Feb 28 Drug Headlines

METHADONE – USA
Methadone abuse continues to grow – Herald Net
It's the "easy-to-get" nature of the drug that has led to the spike in methadone deaths, according to government officials.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse on the Rise – News Max
When you think of drug abuse, you might imagine a frantic crack addict handing over cash to dealer in a seedy part of town. What about this portrait of drug abuse? A middle-class person walks up to a pharmacist and hands over a forged prescription for some pain killers.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Daily painkiller raises heart attack risk – The Age
THE safety of popular over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs has been questioned after a huge Harvard study found prolonged use can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Painkiller Risk: High Blood Pressure – Health Sentinel
The most widely used medicines in the world -- over-the-counter pain drugs -- raise a person's risk of high blood pressure.

METH – USA
War on Drugs no help as meth epidemic worsens in the U.S. – Trans World News
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug that can have horrifying side effects, but perhaps the most shocking thing about this drug is that the FDA and Big Business may be contributing to its spread in pursuit of profits.

MARIJUANA – USA
Driving While Young: Teens and Marijuana – ABC Local News
With so many tragedies involving young drivers, our Eyewitness News special project "DWY: Driving While Young" looks at the dangers teens face behind the wheel.

MARIJUANA – USA
Lawmakers target marijuana-flavored candy – AJC Capitol Updates
A bill that would ban the sale of marijuana-flavored candy to children in Georgia won approval from a legislative committee this morning, advancing the proposal toward a vote in the House of Representatives.

METH – USA
Boys & Girls Club takes meth program to schools – The Verde Independent
The clubs have been presenting the nationally acclaimed MethSMART program in West Sedona and Big Park elementary schools in Sedona and Mingus High School in Cottonwood over five weeks.

OPIUM – THIALAND
The war that won't go away – Bangkok Post
Like most wars, the society problem often labelled as the ''war on drugs'' is a matter of many small battles. This war has had many ups and downs. It should not be surprising that drug trafficking and usage are increasing once again.

OPIUM – USA
Opium eradication starts in Afghanistan – Houston Chronicle
Anguish creased the weathered face of the opium farmer as a U.S.-trained eradication team swept through his farm fields in this southern Afghan village.

Feb 27 Drug Headlines

DRUGS – USA
Discontinuing Buprenorphine (Suboxone) Detox or Maintenance – Addiction helpBlog
Treatment using Buprenorphine (Suboxone) may be stopped or discontinued by a physician for many reasons.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Abuse is Our Fastest-Growing Drug Problem – Treatment Online
Initially developed as a drug to treat patients suffering from the often extreme elements of opiate withdrawal, methadone has become one of the most widely abused drugs in the world.

ALCOHOL – UK
'I drank so that I felt as if I belonged' - Telegraph
Alcohol-related deaths are soaring among young girls. Here, one former binge-drinker gives Michael Shelden a brutally honest insight into the highs and lows of excess.

PRESCRIPTION - USA
Survey Finds Teens and Parents Think Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medicines is Safer Than Illicit Drug Use – Drug Free America
A new study released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America® and the MetLife Foundation found that more than a third of teens (40 percent) and parents (37 percent) think teen abuse of prescription pain killers is safer than abuse of illicit street drugs.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Drink risks don't stop boys – The Australian
TEENAGE boys ignore the risks of binge drinking despite knowing they are three times more likely to kill themselves than girls who drink.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Binge booze takes one young life each week – Australia’s News Network
YOUNG Victorians are dying of alcohol-induced violence and accidents at the rate of one a week with regional youth at greater risk than city counterparts.

ALCOHOL – Australia
Alcohol Prevention More Difficult For Young Men To Swallow – UNSW
Young men are three times more likely to die from alcohol-related injuries than females. To make matters worse, new research released today shows that they do not respond to school-based drug education as well as their female counterparts.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study Finds Reduced Brain Growth In Alcoholics With Family Drinking History – Medical News Today
The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors associated with their parents' drinking.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Officials Warn Parents About Prescription Drugs – KMBC-TV
Federal officials said nearly one in five teens has abused prescription drugs -- and many are getting them right from home.

METH – USA
New Ads Tackle Meth With A Touch Of Horror – Press Release Newswire
Wyoming Department of Health's Meth Campaign Strikes Fear In Wyoming Residents: Difficult to watch, the ads resemble scenes from horror movies.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone emerges as new killer – Baltimore Sun
Methadone, a potent opiate once used almost exclusively to treat heroin addicts, is increasingly being prescribed by doctors as a pain medication and abused by drug users searching for a cheap, easy way to get high.

Feb 26 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Senator Cogdill Fights To Remove Methamphetamine Problems – My Mother Lode News
Senator Dave Cogdill is pushing hard to remove the problem of methamphetamine out of the Central Valley and rural California.

METH – USA
Personal horrors aid meth fight – Kansas City Star
The camera draws in on a young woman's face. Her teeth are blackened with decay. Her neck is covered with red sores - the work of a manic methamphetamine addict who can't stop clawing at her own skin.

COCAINE – SOUTH AFRICA
Teens plan 'cocaine parties' via cellphone – IOL
Port Elizabeth high school girls are organising "cocaine parties" via their cellphones, according to media reports.

METH – USA
UCD study: Meth can lead to fatal form of heart disease – Daily Democrat
Young people who use methamphetamine, an addictive, illegal stimulant also known as meth, crank, crystal and speed, more than triple their risk of cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle.

ADDICTION – USA
Middle East's Opium Addiction – Epoch Times International
Thriving drug addiction is one such problem that remains neglected. After the collapse of the Taliban, opium use more than doubled in Afghanistan.

METHADONE – USA
Anna Nicoles family tragedy not atypical – HARMD - Blogger News Network
‘Don’t make us laugh’ respond HARMD (Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths) - a large lobbyist group formed by families of methadone victims. ‘That hackneyed promo phrase is a bit off, given over 4000 deaths or one for every 50 addiction patients are occurring yearly now’.

ALCOHOL – USA
Turning the tables around on alcohol education in schools – Clanton Advertiser
We all know the best way not to abuse alcohol is not to start, but if you do drink, then you should at least know how to do it safely.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol is killing us … it’s time to show some spirit and fight back – Sunday Herald
LENT BEGAN last Wednesday, an annual opportunity to give up chocolate and to walk to work instead of taking the bus. This year we should forget about the jokey little sacrifices and skip to a big one; if there's one thing Scots could do with giving up permanently it's the booze.

OPIUM – THAILAND
Officials: Drug use on the rise in Thailand – Bangkok Post
The use of illicit recreational and hard drugs is growing again, especially among young people, after a lull during the deadly war on drugs by the former administration of Thaksin Shinawatra, according to officials.

Feb 24 Drug Headlines

METHADONE – UK
Addicts offered a sporting chance – Sunday Herald
A NEW "abstinence" programme which helps drug and alcohol abusers escape their addictions by promoting a healthy lifestyle is set to be introduced across Scotland.

ALCOHOL – USA
PREGNANCY, ALCOHOL BAD MIX – Monterey Herald
Your unborn child eats what you eat and drinks what you drink, and drinking alcohol is no less than feeding your unborn child poison, say a growing number of health-care experts who believe it is time to sound an alarm.

OPIUM – THAILAND
Drugs a rising problem in Thailand – The Nation
The area under opium cultivation has risen 10 per cent to 1,075 rai, while the amount of narcotics smuggled into the country through the northern border has also risen.

METH – USA
‘Life's Great, Don't Meth It Up' – KDBC News
Kids and drugs -- It's a connection parents, teachers and even students have fought for years. Now U.S. Congressman Stevan Pearce is getting involved.

METH – USA
Meth presentation focuses on ways to help – The News Review
Since taping the video years ago that played Thursday night at Umpqua Community College, Dr. Jack Stump — who has lectured about meth for 14 years — has used it and others like it to show the drastic effects the drug has on people.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Growing trend of prescription drug thefts – WRDW News
Investigators say they get reports of thieves taking highly addictive painkillers from the people who need them every week. In some cases, they say the drugs are sold on the streets.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
This country's biggest drug problem is alcohol – The Australian
TODAY about 175 Australians will go into hospital because of a major drugs problem. After tobacco, it is the major drugs problem in Australia, and one that we are not adequately tackling – alcohol.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Teens' prescription abuse up – Daily Iowan
With the introduction of online pharmacies, prescription drugs are becoming easier to obtain, and recent studies show teens are increasingly using the substances recreationally.

ALCOHOL – UK
Big rise in number of young people killed by heavy drinking – The Independent
The alcopops generation are drinking themselves to death, latest figures show.

Feb 22 Drug Headlines

METH – NEW ZEALAND
Tenfold increase in methamphetamine entering NZ – New Zealand Herald
Police and customs officials say the amount of pure methamphetamine ("P") entering New Zealand has increased tenfold in the past year.

METH – USA
Local students are winning war on meth – Lake County Leader
The first-time sensation of meth is so powerful that someone dumb enough to try the drug is almost instantaneously hooked. They will never again attain that first ‘high’, but will ruin their lives in the attempt.

MARIJUANA – USA
U.S. Is Sued Over Position on Marijuana – New York Times
Frustrated by government policy and inaction, a group of advocates for medical marijuana sued two federal health agencies on Wednesday over the assertion that smoking it has no medical benefit.

ADDICTION – UK
'We can help each other' – The Guardian
In 1967, Mollie Craven, the mother of a heroin addict, wrote an article in the Guardian appealing to readers to start a self-help group for addicts and their families. Now, 40 years later, Addaction is Britain's leading drug charity.

ADDICTION – UK
Kicking old habits – The Guardian
It's a quiet morning in a quiet road just off Mare Street in Hackney, east London. Drop-in hours are not until the afternoon, but already people are arriving at the doors of Addaction Hackney Community Drug Service.

HEROIN – USA
Parents confront deadly heroin mix – KVUE
Parents and community leaders, concerned about a cheap and deadly drug that has invaded a cluster of northwest Dallas schools, demanded Wednesday that school and police officials take the problem more seriously.

CANNABIS – SWITZERLAND
'Cannabis is not for cows' – IOL News
Switzerland's agriculture ministry has called on the country's farmers to stop feeding their cows cannabis.

Feb 21 Drug Headlines

METH – NEW ZEALAND
People power filling gap in drug battle – New Zealand Herald
The Government strategy on methamphetamine is under attack from P campaigners who believe the approach is not working - so they are investing thousands of dollars in their own community campaigns.

ALCOHOL – USA
Students encouraged to participate in alcohol study – UW-Madison News
The University of Wisconsin System is conducting a survey of undergraduates this month to better understand the impacts of alcohol and other drug use by UW students.

ALCOHOL – USA
Surveys examine alcohol use – LHU Eagle Eye
After two consecutive Mondays and Tuesdays of surveying, the Wellness Center and Safe Haven are preparing to compile the data they gathered regarding LHU students and alcohol use.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Testing for Cannabis may prompt Athletes to switch to P – Radio New Zealand
At least one sports official has suggested that might encourage some athletes to use P, rather than risking being caught for cannabis use.

MARIJUANA – USA
Long-Term Marijuana Use May Impair Lung Function – Washington Post
People who smoke marijuana for a long time face many of the same kinds of respiratory problems -- such as phlegm, coughing and wheezing -- as long-term cigarette smokers.

METH – USA
Silverton students spread the word about meth – Silverton Appeal News
Students saw images of beautiful people whose teeth had rotted, who had sores on their faces and whose weight had dwindled to barely survivable levels.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Drug-laced ‘lollipops’ found at Damascus High School – Maryland Gazette
The lollipop drugs are sold on the street for $20, even though their retail value is $9.

PESCRIPTION – USA
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES FOR PROPER DISPOSAL OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – New and Public Affairs
n the face of rising trends in prescription drug abuse, the Federal government today issued new guidelines for the proper disposal of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs.

DRUGS – USA
Poll: 90% Support Drug Tests for Students – Pushing Back
A poll conducted by the University of South Alabama reveals strong demand for confidential random drug testing programs.

Feb 20 Drug Headlines

PESCRIPTION – USA
Feds Issue New Way To Curb Prescription Drug Abuse – WTOV
The federal government has issued new ways to get rid of old medicine in an effort to prevent kids from getting high on prescription drugs.

METH – USA
Strong Connection Between Identity Theft And Meth Use – Fox News
Many meth addicts can't work because of the drug's effect on the body. But identity theft is relatively easy and more lucrative than robbing a bank.

METH – USA
Health, safety officials address ongoing meth problem – KTUU News
Methamphetamine: It's a drug with far-reaching side effects that go way beyond the user.

ADDICTION – USA
Drug addiction affects all of us – Guelph Mercury
Too often, drug addiction is described as something affecting "those people" or people living in "that neighbourhood." The reality is much different.

HEROIN – UK
Calls for inquiry to settle heroin policies – The Herald
Scotland's top social workers yesterday called for a Royal Commission to settle the row over methadone.

OPIUM – USA
Afghan envoys warns of terrorist-drug link – United Press International
Afghanistan's ambassador to Australia has warned his country could become a terrorist-backed narco-state unles it gets help to combat drug trafficking.

Feb 19 Drug Headlines

OPIUM – MEXICO
Anti-drug raids hit border – The Herald
Officials also said that in the two months since intensive raids began in central and western Mexico they have destroyed almost as many opium fields as plots of marijuana, long Mexico´s principal drug crop.

MORPHINE – USA
Drug test science adapts with the times – Charleston Daily Mail
If lighting up a marijuana joint is in your evening plans, you’d better hope you’re not screened for drugs within the next 30 days.

DRUGS – UK
The terrible logic of kids, drugs and killing – Times Online
Whenever I met young drug dealers who had either shot others or themselves been shot, I wondered whether they had any real notion of death as a permanent state of oblivion.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Makers of Cough Remedies Join with Anti-Drug Coalitions to Fight Medicine Abuse – Consumer Healthcare Products Association
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) today launched a new campaign designed to educate communities about how to prevent cough medicine abuse among teenagers.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deadly risk seen from interactions of OTC, prescription meds – Denver Post
The timing of two recent news items - a national health report and the autopsy of an R&B singer - was coincidental. But coming on the same day, they illustrated a deadly, growing problem with prescription and over-the-counter medications.

ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND
Alcohol review targets teens – Stuff
The Government is looking for ways to prevent underage teenagers from getting alcohol as experts point to its devastating effects.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Dope loses its cool – Herald Sun
The drug once perceived as harmless is now overwhelming viewed as dangerous, addictive and linked to a range of serious health and social problems.

Feb 17 Drug Headlines

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis loses appeal for young people – ABC News Online
A new study has found a third of young Australians think using cannabis is unacceptable, and the majority believe it is a dangerous drug.

MARIJUANA – AUSTRALIA
Pot not hot: weed losing its cool – Sydney Morning Herald
SMOKING a joint is no longer cool among the young, according to a new poll, which found one in three regard it as unacceptable.

ALCOHOL – UK
Revealed: Britain's 12-year-old alcoholics – The Independent
Children as young as 12 are being diagnosed as alcoholics amid growing concerns about binge-drinking in Britain, an investigation by The Independent on Sunday reveals today.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Teens now going for parents' pills, not their booze – The Oakland Press
Some parents of teenagers keep their liquor cabinets locked. Should the medicine cabinet be next?

DRUGS – USA
Disrupting Brain's Stress System Intensifies Opiate Withdrawal – Science Daily
Avoiding the severe pain, nausea, agitation, sweats and other symptoms of opiate withdrawal are among the many reasons addicts are motivated to continue taking drugs.

Feb 15 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Come together to fight meth – Montrose Daily Press
The toll of methamphetamine use can be felt in all aspects of the community and at all levels. Meth is a highly addictive drug that has a devastating impact on the individual as well as their families. And no one is immune from it.

METH – USA
Candy-Looking Meth Hits Streets – WVNS-TV
Methamphetamine production and addiction is a continuing problem, especially in rural areas. Now, there's a troubling new development. Drug dealers are now targeting children with flavored, candy-colored versions of the drug.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Report: Teens Using Prescription Drugs – Sci-Tech Today
While teen use of marijuana declined, the use of OxyContin, a painkiller, increased from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent over the same period.

METHADONE – USA
METHADONE DEATHS – NBC Newschannel
The highly-addictive drug methadone was initially used to help heroin addicts break their addiction. A few years ago, Idaho became one of the first states to see methadone also being prescribed for chronic pain.

RITALIN – USA
Prescription Drug Use Among Students Growing – City on a Hill Press
According to the Greater Dallas Council on Alcoholic and Drug Abuse website, Ritalin ranks in the top 10 most frequently reported controlled pharmaceuticals stolen from licensed handlers.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Continue To Abuse Prescription Drugs – E Canada Now
Though U.S. teen use of some drugs is in decline their use of prescription drugs is going strong and increasing in certain areas.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Teens Turning to Prescription Drugs
More and more US teens are turning away from marijuana in favor of prescription drugs from their own medicine cabinets.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen abuse of prescription drugs holds steady – MSNBC
According to an analysis of national surveys prepared by Walters’ office, 2.1 million teenagers abused prescription drugs in 2005.

DRUGS – USA
Dobbs: The war within, killing ourselves – CNN
We're losing the War on Drugs, and we've been in retreat for three decades.

MARIJUANA – USA
Parents are urged to learn about today's marijuana – Amador Ledger Dispatch
Today's marijuana is not yesterday's marijuana. I find this to be very interesting information for parents, teachers and anyone who has had the questions asked or will be asked: What's so wrong with smoking marijuana? It's not a drug? Right?

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Deaths More Common – Post Chronicle
A study finds that U.S. deaths from methadone, the prescription drug often used to treat heroin addicts, almost quadrupled between 1999 and 2004.

OPIUM – USA
Afghanistan: What the United States Has Spent – ABC News
Despite Billions Spent, and Lives Lost, Opium Trade Thrives and Fuels Insurgent Attacks.

OPIUM – USA
Losing Afghanistan to opium? – The Washington Times
The spring opium harvest will soon begin in Afghanistan. So will a murderous spring offensive by the Taliban and its allies against U.S. and coalition troops. The two events are directly related.

Feb 14 Drug Headlines

DRUGS – USA
Dobbs: The war within, killing ourselves – CNN News
We're fighting a war that is inflicting even greater casualties than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, incredibly, costing even more money. We're losing the War on Drugs, and we've been in retreat for three decades.

ALCOHOL – UK
Teenage drinkers face alcohol test – News Scientist
Big Brother has arrived at a high school in New Jersey, determined to stop their students consuming alcohol at weekends.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol use becoming risk by the eighth grade – Topics.com
More than 56,000 children and youth live in Hamilton County, and it's estimated that by eighth grade nearly half of them will have tried alcohol.


PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen abuse of prescription drugs remains a problem, government report shows – Centre Daily
Their use of marijuana may be declining, but teenagers' abuse of prescription drugs is holding steady or in some cases increasing.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Report: Teens Using Prescription Drugs – Journal Gazette and Times-Courier
Many teenagers are obtaining drugs over the Internet, getting them free from friends or taking them from someone's medicine cabinet.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens Turn Away From Street Drugs, Move to Prescription Drugs, New Report Reveals – Earth Times
Report shows that teens are turning away from street drugs, like marijuana and cocaine, and are now abusing prescription drugs to get high.

Feb 13 Drug Headlines

MARIJUANA – INDIA
Smoking : Long-term marijuana smoking leads to respiratory complaints – Spirit India
Long-term exposure to marijuana smoke is linked to many of the same health problems as tobacco smoke, such as increased respiratory symptoms like cough, phlegm and wheeze, according to a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine.

OPIUM – PAKISTAN
US law makers for use of micro-herbicide on poppy plants – Pak Tribune
Expressing concern over the increase in poppy cultivation in the country over the previous two years, several US law makers believe use of micro-herbicide is the only solution to the problem, which they argue is providing finances for terrorism.

OPIUM – SWITZERLAND
Helmand heads for record poppy harvest – ISN
Provincial officials say 2007 could be the biggest year yet for opium production in the war-torn province.

METH – USA
Student designs wanted for anti-meth poster campaign – ZWire
The Van Buren County Methamphetamine Task Force has launched an anti-meth poster contest for middle school students in an effort to provide a creative way for them to learn about the drug's dangers.

COCAINE – UK
Key Farc role in US cocaine trade – BBC News
Ninety per cent of cocaine reaching the United States comes from Colombia - most of it via Farc rebels, a senior US official has told a magazine.

OXYCODONE – USA
CDC: Drug Overdoses on the Rise – News Inferno
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, poisoning mortality rates in the United States increased each year.

ADDERALL – USA
Many Teens Abusing Medications – Journal of the American Medical Association
While rates of illicit drug use among teens in the United States continue to decline, abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medication in this age group remains alarmingly high.

METH – USA
New "strawberry" meth has police concerned – ABC News
It's targetted at young people and others experimenting with drugs.

METH – USA
Anti-meth blitz set to educate – Peninsula Clarion
Statewide campaign aimed to curb methamphetamine use.

METH – CANADA
Council and police take aim at crystal meth – The Chronicle
Police and town council are joining forces to meet crystal meth head on. Crystal meth is on their radar, including meth laboratory operations in the community.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Guard Against Prescription Drug Error – Yahoo! News
According to the National Academy of Medicine, approximately 1.5 million Americans annually fall victim to prescription drug error.

ALCOHOL – UK
Terrible toll of alcohol on Britain's children – Metro News
Alcohol abuse is affecting increasing numbers of youngsters, with three children having been treated for alcohol-related liver cirrhosis in the last five years.

ALCOHOL – UK
It's too easy for kids to buy alcohol – Peterborough Today
Statistics obtained by The Evening Telegraph showed that a third of all children under the age of 18 have been able to buy booze from off-licences in the city.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deadly abuse of methadone tops other prescription drugs – ABC News
Methadone has emerged as an increasingly popular and deadly street drug, joining narcotics such as Vicodin and OxyContin as frequently abused prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Prescription drugs hit streets – The Record
Prescription pain medications, such as morphine and oxycodone, are increasingly being sold on the street.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs are not the answer – Stoneham Sun
I am a volunteer for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (www.cchreus.org). I recently took part in a protest in Sudbury to bring the exposure of the medications used by John Odgren.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
One in three young Australians binge drink – The Australian, Health
A third of Australians aged 18 to 24 are classified as binge drinkers, with nearly one in four drinking to the point of passing out on at least five occasions.

Feb 12 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Deaths from drug poisoning on the rise – Food Consumer
Deaths from prescription drug poisoning increased by 68 percent between 1999 and 2004 in the United States, becoming second only to motor vehicle crashes as a cause of unintentional deaths in the country.

DRUGS – USA
Dramatic rise in accidental drug-overdose deaths reported – CNN Health
The number of accidental drug overdose deaths rose from 11,155 in 1999 to 19,838 in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

OPIUM – USA
Drug Eradication In Afghanistan – Voice of America News
Afghan police, supported by NATO forces, are about to begin a poppy eradication campaign in Afghanistan’s Helmand province

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Medicine Safety – ABC News
It's that time of year when everyone seems to be coming down with something.You may find yourself rustling through your medicine cabinet and finding an old prescription, but are you putting yourself in danger?

ALCOHOL – UK
Drink label 'warning to mothers' – Telegraph
Bottles and cans of alcohol should carry health warnings aimed at pregnant women, similar to those seen on tobacco products, campaigners said yesterday.

DRUGS – USA
White House Releases National Plan To Combat Drug Use in America – ONDCP
New Drug Control Strategy Focuses on Reducing Both Demand and Supply; Highlights Success in Reducing Meth Use, Addresses Emerging Prescription Drug Threat.

DRUGS – USA
84 Percent of Employers Require Pre-Employment Drug Tests – Join Together
More than four out of five U.S. employers now require pre-employment drug tests, and 39 percent conduct random drug testing of employees.

HERION – THAILAND
No letup in drug war – Bangkok Post
Out of the media spotlight, anti-narcotic officers are continuing their fight against smugglers along the borders.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone overdose on rise – Examiner
Overdoses of methadone — used as a replacement drug for opiate addicts but also an increasingly popular painkiller — can lead to heart and breathing problems and death.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Illegal drug use declines, prescription drug abuse climbs – The World Link
Illegal drug use in the United States has dropped sharply since 2001 but abuse of prescription drugs remains a problem.

CANNABIS – UK
DRUGGIES IN DEADLY GRIT WEED ALERT – The People
A DEADLY new type of cannabis called grit weed is sweeping Britain.

DRUGS – USA
CDC finds dramatic rise in drug deaths – Oblerlin Times
This is the first study really to describe the large relative increases in poisoning mortality rates in rural states. Historically, the drug issue has been seen as an urban problem.

Feb 9 Drug Headlines

CODEINE – USA
Be sure to read medicine labels – Beacon News
Know the ingredients and ask your doctor or pharmacist before combining any medications -- prescription, over-the-counter, herbal remedies or vitamins.

ADDICTION – CANADA
Upcoming show aims to spark discussion on Meth addiction – The Northern View
A February 13 play at the Lester Centre of the Arts entitled “Meth” promises to examine the issue of Crystal Meth addiction in a way that has never been done before.

OPIUM – USA
GOP urges change in Afghan drug policy – Houston Chronicle
More needs to be done to counter the growing threat of narco-terrorism.

OPIUM – UK
The power of the poppy – The Telegraph
The Afghan government and its British backers face a crucial trial of strength in the poppy fields of Helmand province.

Feb 8 Drug Headlines

ADDERALL – USA
Hey Jumbos, lose the Adderall and go take a nap instead – The Tufts Daily
With homework starting to pile up and the semester's first exams looming in the distance, many students accept the extreme pressure they face.

METH – USA
Board views slideshow about meth – The Dispatch Online
The board only saw a portion of the slideshow that told how easy meth could be made with home ingredients, the effects of meth use in a home and tips on what to look for in a child or parent who may be involved with meth.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol screening at school good for all – The Express Times
Far too many teens incorporate alcohol into their social lives and an alarming number of underage drinkers are hooked on the extremely dangerous practice of binge drinking.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol abuse based on a pattern of use – The Citizen, Auburn
Many terms float around when dealing with alcohol related health problems: alcoholism, dependence, abuse, tolerance and withdrawal. Let me take this time to explain these terms, the impact of alcohol on our health and what you can do if you have a problem with alcohol.

METH – USA
Web site lists information on meth offenders – Shakopee Valley News
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has unveiled a new Web site with information about offenders convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine — a dangerous and highly addictive illegal drug.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Tennessee ranks No. 1 in prescription drug use – WREG TV
Tennessee led the nation in prescription drug use and ranked second in prescription drug spending in 2005.

ALCOHOL – USA
This Hand Sanitizer is on Fire, Without Alcohol – Yahoo! News
With recent news events highlighting the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, it's no wonder that alcohol-free cleansers like Hands2GO® have experienced a phenomenal 500% jump in distribution over the last year.

Feb 7 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
WA: Prescription Drug Overdose Becomes Big Killer – Join Together
Washington residents are dying from unintended drug poisoning in numbers beginning to approach deaths in car crashes, and overdose deaths blamed on legal drugs now exceed fatal overdoses caused by illicit drugs.

DRUGS – UK
UNODC launches updated multilingual dictionary of drugs under international control – United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime today launched an updated multilingual dictionary of all drugs controlled under the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

METH – UK
Move to ban ice pipes welcome – The Hon Christopher Pyne MP
A move by the Queensland Government to ban the sale and display of ice pipes in Queensland has been welcomed by the Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne.

Feb 6 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – ITALY
Cocaine use on the rise – Wanted in Rome
Cocaine use has more than doubled in Italy between 2001-2005.

METH – USA
Meth addicts stealing sprinkler heads – KVBC News
Thieves are after another metal for drug money. And they've already targeted two neighborhoods in the valley.

ALCOHOL – UK
FTBs willing to sacrifice alcohol and holidays to get on first rung – Assetz News
The pleasures of boozy nights and holidays, sometimes at the same time, go out of the window for many first time buyers trying to get on to the property ladder, claims new research.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Overdoses of prescription drugs skyrocket – Yakima Herald Republic online
Statewide deaths linked to prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and methadone increased by more than 800 percent in a 10-year period, according to new research.

METH – USA
Crackdown slows meth labs: Sheriff: Mexican ice, a purer form of methamphetamine, takes up slack – Texarkana Gazette
Laws limiting the sale of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, a precursor to methamphetamine production, have decreased the number of meth labs law enforcement finds in this area.

METH – USA
Small crowd, many questions about meth – Dunn County News
A small crowd asked some big questions at the follow-up community forum on methamphetamine at Colfax High School Tuesday evening.

METH – USA
Second National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV, and Hepatitis Underway in Salt Lake City – Stop the Drug War
Around a thousand people, including some of the nation's foremost experts in treating, researching and developing responses to methamphetamine use, gathered at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City

METH – USA
Meth Destroying Teeth of Prisoners, Causing Dental Budget to Soar – KRNV News
Methamphetamine use can turn a healthy set of teeth into a rotting mess. And its widespread use is causing a surge in the dental budget of Nevada's prison system.

CANNABIS – UK
YOUNGSTERS INFORMED ABOUT DANGERS OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL MISUSE – Isle of Man Today
Young people are helping to shape the future of drug and alcohol education.

RITALIN – USA
Public School Bonanza – The American Daily
Here are ten reasons why parents should keep their kids in public schools

Feb 5 Drug Headlines

MORPHINE – INDIA
Healing, with a pinch of salt – Hindustan Times
If you ever wanted reconfirmation, here is a living proof that faith can take you where modern-day physicians would fear to tread.

HYDROCODONE – USA
Prescription painkillers causing more fatal overdoses in WA – The Columbian
Statewide deaths linked to prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and methadone increased by more than 800 percent in a ten-year period, according to new research.

METH – USA
Meth destroying teeth of prisoners, causing dental budget to soar – ABC News
Methamphetamine use can turn a healthy set of teeth into a rotting mess. And its widespread use is causing a surge in the dental budget of Nevada's prison system.

METH – USA
The Salt Lake Methamphetamine Conference Gets Underway – Stop the DrugWar
The 2nd National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV, and Hepatitis is now in its second day.

CODEINE – AUSTRALIA
Implants fail to stop overdose – Herald Sun
An implant designed to help heroin addicts kick their habit could contribute to their deaths.

METH – USA
County zeroes in on meth use – Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
The Cheyenne and Laramie County Methamphetamine Assessment Report will be released at a news conference and public presentation Thursday at the Cheyenne-Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park.

METH – GERMANY
Meth Addicts now Using Urine to Get High – Short News
Meth addicts and dealers appear to have devised a disgusting new method of administering the illicit substance.

METH – USA
DEALING WITH ADDICTION: Meth punishes users' mouths – Review Journal
Dentists work to correct devastating, unique oral effects of drug

DRUGS – UK
The never ending drug scam – Drug Link blog
For several years, small businesses have been targeted by fraudulent publishing companies over the production of drug education and other materials for school children.

ALCOHOL – USA
Heavy Alcohol Drinking Takes Excessive Toll on Women With Hepatitis C – eMaxHealth
Women tend to survive longer than men if infected with the liver-destroying hepatitis C virus (HCV) - but if they drink alcohol heavily, that survival advantage completely disappears, according to a new study.

ALCOHOL – USA
Program helps parents talk about drugs, alcohol – Foster's Online
It might not be as sexy as talking about the "birds and the bees," but 120 city parents now are better prepared to have a similarly life changing discussion about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

OXYCODONE – USA
Police say man jumped pharmacy counter, stole drugs – KWWL.com
A Marion man has been arrested on second-degree theft charges after allegedly hopping a pharmacy counter and stealing nearly 17-hundred-dollars in prescription medications.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription painkillers causing more fatal overdoses in WA – Seattle pi
Statewide deaths linked to prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and methadone increased by more than 800 percent in a ten-year period, according to new research.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse big in Livingston County – KQ2.com
Battling drugs that aren’t illegal is the biggest burden in a Midland Empire community. Prescription drugs are among the highest abused in the nation, and right in Livingston County.

Feb 3 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – USA
Passion alone won't rescue Colombia from its narco-economy stigma – Guardian Unlimited
Thanks to the western appetite for cocaine, this stunningly beautiful country has the tourist appeal of Afghanistan.

ALCOHOL – USA
Women And Recovery From Alcoholism – Medical News
PhD candidate Ms Janice Withnall, from the UWS School of Education, is carrying out the project in a bid to better understand the experiences of women who have successfully stopped drinking.

MARIJUANA – CANADA
Hotline launched to combat marijuana grow ops – Toronto News
In an effort to combat a rapidly increasing problem, Toronto police have launched a hotline for tipsters to report marijuana grow operations.

METH – USA
Narconon works to end addiction to meth – Moorpark Acorn
Efforts at reducing the number of methamphetamine labs in the U.S. have been working, but the demand for the drug is being met by meth manufacturers in foreign countries.

METH – USA
Meth Users Turning To Urine To Get High – WJZ.com
When Wright County, Minn. deputies opened up a smelly rented storage locker last June, they had no idea what they would find. Inside a man had stored 50 gallon jugs of urine.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin makes a comeback – Taft Midway Driller
OxyContin addicts using drug to avoid withdrawal pain. People addicted to a powerful pain medicine are turning to an older substitute when they run out of their drug of choice.

METH – USA
New Strawberry-Flavored Meth Hits the Streets – CADCA Coalitions Online
Law enforcement officials in Carson City, Nev. have discovered a new kind of methamphetamine that they fear can be more attractive to young people—bright pink strawberry-flavored meth. The event was reported in the Jan. 29th issue of the Nevada Appeal.

Feb 2 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol In Hand Sanitizer Poses Abuse Risk – CBS
Prison officials and poison control centers can add a new substance to their list of intoxicants — hand sanitizer.

ALCOHOL – USA
S.C. bill would ban alcohol vaporizer – Star News Online
A device that turns liquor into a breathable vapor of oxygen and alcohol would be banned under new South Carolina legislation, even though the product is unknown to some law enforcement groups.

METH – USA
Dismantled meth labs doubled in '06 – Herald Journal
The youth said he believed the contents of the bag were suspicious, based on what he had learned at a meth presentation at the school earlier in the year.

ALCOHOL – UK
'Worrying trends' in drink study – BBC News
East Sussex has the highest rate for under-18s having treatment for alcohol in the South East, a report has shown.

PRESCRIPTION – UK
Drug company 'hid' suicide link – BBC News
Secret emails reveal that the UK's biggest drug company distorted trial results of an anti-depressant, covering up a link with suicide in teenagers.

DRUGS – USA
No Child Left Untested? – Newsweek
The White House wants more schools to adopt random student drug-testing programs. NEWSWEEK talks to advocates on both sides of the issue.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Fight drugs at primary school – The Daily Telegraph
PRIMARY students should be taught about the dangers of drugs along with the alphabet and times tables, the Federal Government's chief drug adviser says.

RITALIN – USA
Senate committee advances Ritalin bill – Salt Lake Tribune
The so-called Ritalin bill that would prohibit school employees from recommending psychiatric medication for students passed the Senate Education Committee Thursday and is now only a floor vote and governor's signature away from becoming law.

Feb 1 Drug Headlines

METH – AUSTRALIA
Schools may lead meth fight – The Border Mail
Schools may become the first line of defence in the battle against drugs like ice or crystal meth, which can turn users into violent criminals, or even killers.

METH – USA
Meth Coalition Task Force meets with area students – The Pilot Independent
With a raise of hands, nearly all of the youth present indicated that someone they know is currently using methamphetamine.

PAINKILLERS – USA
F-D-A unveils initiatives to better handle drug safety – WIS TV
The folks who regulate what's in your medicine cabinet say they're making changes in the way they handle drug safety matters.

ALCOHOL – USA
Berkeley council backs new alcohol statutes – Mercury News
The council this week gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that will require bartenders, cocktail servers, liquor store clerks and others in alcohol sales or service to take a four-hour training class that will teach them not to sell to minors and to cut off customers when they've had too much to drink.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey: Are Alcohol Ads Targeting Children?
With a large audience viewing in to the Super Bowl every year, commercials have become a high light on it's own and drawing its own hype.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs | FDA Announces Initiatives To Improve Prescription Drug Safety, Public Education – Kaiser Network
FDA on Tuesday announced several initiatives designed to improve prescription drug safety, including increased monitoring of adverse events after drugs have been approved and are on the market.

METH – AUSTRALIA
School programs can cut ice use: report
Schools may become the first line of defence in the battle against drugs like ice or crystal meth, which can turn users into violent criminals, or even killers.

ADDERALL – USA
New study focuses on prescription drug abuse – Daily Targum
According to results from a recent study conducted by a Massachusetts psychopharmacologist, prescription attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs have grown in popularity amongst college students.

ADDERALL – USA
More Teens Abusing ADD Drugs – WREX.com
Workers at Rosecrance Health Network say more and more teenagers admitted there abuse attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs, all without a doctor's prescription.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis popular in France? – Planet Rugby
Pierre Bordry, the owner of 'Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (the French agency of the war against doping) gave the results of tests on rugby players in the last quarter of 2006.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Many Drug Ads Fail to Properly Inform Patients – Treatment Online
Pharmaceutical ads, once heavily regulated by law, have become an unavoidable presence in the world of prime-time television, billboards and magazines, and internet campaigns.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
F.D.A. Widens Safety Reviews on New Drugs – New York Times
The Food and Drug Administration announced changes yesterday that were intended to ensure that marketed drugs are as safe as advertised

ALCOHOL – USA
School to test for students' weekend drinking – CNN
Some teenagers who drink over the weekend could be in big trouble come Monday morning.

ALCOHOL – USA
N.J. School to Test Students for Alcohol – Join Together
Random urine tests will be administered to students at Pequannock Township High School in New Jersey starting next month, ABC News reported Jan. 29.

ALCOHOL – USA
U.S. doctors warn of poisoning from hand gels – CNN Health
At least two people have become intoxicated by drinking hand-sanitizing gels, a potentially deadly habit, doctors reported Wednesday.