May 21st Drug Addiction News

OPIUM – USA
Opium: Afghan kids gotta have it – Foreign Policy
Even more disturbing is the fact that, according to the United Nations, some 600,000 of those addicts are under 15.

COCAINE – SOUTH AFRICA
South African drug trade's bitter taste – Mail & Guardian Online
South Africans are changing their hard-drug habits, but the fallout from substance abuse remains the same: the destruction of lives, families and communities.

METH – CANADA
Kits help combat meth – The Morning Star
Some local organizations are using the tools of education to combat crystal meth in our community.

ADDICTION – AUSTRALIA
Parents' drug addiction affects 1 in 8 children: report – ABC NEWS
For the first time, an attempt has been made to work out how many Australian children live with adults who use drugs.

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcohol creeps up on you – The Geelong Advertiser
The good news for drinkers is that one of Geelong's top liver experts doesn't mind a tipple himself. The sobering news for drinkers is that he's all too familiar with the ugly consequences when tipplers tipple too much.

METH – USA
Parents warned of new meth –The Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Methamphetamine is coming this way in a form intended to target youth, local law enforcement officials said. Called "Strawberry Quick," it looks like the popular "Pop Rocks" candy. It is dark pink in color and has a strawberry scent to it.

ALCOHOL – USA
Preventing alcohol experimentation – The Paper 24/7
The percentage of American teenagers who drink weekly is increasing. This means alcohol, along with other harmful drugs and substances, is a primary concern for parents.

PRESCRIPTION – USA
Which prescription drugs could create a deadly combination? – ABC Local News
This has brought to the forefront the possibility of it happening to anyone. Three billion prescriptions are filled every year, and one out of every five have serious side effects.

DRUGS – CANADA
New Drug Education Resource Launched in Schools – Government of Nova Scotia
Mock game shows, graffiti-making, role-playing and a host of other creative learning strategies are a key part of a new classroom resource that helps junior high students make better choices about drugs and alcohol.

May 7th Drug Addiction News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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