June 12th Drug Addiction News

METH – USA
Meth adds scourge to troubled Native American lands – Scientific America
A brutal triple slaying in this remote corner of the vast Navajo reservation brought home what experts have seen coming for years: an explosion in crime on tribal lands linked to the cheap, potent and highly addictive stimulant methamphetamine.

METH – USA
Tribal leaders unveil new 'meth toolkit' – KXMC News
Leaders of the National Congress of American Indians say methamphetamine is endangering tribal cultures across the nation. So they've unveiled a new "meth toolkit" to help battle the crisis.

METH – USA
The Age of Ice Understanding Crystal Meth – Dental Plans
Unlike heroin, the most destructive drug of another generation, "ice," as it is commonly known, is not favored by one class or group of people over another.

HEROIN – USA
State: Alcohol, cocaine, tranquilizers most found drugs in dead – Sun Sentinel
More than 7,700 people who died in Florida in 2006 had drugs or alcohol in their system, with alcohol, cocaine and tranquilizers the most common.

METH – USA
A National Movie-Making Campaign to Stop the Spread of Methamphetamine – Mass Media Distribution LLC
A grassroots campaign is just beginning; one designed to stop methamphetamine with the help of local community youth, their talent and their love for the movies.

COCAINE – USA
Deadly use of cocaine on rise in South Florida, report says – Sun Sentinel
More South Florida residents died with cocaine in their bodies last year than the year before, and fewer died with heroin as a factor contributing to their deaths.

DRUGS – YEMEN
Yemen, UN to start joint efforts on fighting drugs – Yemen News Agency
Yemen and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held a discussion session, on Sunday, over promoting cooperation ties in area of fighting drugs, and means of further improving this area of cooperation.

CANNABIS – SWEDEN
More cannabis in Sweden than previously thought – The Local
Swedish authorities have seriously underestimated the size of the country's cannabis market. Around 25-30 tonnes of cannabis are sold in Sweden every year, rather than the 3 tonnes previously estimated.

June 11th Drug Addiction News

OPIUM – NETHERLANDS
United States Opposes Legalizing Opium Poppy Crop in Afghanistan – Press Zoom
Legalizing the opium poppy crop in Afghanistan would be disastrous for that country and for the world, a U.S. State Department official says.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine: Hidden in Plain Sight – New York Times
Drug-abuse experts say the blasé attitude toward cocaine use is a result of “generational amnesia.”

METH – USA
Hundreds join campaign against meth – Billings Gazette
While areas around this Northern Cheyenne town flooded Friday, the main street was awash in a sea of blue T-shirts as an anti-drug march surged through town.

METH – UK
Coming in a rush: The rise of crystal meth in the UK – Ealing Times
Although the problem of methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is not yet as prevalent in this country as in places like America, Australia, New Zealand and south-east Asia.

METH – USA
Meth leads to no good – Chico Enterprise-Record
Meth and madness go hand in hand, and in the end, there is violence, heartbreak and destruction. Those in the psychotic state that meth eventually brings on do unthinkable things to themselves and others, with a super-human strength the drug provides.

ALCOHOL – USA
Editorial: Do students get message about drugs, alcohol? – Janesville Gazette
In the survey taken in March, 59 percent of seniors said they drank beer in the previous year. That continues a downward trend since 76 percent said they did in the 1994 survey.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Unused Prescription Medicine Drop-Off in Milwaukee – MyFox Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's second Medicine Collection Day gave folks a chance to properly dispose of their unused prescription and over-the-counter medications.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Watch out for abuse of prescription drugs – Arizona Republic
It sits inconspicuously in your medicine cabinet. That prescription from when you broke your ankle, had back pain, a root canal or the time when you suffered from insomnia.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Community Educates Parents and Grandparents to Curb Prescription Abuse – CADCA
Like many communities across the country, rural Armstrong County, Penn. was seeing increasingly more cases of teens abusing prescription medications, such as pain relievers.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Youth on deadly drink trail – The Age
The number of young people being treated for alcohol-related brain damage has grown fivefold in the past decade, prompting calls for urgent action on teenage binge drinking.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol problem surges – Bendigo Advertiser
Recent Federal Government figures show almost one third of young people regularly drink amounts of alcohol that put them at risk or at high risk of alcohol-related harm.

June 1st Drug Addiction News

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol and Its Effects on Family Life – Dental Plans
Alcohol and its effects on family life can have life long consequences for those who live under its influence. This is the view point from a child who survived the silent war that alcohol waged upon his family.

METH – CANADA
Restrictions choking meth efforts – Abbotsford News
A plan to choke off the supply of crystal methamphetamine in Surrey is welcome. Unfortunately, such plans are hampered by restrictions on landlords, law enforcement personnel and city staff.

METH – USA
Candy-Flavored Meth Raising Concerns – WLNS News
A candy-flavored drug may be on its way to Michigan, and police are urging parents to be on the lookout.

COCAINE – SOUTH AFRICA
Wake up and smell the cocaine in Italy – Independent Online
An Italian scientific study has found particles of cocaine in Rome's air, Italy's national research council (CNR) said on Thursday.

COCAINE – USA
Study Finds Cocaine, Pot in Rome's Air – Fox News
Researchers may have figured out what makes la vita so dolce in Rome. A report from Italy's National Research Council released Thursday found that there are traces of cocaine and cannabis in the air of the Eternal City.

METH – USA
CrimeStoppers launches anti-methamphetamine campaign – Meridian Star
Local airwaves, television sets and the newspaper in Meridian will soon be flooded with anti-methamphetamine ads — a move that is designed to deter people from ever trying the drug.

May 24th Drug Addiction News

METH – USA
Key anti-methamphetamine bill dies in the Nevada Assembly – Nevada Appeal
Appeals to consider Nevada's overburdened prisons, public safety and drug treatment systems and the torment for families of methamphetamine addicts weren't enough to persuade most Assembly Republicans to vote Tuesday for a key anti-meth bill.

COCAINE – UK
Cocaine use on rise – Newry Democrat
A new survey into cocaine use across the Southern Health Board area has indicated that more than 40 per cent of young people in Newry and Mourne have tried the class A drug.

METH – USA
Bringing meth awareness to Las Vegas – KVBC News
Next week, the war on meth will be taken to another level here in Nevada. That's when the Las Vegas Crystal Darkness campaign kicks off.

METH – USA
Uniting Against Crystal Meth – Windy City Times
The May 16 meeting of the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force ( CCMTF ) included a discussion on the importance of Illinois working on the meth-related problems that different areas of the state are facing.

METH – USA
Meth use down, but increase expected – The Daily Advocate
Despite decreasing meth production and use in Darke County, Whittaker is prepared for a resurgence, as the drug can be trafficked in from other areas, including Mexico.

OPIUM – USA
Drug addicts vomit out their ills in Thai monastery – Thailand Reuters
An obscure Buddhist monastery in central Thailand that advocates a secret herbal potion and ritual vomiting for drug addicts has become a final source of hope for thousands of Thais and Westerners.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
WHO Plans Global Campaign Against Alcohol Abuse – Med India
The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday agreed to target alcohol and alcohol addiction worldwide with a campaign warning against the risks of abuse.

HEROIN – SOUTH AFRICA
Heroin use growing in Iran – Sunday Times
The number of intravenous heroin users in Iran has reached 250,000, an anti-drugs official said, as the Islamic republic steps up efforts to combat a growing drugs problem.

MARIJUANA – INDIA
Marijuana worsens respiratory symptoms in current cigarette smokers – South Asian Women's Forum
Combination of marijuana and cigarette smoking worsens breathing problems in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

May 19th Drug Addiction News

METH – USA
Nevada Praised For Action in Combating Methamphetamine – KRNV News
Nevada is getting praise from Democratic attorneys general from several other states for taking steps to stem an "epidemic" of methamphetamine use.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Doctors to fight ice – Sky News
Doctors are being urged to help end the nation's ice epidemic and lead the fight against methamphetamines.

COCAINE – UK
Exile and extinction face a tribe that lost everything to cocaine – Times Online
The Wounaan Indians have been driven out by rebels, militias and a craving for drugs in the rich world.

COCAINE – COLUMBIA
Cocaine Comes to Canada – Shared Responsibility
Edmonton’s economy is booming, but, unfortunately so is it’s cocaine consumption.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone Leading Cause of Overdose Victims in Kentucky – WKYT News
A state medical examiner's report says methadone is the prescription drug that was most frequently detected in the blood of fatal overdose victims.

ALCOHOL – USA
More Community Underage Drinking Prevention Efforts Target Parents – Join Together
As graduation and prom season approaches, more communities are expanding their underage drinking prevention strategies to include parental behavior.

DRUGS – USA
Random Drug Tests Becoming More Prevalent in New Jersey – Join Together
A growing number of New Jersey high schools are instituting random drug testing of students, using loss of eligibility for extracurricular activities and parking privileges as sanctions for positive test results.

DRUGS – USA
Colorado fest to show Utah film – Deseret News
A documentary that examines prescription drug abuse in Utah has been accepted at the Breckenridge Festival of Film in Colorado.

May 16th Drug Addiction News

PAINKILLERS – USA
A warning too big to ignore – Journal Gazette
Recent overdose deaths involving a prescription painkiller have prompted Kosciusko County officials to erect a graphic billboard warning residents of the potentially fatal consequences of abusing the drug.

DRUGS – USA
Prescription Painkillers Becoming Popular Target Among Thieves – KOTV News
Clearly, the friendly neighborhood pharmacy has become a more risky business. Pharmacies have security cameras.

HEROIN – USA
What's in your cheese? How about a little heroin – Frost Illustrated
It has become the popular method to achieve a high in the classroom. Even with the media publicity over the number of youths dying, the number of users is increasing.

COCAINE – CANADA
Cocaine: the real thing? – The Labradorian
Of the many drugs which originate from plants, cocaine is one of the most powerful, if not the leader of the pack.

METH – USA
Meth Wars: Legislation Used In The Fight – KAUZ News
If you've been sick the past couple years and bought Sudafed you noticed a difference in getting the drug. Its because of the Combat Meth Act of 2005, which is aimed at limiting access to possible meth cooks.

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Super cannabis alarm – Herald Sun
Police fear a new form of incredibly potent cannabis is destined to hit Australia.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth Gaining in Popularity – Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck
Some of the scariest monsters look lot like the guy next door. They're out there trying to push methamphetamine on our children. Their latest tool...flavored meth.

May 15th Drug Addiction News

CANNABIS – BELGIUM
One in four addicted to cannabis – Expatica
Almost one in four of the young drug users who seek professional help is addicted to cannabis. Seven years ago that figure was just one in ten.

CANNABIS – TURKEY
Europe unites against cannabis in Istanbul – Turkish Daily News
In an effort to fight against drugs European leaders meet in Turkey, one of Europe's major drug traffic hubs, to advocate a cannabis free world.

ALCOHOL – UK
Scotland tops UK for those on benefits due to alcohol – The Herald
Alcohol abuse prevents thousands of Scots from working and the west of Scotland has the highest rate of drink-related benefit claimants in the UK, according to new figures.

HEROIN – USA
Is heroin becoming the new trend? – Gazette Extra
Heroin used to be the drug of choice for "experienced" addicts, Patek said. Now, it's reaching a younger audience.

DRUGS – USA
New England Anti-Drug Testing? – Associated Construction Publications
Drug abuse across New England job sites is arguably as bad as, if not worse than, other regions of the country. And while drug abuse is widespread in general, it's particularly severe within the construction sector.

HEROIN – AUSTRALIA
Asian gangs develop highly potent cannabis strain – The Daily Telegraph
Latest criminal intelligence suggests that Australia-based Vietnamese drug dealers have traveled to Canada to learn how to cultivate the highly addictive cannabis.

METH – USA
Rural Meth Users at Greater Risk – Nebraska Farmer
A new study has determined that rural methamphetamine users are younger when they start using meth, are more likely to use intravenously, have more psychoses, smoke more cigarettes and are more likely to be alcoholic than urban methamphetamine users.

COCAINE – GERMANY
Europe Rushes to Stem Flood of Cocaine Coming Through Africa – Deutsche Welle
round 10 million Europeans, or over three percent of all adults, have used cocaine at least once in their lives, a historically high figure, according to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

METH – USA
As meth cases increase, cleanup help coming – News Democrat and Leader
The production of methamphetamine is a dirty and dangerous- not to mention illegal- process. Poisonous chemicals are used, highly flammable solutions are created and toxic fumes are released. Because of this, meth labs are a health hazard and even continue to be so after they are shut down.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth Targets Youth – WTVF News
Anti-drug advocates and law enforcement said drug dealers are selling flavored crystal methamphetamine, which targets new, young users.

METH – USA
Crack is the New Meth – WENY Local News
The drug of choice will always be replaced for something else, and in this fact we believe because of our close proximity to the New York area.

RITALIN – USA
Finals Week Means Popping Pills – Psych Central
A new study finds that students are using prescription stimulants to improve concentration during long study sessions and all-nighters.

ADDICTION – USA
Fight against drugs moves to living room – Detroit Free Press
In the Royal Oak home of Kirk and Catherine Goddard, about a dozen friends and neighbors gathered around a 27-inch television and settled in for an evening of pizza, salad, soda, movie watching and friendly conversation.

METH – USA
Panel tackles meth addiction in Iowa – DesMoines Register
Treating abusers costs half as much as sending them to prison, but federal funding for such programs ends soon.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

METH – USA
Filmmaker urges action in meth movie – Grand Junction Sentinel
The filmmaker, who hails from Grand Junction, spent 16 months documenting the lives of meth addicts and drug treatment options around the West

RITALIN – UK
Ritalin Abuse Poses Risk During College Exam Week – Medical News Today
College is hard enough. But throw in end-of-semester exams, term papers and standardized tests, and there just aren't enough hours in the day. Enter Ritalin, the latest drug of choice among sleep-deprived students struggling to make the grade.

May 14th Drug Addiction News

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol is a killer for Swiss – Alcoholics Anonymous Reviews
Alcohol is a major cause of death – in many cases premature - among the population in Switzerland, according to a study.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Teens in mass binge-drinking arranged over the internet – The Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/teens-in-mass-bingedrinking-arranged-over-the-internet/2007/05/12/1178899158412.html
YOUNG girls are the new face of underage drinking, lured to hastily organised booze sessions in parks and beaches by internet sites such as MySpace.

DRUGS – INDIA
Beware of Date Rape drugs – Hindustan Times
The effects of these drugs, victims may be physically helpless, unable to refuse sex, and can't remember what happened. The drugs often have no color, smell or taste and are easily added to flavored drinks without the victim's knowledge.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Health Tip: Never Share Prescription Medications – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Although you may be tempted to use a medication that has been prescribed to someone else, this is a dangerous practice.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Don't flush your old prescription drugs; they could harm the environment –WiscNews
Prescription medications can flush toxins from the body, but flushing the expired or unused remedies down pipes into the local sewer system may increase toxins in the environment.

METH – THAILAND
Crackdown against methamphetamine abuse is on – Nation Multimedia
Methamphetamine abuse in Bangkok and other urban centres is on the rise and the Narcotics Control Board will launch a crackdown between now and September.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol at home could help cut teenage binge drinking – Scots Man News
A survey of 10,000 British teenagers aged 15-16 found 75 per cent had drunk alcohol, but those who were first introduced to it at home were less likely to binge-drink, drink frequently or drink in public places.

COCAINE – UK
Euro Zoned Out: Euro Is Choice Of Cocaine – Anorak
The Euro is the No. 1 choice in the cocaine industry. Users might prefer to use rolled up fivers, but the traffickers love the euro.

COCAINE – INDIA
Banned ‘Cocaine’ drink re-emerges as ‘Censored’ – Daily News and Analysis
An energy drink that was barred by the US government from going on the market with the name “Cocaine” will re-emerge under the tongue-in-cheek moniker “Censored.”

DRUGS – UK
Living in terror of teen drug barons – ScotsMan
IT sounds like the stuff of Hollywood movies. Drug gangs armed with hand grenades, sub-machine guns and automatic pistols battle to control their patch, willing to carry out violent reprisals to retain control of their lucrative trade.

DRUGS – USA
Random drug testing spreads, one school a week – USA Today
Concerns can't be ignored, but neither can the health of 1 million kids.

COCAINE – USA
The White House and Cocaine – TDPF
In 2005 the White House Drugs Czar, John Walters, claimed success in the ‘War on Drugs’, on the basis that cocaine prices were increasing and quality falling - clear indicators of a reduction in supply.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Ice a huge challenge for society: police – The Canberra Times
Police had confiscated knives, slingshots, batons, syringes and tasers from aggressive ice users on Canberra streets, a senior police officer said yesterday.

METH – AUSTRALIA
'Ice' cost to nation escalates – The Age
EVERY kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, costs Australia $284,000.

DRUGS – IRAQ
IRAQ: Drug abuse among children on the rise – IRIN Middle East
The increase in drug abuse among children and youths in Iraq is worrying specialists who say continued violence is responsible for the rising number of users.

COCAINE – USA
This is Not Your Parents' Cocaine – Drug War Chronicle
The United States and its Latin American allies are losing a major battle in the war on drugs, according to indicators showing that cocaine prices dipped for most of 2006 and American users were getting more bang for their buck.
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COCAINE – USA
Cocaine, Marketing & The Food & Drug Administration – Washington Post
Under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration and local politicians, Redux Beverages, LLC is pulling their energy drink Cocaine, from shelves nationwide.

CODEINE – USA
Leading Cough Medicine Makers Launch Campaign Aimed At Ending Abuse – AllHipHop
The nations leading cough medicine makers have launched the "Five Moms Campaign," aimed at stopping the dangerous trend of abusing cough syrup to get high.

May 8th Drug Addiction News

COCAINE – USA
‘Cocaine’ drink yanked from shelves nationwide – MSNBC
Company plans to rebrand the energy beverage after FDA complaints. An energy drink called Cocaine has been from pulled from stores nationwide amid concerns about its name.

METH – USA
Study: Meth addicts in rural areas face more health problems – Journal Star
Experts say rural addicts typically have limited access to treatment facilities and health services, but that’s become even more unsettling in light of a new study comparing meth users living in rural areas with their urban counterparts.

METH – USA
Meth overwhelms the nation – The Daily
While most of us have heard something about the national meth problem, most would probably not term it an epidemic. That’s dangerously incorrect, and our ignorance of the problem is leading to its fast proliferation in our very own backyard.

METH – USA
Meth Update – Oroville Mercury Register
Many parents may needlessly worry that their teen or even preteen is using alcohol or other drugs. There may be a political conflict between a child's rights as a member of a free society and a parent's obligation as a caretaker of a developing individual.

METH – USA
Candy-Flavored Meth Targets New Users – CBS News
Officials say the "designer meth" can smooth the chemically rough ingestion of the drug, making it easier for first-time users to try.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Parents, Check Your Medicine Cabinet –
If it passes later this month, a bill introduced by Suffolk County Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) will ban the sale of DXM products to minors. What could be bad about that?

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens seen turning to legal drugs for a 'high' – The Daily Record
The latest drug danger for teenagers and young adults is not new; it's legally purchased prescription drugs.

DRUGS – USA
Few parents tune in to teen drug talk – The Daily Herald
Information about drugs favored by local teenagers and how best to connect with them were some of the things parents learned at a special program staged by Warren Township High School on Thursday night.

DRUGS – USA
More Than 10 Percent Of Adults Abuse Or Become Dependent On Drugs During Their Lifetime – Science Daily
Approximately 10.3 percent of U.S. adults appear to have problems with drug use or abuse during their lives.

DRUGS – USA
Dramatic play changes opinions of drug abuse: study – Yahoo News
A dramatic play about drug abuse can change the opinions of the audience and even prompt them to donate money to prevention programs.

May 7th Drug Addiction News

DRUGS – UK
Don’t do drugs…Drugs are bad…Okay? – Drink and Drugs News
Let's learn from the failures of drug education in schools and change the emphasis to drug prevention.

METH – UK
Crystal meth: coming to a town near you – Times
It has been an epidemic in America and a major problem in many other parts of the world. Now it may be our turn to be hit by the world’s most addictive drug

DRUGS – GERMANY
Report Paints Mixed Picture of German Drug and Alcohol Use – DW World
Germany's annual report on drugs and addiction was released this week showing a overall decrease in drug-related deaths, but alarming data on prescription drug addiction and youth drinking.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine use rising locally – Standard Speaker
Cocaine use may have eclipsed heroin in the Hazleton area for the first time in years, according to police and a drug-prevention expert.

COCAINE – USA
Crack cocaine now a local ‘epidemic’ – The Daily Review
While methamphetamine use has declined in Bradford County, crack cocaine use has now reached “epidemic” proportions in the county.

METH – USA
Meth marks the Tier: What you should know about this dangerous drug – Press and Sun-Bulletin
Meth is a very large problem in this country as well as the world. It shows no boundaries and spares no one. Since d-Meth was invented, the meth epidemic has taken off.

METH – USA
Dealers' latest lure: sweetened meth – Indianapolis Star
Manufacturers adding powdered drink mix to bitter drug to take edge off for new users.

METH – USA
Strawberry Quick, Meth's Dangerous New Form – Associated Content
They are calling this new form of meth "Strawberry Quick" and it looks like Pop Rocks candy that sizzle in your mouth. In it's current form, it is dark pink in color and has a strawberry scent to it.

CODEIN – UK
Taking painkillers can make your headaches worse – The Daily Mail
Taking too many headache tablets can made headaches worse, doctors have warned.

DRUGS – USA
Substance Use Among Young Military Personnel Differs From Civilians – Join Together
Young adults in the military report substantially different patterns of substance use than their civilian counterparts.

DRUGS – USA
Study finds alcohol advertising and marketing are associated with adolescent drinking – RAND
Children's exposure to alcohol advertising during early adolescence appears to influence both beer drinking and their intentions to drink a year later.

METH – USA
New form of meth heading this way; 'Strawberry Quick' combines drug with mix to give better taste – The Benton Courier
A new form of methamphetamine called "Strawberry Quick," targeted at a new, and possibly younger, market, could make its way into Saline County.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen girls, young women outpace males for prescription drug abuse, dependence – Battle Creek Enquirer
A new data analysis finds alarming trends in prescription drug abuse. While overall illicit drug use is declining, the abuse of prescription drugs, particularly narcotic pain killers, remains disturbingly high.

May 1st Drug Addiciton News

COCAINE – USA
Peru to Crack Down on Cocaine – Free Market News Network
Peruvian President Alan Garcia has announced that he will initiate a campaign to rid Peru of coca plantations, according to Press TV, and the BBC.

METH – USA
Carson City can win against meth – Nevada Appeal
Tonight, the meth dealers will be out again in Carson City. Users - teenagers, mothers, maybe someone in your neighborhood - will be making scores in parked cars, run-down apartments, maybe even in your neighborhood.

METH – USA
‘Life or Meth’ – The Richmond Register
The miniseries presents stories from recovering meth addicts who offer a glimpse into their lives while they were meth users.

METH – USA
Meth Addiction Steals Lives on Indian Reservations Throughout North West – Associated Content
In a place of stark beauty, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, poverty, joblessness, alcoholism and now methamphetamines rule supreme.

ALCOHOL – USA
Florida firms selling tracking bracelets that detect alcohol use – Worcester Telegram
The judge gave Steven Williams a choice: Go to jail awaiting trial for reckless driving, or stay out on bail and wear a new type of ankle bracelet that can detect any signs of drinking alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Mouse Study Links Alcohol to Accelerated Breast Cancer – FOX News
Moderate alcohol consumption, or about two drinks a day, has often been touted as heart- healthy in recent years, but a new study finds the same quantity may accelerate cancer.

ALCOHOL – USA
Students’ stickers on alcohol OK, says Stumbo – Kentucky.com
High school students who place yellow warning stickers on beer and alcohol are not violating laws that bar minors from possessing alcohol, the attorney general said Monday.

ALCOHOL – UK
Medical training on drink and drugs abuse cases ‘must be improved’ – St George’s University of London
UK medical schools are leading the call for substance abuse training to become part of every trainee doctor’s course in response to the huge volume of drink and drug-related hospital cases.

DRUGS – USA
Females Bucking Traditional Drug Abuse Trends – White House Drug Policy
A new data analysis finds alarming trends in prescription drug abuse. While overall illicit drug use is declining, the abuse of prescription drugs, particularly narcotic pain killers, remains disturbingly high.

April 30th Drug Addiction News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Michigan Ranks Among Top States In Nation In Teen Abuse Of Prescription Drugs – Medical News Today
The latest research shows that Michigan has one of the highest rates of teen prescription drug abuse in the country, as teens turn away from street drugs and use prescription drugs to get high.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol liver deaths double since 1997 – STV TV
The number of people dying as a result of alcohol related liver failure has doubled since 1997.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Purer And Cheaper Despite Drug War – WJZ
Cocaine prices in the United States have dropped and the drug's purity increased, despite years of effort and nearly $5 billion spent by the U.S. government to combat Colombia's drug industry.

METH – UK
Meth abuse spreading through the UK – Press TV
The use of methamphetamine otherwise known as 'crystal meth' or 'ice' is a highly addictive drug and spreading throughout the United Kingdom.

METH – USA
Meth production flourishes south of the border As a U.S. crackdown against meth labs and precursor chemicals has been drying up domestic production in recent years, the Mexican cartels are enthusiastically filling the void.

METH – USA
Crow community walks against meth – Billings Gazette
Students here made a public stand against methamphetamine Friday.

METH – USA
Fighting meth from your computer: Drug-awareness video is available – The Observer
Rio Rancho has a new tool for people who want a crash course on methamphetamine.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drinking Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer – Medical Breakthroughs
Alcohol is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer, even when consumed in moderation. Now, new animal studies confirm alcohol consumption stimulates tumor growth and malignancy of breast cancer.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol and our young - Trenton Times
As hard as we try, as much as we preach, and as media coverage resounds, still more and more young people die before their time thanks to a totally preventable cause: alcohol abuse.

April 29th Drug Addiction News

METH – USA
Dangers of Methamphetamine – KOLO TV News
Authorities say the cold hard hitting fact about Methamphetamine is that all it takes is one high before you can become an addict.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine Abuse and Emergency Department Utilization – Academic Emergency Medicine
Objectives: To quantify the frequency, cost, and patient characteristics associated with methamphetamine-related emergency department (ED) visits.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen prescription drug abuse on upswing – Duncan Banner
In February, a drug-awareness forum was held for the parents; aimed at getting parents more familiar with drugs and their dangers and to raise awareness of the growing trend among teens to misuse prescription drugs.

COCAINE – USA
U.S. cocaine prices drop, purity rises – BOGOTA
Cocaine prices in the United States have dropped and the drug's purity increased, despite years of effort and nearly $5 billion spent by the U.S. government to combat Colombia's drug industry.

METH – USA
A new drug danger is hitting the streets, candy flavored meth – KQTV News
This is what police agencies throughout the country are referring to as "strawberry quick" methamphetamine, flavored to give it a strawberry taste.

METH – USA
New trend:Candy flavored crystal meth – Daily Review Atlas
Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have been asked to be on the lookout for candy-flavored methamphetamine.

METH – USA
Meth for Kids – KTTc News
It's candy flavored meth and now lawmakers taking matters into their own hands, before kids in our area get it in their hands.

PRESCRIPTION – IRAN
Prescription drugs can be addictive – Press TV
Heroin may be the most notorious drug but it's only one in a class of addictive substances known as opioids, mostly used as pain killers.

DRUGS – UK
Cannabis and Drug Abuse: how should schools respond – Poverty Debate
Wellington College, the impressive Berkshire establishment, recently hosted a conference on Cannabis and Drug Abuse, focussing particularly on the ways in which schools should respond to the pervasive issue of drug abuse.

HEROIN – USA
'Cheese' Heroin: Questions and Answers – My Fox Dallas
WHAT IS CHEESE? Cheese is black-tar heroin and crushed Tylenol PM tablets. Drug abuse experts, doctors, and police say it's highly addictive and very, very dangerous.

April 26th Drug Addiction News

HEROIN - FRANCE
Drugs may cause addiction by 'remodelling' brain - PARIS (AFP)
A heroin addict aching for a fix years after kicking the habit is not simply weak-willed but may be tormented by enduring changes in the brain caused by the drug itself, according a groundbreaking study released Wednesday

COCAINE – USA
'Cocaine' drink pulled from local shelves – The Stamford Times
Hundreds of cases of an energy drink called Cocaine have been seized by the state, which accuses the Las Vegas company that produces it of not licensing it as required by law.

METH – NEW ZEALAND
Crystal meth fear may hit cold medicines – Stuff
LONDON: Some cold medicines may become prescription-only in Britain to prevent criminal gangs using them to make the crack-like drug, crystal meth.

DRUGS – USA
Drug overdoses up: Coroner sees more drug-related deaths – Shelby County Reporter
Shelby County Coroner Diana Hawkins continues her mission to combat an increase in the number of teens and young adults dying from substance abuse.

METH – UK
Is meth abuse a UK problem? – BBC News
The use of methamphetamine - commonly known as "crystal meth" or "ice" - could be spreading in the UK.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana sold in U.S. stronger than ever – MSNBC News
The marijuana being sold across the United States is stronger than ever, which could explain a growing number of medical emergencies that involve the drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study: Men, women show alcohol problems differently – CNN Health News
Women with drinking problems may show it in different ways from men, which could make their alcohol abuse harder to detect, according to new research.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
US cannabis becoming more potent – TV3 News
US government experts claim the marijuana being sold across the United States is stronger than ever, which they say could explain a growing number of medical emergencies involving the drug.


MARIJUANA – US
U.S. marijuana grows stronger than before – Scientific America
Analysis of seized samples of marijuana and hashish showed that more of the cannabis on the market is of the strongest grade, the White House and National Institute for Drug Abuse said.

MARIJUANA – USA
Feds say marijuana still getting stronger – Team 4 News
The amount of the substance in marijuana seized last year reached eight-point-five percent, according to the White House drug-control policy office.

April 5 Drug Addiction Headlines

METH – USA
Film reveals impact of meth in community – The Lake Country Echo
The devastating impact of methamphetamines in Minnesota is undeniable as revealed recently in a documentary entitled, "Revealing Meth in Minnesota."

COCAINE – USA
Peru's President Urges Air Strikes Against Cocaine Factories – HULIQ
Peru's President has urged the use of the military to destroy jungle factories that produce cocaine.

DRUGS – USA
Study links illegal stimulant use to increased risk of stroke – UT The Daily Texan
A recent study conducted by the UT Southwestern Medical Center provides researchers with further evidence of a correlation between frequent amphetamine and cocaine usage among young adults and the occurrence of strokes.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen abuse of prescription drugs on rise – Wilson Daily Times
Law enforcement agencies and other organizations in Wilson say this area doesn't currently have a significant problem with teenage prescription drug abuse. But if families don't take care to monitor their children, authorities warn, that could change.

ALCOHOL – UK
MP shocked by amount of alcohol on the streets – Blyth Wansbeck Today
UNDER-AGE drinking on the streets has left a borough MP 'shocked and dismayed' after he witnessed the level of disorder caused by drunk youths.

METH – USA
Dealers now selling candy flavored drugs to youngsters – Casa Grande Valley Newspaper
Well, a new kind of methamphetamine that has a strawberry flavor and bright pink coloring has hit the market.

DRUGS – UK
Toxic bin fumes 'drug of choice' – BBC News
Setting wheelie bins on fire and sniffing the fumes is the new "drug of choice" for youths.

April 3 Drug Addiction Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
How Much Alcohol is Too Much? – Health News Digest
With so many reasons to drink, it can be hard to know how much is too much and when the line is crossed between the use and abuse of alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Views from the QCA: Wake up to teen alcohol abuse – Quad-Cities Online
Here are some troubling facts: Each day, more than 7,000 kids in the U.S., under age 16, take their first drink of alcohol.

METH – USA
CBU students create anti-meth video – The Cape Brenton Post
The students have been researching crystal meth for several months and presented their findings and the final version of an educational video.

METH – USA
Children of meth can inspire rescuers, parents – Statesman Journal
Members of Salem’s Drug Activity Response Team keep snapshots of children’s faces on their wall. That’s how they get the stomach to enter drug homes where bugs feast on dried food and meth sits within easy reach of kids.

METH – USA
We hope it's a new trend; meth use appears to drop – Madison Daily Leader
Meth is one of the worst drugs to fight. It produces incredible euphoria and an insatiable desire to do it again, while causing some of the worst physical damage of any street drug.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine, amphetamine abuse linked to strokes – CNN Health
Cocaine and amphetamine abusers increase their risk of suffering strokes.

March 22 Drug Headlines

ADDICTION – GERMANY
Cannabis Addiction Treatment at All-Time Highs, Potent "Skunk" Blamed – Short News
Super-strength varieties of home-grown skunk are replacing the North African hash found in Britain, which can approach strengths 25 times that of plants grown just a decade prior.

OPIUM – MALAYSIA
Narcotics police – Malaysia Star
The Narcotics Department continues a battle against drugs that began in the 1800s.

OPIUM – AFGHANISTAN
Drug Chief Says Opium Production In Southern Afghanistan "Out Of Control" – Radio Free Afghanistan
The situation is out of control in the southern part of [Afghanistan], in some provinces [opium poppy cultivation] increasing, in some provinces stable, but we don't have a specific number.

METHADONE – USA
A Fatal Dose – Newsweek
Hospital administrators confirmed to NEWSWEEK and NBC News last week that five veterans there died of overdoses of illegal and prescription drugs in less than three months this winter.

METH – USA
Gritty MT meth ads grab attention – KTVB News
As efforts to cut down on the use of methamphetamine use in the State of Idaho gear up, many are looking across the border to a groundbreaking project in Big Sky Country.

METH – USA
"LIFE OR METH" – NBC NEWS
Financial losses, ruined lives and cries for hope, all part of a one-hour prime time program tonight.

METH – USA
Meth Abuse – Black Hills Today
Young people, ages 12-14, who live in small towns like those across South Dakota are over 100 percent more likely to use meth than those living in large cities.

METH – USA
Register for Meth Awareness Conference – Eastern Arizona Courier
Attorney General God-dard was at the forefront of the initial state efforts to combat crystal meth. His campaign to target the production, distribution and use of crystal meth helped to bring this public health issue out of meetings and into the public eye.

COCAINE – COLUMBIA
Ireland and Scotland Face-Up to Increasing Cocaine Abuse – Shared Responsibility
Following revelations of Irish and Scottish drug consumption figures indicating a two- and three-fold increase in cocaine use, respectively, both countries gear up to battle this trend.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse on rise, especially among rural youth – Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Abuse of prescription drugs has begun to rise, particularly among youths in rural or small communities.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Students Selling Prescription Drugs – Omaha ABC News
Teenagers selling illegal drugs. It’s not an unfamiliar crime but it seems more teens are being caught peddling prescription drugs to classmates.

OXYCODONE – CANADA
Issue must be addressed – Fort Frances Times Online
My thanks to Jeff Tilbury for his letter last week drawing attention to the exploding oxycodone addiction problem in our local communities.

CANNABIS – UK
Rethink urges government action over cannabis – Craegmoor Healthcare News
Young people are not sufficiently aware of the dangers of smoking high-strength cannabis.

CANNABIS (SKUNK) – UK
Skunk: growing danger on the streets – The Telegraph
A record number of people are now seeking treatment for cannabis addiction as high-strength strains of the drug take a grip on users.

March 20 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Montana airs provocative anti-meth ad campaign – WAVY TV 10
Jarring, provocative, and effective is how some describe Montana's efforts to keep teens away from meth.

HEROIN – USA
Dallas Health Warns of Dangers of Cheese Heroin – eMax Health
Heroin is an old drug that is making a major come back in a new form known on the streets as cheese.

COCAINE – USA
West Africa becomes a hub for cocaine traffic to Europe – Baltimore Sun
A landmark shift in trafficking routes has transformed West Africa into a hub for cocaine smuggling from South America to a booming European market.

ALCOHOL – USA
Video steers teens away from alcohol, drugs – The Grand Rapids Press
A video from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will be in the back of Cameron Morgan's mind when he faces choices dealing with alcohol.

METHADONE – USA
Using methadone as a painkiller is proving deadly – The Wichita Eagle
The increasing use of methadone for pain relief, rather than to help people overcome addiction, has led to a sharp spike in deaths, both nationally and in Kansas.

ALCOHOL – USA
Increasing Alcohol and Drug Abuse Among the Nation's 'Best and Brightest' – The Epoch Times
College presidents are reluctant to take on issues they feel they cannot change and this growing public health crisis reflects today's society where students are socialized to consider substance abuse a harmless rite of passage.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis addiction soars as drug gets stronger – Daily Mail
Record numbers of teenagers are having treatment for addiction to super-strength cannabis.

METH – CANADA
Stay away from meth, pregnant women warned – Star Phoenix
It's very difficult to know the (troubles) that meth causes in humans because there's very little documentation about what they're exposed to.

CANNABIS – UK
How the Independent on Sunday got it horribly wrong on Cannabis – Transform Drug Policy Foundation
The facts are all over the place. On the front cover Jonathan Owen informs us that skunk today 'is 25 times stronger than the resin sold a decade ago'.

CANNABIS (SKUNK) – UK
Skunk and soap – The Guardian
Two products: heavily reconstituted hashish from Morocco, known as soap, and indoor-grown skunk.

SLEEPING PILLS – AUSTRALIA
One in ten Aussies pop sleeping pills – The Age
Popular sleeping tablet, Stilnox, can have bizarre side-effects, prompting some people to binge eat or even drive while asleep.

March 16 Drug Headlines

HEROIN – USA
Heroin use on rise in Nevada County – The Union of Grass Valley
While methamphetamine is still the drug of choice in Nevada County, two other narcotics are emerging on the scene - heroin and OxyContin - powerful and addictive substances.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine confounds eradication efforts – San Luis Obispo Tribune
Colombia supplies 90 percent of cocaine that ends up in the U.S.

METHADONE – USA
Doctor speaks out against methadone – The Times-Journal
A local hospital physician told the DeKalb County Commission there are dangers associated with methadone.

DRUGS – USA
Health Highlights: March 15, 2007 – Washington Post
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of Health Day.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Kids Selling Prescription Drugs: Expert Says Problem Widespread – KETV
A drug prevention expert said teens and parents need to talk about the dangers of using and abusing prescription drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – AUSTRALIA
Prescription drugs on campus – The Daily Telegraph
PARENTS of university students often have binge drinking and class fees to worry about, but now a greater danger is threatening their children - prescription drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge drinking, pill abuse intensify at colleges – MSNBC
Report warns of dangers of ‘extreme’ substance abuse among students.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge drinking among young stays high in EU – MSNBC
Survey: 1 in 5 15- to 24-year-olds have more than five drinks a session.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
Ireland heads alcohol binge drinking ranking in Europe – Fin Facts Ireland
Binge drinking across Europe remains a problem in Ireland, the UK, Finland and Denmark.

DRUGS – USA
"Alarming Crisis" As More College Students Abuse Alcohol/Drugs – All Headline News
Among full-time college students, it is reported that 49 percent (equaling 3.8 million students) binge drink and/or abuse prescription and illegal drugs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study: Prescription drugs a problem on campus – CNN Health
About half of U.S. college students binge drink or abuse drugs, and the number who abuse prescription medication such as painkillers is up sharply.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA: Sleeping pills can cause 'sleep-driving' – CNN Health
All prescription sleeping pills may sometimes cause sleep-driving, federal health officials warned Wednesday.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
F.D.A. Issues Warning on Sleeping Pills – The New York Times
Prescription sleeping pills can cause unusual behavior like driving and eating while asleep.

March 15 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Crackdown on serving alcohol to minors – Vail Daily News
It could happen on any given night at any given bar. Minors trying to order alcohol is not an uncommon event in Eagle County.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Sleeping Pill Advertisement Targeting Children Illustrates Need for Congress to Reform Prescription Drug Ads – Yuba Net
This advertisement geared to children going 'back to school' is outrageous, and we urge the FDA take stronger and more timely actions in cases such as this.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Emergency Room Visits Climb for Misuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs – Media Newswire
Emergency room visits related to the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, increased 21 percent from 2004 to 2005.

METH – USA
Dangers of Methamphetamine – News 10 Now
Participants in Tuesday's Methamphetamine meeting found out everything from signs and symptoms, the different types and how it's made.

OPIUM – IRAN
NATO predicts opium-free northern Afghanistan in few years – Islamic Republic News Agency
According to assessment by experts in Afghanistan, the entire northern half of Afghanistan will be opium free in a few years.

OPIUM – USA
Afghanistan's poppy conundrum – Spero News
This year's eradication campaign in Helmand seems to be accomplishing little except beefing up support for the Taliban.

COCAINE – UK
Cocaine problem on the rise, police reveal – Newry Democrat
People think that only the bad ones take drugs but there are a lot of good kids using them as recreation. The downside is that a lot of parents say their kids are only smoking blow and that it won’t do them any harm. That’s not true.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis cultivation ‘booming’ in Britain but law enforcement hitting local supplies – Drugscope News
Growing cannabis commercially near the point of sale can dramatically increase profits, but this increases the risk of detection. There are significant implications for police resources in trying to keep up with the growers who are becoming increasingly smart in establishing new farms and avoiding arrest.

March 12 Drug Headlines

HEROIN –USA
Heroin is back, more destructive than ever – Journal and Courier
Narcotics investigators say the highly addictive opiate is quickly replacing methamphetamine among hard-core users.

COCAIANE – USA
Cocaine report shows increased use in Ireland – National Documentation Centre
Dr. Des Corrigan, chairman of the NACD, stated that all indicators show a continued increase in cocaine use that crosses all social strata.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Abuse of legal drugs worse than heroin and ice – The Age
OVERDOSING on prescription or over-the-counter drugs is twice as common as overdosing on illicit drugs.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone use, overdoses on rise – Petoskey News Review
Just like other prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Fentanyl, which are very useful when handled properly, methadone has become popular among drug abusers in recent years.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Doctors Alerted to Prescription Narcotics Abuse – eMaxHealth
The number of people abusing prescription narcotics is increasing. As a result, a physician's oversight group in Washington State has issued new guidelines.

METH – USA
It's a parade: students to March on Meth – The Verde Independent
Students and youth groups from all over the Verde Valley will march against methamphetamine March 31 in Cottonwood.

March 5 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – JAPAN
Europe sleeping through a cocaine siege – The Japan Times
European leaders need to get serious about Europe's cocaine problem. The "white lady" is seducing a steadily growing number of Europeans, and remaining in a state of denial will only worsen the consequences.

COCAINE – UK
Kenya: Europe's cocaine flown from Nairobi – Somali Net
European cocaine habits are increasingly fed through African nations and the Kenyan capital is the major transit point for trafficking the drug.

METH – USA
Presentation reveals ugly 'Faces of Meth' – Gallup Independent
El Morro Theater hosted a presentation on Thursday night about the dangers of methamphetamine entitled "The Faces of Meth."

OPIUM – IRAN
Afghan opium hits record output – Tehran Times
Poppy production was up 25%, the US said Opium production in Afghanistan reached record levels last year.

COCAINE – USA
Central America Becomes Cocaine's Preferred Route – TBO
Central America has become a crucial way station in the billion-dollar cocaine business, with traffickers shipping hundreds of tons northward from Colombia.

OPIUM – USA
State's war on drugs a 100-year-old bust – San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday marks the centennial of a fateful but forgotten watershed in state history: the start of California's war on drugs.

HEROIN – UK
Scandal of child heroin dealers – Scotsman News
Child dealers of heroin, cocaine and other banned substances are being arrested at the rate of one every four days in the latest sign that Scotland is in the grip of a drugs epidemic.

March 2 Drug Headlines

ADDICTION – USA
Nevada panel targeting meth addiction holds first meeting – KOLO TV
A panel formed to help reduce methamphetamine addiction in Nevada held its first meeting Thursday, outlining plans to quickly endorse legislative proposals for anti-drug efforts.

METHADONE – USA
Growing Methadone problem – Acadiana’s News Channel
Methadone was first created in a German lab in the 1930's. The drug gained popularity in the 1990's as a treatment for people who were addicted to heroin and morphine. The trouble is you can't just quit taking it. KATC's David D'aquin found out it's one of the most difficult drug dependencies to treat.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Abuse of prescription drugs surges across globe – MSNBC
In the United States, the abuse of prescription medications has gone beyond almost all illicit drugs with the exception of marijuana, the International Narcotics Control Board said.

CODEINE – INDIA
'Abuse of medicines on rise in India' – Chennai Online News
The use of cocaine and abuse of medicines like pain-killers and cough syrups is on the rise in India, which has emerged as a major transit point for smuggling of narcotics, a UN report said today.

METH – USA
2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report – US Department of State
Today, the Department of State releases its 24th annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), which is mandated by law and produced by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

COCAINE – USA
Africa Increasingly Being Used in Cocaine Trafficking – VOA News
Africa is increasingly being used as a conduit to traffic cocaine, with increasing numbers of couriers apprehended and more bulk cocaine seized.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Abuse Surpassing Illicit Drugs – Sci-Tech Today
Prescription drug abuse already has outstripped traditional illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy in parts of Europe, Africa and South Asia.

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 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 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 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.

Jan 23 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine Cowboys – DVD Talk
In the typically highbrow world of documentaries, Cocaine Cowboys is a decidedly different breed of cat. A machinegun-paced exploration of South Florida's cocaine trade in the late Seventies and early Eighties, it is violent, exploitive and lurid.

METH – USA
Public awareness is fighting crystal meth – Abbotsford News
Last week’s crystal meth forum at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium drew a full house of concerned residents.

METH – USA
Meth Watch Inanity
Most citizens of North Dakota, and a lot of other states, are familiar with so-called “meth watch” laws which regulate the sale of products that are commonly used in the production of methamphetamine.

ADDERALL – USA
A tough dose of the truth: Prescription drugs becoming more popular among youths - ZWire.com
Awareness about over the counter medication and prescription drug use among teenagers appears to be sweeping the nation.

COCAINE – USA
Peru official says cocaine output is growing – MSNBC
Peru has reduced and stabilized illegal coca leaf planting areas over the past few years, but yields from some farms have doubled and cocaine output soared due to a lack of funds to fight the lucrative business.

Jan 16 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Good and bad news about methamphetamine and other drug abuse – The Advertiser-News
Overall teen drug abuse has dropped 23 percent since 2001 for 8th, 10th and 12th graders combined, with reductions in the use of nearly every drug in every drug prevalence category, according to the University of Michigan’s 2006 Monitoring the Future study, released on Dec. 21.

DRUGS – USA
California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R) Launch New Anti-Methamphetamine Public Awareness Campaign – PR Newswire
The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), in conjunction with The Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R), today announced a new public awareness and education advertising campaign aimed at stemming methamphetamine use in California.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction treatment: What are the options? – Sun Gazette
Seeking help for substance abuse or dependency issues can be overwhelming and act as a barrier for getting help. This month, I will discuss what substance abuse treatment is and how to access treatment programs.

COCAINE – USA
Prenatal Cocaine's Lasting Cellular Effects – Medical News Today
Although the 'crack baby' hysteria of the 1980s was greatly exaggerated, cocaine use during pregnancy can cause subtle but disabling cognitive impairments -- attention deficits, learning disabilities and emotional problems.

Jan 11 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – AUSTRAILIA
Cocaine contaminates Irish banknotes – Cosmos Magazine
Traces of cocaine were found on every banknote tested in an Irish study of drug contamination of currency.

COCAINE – USA
Irish Euro Notes Slathered in Cocaine, Study Reports – Scientific American
In what is already my pick for research paper of the year, Dublin City University researchers report that 28 of 45 sampled Euro notes--5s, 10s, 20s and 50s--currently circulating in the greater Dublin area show a goodly contamination with cocaine.

COCAINE – COLOMBIA
High Bills: Cocaine in Your Change – Shared Responsibility
England and Ireland also tested their banknotes for cocaine. The results? 99.9% of England’s and 100% of Ireland’s had traces of cocaine.

METH – USA
Don't let film's anti-meth message disappear – Nevada Appeal
The only real criticism we've heard about Tuesday night's broadcast of "Crystal Darkness: Meth's deadly assault on Nevada's Youth" is that it was not long enough.

ADDICTION – USA
Coffee fans discuss their addiction – Tahlequah Daily Press
“People say it’s not as bad as crank or heroin or cocaine. But that’s just because coffee is legal. Make it illegal for just one day and see what kind of social upheaval you cause.”

DRUGS – USA
Cough, cold remedies might be lethal to infants – MSNBC.com
After investigating the deaths of three infants between 1 and 6 months old linked to cough and cold medication use, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are emphasizing that these drugs should be used only after talking with a physician.

Jan 3 Drug Headlines

COCAINE – UK
COCAINE BINGERS ARE DICING WITH DEATH – The Daily Record
RISK-TAKING Scots are endangering their lives by mixing booze and cocaine.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen Prescription Drug Use on the Rise – Kait8.com
It's a growing problem with teens and it's probably already in your home. According to a University of Michigan study, teen drug use has declined 23% since 2001. While that is an encouraging statistic, not all teen drug use is seeing the same drop.

METH – USA
Commissioners support ‘Meth is Death Week' in county – Daily World
The Greene County Commissioners went on record Tuesday morning supporting a county-wide methamphetamine public awareness campaign planned later this month.

METH – USA
Meth Scare; Did the last person living in your home smoke meth? Does it matter? –Salt Lake City Weekly
Nicole says her mother watched a local TV news broadcast last November about a do-it-yourself kit to test for meth contamination in homes and became convinced her granddaughter’s earaches were caused by Utah’s scariest drug.

METH – USA
Researcher Studies Meth Exposure on Kids – First Coast News
A University of Montana researcher is exposing laboratory mice to methamphetamine smoke to try to determine the long-term effect of the illegal drug on children who live in houses where meth is manufactured and used.

ALCOHOL – USA
Resolution to imbibe less goes awry — already. Myriad of conflicting medical studies are enough to drive this writer to drink – MSNBC
The fruitcake’s been digested, the gift cards are empty, and now it’s time to face the most grueling holiday task of all: the annual reassessment.

DRUGS – USA
Drug Abuse Rising Among American Adults – Treatment Online
Despite claims to the contrary by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, drug abuse in America is generally not on the decline, and the most dramatic increases in the use of illicit substances and related health problems have been among middle-aged adults. While most report first using illicit substances in their teens or early twenties, the most common age for death by overdose is now around 45.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Alert; Young Adult Drinking - NIAAA
Too often today’s headlines bring news of yet another alcohol-related tragedy involving a young person—a case of fatal alcohol poisoning on a college campus or a late-night drinking–driving crash.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drinking Can Lead To Pancreatic Tissue Death In Patients - Simple Solution Found To Stabilize Pancreatic Attack – Medical News Today
Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is linked to a variety of health woes, including acute pancreatitis, a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas which can lead to permanent organ damage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 American study from the Rand Corporation - hardly a soft and fuzzy organisation - found that every dollar spent on treating drug and alcohol addiction saved seven dollars in law enforcement. But this research has had little impact on policy directions in any country, let alone the US.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Prisons director denies rise in inmate drug use - ABC News
Tasmania's director of prisons has rejected union claims of a marked increase in drug use by inmates at the old Risdon Prison site.

GENERAL - US
Council to weigh bouncer law - Boston.com
The City Council is expected to hold a hearing this afternoon to discuss a proposal that would require background checks on bouncers and other security staff members at bars and clubs.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Parents Worry About Prescription Drugs, Too - Human Events
Methamphetamine and marijuana aren't the only drugs parents worry about. The problems caused by prescription combinations called "drug cocktails" have finally broken into the national news stream.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
60% leap in opium production in 2006 - Asia News
This was denounced by the United Nations and the US government. Drug cartels have their own armies that fight operations by Kabul and NATO. One-third of the national GDP comes from opium.

COCAINE - CANADA
Cocaine use on the rise in northern Manitoba - CBC
RCMP and addictions officials in northern Manitoba say they're dealing with a rapid rise in cocaine use and trafficking this year, but also an increase in the number of people seeking help for their addiction.

METH - US
Meth gets big part of blame surge in prisoners - Sioux City Journal
Methamphetamine is being blamed for much of the increase in South Dakota's prison population in 2005. South Dakota's 11.9 percent growth in inmate numbers last year was the largest in the nation.

METH - US
Methamphetamine spreads eastward from West - Arbiter Online
Scientists know methamphetamine as one of the most dangerous psycho stimulant drugs created. Broken down, ‘meth’ has a longer acting morphine-like effect in which people use in replacement of a morphine or heroin addiction.

HEROIN - IRELAND
Heroin deaths cause concern - Emigrant
Following the unexplained deaths of six heroin addicts in the previous 10 days, the National Disease Surveillance Centre on Saturday warned other addicts to seek medical advice if they became ill. There is concern that a contaminated batch of the drug is being sold on the streets of Dublin. Post-mortem examinations have been conducted on the five men and one woman but it will be some time before toxicology tests are complete.

Dec 3 Drug Headlines

COCAINE - UK
Just say no to a white Christmas - The UK Times
We’re the biggest consumers of coke in Europe. Cosmo Landesman has given up on moral grounds but can he persuade his right-on mates to quit too

METH - US
The meth menace - New York Daily News
Easy & addictive drug is creeping up social ladder. Methamphetamine - once considered the drug of choice in the backwoods - is moving up in society.

METH - US
Law tightens controls on meth chemicals - Kalamazoo Gazette
Pfizer Inc., Perrigo Co. and other drug companies have until Monday to comment on a new law designed to keep chemicals used to make cold medicines out of the hands of criminals who would use them to make methamphetamine.

METH - US
Good and bad news on meth - The Leaf-Chronicle
Which do you want first — the good news or the bad news concerning methamphetamines in Tennessee? Under the good news, the number of meth labs in the state has decreased. The work of the 7-year-old Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force and laws restricting the sale of nonprescription drugs with ingredients used to make meth has put a dent in the ability of meth labs to do their thing here.

METH - US
State awards nearly half million to Humboldt to fight meth
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services will begin distributing $29 million in grant funds to combat methamphetamine distribution and sales -- nearly half a million going to Humboldt County.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghan Opium Crop Climbs to Record High Production - The National Ledger
The Afghan opium crop is now churning out a record high production according to the Bush administration. Opium production in Afghanistan has soared and the country's crop that provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006.

Dec 2 Drug Headlines

HEROIN - AFGHAN
Afghanistan Opium Crop Sets Record - Washington Post
Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts, the Bush administration reported yesterday.

HEROIN - PORTUGAL
Heroin use on the rise in Portugal - The Portugal News
The findings of a report issued last week reveal that heroin use is on the increase in Portugal as well as Spain and Greece.

OPIUM - PORTUGAL
Lisbon on red alert over Afghan bumper opium crop - The Portugal News
The mayor of Lisbon was last week warned by the United Nations to expect a sharp increase in heroin overdoses among the citys drug users as Afghanistans record opium poppy crop begins flooding on to the European market.

ALCOHOL - UK
Do you drink much more than you think? - The UK Times
Know your limit. As wines get stronger and glasses larger, many of us are knocking back more than we should.

METH - MEXICO
Meth Labs Proliferate in Mexico - Join Together
A crackdown on U.S. methamphetamine labs has sparked a proliferation of meth production in Mexico, from ranches in Baja California to industrial parks in Guadalajara, the Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 26.

OTC - US
Officials seeing a new drug abuse
It may not have been what police were looking for in Bedford North Lawrence High School’s drug search Friday, but an over-the-counter substance recently has put the school on alert.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Thieves snatch pharmacy narcotics - The Birmingham News
Three men smashed out the window of a Mount Olive pharmacy Thursday night and stole $3,000 worth of pain pills, authorities said Friday. The thieves were in and out of the store in less than two minutes, making off with a haul of hydrocodone and oxycodone stuffed into a pillowcase, said Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Randy Christian.

PRESCRIPTION - UK
Inside story: swapping prescription drugs - UK Times Online
There’s a dangerous new practice in Britain: swapping prescription drugs. The people who are doing it won’t talk about it on the record. Health authorities won’t acknowledge it. The only way to broach the subject was to ask someone who trades painkillers for sleeping pills to write about his experiences (under a pseudonym). He explains why people are ignoring what the doctor ordered — for health and, sometimes, just for kicks.

HEROIN - UK
Warning over rogue heroin in city - BBC
Police in Bristol have warned drug users to steer clear of a batch of rogue heroin they believe has claimed the lives of three men.

METH - US
Mothers Against Meth, other groups work to combat epidemic - TribStar
Susan Gehring is joining with mothers of methamphetamine users in an attempt to help combat the meth epidemic in the Wabash Valley.

COCAINE - US
Cocaine users at risk of contracting Hepatitis C - Magic Statistics
And they may not know it until twenty or thirty years after their drug-using days are over. The risk is so high that a US study recommended that everyone who has ever snorted cocaine or other drugs should be tested.

Dec 1 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov 28 Drug Headlines

OPIUM - AFHGANISTAN
Pesticide solution to eradicate opium trade - Telegraph UK
The Afghan government is to launch a campaign of pesticide spraying of opium poppy for the first time following intense American pressure for a more radical approach to the country's burgeoning drugs problem.

METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice fuels Sydney armed robbery epidemic
A massive rise in the number of armed robberies in inner Sydney may be the result of the growing use of the drug ice.

ALCOHOL - US
Infant May Be Harmed by Alcohol in First Trimester
New findings on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure suggest the days between conception and pregnancy recognition may be critical for the development of stress-response systems among infants whose mothers consume alcohol.

MARIJUANA - US
Justices rule on transport of medicinal pot - LA Times
People charged with transporting marijuana may avoid conviction if they can show that the drug was for their personal medical use, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

MARIJUANA - US
War on drugs: national spotlight on marijuana
Last year marked the largest number of marijuana arrests in U.S. history, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

MARIJUANA - US
Voters May Get Chance to Legalize Marijuana
Voters could decide next year whether to legalize marijuana use. The state has given a Michigan group permission to move ahead with the ballot initiative. Advocates say the climate is right and a growing number of people think smoking marijuana should be legal in some cases.

MARIJUANA - US
State hears testimony on legalizing medicinal marijuana; Exclusive WZZM 13 Survey USA Poll shows huge support
Tuesday lawmakers held a public hearing on a bill that would make Michigan the 12th state in the nation to legalize medicinal marijuana.

COCAINE - BULGARIA
BULGARIANS CONTROL COCAINE TRAFFICKING FROM LATIN AMERICA TO EUROPE
Bulgarians controlled the high levels of cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe, drug enforcement chief Stanimir Florov told a news conference on November 28 2006.

HEROIN - UK
'Killer' heroin on the streets
Detectives are warning junkies that a batch of killer heroin is on the streets of Reading after it was blamed for claiming the lives of two men in as many days.

METH - US
National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, 2006 - White House
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

METH - US & MEXICO
Entering the ´ice age,´ a lethal drug emerges
The methamphetamine laboratories that once plagued California´s hinterlands and powered a national explosion of drug abuse have been replaced by an increasing supply from Mexico, U.S. law enforcement officials say

METH - US
Authorities try to deter meth use
Counting on the shock value, local Drug Enforcement Administration chief William Renton Jr. motioned to a mugshot of a man with a withered, skeletal face with grizzled patches of white hair.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Feds consider testing truck drivers for OxyContin
A 20-year-old drug testing policy aimed to keep you safe on the road is failing to keep up with the speed of OxyContin. 13 Investigates first told you how truck drivers are escaping detection for the potent painkiller. Now the federal government reacts to driving concerns over old tests and new drugs.

Nov 27 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Schoolies' dangerous drinking - Herald Sun
Alcohol is clearly the drug of choice among school leavers celebrating on the Gold Coast, with almost a quarter drinking to the point where they are physically sick. More than 85 per cent of schoolies surveyed by drug education centre DRUG ARM said they had consumed alcohol within the past 24 hours.

ALCOHOL - US
Alcohol Involved in One-Third of Suicides - Join Together
A third of suicide victims in a recent study had alcohol in their system, and about 10 percent tested positive for other drugs, such as opiates, cocaine, marijuana, or amphetamines, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN
War on drugs strengthens Afghan mafia
Afghanistan’s war on drugs has been marred by corruption that has strengthened the grip of an increasingly powerful mafia on the country’s narcotics trade, a report by the World Bank and United Nations said. Over the past five years, the British-led counter-narcotics strategy had penalised the country’s poorest farmers and strengthened networks of organised crime, consolidating the trade among a tiny elite of traffickers, the damning report said.

ECSTASY - AUSTRALIA
Ecstasy study turns dance floor into lab - ABC Australia
The idea of being followed around a nightclub by a researcher bent on taking a blood sample and measuring your temperature may not be your idea of a good time.

COCAINE - US
Test Strips For The Rapid Detection Of Cocaine
Saving the life of a poisoning victim is often a matter of minutes. It is best when the emergency doctor can perform a reliable diagnosis on the spot to determine which poison or what type of drug overdose a patient is suffering from.

PAINKILLER - US
Methadone Use for Pain Control May Result in Death and Life-Threatening Changes in Breathing and Heart Beat - FDA Public Health Advisory
FDA has received reports of death and life-threatening side effects in patients taking methadone. These deaths and life-threatening side effects have occurred in patients newly starting methadone for pain control and in patients who have switched to methadone after being treated for pain with other strong narcotic pain relievers.

PAINKILLER - US
Deaths, side effects prompt new methadone warning - CNN
People starting treatment with methadone have died and suffered life-threatening side effects, health officials said Monday in warning of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller.

PAINKILLER - US
Warning issued on dangers of methadone - Seatle PI
People starting treatment with methadone have died and suffered life-threatening side effects, health officials said Monday in warning of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller.

PAINKILLER - US
FDA Issues New Methadone Warning - CBN News
It's a drug that's been used to treat heroin addiction -- and, increasingly, as a pain-reliever. And now, the government is warning of the dangers of using too much methadone.

HEROIN - US
Police: Heroin cases rise sharply in state - Chicago Tribune
Authorities say heroin has become increasingly easy to find in Indianapolis and other parts of the state. The Indiana State Police estimate they will investigate nearly 700 heroin cases this year -- twice as many as last year and triple the number of cases in 2004.

GENERAL - BANGKOK
Asean aims to be drug-free by 2015 - Bangkok Post
Representatives of Asean member countries and local, regional and international NGOs are meeting now in Bangkok to seek concrete solutions to the drug problem in the region, with a goal of making Asean a drug-free region in 2015.

MARIJUANA - US
Marijuana petition drive for 2008 ballot is under way - Wood TV
Michigan residents could legally use marijuana on private property for recreational or medical purposes under a measure proposed for the 2008 statewide ballot.

MARIJUANA - US
Petition drive seeks to legalize marijuana use in Michigan - WZZM 13
Michigan residents could legally use marijuana on private property under a measure proposed for the 2008 ballot.

Nov 26 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - UK
Annual report 2006: the state of the drugs problem in Europe
Contains: Overview of the European drugs phenomenon in 29 countries. Drug facts, figures and analyses: across Europe and by country. Latest trends and social, legal and political responses.

GENERAL - UK
The really tough way to control drugs is to license them - Times Online
The latest figures from the European drug monitoring agency indicate that Britain leads the continent in cocaine and heroin use and is equalled only by Denmark for cannabis. Given how often prohibitionists abuse Holland’s proactive drugs policy, it is worth noting that twice as many Britons as Dutch use cocaine and a third more use cannabis.

HEROIN & OPIUM - CANADA
Prescription Opioid Abuse More Prevalent Than Heroin, OPICAN Study In 7 Canadian Cities Reveals
A new study conducted in seven Canadian cities reveals that prescription opioids, and not heroin, are the major form of illicit opioid use. These findings raise questions about the current focus of Canada's drug control policy and treatment programs.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghanistan Produces 92% of Illegal Opium - The Media Line
A staggering 92 percent of the illicit opium worldwide is being produced in Afghanistan, a United Nations narcotics researcher said.

HEROIN - US
Heroin use rising in Indy
While the drug still makes up a minority of the cases at Indianapolis' drug court, heroin is increasingly easy to find on the city's streets, according to police, as it is elsewhere in Indiana and the nation.

COCAINE - US
Clinics on the way for wealthy cocaine-users
Clinics targeted at treating cocaine addicts from middle-class and professional backgrounds may open in business districts or wealthy suburbs around the country under proposals from two government bodies.

CANNABIS - MALTA
Malta has one of lowest rates of cannabis use in Europe
Malta has one of the lowest prevalence rates of once in a lifetime use of cannabis (3.5 per cent) in Europe even though it is the most commonly used illegal substance in Europe, according to the recently published 2005 Annual Report of European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

METH - MEXICO
Mexican meth production on rise
Successful U.S. efforts to control the sale of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine has led to a mushrooming production of the drug in Mexico.

GENERAL - US
Addiction Awareness a Yearly Affair
There is a special program underway in the Prince George area, but it isn't just because of Addiction Awareness week. The poster at left, shows not just a message about saying no to drinking and driving, it also features a stylized marijuana leaf, and some "pills". It is spreading the word that driving sober means more than just keeping clear of booze.

HEROIN - UK
Quick fix for the heroin epidemic is a counsel of despair - The Scotsman
Today, there are an estimated 240,000 heroin addicts in the UK, committing an average of 435 crimes a year each to raise the £30,000 it costs to keep them in the drug.

Nov 25 Drug Headlines

COCAINE - UK
Powder to the people - Guardian Unlimited
Cocaine has conquered Britain. This angry little island is in thrall to an angry little drug.

ALCOHOL - US
Tests find alcohol in many suicides - Washington Times
More than a third of those who committed suicide in 2004 tested positive for alcohol, according to a federal study. The test results, taken from suicide victims in 13 states, also showed that 10 percent had opiates, cocaine, marijuana or amphetamines in their system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in the report, which was released Thursday.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Drug ghouls prey on the schoolies - Herald Sun
More than half the schoolies surveyed by the Herald Sun yesterday said they had been offered drugs. Most said they had been asked whether they wanted ecstasy or cannabis, but some also said they had been offered cocaine, speed and acid.

CANNABIS - UK
'I'll fight on to save youths from drugs
A magistrate who is calling for the reclassification of cannabis has said he will continue to work to protect youths from the drug after receiving support from the Magistrates' Association.

MARIJUANA - US
After 20 years, war on marijuana changes - Kentucky
Police destroyed more marijuana growing outdoors in Kentucky this year than they had in more than a decade, according to numbers compiled by state police.

Nov 24 Drug Headlines

New Articles

GENERAL - AFGHAN
Afghan Drug Boom Fuels Child Addiction Rates
Doctors estimate that there are more than 2,000 drug-addicted children in the western city of Herat alone.

GENERAL - UK
Addicted to Failure - The Times
The most optimistic reading of the remarks by Europe’s top anti-drugs official yesterday was that the war against drugs is in a quagmire. In Britain, new government statistics suggest that there is a serious and growing drug problem. Although the illicit nature of drug use means that no calculation can ever be wholly accurate, the Home Office estimates are probably more robust, and more alarming, than anything previously published.

METH - MEXICO
Mexico Produces Most of Methamphetamine Coming into US
As methamphetamine abuse continues its scourge of the country, state and federal elected officials have worked over the last two years to pass laws restricting sales of over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine.

Original Articles

ALCOHOL - US
CDC Says Alcohol a Factor in One of Three Suicides - Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that post-mortem toxicology screenings found alcohol present in 33% of suicides across 13 states. Opiates were involved in 16%. Maybe most worrisome is that, as Reuters reports, the number of suicide deaths that involved drugs and alcohol didn't change even when drugs were the suspected method of suicide.

CANNABIS - UK
Cannabis is linked to rising child crime and harder drugs - Times Online
Magistrates are calling for tougher laws on cannabis to halt a crime wave among children who are stealing to buy drugs and graduating to more dangerous drugs. The demand for the Government to move the drug back to Class B from Class C for young offenders came yesterday as two reports showed that Britain’s drug problems continue unabated.

GENERAL - UK
Britain's £5.9bn a year drug habit - THe Guardian
The UK has 327,466 hardcore "problem drug users" who are regularly using either heroin, crack or cocaine, research revealed yesterday. The figure is far higher than a previous estimate of 270,000.

HEROIN - UK
Killer heroin on our streets - Get Reading UK
Police fear a batch of killer heroin is in circulation following the deaths of two men in two days. They have issued an urgent warning to heroin users to beware shooting up a deadly dose of the drug.

HEROIN - UK
BAD HABIT TO GIVE ADDICTS HEROIN - Daily Record UK
TRYING awfully hard to understand the logic behind prescribing heroin for druggies on the NHS. It would, according to the police, cut burglaries, muggings and shop-lifting by half because the junkies wouldn't have to steal to feed their habits. Except some might think, at a time when medication is being denied to those suffering from early stage Alzheimer's, that shelling out £15,000 a year for each addict is not maybe the best use of our resources.

HEROIN - UK
NHS to give addicts free drugs - The Argus
Drug addicts are to be prescribed heroin on the NHS in a controversial plan to cut crime and get users off drugs. Addicts would be allowed to inject themselves under supervision as part of a scheme costing £12,000 to £15,000 a year for every user.

OPIUM - UK & AFGHANISTAN
British troops wary of joining Afghan war on drugs - Daily Times
Despite being urged to do so by Afghan and western counter-narcotics chiefs, British troops are wary of joining the offensive against the drugs trade in Afghanistan, The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday. British commanders reportedly stand accused of taking too soft a line on opium farmers, and forces in the southern Helmand province – where the majority of British soldiers are based – are being asked to bomb or ambush drug smugglers.

COCAINE - UK
Britain leads Europe in cocaine use
A study finds that cocaine use in Europe is highest in England and Wales with Spain ranking second. In England and Wales, cocaine use has tripled among all adults and quadrupled among those aged 15 to 24 in the past 10 years, the BBC reported.

COCAINE - UK
Cancerous substance in cocaine? - Female First
Drug users have been cautioned that the drug is more commonly being cut with a chemical which places them at a 'very high risk of getting cancer'.

COCAINE - UK
Britain leads Europe in cocaine use - Washington Times
A study finds that cocaine use in Europe is highest in England and Wales with Spain ranking second. In England and Wales, cocaine use has tripled among all adults and quadrupled among those aged 15 to 24 in the past 10 years, the BBC reported.

METH - US
‘Meth is Death Week' planned for Jan. 21-27 - Daily Citizen
Plans are coming together for a planned county-wide week-long observance in January to raise the local awareness about the continuing methamphetamine problem in Greene County. Tabbed “Meth is Death Week” - the public awareness campaign is sponsored by Greene United Against Meth (GUAM), a pro-active grassroots organization, that has been involved in educating the public about the perils of meth use in the community for more than three years.

GENERAL - UK
Rising drug addiction costs UK £15 billion annually - Earth Times
The rise of drug abuse in the UK is costing its tax payers £15 billion. This figure has arisen in a Home Office study that was published recently. The amount is made up of drug related crimes, health service usage, drug-related deaths and the socio-economic care of addicts.

MARIJUANA - CANADA
Marijuana more addictive for youth
Young people can easily become dependent on marijuana because their brain is still developing, says an expert on youth substance abuse.

Nov 23 Drug Headlines

New Articles

GENERAL - UK
Measuring Different Aspects of Problem Drug Use: Methodological Developments - Drugs UK Government
This report brings together the results of three studies which provide robust updated estimates of the size of the illegal drug use problem, from different perspectives.

Original Articles

ALCOHOL - US
Disclosure Of Advertising Tactics Reduces Odds Kids Will Drink - Medical News
A new research report from Penn State's Smeal College of Business finds that modest in-school lessons revealing the goals and effects of alcohol advertising can reduce the likelihood that adolescents will drink.

GENERAL - AFGHANISTAN
Rising Illicit Injection Drug Use In Afghanistan Might Contribute To Spread Of HIV, Health Official Says - Medical News
The increasing use of illicit injection drugs in Afghanistan might be fueling the spread of HIV in the country, Afghan Health Minister Saifour Rehman said recently, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Welfare voucher plan for addict parents - The Age
Welfare activists gave federal Community Services Minister Mal Brough a frosty reception as he outlined his plan to quarantine welfare payments from irresponsible parents. Cabinet has agreed in principle to Mr Brough's plan to provide food and clothing vouchers to parents who might otherwise spend their welfare payments on drugs, alcohol and gambling.

COCAINE & HEROIN - EUROPE
Cocaine and heroin prices falling in Europe - New Zealand Herald
Illegal drugs may be cheaper than ever before in Europe, with prices of heroin slumping 45 per cent and cocaine down 22 per cent over five years, according to the first Europe-wide report of its kind on drug prices.

COCAINE - UK
Festive warning over cocaine use - BBC
Almost 50 pubs and clubs have joined forces in Edinburgh to warn festive party-goers of the dangers of taking cocaine. Licensees in premises across Edinburgh will help spread the message over the weekend that even occasional cocaine use carries major health risks.

MARIJUANA - US
Marijuana and Its Effect on Fertility
Marijuana causes obstruction in sperm mobility and can reduce the sperm count, thus decreasing its effectiveness. It also decreases the volume of seminal fluid.

MARIJUANA - US
Teens quicker to become marijuana dependent, expert says
Teenagers can quickly become dependent on marijuana because their brain is still developing, says an expert on youth substance abuse.

METH - US
Are you addicted to crystal meth? Trying the drug is akin to Russian roulette - Richmond Review
While crystal meth can be deadly addictive for many, not everyone who uses the drug will become helplessly hooked.

COCAINE - SCOTLAND
Venues back blitz on cocaine - The Scotsman
Nearly 50 pubs and clubs in Edinburgh are taking part in a hard-hitting campaign warning festive revellers of the dangers of cocaine. The popular city centre venues will target 18 to 26-y

COCAINE - UK
Cocaine cut with cancerous drugs - Metro
Cocaine users were warned the drug is increasingly being cut with a chemical which puts them at a 'very high risk of getting cancer'.

Nov 22 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL - US
Britons 'in denial' over alcohol - BBC
Britons are in denial about the effect of drinking excess alcohol on their health, according to a survey. Only 12% of adults questioned worried about the effect of drinking too much alcohol on their health, according to insurer Legal & General.

OPIUM - UK
Smoking opium could make a comeback in Britain - Times Online
Opium smoking much beloved by Victorian intellectuals could be making a comeback in Britain a national drugs conference was warned yesterday. International drugs experts believe that traffickers faced with off-loading a record crop of opium poppies in Afghanistan are not bothering to refine opium into heroin but smuggling it direct for sale.

ECSTASY - UK
Call for ecstasy to be downgraded - BBC
Ecstasy and LSD should be downgraded from Class A to Class B, a government adviser on drugs law has proposed. Professor David Nutt, who chairs a committee of a drugs advisory council, said grouping the drugs with others in Class A, like heroin, was an "anomaly".

GENERAL - NEW ZEALAND
Cultural Differences Blamed For Maori Drug Addiction - Newswire
A new study reveals that Maori are twice as likely as non-Maori to become addicted to drugs.

OPIUM - UK
Smoking opium could make a comeback in Britain - Times Online
Opium smoking much beloved by Victorian intellectuals could be making a comeback in Britain a national drugs conference was warned yesterday. International drugs experts believe that traffickers faced with off-loading a record crop of opium poppies in Afghanistan are not bothering to refine opium into heroin but smuggling it direct for sale.

GENERAL - IRAN
One person dies every two hours from drug addiction in Iran - Iran Focus
One person dies every two hours from drug addiction-related illnesses in Iran, according to new statistics released by the government.

PAINKILLER - SWEDEN
Painkiller addiction kills two youngsters - The Local, Swedens News in English
Police are concerned about the use of highly addictive painkiller Tradolan among young people in Tierp, north of Stockholm. The deaths of two 17-year old boys have been linked to the drug Expressen reports. Police say both boys hade high amounts of Tradolan in their bodies at the time of death.

GENERAL - US
Changing Your Diet Can Improve Your Mood - NBC 11
Kim Goldman's despair was so bad she couldn't work. Even prescription anti-depressants failed to pull her out of a deep depression.

COCAINE - US
Love Your Heart: Just Say 'No' to Cocaine - The Crimson
Sinners, take note. Sex won’t increase your risk of a heart attack—but cocaine could up your chances nearly 24 times over, according to two Harvard researchers.

Nov 21 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPION - CANADA
Prescription Opioid Abuse More Prevalent Than Heroin, Canadian Study Reveals - Science Daily
A new study conducted in seven Canadian cities reveals that prescription opioids, and not heroin, are the major form of illicit opioid use. These findings raise questions about the current focus of Canada's drug control policy and treatment programs.

ALCOHOL - US
US push for drink detectors in cars - The Age
ALCOHOL detectors may be fitted to all vehicles in the US after private and government experts agreed that the deterrence tactic used against drink-drivers for the past 20 years was no longer working.

GENERAL - US
Relapse Rates Lower When Treatment Follows Detox - Join Together
Patients who received addiction treatment within 30 days of going through detoxification took 40 percent longer to relapse if they fell off the wagon at all, according to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

GENERAL - NEW ZEALAND
Maori 'twice as likely' to develop drug addiction - New Zealand Herald
Maori are more at risk of developing drug addictions than other ethnic groups, an addiction expert says. National Addiction Centre director Professor Doug Sellman said today that after considering variables such as age, gender, education and household income, Maori were twice as likely to have lifetime substance use disorders than other ethnic groups.

GENERAL - UK
Police chiefs to debate drugs fight - The Guardian
Britain's top police officers are beginning a two-day conference to discuss the battle against illegal drugs. The Association of Chief Police Officers event will focus on future opportunities, challenges and threats facing law enforcement officers and communities.

METH - UK
Crystal meth: Britain's deadliest drug problem - Independent
Britain is under threat from a highly addictive drug, known as crystal meth or "ice", which has the potential to rival crack cocaine as the country's most dangerous drug, police chiefs are warning.

HEROIN - US
Heroin use rate descending - CJOB
Heroin is apparently no longer the drug of choice among many substance abusers in Canada. A study has found prescription narcotics such as morphine and OxyContin are taking the place of the illicit drug.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Call to screen drug-addicted mothers - The Age
A Tasmanian doctor wants the mothers of babies drug-addicted at birth to be screened for illicit substances before being allowed to take their babies home.

COCAINE - UK
A nation addicted: Cocaine - Britain's deadly habit
A major new report shows that 1.75 million young adults use a drug that most think is harmless. But 171 people have died from its use last year, an increase of 300 per cent in five years.

OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN
As opium poppies flourish, Karzai's resolve seems to wilt - Baltimore Sun
Five years ago this month, Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, was liberated from the tyranny of the Taliban regime and its "guests," al-Qaida. Five years later, Afghanistan, and indeed the world, lives under the threat of another brutal tyrant: the narcotics trade and the terrorism it funds.

Nov 19 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL - UK
Underage Alcohol Poisoning Increases In UK - Medical News
During the last five years the number of under-eighteens admitted to hospital for alcohol poisoning has gone up by 20%, according to a BBC Panorama programme, called "Booze: What Teenagers Need to Know".

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Lib pledge minimum terms for drug dealers - The Age
Minimum sentences for drug dealers will be introduced in Victoria if the Liberals win next Saturday's state election, Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu says.

METH - AUSTRALIA
State hit by methamphetamine crisis - News.com.au
Ice is destroying the lives of thousands of ordinary West Australians. An investigation by The Sunday Times has revealed the extent of the damage caused by the powerful crystal form of methamphetamine, which is up to 85 per cent pure.

HEROIN - US
Dallas struggles with heroin use among pre-teens
A growing number of children, some as young as 11, have become addicted to a combination of heroin and over-the-counter cold medicine they call "cheese," officials said.

HEROIN - US
More students seeking help for addiction to heroin mixture
A growing number of Dallas children have become addicted to a combination of heroin and over-the-counter cold medicine they call "cheese."

MARIJUANA - US
Pot users in New York get marijuana delivered to their door
In a city where you can get just about anything delivered to your door — groceries, dry cleaning, Chinese food — pot smokers are increasingly ordering takeout marijuana from drug rings that operate with remarkable corporate-style attention to customer satisfaction.

COCAINE - US
Editorial: Restoring fairness, sanity to cocaine drug war - Sacramento Bee
What's the difference between crack cocaine and the powdered form of the same drug? Ask people who have been convicted of selling one or the other. Conviction for possession of only 5 grams of crack carries a mandatory minimum five years in prison. A drug dealer would have to be caught with 500 grams of powder cocaine to draw that same sentence.

COCAINE - UK
Cocaine use among young reaches shocking levels
The number of people in the UK addicted to the 'celebrity' drug cocaine is out of control and has reached shocking levels, a new report has shown.

METH - US
Funding the fight against meth
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department won a $1.65 million state grant for a new task force that will go after methamphetamine manufacturers and distributors in the county.

COCAINE - UK
UK is Europe's worst offender for cocaine use
Britain's drug users take more cocaine than people in almost every other country in Europe a comprehensive study is expected to reveal.

Nov 16 Drug Headlines

Updated Articles

PAINKILLER - US
Conflicting reports on painkiller's safety - MSNBC
Researchers looking at the safety of various arthritis and headache remedies said Thursday they had found some more evidence that the popular analgesic naproxen may cause heart problems.

Original Post

ALCOHOL - UK
U.K. Study Finds Alcohol is Real 'Date-Rape' Drug - Join Together
A U.K. study on the use of so-called "date-rape" drugs found that a familiar drug was involved in most sexual assaults: alcohol.

ALCOHOL - UK
Alcohol found to be major 'drug' in cases of date rape - Scotsman
The first major study into alleged "drug rape" cases in the UK found massive evidence that victims had been drinking, and no cases of the notorious drug Rohypnol.

GENERAL - IRELAND
Illegal drug use 'is in decline' - BBC
The use of illegal drugs has fallen in Northern Ireland, latest figures suggest. The number of young adults using illegal drugs has dropped from 43% in 2001 to 36% in 2005.

METH - AUSTRLIA
Drug 'cooks' to be tracked by database - The Age
Amphetamine "cooks" and other illegal drug producers who move around Australia will soon be tracked on a new police database. Police ministers meeting in Adelaide have signed an agreement to set up the database to help combat the growth of clandestine drug laboratories.

COCAINE - US
Report: Cocaine top killer in Big Bend - Tallahassee Democrat
More people are dying from cocaine overdoses than from any other illegal drug in the Big Bend, according to a report released this month from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

HEROIN & ALCOHOL - US
Knox students at risk - Knox Local News
Knox County high school students are using heroin and drinking and driving more than their peers nationwide. Almost one in three said they've been offered, been sold or been given drugs at school, Youth Risk Behavior Survey statistics show. The Knox County Health Department conducted the survey in fall 2005.

ALCOHOL - SWITZERLAND
Campaigners call time on binge drinking - Swiss Info
Growing concern over binge drinking in Switzerland has prompted alcohol prevention groups to focus on the issue during a national awareness campaign on Thursday.

COCAINE - US
Simple Dipstick Test For Cocaine, Other Drugs
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a simple "dipstick" test for detecting cocaine and other drugs in saliva, urine or blood serum. The test is based upon DNA-gold nanoparticle technology, and can be packaged in user-friendly kits similar to those used for home pregnancy tests.

Nov 15 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - UK
Drug abuse: Children of 10 and 11 are involved - Telegraph
Heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis blight huge swaths of Britain's inner cities and sink housing estates. Drug abuse has become a crucial driver of the family breakdown and under-achievement of a generation of young working-class white boys.

COCAINE - US
Research Report: Cocaine Comeback - University of Florida News
A new study shows cocaine is making a major comeback as a killer of college-age students and people with a lot of disposable income. New data from the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows that cocaine is increasingly cited as the cause of death in coroner’s reports.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Deadly Drug Grows in Popularity - WJAC News
Officials say fentanyl is known as the new oxycontin. It's 80 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

GENERAL - US
Pot, Meth a Growing Problem in SCV - Santa Clarify Valley The Signal
Since Sgt. Phil Morris arrived at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station narcotics unit in June, he has helped seize five marijuana crops. Marijuana is not the only problem in the Santa Clarita Valley. Methamphetamine use has got narcotics investigators scrambling to deal with a drug that is still not considered a narcotic, Morris said.

MARIJUANA - US
San Francisco Supervisors Vote to Deprioritize Adult Marijuana Offenses - Drug Policy Alliance
Pending the formality of a second reading next Tuesday, San Francisco has joined several cities, most recently Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara, all in California, as well as Missoula, Montana, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in making marijuana the lowest local law enforcement priority. The ordinance was approved 8-3, with only one neighborhood group in opposition.

HEROIN - US
Heroin bust proves drug's use is growing in SWFL - NBC
After a 17 month investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 11 suspected heroin dealers. Some say it is proof the drug’s use is growing in our area.

GENERAL - US
Meth, Ecstacy, heroin readily available
Larger amounts of drugs are coming into the United States from Mexico, Columbia and Asia, the National Drug Intelligence Center said. In its 2007 drug threat assessment, the center said organizations producing ice methamphetamine in Mexico have expanded their presence throughout the United States. The center, which is part of the Department of Justice, said the presence of Mexican traffickers in U.S. drug markets has allowed the introduction of Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin into Southeastern and Midwestern states.

Nov 13 Drug Headlines

Updated Articles

PAINKILLER - US
Prolonging Painkillers - Science Mag
Morphine and other opiates dull pain, but they don't stick around for long. Almost immediately, a class of enzymes known as peptidases burst onto the scene and degrade these painkillers. Now researchers have identified a naturally occurring molecule in humans that blocks this process, prolonging the effect of opiates. The findings, say the researchers, may lead to new ways to combat pain.

PAINKILLER - US
Natural-born painkiller found in human saliva
Saliva from humans has yielded a natural painkiller up to six times more powerful than morphine, researchers say. The substance, dubbed opiorphin, may spawn a new generation of natural painkillers that relieve pain as well as morphine but without the addictive and psychological side effects of the traditional drug.

Original Aricles

GENERAL - US
Class Drug Swabs - Schools Eye Wipe Kit - New York Post
A handful of schools in the tri-state area are hoping to wipe out drugs with one quick swipe.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Survey to examine drug driving - The Age
Australian attitudes towards driving after using illegal drugs will be assessed in the biggest survey yet on the growing offence. The Australian Drug Foundation launched the online survey in an attempt to better understand the attitudes of both users and non-users.

METHADONE - US
Methadone, the quiet killer -- Part 2 - Wood TV
"How to" labels on prescription methadone could pose a danger to patients as West Michigan sees an increased number of accidental overdose deaths.

COCAINE - US
Take another crack at that cocaine law - LA Times
One of our most infamous contemporary laws is the 100-1 difference in sentencing between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Under federal drug laws, prison sentences are usually tied to the quantity of drugs the defendant trafficked. For example, selling 5,000 grams of powder cocaine (about a briefcase full) gets a mandatory 10-year prison sentence, but so does selling only 50 grams of crack cocaine (the weight of a candy bar).

ALCOHOL - RUSSIA
Russia Staggered by Alcohol Problems - Join Together
Alcoholism is having a profound effect on Russia, where more than 42,000 people die each year from drinking bootleg alcohol and heavy drinking has pushed the average life expectancy down to 66, well below that of the neighboring European Union.

PRESCRIPTION & ALCOHOL - US
Prescription Drug Misuse More Common in Drinkers - Join Together
Few studies have examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). To characterize this relationship, researchers analyzed data from 43,093 adults who had participated in a national survey on alcohol and related conditions.

HEROIN - US
Police investigating rash of heroin deaths, nonfatal overdoses - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Police continue to investigate a rash of possible heroin deaths and some nonfatal overdoses in the city during the past week. Pittsburgh police and the Allegheny County medical examiner's office yesterday were investigating the death of a man at an apartment building, Downtown, Saturday night.

MARIJUANA - CANADA
Dazed & Confused: Problematic Marijuana Use Among Teens - Ottawa Start
In recognition of National Drug & Addictions Awareness Week, November 19-25, 2006, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), will host a forum, entitled, "Dazed and Confused: Problematic Marijuana Use Among Teens."

Nov 11 Drug Headlines

CRACK COCAINE - US
Detox centre seen as way to ease crack use
Peterborough needs a detox centre if it wants to get serious about dealing with drug users. That’s the message from Peggy Shaughnessy, an addiction counsellor and president of Whitepath Consulting and Counselling Services.

GENERAL - US
Faith-based recovery programs provide alternatives to addiction - Santa Cruz Sentinel
In the last fiscal year, 2,930 people were admitted to recovery programs countywide, according to Bill Manoff, program manager at the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency.

OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN
Iran, Afghanistan, Pak. to share date on drug smugglers - The Hindu
Iran and neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan must share intelligence on drug smuggling, the head of the United Nations agency against drugs has said.

Nov 4 Drug Headlines

LEGAL DRUGS - US
Today’s teenagers abusing ‘legal’ drugs like glue, stimulants and booze - IPPR
Glue sniffing amongst 11 to 15 year olds has increased sevenfold over the last decade, according to new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) to be published next week. The report says that developing social skills and strong adult role models are crucial in keeping kids off drugs, drink and cigarettes.
2006, November 4

COCAINE - SCOTLAND
Cocaine-binge builders dicing with disaster says drug tsar - Scotman
The number of builders, electricians and plumbers seeking help for cocaine abuse has soared in the Edinburgh, drug workers have revealed. They say cocaine's image as a drug mainly used by young executives in high-pressure jobs is a thing of the past.
2006, November 4

COCAINE - US, FL
Cocaine continues to take toll in Palm Beach County, report says - Sun Sentinel
Palm Beach County no longer leads the state in the number of deaths caused by cocaine, according to an interim report issued Friday by Florida medical examiners. Still, the county had the most cocaine-related deaths in South Florida at 32. Broward County recorded 29 deaths and Miami-Dade County had 13, according to the report, which examines the first six months of 2006.
2006, November 4

PRESCRIPTION - UK
Thousands at risk as substance abuse soars in schools - Times Online UK
THOUSANDS of children are risking their lives sniffing glue and aerosols in a new epidemic of solvent abuse in schools. Research on the drug habits of young teenagers has found that while use of cannabis and class A drugs has risen slightly over seven years, the numbers sniffing glue has shot up from 28,000 to 168,000 last year.
2006, November 4

Nov 3 Drug Headlines

CANNABIS - SPAIN
More cannabis used in Malaga than in any other province - SUR in English
Whether as marihuana or hashish, the people of Malaga are the Andalusians who use most cannabis on a regular basis, this being defined as those who have used it in the past six months. Addiction to the drug has doubled in the province over the past decade. Only 5.6 per cent of the population used it regularly in 1994 and now the figure has risen to 11.2 per cent.
2006, November 3

CANNABIS - US, CA
State marijuana seizures hit all-time high - Chico ER
The California Department of Justice said its Campaign Against Marijuana Planting resulted in the eradication of nearly 1.7 million plants this season. The number reflects the seizure of pot plants in 34 California counties, and is up more than 500,000 plants over last year.
2006, November 3

HEROIN - US, TENNESSEE
Heroin use above the national average among Knox County high school students - WBIR
It's highly addictive -- it can kill -- yet more and more young people in East Tennessee are using heroin. Consider these numbers: In the US 2.4% of high schoolers say they've taken heroin. In Tennessee 1.8%
2006, November 3

PRESCRIPTION - US
Cough syrups, painkillers, analgesics... kids hooked on medicine highs - LUdhiana Newsline
The menace of drug addiction is increasing among the city’s schoolchildren. Many 10-15-yr-olds are in its grip. While smoking was nothing new, the latest craze is cough syrup, drugs like Proxyvon, Parbanspas and capasules of Opiate Analagesic, say the city’s medical practitioners.
2006, November 3

METH - US
Meth users are finding ways around new laws, forum told - STL Today
Despite new laws limiting access to a key ingredient in methamphetamine, the drug remains a serious problem in Jefferson County, speakers at a forum on meth abuse said this week. A large part of the problem is that methamphetamine is so extremely addictive, they said.
2006, November 3

OPIATE - US, MAINE
Acadia Hospital Launches Campaign To Combat Opiate Addiction - WCSH 6
According to Acadia Hospital, Maine is among the states with the highest rate of opiate addiction in the country. On Thursday, the hospital launched a campaign to target the problem.
2006, November 2

PRESCRIPTION - US
Med students get crash course in drug pitches - CNN
Medical schools in several states are boosting programs that teach doctors and students to challenge the sales pitches of drug companies and avoid being dazzled by them.
2006, November 3

ALCOHOL - US
New Evidence On Why Alcohol Consumption Is A Risk Factor For Cancer - Medical News Today
Why is alcohol consumption a risk factor for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus? Scientists long have suspected that the culprit is acetaldehyde, a compound produced as the body breaks down the alcohol in beer, wine and hard liquor.
2006, November 3

COCAINE - UK
Colombian women appeal to conscience of cocaine users - Guardian Unlimited
Five Colombian women who have survived kidnapping, bombs and landmines have come to Britain to tell cocaine users that they are helping to fuel violence and death in Colombia. The aim is to prick the conscience of the west by highlighting the side-effects of the cocaine trade.
2006, November 3

PRESCRIPTION - US
Prescription Addiction Haunts Millions - KETV
Prescription drug addiction has been called an epidemic, and a recent study showed that more than 15 million Americans admitted abusing prescription drugs -- doubling over a decade.
2006, November 3

GENERAL - US
Piperazines - what to do with an emerging 'legal high'?
The piperazines are a 'family' of drugs with similar chemical structures. Some amongst this group of drugs are used medically (including famously, Viagra) and others, are in an as-yet unclassified legal wilderness and have found a market on the (annoyingly named) 'legal high' recreational drugs scene for their stimulant effect, similar to amphetamines or ecstasy, although of lower potency.
2006, November 3

Nov 2 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - UK
Piperazines – how to regulate an emerging recreational drug not covered by existing legislation
A new ‘family' of drugs, the piperazines, has emerged on the recreational drugs market over the past couple of years. Some are licensed medicines but others currently have an ambiguous legal status in the UK, with some possibly covered by the Medicines Act 1968 and others awaiting decisions on their classification under the Act by the MRHA.
2006, November 2

GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Dozens of drug dealers arrested - BBC
Police have made more than 100 drug-related arrests in the latest phase of a campaign against dealers. Officers have seized drugs worth £64,000 and nearly £30,000 in cash in the six-week Scottish campaign.
2006, November 2

COCAINE - EU
UN Drugs Chief Tells Europe to Wake up to its Cocaine Problem - United Nations
At a meeting today in London to launch a campaign on shared responsibility and the global problem of illicit drugs, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, warned Europe that it was heading for a cocaine crisis.
2006, November 2

COCAINE - EU
Europe warned of cocaine crisis - United Press International
The U.N. narcotics czar warns that Europe is headed toward a cocaine crisis as many governments there continue to be in denial of the problem.
2006, November 2

COCAINE - EU
Europe facing cocaine crisis, U.N. drug chief says - International Herald Tribune
Europe is heading for a cocaine crisis, with demand for the drug rising across the continent even as it holds steady or falls elsewhere in the world, the U.N.'s drug chief said Thursday.
2006, November 2

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Heroin, ecstasy addicts turn to ice - Herald Sun
Heavy heroin and ecstasy abusers are increasingly adding the dangerous street drug ice to their substances of choice, new national surveys have revealed.
2006, November 2

OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan's next opium crop likely to match this year's record harvest, officials say - Sign on San Diego
Afghan farmers now planting opium poppies will probably reap a harvest comparable to this year's record crop, in part because insurgents are preventing effective counter-narcotics work, officials said Thursday.
2006, November 2

MARIJUANA - US
Marijuana measure lacks sense
There are signs up around the state that read: Make Colorado Safer. Yes on 44. We can't argue about safety, but we're voting no on Amendment 44. The initiative proposes a change to the Colorado statutes that legalizes the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years old and older.
2006, November 2

COCAINE - US
The killing power of cocaine - Benetton Talk
It is not only those who consume it who are the victims of the cocaine. Cocaine victims are local victims as well. In the producing countries like Colombia, victims range from those kidnapped to those mutilated in their fight against the production of the drug.
2006, November 2

COCAINE - US
Documentary captures Miami's cocaine craze in the 1980s - Sun-Sentinel
During the heyday of the cocaine trade in Miami during the 1970s and early '80s, drug smugglers and dealers fueled by Colombia's Medellin cartel transformed the city from a sleepy retirement community into one of the country's hot spots. The cocaine industry was a $20billion annual business in the South Florida metropolis.
2006, November 2

CANNABIS - US
Pot makes you crazy - The Exonent
Marijuana users beware. This product may cause hallucinations or psychotic behavior. Users may also experience periods where they believe they are a god. Researchers and scientists have been studying the effects of marijuana on the brain for years. Now they are asking themselves a new question. Can marijuana usage cause psychosis?
2006, November 2

METH - US
Crystal Meth Detected In Newborns' Hair - MedPage Today
Methamphetamine can be detected in the hair of newborns whose mothers used the drug during pregnancy, researchers here have found.
2006, November 2

METH - CANADA
Jury weighs recommendations in overdose death - Sun Ottawa News
A coroner's jury began deliberating today on how to save the lives of people like Wade Hatt, who died last year after being given a massive overdose of methadone at a Centretown clinic.
2006, November 2