June 13th Drug Addiction News

HEROIN – USA
Deadly $2 heroin targets teens – CNN News
A cheap, highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation.

DRUGS – USA
Report: Drug Deaths On Rise In Florida – Local 10 News
Illegal and prescription drugs were listed as the official cause of death in thousands of Florida autopsies.

CODEINE – UK
WOMEN'S HEALTH RISKS – Mirror News
Painkiller addiction affects 20,000 Britons. Seventy per cent are women, and of those more than half are housewives who started taking the pills to tackle problems such as backache.

METH – USA
So Long Crystal Meth, Hello Cocaine! – STATS
The Sunday Styles section helpfully pointed users and potential users (and presumably police as well) to online advertisements and tried to give the terminally un-hip some clues about current cocaine references in pop culture.

METH – USA
Native group tackles meth problems – KTUU News
According to NCAI delegates, meth manufacturers and dealers are targeting Indian Country because they view the population as more vulnerable and enforcement lenient.

METH – USA
An anti-meth campaign in a rural community – Range News
Willcox, Arizona is not immune to the devastation of methamphetamine, not unlike many other rural communities across the United States.

METH – USA
Tribal leaders unveil new ‘meth toolkit’ – KOB 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.

COCAINE – USA
Cocaine's Cachet Quietly Rising – Join Together
In certain trendy circles, cocaine use is enjoying a comeback reminiscent of its heyday in the '70s and '80s, the New York Times reported June 10.

DRUGS – UNITED NATIONS
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – UNODC
The slogan of the UNODC anti-drugs campaign to be launched on 26 June, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, is "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs." The slogan will be used for three years and focus on different aspects of drug control.

ALCOHOL – UK
UK drinking habits in flux – The Publican
UK drinking habits are in a state of flux following a period of responsible drinking messages, says a new report.

METH – USA
Montana Meth Ads Maybe Coming to Wichita – WIBW News
Authorities are hoping to crack down on methamphetamine related crimes by convincing kids not to try the drug even once.

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 8th Drug Addiction News

METHADONE – UK
Grieving mum's tragic drugs plea – Wigan Observer
A mother whose teenage son died from a lethal dose of methadone says PARENTS must be educated about drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
New U.K. Alcohol Strategy Includes Adult Drinkers – Join Together
Kids are the typical targets for campaigns to prevent problem drinking, but a new strategy unveiled in Great Britain also includes a focus on older adults who drink at home.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcopop Billboards Banned Around Schools, Parks, Churches – Join Together
The Illinois House last week approved a ban on billboard ads for alcopop drinks within 500 feet of schools, churches, parks and amusement parks.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Crisis Grips Australia – HULIQ
Alcohol is enfolding Australia in its grip. A new report says that one in eight Aussies drinks at dangerous levels.

ALCOHOL – GERMANY
Powdered Alcohol Causes Legal Dilemma – Short News
Booz2Go, a product developed by students in Holland that contains powdered alcohol, has the potential to be legally purchased by minors.

HEROIN – USA
Cheap heroin gains popularity with teens – The Union of Grass Valley
If you overhear kids talking about "cheese," you may want to listen a little closer - they may not be discussing their favorite pizza topping, but rather, a killer version of heroin popular with teens.

PAINKILLER – CANADA
Painkiller ruled addictive – Straight Goods
The maker of the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and three executives pleaded guilty Thursday to making false claims about the drug's risk of addiction.

METH – USA
Officials: Meth Law Working, More Work Needed – KETV Omaha News
Iowa public safety officials said Wednesday that the state's tough anti-methamphetamine law is working -- but the job isn't done.

May 18th Drug Addiction News

METH – AUSTRALIA
GPs key to breaking 'ice' epidemic – The Age
A Sydney doctor is urging fellow GPs to lead the fight against methamphetamines and help end the nation's devastating "ice" epidemic.

METH – USA
'Candy-Flavored' Meth Makes Its Way To Nebraska – KTIV
Most kids know how to "just say no to drugs." But, when drugs like meth are disguised to look like candy it may end up being just too good for kids to resist.

METH – USA
Flavored meth presents dangerous new drug trend – KHAS TV
A new type of methamphetamine that targets young children is making its way across the country. It is candy–flavored meth.

METH – USA
Authorities on the Look out for Candy-Flavor Meth – KCRG News
It may sound like an Internet rumor, but candy-flavor meth is real, and is a real threat. But drug investigators tell TV9 they can't find it in Iowa, at least not yet.

ALCOHOL – USA
Quebecers and alcohol in 2007: An overall healthy approach, despite specific problems to resolve and certain needs that must be addressed – News Wire
Quebecers have a healthy approach to alcohol. While, over the past five years, drinking habits have become more regular and the consumption of wines and spirits has continued to grow.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Use Up in Teen Girls – Web Med
The number of teens, especially girls, taking prescription drugs for type 2 diabetes, sleep problems, and other illnesses is up.

METH – USA
Nevada meth study panel hears examples from other states – WMC-TV Action News
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel joined other state attorney generals in Las Vegas today for a conference on methamphetamine.

DRUGS – USA
Inhalant Abuse – Pediatrics Publications
Inhalant abuse is the intentional inhalation of a volatile substance for the purpose of achieving an altered mental state. As an important, yet-underrecognized form of substance abuse, inhalant abuse crosses all demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries, causing significant morbidity and mortality in school-aged and older children.

DRUGS – USA
Sales of Home Drug-Test Kits Soar Despite Warnings from Experts – Join Together
The number of parents buying home drug-test kits has increased dramatically despite warnings from treatment professionals and government officials that home-testing adolescents is not a good idea.

DRUGS – USA
Industry Group Launches Website on Cough Medicine Abuse – Join Together
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), which represents manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, has launched an educational campaign on cough medicine abuse focused on a new website.

HEROIN – USA
Deadly Combination of Heroin and Cold Medicine Invades Dallas – Join Together
A deadly mixture of heroin and cold medication, called "cheese," has become a scourge among youth in the Dallas area.

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 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.

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 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.

April 18 Drug Addiction Headlines

HEROIN – USA
“Cheese” heroin killing kids in Dallas – Hot Air
As many as 17 Dallas County teenagers have died since 2005 from overdoses of the popular new form of heroin known as “cheese” – the most visible sign yet that more youths are caught in the grip of a growing crisis.

METH – USA
Scottsdale Students Get First Look at Arizona's New Meth Prevention Campaign – PR Newswire
Earlier today at Cocopah Middle School in Scottsdale, a classroom of eighth-graders got a first look at some of the television and print advertisements that depict the detrimental impacts of Meth use and that will ultimately be seen by teens across Arizona.

CANNABIS – UK
Cannabis use rife among teens – Scenta News
Research from Queen’s University Belfast has discovered that one in ten school children who had reported using cannabis at least once had now become daily users.

ALCOHOL – UK
British least likely to be breath-tested – Times Online
Britain has one of the worst records in Europe for reducing deaths from drink-driving, according to a study that calls for much tougher enforcement of the limit.

HEROIN – USA
Lethal heroin drug mix plagues Dallas schools – Seattle Times
The number of Dallas students getting hooked on a new drug called "cheese" is skyrocketing, with arrests for the heroin mix up 82 percent this school year.

CANNABIS –UK
One-third of pupils have tried cannabis by the age of 15 – The Independent
One in three young teenagers have used cannabis, some on a daily basis, according to new research. The study appears to confirm growing fears among teachers that joints have become the 21st-century equivalent of smoking behind the bike sheds.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth Making Its Way To Siouxland – KTIV News
Methamphetamine labs are declining in number in the Hawkeye State after a state law disrupted the flow of some raw materials used to make meth.

PRESCRIPTION – CANADA
Cramming students cautioned against taking stimulant without prescription – CBC News
It is not known how many students are using Dexedrine to study. Robin Tribble said its use is widespread among her friends in first year who live in residence. Some of the people are now dependent on Dexedrine for studying, she said.

April 17 Drug Addiction Headlines

HEROIN – USA
An Innocent Name For A Deadly Drug – ABC News
A New Kind Of Heroin Called "Cheese" Is Turning Teens Into Addicts And Causing Deaths.

ADDICTS – USA
Revolving Door for Addicts Adds to Medicaid Cost – The New York Times
With grim humor, some doctors in New York call them “frequent fliers” — addicts who check into hospital detoxification units so often that dozens of them spend more than 100 nights a year in those wards.

BENZODIAZEPINE – AUSTRALIA
Hotline reveals community under a hypnotic spell – The Australian
SLEEP medicine specialists have been amazed by the publicity surrounding recent reports of hundreds of callers inundating a Queensland pharmacy hotline with stories about unusual side effects after taking the world's most commonly prescribed hypnotic, zolpidem (Stilnox in Australia and Europe, Ambien in the USA).

COCAINE – USA
Legal Cocaine Will Soon Be Available – Associated Content
The Redux Beverages Company has been warned by the FDA about its packaging and promotion of a new drink being introduced by the company.

METH – USA
Osborne talks to students about meth addiction – KHAS TV News
He may no longer be a Congressman, but that is not slowing down Tom Osborne from working to improve the meth problem in Nebraska.

METH – USA
Community on Ice: The Meth Epidemic – LasVegasNow.com
Methamphetamine abuse in Nevada has been described as an epidemic problem. The Silver State ranks number one in the country for meth users over the age of 12.

METH – DENMARK
Gritty New Ads for Montana Meth Project Show Effect on Family and Friends – AdLand
Known for its gritty and hard-hitting portrayal of meth use, the latest ads for the Montana Meth Project don't disappoint.

ALCOHOL – USA
School to enforce alcohol-free dances with breath tests – The Dallas Morning News
Students at Wahlert High School are being tested to make sure they're not DUI – dancing under the influence.

PRESCRIPTION – INDIA
Youths pop prescription pills to get a high – Daily News & Analysis
An occasional puff or a beer are no longer cool enough for youngsters to get a high. Narcotics are now the ‘in-thing’ and youth are turning to prescription medicines, especially painkillers and cough syrups, to get their high.

April 16 Drug Addiction Headlines

HEROIN – USA
`Cheese' plague escalates in Dallas school district – Ohio.com
The number of Dallas students getting hooked on a new drug called "cheese" is skyrocketing, with arrests for the heroin mix up 82 percent so far this school year.

METH – NEW ZEALAND
Aussie opposition launches anti-meth plan – Stuff New Zealand
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said use of methamphetamine – including speed, ice and crystal meth – was rife with a recent study suggesting 100,000 Australians of all ages used the drugs in the last week.

METH – IRELAND
Baking Soda Could Go Behind the Counter – The Epoch Times
A Missouri state legislator is seeking to regulate baking soda sales in hopes of curbing crack cocaine production.

METH – CANADA
PROTOCOL IN PLACE TO PROTECT METH'S YOUNGEST VICTIMS – Manitoba Government
New measures to help protect Manitoba communities against the devastating effects of crystal meth, including mandatory procedures for decontamination and assessment of children found in home-based meth labs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Forum addresses teens' drug and alcohol abuse – Contra Costa Times
IN A RECENT survey given to Pleasanton's high school students, 17 percent of ninth graders and 35 percent of 11th graders admitted to drinking alcohol in the past 30 days.

March 30 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol top killer – Herald Sun
An internationally recognised study found 72,000 young people suffered alcohol-related deaths in the developed world during 2000, with young Australians and Britons the most in danger.

ADDICTION – USA
City of Phoenix Tackles Meth Addiction – KTAR News
On the street, it's referred to as uppers, speed, crank, crystal and glass. But, no matter what you call it, meth is dangerous.

DRUGS – UK
Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey – Home Office
ALMOST half of young people aged between 11 and 15 have never had a proper alcoholic drink, six out of ten have never smoked and drug taking prevalence has dropped.

METH – USA
DEA: Candy-flavored meth is new ploy by drug dealers – WBIR News
Reports of candy-flavored methamphetamine are emerging around the nation, stirring concern among police and abuse prevention experts that drug dealers are marketing the drug to younger people.

ALCOHOL – UK
Tide Is Turning In The Fight Against Substance Misuse Amongst Young People, UK – Medical News Today
In 2006, 21 per cent drank alcohol in the previous week, dropping from 26 per cent in 2001. Almost half of the young people surveyed said they had never had a proper alcoholic drink.

HEROIN & METH – USA
Meth, Heroin Lead List Of Drug-Related Deaths – KPTV Fox News
Drug-related deaths in 2006 were the highest in Oregon since 1999, according to an annual report released by the Oregon state medical examiner.

METH – USA
Meth-related deaths set a record in Oregon in 2006 – The Oregonian
Deaths related to methamphetamine were at an all-time high in Oregon in 2006.

METH – USA
Warriors Against Meth to present conference at BCC on March 30 – The Glacier Reporter
"Warriors Against Meth" is a group begun in 2003 by Tana Fleury as a way to get people together who wanted to make a dent in a problem recognized by many but thus far solved by no one.

METH – USA
Flavored Meth – KAUZ News
By now we've all heard about the dangers of meth. That's why dealers are creating a new lure to target your youth.

METH – USA
Meth dangers chronicled – Whistler Question
The crystal meth “wave” hasn’t hit the two towns, but community members should know what to look for so they can identify methamphetamine labs and dump sites if the deadly drug begins to move in.

METH – USA
‘Ice’ becomes drug enforcement nightmare – MSNBC
Ice is a powerful form of the stimulant methamphetamine and is very addictive.

METH – USA
The quest against meth is just beginning – The Southern
If you ever doubted the deadly power of methamphetamine, one look at the front page of Wednesday's issue of The Southern Illinoisan might have changed your mind.

March 26 Drug Headlines

CANNABIS – BULGARIA
The Independent:UN warns of cannabis dangers as it backs 'IoS' drugs 'apology' – Focus News
The United Nations has issued an unprecedented warning to Britain about the growing threat to public health from potent new forms of cannabis.

METH – CANADA
Meth curse can strike anywhere – Edmonton Sun News
A city drug cop says the meth-induced downward spiral of the privileged daughter of Alberta's top judge proves the demon drug doesn't discriminate between victims.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug dangers, focus of campaign – NBC News
It's spring cleaning that could save someone's life. Operation Medicine Cabinet is getting parents to throw out unused drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, tobacco make top 10 list of risky drugs – MSNBC
British study rated the substances more dangerous than marijuana, Ecstasy.

METH – USA
Yuma, we have a problem: Meth is everywhere – Yuma Sun
You could pretty much go to any neighborhood and probably find meth - either someone using it or selling it.

METH – USA
Meth dealers hit the schoolyards with a new bag of tricks – Catoosa County News
Meth is old news in Georgia. Since appearing on the scene around 2001, it quickly became the state’s fastest spreading drug problem.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin a problem in Valley schools, police official says – East Valley Tribune
Parents leaving Gilbert’s annual drug prevention seminar Thursday night felt prepared to begin a conversation with their kids about drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, drugs and violence impact the youth – eMax Health
A new survey of Washington students shows most kids are saying no to alcohol, drug use, and other risky behaviors, but too many continue to risk their health.

OPIUM – CANADA
Ninety per cent of British heroin is from Afghanistan, says U.K. attorney general – Victoria Times Colonist
Ninety per cent of the heroin in Britain comes from Afghanistan’s booming poppy trade.

METH – USA
'Meth is a monster,' says recovering addict – Ventura County Star
Methamphetamine has invaded Ventura County. In the past five years, addiction to this devastating stimulant has surpassed heroin, cocaine and other drugs

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 14 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Docs Call for Ban on Alcohol Ads in College Sports – Join Together
The American Medical Association (AMA) is paying for a series of ads in college newspapers calling on schools to stop accepting alcohol advertising during college sports events.

HEROIN – USA
Boston-Area Heroin Use Declining – Join Together
A new report from the Boston Public Health Commission indicates that heroin use may be declining in the Boston area, reversing a trend that has raised alarm about use of the drug in recent years.

DRUGS – UK
Substance abuse project extended – BBC News
A project tackling drug and alcohol misuse among children is being extended, it has been revealed.

HEROIN – RUSSIA
Russia hit by flood of heroin – ABC News
Last year, Afghanistan produced a record crop of opium poppies; production increased by nearly 60 per cent. It's now begun hitting the streets of Europe as high-grade heroin, and healthcare workers are bracing for a surge in drug overdoses.

HEROIN – BULGARIA
Heroin-the Most Often Drug-Traffic Powder in Bulgaria – International News
Heroin has the biggest part of drug traffic in Bulgaria.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey finds many county youngsters drink alcohol – Journal Times Online
Nearly one in four Racine County eighth-graders have drunk alcohol in the past month, according to a study by a local nonprofit organization.

DRUGS – USA
Misuse of pharmaceuticals linked to more ER visits – USA Today
Overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter drugs are sending more people than ever to emergency rooms.

OPIUM – AUSTRALIA
Afghan opium crop plagues European streets – ABC Online
While it remains an open question as to who's winning the war on terrorism, in Afghanistan at least, there's no doubt who's winning on the second front in that country the drug war.

METH – USA
Auburn Forum to address Meth use – Roseville and Rocklin Today
The purpose of the forum is to increase awareness of meth abuse in communities such as Auburn, identify how drug-related behavior affects communities and brainstorm about possible solutions.

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 10 Drug Headlines

HEROIN – USA
New Report Shows Heroin Abuse Decreasing – Boston Channel
Heroin abuse in the city has stabilized in the past year, but alcohol remains a major substance of abuse.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse Increases In Southeast Texas – KBTV
Authorities say prescription drug abuse is out of hand in Southeast Texas.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Ads in NCAA Sports Targeted – Central Florida News
Full-page ads in college newspapers Friday call on university leaders, athletic conferences and the NCAA to "stop the madness" by banning alcohol marketing from college sports.

ALCOHOL – USA
Extra Mile applauds surgeon general’s actions – Fremont Tribune
Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life.

METH – USA
Flavored meth targets children – Idaho Press Tribune
Idaho drug and law enforcement officials are on the lookout for a new brightly colored version of methamphetamine that is either strawberry or chocolate flavored, resembles rock candy and targets the youngest potential addicts.

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 4 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Governor kicks off "March Against Meth" month – IDAHO News Now
If your child hasn't heard about meth, they just might, thanks to a statewide campaign to educate children about the drug.

METH – USA
Toxic Meth Chemicals Lead to New Bill – My Fox Cleveland
According to DEA, the toxic chemicals used to make meth get into everything from walls to woodwork to carpets to furniture and can remain there for up to ten years.

METH – USA
Police On The Lookout For Strawberry Meth – Local ABC News
There's a new method drug dealers are using to get kids hooked on methamphetamine. It's called strawberry meth.

ALCOHOL – IRELAND
60% of pregnant women drink alcohol – The Irish Times
It examines trends in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs by over 120,000 pregnant women during the past two decades.

METH – USA
Faces tell methamphetamine story – The Dalles Chroniclce
The faces of meth are not pretty. King has put together a video showing the effect prolonged use of methamphetamine has on people. His pictorial subjects were inmates at the Multnomah County Jail.

DRUGS – USA
U.S. report cites friends, foes in global drug war – MSNBC
In its annual global survey of the drug war, the department said massive opium poppy production in Afghanistan, long the world's top producer of the main ingredient for heroin, continued to pose a major threat

OPIUM – USA
Opium called key – Kansas City Star
Success in Afghanistan depends less on defeating the Taliban than it does on curbing the country’s opium trade and cleaning up corrupt courts and police.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin activity in county rises – Longmont FYI
The Boulder County Drug Task Force is investigating an increase in heroin-related activity that officers say is illustrated by five fatal overdoses over the past five months.

Feb 22 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 20 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 12 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 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 30 Drug Headlines

DRUGS – USA
Report: Drug firm distorted Paxil test results – MSNBC
GlaxoSmithKline Plc was accused on Monday of distorting clinical trial results of its antidepressant Seroxat, or Paxil, and covering up a link with suicide in teenagers.

HEROIN – USA
Bucking U.S., Afghanistan won’t spray heroin – MSNBC
Rebuffing months of U.S. pressure, President Hamid Karzai has decided Afghanistan will not implement a Colombia-style program to spray the country's heroin-producing poppies, bowing to pressure from top Cabinet members who feared a popular backlash, officials said Thursday.

OPIUM – JAPAN
Despite Colombian government claim, opium crops persist – Mainichi Daily News
It was touted as a landmark in the U.S.-backed war on drugs: Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos took a two-foot-long machete and cut down what he said was the "last plant of opium poppy in the country."

OPIUM – AUSTRALIA
Afghanistan won't spray opium poppies – The Australian
Intense American pressure has failed to persuade President Karzai to start chemically spraying Afghanistan's opium poppy crop in an attempt to cripple the heroin trade.

OPIUM – USA
Afghanistan refuses to spray opium poppies – States Man
Despite U.S. pressure, Afghan government says it won't spray herbicide to kill heroin-producing poppies.

METH – USA
Strawberry meth seized in search – Nevada Appeal
A new kind of methamphetamine that has a strawberry flavor and bright pink coloring was seized for the first time in Carson City during a search of a Como Street apartment on Saturday, an official said.

METH – USA
Placer High video to show dangers of meth – Auburn Journal
Placer High students were caught on film smoking meth on campus Friday afternoon. Funny thing is, their teacher was the one encouraging them to do it.

METH – USA
Learning the reponsibilites of Meth Task Force responders – WWMT
Even though we've seen the number of meth labs decline over the last year, the problem has not been wiped out.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin drug of choice in Shelby – Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
Shelby police Capt. Lance Combs has seen too much of heroin in his town. "A lot of use, a lot of abuse, lots of overdoses and a lot of trafficking," he said. "It runs the gamut."

Jan 25 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Methadone clinics eyed as part of drug abuse focus – Herald Dispatch
A spate of fatal overdoses has prompted lawmakers to examine drug abuse in West Virginia, starting with methadone.

METH – USA
Clarksburg City Council Targets Methadone Clinic – Wboy.com
Clarksburg city council is urging state legislators to review regulations for methadone clinics. Methadone is supposed to help addicts stay off illegal drugs. Some Clarksburg officials say the clinics that distribute it are doing more harm than good.

HYDROCODONE – USA
For Pain or for Party
Partying with a cocktail of alcohol and prescription painkillers or sedatives seems to be a growing trend.

METH – USA
Police issue warning on spread of crystal meth – Guardian Unlimited
Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, the highly addictive drug prevalent across the US and Australia, is present in almost every town and city in England and Wales, according to an internal police report.

METH – CANADA
'Meth-mouth' turning up in the Yukon – CBC News
Yukon dentists who are dealing with what they suspect is damage from crystal meth use say they are seeing more cases all the time.

HEROIN – IRLAND
Heroin use increasing in city – Limerick Post
The use and abuse of heroin in Limerick is growing at a rate comparable to Dublin, city councillor, Diarmuid Scully has warned.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Don't give away prescription drugs; you will be responsible – Daily Dispatch
People who give their prescription drugs to someone else are responsible if whoever else ultimately ends up with them winds up injured - or dead - the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Jan 18 Drug Headlines

METHADONE – UK
There are more on methadone than ever – News Scotsman
City drugs tsar and former deputy chief constable Tom Wood is quite correct to hail a drop in the number of heroin addicts as an encouraging sign, especially when not so long ago he was predicting that the levels of heroin abuse in Edinburgh threatened to return to the levels of the dark days of Trainspotting. But although the most recent fall is to be welcomed, the success is somewhat overshadowed by a further increase in the numbers taking methadone.

NARCOTICS – USA
Long-term Narcotics Use For Back Pain May Be Ineffective And Lead To Abuse – Science Daily
Narcotic drugs (opioids) are commonly prescribed for short-term relief of chronic back pain, but their effectiveness long-term has been questioned in a review article by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, who also found that behaviors consistent with opioid abuse was reported in 24 percent of cases.

ADDICTION – PHILIPPINES
The path to drug addiction – ABS CBN Interactive
Once a person gets into drugs, a number of paths will be taken. If he is lucky, a bit of experimentation will be all that is needed to satisfy his curiosity. That is if he does not get hooked on the drugs he is playing with.

METH – USA
Community looks at devastation of meth addiction – Aldergrove Star
Methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, is becoming the drug of choice for many young people, with devastating consequences.

HEROIN – USA
State warns heroin blend could become a problem – Morning Sentinel
Public health and public safety officials worry that a type of heroin blend that has led to hundreds of overdoses elsewhere in the country could become a serious problem in Maine.

ADDERALL – USA
Students give the straight dope about drug use in Weston – The Weston Forum
Nikki Phillips was a beautiful star athlete, bright and personable, who seemed to have everything going for her. Yet in a moment, she was gone.

Jan 10 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – UK
Dealing with alcohol-related problems at work – Norwich Union Risk Services
A new guide has been published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to help small medium-sized businesses deal with alcohol-related problems at work.

METH – USA
Meth problem worth all the attention it receives – Nevada Appeal
It's possible that nobody you know uses meth, but that doesn't mean the drug isn't affecting your life.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking Common Among High Schoolers
Researchers working with the CDC and SAMHSA have released their analysis of data that has been culled from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The group was looking into rates of binge drinking, defined as drinking five or more drinks in a row, among high school students.

METH – USA
Meth Call Center
It has become Nevada's most serious drug problem, and it's getting worse.

HEROIN – USA
'Candy' an articulate look at heroin addiction – Scripps News
Too much of a good thing isn't much fun. And too much of a bad thing that feels like a good thing for a while - even though you and everyone around you know it's actually a bad thing - can be deadly.

METH – UK
Frequent methamphetamine use associated with primary NNRTI resistance in gay men – Aids Map
Frequent methamphetamine use is associated with primary resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in gay men, according to a study conducted in San Francisco and published in the January

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 17 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Cold turkey plan for Scots addicts - The Scotman
The biggest shake-up of drugs policy for 20 years is to be pushed through by Labour in a bid to get Scotland's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other deadly substances.

GENERAL - US
Drugs might be the reason the season has been so violent - Our Midland
A carjacking and attempted kidnapping in broad daylight at a grocery store in Midland has a number of people wondering what is going on in our community. Even the police have taken notice, with one official saying that criminal behavior in Midland is changing and becoming more serious.

HEROIN - US
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears - BBC
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear. Two men and a woman, aged in their 20s, died in separate incidents while a fourth man remains seriously ill.

HEROIN - UK
Take the war on drugs to the poppy fields - The Observer
Heroin isn't a snob. Nor, to be strictly accurate, is it an inverted snob. Here at least it cannot be faulted. Class As are impressively classless; heroin is happy to enter your bloodstream whatever your bloodline.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Bongs set for national ban
The Howard Government is pushing for a ban on the sale of marijuana bongs throughout Australia. The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, said the Government believed the legal sale of bongs sent a tacit signal that the Government approved the use of such drugs.

METH - AUSTRALIA
Ice smuggled in through 'porous borders'
Cracks in Australia's border protection are being blamed for the smuggling of the potentially lethal drug ice. NSW Police Minister John Watkins accused the federal government on Sunday of not doing enough to catch drug smugglers, saying more shipping containers should be checked for ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine.

GENERAL - US
Sobering Vacation
A new wave of addiction treatment centers is turning Malibu into the capital of luxury rehab -- and raising questions about whether five-star service and recovery mix.

GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Scotland shakes up drug laws
Scotland is undergoing a shake-up in its drug policy, with proposals to help get the country's 50,000 addicts off heroin and other drugs.

HEROIN - AFGHAN
Drug war, Taliban, poppies are all in full flower Opium, thugs bloom under U.S. policies in Afghanistan war
A little more than five years since the start of the Bush administration's Afghan war, the "ousted" Taliban is back in full flower, and so is the notorious Afghan poppy. There's no doubt the two are intimately connected.

HEROIN - UK
Three die amid 'bad heroin' fears
Three drug users have died in a week after injecting themselves with "contaminated" heroin, police fear.

GENERAL - US
Meth down, heroin on rise
Lately, when grand juries hand up indictments for drug charges, meth-lab cooks are conspicuously absent, and the drugs of choice now seem to be heroin, cocaine and pills.

MARIJUANA - UK
Drug dealers offer cash to home growers
After a police crackdown in Britain, drug dealers reportedly are paying customers to grow marijuana in their homes.

Dec 16 Drug Headlines

Slow, must be the weekend before Xmas thing. Here you go:

METH - US
Mobile Meth Lab Found in Marshall County
It's a first for Marshall County and a potentially dangerous find for the West Virginia State Police. State troopers made a routine traffic stop Thursday night of a vehicle and conducted a search that turned up ingredients for a methamphetamine lab.

HEROIN - AFGHAN
US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
US Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.

Dec 15 Drug Headlines

MARIJUANA - US
Prosecutors may change marijuana limits
Limits on the number of marijuana plants people with doctors' recommendations are allowed to grow in Nevada County may become more stringent in coming months, as the district attorney-elect re-evaluates local standards for cultivation of the drug.

MARIJUANA - US
City aims to prohibit medicinal marijuana dispensaries
Simi Valley could soon become the first city in Ventura County to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.

HEROIN - AFGHAN
Southwest Asia: US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies
Office of National Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced Saturday at a Kabul press conference that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement.

METH - US
Governor Wants Money for Meth-Addicted Mothers
In addition to a big tax cut and a hefty gift for public schools, Governor Jon Huntsman Junior wants five million dollars to help meth-addicted mothers recover. Salt Lake City Meth Initiative Project Manager Marjean Searcy hopes the money will cut current waiting lists for treatment.

GENERAL - US
Bangor: Addiction treatment of mothers explored
The growing problem of opiate addiction was the focus of a presentation at Eastern Maine Medical Center on Thursday morning by national specialist and researcher Dr. Martha Wunsch, M.D.

HEROIN - US
Seizures Show increase in heroin smuggling
Officials report a substantial increase in the smuggling of heroin although seizures of other drugs are remaining stable . Seizures by the Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force have shown an increase in heroin smuggling.

Dec 14 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPTION - US
FDA Set to Add to Antidepressant Warnings, Allow Emotion to Sway Policy
It seems all but a certainty that the FDA will proceed forward with its plan to add to the existing black box warning on SSRI class antidepressants. After hearing testimony and deliberating yesterday, the FDA's advisory panel recommended that the current warnings be expanded to include warnings of increased suicidality among those receiving antidepressants up to the age of 24.

METH - AUSTRALIA
States urged to ban 'ice' pipes - ABC News
The Federal Government is pushing for tougher action from the states to deal with problems associated with crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, the drug commonly known as 'ice'.

ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA
Parents warned about impact of supplying alcohol to Schoolies - ABC News
A Gold Coast city councillor says parents need to understand the consequences of supplying their teenagers with alcohol to be consumed during Schoolies Week.

ALCOHOL - UK
Drunk, disorderly and unpoliced: coming to a town centre near you
John Reid has surrendered town centres to drunken thugs over the Christmas party season by axing a police crackdown on their appalling behaviour. Police and trading standards teams normally receive an extra £2.5m of cash to flood the streets with extra officers, and stop shops selling alcohol to children.

GENERAL - IRELAND
Many suspected drink drivers on drugs
A new study has found that a significant number of Irish drivers who were suspected of drink driving but were then found to be below the legal blood alcohol level, later tested positive for a range of drugs.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Teens Using Ambien As A 'Party Drug'
The government said Ambien is safe if you follow the directions, but teenagers and college students are using the drug to get high. When Ambien is abused, there are serious health risks. Users said the drug makes them high and even blackout. It is a party drug with street names including "A-minus" and "Zombie pills". College students said they are seeing the drug more and more frequently on campus.

HEROIN - HUNGARY
Hungary to become a key transit country of heroin trade
With a sharp rise in Afghan heroin production, Hungary has become a popular transit country for drug traffickers supplying the western European market, national daily Népszabadság said on Thursday.

HEROIN - IRELAND
Explosion of heroin on streets of Carlow
A huge explosion of heroin has swamped the Carlow market as organised crime gangs target the town. Yet while the local market is awash with drugs and Carlow becomes the latest victim of thieving Dublin crime gangs Carlow gardaí remain desperately understaffed.

GENERAL - CANADA
U.S. Involved in Discussions of Canadian Drug Strategy - Join Together
U.S. government officials are keeping a close eye on discussions of a new national drug strategy in Canada, which appears to be moving toward a more tough-minded approach after the government embraced harm reduction initiatives several years ago.

GENERAL - MEXICO
New President of Mexico Launches Anti-Drug Blitz - Join Togehter
In what is being called the first major initiative since his inauguration earlier this month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered the deployment of about 4,000 troops to help combat drug crime in his home state of Michoacan.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Some Prescription Drugs Not Approved by FDA
All of us, at one time or another, will need prescription drugs, but did you know that your next prescription may not have the government's approval? Oxycodone, hydrochloride, Phenobarbital and chloral hydrate are all popularly prescribed medications, but none of them is FDA approved.

METH - AUSTRALIA
States reject ban on ice pipes
The states and territories have rejected a federal MP's call for a uniform national ban on pipes used to smoke the drug ice.

METH - AUSTRALIA
Drug conference proposes new approaches to ice problem
Methamphetamine is the drug police forces seem to be most worried about at the moment. Also known as ice, crystal, or meth, it can be smoked, injected or swallowed.

METH - US
Santa Barbara County Methamphetamine Prevention Summit Held in Buellton
Santa Barbara County's growing addiction to crystal meth is the subject of the first ever county-wide prevention summit.

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 12 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - MEXICO
Calderon vows war against notorious drug gangs - CNN
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico's main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Walters Says Poppies in Afghanistan Will Be Sprayed - Join Together
The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) said at a news conference that Afghan poppies will be sprayed with herbicide to combat a steep rise in opium production in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported Dec. 9.

GENERAL - MEXICO
Mexico launches drugs crackdown - BBC
Thousands of Mexican troops are patrolling the streets in Michoacan state in an anti-drug trafficking drive ordered by President Felipe Calderon.

GENERAL - UK
Christmas crackdown on city drugs - BBC
Anti-social behaviour and illegal drug use in Leicester city centre are to be targeted as part of a police operation to clean up the city. Plain-clothed and uniformed officers will work with the force's passive drugs dog to "disrupt and detect" people involved with illegal drugs.

ALCOHOL - UK
What's your poison? - The Guardian
Many of us would like to believe that different types of alcohol can produce very different effects. If only it were that simple, reports Emine Saner

ALCOHOL - US
B Vitamins Are Efficacious for Alcoholic Polyneuropathy - Join Together
Both the direct toxic effects of alcohol and alcoholism-associated vitamin deficiencies can cause mild to incapacitating sensorimotor polyneuropathy.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Northern Rivers a haven for drugmakers: Police - Northern Star
The Northern Rivers is becoming a manufacturing centre for drugs aimed at the Brisbane and Gold Coast markets, police fear. And despite recent big busts, the problem is growing.

CANNABIS - US
Young cannabis users 'suffer from paranoia and blackouts' - 24 Dash
Anti-drug campaigners have called for urgent research into the effects of cannabis on teenagers' mental health after a survey found half of young users suffer paranoia and blackouts.

GENERAL - MEXICO
Thousands of Mexican troops ordered to arrest smugglers, burn marijuana and opium fields - Boston Herald
Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico’s main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia.

HEROIN - CANADA
Addicts turn to hillbilly heroin - Edmonton Sun
Heroin use is fading out in Canada, but local addicts are increasingly turning to "hillbilly heroin" to bring them down from cocaine and meth highs, say cops and outreach workers.

HEROIN - US
City heroin's havoc in hinterlands - Philadephia Daily News
I've been teaching at a northeastern Pennsylvania community college for the last three years. The region has been a gold mine for heroin dealers from the "Badlands" area of North Philadelphia that serves as an open-air drug market. I've quickly learned to identify those students who are users and have come to realize that heroin isn't just an inner-city problem.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Waismann Method of Detoxification Successfully Treats Severe Morphine and Methadone Levels While Leaving Patients With Reduced Pain
The Waismann Method of Opiate Detoxification announced today the successful treatment of two patients taking dangerously high doses of prescription pain-relieving drugs. Both patients are now opiate-free and in less pain than they were prior to detoxification.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
The Drug Czar Has Another Brilliant Idea - Stop The Drug War
Afghanistan is in flames. The Taliban are resurgent. The opium economy provides livelihoods for millions of Afghans. And now, US drug czar John Walters announces over the weekend, that Afghanistan will begin spraying the poppy fields with glyphosate, the same stuff we've been using with such great success in Colombia against the coca crops.

METH - US
White House tabs coalition: Anti-drug efforts recognized - News Zap
With less than one year under its belt, the Northeast Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine garnered recognition from the Bush Administration. Paul Skoczylas, staff member of the President’s Office of National Drug Policy, presented to the group Nov. 30 a certificate commending the coalition’s meth prevention and education efforts.

Dec 9 Drug Headlines

HEROIN - AFGHAN
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herald Tribune
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Saturday that Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year, a measure likely to anger farmers and scare Afghans unfamiliar with weed killers.

GENERAL - TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan Grapples With Drug Addiction - Washington Post
Central Asia's poorest county is also one of the world's leading transit routes for heroin, opium and other drugs from Afghanistan. Sergei Makhkamov has been caught in the flood.

PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS - US
Athletes' unbeatable foe - LA Times
The worldwide sports anti-doping program, created to fight performance enhancing drug use in international athletics, imposes severe punishments for accidental or technical infractions, relies at times on disputed scientific evidence and resists outside scrutiny, a Times investigation has found.

HEROIN - US
Deadly heroin mix plagues region; ‘Drop Dead’ blamed for surge of overdoses - The Patriot Ledger
The Hanover man’s death is among a succession of overdoses recently - some fatal, most not - that have led federal drug agents and local emergency responders to sound the alarm over heroin’s ever increasing death toll.

HEROIN - US
A higher high, a deadly fall
Suburban parents, police and health care officials are alarmed at what they say is a two-fold problem: heroin use on the rise among a younger crowd, and users looking to punch up their high by mixing in prescription drugs such as OxyContin, methadone and other opiates in dangerous combinations.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Sac Fire Toughens Access To Engine Morphine Stash - CBS 13
The first tampered seal was November of 2005 when morphine vials turned up with damaged seals. Nothing seemed suspicious until the trend continued, and officials checked what was actually in the damaged vials. “Some of the vials looked like they still have liquid in it," said Sacramento Fire Captain Jim Doucette.

METH - US
Serious crimes in Boulder down from last year - Your Hub Boulder
Serious crimes in Boulder are down for the first three quarters of 2006, but there has been an increase in daily contacts and arrests involving methamphetamine users, according to a Dec. 7 press release from the City of Boulder.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Addiction to Prescription Fraud - KJCT 8 News
Creating fraudulent and falsifiable prescriptions is unacceptable and unethical behavior, according to most pharmacists. Anyone can be unethical and get arrested. It's supposed to be legal to offer money and the accurate prescription to the pharmacist, but people take advantage and eventually get caught.

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 7 Drug Headlines

METH - US
Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBC
Internet registries of rapists or pedophiles are available in every state, but a new breed of criminal now is experiencing the notoriety of being outed online — people convicted of making or selling methamphetamine.

GENERAL - US
New Poll Shows Parents Afraid Of Talking To Their Teens; Avoid Tough Topics, Especially Drug Use
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is urging parents to sharpen their conversation skills and monitor their teen's activities, after a new poll shows that most parents have difficulty getting through to their teens about important subjects, especially drug use. According to a new survey by VitalSmarts, most parents of teens indicate that they are even afraid to talk to their teens about everyday issues.

OTC - US
OTC Drug Abuse Soaring, New Study Says. History May Provide Another Lesson
Information published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that teens in California have been abusing over-the-counter cough medications in increasingly larger numbers.

OTC - US
Calif. Reports Rising DXM Abuse Among Adolescents - Join Together
Dextromethorphan, a cough medicine ingredient known colloquially as DXM, is landing an increasing number of California youths in hospitals, according to a report from the state's poison-control center.

PRESCRIPTION - SCOTLAND
There’s a depressing trend we must address - The Herald
It's 40 years since Mick Jagger satirised the plight of Valium-addicted housewives, predominant victims of the first chemical generation. Forty years. Half a lifetime. Long enough, you might hope, for everyone to grow wise to the fallacy that swallowing pills can make you happy, but apparently not long enough for Scotland, where prescriptions of anti-depressants have trebled in the past decade.

GENERAL - US
CPL To Drug Test Pro Gamers In 2007
While no one has ever been caught using illicit drugs in a pro gaming tournament, there have been suspicions that players may be using crystal meth and prescription drugs such as Ritalin to increase alertness levels, reflex times and physical and mental stamina.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Pro Gamers to be drug tested
According the Director of The Cyberathlete Professional League, Angel Munoz, the gaming league has has begun the necessary preparations to drug test professional gamers at next year's CPL tournaments.

HEROIN - US
Heroin Use Increases For Oakland County Teens
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office told Local 4 there is a new trend of heroin use among high school students. One city that is seeing a rise in teenage heroin cases is Royal Oak, with three teenagers overdosing in the last few weeks, police said.

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 5 Drug Headlines

MARIJUANA - US
Marijuana-flavored lollipops in Toledo - ABC Local Ohio
A candy product has already fueled a bitter debate across the country; now it's showing up in Toledo stores. Lollipops are putting a bitter taste in some people's mouths. Chronic Candy or pot suckers are a part of a growing trend that has made its way to Toledo.

HEROIN - US
Keys to fighting heroin scourge - Indy Star
Our position: Tougher law enforcement and more treatment options are needed to curb growing rate of heroin addiction.
Heroin use is on the rise again in Indiana. State Police will investigate about 700 heroin cases this year -- three times Indiana's total in 2004.

PRESCRIPTION - CANADA
Students taking drugs - The Ubyssey
The abuse of stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine is on the rise at UBC. In professional health programs, such as medicine or pharmacy, students are being equipped with knowledge that can be used to abuse the health care system to their benefit. And, while many forego this practice, others don’t.

GENERAL - US
Drug Free Marshals Get the Word Out - Your Hub
The Church of Scientology's Drug Free Marshals marched in the Boulder Lights of December Parade, Saturday December 2nd, advising all onlookers to "Say Yes To Life, Say No To Drugs." The Marshals were greeted with support and cheers as they handed out anti-drug education booklets about a variety of abused drugs.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Students shouldn’t use medication to study - The Exponent
During the home stretch of these next two weeks, we are struggling to survive dead week and finals. In this time of intense struggling, some students are looking to stimulant drugs to give them some fuel to study. One of the most popular abused prescription drugs among college students is Adderall.

OPIUM - AFGHAN & US
Pentagon resists pleas for help in Afghan opium fight - LA Times
The Pentagon, engaged in a difficult fight to defeat a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, has resisted entreaties from U.S. anti-narcotics officials to play an aggressive role in the faltering campaign to curb the country's opium trade.

METH - US
NICU first home for addicted babies - Bangor Daily News
Babies born to opiate-addicted mothers are almost always addicted, too. In eastern Maine, where young women of childbearing age make up the fastest-growing segment of the opiate-abusing population, the number of babies who begin their lives in the physical and emotional distress of opiate withdrawal is increasing as well.

METH - US
Abuse of illegal drugs could end your life - Sea Coast Online
State officials held a press conference in Stratham last week to talk about the efforts to combat the expansion of methamphetamine use in New Hampshire. They said they are at the front line of the battle, "doing everything possible to get a foothold on meth before it becomes a problem."

PRESCRIPTION - US
Over-prescribed pill imperils students - Badger Herald
t’s that time of the year again. No, not the holiday season, instead I mean the time when The Badger Herald publishes its annual article addressing the blood-curdling, stress-induced stomach ulcers created by finals.

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 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 29 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - WORLDWIDE
Drugs and the law around the world - The Herald
Information on laws for different countries

PRESCRIPTION - US
Parents blame antidepressant for toddler's heart defect - CNN
* A mom fears the Paxil she took while pregnant caused her son's heart defect. * FDA says two studies suggest paroxetine, or Paxil, increases birth defect risk. * Paxil's labeling was changed last year to warn about the risks of birth defects

ALCOHOL - US
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Appears To Increase An Infant's Stress Response - Medical News
New findings indicate that the days between conception and pregnancy recognition may be critical for the development of stress-response systems among infants whose mothers consume alcohol.

PAINKILLER (METHADONE) - US
One pill to kill say methadone bereaved - Scoop
The FDA yesterday warned health care professionals about the dangers of methadone including cardio-toxicity, saying Prescribers' should read and carefully follow prescribing information. Methadone is a synthetic opiate commonly given to opiate addicts so their lives will be less chaotic.

METH - NEW ZEALAND
Fears drop in price of P attracting more teens - New Zealand Herald
Teenagers as young as 14 are trying methamphetamine or P as the price of the drug has halved in the last year, a drug education group Welltrust says.

ALCOHOL - UK
Britain's binge drinkers begin to sober up - The Guardian
A tide of binge drinking that threatened to engulf Britain has started to recede, according to official figures yesterday.

OPIUM - US
A step towards breaking a dark embrace - UK Times
Efforts to clamp down on the opium trade in Afghanistan have only swelled the power of the drugs barons and have failed to stop the business reaching “unprecedented levels”, according to the World Bank and a United Nations agency.

MARIJUANA - US
Calif. Court Gives More Protection to Medical Marijuana Users - Join Together
People found by police to be carrying even seemingly large amounts of marijuana can defend themselves in court by claiming that they are medical-marijuana users, the California Supreme Court has ruled.

ECSTASY - US
Ecstasy Can Quickly Hurt Brain, Researchers Say - Join Together
Human brain cells can be altered and damaged by low doses of ecstasy, leading to reduced blood flow to the brain, researchers say.

CANNABIS - EUROPE/HUNGARY
Police bust Europe's largest cannabis plantation
Police have busted Europe's largest ever cannabis plantation at an abandoned Slovakian slaughterhouse where top-notch technology was used by Austrian and Hungarian men to grow a copious amount of weed, a Hungarian county police reported on Wednesday.

HEROIN - AFGHAN
Afghans to use herbicide on nation's poppy crop - The Globe and Mail
The United States has persuaded Afghanistan to spray herbicide on poppy fields in an effort to slow the country's opium boom, according to a senior Western diplomat.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Opium trade flourishing - Indy Star
Afghanistan's criminal underworld has compromised key government officials who protect drug traffickers, allowing a flourishing opium trade that will not be stamped out for a generation, an ominous U.N. report said.

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 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 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 20 Drug Headlines

Updated Articles

PAINKILLER - CANADA
Canadians abusing prescription painkillers more than heroin
According to recent research, which was sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canadians have been abusing prescription painkillers in greater numbers than they have heroin.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Adderall Growing Addiction on Campus
Marijuana and alcohol are two substances long considered the biggest abuse worries among college students. But a new danger is sneaking its way onto campuses, including those in Hawaii.

Original Post

PAINKILLER - CANADA
Painkiller abuse more common in America than heroin - China View
A new study conducted in seven Canadian cities has revealed that abuse of prescription painkillers such as OxyContin or Demerol is becoming more prevalent than heroin.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Babies born on 'ice' - News.com.au
Nineteen babies born at the Royal Hobart Hospital had to be given morphine last year to withdraw from hard drugs including the deadly illicit amphetamine cocktail ice.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Liberals take hard line on 'soft' drugs - The Age
MINIMUM sentences for drug traffickers and a specialist unit to treat "ice" addicts are the cornerstones of the Liberals' policy to crack down on drugs.

PRESCRIPTION - UK
Legal but dangerous - Times On-line
Concerns are growing over the safety of so-called legal highs following the publication of a report which questioned their safety. The New Zealand Medical Association stated that herbal party pills, which are being used increasingly by students, have a range of serious side effects and should be avoided. Party pills, which contain the ingredient benzylpiperazine (BZP) have become cheaply and widely available in the UK, often being sold at mainstream club nights.

GENERAL - CANADA
Parents Helping Parents to Prevent Drug Abuse as Part of National Addiction Awareness Week - Canadian Home and School Federation
The Canadian Home & School Federation (CHSF), the country’s first established voice for parents, is busy helping parent leaders across Canada to inform parents to prevent substance abuse.

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

PRESCRIPTION & HEROIN - CANADA
OPICAN study in seven Canadian cities reveals prescription opioid abuse more prevalent than heroin - EurekAlert
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.

GENERAL - US
Drugs: Family Docs Join the Drug War - Newsweek
In the war on drugs, the White House has tried just about every weapon—punitive policy, rehab programs, ads featuring fried eggs. For its next strike, it has some new recruits: family doctors. Seventeen states currently have simple, federally funded drug-and-alcohol-screening programs in place at major trauma centers.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Ritalin not right for children - Press Connects
Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), are not "Ritalin deficient," so why are they given this addictive drug with serious side effects to suppress symptoms instead of looking for what is causing the symptoms? Hidden food allergies have proved to be culprits, especially wheat and sugar. Environmental sensitivities, such as perfume and pollens, "set off" susceptible children.

METH - US
National Methamphetamine Awareness Day planned for November 30 - CCH Internet Research NetWork
In efforts to generate awareness about the damaging effects of methamphetamine abuse on individuals, families and American communities, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that it will sponsor National Methamphetamine Awareness Day on November 30, 2006.

METH - US
Tribes take on meth - The Norman Transcript
Some Oklahoma Native American tribes -- a few flush with money from gaming operations -- have stepped up their spending on combating methamphetamine use.

GENERAL - AUSTRALIA
Babies born addicted to 'ice', doctor says - ABC.net.au
The doctor at the Royal Hobart Hospital in charge of caring for babies born to drug-addicted mothers is calling for parents to be screened before they take their children home. Every year up to 20 newborn babies are treated at the hospital for severe drug addictions.

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 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