Jan 2 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Teens binge drink, U.S. study finds – CNN Health
Nearly half of all U.S. high-school students admit to recently drinking alcohol illegally, and most of them were binge drinkers, according to a government survey published on Tuesday.

METH – USA
Montana researcher unlocks dangers meth holds for kids – Times-News
The dope is cooked over a backpacking stove instead of on a putrid hot plate, and the woman in a lab coat and latex gloves is a post-doctorate fellow, not a drug manufacturer.

PAINKILLERS – USA
A Painkiller Reminder - Washington Post
A recent Food and Drug Administration proposal to add stronger warning labels to several popular types of over-the-counter painkillers, noting they pose a risk of liver and stomach damage, shouldn't scare most consumers into avoiding the products entirely, experts say.

METHADONE –USA
Methadone toll hits W.Va. hardest – Charleston Gazette
A new study reveals that almost 4,000 Americans died of an overdose of the prescription drug methadone in 2004, more than any other prescription narcotic.