meth.
COCAINE - SPAIN
Spain sees sharp rise in cocaine use - Reuters
The number of Spaniards regularly snorting cocaine has doubled since 1999, taking consumption to among the highest in Europe, the government said on Wednesday.
HEROIN - SWITZERLAND
Decriminalization of Heroin Leads to Drop in Drug Use
Switzerland's change in its drug laws that 10 years ago decriminalized the use of heroin have been closely watched to see if the result would be massive increases in heroin use.
ALCOHOL - US
Know your limit when drinking alcohol
Most of you know what alcohol looks like, how it is packaged and how it makes you feel. Perhaps something you didn't know is that alcohol is a drug. Its scientific name is ethyl alcohol and it is classified as a depressant, the same drug class as a barbiturate or tranquilizer.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Misuse of drug an issue at colleges
When asked if she's aware of students taking nonprescribed ADHD medicines to help them study, University of Notre Dame junior Mary Agee doesn't hesitate. Her answer: "Definitely."
MARIJUANA - US
Tulare Considering Regulating Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries
Tulare County is considering regulating where medicinal marijuana dispensaries are located. Their biggest concerns are how close they'll be to schools and whether patients can smoke marijuana on premises.
GENERAL - MAURITIUS
Alcoholism, drug addiction plague Mauritius, says NGO
Alcohol and drug abuse pose a major social problem in Mauritius with more citizens now addicted to the substances, according to Groupe A deCassis, an NGO fighting against drugs, alcohol and HIV/AIDS in the country.
METH - US
State meth cases down 31 percent in 2006 - The Chetek Alert
Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager recently announced that statistics compiled for the calendar year 2006 show a dramatic decrease in both the number of methamphetamine cases and methamphetamine laboratories in Wisconsin-a success she attributes to Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) enforcement strategies and the efforts of local law enforcement agencies.
Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription
Dec 12 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - MEXICO
Calderon vows war against notorious drug gangs - CNN
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico's main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Walters Says Poppies in Afghanistan Will Be Sprayed - Join Together
The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) said at a news conference that Afghan poppies will be sprayed with herbicide to combat a steep rise in opium production in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported Dec. 9.
GENERAL - MEXICO
Mexico launches drugs crackdown - BBC
Thousands of Mexican troops are patrolling the streets in Michoacan state in an anti-drug trafficking drive ordered by President Felipe Calderon.
GENERAL - UK
Christmas crackdown on city drugs - BBC
Anti-social behaviour and illegal drug use in Leicester city centre are to be targeted as part of a police operation to clean up the city. Plain-clothed and uniformed officers will work with the force's passive drugs dog to "disrupt and detect" people involved with illegal drugs.
ALCOHOL - UK
What's your poison? - The Guardian
Many of us would like to believe that different types of alcohol can produce very different effects. If only it were that simple, reports Emine Saner
ALCOHOL - US
B Vitamins Are Efficacious for Alcoholic Polyneuropathy - Join Together
Both the direct toxic effects of alcohol and alcoholism-associated vitamin deficiencies can cause mild to incapacitating sensorimotor polyneuropathy.
GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Northern Rivers a haven for drugmakers: Police - Northern Star
The Northern Rivers is becoming a manufacturing centre for drugs aimed at the Brisbane and Gold Coast markets, police fear. And despite recent big busts, the problem is growing.
CANNABIS - US
Young cannabis users 'suffer from paranoia and blackouts' - 24 Dash
Anti-drug campaigners have called for urgent research into the effects of cannabis on teenagers' mental health after a survey found half of young users suffer paranoia and blackouts.
GENERAL - MEXICO
Thousands of Mexican troops ordered to arrest smugglers, burn marijuana and opium fields - Boston Herald
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico’s main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.
HEROIN - CANADA
Addicts turn to hillbilly heroin - Edmonton Sun
Heroin use is fading out in Canada, but local addicts are increasingly turning to "hillbilly heroin" to bring them down from cocaine and meth highs, say cops and outreach workers.
HEROIN - US
City heroin's havoc in hinterlands - Philadephia Daily News
I've been teaching at a northeastern Pennsylvania community college for the last three years. The region has been a gold mine for heroin dealers from the "Badlands" area of North Philadelphia that serves as an open-air drug market. I've quickly learned to identify those students who are users and have come to realize that heroin isn't just an inner-city problem.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Waismann Method of Detoxification Successfully Treats Severe Morphine and Methadone Levels While Leaving Patients With Reduced Pain
The Waismann Method of Opiate Detoxification announced today the successful treatment of two patients taking dangerously high doses of prescription pain-relieving drugs. Both patients are now opiate-free and in less pain than they were prior to detoxification.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
The Drug Czar Has Another Brilliant Idea - Stop The Drug War
Afghanistan is in flames. The Taliban are resurgent. The opium economy provides livelihoods for millions of Afghans. And now, US drug czar John Walters announces over the weekend, that Afghanistan will begin spraying the poppy fields with glyphosate, the same stuff we've been using with such great success in Colombia against the coca crops.
METH - US
White House tabs coalition: Anti-drug efforts recognized - News Zap
With less than one year under its belt, the Northeast Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine garnered recognition from the Bush Administration. Paul Skoczylas, staff member of the President’s Office of National Drug Policy, presented to the group Nov. 30 a certificate commending the coalition’s meth prevention and education efforts.
Calderon vows war against notorious drug gangs - CNN
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico's main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Walters Says Poppies in Afghanistan Will Be Sprayed - Join Together
The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) said at a news conference that Afghan poppies will be sprayed with herbicide to combat a steep rise in opium production in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported Dec. 9.
GENERAL - MEXICO
Mexico launches drugs crackdown - BBC
Thousands of Mexican troops are patrolling the streets in Michoacan state in an anti-drug trafficking drive ordered by President Felipe Calderon.
GENERAL - UK
Christmas crackdown on city drugs - BBC
Anti-social behaviour and illegal drug use in Leicester city centre are to be targeted as part of a police operation to clean up the city. Plain-clothed and uniformed officers will work with the force's passive drugs dog to "disrupt and detect" people involved with illegal drugs.
ALCOHOL - UK
What's your poison? - The Guardian
Many of us would like to believe that different types of alcohol can produce very different effects. If only it were that simple, reports Emine Saner
ALCOHOL - US
B Vitamins Are Efficacious for Alcoholic Polyneuropathy - Join Together
Both the direct toxic effects of alcohol and alcoholism-associated vitamin deficiencies can cause mild to incapacitating sensorimotor polyneuropathy.
GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Northern Rivers a haven for drugmakers: Police - Northern Star
The Northern Rivers is becoming a manufacturing centre for drugs aimed at the Brisbane and Gold Coast markets, police fear. And despite recent big busts, the problem is growing.
CANNABIS - US
Young cannabis users 'suffer from paranoia and blackouts' - 24 Dash
Anti-drug campaigners have called for urgent research into the effects of cannabis on teenagers' mental health after a survey found half of young users suffer paranoia and blackouts.
GENERAL - MEXICO
Thousands of Mexican troops ordered to arrest smugglers, burn marijuana and opium fields - Boston Herald
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico’s main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.
HEROIN - CANADA
Addicts turn to hillbilly heroin - Edmonton Sun
Heroin use is fading out in Canada, but local addicts are increasingly turning to "hillbilly heroin" to bring them down from cocaine and meth highs, say cops and outreach workers.
HEROIN - US
City heroin's havoc in hinterlands - Philadephia Daily News
I've been teaching at a northeastern Pennsylvania community college for the last three years. The region has been a gold mine for heroin dealers from the "Badlands" area of North Philadelphia that serves as an open-air drug market. I've quickly learned to identify those students who are users and have come to realize that heroin isn't just an inner-city problem.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Waismann Method of Detoxification Successfully Treats Severe Morphine and Methadone Levels While Leaving Patients With Reduced Pain
The Waismann Method of Opiate Detoxification announced today the successful treatment of two patients taking dangerously high doses of prescription pain-relieving drugs. Both patients are now opiate-free and in less pain than they were prior to detoxification.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
The Drug Czar Has Another Brilliant Idea - Stop The Drug War
Afghanistan is in flames. The Taliban are resurgent. The opium economy provides livelihoods for millions of Afghans. And now, US drug czar John Walters announces over the weekend, that Afghanistan will begin spraying the poppy fields with glyphosate, the same stuff we've been using with such great success in Colombia against the coca crops.
METH - US
White House tabs coalition: Anti-drug efforts recognized - News Zap
With less than one year under its belt, the Northeast Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine garnered recognition from the Bush Administration. Paul Skoczylas, staff member of the President’s Office of National Drug Policy, presented to the group Nov. 30 a certificate commending the coalition’s meth prevention and education efforts.
Labels: alcohol, cannabis, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 11 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL & GENERAL DRUGS - US
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 2006 - White House
Each year, thousands of Americans lose their lives in accidents involving drunk and drugged driving. During National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, we continue our efforts to promote awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and encourage fellow citizens to never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
GENERAL - US
Drugs contract will put children’s rights first - The Herald
Whereas the focus of policy had been on the rights of addicts – to state support, treatment services etc – there is now a recognition of the rights of children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to be free from abuse, neglect and maltreatment.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Drugs factor in car crashes, study finds
The focus on the dangers of drinking and driving may have overshadowed a similarly serious problem: the effect of drugs, including prescription medication, on drivers.
OPIUM - US
Opiate Addicts Find Fewer Hospital-Run Detox Beds Available - Red Orbit
Addicts who overdose on heroin or other opiates are likely to land first in a hospital emergency room, where doctors can often save them from brain damage or death.
OTC - US
Teen Use of Over-the-Counter Cold Medicines Rising - Join Together
Use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines has become one of the fastest-growing drug abuse problems for youths in California and elsewhere, and much of the increase is being seen in the pre-teen population, the Los Angeles Times reported Dec. 5.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghanistan's opium poppies will be sprayed, says US drugs tsar - The Guardian
Afghanistan has agreed to poppy-spraying measures in a desperate bid to deflate the soaring drugs trade, America's anti-narcotics tsar announced at the weekend.
MARIJUANA - US
Laws Don't Curb Teen Marijuana Use - Marijuana Policy Project
A new report from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C., challenges the key assumption underlying present U.S. marijuana laws: that marijuana must be prohibited for adults in order to deter teens from using it.
METH - US
Stetson student busts meth myths
William Collum knew methamphetamine ruined addicts' lives but was surprised to read the drug also hurt innocent victims -- such as a family that moved into a house where meth was once cooked. The report showed how failure to clean the house properly left the air toxic and sickened the family. A financial crisis, breakup and divorce followed, said Collum, a Stetson University political science major.
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 2006 - White House
Each year, thousands of Americans lose their lives in accidents involving drunk and drugged driving. During National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, we continue our efforts to promote awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and encourage fellow citizens to never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
GENERAL - US
Drugs contract will put children’s rights first - The Herald
Whereas the focus of policy had been on the rights of addicts – to state support, treatment services etc – there is now a recognition of the rights of children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to be free from abuse, neglect and maltreatment.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Drugs factor in car crashes, study finds
The focus on the dangers of drinking and driving may have overshadowed a similarly serious problem: the effect of drugs, including prescription medication, on drivers.
OPIUM - US
Opiate Addicts Find Fewer Hospital-Run Detox Beds Available - Red Orbit
Addicts who overdose on heroin or other opiates are likely to land first in a hospital emergency room, where doctors can often save them from brain damage or death.
OTC - US
Teen Use of Over-the-Counter Cold Medicines Rising - Join Together
Use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines has become one of the fastest-growing drug abuse problems for youths in California and elsewhere, and much of the increase is being seen in the pre-teen population, the Los Angeles Times reported Dec. 5.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghanistan's opium poppies will be sprayed, says US drugs tsar - The Guardian
Afghanistan has agreed to poppy-spraying measures in a desperate bid to deflate the soaring drugs trade, America's anti-narcotics tsar announced at the weekend.
MARIJUANA - US
Laws Don't Curb Teen Marijuana Use - Marijuana Policy Project
A new report from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C., challenges the key assumption underlying present U.S. marijuana laws: that marijuana must be prohibited for adults in order to deter teens from using it.
METH - US
Stetson student busts meth myths
William Collum knew methamphetamine ruined addicts' lives but was surprised to read the drug also hurt innocent victims -- such as a family that moved into a house where meth was once cooked. The report showed how failure to clean the house properly left the air toxic and sickened the family. A financial crisis, breakup and divorce followed, said Collum, a Stetson University political science major.
Labels: alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, over-the-counter, prescription
Dec 10 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Top traffic policeman warns officers are 'powerless' to tackle drug-drivers - Scotsman
Scotland's most senior traffic policeman has admitted that officers are "powerless" to stop drug-drivers and that reliable tests capable of securing convictions are years away.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Ritalin on campus a growing problem - News Times Live
A 15-page paper to write. A major final exam to study for. When the pressure is on, college students sometimes feel they need a little help to make sure they can concentrate. Sometimes that help is a pill.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
For Many In Opium-infested Afghanistan, Drug Addiction Can Begin In The Womb
Farida's son inherited her drug addiction in the womb, and drank her opium-laced breast milk. And when he cried and fussed, she calmed him with specks of opium diluted in tea.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herlad Tribune
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Opium poppy crop to be sprayed - Los Angeles Times
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year.
METH - US
The fear on meth: Local lab output - The Boston Globe
When 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine arrived in Seabrook on Oct. 24 , officials say, federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents and Seabrook police officers were ready. They arrested four men and seized the drugs, which had an estimated $1.5 million street value -- the largest amount ever seized in New England .
METH - US
Meth 'superlabs' move to Mexico - Daily Press
Even criminal enterprises are outsourcing jobs to Mexico. As a mark of success for the Methamphetamine Interdiction Team, it seems the push to shut down “superlabs” within San Bernardino County — capable of creating dozens of pounds of meth per batch — has created a booming industry just south of the border.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Blumenthal targets Internet sales of prescription drugs - News Time Live
The ability to obtain drugs without a prescription has grown not only from those who sell their pills to others, but also from sales on the Internet.
PRESCRIPTION - US
ADHD drugs may have 'addictive and emotional' side effects - News Time Live
They are drugs that doctors give to 8-year-olds. How dangerous can they be? Plenty. Medical experts said that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are prescribed to children -- and adults -- with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, for specific reasons.
Top traffic policeman warns officers are 'powerless' to tackle drug-drivers - Scotsman
Scotland's most senior traffic policeman has admitted that officers are "powerless" to stop drug-drivers and that reliable tests capable of securing convictions are years away.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Ritalin on campus a growing problem - News Times Live
A 15-page paper to write. A major final exam to study for. When the pressure is on, college students sometimes feel they need a little help to make sure they can concentrate. Sometimes that help is a pill.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
For Many In Opium-infested Afghanistan, Drug Addiction Can Begin In The Womb
Farida's son inherited her drug addiction in the womb, and drank her opium-laced breast milk. And when he cried and fussed, she calmed him with specks of opium diluted in tea.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herlad Tribune
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Opium poppy crop to be sprayed - Los Angeles Times
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year.
METH - US
The fear on meth: Local lab output - The Boston Globe
When 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine arrived in Seabrook on Oct. 24 , officials say, federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents and Seabrook police officers were ready. They arrested four men and seized the drugs, which had an estimated $1.5 million street value -- the largest amount ever seized in New England .
METH - US
Meth 'superlabs' move to Mexico - Daily Press
Even criminal enterprises are outsourcing jobs to Mexico. As a mark of success for the Methamphetamine Interdiction Team, it seems the push to shut down “superlabs” within San Bernardino County — capable of creating dozens of pounds of meth per batch — has created a booming industry just south of the border.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Blumenthal targets Internet sales of prescription drugs - News Time Live
The ability to obtain drugs without a prescription has grown not only from those who sell their pills to others, but also from sales on the Internet.
PRESCRIPTION - US
ADHD drugs may have 'addictive and emotional' side effects - News Time Live
They are drugs that doctors give to 8-year-olds. How dangerous can they be? Plenty. Medical experts said that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are prescribed to children -- and adults -- with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, for specific reasons.
Labels: methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 9 Drug Headlines
HEROIN - AFGHAN
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herald Tribune
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers.
GENERAL - TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan Grapples With Drug Addiction - Washington Post
Central Asia's poorest county is also one of the world's leading transit routes for heroin, opium and other drugs from Afghanistan. Sergei Makhkamov has been caught in the flood.
PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS - US
Athletes' unbeatable foe - LA Times
The worldwide sports anti-doping program, created to fight performance enhancing drug use in international athletics, imposes severe punishments for accidental or technical infractions, relies at times on disputed scientific evidence and resists outside scrutiny, a Times investigation has found.
HEROIN - US
Deadly heroin mix plagues region; ‘Drop Dead’ blamed for surge of overdoses - The Patriot Ledger
The Hanover man’s death is among a succession of overdoses recently - some fatal, most not - that have led federal drug agents and local emergency responders to sound the alarm over heroin’s ever increasing death toll.
HEROIN - US
A higher high, a deadly fall
Suburban parents, police and health care officials are alarmed at what they say is a two-fold problem: heroin use on the rise among a younger crowd, and users looking to punch up their high by mixing in prescription drugs such as OxyContin, methadone and other opiates in dangerous combinations.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Sac Fire Toughens Access To Engine Morphine Stash - CBS 13
The first tampered seal was November of 2005 when morphine vials turned up with damaged seals. Nothing seemed suspicious until the trend continued, and officials checked what was actually in the damaged vials. “Some of the vials looked like they still have liquid in it," said Sacramento Fire Captain Jim Doucette.
METH - US
Serious crimes in Boulder down from last year - Your Hub Boulder
Serious crimes in Boulder are down for the first three quarters of 2006, but there has been an increase in daily contacts and arrests involving methamphetamine users, according to a Dec. 7 press release from the City of Boulder.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Addiction to Prescription Fraud - KJCT 8 News
Creating fraudulent and falsifiable prescriptions is unacceptable and unethical behavior, according to most pharmacists. Anyone can be unethical and get arrested. It's supposed to be legal to offer money and the accurate prescription to the pharmacist, but people take advantage and eventually get caught.
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herald Tribune
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers.
GENERAL - TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan Grapples With Drug Addiction - Washington Post
Central Asia's poorest county is also one of the world's leading transit routes for heroin, opium and other drugs from Afghanistan. Sergei Makhkamov has been caught in the flood.
PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS - US
Athletes' unbeatable foe - LA Times
The worldwide sports anti-doping program, created to fight performance enhancing drug use in international athletics, imposes severe punishments for accidental or technical infractions, relies at times on disputed scientific evidence and resists outside scrutiny, a Times investigation has found.
HEROIN - US
Deadly heroin mix plagues region; ‘Drop Dead’ blamed for surge of overdoses - The Patriot Ledger
The Hanover man’s death is among a succession of overdoses recently - some fatal, most not - that have led federal drug agents and local emergency responders to sound the alarm over heroin’s ever increasing death toll.
HEROIN - US
A higher high, a deadly fall
Suburban parents, police and health care officials are alarmed at what they say is a two-fold problem: heroin use on the rise among a younger crowd, and users looking to punch up their high by mixing in prescription drugs such as OxyContin, methadone and other opiates in dangerous combinations.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Sac Fire Toughens Access To Engine Morphine Stash - CBS 13
The first tampered seal was November of 2005 when morphine vials turned up with damaged seals. Nothing seemed suspicious until the trend continued, and officials checked what was actually in the damaged vials. “Some of the vials looked like they still have liquid in it," said Sacramento Fire Captain Jim Doucette.
METH - US
Serious crimes in Boulder down from last year - Your Hub Boulder
Serious crimes in Boulder are down for the first three quarters of 2006, but there has been an increase in daily contacts and arrests involving methamphetamine users, according to a Dec. 7 press release from the City of Boulder.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Addiction to Prescription Fraud - KJCT 8 News
Creating fraudulent and falsifiable prescriptions is unacceptable and unethical behavior, according to most pharmacists. Anyone can be unethical and get arrested. It's supposed to be legal to offer money and the accurate prescription to the pharmacist, but people take advantage and eventually get caught.
Labels: heroin, methamphetamine, performance-enhancing, prescription
Dec 8 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - ITALY
More Accurate Estimates Of Community-Wide Illicit Drug Use - Medical News
Scientists in Italy are reporting development of a method for more accurate estimates of the amount of illicit drug use in a community. Sara Castiglioni and colleagues note that current estimates of community-wide illicit drug use are based on indirect methods - such as population surveys, crime statistics and interviews - that tend to be unreliable.
HEROIN - UK
Young 'turning to cheaper heroin' - BBC
Teenagers in Swansea say they are smoking heroin because cannabis is almost impossible to buy.
METH - MEXICO
Mexico police seize 20 tons of meth ingredient - CNN
Mexican police seized a large shipment of a chemical used for making methamphetamine on Wednesday in a Pacific state at the center of a bloody war between traffickers producing the drug for U.S. markets.
PRESCRIPTION - UK
Geraldine Burns - Radio Interview With Dr Gloria Gilbere On Benzodiazepine Prescription Drug Addiction
Geraldine a former benzodiazepine iatrogenic addict appeared on one of the largest natural health orientated world wide internet radio shows with up to half million listeners in 41 countries on December the 8th 2006.
ALCOHOL - US
Going for STOP: Congress Passes First Major Underage-Drinking Law - Join Together
A bill that's being called an important first step towards addressing the national problem of underage drinking was approved by both the U.S. Senate and House this week, and heads to President Bush's desk for approval.
GENERAL - US
Florida Drug Tourism - Join Together
"Drug runs" to Florida from other states have become more popular as addicts and dealers take advantage of the state's weak prescription-drug monitoring program to illegally obtain potent pain pills.
HEROIN - THAI
Drug mule suspects found with heroin in stomachs
The Shanghai Anti-Drug Commission said recently that city police had solved 534 retail drug cases in the first 10 months this year, seizing 893 suspects and more than four kilograms of heroin.
HEROIN - US
Northeastern Pennsylvania ripe area for garnering heroin profits - Citizens Voice
Five or 10 years ago, it was addicts and small-time dealers trekking to New York City or Philadelphia for a fix. They would return and sell a few bags of heroin to support their habits, constituting hundreds of satellite, small-scale operations throughout the county.
HEROIN - US
Sheriff sees 'bad trend' in heroin overdoses - The Oakland Press
Reported overdoses and cases involving heroin abuse in Oakland County have reached epidemic proportions, Sheriff Michael Bouchard says. "We are seeing what I would call a very bad trend in the increase of activity and usage of heroin, specifi cally heroin laced with other components," Bouchard said.
COCAINE - CANADA
Cocaine ring smuggled drugs to Canada via 'torpedo' - CBC News
The RCMP drug squad in Montreal says a cocaine ring broken up Thursday was smuggling drugs from South America to Eastern Canada by attaching contraband below the waterline of ships.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & CANADA
Focus Afghanistan development on alternatives to illicit opium, says May - Newswire
Canada's role in Afghanistan must shift dramatically away from unbalanced military involvement and on to development and greater diplomatic efforts in order to achieve dialogue and lasting peace, said Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & US
U.S. military to aid DEA's Afghan effort - Chicago Tribune
The Pentagon, which has resisted appeals from federal drug agents to play a bigger role in the campaign to curb Afghanistan's flourishing opium trade, has pledged more support for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's counternarcotics efforts.
ALCOHOL - FRANCE
Teenagers on binge should learn to drink wine, say MPs - UK Times
A trend towards binge-drinking among French teenagers could be curbed if schools taught children the health benefits of drinking French wine, according to a parliamentary report which has stirred the ire of the Government.
More Accurate Estimates Of Community-Wide Illicit Drug Use - Medical News
Scientists in Italy are reporting development of a method for more accurate estimates of the amount of illicit drug use in a community. Sara Castiglioni and colleagues note that current estimates of community-wide illicit drug use are based on indirect methods - such as population surveys, crime statistics and interviews - that tend to be unreliable.
HEROIN - UK
Young 'turning to cheaper heroin' - BBC
Teenagers in Swansea say they are smoking heroin because cannabis is almost impossible to buy.
METH - MEXICO
Mexico police seize 20 tons of meth ingredient - CNN
Mexican police seized a large shipment of a chemical used for making methamphetamine on Wednesday in a Pacific state at the center of a bloody war between traffickers producing the drug for U.S. markets.
PRESCRIPTION - UK
Geraldine Burns - Radio Interview With Dr Gloria Gilbere On Benzodiazepine Prescription Drug Addiction
Geraldine a former benzodiazepine iatrogenic addict appeared on one of the largest natural health orientated world wide internet radio shows with up to half million listeners in 41 countries on December the 8th 2006.
ALCOHOL - US
Going for STOP: Congress Passes First Major Underage-Drinking Law - Join Together
A bill that's being called an important first step towards addressing the national problem of underage drinking was approved by both the U.S. Senate and House this week, and heads to President Bush's desk for approval.
GENERAL - US
Florida Drug Tourism - Join Together
"Drug runs" to Florida from other states have become more popular as addicts and dealers take advantage of the state's weak prescription-drug monitoring program to illegally obtain potent pain pills.
HEROIN - THAI
Drug mule suspects found with heroin in stomachs
The Shanghai Anti-Drug Commission said recently that city police had solved 534 retail drug cases in the first 10 months this year, seizing 893 suspects and more than four kilograms of heroin.
HEROIN - US
Northeastern Pennsylvania ripe area for garnering heroin profits - Citizens Voice
Five or 10 years ago, it was addicts and small-time dealers trekking to New York City or Philadelphia for a fix. They would return and sell a few bags of heroin to support their habits, constituting hundreds of satellite, small-scale operations throughout the county.
HEROIN - US
Sheriff sees 'bad trend' in heroin overdoses - The Oakland Press
Reported overdoses and cases involving heroin abuse in Oakland County have reached epidemic proportions, Sheriff Michael Bouchard says. "We are seeing what I would call a very bad trend in the increase of activity and usage of heroin, specifi cally heroin laced with other components," Bouchard said.
COCAINE - CANADA
Cocaine ring smuggled drugs to Canada via 'torpedo' - CBC News
The RCMP drug squad in Montreal says a cocaine ring broken up Thursday was smuggling drugs from South America to Eastern Canada by attaching contraband below the waterline of ships.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & CANADA
Focus Afghanistan development on alternatives to illicit opium, says May - Newswire
Canada's role in Afghanistan must shift dramatically away from unbalanced military involvement and on to development and greater diplomatic efforts in order to achieve dialogue and lasting peace, said Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & US
U.S. military to aid DEA's Afghan effort - Chicago Tribune
The Pentagon, which has resisted appeals from federal drug agents to play a bigger role in the campaign to curb Afghanistan's flourishing opium trade, has pledged more support for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's counternarcotics efforts.
ALCOHOL - FRANCE
Teenagers on binge should learn to drink wine, say MPs - UK Times
A trend towards binge-drinking among French teenagers could be curbed if schools taught children the health benefits of drinking French wine, according to a parliamentary report which has stirred the ire of the Government.
Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 7 Drug Headlines
METH - US
Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBC
Internet registries of rapists or pedophiles are available in every state, but a new breed of criminal now is experiencing the notoriety of being outed online — people convicted of making or selling methamphetamine.
GENERAL - US
New Poll Shows Parents Afraid Of Talking To Their Teens; Avoid Tough Topics, Especially Drug Use
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is urging parents to sharpen their conversation skills and monitor their teen's activities, after a new poll shows that most parents have difficulty getting through to their teens about important subjects, especially drug use. According to a new survey by VitalSmarts, most parents of teens indicate that they are even afraid to talk to their teens about everyday issues.
OTC - US
OTC Drug Abuse Soaring, New Study Says. History May Provide Another Lesson
Information published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that teens in California have been abusing over-the-counter cough medications in increasingly larger numbers.
OTC - US
Calif. Reports Rising DXM Abuse Among Adolescents - Join Together
Dextromethorphan, a cough medicine ingredient known colloquially as DXM, is landing an increasing number of California youths in hospitals, according to a report from the state's poison-control center.
PRESCRIPTION - SCOTLAND
There’s a depressing trend we must address - The Herald
It's 40 years since Mick Jagger satirised the plight of Valium-addicted housewives, predominant victims of the first chemical generation. Forty years. Half a lifetime. Long enough, you might hope, for everyone to grow wise to the fallacy that swallowing pills can make you happy, but apparently not long enough for Scotland, where prescriptions of anti-depressants have trebled in the past decade.
GENERAL - US
CPL To Drug Test Pro Gamers In 2007
While no one has ever been caught using illicit drugs in a pro gaming tournament, there have been suspicions that players may be using crystal meth and prescription drugs such as Ritalin to increase alertness levels, reflex times and physical and mental stamina.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Pro Gamers to be drug tested
According the Director of The Cyberathlete Professional League, Angel Munoz, the gaming league has has begun the necessary preparations to drug test professional gamers at next year's CPL tournaments.
HEROIN - US
Heroin Use Increases For Oakland County Teens
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office told Local 4 there is a new trend of heroin use among high school students. One city that is seeing a rise in teenage heroin cases is Royal Oak, with three teenagers overdosing in the last few weeks, police said.
Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBC
Internet registries of rapists or pedophiles are available in every state, but a new breed of criminal now is experiencing the notoriety of being outed online — people convicted of making or selling methamphetamine.
GENERAL - US
New Poll Shows Parents Afraid Of Talking To Their Teens; Avoid Tough Topics, Especially Drug Use
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is urging parents to sharpen their conversation skills and monitor their teen's activities, after a new poll shows that most parents have difficulty getting through to their teens about important subjects, especially drug use. According to a new survey by VitalSmarts, most parents of teens indicate that they are even afraid to talk to their teens about everyday issues.
OTC - US
OTC Drug Abuse Soaring, New Study Says. History May Provide Another Lesson
Information published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that teens in California have been abusing over-the-counter cough medications in increasingly larger numbers.
OTC - US
Calif. Reports Rising DXM Abuse Among Adolescents - Join Together
Dextromethorphan, a cough medicine ingredient known colloquially as DXM, is landing an increasing number of California youths in hospitals, according to a report from the state's poison-control center.
PRESCRIPTION - SCOTLAND
There’s a depressing trend we must address - The Herald
It's 40 years since Mick Jagger satirised the plight of Valium-addicted housewives, predominant victims of the first chemical generation. Forty years. Half a lifetime. Long enough, you might hope, for everyone to grow wise to the fallacy that swallowing pills can make you happy, but apparently not long enough for Scotland, where prescriptions of anti-depressants have trebled in the past decade.
GENERAL - US
CPL To Drug Test Pro Gamers In 2007
While no one has ever been caught using illicit drugs in a pro gaming tournament, there have been suspicions that players may be using crystal meth and prescription drugs such as Ritalin to increase alertness levels, reflex times and physical and mental stamina.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Pro Gamers to be drug tested
According the Director of The Cyberathlete Professional League, Angel Munoz, the gaming league has has begun the necessary preparations to drug test professional gamers at next year's CPL tournaments.
HEROIN - US
Heroin Use Increases For Oakland County Teens
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office told Local 4 there is a new trend of heroin use among high school students. One city that is seeing a rise in teenage heroin cases is Royal Oak, with three teenagers overdosing in the last few weeks, police said.
Labels: heroin, methamphetamine, over-the-counter, prescription
Dec 6 Drug Headlines
METH - US
Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBC
Internet registries of rapists or pedophiles are available in every state, but a new breed of criminal now is experiencing the notoriety of being outed online — people convicted of making or selling methamphetamine.
METH - US
California Using Fiction to Fight Methamphetamine - Join Together
The state of California has distributed thousands of copies of a book warning against the dangers of involvement in the methamphetamine trade to immigrant laborers from Mexico, the Associated Press reported Nov. 24.
CANNABIS - CANADA
CANNABIS: CANADA STOPS THERAPEUTIC USE - AGI
The Canadian Federal Government decided to cancel the Medical Marijuana Research Program (MMRP), that is, the research programme on the medical use of marijuana.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Drug Addiction on Rise With Afghan Kids - Washington Post
Farida's son inherited her drug addiction in the womb, and drank her opium-laced breast milk. And when he cried and fussed, she calmed him with specks of opium diluted in tea.
HEROIN - BULGARIA
HEROIN SMUGGLING RING BUSTED IN BULGARIA - Sofia Echo
A joint operation of the police and of Interior Ministry anti-crime structures busted in the town of Sliven a heroin smuggling-ring responsible for trafficking from Bulgaria to EU.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Oxycodone is drug of choice in Rock Hill Pharmacy break-ins - Record Online
The drugstore break-ins are a sign of the times, Sullivan County District Attorney Steve Lungen said. It's not just OxyContin, a time-release form of oxycodone that relieves severe pain. People have gotten oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, fentanyl, methadone and other narcotics through forged prescriptions or street deals.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Parents told they could be the ones supplying their kids with drugs - The Fincastle Herald
Hunt is a Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC) representative and told those at the workshop one of the fastest growing areas of drug abuse today is found in medicine cabinets around the area. Teens are stealing prescription drugs from parents, grandparents and neighbors.
COCAINE - CANADA
Cocaine use on the rise: Thompson problem area
Addiction experts believe cocaine use is on the rise in Thompson, and police are seizing more of the drug than ever before in the northern mining city.
Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBC
Internet registries of rapists or pedophiles are available in every state, but a new breed of criminal now is experiencing the notoriety of being outed online — people convicted of making or selling methamphetamine.
METH - US
California Using Fiction to Fight Methamphetamine - Join Together
The state of California has distributed thousands of copies of a book warning against the dangers of involvement in the methamphetamine trade to immigrant laborers from Mexico, the Associated Press reported Nov. 24.
CANNABIS - CANADA
CANNABIS: CANADA STOPS THERAPEUTIC USE - AGI
The Canadian Federal Government decided to cancel the Medical Marijuana Research Program (MMRP), that is, the research programme on the medical use of marijuana.
OPIUM - AFGHAN
Drug Addiction on Rise With Afghan Kids - Washington Post
Farida's son inherited her drug addiction in the womb, and drank her opium-laced breast milk. And when he cried and fussed, she calmed him with specks of opium diluted in tea.
HEROIN - BULGARIA
HEROIN SMUGGLING RING BUSTED IN BULGARIA - Sofia Echo
A joint operation of the police and of Interior Ministry anti-crime structures busted in the town of Sliven a heroin smuggling-ring responsible for trafficking from Bulgaria to EU.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Oxycodone is drug of choice in Rock Hill Pharmacy break-ins - Record Online
The drugstore break-ins are a sign of the times, Sullivan County District Attorney Steve Lungen said. It's not just OxyContin, a time-release form of oxycodone that relieves severe pain. People have gotten oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, fentanyl, methadone and other narcotics through forged prescriptions or street deals.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Parents told they could be the ones supplying their kids with drugs - The Fincastle Herald
Hunt is a Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC) representative and told those at the workshop one of the fastest growing areas of drug abuse today is found in medicine cabinets around the area. Teens are stealing prescription drugs from parents, grandparents and neighbors.
COCAINE - CANADA
Cocaine use on the rise: Thompson problem area
Addiction experts believe cocaine use is on the rise in Thompson, and police are seizing more of the drug than ever before in the northern mining city.
Labels: cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 5 Drug Headlines
MARIJUANA - US
Marijuana-flavored lollipops in Toledo - ABC Local Ohio
A candy product has already fueled a bitter debate across the country; now it's showing up in Toledo stores. Lollipops are putting a bitter taste in some people's mouths. Chronic Candy or pot suckers are a part of a growing trend that has made its way to Toledo.
HEROIN - US
Keys to fighting heroin scourge - Indy Star
Our position: Tougher law enforcement and more treatment options are needed to curb growing rate of heroin addiction.
Heroin use is on the rise again in Indiana. State Police will investigate about 700 heroin cases this year -- three times Indiana's total in 2004.
PRESCRIPTION - CANADA
Students taking drugs - The Ubyssey
The abuse of stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine is on the rise at UBC. In professional health programs, such as medicine or pharmacy, students are being equipped with knowledge that can be used to abuse the health care system to their benefit. And, while many forego this practice, others don’t.
GENERAL - US
Drug Free Marshals Get the Word Out - Your Hub
The Church of Scientology's Drug Free Marshals marched in the Boulder Lights of December Parade, Saturday December 2nd, advising all onlookers to "Say Yes To Life, Say No To Drugs." The Marshals were greeted with support and cheers as they handed out anti-drug education booklets about a variety of abused drugs.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Students shouldn’t use medication to study - The Exponent
During the home stretch of these next two weeks, we are struggling to survive dead week and finals. In this time of intense struggling, some students are looking to stimulant drugs to give them some fuel to study. One of the most popular abused prescription drugs among college students is Adderall.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & US
Pentagon resists pleas for help in Afghan opium fight - LA Times
The Pentagon, engaged in a difficult fight to defeat a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, has resisted entreaties from U.S. anti-narcotics officials to play an aggressive role in the faltering campaign to curb the country's opium trade.
METH - US
NICU first home for addicted babies - Bangor Daily News
Babies born to opiate-addicted mothers are almost always addicted, too. In eastern Maine, where young women of childbearing age make up the fastest-growing segment of the opiate-abusing population, the number of babies who begin their lives in the physical and emotional distress of opiate withdrawal is increasing as well.
METH - US
Abuse of illegal drugs could end your life - Sea Coast Online
State officials held a press conference in Stratham last week to talk about the efforts to combat the expansion of methamphetamine use in New Hampshire. They said they are at the front line of the battle, "doing everything possible to get a foothold on meth before it becomes a problem."
PRESCRIPTION - US
Over-prescribed pill imperils students - Badger Herald
t’s that time of the year again. No, not the holiday season, instead I mean the time when The Badger Herald publishes its annual article addressing the blood-curdling, stress-induced stomach ulcers created by finals.
Marijuana-flavored lollipops in Toledo - ABC Local Ohio
A candy product has already fueled a bitter debate across the country; now it's showing up in Toledo stores. Lollipops are putting a bitter taste in some people's mouths. Chronic Candy or pot suckers are a part of a growing trend that has made its way to Toledo.
HEROIN - US
Keys to fighting heroin scourge - Indy Star
Our position: Tougher law enforcement and more treatment options are needed to curb growing rate of heroin addiction.
Heroin use is on the rise again in Indiana. State Police will investigate about 700 heroin cases this year -- three times Indiana's total in 2004.
PRESCRIPTION - CANADA
Students taking drugs - The Ubyssey
The abuse of stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine is on the rise at UBC. In professional health programs, such as medicine or pharmacy, students are being equipped with knowledge that can be used to abuse the health care system to their benefit. And, while many forego this practice, others don’t.
GENERAL - US
Drug Free Marshals Get the Word Out - Your Hub
The Church of Scientology's Drug Free Marshals marched in the Boulder Lights of December Parade, Saturday December 2nd, advising all onlookers to "Say Yes To Life, Say No To Drugs." The Marshals were greeted with support and cheers as they handed out anti-drug education booklets about a variety of abused drugs.
PRESCRIPTION - US
Students shouldn’t use medication to study - The Exponent
During the home stretch of these next two weeks, we are struggling to survive dead week and finals. In this time of intense struggling, some students are looking to stimulant drugs to give them some fuel to study. One of the most popular abused prescription drugs among college students is Adderall.
OPIUM - AFGHAN & US
Pentagon resists pleas for help in Afghan opium fight - LA Times
The Pentagon, engaged in a difficult fight to defeat a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, has resisted entreaties from U.S. anti-narcotics officials to play an aggressive role in the faltering campaign to curb the country's opium trade.
METH - US
NICU first home for addicted babies - Bangor Daily News
Babies born to opiate-addicted mothers are almost always addicted, too. In eastern Maine, where young women of childbearing age make up the fastest-growing segment of the opiate-abusing population, the number of babies who begin their lives in the physical and emotional distress of opiate withdrawal is increasing as well.
METH - US
Abuse of illegal drugs could end your life - Sea Coast Online
State officials held a press conference in Stratham last week to talk about the efforts to combat the expansion of methamphetamine use in New Hampshire. They said they are at the front line of the battle, "doing everything possible to get a foothold on meth before it becomes a problem."
PRESCRIPTION - US
Over-prescribed pill imperils students - Badger Herald
t’s that time of the year again. No, not the holiday season, instead I mean the time when The Badger Herald publishes its annual article addressing the blood-curdling, stress-induced stomach ulcers created by finals.
Labels: heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 4 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - US
Law enforcement divided about decriminalizing drugs
Vermont's top law enforcement official disagrees with a county prosecutor's call for decriminalizing illegal drugs.
OTC - US
Cough medicine drug a hallucinogen for some - CNN
Young people are increasingly abusing a drug found in nonprescription cough medicines that can produce hallucinogenic effects, but at a risk to their well-being, researchers said Monday.
GENERAL - UK
Campaign launched to reduce festive season drug deaths in Glasgow
A pre-Christmas information campaign to prevent drug-related deaths among users during the high-risk festive holiday period in Glasgow is being launched today in conjunction with Scottish Drugs Forum.
HEROIN - UK
U.K. to Give Free Heroin to Addicts - Join Together
A pilot program in Brighton and Hove, England will distribute free heroin to addicts in a bid to cut crime and addiction, The Argus reported Nov. 25.
HEROIN - US
Injection Drug Use Up Among Younger Heroin Treatment Clients - Join Together
Injection is increasingly becoming the prevalent route of administration among younger heroin users admitted to treatment, according to data from the national Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
PAINKILLER - AUSTRALIA
Lawyers called in to fight methadone move - Mercury
A group of Wollongong business owners have joined forces to fight the possible relocation of Wollongong's controversial methadone clinic to their backyard.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Ross Fitzgerald: Turning a blind eye to alcohol addiction - The Australian Opinion
A hard-hitting
Law enforcement divided about decriminalizing drugs
Vermont's top law enforcement official disagrees with a county prosecutor's call for decriminalizing illegal drugs.
OTC - US
Cough medicine drug a hallucinogen for some - CNN
Young people are increasingly abusing a drug found in nonprescription cough medicines that can produce hallucinogenic effects, but at a risk to their well-being, researchers said Monday.
GENERAL - UK
Campaign launched to reduce festive season drug deaths in Glasgow
A pre-Christmas information campaign to prevent drug-related deaths among users during the high-risk festive holiday period in Glasgow is being launched today in conjunction with Scottish Drugs Forum.
HEROIN - UK
U.K. to Give Free Heroin to Addicts - Join Together
A pilot program in Brighton and Hove, England will distribute free heroin to addicts in a bid to cut crime and addiction, The Argus reported Nov. 25.
HEROIN - US
Injection Drug Use Up Among Younger Heroin Treatment Clients - Join Together
Injection is increasingly becoming the prevalent route of administration among younger heroin users admitted to treatment, according to data from the national Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).
PAINKILLER - AUSTRALIA
Lawyers called in to fight methadone move - Mercury
A group of Wollongong business owners have joined forces to fight the possible relocation of Wollongong's controversial methadone clinic to their backyard.
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Ross Fitzgerald: Turning a blind eye to alcohol addiction - The Australian Opinion
A hard-hitting