June 14th Drug Addiction News

PAINKILLER – IRELAND
Study finds 'worrying' lack of knowledge on medicines – Irish Independent
Almost one in every two people would give aspirin to a child under 16 years - even though it could have fatal consequences, a survey has found.

DRUGS – USA
Duval leads in drug deaths – Florida Times-Union
The Jacksonville area led the state in alprazolam, cocaine and hydrocodone-related deaths in a study released this week by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

DRUGS – USA
Oxycodone deaths double; cocaine declines – TCPalm Local News
The potent pain reliever oxycodone was found at lethal levels in more than twice the number of bodies that crossed the local four-county medical examiner's autopsy tables in 2006 compared to 2005.

METHADONE – ITALY
A ray of hope – Dublin People
In Suluzzo, Northern Italy, a nun named Sister Elvira was concerned by the destruction she saw among young Italians through drug abuse and felt called to do something to help them.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol: A weapon of mass destruction – African Path
They call me alcohol. I live in a bottle but I like swimming in people’s heads. I’m unbeatable. I fail and fall people. I’m a weapon of mass destruction.

ALCOHOL – USA
Winfield board approves policy for alcohol testing – Winfield Daily Courier
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, students at Winfield High School and their guests at school events will be subject to preliminary breath tests administered by local law enforcement and school officials.

METH –CANADA
Sweet-tasting drug targets children – Today’s Family News
A new type of sweet-tasting methamphetamine, which is intended to lure younger children, may be on its way to Canadian streets.

CANNABIS – UK
Majority of cannabis 'home grown' – BBC News
Many cannabis plants have also been selectively bred, to produce a much stronger drug called super skunk.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Children part of drug solution – Herald Sun
CHILDREN in early primary school must learn about illicit drugs and should be part of their parents' drug treatment programs, experts say.

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Cannabis education centre expected by end of year – ABC News Online
A new research and education centre targeting cannabis is expected to be up and running by the end of this year.

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 17th Drug Addiction News

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teens: Prescription Drugs & 'Pharm' Parties – Tampa Bay Local State News
Drug trends among teenagers are constantly changing. Next time your kids head to a party, marijuana and cocaine may not be the concern but legal prescription drugs.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth Showing Up – Omaha News
Drug dealers are adding in powdered lemonade and Kool-Aid to make the meth look like the popular candy “Pop Rocks.”

METH – USA
Meth is Death draws large crowd – Arizona Silver Belt
Everybody in the community is impacted by the epidemic of methamphetamine abuse, and it might get worse before it gets any better

METH – USA
City employees learn dangers of meth labs – The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise
If a so-called “cook” was manufacturing methamphetamine here in Seguin, think that wouldn’t be your problem, even if you owned the place?

METH – CANADA
Crystal meth topic of forum – The Powell River Peak
A person can walk into a kitchen that is doubling as a lab for making crystal methamphetamine and not even know it.

HEROIN – FRANCE
'Cheese' heroin tempts Texas teens at two dollars a hit – France 24
Sold in torn paper still bearing class notes, a cheap and deadly form of heroin called "cheese" is sweeping through northern Texas schools where it has claimed the lives of at least 21 teenagers.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Curbing drug abuse – The Washington Times
The nature of America's drug problem is changing. No longer is the problem characterized exclusively by the stereotypical street-corner drug dealer with a bindle of heroin or a baggie of marijuana. Now, prescription drugs are being misused in record numbers.

METH – USA
Program raises methamphetamine danger awareness – The Prairie Star
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that is affecting every segment of society, especially rural America.

METH – USA
Madigan declares progress in fight against methamphetamine – The Southern Illinoisan
The message, which she delivered as keynote speaker at the fourth annual Southern Illinois Methamphetamine Conference, offered hope to those serving on the front lines of the war against the highly addictive and dangerous drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
Cars, Alcohol & Women Are Deadly Mix – CBS News
Young women are quickly catching up to their male counterparts when it comes to alcohol-related fatal car crashes and other risky driving behavior, according to a new study.

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.

DRUGS – USA
Next Generation Of Latino Drug Abuse Experts At University Of Houston To Learn, Teach – Medical News Today
National experts on drug abuse in the Latino community will be at the University of Houston for a week long conference to address current issues and research, and guide new scholars as they study the problem.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol at home can cut teenage binge drinking, study says – Guardian Unlimited
Teenagers who drink alcohol with their parents are less likely to binge drink, according to a survey of 10,000 children which backs the continental style of introducing teenagers to small amounts of alcohol early.

ALCOHOL – CHINA
Study shows alcohol as major cause of death in Switzerland – China View Health
Alcohol is a major cause of death -- in many cases premature -- among the population in Switzerland, Swiss Radio International quoted a study as saying on Thursday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Officials urge Anheuser-Busch to warn of risks with alcohol, energy drinks – The Stamford Advocate
Attorneys general in 27 states on Thursday urged Anheuser-Busch Inc. to issue warnings about the risks of mixing alcohol with caffeinated energy drinks.

METH – USA
State police warn parents about ‘new’ meth – The Journal Press
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, methamphetamine is a very addictive Schedule II stimulant drug that can be taken orally, it can be snorted, injected, or smoked. Abusers can become addicted very quickly and need higher doses more often.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Availability of prescription drugs puts young people at risk – The Herald Tribune
The killer typically attacks via our bathroom medicine cabinets, or worse yet, is allowed to attack under the guise of a legal medical prescription.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Warn Teens about Prescription Drugs – 13 WAHM TV
Prescription medications can change a teen's life in seconds. One moment they’re strong and athletic, and the next, they’re headed to the hospital emergency room barely breathing.

DRUGS – UK
UN urges random drug tests for drivers – Yahoo News
Ordinary drivers and workers who operate heavy equipment or do other hazardous jobs should be subject to random drug tests similar to the spot checks police in some countries now conduct for alcohol.

DRUGS – USA
10+ Percent of Adults Abuse or Become Dependent on Drugs – Kansas City infoZine
Drug abuse refers to the intense desire to take drugs at the exclusion of other activities, and dependence occurs when the body becomes physically dependent on an illicit substance.

DRUGS – USA
Rally 'kools' kids' temptations to abuse drugs – The Jackson County Floridan
“Drugs can stop your heart from beating" read one of the signs at the third annual Kool Kids Day, where third-graders from the five-county area learned that drug and alcohol abuse can not only break the hearts of those who love you, it can literally break your heart.

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 4th Drug Addiction News

DRUGS – USA
ONDCP Claims Pot Potency Doubled – Join Together
The report from the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project said the average THC content in seized marijuana samples was 8.5 percent, up from about 4 percent in 1983.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking Prevention Mailings Effective, Study Says – Join Together
Problem drinkers who received informational mailings reduced their binge drinking by 10 percent, according to a study by University of Alberta researchers.

RITALIN – AUSTRALIA
ADHD is born in classrooms – The Daily Telegraph
Teachers were diagnosing a "hyper" child with potential ADHD because schools did not have sufficient resources to find educational answers.

DRUGS – USA
Study: Large Number of Students Abuse Drugs – My VLT 2 News
Shocking new concerns about drug abuse in Knox County, according to the Metropolitan Drug Commission, alcohol remains the most commonly used substance by high school students.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Girls' Prescription Drug Abuse Up – Time Magazine
Females are bucking the traditional drug abuse trends when it comes to prescription drugs such as antidepressants and tranquilizers.

DRUGS – USA
Hanover Park details drug test plan – The Daily Record
A small but supportive group of about 40 parents showed up Wednesday night for the Hanover Park Regional High School District's panel discussion of its proposed drug-testing policy.

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 24th Drug Addiction Headlines

DRUG ABUSE – AUSTRALIA
Drug laws don't protect public: study – The Age
The authors of a new study showing illicit drug use cost Australian business $3.3 billion in one year say the law enforcement approach to drugs has failed to protect people and commerce.

DRUG ABUSE– AUSTRALIA
War on ice targets foreign supply – The Age
Australian police will increase their presence overseas as part of the federal government's new push to tackle the ice epidemic.

ALCOHOL – INDIA
Alcohol Abuse During College Days Leads to Heart Disease in Later Life – MedIndia
Students who drink heavily during the college days has an increased chance of getting heart disease in the future, reports researchers at the American Heart Association's 8th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis.

ALCOHOL – USA
High schoolers get lesson on alcohol safety – Carroll County Times
Alcohol may not be available to teenagers legally, but during senior week, they are going to get it anyway, according to one school resource officer.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Drug study: Avenues exist besides the drug culture – The Daily Collegian
A recent study brought some very disturbing information to light: Almost half of college students nationwide, about 3.8 million people, binge drink or abuse

RITALIN – USA
Experts say linked to long list of school shooting sprees – WorldNetDaily
Investigators also may want to check his medicine cabinet, because psychiatric drugs have been linked to hundreds of violent episodes, including most of the school shootings in the last two decades.

ALCOHOL – USA
Plenty of reason to worry about teens and alcohol – Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
Clearly, alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs on the market today. Every year it is ranked as one the most common causes of death for teens and young adults.

METH – USA
An edgy, honest look at meth addiction – KTVA News
With prolonged meth use, a person will experience drug cravings, severe weight loss, withdrawal-related depression, rapid tooth decay or meth mouth.

April 21st Drug Addiction Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise among kids – Noblesville Daily Times
Parents are often unaware that pills are being pilfered from their prescription bottles or they don’t want to know.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse paves wide path to illicit drug use – The Village News
America’s war on street drugs routinely garners headlines but much less attention is given to the problem with prescription drug abuse, despite the fact that it is more widespread than abuse of all types of illicit drugs combined.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Local meth addicts deliver powerful radio message – Shakopee Valley News
Jenny, a Scott County mother, tells this story and how she lost custody of her children because of a meth addiction in a pair of radio ads.

ADDERALL – USA
Study: drug abuse on the rise – The Daily Targum
Cramming for exams and pulling all-nighters for students has become synonymous with drinking any and all forms of caffeine - such as coffee or soda - or purchasing over-the-counter caffeine pills. But college students are also introducing prescription drugs into their study habits.

HEROIN- QATAR
Britain’s drug problem worst in Europe: study – Gulf Times
Britain has the worst level of drug abuse in Europe and the second-highest rate of drug-related deaths, according to a study published yesterday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Youth leaders educate BOC on alcohol awareness issues – Curry County Reporter
A group of high school student leaders from Gold Beach, Pacific and Brookings-Harbor high schools, discuss their efforts to raise drug and alcohol awareness.

ADDICTION – USA
Town Hall studies teen addiction – Casa Grande Valley News
Teens, both boys and girls, report that during their lunch hour, they'll go somewhere to get high or to drink, and come back without anyone noticing.