May 17th Drug Addiction News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 15th Drug Addiction News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May 9th Drug Addiction News

DRUGS – USA
Drug dealers peddling new kid-friendly mixes – MSNBC
Meth, heroin laced with candy and strawberry flavoring to appeal to youth.

DRUGS – THIALAND
Companies 'clever at giving alcohol a good image' – National Multimedia
Alcohol companies are very clever at creating a good image of drinking by sponsoring sports and musical events, a mass communications lecturer said yesterday.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol Manufacturer Takes Steps To Help Reduce Teen Drinking – North Country Gazette
Beam Global, the nation’s largest distilled spirits company, has adopted a comprehensive set of new policies designed to reduce exposure of its advertising to underage persons.

METH – USA
'Our No. 1 drug problem' – Tucson Citizen
Gov. Janet Napolitano is calling for a crackdown on the cross-border methamphetamine traffic and an expansion of addiction treatment to combat the illegal drug's growing threat to public health and safety.

METH – USA
Meth Strike Force should continue; only question is how – Statesman Journal
It shows what can happens when a community takes charge of a problem instead of leaving it for someone else to solve.

METH – USA
Is meth becoming the new white collar drug? – WFIE TV
It seems meth is used by everyone - from housewives, to teachers, to attorneys. Last Friday, police arrested a second Evansville lawyer on meth-related charges.

May 1st Drug Addiciton News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 30th Drug Addiction News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 29th Drug Addiction News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 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.

April 13 Drug Addiction Headlines

METH –USA
Six States in Richmond for National Meth Trafficking Conference – WRIC
Richmond played host to Attorney General's from six states at a national conference focused on the trafficking of methamphetamine.

ALCOHOL – USA
Drug and Alcohol Choices -- Prom Night – WHAM ABC News
The idea is to help students make good choices about alcohol and other drugs on prom night. A new brochure offering safety tips, information regarding teen drinking, and other common prom facts.

ALCOHOL – UK
Sport 'must ban drink sponsors' – Metro UK
Drinks companies should be banned from sponsoring professional sport because too many children are slipping into alcoholism, a teachers' union has warned.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Binge drinking worse than drugs – The Age
Binge drinking, not alcoholism, is the biggest problem associated with liquor, the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AERF) says.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Meth use rife among young adults: study – The Age
Methamphetamine use is rife among Australians in their 20s with new figures showing more than one in five have tried the dangerous stimulants.

DRUGS – NEW ZEALAND
Drug scandals put schools at 'high risk' – New Zealand Herald
Australian schools have been rocked by new drug revelations following studies showing a high rate of drug use among the country's teenagers.

METH – AUSTRALIA
Meth use widespread among young Aussies – ABC News Online
New statistics on drug use show Australians are the biggest users of ecstasy and amphetamines in the English-speaking world.

METH – USA
Campaign Launched to Combat Crystal Meth Use – ABC 7 News
West Hollywood is launching a campaign to combat the use of crystal meth in the gay community. Experts say within the community, use is not only more prevalent but also linked to high-risk sex acts and higher rates of HIV infection.

April 11 Drug Addiction Headlines

ADDICTION – USA
Children Teaching Children About Addiction – WOLX News
The students also pick up some coping skills, when dealing with peer pressure and violence.

METH –USA
Huntsman Combatting Utah's Growing Meth Addiction – BYU Newsnet
It all began when Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. visited the House of Hope, a drug rehabilitation center in Salt Lake City that provides treatment to mothers whose lives have been overcome by addiction.

CANNABIS – UK
Drug campaigners warn of cannabis threat – East Anglian Daily Times
STRONGER and more potent forms of cannabis are on the streets of Suffolk and being used increasingly by youngsters who assume the drug is safe.

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Campaign to stop teens smoking cannabis – Brisbane Times
The NSW government is launching a $600,000 advertising campaign in a bid to cut down the number of young students smoking cannabis.

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Cinema ad blitz targets cannabis – 2GB News
Teenagers heading to the cinema over the school holidays are being warned about the dangers of cannabis use.

April 10 Drug Addiction Headlines

METH – USA
Meth is top law enforcement problem – Eastern Arizona Courier
Users of methamphetamines endanger themselves and their children and create a law enforcement crisis for the entire state of Arizona.

ADDICTION – IRAN
“Mainline” reveals disaster of drug addiction among the youth: actress – Mehr News
Actress Bita Farahi believes that the film “Mainline” is a revelation about the disastrous effects of drug addiction amongst today’s youth.

METH – USA
CSU-Pueblo student earns award for issue on meth – CSU Pueblo Today
Pueblo’s student newspaper earned a first place regional award last month for a special news supplement on methamphetamine.

METH – USA
Getting to the bottom of how speed kills – San Bernardino Sun
Substance abuse researchers have known for years that methamphetamine use runs high on the West Coast, especially in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Understand prescription dangers – Wilson Daily Times
As if today's parents didn't have enough to worry about, now there's a reputed epidemic of prescription drug abuse.

April 9 Drug Addiction Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Nine Students Face Suspensions Over Prescription Drug – WBAY
Next week, Kimberly's school board plans to suspend nine freshmen high school students for giving and receiving the drug Adderall on school property.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drugs, availability to children seen as main problems – The Evening Tribune
The city's drug problem may not be getting worse, but it is changing.

DRUGS – UK
Theatre is an educational tool in the fight against illicit drugs – Medical News Today
A new study finds that theatrical drama is an educational tool in the fight against drug addiction and abuse.

METH – USA
County hears of teen's meth use – The Daily Astorian
Rice presented a graphic, no-nonsense report on the highs and lows of meth use, complete with the signs that someone is using and ways to detect a meth lab.

METH – USA
How to Tell if Your Home Was Once A Meth Lab – WVLT News
Meth labs don't just land the dealers who get caught running them, in jail. They also leave a lasting and often dangerous impression on the home, apartment or business where they are busted.

DRUGS – USA
Elkhart Helps Keep Teens Drug And Alcohol Free – WNDU News
Parents in Elkhart County are able to get complimentary home alcohol saliva and drug tests, to test their children.

METH – USA
Flavored meth aims to addict new users – San Diego Union Tribune
Experts say the sweet flavor of “Strawberry Quick” may lure new users because it masks methamphetamine's bitter taste when snorted.

ALCOHOL – GUAM
Social costs of alcohol abuse – Pacific Daily News
Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among Guam's adolescents, and used by more young adults than any other illicit drug.

METH – USA
April meth awareness programs – Alamogordo Daily News
The Otero County Meth Prevention/Treatment Coalition continues in our efforts to educate the community about the devastating effects of meth abuse on our youth, families and communities.

METH – USA
Community invited to local meth forum – Nevada Appeal
A methamphetamine forum on Tuesday will give parents and other interested members of the community information about the drug and what can be done to combat the growing problem of meth abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
2-ounce alcoholic drink called teen lure – North Jersey Media Group
They have a 12 percent alcohol content and are sold for less than a dollar, advertised as shots to be drunk alone or added to beer.

April 6 Drug Addiction Headlines

DRUGS – USA
Drug Abuse Prevention: Theater Motivates People To Help – Science Daily
A new study finds that theatrical drama is an educational tool in the fight against drug addiction and abuse.

DRUGS – UK
New Study Looks At Peer Pressure And Implications For Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse – Medical News Today
Why do young people smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or drugs? What skills do they need to avoid starting these habits?

METH – USA
Candy-Coated Crystal Meth – The Hilltop
As if crystal methamphetamine, more commonly known as crystal meth, was not enough of a threat to rural America, meth manufacturers are now creating a candy-colored and flavored variety of the drug along with cartoon characters to recruit younger users.

DRUGS – CANADA
Thinking outside the hot box – The Gazette
Ritalin and alcohol, while legal, have potentially deadly side-effects on the heart and liver, respectively. On the other hand, marijuana has fewer detrimental effects, especially if it isn’t smoked.

ALCOHOL – USA
WHA sixth-graders complete alcohol use prevention program – Walker Pilot Independent
The goals are to delay the age when youth start using alcohol, to reduce alcohol use among students who have already tried alcohol, and to limit the number of social, emotional and behavioral problems related to alcohol use in young people.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription-Drug Abuse Major Problem In Northeast Kingdom – Caledonian Record
Prescription-drug abuse may be a bigger problem than heroin in the Northeast Kingdom.

April 5 Drug Addiction Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 4 Drug Addiction Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Feds: Prescription drug problem in N.J. – Cherry Hill Courier Post
3 percent of residents have abused prescription drugs in the past year, with about 6 percent of those aged 18 to 25 reporting they have misused a prescription drug.

ALCOHOL – USA
April is Alcohol Awareness Month – SAMHSA
To recognize the serious problem of alcohol abuse, April is designated “Alcohol Awareness Month.”

DRUGS – USA
Drugs Are in the Water. Does It Matter? – The New York Times
Residues of birth control pills, antidepressants, painkillers, shampoos and a host of other compounds are finding their way into the nation’s waterways.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Reserve struggling with abuse of prescription drugs – The Amherst Daily News
Using pliers to rip out healthy teeth just to get a narcotics prescription. Twelve-year-olds having sex with men in exchange for narcotics.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Feds cite New Jersey prescription drug abuse problem – Newsday
New Jersey has a significant prescription drug abuse problem, White House drug policy officials said Monday.

METH – USA
Community fighting meth – Arizona Range News
Willcox Meth Task Force works to educate residents, prevent drug use.

DRUGS – USA
Authorities warn of new drug trend – Dublin Courier Herald
Parents are being warned by Dublin Police about a new drug trend hitting kids as early as middle school.

DRUGS – USA
The secret history of Big Pharma's role in creating and marketing heroin, LSD, meth, Ecstasy and speed – Newstarget
As you'll read here, drug companies actually invented many of the street drugs now considered to be the most devastating, including heroin and meth ("ice").

DRUGS – USA
Drug deaths on the rise in Tennessee – WREG Memphis News
The number of deaths in Tennessee caused by taking prescription drugs is now almost equal to the number of murders according to a new report.

April 3 Drug Addiction Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 2 Drug Addiction Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription-drug deaths soar in state – Tennessean.com
Prescription drugs now outstrip illegal narcotics — such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin — as a cause of death across the state.

METH – USA
Number of ‘mom-and-pop’ meth labs declining – MSNBC
Crackdown on sales of ingredients used to make drug helping in some areas.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Report: Prescription drugs deaths nearly equal murders in Tennessee – WMC News
A report by the Tennessean found that deaths from prescription drugs now roughly equal the number of murders in Tennessee.

METH – USA
Meth Declines, but Flavors May Entice Children – International News Service
Flavored meth, especially a variety known as "Strawberry Quick," has been popping up across the country, particularly in Western states.

DRUGS – USA
Atlas, Athena Programs Address Drugs in Sports – Join Together
The ATLAS and ATHENA anti-drug programs developed at Oregon Health and Sciences University address alcohol and other drug use among athletes, so it's no surprise that the curriculum is based on a team approach.

DRUGS – UK
Drugs are a bigger threat than terrorism, says expert – The Herald
These children are thought to be seven times more likely than the national average to develop a habit, a generational time bomb waiting to happen. Drugs are now so familiar it feels as if they have always been here. They haven't.

April 1 Drug Addiction Headlines

METH – USA
Stronger meth is on the market – WALB News
A small dose of meth-ice, a more potent form of the typically seen meth.

METH – USA
Meth, heroin were equally fatal to Oregonians in 2006 – The World Link
Though heroin and meth were equally fatal in 2006, the results represent a sharp diversion from numbers posted a decade ago.

OPIUM – USA
Could Afghan Opium Trade Go Legal? – Business Week
Despite efforts to eradicate Afghanistan's opium production, the problem keeps getting worse. And the Taliban insurgency is the primary beneficiary.

METH – USA
Police: New Candy-Flavored Meth Targets Young Users – KSBW Channel News
Authorities said drug dealers are adding color and candy flavor to methamphetamine, making it more appealing to young users.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study Finds 49% of US College Students Are Abusing Drugs or Alcohol – Lifesite
A new report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University found that forty-nine per cent (3.8 million) of full time college students binge drink and/or abuse prescription and illegal drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
April is Alcohol Awareness Month – eMaxHealth
On March 30th Vermonters gather to kick off Alcohol Awareness Month at the 9th annual "Day of Recovery"at the Statehouse.

ALCOHOL – USA
A booze buzz for teenyboppers? – MSNBC
Anheuser-Busch product so adorable it draws fire from alcohol abuse camp.

MARIJUANA – USA
Is Marijuana Kosher For Passover? – Washington Post
In Israel they won't be passing many dubbies this Passover. The country's pro-pot Green Leaf Party ("Aleh Yarok") has sent a mass e-mail to its members warning that hemp-related products may be a no-no for those who keep Kosher during Pesach.

METH – USA
Former meth addicts appear in videos given to schools – Tucson Citizen
A teenager describes chewing the palms of her hands until they bled. A young woman wonders if she'll ever be able to have children. A gaunt man with a scarred, weathered face asks whether young people want to wind up looking like him.

DRUGS – USA
Drug addiction affects more people than just the abuser – OC Register
If anyone reading this is "dabbling" in drugs, thinking it will only hurt him- or herself, read on...

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 29 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Officials Warn Of Candy-Flavored Meth – WTVM
There are reports across the country warning of candy-flavored methamphetamine. Meth use is down, so dealers are trying to come up with new ways to sell the drug.

METH – USA
Meth Task Force – WDEF News
Candy, powdered drink sweetener, even chocolate -- common household objects and all tools of the meth trade nowadays...anything to hook your children on the deadly drug.

METH – USA
Phoenix's Crystal Meth Education Videos Heading to Schools Statewide – Prime Newswire
Videos aimed at educating students on the dangers of crystal methamphetamine are on their way to schools all around Arizona.

METH – USA
Wet is a Problem in East Texas – KTRE Lufkin News
It's a popular way to get high and its affects are disturbing. People are smoking marijuana joints or tobacco cigarettes dipped in embalming fluid. On the street, it is known as wet or water.

CANNABIS - UK
Cannabis farm caused road collapse – Ananova
Police discovered an illegal cannabis farm in Leeds after it caused part of a road to collapse.

MARIJUANA – Africa
No hash matzos? Marijuana not kosher for Passover – SABC News
Marijuana is not kosher for Passover, a pro-cannabis advocacy group says, advising Jews who observe the week-long holiday's special dietary laws to take a break from smoking the weed.

ADDICTION – USA
Man dies from addiction after making anti-drug film – Bowling Green News
He was extremely satisfied, wanting to do more in getting the word out and showing kids what meth harm does.

March 28 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – UK
Substance Abuse And Teenage Pregnancies Could Be Reduced By Improving School Culture, UK – Medical News Today
Improving the institutional culture (ethos) of schools in the UK may help reduce substance abuse and teenage pregnancies, says an article in this week's BMJ.

METH – USA
Meet the new meth – Metro US
Reports of methamphetamine with candy, soda and fruit flavors have been received by Drug Enforcement Administration agents across the country.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Abuse Increases Among College Students – Salve Regina University Mosaic Online
Imagine an unknown conglomeration of prescription pills being poured into a bowl, then grabbing a handful and ingesting a random and often dangerous combination of drugs in hopes of getting high.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Teen Prescription Drug Misuse Becoming Growing Problem – KOTV
Police say teenagers misusing prescription drugs has become a huge problem that keeps getting bigger and it's not just happening in big cities

ADDERALL – USA
Adderall for overweight teens – SMU Daily Campus
Adderall, an amphetamine, has many side effects, including decreased appetite, insomnia, increased anxiety and irritability.

METH – USA
Man chronicles his death by meth use – MSNBC
A former trucker whose documentary chronicled an agonizing descent as methamphetamine ravaged his body has died, optimistic to the end that his story would keep others from the highly addictive stimulant.

METH – USA
Mo. Man Who Documented Meth Use Dies – The New York Times
A southeast Missouri man who drew global attention for his documentary about how methamphetamine hopelessly ravaged his body died Monday still optimistic his film steers others from the highly addictive stimulant.

CANNABIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis linked to lung cancer risk – The New Zealand Herald
Cannabis smoking may cause 5 per cent of lung cancer cases in people up to middle age, according to a New Zealand study.

DRUGS – USA
Open Letter To Parents: Is This Where Your Teen Goes To Get High? – Pushing Back
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has launched an Open Letter advertising campaign to help educate parents about the risks of abuse to teens.

March 27 Drug Headlines

CANNABIS (SKUNK) – UK
So how dangerous is skunk? – The Independent
Our decision to drop The Independent on Sunday's 1997 decriminalise cannabis campaign has been applauded and decried throughout the world. At the heart of the controversy is the link between skunk and schizophrenia.

TRANQUILIZER – USA
Prescription drug abuse on the rise – WHOI ABC News
Medical professionals say they are seeing more and more people abusing prescription drugs.

METH – GERMANY
Meth Now Comes In Flavors – Short News
The newest thing to come to the meth problem facing the US is flavored Meth. Officers have found meth on the street in flavors such as cola, Strawberry Quick, and chocolate.

ALCOHOL – USA
Survey: Drug, alcohol use by 12th-graders down – The Daily Record
Drug and alcohol use among local 12th-graders has decreased slightly in the last two years, according to recently released numbers from the statewide Healthy Youth Survey.

METH – USA
DEA sees flavored meth use – AZ Central
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.

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 23 Drug Headlines

ADDICTION – USA
That Thing Which Screams A Whisper: Drug Addiction in America – American Chronicle
The moment you try a drug for any reason different than what a pharmaceutical is prescribed for (and note now that there is never any reason to try an illegal or illicit drug), your life, your limits, your past goals and beliefs, change.

ADDICTION – USA
Don’t take the addiction journey – The Citizens’ Voice
“The Journey of Addiction” is a very painful one.

METH – USA
Meth Habits Change in Southern Colorado – Colorado Springs ABC News
While the number of meth labs is decreasing the amount of meth found here is increasing. Drug trafficing from Mexico is now the focus of the Metro Vice Narcotics and Intelligence Division of The Colorado Springs Police Department.

METH – USA
Mokelumne Hill works to snuff out meth – The Union Democrat
Mokelumne Hill residents and several Calaveras County agencies are teaming up to clean up drug activity, specifically methamphetamine use, in the community.

ADDERALL – USA
FDA Concerned Over Use Of ADHD Drug To Treat Childhood Obesity – All Headline News
Raising ethical questions about the drug's usage, the FDA also warns that Adderall can cause psychiatric problems, such as hearing voices and becoming manic in some patients.

March 22 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 21 Drug Headlines

CANNABIS – UK
Record number of youngsters seek help for cannabis problems – Norwich Evening News
An increasing number of young people are suffering severe mental health problems as a result of smoking cannabis, new figures have revealed.

CANNABIS – UK
Police issue warning about super strength Cannabis – ic Liverpool
Strength cannabis so potent that just one puff can cause schizophrenia is being grown by Merseyside drug gangs.

METH – USA
Community group forming to fight meth – Rome News Tribune
A local non-profit group is forming a community coalition to fight the effects of methamphetamines.

METH – USA
County helps fund meth task force – Glenwood Springs Post Independent
A regional study of methamphetamine use and related crimes is under way that will help quantify the problem in Garfield County.

ALCOHOL – USA
Teen alcohol laws apply to everyone – The Olympian
A new initiative has been launched in Washington state to curb teen alcohol consumption and to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking.

ALCOHOL – USA
Report: Fewer City Teenagers Using Drugs And Alcohol – NY1
Health officials say fewer city teens are using drugs and alcohol, but there is still reason for concern.

ALCOHOL – USA
Report: Drug, alcohol use down among NYC teens – ABC News
Drug and alcohol use about city teens is declining, and it's actually below the national average.

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 19 Drug Headlines

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Use Joins Binge Drinking as Campus Drug Problems – Join Together
A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) finds that 49 percent of U.S. college students ages 18-24 are binge drinkers and that growing numbers of students are misusing prescription drugs.

ALCOHOL – USA
Young people able to buy beer at stores even without proper ID – Pacific Institute
Clerks at grocery and convenience stores were more likely to sell alcohol to a young person without asking for an ID than other stores.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking And Drug Abuse On The Increase Among US Students Report Says – Medical News Today
A new study suggests that binge drinking and drug abuse is on the increase among American students and that colleges should do more to address the problem.

METH – USA
Montana Gives Meth a Face – Associated Content
Montana teens are tuning into more than music videos these days. The state has launched a provocative ad campaign in hopes of fighting the rampant use of meth within its borders.

ADDICTION – USA
Drug Addiction vs. Drug Dependence: Same or Different? – About News
The fear of addiction keeps doctors from prescribing opioids to relieve pain and keeps patients from controlling their pain.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Drinking and Prescription Abuse Growing at Colleges – WLNS
A new report says binge drinking and prescription drug abuse are a growing problem among college students.

METH – USA
Seminar looks at how children are affected by meth use in their homes – Salem Times Commoner
Children living in meth labs might as well be taking the drug directly.

ALCOHOL – ROMANIA
College Life Oozes Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Playfuls
Almost half of U.S. college students dabble one time too many in alcohol, marijuana, sedatives, painkillers and stimulants – they might call it freedom and independence, but they are risking their lives.

METH – USA
Eagle Meth Meeting Focuses on Growing Drug Problem – Fox 12 Boise
The governor's March Against Meth began 15 days ago, and already several communities have gotten involved.

SKUNK – USA
Skunk: How the 'safe' drug of choice for the hippy generation became a serious health hazard – The Independent
In 1997, when this paper called for decriminalisation, 1,600 people were being treated for cannabis addiction. Today, the number is 22,000.

DRUGS – USA
New Anti-Drug Ad Hits the Airwaves – Pushing Back
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) released a new public service announcement.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
E.R. Visits Up for Prescription Drug Abuse – About: News
A new report indicates that abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs is increasing, while the abuse of illegal drugs remains about the same.

ALCOHOL – USA
Adolescent Drinking: It is Not Just About Limiting Media Exposure – RAND
Pro-drinking messages are delivered to adolescents through mass media, peers, and adult drinking behavior.

METH – USA
Montana Fights Meth, and Pulls No Punches – ABC News
Montana is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to methamphetamine addiction, and it's one of the best at coping with it.

METH – USA
Class to help fight against meth – The Wabash Plain Dealer
The Southwood High School Adult Farmer Committee and Purdue Extension of Wabash County will host a Meth Awareness class Monday, March 19.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Oregon Has High Rate Of Painkiller Abuse – KOIN News
Oregon has one of the highest rates of painkiller abuse in the nation, especially among teenagers.

March 15 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 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 13 Drug Headlines

PAINKILLERS – USA
Hunting new option in balance between painkiller's help, and abuse – South Coast Today
Scientists are hunting new ways to help millions of pain sufferers — from addiction-resistant narcotics to using brain scanners for biofeedback — amid a worrisome rise in abuse of today's top prescription painkillers.

ADICTION – USA
On TV: 'Addiction' takes pains to show us real drug abuse – Seattle Post Intelligencer
Addiction is a demon that can slip into anyone's house without warning. Once inside, it can take a lifetime to evict.

DRUGS – UK
Just Say No to this ‘radical rethink’ on drugs – Spiked
The ‘Get Unhooked’ adverts offer a powerful endorsement of the myths underlying both current drugs policy and the RSA’s radical rethink.

PRESCRIPTION – AUSTRALIA
Prescription drug abuse on the rise: report – The World Today
It's usually illicit drugs that capture the headlines but research in Melbourne shows it is the abuse of prescription drugs that should be arousing real concern across the nation.

RITALIN – USA
Ritalin Bill "Not Perfect, but Good Step for Parents" – KCPW
After a five-year battle, parents' rights advocates got a victory late Friday when Governor Huntsman signed the so-called "Ritalin Bill."

METH – USA
Meth slide – Daily Journal
With meth arrests down by more than 30 percent in Northeast Mississippi in 2006, it appears that new laws designed to slow the manufacturing of the drug may be working.

CANNIBIS – NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis 'greatest enemy' – The Nelson Mail
A Golden Bay man whose son started taking cannabis at 15 says drugs are the "greatest enemy for parents in the world".

PAINKILLERS – USA
Scientists explore abuse-resistant painkillers – MSNBC
Growing misuse of pain meds drives hunt for drugs with no exploitation risk.

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 8 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Surgeon General Calls for Action on Underage Drinking – Join Together
Noting that alcohol "remains the most heavily abused substance by America's youth," acting U.S. Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H., called for government, school officials, parents, communities, and youth themselves to do more to prevent underage drinking.

METH – CANADA
‘People’s lives are destroyed’ – Williams Lake Tribune
Last week Williams Lake Indian Band hosted a workshop to help front-line workers get up to speed on drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine, or just crystal meth.

OPIUM – NEW ZEALAND
Opium Production Could Rise Yet Again, UN Reports – Scoop, Independent News
After Record Afghan Crop In 2006, Opium Production Could Rise Yet Again, UN Reports.

METH – USA
Anti-meth group to launch new ads – Montana Forum
Targeting 1st-time users.The project was started by the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation in 2005 with the goal of significantly reducing first-time use of meth by teenagers.

ALCOHOL – USA
Surgeon General Urges Action on Underage Drinking – Treatment Online
In an official confirmation of a widely recognized issue, Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu issued a call to arms regarding underage drinking, calling alcohol the "drug of choice" for teens and urging all corners of society to act toward minimizing the problem.

METH – USA
Meth seminar to focus on helping service workers – Black Hills Pioneer
Meth affects everyone in the community, even people who may never give it a second thought.

METH – USA
State, counties plan anti-meth ad campaign – Tucson Citizen
Adolescents with rotting teeth, bloody sores and other disfigured features will grace Arizona TV screens and newspaper pages next month as part of $5 million campaign against methamphetamine use.

MARIUJANA – CANADA
More young people smoke pot than tobacco, survey finds – The Vancouver Sun
Average age of first marijuana use is 14.7 years, compared to 13.9 years for tobacco and 14.1 years for alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Study: 7.2 million U.S. teens binge drink – MSNBC
Americans need a wake-up call about the widespread use of alcohol by millions of underage drinkers.

March 7 Drug Headlines

METHADONE – USA
Scientists get a fix on methadone risks – NZZ Online
Swiss scientists say hundreds of thousands of patients and drug addicts should no longer receive the most widely used form of methadone because of heart attack risks.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol abuse `should be prime focus' – The Advertiser, Adelaide
Alcohol abuse is the nation's biggest social drug problem, the incoming chief of the Mental Health Council of Australia has warned.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse on the rise – News 14 Carolina
Believe it or not, the new drug of choice for teens might be right in your medicine cabinet.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription-painkiller abuse on the rise – United Press International
Teenagers and young adults are abusing prescription drugs in staggering numbers, and the crippling effects of this addiction must be addressed head-on.

METH – CANADA
RCMP warn students about crystal meth – The Coaster
To some people it is more valuable than diamonds, more precious than gold. You can smoke it, snort it, or inject it.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine on the decline? – Daily Review Atlas
Are the new methamphetamine laws finally putting a dent in the annual drug trade? That depends on whom you ask.

OPIUM – USA
U.N.: Afghan opium harvest rising – CNN News
A "cancer of insurgency" in southern Afghanistan could drive the 2007 opium poppy harvest to record levels, the U.N. drug agency chief said Monday.

ADDERALL – USA
Prescription stimulant abuse rising on campuses – SIU Daily Egyptian
The abuse of prescription stimulants is most prevalent among whites, members of fraternities or sororities and students with poor grades, according to a report released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

METH – USA
Mom's Against Meth Air New Anti-Drug Movie Nationwide – Fox 12 Boise
A nationwide group called Mothers Against Meth has created a film called "Crystal Meth: They Call It Ice".

OPIUM – USA
Record Opium Crop Possible in Afghanistan, U.N. Study Predicts – The New York Times
Afghanistan’s opium harvest could be bigger than last year’s record crop, with nearly half of the provinces showing an increase in planting this year.

OPIUM – USA
U.N. forsees Afghan poppy harvest boom – Boston Globe
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime predicted that last year's harvest record would be broken by an increase in 15 provinces.

PAINKILLER – USA
Study finds Utah tops nation in nonmedical painkiller abuse – Daily Herald
A federal study of painkiller use found Utah lead the nation in nonmedical use of prescription drugs in 2004 and 2005.

METHADONE – USA
Methadone, a New Killer – Canyon News
Methadone, which is a drug, comes in pill form as well as in liquid.

March 6 Drug Headlines

DRUGS – USA
Drug testing kids a bad idea, doctors say – MSNBC
Screening for substance abuse often inaccurate and leads to loss of trust.

MARIJUANA – USA
Video appears to show brothers, 2 and 5, smoking pot – CNN News
Police in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, said a videotape found in a search for stolen goods appears to show two teenagers persuading a 2-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother to smoke marijuana.

DRUGS – USA
Teens and drugs – Hometown Life
Parents can play a bigger role than they may think in whether their children become drug users.

ALCOHOL – UK
Binge-drink battle gets £12m fund – Alcoholics Anonymous Reviews
A consortium of the UK's biggest alcohol companies is backing a £12m marketing initiative to promote responsible drinking among consumers.

PRESCRIPTION – UK
Prescription abuse outstrips illegal drug use, UN warns – Guardian Unlimited
The abuse and trafficking of prescription drugs, including painkillers and stimulants, has overtaken the use of nearly all illegal drugs with the sole exception of cannabis.

METH – UK
Crystal meth increasing problem – BBC News
The highly addictive drug crystal meth is moving away from clubs and becoming more widely available on London's streets, a drugs court judge reveals.

ALCOHOL – UK
Middle Aged Boozers Drink Themselves To Death – Alcoholics Anonymous Reviews
While teenage binge drinking makes most of the headlines, it is actually those in their thirties, forties and fifties who are more likely to drink themselves to death.

ALCOHOL – USA
Health Tip: Who Should Avoid Alcohol – Austin American Statesman
Here is a list of people for whom any amount of alcohol is dangerous and should be avoided.

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.

March 2 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 1 Drug Headlines

PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription drug abuse among teenagers on the rise: NewsTarget.com – Trans World News
Forget the Mary Jane; all the cool kids are getting high right out of mom and dad's medicine cabinet – much to the alarm of teen drug abuse watchdogs.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription abuse to pass illicit drugs – Kansas City Star
Abuse of prescription drugs is about to exceed the use of illicit street narcotics worldwide, and the shift has spawned a lethal new trade in counterfeit painkillers, sedatives and other medicines potent enough to kill.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Abuse to Pass Illicit Drugs – ABC News Health
Prescription drug abuse already has outstripped traditional illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy in parts of Europe, Africa and South Asia.

METH – USA
Principal charged with dealing crystal meth – CNN News
A middle school principal was charged with dealing crystal methamphetamine after police found the drug in his school office.

Feb 28 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 27 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 26 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 24 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 22 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 21 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 20 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 15 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 13 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 8 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 7 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

Feb 6 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 5 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 3 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 2 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 1 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan 31 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Too many parents giving children alcohol: report – ABC.net
Parents are being asked to try harder when it comes to controlling their teenagers' drinking habits. The latest report on the problem reveals Australian high school students are getting most of their alcohol from their parents.

ALCOHOL – USA
School Adds Alcohol Urine Test to Curriculum – ABC News
Students at Pequannock Township High School in New Jersey will soon be subjected to a new sort of pop quiz, one that alerts their parents if they have been drinking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Analysis: Prescription drug ads leave out risks, alternatives – USA Today
An analysis of television commercials for prescription drugs found that few mentioned risk factors or non-drug treatments for the conditions they target, scientists reported Monday.

ALCOHOL – USA
High school to expand alcohol testing – Houston Chronicle
Some teenagers who drink over the weekend could be in big trouble come Monday morning: A New Jersey school district plans to institute random urine tests capable of detecting whether alcohol was consumed up to 80 hours earlier.

ALCOHOL – UK
Excessive Drinking, Not Alcoholism, May Lead To Most Alcohol-Related Problems – Medical News Today
Many people assume that most people who drink to excess are probably alcoholics. A recent survey of 4,761 New Mexico adults found that while 16.5 percent drank alcohol in excess of national guidelines, only 1.8 percent met criteria for alcohol dependence.

ALCOHOL – UK
Awash with alcohol – The Herald
There was no way of putting a decent gloss on yesterday's figures on the death and destruction being wrought by alcohol in Scotland.

ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND
Vitamin D may prevent alcohol-related bone loss – Stuff.co.nz
New research conducted now suggests that vitamin D or the anti-osteoporosis drug Boniva (ibandronate) can prevent alcohol-related bone loss caused by regular binge drinking.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Doctors Criticize TV Prescription Drug Ads – Broadcast Newsroom
A new study claims TV drug ads are education-lite, a claim challenged by the ad industry.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Marketers Blast Drug-Ad Study – AD Week
Advertisers' lobbying groups reacted with anger today at a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine that criticized direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

METH – CANADA
Shaw TV to Air 'Black Ice -The Truth About Crystal Meth' – CNN Mathews
Shaw Communications today announced plans to produce and air a 90 minute eye-opening special about Crystal Meth and its social and economic impact within the province of Alberta.

METH – USA
Strawberry meth removes any doubt about the scope of Carson City's drug problem – Nevada Appeal
The Carson City Sheriff's Department seized "strawberry meth" during a search of a Como Street apartment on Saturday. It was the first time the pink, flavored meth, designed to be more attractive to young people, was found there.

ALCOHOL – UK
Alcohol abuse and crime – The Herald
Problem drinking fuels many crimes: 40% of those in Scotland's jails committed their crime while under the influence of alcohol.

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 29 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Professor discusses meth addiction – Nevada Appeal
About 100 residents turned out at Carson Valley United Methodist Church on Thursday to find the answer to the question, "Why can't they just stop?"

PRESCRIPTION – USA
LISD raising awareness on teen drug use – Courier Gazette
According to school officials, 31 percent of students in fourth through sixth grades, and 71 percent in seventh through 12th grades reported using some type of substance in their lifetime.

ADDICTION – USA
Addiction speaker to focus on kids, drugs – GJ Sentinel
Drug abuse among athletes is “more relevant today than it’s ever been,” said John Underwood, director of the American Athletic Institute. And one problem that perpetuates this type of abusive behavior in young athletes is in the way adults deal with it, he said.

DRUGS – AUSTRALIA
Drug abuse fight must go beyond government initiatives – The Australian News, Health
Depending on whom you talk to, amphetamine usage is a full-blown crisis in Australia, a disaster just waiting to explode, or no bigger a problem than the use of any other illicit drug.

Jan 26 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – NETHERLANDS
Excessive drinking, not alcoholism, may lead to most alcohol-related problems – Press Zoom
Excessive drinking, not alcoholism, may lead to most alcohol-related problems.

METH – USA
A Portrait of the Typical School-Age Meth User – Pride Surveys
The typical student user of methamphetamines is a 17-year old white male who lives with both parents, first tried meth at age 12.6 years, under performs in the classroom, and does not view the drug as harmful to the health.

ALCOHOL – USA
Binge Drinking May Be Biggest Alcohol Threat: Survey – Food Consumer
A statewide New Mexico survey suggests that most Americans who drink too much may not, in fact, be full-blown alcoholics but rather binge drinkers.

METH – USA
Meth Use Among Females On The Rise – KCPW
Women of child bearing age are a growing demographic among meth users. According to experts from the Salt Lake County Division of Substance Abuse, most women addicted to meth began using due to relationship pressures.

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 24 Drug Headlines

DRUGS – CANADA
Flying in the face of facts, governments cling to futile drug strategies – Vancouver Sun
With all the controversy about Vancouver's supervised injection facility, one could easily be lulled into thinking that we've all but abandoned enforcing Canada's drug laws, that we've chosen to emphasize harm reduction at the expense of prevention, treatment and enforcement.

OPIUM – AFGHANISTAN
AFGHANISTAN: Girls and women traded for opium debts – IRIN News
HELMAND PROVINCE, 23 Jan 2007 (IRIN) - On 4 November 2006, Nasima, 25, a member of a local women’s council, grabbed the AK-47 from the policeman guarding the council meeting in the Grishk district of southern Helmand province and killed herself.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
DPA to Develop State Methamphetamine Education Program – Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico will create a statewide education program to address methamphetamine abuse among high school students, using a nearly $500,000 grant obtained by U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) through a Department of Justice appropriations bill.

ALCOHOL – UK
Protecting fetuses from mothers who drink – New Scientist
Taking cholesterol supplements during pregnancy may prevent at-risk mothers from conferring alcohol-related damage to their growing fetus, according to a preliminary study in zebrafish.

Jan 23 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

Jan 22 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol mixed with other drugs proves popular with students – Melbourne Indymedia
Old research has already found many high school children are increasing the risks of drug use by mixing different substances.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Report: Drug deaths on the rise – The Derrick and News Herald
In addition, reports show that more people are using more potent and addictive drugs than in years past.

DRUGS – USA
LETTER: Honest communication – Lufkin Daily News
It's smart business to educate our kids about the risks of using drugs. But that message is best delivered by qualified health care professionals and counselors, not by uniformed police officers and DARE.

CANNABIS – AUSTRALIA
Cannabis, alcohol ‘most popular mix’ – The Age
Cannabis and alcohol are the most popular combination of drugs for Australian students, and the general population, research shows.

ADDICTION – USA
Professor to discuss meth issues – Record Courier
Bolstered by community interest, the Partnership of Community Resources is hosting a University of Nevada, Reno, professor Thursday who is to discuss the medical aspects of methamphetamine.

METH – USA
Rising meth use ripples through community – Amador Ledger Dispatch
When it comes to the toll the rise in methamphetamine use is taking on the nation and its cities, the health effects can get especially ugly.

DRUG – CANADA
Drug Endangered Children Act gives police tool to halt abuse
As a member of Edmonton's green team, RCMP Cpl. Ian Gillan has seen too many heartbreaking cases of young children being neglected or abused because of their parents' drug activity.

Jan 19 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Mirren refuses alcohol at awards – Rx PG News
Actress Dame Helen Mirren, who recently won the best actress trophy at the Golden Globes, does not resort to alcohol to fight her nervousness at awards functions because she is scared she will embarrass herself.

METH – CANADA
Play gives voice to Meth – Kamloops This Week
Witness the destructive power of meth through the words of those who have struggled with the ruthless addiction to which it can lead — and participate in the healing.

METH – USA
Daily HIV/AIDS Report – Kaiser Network
Some health officials are concerned that the ease with which people can use the Internet to find crystal methamphetamine and sex partners will lead to an increase in the number of new HIV cases among men who have sex with men, Reuters reports.

METH – USA
Meth is Death Week' to draw attention to problem – The Daily World
A county-wide observance will be conducted next week to raise awareness about the continuing methamphetamine problem in Greene County.

PRECRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drugs: The One Thing You Should Never Share – FOX News
There are several reasons why you should never share a prescription with someone-- even if you think it will help the person.

DRUGS – USA
Group fighting teen drug, alcohol use – Cannon Falls Beacon
According to a 2004 student survey, 7% of Cannon Falls sixth graders admitted they had drunk alcohol during the past year, and the percentage rose to 42.5% for the freshmen class. An astonishing 79.5% of the 2004 senior class acknowledged drinking one or more times.

ALCOHOL – USA
Increased TV Alcohol Ads Creating Young Drinkers – The HOYA
If you watch television tonight, you are much more likely to see an alcohol ad than you were six years ago. Largely as a result of a decision by liquor companies to end their voluntary ban on television advertising, in 2005 there were 34 percent more alcohol ads on television than in 2001.

DRUGS – USA
Jackson County Student Drug Testing – ABC News
In 2005, the school district received a grant to administer drug tests to students who participate in clubs, sports and band.

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 17 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Parents working together to prevent teen alcohol use
Keeping track of teens can be tough for parents and worrying about whether they are drinking or even doing drugs can be especially worrying, but some parents at Algonquin and Westborough high schools have created a network so they can keep in touch with each other.

METH – USA
The highest highs the lowest lows – The Columbian News
Years before brain scans proved his theory, Dr. Jack Stump figured the toxic brew known as methamphetamine irreversibly damaged the areas that control behavior and emotion.

ALCOHOL – USA
Young Drinkers Turn to Alcohol to Relieve Stress – Join Together
One of the reasons that people who start drinking at a young age tend to become problem drinkers when they get older is that they are more likely to use alcohol for stress relief, the Washington Post reported Jan. 11.

Jan 16 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

Jan 15 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Grandparents raising kids as meth spreads – Bradenton Herald
Delta and Paul Cottrell thought they would be empty nesters by the time they reached their 60s. By then, they would have competed the toughest job of their lives - parenting - and a leisurely retirement would be just a few years away.

METH – USA
Working to save kids from effects of meth – Nevada Appeal
After the "Crystal Darkness" anti-methamphetamine documentary aired, I received a good idea from Brenda Kindred-Kipling that I would like to pass on.

ADDICTION - YEMEN
Fighting drug addiction: Roles for the family and government – Yemen Times
Taking drugs spoils the brain and spirit and there are a lot of programs to eliminate drug use. Chief of Taiz's Security Department and Drugs and Alcohols Combating Administration told Yemen Times about drugs and the hidden battles behind such the problem. Yemen Times spoke to Yahya Al-Haisami, the chief of Taiz security department.

Jan 12 Drug Headlines

ADDICTION – USA
Powers of addiction, difficulty with withdrawals
Addiction is defined in Webster's Dictionary as: Compulsive need for and use of a habbit forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal;
Broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance

METH – USA
Meth in Amador – Ledger Dispatch
This is the first of a three-part series examining the local impact of methamphetamine. Part one examines the impacts of the drug on the county's law enforcement and court systems.

MENTAL HEALTH – UK
Government defeated over right to refuse mental treatment – Mental Health Foundation
The Government was defeated tonight when peers backed a move to ensure psychiatric patients are able to refuse treatment in the same way as people with physical health problems.

ADDICTION – AUSTRALIA
Ice-addicted mums killing unborn children – The Age
Mothers addicted to the drug ice are killing their unborn children in a plague worse than the cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, a doctor has warned.

Jan 11 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan 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

Jan 9 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
'Meth' destroys health of mind, body, community – American Air Force
Methamphetamine is a threat to the safety and health of communities around Air Force bases, but Drug Demand Reduction Program offices and local law enforcement agencies are stepping up to combat the threat.

METH – USA
Placer County Unveils Meth DVD – KCRA.com
Placer County officials on Monday unveiled a new weapon in the war on methampheatimine abuse -- a new DVD.

ALCOHOL – USA
Dentists Sink Their Teeth Into Fighting Alcoholism, Patients Approve - Study Shows Most Feel Comfortable Discussing Drinking Habits With Their Dentist – Medical News Today
Addiction experts at MUSC say the link between oral cancer and heavy drinking makes dentists ideal sources of alcohol intervention.

ADDICTION – CHINA
China targets primary, middle school students to combat drug addiction
Drug addiction has increased by 54 per cent nationwide in the last seven years but China has achieved some success where it counts most, among primary and middle school students, a senior anti-drug official said on Monday.

ALCOHOL – PHILIPPINES
Alcohol intoxication or poisoning in kids – Sun Star Davao
ETHANOL is the common cause of alcohol intoxication or poisoning. It is mostly present in alcoholic beverages, over the counter medications and cold preparations.

Jan 4 Drug Headlines

METH – USA
Meth: The Overstated Assiction – Coastal Post Online
The Department of Justice has declared today National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. What better way to observe it than taking a break from the hype?

ADDICTION – USA
Kicking an addiction, with real people – International Herald Tribune
NEW YORK: Every time they turn around, smokers are being lectured by nonsmokers about health risks and costs to society, but many of them keep smoking anyway, so pharmaceuticals and anti-smoking groups are turning to smokers and ex-smokers themselves to make the point.

OXYCODONE – USA
Drug deaths on the rise – York Daily Record
Drug users walk a razor's edge between the ultimate high and death, and, in York County last year, the prescription drug Fentanyl became the rage, according to the York County Corner's Office.

PAINKILLERS – USA
Painkiller's toll high – Courier Post
A wave of overdoses involving fentanyl, a powerful narcotic often mixed with street drugs, killed at least 98 people in the tri-county area last year, state officials say.

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

ADDICTION – USA
More Legal Controversy Over Zyprexa
The recent $500 million dollar class action settlement on the part of drug manufacturer Eli Lilly makes necessary a reexamination of the industry's legal responsibility to its customers and the crucial relationships between the FDA, the manufacturers, and the doctors who ultimately prescribe the drugs they make. The company agreed to pay an average of $27,000 to the 18,000 plaintiffs involved in the suit, each of whom claimed to have been damaged by Lilly's top drug, the antipsychotic Zyprexa.

Jan 3 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan 2 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

Dec 29 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol, crowded roads are a bad mix this weekend – Statesman Journal
New Year’s Eve packs a dangerous combination of factors: lots of drivers hastening to parties, lots of alcohol flowing.

METH – USA
Tahoe teens win anti-meth film grant – The Union
A group of Kings Beach teens will become movie producers, actors and camera operators this January as they educate the community about the dangers of methamphetamine.

Dec 28 Drug Headlines

OPIUM – INDIA
Rebels boosting poppy business in Myanmar – Hindustan Times
Poppy trade is flourishing in Myanmar, thanks to the activities of a rebel group that has the support of the country's military regime, a media report said.

GENERAL – USA
New Year's Eve, A Time to Help Those with Addiction – CBS News
New Year's Eve parties are the devil for people who are struggling with an addiction. "That belief that everyone should go out and celebrate and, of course, most celebrating involves alcohol, and so I do believe that it's a definite time of relapse for a lot of people," says Wausau Health Services Director Deborah Piskoty.

ALCOHOL – UK
Every day more than 70 victims seek help after alcohol-fuelled attacks – Scotsman News
ALCOHOL-FUELLED violence is responsible for nearly 30,000 admissions to Scotland's hospitals each year and the problem is getting worse, according to a stark new report.

ALCOHOL – CANADA
Happy Healthy Holidays! – Body and Health
This time of year, many festivities involve alcohol. And with social events sometimes around every corner, it's easy to let our alcohol consumption increase.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine use increases artery tears & stroke risk – Zee News
Washington, Dec 27: Methamphetamine use may be associated with increased risks of major neck artery tears and stroke, according to an article published in the December 26, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

ALCOHOL – USA
Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage But Patients Should Stop Drinking As Soon As Possible – Medical News Today
The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Brain [1], used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients (ten men, five women).

GENERAL – USA
Are Drugs Not Approved By The FDA Safe? - Health Lifeline
We go to the doctor, get a prescription and assume it is safe, but each year, physicians and pharmacists unknowingly give patients drugs that don't have the government's OK.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Study: Teens Using More Prescription Drugs – kxan.com
A new study shows the lengths some teenagers are going to to get high. They're using everything from Ritalin to painkillers. Some are even crushing, then snorting the prescription drugs.

METH – USA
Meth might hurt ability to feel normal pleasure – The Post and Courier
Ronald See, a professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the effects of methamphetamine may be more damaging than some other illegal drugs because it produces a long-lasting high of eight hours or more.

Dec 27 Drug Headlines

GENERAL – USA
Popular heartburn drugs linked to hip fractures – CNN Health
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
FDA To Crack Down On Unapproved Prescription Drugs – Keyetv
Millions of prescriptions are being filled each day for drugs that don't have the Food and Drug Administration approval. Doctors, pharmacists and patients usually have no idea the meds aren't OK'd by the government.

METH – USA
Methamphetamine May Trigger Ischemic Stroke – Medpage
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 26 -- Methamphetamine users may develop carotid artery dissections, leading to a severe stroke, an effect also seen in cocaine users, according to researchers here.

Dec 26 Drug Headlines (and 23, 24 & 25)

GENERAL – US
Survey: Teens abusing more legal drugs – Examiner
That’s the increasingly popular way for teenagers to get high, according to a new government survey. “This is a phenomenon that has been going on for the last five years,” said Michael Gimbel, Sheppard Pratt Health System’s director of Substance Abuse Education. “We’re seeing a huge increase in teenage use of legal drugs, prescription drugs. The kids actually call it ‘pharming.’ ”

CODEINE – TAIWAN
Foundation says doctors over-prescribing for kids – Taipei Times
Doctors are prescribing redundant and excessive levels of medicines for children, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Health Reform Foundation. Of the 15 prescriptions that the foundation sampled, 13 were determined to be improper. Eleven contained at least five kinds of medicines, although some had as many of 13.

PAINKILLERS – USA
FDA urges mandatory painkiller warnings – Washington Times
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday proposed mandatory labeling for over-the-counter painkillers aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

COCAINE – INDIA
Cocaine on 94 percent of Spanish banknotes: study – DNA World
MADRID: Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world's highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.

METH – USA
Survey will help gauge knowledge, attitudes about meth – STLToday.com
HILLSBORO — How much do you know about methamphetamine? In Jefferson County, which has led the state since 2003 in the number of meth lab raids, the Methamphetamine Action Coalition is planning to survey county residents next spring to gauge public knowledge and attitudes about the drug. The aim is to help develop education, prevention and treatment programs.

PESCRIPTION – USA
Prescription Drug Fraud – Weau.com
Many people are traveling this holiday weekend, and taking their prescription medications with them. But, pharmacists say some of those people are using holiday travel as an excuse to get drugs they plan to sell or use themselves.

METH – USA
Strokes in Young People Could be Due to Meth – Scientific America
The drug known on the streets as crystal meth could increase the risk of stroke and major tears in neck arteries, neurologists report.

GENERAL – USA
Drugs, alcohol abusers getting younger – Daily News
SANTA CLARITA — Specialists who work with local kids in therapeutic programs and in the schools say drug and alcohol use among teens and adolescents is skewing younger and younger.

Dec 20 Drug Headlines

GENERAL – UK
COKE EPIDEMIC GRIPS NATION: Addiction has tripled in 5 years – Daily Record UK
SCOTLAND is facing a fast-growing cocaine and crack problem, shock figures out yesterday reveal.

METHADONE – SCOTLAND
Widespread use of methadone 'fails to tackle the damage of drug abuse' – Scotsman News
SCOTLAND'S reliance on methadone is failing to tackle the damage wreaked on society by drug abuse, it was claimed yesterday, as new figures showed a massive rise in the use of the heroin substitute.

ALCOHOL – JAMAICA
The genesis of alcohol abuse - Jamaica Gleaner
The younger a boy is when he starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he will be a risky drinker as an adult, says the results of a four-year survey of male Marine Corps recruits that raises concerns for society at large.

METH – CANADA
Meth ed falling short – Goldstream News
While we applaud the provincial government’s efforts to fund groups like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to far too little far too late.

CODEINE – USA
Stronger warnings urged for painkillers - Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON -- The government on Tuesday proposed stronger safety warnings for non-prescription painkillers found in most family medicine cabinets, as well as many an office drawer and gym bag, including aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and Aleve.

CANNABIS – CANADA
Drug-driving rate doubles in 15 years – Globe and Mail
The number of people getting behind the wheel after smoking pot has more than doubled in the past 15 years, a trend spurred by the belief that being nabbed for drugged driving is far less likely than being caught driving drunk, new research shows.

PAINKILLERS – CANADA
The FDA's Painkiller Warning: How to Avoid Taking Too Much - Time
An overdose of Tylenol can damage the liver. The problem is, we’re often taking it when we don’t even realize it.

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 11 Drug Headlines

ALCOHOL & GENERAL DRUGS - US
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 2006 - White House
Each year, thousands of Americans lose their lives in accidents involving drunk and drugged driving. During National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, we continue our efforts to promote awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and encourage fellow citizens to never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

GENERAL - US
Drugs contract will put children’s rights first - The Herald
Whereas the focus of policy had been on the rights of addicts – to state support, treatment services etc – there is now a recognition of the rights of children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to be free from abuse, neglect and maltreatment.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Drugs factor in car crashes, study finds
The focus on the dangers of drinking and driving may have overshadowed a similarly serious problem: the effect of drugs, including prescription medication, on drivers.

OPIUM - US
Opiate Addicts Find Fewer Hospital-Run Detox Beds Available - Red Orbit
Addicts who overdose on heroin or other opiates are likely to land first in a hospital emergency room, where doctors can often save them from brain damage or death.

OTC - US
Teen Use of Over-the-Counter Cold Medicines Rising - Join Together
Use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines has become one of the fastest-growing drug abuse problems for youths in California and elsewhere, and much of the increase is being seen in the pre-teen population, the Los Angeles Times reported Dec. 5.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
Afghanistan's opium poppies will be sprayed, says US drugs tsar - The Guardian
Afghanistan has agreed to poppy-spraying measures in a desperate bid to deflate the soaring drugs trade, America's anti-narcotics tsar announced at the weekend.

MARIJUANA - US
Laws Don't Curb Teen Marijuana Use - Marijuana Policy Project
A new report from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C., challenges the key assumption underlying present U.S. marijuana laws: that marijuana must be prohibited for adults in order to deter teens from using it.

METH - US
Stetson student busts meth myths
William Collum knew methamphetamine ruined addicts' lives but was surprised to read the drug also hurt innocent victims -- such as a family that moved into a house where meth was once cooked. The report showed how failure to clean the house properly left the air toxic and sickened the family. A financial crisis, breakup and divorce followed, said Collum, a Stetson University political science major.

Dec 10 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - SCOTLAND
Top traffic policeman warns officers are 'powerless' to tackle drug-drivers - Scotsman
Scotland's most senior traffic policeman has admitted that officers are "powerless" to stop drug-drivers and that reliable tests capable of securing convictions are years away.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Ritalin on campus a growing problem - News Times Live
A 15-page paper to write. A major final exam to study for. When the pressure is on, college students sometimes feel they need a little help to make sure they can concentrate. Sometimes that help is a pill.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
For Many In Opium-infested Afghanistan, Drug Addiction Can Begin In The Womb
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.

OPIUM - AFGHAN
U.S. anti-drug chief: Afghan poppies to be sprayed with herbicide - International Herlad 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.


OPIUM - AFGHAN
Opium poppy crop to be sprayed - Los Angeles Times
The top U.S. anti-drug official said Afghan poppies would be sprayed with herbicide to combat an opium trade that produced a record heroin haul this year.

METH - US
The fear on meth: Local lab output - The Boston Globe
When 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine arrived in Seabrook on Oct. 24 , officials say, federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents and Seabrook police officers were ready. They arrested four men and seized the drugs, which had an estimated $1.5 million street value -- the largest amount ever seized in New England .

METH - US
Meth 'superlabs' move to Mexico - Daily Press
Even criminal enterprises are outsourcing jobs to Mexico. As a mark of success for the Methamphetamine Interdiction Team, it seems the push to shut down “superlabs” within San Bernardino County — capable of creating dozens of pounds of meth per batch — has created a booming industry just south of the border.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Blumenthal targets Internet sales of prescription drugs - News Time Live
The ability to obtain drugs without a prescription has grown not only from those who sell their pills to others, but also from sales on the Internet.

PRESCRIPTION - US
ADHD drugs may have 'addictive and emotional' side effects - News Time Live
They are drugs that doctors give to 8-year-olds. How dangerous can they be? Plenty. Medical experts said that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are prescribed to children -- and adults -- with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, for specific reasons.

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 3 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 2 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 1 Drug Headlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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