Drug News
Sunday
April 1 Drug Addiction Headlines
METH – USA Stronger meth is on the market – WALB NewsA 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 LinkThough 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 WeekDespite 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 NewsAuthorities 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 – LifesiteA 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 – eMaxHealthOn 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? – MSNBCAnheuser-Busch product so adorable it draws fire from alcohol abuse camp. MARIJUANA – USA Is Marijuana Kosher For Passover? – Washington PostIn 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 CitizenA 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 RegisterIf anyone reading this is "dabbling" in drugs, thinking it will only hurt him- or herself, read on... Labels: alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium
Tuesday
March 26 Drug Headlines
CANNABIS – BULGARIA The Independent:UN warns of cannabis dangers as it backs 'IoS' drugs 'apology' – Focus NewsThe 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 NewsA 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 NewsIt'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 – MSNBCBritish study rated the substances more dangerous than marijuana, Ecstasy. METH – USA Yuma, we have a problem: Meth is everywhere – Yuma SunYou 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 NewsMeth 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 TribuneParents 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 HealthA 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 ColonistNinety 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 StarMethamphetamine has invaded Ventura County. In the past five years, addiction to this devastating stimulant has surpassed heroin, cocaine and other drugs Labels: alcohol, cannabis, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Thursday
March 22 Drug Headlines
ADDICTION – GERMANY Cannabis Addiction Treatment at All-Time Highs, Potent "Skunk" Blamed – Short NewsSuper-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 StarThe 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 AfghanistanThe 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 – NewsweekHospital 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 NewsAs 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 NEWSFinancial losses, ruined lives and cries for hope, all part of a one-hour prime time program tonight. METH – USA Meth Abuse – Black Hills TodayYoung 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 CourierAttorney 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 ResponsibilityFollowing 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 PhoenixAbuse of prescription drugs has begun to rise, particularly among youths in rural or small communities. PRESCRIPTION – USA Students Selling Prescription Drugs – Omaha ABC NewsTeenagers 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 OnlineMy 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 NewsYoung people are not sufficiently aware of the dangers of smoking high-strength cannabis. CANNABIS (SKUNK) – UK Skunk: growing danger on the streets – The TelegraphA record number of people are now seeking treatment for cannabis addiction as high-strength strains of the drug take a grip on users. Labels: cannabis, cocaine, methadone, methamphetamine, opium, oxycodone, prescription
March 15 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL – USA Crackdown on serving alcohol to minors – Vail Daily NewsIt 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 NetThis 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 NewswireEmergency 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 NowParticipants 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 AgencyAccording 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 NewsThis 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 DemocratPeople 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 NewsGrowing 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. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Wednesday
March 14 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL – USA Docs Call for Ban on Alcohol Ads in College Sports – Join TogetherThe 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 TogetherA 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 NewsA project tackling drug and alcohol misuse among children is being extended, it has been revealed. HEROIN – RUSSIA Russia hit by flood of heroin – ABC NewsLast 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 NewsHeroin has the biggest part of drug traffic in Bulgaria. ALCOHOL – USA Survey finds many county youngsters drink alcohol – Journal Times OnlineNearly 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 TodayOverdoses 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 OnlineWhile 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 TodayThe 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. Labels: alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Friday
March 8 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL – USA Surgeon General Calls for Action on Underage Drinking – Join TogetherNoting 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 TribuneLast 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 NewsAfter Record Afghan Crop In 2006, Opium Production Could Rise Yet Again, UN Reports. METH – USA Anti-meth group to launch new ads – Montana ForumTargeting 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 OnlineIn 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 PioneerMeth 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 CitizenAdolescents 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 SunAverage 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 – MSNBCAmericans need a wake-up call about the widespread use of alcohol by millions of underage drinkers. Labels: alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium
Wednesday
March 7 Drug Headlines
METHADONE – USA Scientists get a fix on methadone risks – NZZ OnlineSwiss 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, AdelaideAlcohol 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 CarolinaBelieve 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 InternationalTeenagers 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 CoasterTo 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 AtlasAre 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 NewsA "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 EgyptianThe 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 BoiseA 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 TimesAfghanistan’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 GlobeThe 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 HeraldA 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 NewsMethadone, which is a drug, comes in pill form as well as in liquid. Labels: adderall, alcohol, methadone, methamphetamine, opium, painkillers, prescription
Monday
March 5 Drug Headlines
COCAINE – JAPAN Europe sleeping through a cocaine siege – The Japan TimesEuropean 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 NetEuropean 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 IndependentEl 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 TimesPoppy 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 – TBOCentral 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 ChronicleTuesday 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 NewsChild 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. Labels: cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Sunday
March 4 Drug Headlines
METH – USA Governor kicks off "March Against Meth" month – IDAHO News NowIf 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 ClevelandAccording 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 NewsThere'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 TimesIt 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 ChroniclceThe 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 – MSNBCIn 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 StarSuccess 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 FYIThe 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. Labels: alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Wednesday
Feb 28 Drug Headlines
METHADONE – USA Methadone abuse continues to grow – Herald NetIt'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 MaxWhen 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 AgeTHE 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 SentinelThe 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 NewsMethamphetamine 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 NewsWith 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 UpdatesA 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 IndependentThe 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 PostLike 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 ChronicleAnguish 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. Labels: marijuana, methadone, methamphetamine, opium, painkillers, prescription
Monday
Feb 26 Drug Headlines
METH – USA Senator Cogdill Fights To Remove Methamphetamine Problems – My Mother Lode NewsSenator 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 StarThe 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 – IOLPort 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 DemocratYoung 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 InternationalThriving 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 AdvertiserWe 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 HeraldLENT 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 PostThe 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. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, methadone, methamphetamine, opium
Sunday
Feb 24 Drug Headlines
METHADONE – UK Addicts offered a sporting chance – Sunday HeraldA 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 HeraldYour 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 NationThe 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 NewsKids 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 ReviewSince 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 NewsInvestigators 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 AustralianTODAY 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 IowanWith 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 IndependentThe alcopops generation are drinking themselves to death, latest figures show. Labels: alcohol, methadone, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Wednesday
Feb 20 Drug Headlines
PESCRIPTION – USA Feds Issue New Way To Curb Prescription Drug Abuse – WTOVThe 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 NewsMany 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 NewsMethamphetamine: It's a drug with far-reaching side effects that go way beyond the user. ADDICTION – USA Drug addiction affects all of us – Guelph MercuryToo 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 HeraldScotland'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 InternationalAfghanistan's ambassador to Australia has warned his country could become a terrorist-backed narco-state unles it gets help to combat drug trafficking. Labels: heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Tuesday
Feb 19 Drug Headlines
OPIUM – MEXICO Anti-drug raids hit border – The HeraldOfficials also said that in the two months since intensive raids began in central and western Mexico they have destroyed almost as many opium fields as plots of marijuana, long Mexico´s principal drug crop. MORPHINE – USA Drug test science adapts with the times – Charleston Daily MailIf lighting up a marijuana joint is in your evening plans, you’d better hope you’re not screened for drugs within the next 30 days. DRUGS – UK The terrible logic of kids, drugs and killing – Times OnlineWhenever I met young drug dealers who had either shot others or themselves been shot, I wondered whether they had any real notion of death as a permanent state of oblivion. PESCRIPTION – USA Makers of Cough Remedies Join with Anti-Drug Coalitions to Fight Medicine Abuse – Consumer Healthcare Products AssociationThe Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) today launched a new campaign designed to educate communities about how to prevent cough medicine abuse among teenagers. PRESCRIPTION – USA Deadly risk seen from interactions of OTC, prescription meds – Denver PostThe timing of two recent news items - a national health report and the autopsy of an R&B singer - was coincidental. But coming on the same day, they illustrated a deadly, growing problem with prescription and over-the-counter medications. ALCOHOL – NEW ZEALAND Alcohol review targets teens – StuffThe Government is looking for ways to prevent underage teenagers from getting alcohol as experts point to its devastating effects. DRUGS – AUSTRALIA Dope loses its cool – Herald SunThe drug once perceived as harmless is now overwhelming viewed as dangerous, addictive and linked to a range of serious health and social problems. Labels: alcohol, morphine, opium, prescription
Friday
Feb 15 Drug Headlines
METH – USA Come together to fight meth – Montrose Daily PressThe 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-TVMethamphetamine 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 TodayWhile 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 NewschannelThe 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 PressAccording 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 NowThough 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 DrugsMore 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 – MSNBCAccording 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 – CNNWe'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 DispatchToday'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 ChronicleA 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 NewsDespite Billions Spent, and Lives Lost, Opium Trade Thrives and Fuels Insurgent Attacks. OPIUM – USA Losing Afghanistan to opium? – The Washington TimesThe 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. Labels: marijuana, methadone, methamphetamine, opium, prescription, ritalin
Wednesday
Feb 13 Drug Headlines
MARIJUANA – INDIA Smoking : Long-term marijuana smoking leads to respiratory complaints – Spirit IndiaLong-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 TribuneExpressing 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 – ISNProvincial 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 – ZWireThe 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 NewsNinety 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 InfernoAccording 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 AssociationWhile 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 NewsIt's targetted at young people and others experimenting with drugs. METH – USA Anti-meth blitz set to educate – Peninsula ClarionStatewide campaign aimed to curb methamphetamine use. METH – CANADA Council and police take aim at crystal meth – The ChroniclePolice 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! NewsAccording 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 NewsAlcohol 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 TodayStatistics 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 NewsMethadone 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 RecordPrescription pain medications, such as morphine and oxycodone, are increasingly being sold on the street. PRESCRIPTION – USA Prescription drugs are not the answer – Stoneham SunI 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, HealthA 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. Labels: adderall, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, oxycodone, prescription
Tuesday
Feb 12 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPTION – USA Deaths from drug poisoning on the rise – Food Consumer Deaths from prescription drug poisoning increased by 68 percent between 1999 and 2004 in the United States, becoming second only to motor vehicle crashes as a cause of unintentional deaths in the country. DRUGS – USA Dramatic rise in accidental drug-overdose deaths reported – CNN HealthThe number of accidental drug overdose deaths rose from 11,155 in 1999 to 19,838 in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OPIUM – USA Drug Eradication In Afghanistan – Voice of America NewsAfghan police, supported by NATO forces, are about to begin a poppy eradication campaign in Afghanistan’s Helmand province PRESCRIPTION – USA Prescription Medicine Safety – ABC NewsIt's that time of year when everyone seems to be coming down with something.You may find yourself rustling through your medicine cabinet and finding an old prescription, but are you putting yourself in danger? ALCOHOL – UK Drink label 'warning to mothers' – TelegraphBottles and cans of alcohol should carry health warnings aimed at pregnant women, similar to those seen on tobacco products, campaigners said yesterday. DRUGS – USA White House Releases National Plan To Combat Drug Use in America – ONDCPNew Drug Control Strategy Focuses on Reducing Both Demand and Supply; Highlights Success in Reducing Meth Use, Addresses Emerging Prescription Drug Threat. DRUGS – USA 84 Percent of Employers Require Pre-Employment Drug Tests – Join TogetherMore than four out of five U.S. employers now require pre-employment drug tests, and 39 percent conduct random drug testing of employees. HERION – THAILAND No letup in drug war – Bangkok PostOut of the media spotlight, anti-narcotic officers are continuing their fight against smugglers along the borders. METHADONE – USA Methadone overdose on rise – ExaminerOverdoses of methadone — used as a replacement drug for opiate addicts but also an increasingly popular painkiller — can lead to heart and breathing problems and death. PRESCRIPTION – USA Illegal drug use declines, prescription drug abuse climbs – The World LinkIllegal drug use in the United States has dropped sharply since 2001 but abuse of prescription drugs remains a problem. CANNABIS – UK DRUGGIES IN DEADLY GRIT WEED ALERT – The PeopleA DEADLY new type of cannabis called grit weed is sweeping Britain. DRUGS – USA CDC finds dramatic rise in drug deaths – Oblerlin TimesThis is the first study really to describe the large relative increases in poisoning mortality rates in rural states. Historically, the drug issue has been seen as an urban problem. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, heroin, methadone, opium, prescription
Friday
Feb 9 Drug Headlines
CODEINE – USA Be sure to read medicine labels – Beacon NewsKnow the ingredients and ask your doctor or pharmacist before combining any medications -- prescription, over-the-counter, herbal remedies or vitamins. ADDICTION – CANADA Upcoming show aims to spark discussion on Meth addiction – The Northern ViewA February 13 play at the Lester Centre of the Arts entitled “Meth” promises to examine the issue of Crystal Meth addiction in a way that has never been done before. OPIUM – USA GOP urges change in Afghan drug policy – Houston ChronicleMore needs to be done to counter the growing threat of narco-terrorism. OPIUM – UK The power of the poppy – The TelegraphThe Afghan government and its British backers face a crucial trial of strength in the poppy fields of Helmand province. Labels: codeine, opium
Tuesday
Jan 30 Drug Headlines
DRUGS – USA Report: Drug firm distorted Paxil test results – MSNBCGlaxoSmithKline 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 – MSNBCRebuffing 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 NewsIt 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 AustralianIntense 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 ManDespite U.S. pressure, Afghan government says it won't spray herbicide to kill heroin-producing poppies. METH – USA Strawberry meth seized in search – Nevada AppealA 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 JournalPlacer 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 – WWMTEven 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 ForumShelby 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." Labels: heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Thursday
Jan 24 Drug Headlines
DRUGS – CANADA Flying in the face of facts, governments cling to futile drug strategies – Vancouver SunWith 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 NewsHELMAND 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 AllianceDrug 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 ScientistTaking 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. Labels: alcohol, methamphetamine, opium
Friday
Dec 28 Drug Headlines
OPIUM – INDIA Rebels boosting poppy business in Myanmar – Hindustan TimesPoppy 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 NewsNew 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 NewsALCOHOL-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 HealthThis 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 NewsWashington, 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 TodayThe 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 LifelineWe 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.comA 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 CourierRonald 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. Labels: alcohol, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Wednesday
Dec 12 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - MEXICO Calderon vows war against notorious drug gangs - CNNSoldiers 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 TogetherThe 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 - BBCThousands 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 - BBCAnti-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 GuardianMany 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 TogetherBoth 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 StarThe 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 DashAnti-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 HeraldSoldiers 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 SunHeroin 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 NewsI'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 PainThe 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 WarAfghanistan 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 ZapWith 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. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 11 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL & GENERAL DRUGS - US National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 2006 - White HouseEach 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 HeraldWhereas 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 findsThe 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 OrbitAddicts 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 TogetherUse 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 GuardianAfghanistan 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 ProjectA 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 mythsWilliam 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. Labels: alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, over-the-counter, prescription
Tuesday
Dec 10 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - SCOTLAND Top traffic policeman warns officers are 'powerless' to tackle drug-drivers - ScotsmanScotland'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 LiveA 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 WombFarida'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 TribuneThe 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 TimesThe 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 GlobeWhen 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 PressEven 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 LiveThe 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 LiveThey 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. Labels: methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Monday
Dec 8 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - ITALY More Accurate Estimates Of Community-Wide Illicit Drug Use - Medical NewsScientists 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' - BBCTeenagers in Swansea say they are smoking heroin because cannabis is almost impossible to buy. METH - MEXICO Mexico police seize 20 tons of meth ingredient - CNNMexican 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 AddictionGeraldine 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 TogetherA 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 stomachsThe 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 VoiceFive 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 PressReported 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 NewsThe 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 - NewswireCanada'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 TribuneThe 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 TimesA 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. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Thursday
Dec 6 Drug Headlines
METH - US Click here for drug offenders in your area - MSNBCInternet 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 TogetherThe 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 - AGIThe 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 PostFarida'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 EchoA 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 OnlineThe 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 HeraldHunt 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 areaAddiction 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. Labels: cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Wednesday
Dec 5 Drug Headlines
MARIJUANA - US Marijuana-flavored lollipops in Toledo - ABC Local OhioA 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 StarOur 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 UbysseyThe 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 HubThe 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 ExponentDuring 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 TimesThe 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 NewsBabies 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 OnlineState 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 Heraldt’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. Labels: heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Dec 4 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - US Law enforcement divided about decriminalizing drugsVermont'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 - CNNYoung 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 GlasgowA 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 TogetherA 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 TogetherInjection 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 - MercuryA 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 OpinionA 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 NewsTasmania'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.comThe 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 EventsMethamphetamine 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 NewsThis 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 - CBCRCMP 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 JournalMethamphetamine 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 OnlineScientists 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 - EmigrantFollowing 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. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, over-the-counter, painkillers, prescription
Tuesday
Dec 3 Drug Headlines
COCAINE - UK Just say no to a white Christmas - The UK TimesWe’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 NewsEasy & 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 GazettePfizer 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-ChronicleWhich 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 methThe 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 LedgerThe 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. Labels: cocaine, methamphetamine, opium
Dec 2 Drug Headlines
HEROIN - AFGHAN Afghanistan Opium Crop Sets Record - Washington PostOpium 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 NewsThe 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 NewsThe 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 TimesKnow 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 TogetherA 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 abuseIt 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 NewsThree 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 OnlineThere’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 - BBCPolice 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 - TribStarSusan 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 StatisticsAnd 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. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, over-the-counter, prescription
Monday
Dec 1 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPTION - US Warning on Paxil - New York TimesWomen 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 addictionMonroe 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 methamphetamineMethamphetamine, 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 ItThe 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 WaterfordHeroin 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 vaccinesThe 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 doctorThe 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 productionAfghanistan's soaring opium production threatens to wreck efforts to rebuild the country after years of war, the UN and the World Bank have warned. Labels: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, painkillers, prescription
Friday
Nov 29 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - WORLDWIDE Drugs and the law around the world - The HeraldInformation on laws for different countries PRESCRIPTION - US Parents blame antidepressant for toddler's heart defect - CNN* A mom fears the Paxil she took while pregnant caused her son's heart defect. * FDA says two studies suggest paroxetine, or Paxil, increases birth defect risk. * Paxil's labeling was changed last year to warn about the risks of birth defects ALCOHOL - US Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Appears To Increase An Infant's Stress Response - Medical NewsNew findings indicate that the days between conception and pregnancy recognition may be critical for the development of stress-response systems among infants whose mothers consume alcohol. PAINKILLER (METHADONE) - US One pill to kill say methadone bereaved - ScoopThe FDA yesterday warned health care professionals about the dangers of methadone including cardio-toxicity, saying Prescribers' should read and carefully follow prescribing information. Methadone is a synthetic opiate commonly given to opiate addicts so their lives will be less chaotic. METH - NEW ZEALAND Fears drop in price of P attracting more teens - New Zealand HeraldTeenagers as young as 14 are trying methamphetamine or P as the price of the drug has halved in the last year, a drug education group Welltrust says. ALCOHOL - UK Britain's binge drinkers begin to sober up - The GuardianA tide of binge drinking that threatened to engulf Britain has started to recede, according to official figures yesterday. OPIUM - US A step towards breaking a dark embrace - UK TimesEfforts to clamp down on the opium trade in Afghanistan have only swelled the power of the drugs barons and have failed to stop the business reaching “unprecedented levels”, according to the World Bank and a United Nations agency. MARIJUANA - US Calif. Court Gives More Protection to Medical Marijuana Users - Join TogetherPeople found by police to be carrying even seemingly large amounts of marijuana can defend themselves in court by claiming that they are medical-marijuana users, the California Supreme Court has ruled. ECSTASY - US Ecstasy Can Quickly Hurt Brain, Researchers Say - Join TogetherHuman brain cells can be altered and damaged by low doses of ecstasy, leading to reduced blood flow to the brain, researchers say. CANNABIS - EUROPE/HUNGARY Police bust Europe's largest cannabis plantationPolice have busted Europe's largest ever cannabis plantation at an abandoned Slovakian slaughterhouse where top-notch technology was used by Austrian and Hungarian men to grow a copious amount of weed, a Hungarian county police reported on Wednesday. HEROIN - AFGHAN Afghans to use herbicide on nation's poppy crop - The Globe and MailThe United States has persuaded Afghanistan to spray herbicide on poppy fields in an effort to slow the country's opium boom, according to a senior Western diplomat. OPIUM - AFGHAN Opium trade flourishing - Indy StarAfghanistan's criminal underworld has compromised key government officials who protect drug traffickers, allowing a flourishing opium trade that will not be stamped out for a generation, an ominous U.N. report said. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, painkillers, prescription
Nov 28 Drug Headlines
OPIUM - AFHGANISTAN Pesticide solution to eradicate opium trade - Telegraph UKThe Afghan government is to launch a campaign of pesticide spraying of opium poppy for the first time following intense American pressure for a more radical approach to the country's burgeoning drugs problem. METH - AUSTRALIA Ice fuels Sydney armed robbery epidemicA massive rise in the number of armed robberies in inner Sydney may be the result of the growing use of the drug ice. ALCOHOL - US Infant May Be Harmed by Alcohol in First TrimesterNew findings on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure suggest the days between conception and pregnancy recognition may be critical for the development of stress-response systems among infants whose mothers consume alcohol. MARIJUANA - US Justices rule on transport of medicinal pot - LA TimesPeople charged with transporting marijuana may avoid conviction if they can show that the drug was for their personal medical use, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday. MARIJUANA - US War on drugs: national spotlight on marijuanaLast year marked the largest number of marijuana arrests in U.S. history, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. MARIJUANA - US Voters May Get Chance to Legalize MarijuanaVoters could decide next year whether to legalize marijuana use. The state has given a Michigan group permission to move ahead with the ballot initiative. Advocates say the climate is right and a growing number of people think smoking marijuana should be legal in some cases. MARIJUANA - US State hears testimony on legalizing medicinal marijuana; Exclusive WZZM 13 Survey USA Poll shows huge supportTuesday lawmakers held a public hearing on a bill that would make Michigan the 12th state in the nation to legalize medicinal marijuana. COCAINE - BULGARIA BULGARIANS CONTROL COCAINE TRAFFICKING FROM LATIN AMERICA TO EUROPEBulgarians controlled the high levels of cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe, drug enforcement chief Stanimir Florov told a news conference on November 28 2006. HEROIN - UK 'Killer' heroin on the streetsDetectives are warning junkies that a batch of killer heroin is on the streets of Reading after it was blamed for claiming the lives of two men in as many days. METH - US National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, 2006 - White HouseA Proclamation by the President of the United States of America METH - US & MEXICO Entering the ´ice age,´ a lethal drug emergesThe methamphetamine laboratories that once plagued California´s hinterlands and powered a national explosion of drug abuse have been replaced by an increasing supply from Mexico, U.S. law enforcement officials say METH - US Authorities try to deter meth useCounting on the shock value, local Drug Enforcement Administration chief William Renton Jr. motioned to a mugshot of a man with a withered, skeletal face with grizzled patches of white hair. PRESCRIPTION - US Feds consider testing truck drivers for OxyContinA 20-year-old drug testing policy aimed to keep you safe on the road is failing to keep up with the speed of OxyContin. 13 Investigates first told you how truck drivers are escaping detection for the potent painkiller. Now the federal government reacts to driving concerns over old tests and new drugs. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Tuesday
Nov 27 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL - AUSTRALIA Schoolies' dangerous drinking - Herald SunAlcohol is clearly the drug of choice among school leavers celebrating on the Gold Coast, with almost a quarter drinking to the point where they are physically sick. More than 85 per cent of schoolies surveyed by drug education centre DRUG ARM said they had consumed alcohol within the past 24 hours. ALCOHOL - US Alcohol Involved in One-Third of Suicides - Join TogetherA third of suicide victims in a recent study had alcohol in their system, and about 10 percent tested positive for other drugs, such as opiates, cocaine, marijuana, or amphetamines, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN War on drugs strengthens Afghan mafiaAfghanistan’s war on drugs has been marred by corruption that has strengthened the grip of an increasingly powerful mafia on the country’s narcotics trade, a report by the World Bank and United Nations said. Over the past five years, the British-led counter-narcotics strategy had penalised the country’s poorest farmers and strengthened networks of organised crime, consolidating the trade among a tiny elite of traffickers, the damning report said. ECSTASY - AUSTRALIA Ecstasy study turns dance floor into lab - ABC AustraliaThe idea of being followed around a nightclub by a researcher bent on taking a blood sample and measuring your temperature may not be your idea of a good time. COCAINE - US Test Strips For The Rapid Detection Of CocaineSaving the life of a poisoning victim is often a matter of minutes. It is best when the emergency doctor can perform a reliable diagnosis on the spot to determine which poison or what type of drug overdose a patient is suffering from. PAINKILLER - US Methadone Use for Pain Control May Result in Death and Life-Threatening Changes in Breathing and Heart Beat - FDA Public Health AdvisoryFDA has received reports of death and life-threatening side effects in patients taking methadone. These deaths and life-threatening side effects have occurred in patients newly starting methadone for pain control and in patients who have switched to methadone after being treated for pain with other strong narcotic pain relievers. PAINKILLER - US Deaths, side effects prompt new methadone warning - CNNPeople starting treatment with methadone have died and suffered life-threatening side effects, health officials said Monday in warning of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller. PAINKILLER - US Warning issued on dangers of methadone - Seatle PIPeople starting treatment with methadone have died and suffered life-threatening side effects, health officials said Monday in warning of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller. PAINKILLER - US FDA Issues New Methadone Warning - CBN NewsIt's a drug that's been used to treat heroin addiction -- and, increasingly, as a pain-reliever. And now, the government is warning of the dangers of using too much methadone. HEROIN - US Police: Heroin cases rise sharply in state - Chicago TribuneAuthorities say heroin has become increasingly easy to find in Indianapolis and other parts of the state. The Indiana State Police estimate they will investigate nearly 700 heroin cases this year -- twice as many as last year and triple the number of cases in 2004. GENERAL - BANGKOK Asean aims to be drug-free by 2015 - Bangkok PostRepresentatives of Asean member countries and local, regional and international NGOs are meeting now in Bangkok to seek concrete solutions to the drug problem in the region, with a goal of making Asean a drug-free region in 2015. MARIJUANA - US Marijuana petition drive for 2008 ballot is under way - Wood TVMichigan residents could legally use marijuana on private property for recreational or medical purposes under a measure proposed for the 2008 statewide ballot. MARIJUANA - US Petition drive seeks to legalize marijuana use in Michigan - WZZM 13Michigan residents could legally use marijuana on private property under a measure proposed for the 2008 ballot. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, opium, painkillers
Nov 26 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - UK Annual report 2006: the state of the drugs problem in EuropeContains: Overview of the European drugs phenomenon in 29 countries. Drug facts, figures and analyses: across Europe and by country. Latest trends and social, legal and political responses. GENERAL - UK The really tough way to control drugs is to license them - Times OnlineThe latest figures from the European drug monitoring agency indicate that Britain leads the continent in cocaine and heroin use and is equalled only by Denmark for cannabis. Given how often prohibitionists abuse Holland’s proactive drugs policy, it is worth noting that twice as many Britons as Dutch use cocaine and a third more use cannabis. HEROIN & OPIUM - CANADA Prescription Opioid Abuse More Prevalent Than Heroin, OPICAN Study In 7 Canadian Cities RevealsA new study conducted in seven Canadian cities reveals that prescription opioids, and not heroin, are the major form of illicit opioid use. These findings raise questions about the current focus of Canada's drug control policy and treatment programs. OPIUM - AFGHAN Afghanistan Produces 92% of Illegal Opium - The Media LineA staggering 92 percent of the illicit opium worldwide is being produced in Afghanistan, a United Nations narcotics researcher said. HEROIN - US Heroin use rising in IndyWhile the drug still makes up a minority of the cases at Indianapolis' drug court, heroin is increasingly easy to find on the city's streets, according to police, as it is elsewhere in Indiana and the nation. COCAINE - US Clinics on the way for wealthy cocaine-usersClinics targeted at treating cocaine addicts from middle-class and professional backgrounds may open in business districts or wealthy suburbs around the country under proposals from two government bodies. CANNABIS - MALTA Malta has one of lowest rates of cannabis use in EuropeMalta has one of the lowest prevalence rates of once in a lifetime use of cannabis (3.5 per cent) in Europe even though it is the most commonly used illegal substance in Europe, according to the recently published 2005 Annual Report of European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. METH - MEXICO Mexican meth production on riseSuccessful U.S. efforts to control the sale of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine has led to a mushrooming production of the drug in Mexico. GENERAL - US Addiction Awareness a Yearly AffairThere is a special program underway in the Prince George area, but it isn't just because of Addiction Awareness week. The poster at left, shows not just a message about saying no to drinking and driving, it also features a stylized marijuana leaf, and some "pills". It is spreading the word that driving sober means more than just keeping clear of booze. HEROIN - UK Quick fix for the heroin epidemic is a counsel of despair - The ScotsmanToday, there are an estimated 240,000 heroin addicts in the UK, committing an average of 435 crimes a year each to raise the £30,000 it costs to keep them in the drug. Labels: cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Nov 24 Drug Headlines
New ArticlesGENERAL - AFGHAN Afghan Drug Boom Fuels Child Addiction RatesDoctors estimate that there are more than 2,000 drug-addicted children in the western city of Herat alone. GENERAL - UK Addicted to Failure - The TimesThe most optimistic reading of the remarks by Europe’s top anti-drugs official yesterday was that the war against drugs is in a quagmire. In Britain, new government statistics suggest that there is a serious and growing drug problem. Although the illicit nature of drug use means that no calculation can ever be wholly accurate, the Home Office estimates are probably more robust, and more alarming, than anything previously published. METH - MEXICO Mexico Produces Most of Methamphetamine Coming into USAs methamphetamine abuse continues its scourge of the country, state and federal elected officials have worked over the last two years to pass laws restricting sales of over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine. Original ArticlesALCOHOL - US CDC Says Alcohol a Factor in One of Three Suicides - Anxiety, Addiction and Depression TreatmentsThe Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that post-mortem toxicology screenings found alcohol present in 33% of suicides across 13 states. Opiates were involved in 16%. Maybe most worrisome is that, as Reuters reports, the number of suicide deaths that involved drugs and alcohol didn't change even when drugs were the suspected method of suicide. CANNABIS - UK Cannabis is linked to rising child crime and harder drugs - Times OnlineMagistrates are calling for tougher laws on cannabis to halt a crime wave among children who are stealing to buy drugs and graduating to more dangerous drugs. The demand for the Government to move the drug back to Class B from Class C for young offenders came yesterday as two reports showed that Britain’s drug problems continue unabated. GENERAL - UK Britain's £5.9bn a year drug habit - THe GuardianThe UK has 327,466 hardcore "problem drug users" who are regularly using either heroin, crack or cocaine, research revealed yesterday. The figure is far higher than a previous estimate of 270,000. HEROIN - UK Killer heroin on our streets - Get Reading UKPolice fear a batch of killer heroin is in circulation following the deaths of two men in two days. They have issued an urgent warning to heroin users to beware shooting up a deadly dose of the drug. HEROIN - UK BAD HABIT TO GIVE ADDICTS HEROIN - Daily Record UKTRYING awfully hard to understand the logic behind prescribing heroin for druggies on the NHS. It would, according to the police, cut burglaries, muggings and shop-lifting by half because the junkies wouldn't have to steal to feed their habits. Except some might think, at a time when medication is being denied to those suffering from early stage Alzheimer's, that shelling out £15,000 a year for each addict is not maybe the best use of our resources. HEROIN - UK NHS to give addicts free drugs - The ArgusDrug addicts are to be prescribed heroin on the NHS in a controversial plan to cut crime and get users off drugs. Addicts would be allowed to inject themselves under supervision as part of a scheme costing £12,000 to £15,000 a year for every user. OPIUM - UK & AFGHANISTAN British troops wary of joining Afghan war on drugs - Daily TimesDespite being urged to do so by Afghan and western counter-narcotics chiefs, British troops are wary of joining the offensive against the drugs trade in Afghanistan, The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday. British commanders reportedly stand accused of taking too soft a line on opium farmers, and forces in the southern Helmand province – where the majority of British soldiers are based – are being asked to bomb or ambush drug smugglers. COCAINE - UK Britain leads Europe in cocaine useA study finds that cocaine use in Europe is highest in England and Wales with Spain ranking second. In England and Wales, cocaine use has tripled among all adults and quadrupled among those aged 15 to 24 in the past 10 years, the BBC reported. COCAINE - UK Cancerous substance in cocaine? - Female FirstDrug users have been cautioned that the drug is more commonly being cut with a chemical which places them at a 'very high risk of getting cancer'. COCAINE - UK Britain leads Europe in cocaine use - Washington TimesA study finds that cocaine use in Europe is highest in England and Wales with Spain ranking second. In England and Wales, cocaine use has tripled among all adults and quadrupled among those aged 15 to 24 in the past 10 years, the BBC reported. METH - US ‘Meth is Death Week' planned for Jan. 21-27 - Daily CitizenPlans are coming together for a planned county-wide week-long observance in January to raise the local awareness about the continuing methamphetamine problem in Greene County. Tabbed “Meth is Death Week” - the public awareness campaign is sponsored by Greene United Against Meth (GUAM), a pro-active grassroots organization, that has been involved in educating the public about the perils of meth use in the community for more than three years. GENERAL - UK Rising drug addiction costs UK £15 billion annually - Earth TimesThe rise of drug abuse in the UK is costing its tax payers £15 billion. This figure has arisen in a Home Office study that was published recently. The amount is made up of drug related crimes, health service usage, drug-related deaths and the socio-economic care of addicts. MARIJUANA - CANADA Marijuana more addictive for youthYoung people can easily become dependent on marijuana because their brain is still developing, says an expert on youth substance abuse. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium
Friday
Nov 22 Drug Headlines
ALCOHOL - US Britons 'in denial' over alcohol - BBCBritons are in denial about the effect of drinking excess alcohol on their health, according to a survey. Only 12% of adults questioned worried about the effect of drinking too much alcohol on their health, according to insurer Legal & General. OPIUM - UK Smoking opium could make a comeback in Britain - Times OnlineOpium smoking much beloved by Victorian intellectuals could be making a comeback in Britain a national drugs conference was warned yesterday. International drugs experts believe that traffickers faced with off-loading a record crop of opium poppies in Afghanistan are not bothering to refine opium into heroin but smuggling it direct for sale. ECSTASY - UK Call for ecstasy to be downgraded - BBCEcstasy and LSD should be downgraded from Class A to Class B, a government adviser on drugs law has proposed. Professor David Nutt, who chairs a committee of a drugs advisory council, said grouping the drugs with others in Class A, like heroin, was an "anomaly". GENERAL - NEW ZEALAND Cultural Differences Blamed For Maori Drug Addiction - NewswireA new study reveals that Maori are twice as likely as non-Maori to become addicted to drugs. OPIUM - UK Smoking opium could make a comeback in Britain - Times OnlineOpium smoking much beloved by Victorian intellectuals could be making a comeback in Britain a national drugs conference was warned yesterday. International drugs experts believe that traffickers faced with off-loading a record crop of opium poppies in Afghanistan are not bothering to refine opium into heroin but smuggling it direct for sale. GENERAL - IRAN One person dies every two hours from drug addiction in Iran - Iran FocusOne person dies every two hours from drug addiction-related illnesses in Iran, according to new statistics released by the government. PAINKILLER - SWEDEN Painkiller addiction kills two youngsters - The Local, Swedens News in EnglishPolice are concerned about the use of highly addictive painkiller Tradolan among young people in Tierp, north of Stockholm. The deaths of two 17-year old boys have been linked to the drug Expressen reports. Police say both boys hade high amounts of Tradolan in their bodies at the time of death. GENERAL - US Changing Your Diet Can Improve Your Mood - NBC 11Kim Goldman's despair was so bad she couldn't work. Even prescription anti-depressants failed to pull her out of a deep depression. COCAINE - US Love Your Heart: Just Say 'No' to Cocaine - The CrimsonSinners, take note. Sex won’t increase your risk of a heart attack—but cocaine could up your chances nearly 24 times over, according to two Harvard researchers. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, opium, painkillers
Nov 21 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPION - CANADA Prescription Opioid Abuse More Prevalent Than Heroin, Canadian Study Reveals - Science DailyA new study conducted in seven Canadian cities reveals that prescription opioids, and not heroin, are the major form of illicit opioid use. These findings raise questions about the current focus of Canada's drug control policy and treatment programs. ALCOHOL - US US push for drink detectors in cars - The AgeALCOHOL detectors may be fitted to all vehicles in the US after private and government experts agreed that the deterrence tactic used against drink-drivers for the past 20 years was no longer working. GENERAL - US Relapse Rates Lower When Treatment Follows Detox - Join TogetherPatients who received addiction treatment within 30 days of going through detoxification took 40 percent longer to relapse if they fell off the wagon at all, according to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). GENERAL - NEW ZEALAND Maori 'twice as likely' to develop drug addiction - New Zealand HeraldMaori are more at risk of developing drug addictions than other ethnic groups, an addiction expert says. National Addiction Centre director Professor Doug Sellman said today that after considering variables such as age, gender, education and household income, Maori were twice as likely to have lifetime substance use disorders than other ethnic groups. GENERAL - UK Police chiefs to debate drugs fight - The GuardianBritain's top police officers are beginning a two-day conference to discuss the battle against illegal drugs. The Association of Chief Police Officers event will focus on future opportunities, challenges and threats facing law enforcement officers and communities. METH - UK Crystal meth: Britain's deadliest drug problem - IndependentBritain is under threat from a highly addictive drug, known as crystal meth or "ice", which has the potential to rival crack cocaine as the country's most dangerous drug, police chiefs are warning. HEROIN - US Heroin use rate descending - CJOBHeroin is apparently no longer the drug of choice among many substance abusers in Canada. A study has found prescription narcotics such as morphine and OxyContin are taking the place of the illicit drug. GENERAL - AUSTRALIA Call to screen drug-addicted mothers - The AgeA Tasmanian doctor wants the mothers of babies drug-addicted at birth to be screened for illicit substances before being allowed to take their babies home. COCAINE - UK A nation addicted: Cocaine - Britain's deadly habitA major new report shows that 1.75 million young adults use a drug that most think is harmless. But 171 people have died from its use last year, an increase of 300 per cent in five years. OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN As opium poppies flourish, Karzai's resolve seems to wilt - Baltimore SunFive years ago this month, Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, was liberated from the tyranny of the Taliban regime and its "guests," al-Qaida. Five years later, Afghanistan, and indeed the world, lives under the threat of another brutal tyrant: the narcotics trade and the terrorism it funds. Labels: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Wednesday
Nov 14 Drug Headlines
PRESCRIPTION - US & JAPAN FDA to parents: Watch for 'abnormal behavior' onTamiflu - CNNMore than 100 recent cases of delirium, hallucinations and other unusual psychiatric behavior in Japanese patients treated with Tamiflu should have parents watching for similar reactions when treating their children with the flu drug. That's the new advice from the Food and Drug Administration in adding a new precaution to the label of the influenza drug, prescribed about 2 million times a year in the United States. GENERAL - AFRICA Teenager wins battle against addiction - The Herald, South AfricaIn the biannual alcohol and drug abuse trends study conducted by the Medical Research Council for the period July to December 2005, it was found that the Eastern Cape had the highest percentage of known cocaine and mandrax users in South Africa. GENERAL - US Wipes Used to Detect Drugs on School Surfaces; Foreheads Eyed - Join TogetherSome New York area schools are using "DrugWipes" to detect drug residue left on surfaces such as student lockers from contact with student sweat, the New York Post reported Nov. 13. GENERAL - RUSSIA Officially drugs kill 8,000 Russians yearly, unofficially 70,000Eight thousand deaths were registered from illegal drug use in Russia last year, but unofficial estimates suggest total drug-related fatalities may be as high as 70,000 per year, the government's narcotics watchdog said Tuesday. GENERAL - CANADA Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Costs Ontario $34 Billion - Canada News WireA new study released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reveals that, in the year 2000, the economic cost of mental disorders and substance abuse in Ontario was $33.9 billion. ALCOHOL - UK Alcohol Concern: New Evidence on Alcohol - Related Deaths are just the Tip of the Iceberg - Alcohol ConcernFigures just released by the Office for National Statistics putting alcohol-related deaths at 8,386 do not fully capture the scale of the problem, Alcohol Concerns Annual Conference will hear today. The charity, which is launching a national campaign to persuade Government and local health authorities to put more money into alcohol treatment services has just released a new report: Wasted: lives lost to Alcohol. CANNABIS - US Cannabis: A token issue no longer - The Daily ReveilleThese ballot initiatives asked voters to legalize the possession of marijuana in some way. South Dakotans were asked to decide whether they should become the 12th state in the Union to allow medical marijuana. OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN If not opium, then what? - Channel 4 NewsIt's difficult to exaggerate the scale of the opium production problem in Afghanistan. President Karsai has said that either Afghanistan destroys opium or opium will destroy Afghanistan. The United Nations estimates that poppy cultivation is up by nearly 60 per cent this year. MARIJUANA - ITALY Government lifts marijuana limit - Italy MagazineThe centre-left government announced on Monday that it had raised the amount of marijuana a person can carry without being arrested for dealing. PRESCRIPTION - US Academic Doping In Local Classrooms - WKRCThe search for academic perfection may be fueling a disturbing drug trend on local high school and college campuses. Nationally, one in 10 teenagers say they've taken Adderall or Ritalin without a doctor's order. The stimulants, typically prescribed for ADHD, are often taken from parents' medicine cabinets and sold to classmates. METH - UK Drug use 'behind crumbling euros' - BBCUsers of the drug crystal methamphetamine may be causing euro banknotes to disintegrate, German police have told Der Spiegel magazine. Sulphates used in the production of the drug could form sulphuric acid when mixed with human sweat, they say, causing banknotes to corrode. Labels: alcohol, cannabis, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Monday
Nov 11 Drug Headlines
CRACK COCAINE - US Detox centre seen as way to ease crack usePeterborough needs a detox centre if it wants to get serious about dealing with drug users. That’s the message from Peggy Shaughnessy, an addiction counsellor and president of Whitepath Consulting and Counselling Services. GENERAL - US Faith-based recovery programs provide alternatives to addiction - Santa Cruz SentinelIn the last fiscal year, 2,930 people were admitted to recovery programs countywide, according to Bill Manoff, program manager at the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN Iran, Afghanistan, Pak. to share date on drug smugglers - The HinduIran and neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan must share intelligence on drug smuggling, the head of the United Nations agency against drugs has said. Labels: cocaine, crack, opium
Friday
Nov 8 Drug Headlines
Updated ArticlesPAINKILLERS - US Antioxidants may make more effective pain-killers than morphine - SAWFS NewsA new research on a mouse model has boffins hopeful that antioxidant-based pain killers will, in the future, become a viable alternative to addictive medications such as morphine. MARIJUANA - US Major marijuana initiatives defeated - Personal BlogEfforts to legalize marijuana for either recreational or medical use were defeated yesterday in three states. In Colorado, where Amendment 44 sought to legalize possession of an ounce of pot for adults, only 38% of the voters favored the inititative. ALCOHOL - UK Alcohol dependence: International policy implications for prison populationsResults - Alcohol dependence emerged as the most prevalent substance use disorder in both UK prisons and in the US sample. Relative frequencies of abuse and dependence for alcohol and other drugs revealed that dependence on a given substance was more prevalent than abuse as defined by the current diagnostic criteria. Original PostGENERAL - UK Charles demands help for a lost generation - TelegraphThe Prince of Wales will today highlight the plight of 1.2 million unemployed and under-educated young people facing a grim future because they have been abandoned "on the margins of society". 2006, November 8 ALCOHOL - US Alcohol Bad For Lungs As Well As Liver - Medical News TodayChronic alcohol abuse disrupts the proteins that keep fluids out of the lung, lowers a protective antioxidant, disrupts immune defenses and can lead to a condition known as 'alcoholic lung,' according to research to be presented at the conference, "Physiological Genomics and Proteomics of Lung Disease." 2006, November 8 OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan 'to spray poppy crop' - e-ArianaThe Afghan government has for the first time accepted that aerial chemical spraying could be considered to curb the cultivation of opium poppies. Poppy production across Afghanistan has increased by 60% since 2005. OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN Tajiks Struggle to Stem Tide of Drugs - IWPRNarcotics experts are predicting a surge in illicit drugs entering Tajikistan en route to Russia and Europe following the record opium harvest in Afghanistan. They are calling for joint efforts to create a security belt around Afghanistan to check the flow of drugs. PRESCRIPTION - US Students Abusing 'Smart Drugs' To Keep Grades Up - CBS2 ChicagoFor years, students pulling all-nighters have gulped coffee to stay awake. But now growing numbers are popping pills -- and not to party. PRESCRIPTION - UK Revealed: The thousands of drug addicts - Chronicle LIveA lost generation of over the counter prescription pill addicts is today revealed. It is thought as many as 45,000 people in the North East are in the grip of addictions to sleeping pills and drugs like Valium, diazepam and temazepam. ALCOHOL - UK Rapid Rise in U.K. Alcohol Deaths Reported - Join TogetherAlcohol-related deaths in the U.K. have risen from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,386 last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. Labels: alcohol, marijuana, opium, painkillers, prescription
Nov 3 Drug Headlines
CANNABIS - SPAIN More cannabis used in Malaga than in any other province - SUR in EnglishWhether as marihuana or hashish, the people of Malaga are the Andalusians who use most cannabis on a regular basis, this being defined as those who have used it in the past six months. Addiction to the drug has doubled in the province over the past decade. Only 5.6 per cent of the population used it regularly in 1994 and now the figure has risen to 11.2 per cent. 2006, November 3 CANNABIS - US, CA State marijuana seizures hit all-time high - Chico ERThe California Department of Justice said its Campaign Against Marijuana Planting resulted in the eradication of nearly 1.7 million plants this season. The number reflects the seizure of pot plants in 34 California counties, and is up more than 500,000 plants over last year. 2006, November 3 HEROIN - US, TENNESSEE Heroin use above the national average among Knox County high school students - WBIRIt's highly addictive -- it can kill -- yet more and more young people in East Tennessee are using heroin. Consider these numbers: In the US 2.4% of high schoolers say they've taken heroin. In Tennessee 1.8% 2006, November 3 PRESCRIPTION - US Cough syrups, painkillers, analgesics... kids hooked on medicine highs - LUdhiana NewslineThe menace of drug addiction is increasing among the city’s schoolchildren. Many 10-15-yr-olds are in its grip. While smoking was nothing new, the latest craze is cough syrup, drugs like Proxyvon, Parbanspas and capasules of Opiate Analagesic, say the city’s medical practitioners. 2006, November 3 METH - US Meth users are finding ways around new laws, forum told - STL TodayDespite new laws limiting access to a key ingredient in methamphetamine, the drug remains a serious problem in Jefferson County, speakers at a forum on meth abuse said this week. A large part of the problem is that methamphetamine is so extremely addictive, they said. 2006, November 3 OPIATE - US, MAINE Acadia Hospital Launches Campaign To Combat Opiate Addiction - WCSH 6According to Acadia Hospital, Maine is among the states with the highest rate of opiate addiction in the country. On Thursday, the hospital launched a campaign to target the problem. 2006, November 2 PRESCRIPTION - US Med students get crash course in drug pitches - CNNMedical schools in several states are boosting programs that teach doctors and students to challenge the sales pitches of drug companies and avoid being dazzled by them. 2006, November 3 ALCOHOL - US New Evidence On Why Alcohol Consumption Is A Risk Factor For Cancer - Medical News TodayWhy is alcohol consumption a risk factor for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus? Scientists long have suspected that the culprit is acetaldehyde, a compound produced as the body breaks down the alcohol in beer, wine and hard liquor. 2006, November 3 COCAINE - UK Colombian women appeal to conscience of cocaine users - Guardian UnlimitedFive Colombian women who have survived kidnapping, bombs and landmines have come to Britain to tell cocaine users that they are helping to fuel violence and death in Colombia. The aim is to prick the conscience of the west by highlighting the side-effects of the cocaine trade. 2006, November 3 PRESCRIPTION - US Prescription Addiction Haunts Millions - KETVPrescription drug addiction has been called an epidemic, and a recent study showed that more than 15 million Americans admitted abusing prescription drugs -- doubling over a decade. 2006, November 3 GENERAL - US Piperazines - what to do with an emerging 'legal high'?The piperazines are a 'family' of drugs with similar chemical structures. Some amongst this group of drugs are used medically (including famously, Viagra) and others, are in an as-yet unclassified legal wilderness and have found a market on the (annoyingly named) 'legal high' recreational drugs scene for their stimulant effect, similar to amphetamines or ecstasy, although of lower potency. 2006, November 3 Labels: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opium, prescription
Nov 2 Drug Headlines
GENERAL - UK Piperazines – how to regulate an emerging recreational drug not covered by existing legislationA new ‘family' of drugs, the piperazines, has emerged on the recreational drugs market over the past couple of years. Some are licensed medicines but others currently have an ambiguous legal status in the UK, with some possibly covered by the Medicines Act 1968 and others awaiting decisions on their classification under the Act by the MRHA. 2006, November 2 GENERAL - SCOTLAND Dozens of drug dealers arrested - BBCPolice have made more than 100 drug-related arrests in the latest phase of a campaign against dealers. Officers have seized drugs worth £64,000 and nearly £30,000 in cash in the six-week Scottish campaign. 2006, November 2 COCAINE - EU UN Drugs Chief Tells Europe to Wake up to its Cocaine Problem - United NationsAt a meeting today in London to launch a campaign on shared responsibility and the global problem of illicit drugs, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, warned Europe that it was heading for a cocaine crisis. 2006, November 2 COCAINE - EU Europe warned of cocaine crisis - United Press InternationalThe U.N. narcotics czar warns that Europe is headed toward a cocaine crisis as many governments there continue to be in denial of the problem. 2006, November 2 COCAINE - EU Europe facing cocaine crisis, U.N. drug chief says - International Herald TribuneEurope is heading for a cocaine crisis, with demand for the drug rising across the continent even as it holds steady or falls elsewhere in the world, the U.N.'s drug chief said Thursday. 2006, November 2 GENERAL - AUSTRALIA Heroin, ecstasy addicts turn to ice - Herald SunHeavy heroin and ecstasy abusers are increasingly adding the dangerous street drug ice to their substances of choice, new national surveys have revealed. 2006, November 2 OPIUM - AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan's next opium crop likely to match this year's record harvest, officials say - Sign on San DiegoAfghan farmers now planting opium poppies will probably reap a harvest comparable to this year's record crop, in part because insurgents are preventing effective counter-narcotics work, officials said Thursday. 2006, November 2 MARIJUANA - US Marijuana measure lacks senseThere are signs up around the state that read: Make Colorado Safer. Yes on 44. We can't argue about safety, but we're voting no on Amendment 44. The initiative proposes a change to the Colorado statutes that legalizes the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years old and older. 2006, November 2 COCAINE - US The killing power of cocaine - Benetton TalkIt is not only those who consume it who are the victims of the cocaine. Cocaine victims are local victims as well. In the producing countries like Colombia, victims range from those kidnapped to those mutilated in their fight against the production of the drug. 2006, November 2 COCAINE - US Documentary captures Miami's cocaine craze in the 1980s - Sun-SentinelDuring the heyday of the cocaine trade in Miami during the 1970s and early '80s, drug smugglers and dealers fueled by Colombia's Medellin cartel transformed the city from a sleepy retirement community into one of the country's hot spots. The cocaine industry was a $20billion annual business in the South Florida metropolis. 2006, November 2 CANNABIS - US Pot makes you crazy - The ExonentMarijuana users beware. This product may cause hallucinations or psychotic behavior. Users may also experience periods where they believe they are a god. Researchers and scientists have been studying the effects of marijuana on the brain for years. Now they are asking themselves a new question. Can marijuana usage cause psychosis? 2006, November 2 METH - US Crystal Meth Detected In Newborns' Hair - MedPage TodayMethamphetamine can be detected in the hair of newborns whose mothers used the drug during pregnancy, researchers here have found. 2006, November 2 METH - CANADA Jury weighs recommendations in overdose death - Sun Ottawa NewsA coroner's jury began deliberating today on how to save the lives of people like Wade Hatt, who died last year after being given a massive overdose of methadone at a Centretown clinic. 2006, November 2 Labels: cannabis, cocaine, drugs, marijuana, methamphetamine, opium
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