11/1/2008
Free Prescription Drug Samples Pose Risk To Kids
Free prescription drug samples distributed to pediatric patients may be unsafe, research suggests. The study, published in the October 2008 issue of Pediatrics, examined data on 10,295 children and adolescents from the 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The researchers found that one in 20 American children received free drug samples in 2004. And among those who took at least one prescription drug that year, nearly one in 10 received free samples. This in concerning, since the researchers also found that some of the most frequently distributed samples may be unsafe. Four of the 15 most frequently distributed samples in 2004 were identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as having significant new safety concerns, including new black box warnings or significant revisions to existing warnings. Health Daily News, October 6, 2008.
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11/1/2008
ADHD Stimulant Meds Cut Young Girls’ Drug Abuse Risk
Stimulant treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) significantly cuts the odds that adolescent girls will smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs, a new Massachusetts General Hospital study shows. The finding parallels previous studies in boys, the team note. People with ADHD are at significantly increased risk for cigarette smoking and substance abuse. In the past, there were concerns that treatment of ADHD with stimulant drugs such as Ritalin might increase the risk of drug or alcohol abuse.
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11/1/2008
Nation’s Drug Czar Denounces Calif. Ballot Measure
A sweeping drug rehabilitation proposition on California's Nov. 4 ballot is part of a veiled effort to decriminalize drugs nationwide, the U.S. drug czar said Tuesday. John Walters, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said the initiative's supporters would try to build on their success if voters approve Proposition 5 next month. The initiative would require California to spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on rehabilitation programs. It shortens parole for most drug and property crimes and prohibits sending many paroled drug offenders back to prison unless they commit a new felony or have a record of committing violent or serious crimes. Walters pointed to provisions that could send those convicted of fraud, embezzlement, auto theft, identity theft and other crimes to treatment programs instead of prison if they persuade a judge their crimes were drug-related. The Fresno Bee, October 21, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Cocaine Addicts’ Brains Predisposed To Abuse-Study
Cocaine addicts may have brain deficits that predispose them to drug abuse, and abusing drugs appears to make matters worse, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. They said images of cocaine addicts' brains reveal abnormalities in the cerebral cortex -- the brain's outer surface -- and these changes relate to dysfunction in areas responsible for attention and decision-making. "These data point to a mixture of both drug effects and predisposition underlying the structural alterations we observed," said Dr. Hans Breiter of Massachusetts General Hospital, whose research appears in the journal Neuron. Reuters, October 8, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Criminals Targeted In U.S. “Kidnap Capital”
The criminal underworld in the sun-baked Arizona capital of Phoenix has long enjoyed the hot money profits from illicit smuggling of drugs and people over the border from Mexico. But now its members are living in fear as they are stalked by kidnappers after their proceeds, authorities say. Police in the desert city say specialized kidnap rings are snatching suspected criminals and their families from their homes, running them off the roads and even grabbing them at shopping malls in a spiraling spate of abductions. "Phoenix is ground zero for illegal narcotics smuggling and illegal human smuggling in the United States," said Phil Roberts, a Phoenix Police Department detective. Reuters, October 9, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Religiosity Curbs Teen Marijuana Use By Half, National Study Finds
While many congregations of different faiths preach against drug abuse, it has been unclear whether a youth’s religious involvement has any effect on his risk of drug abuse. Now a new national study by two Brigham Young University sociologists finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana. The study – which will be published October 13 in the Journal of Drug Issues – settles a question scholars have disagreed on in the past. Science Daily, October 12, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Legalize Drugs To Fight Trafficking: Zelaya
President Manuel Zelaya proposed legalizing drug use, which he said would free up Honduras's financial resources and defang international traffickers. "The trade of arms, drugs and people ... are scourges on the international economy, and we are unable to provide effective responses" because of conventional legal restraints, Zelaya said Monday at the opening of the 18th meeting of regional leaders against drug trafficking. Drug ministers from 32 Latin American and Caribbean nations are meeting in Tegucigalpa with United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime until October 17. Agence France Presse, October 13, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Coal Industry, Unions Criticize Fed Drug Test Plan
Labor unions and mine operators on Tuesday criticized proposed federal rules to expand drug testing to include more than 116,000 coal miners, asking for sweeping changes to the proposal or for it to be dropped. Mine operators praised the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration for tackling what they consider a major safety problem across the country. But they told agency representatives during a hearing that the rules are less stringent than drug testing already in place throughout much of the industry. Labor representatives, on the other hand, blasted MSHA, saying it failed to make the case that drugs are a problem in the industry or that their use has contributed to deaths and injuries. Associated Press, October 14, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Women ‘Unaware Of Alcohol Threat’
While most knew that excessive alcohol intake could lead to liver disease or liver cancer, fewer than one in five linked it to breast cancer. The YouGov survey of nearly 2,000 men and women was described as "shocking" by health minister Dawn Primarolo. An estimated four million UK women drink more than recommended levels. While there are many different risk factors for developing breast cancer, including family history and obesity, the association between alcohol and breast cancer is well established. There are more than 45,000 new cases of breast cancer in the UK every year, and the "lifetime risk" of developing it is approximately one in nine. BBC, October 17, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Early Teen Drug, Alcohol Use Ups Sex And Behaviour Risks
Children who try drugs or alcohol before age 15 run a greater risk of being substance-dependent as adults, contracting sexually transmitted diseases, dropping out of school or being convicted of a crime, a study showed. And girls who dabble in drugs and alcohol early on are more likely to become pregnant before they are 21, added the study, published in the October issue of Psychological Science, which followed 1,037 children from the age of three until 32. Agence France Presse, October 17, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Medical Marijuana Gardens Worry Clackamas County
An increase in medical marijuana gardens in Clackamas County is being welcomed by patients and advocates, while neighbors are alarmed and police are confused about how to handle it. From January through July, the number of medical marijuana cardholders in the suburban Portland county jumped 23 percent, from 1,207 to 1,481, according to the Department of Human Services Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Statewide, officials have seen a similar 23 percent increase, from 15,927 to 19,646. Even though the figures suggest more people getting the help they need, they raise concerns about more people abusing legal loopholes, more criminals preying on legal growers, and more problems for police officers and courts. Associated Press, October 20, 2008.
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11/1/2008
Methamphetamine Or Cocaine: Which Addiction Is Worse?
As scientists study the effects of illegal drugs on the human body, one fact is becoming clear: Methamphetamine is more physically dangerous than cocaine. A new research study, soon to be published in the Nov. 1, 2008 issue of the journal NeuroImage, suggests that methamphetamine enters the brain just as quickly as cocaine but spreads further and stays in the brain longer. The study, which was conducted by the Brookhaven National Laboratory, measured brain uptake, distribution, and clearance of methamphetamine in 19 healthy, non-drug-abusing men by injecting them with radioactively tagged forms of methamphetamine and cocaine in doses too small to have any psychoactive effects. Transworld News, October 16, 2008
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11/1/2008
Mexico Seeks To Legalize Smalltime Pot, Cocaine Use
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, locked in a high-stakes battle with drug cartels, wants to legalize the possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana, a plan that will likely irk Washington. Calderon, a conservative in power for nearly two years, sent a proposal to Congress that would also scrap penalties on carrying small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and opium for personal use. Reviving a similar push by his predecessor, Calderon's bill aims to free up police to hunt for narcotics dealers and smugglers, but it could meet opposition in largely conservative Mexico as well as in the neighboring United States. Reuters, October 2, 2008.
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9/27/2008
College Chiefs Urge New Debate on Drinking Age
College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus. The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age. "This is a law that is routinely evaded," said John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who started the organization. "It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory." CNN, August 18, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Columbian Drug Lord To Be Extradited to US
Brazil will extradite Colombian drug lord Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia within a week to face drug and homicide charges in the United States, a senior justice ministry official said on Thursday. Brazil decided on Abadia's extradition even though he was sentenced in April to 30 years in a Brazilian prison on drug charges. "In Brazil he is no longer being investigated, in the United States he faces numerous investigations that can provide us with the information we want," said National Secretary of Justice Romeu Tuma. "This shows that Brazil is doing its part in combating international organized crime." Reuters, August 21, 2008.
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9/27/2008
New Challenge in Drug War: Semi-Subs
Drug cartels have turned to a new and effective vehicle to smuggle their goods, using small, homemade "semi-submersibles" that are hard to detect and yet effective at carrying millions of dollars worth of cocaine and other illicit drugs that end up in the United States.
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9/27/2008
US Drug Czar: Chavez’ Drug Policy Threat To Europe
White House drug czar John Walters said Tuesday that Venezuela President Hugo Chavez' policies toward the cocaine trade represents a "global threat" that puts Europe, especially, at risk. Venezuela has rejected US requests to resume cooperation in the war on drugs, insisting it has made progress despite an alleged fourfold gain in the amount of Colombian cocaine passing through its territory. Walters said most of the cocaine passing through Venezuela ends up in Europe via Africa and that Chavez' policies therefore were a big threat to both continents. "The problem is not that Chavez needs or doesn't need US help, the problem is that Hugo Chavez is not acting," Walters told The Associated Press on the sidelines of an international drug conference in Stockholm. The Associated Press, September 10, 2008
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9/27/2008
Reports Look At Chances For Drug-War Spillover Into El Paso
Drug traffickers could be more prone to confront U.S. law enforcement as they come under pressure and the cartel war continues to rage in the Juárez region, an analysis issued by the National Drug Intelligence Center states. The possibility that the cartel war could cross the border was raised last week when it was revealed that El Paso authorities had received unconfirmed information stating that Mexican drug cartels had approved sending hit men into the United States to kill targets here. More than 900 people have been slain so far this year in Juárez -- killings thought to be due to a war between the Juárez and Sinaloa drug cartels. Juárez has also seen a jump in kidnappings for ransom and in bank robberies, which total more than 50 this year. El Paso Times, August 31, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Beer Named After ‘Patron Saint’ Of Drug Dealers In Guadalajara, Mexico
A new beer named after the ‘‘patron saint’’ of drug traffickers is brewing up controversy in Mexico, where the government is locked in a bloody battle against drug gangs. Malverde Beer is named after Jesus Malverde, a Robin Hood-style figure who is revered by drug smugglers in the western Mexico state of Sinaloa. It debuted in April and has been spreading to bars around western Mexico. The brewer plans to sell it in the United States, too. The beer has appeared as Mexico is reeling from a spike in drug-related murders and the United States prepares to pour about $465 million into Mexican anti-drug efforts. Civic groups in Sinaloa have criticized the beer, and Wal-Mart of Mexico has refused to stock it.Chicago Sun-Times, September 1, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Returning Combad Verterans at Increased Risk for Alcohol Problems
A survey of active-duty veterans and National Guard and Reserve personnel has found that those who were exposed to combat in Iraq or Afghanistan are significantly more likely to engage in heavy drinking and report negative outcomes from drinking, Medical News Today reported Aug. 13. Researchers led by Isabel G. Jacobson, M.P.H., of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego examined data from the Millennium Cohort Study, looking at baseline health data collected from July 2001 to July 2003 and follow-up data from June 2004 to February 2006. A variety of inclusion and exclusion criteria generated a study sample of 48,481 individuals, 11.4 percent of whom were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and were exposed to combat there. Join Together, August 15, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Prescription Drugs A Gateway For Teen Drug Abuse
A new national survey that shows a continued decline in teen substance abuse mirrors trends in the Houston area, local experts say. The report, released Thursday by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also revealed that more American teens trying drugs for the first time are getting high on prescription medications. "Prescription medications are becoming the gateway drugs for adolescents, where it used to be alcohol and marijuana," said Matt Feehery, CEO of Memorial Hermann System's Prevention and Recovery Center, a residential treatment facility that added a wing for children 13 to 17 last month. Chron.com, September 4, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Pain Killers And Stimulants Less Risky Than Cocaine…
First year college students believe that occasional nonmedical use of prescription pain killers and stimulants is less risky than cocaine, but more risky than marijuana or consuming five or more alcoholic beverages every weekend, according to a new study published in the September issue of Prevention Science, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Prevention Research. This is the first study to describe college students' perceptions about the potential harmfulness of nonmedical use of prescription pain killers and stimulants. Previous studies with high school students show that beliefs about harmfulness of illicit drugs are related to drug use. Nonmedical use of pain killers and stimulants can be addictive and can cause serious problems requiring emergency room treatment. Medical News Today, September 6, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Senators Target Teen Cough-Drug Abuse
Teenage use of over-the-counter cold and cough remedies to get high is causing growing concern among drug abuse experts, prompting lawmakers in Congress and several states to ban the sale of such medicines to anyone under 18. Two New Jersey lawmakers, state Sens. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) recently announced they are sponsoring legislation to prohibit the sale of cough and cold remedies containing DXM, or dextromethorphan, to children and teenagers. "The abuse of dextromethorphan is a growing problem in New Jersey and across the United States," Buono said. "Because the drugs are so readily available to kids, abuse can be easily hidden from even the most involved parent." Star-Ledger, September 4, 2008.
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9/27/2008
3,000 Marijuana Plants Seized Near Nev.-Calif Line
Law officers have seized more than 3,000 marijuana plants growing in a remote area along the Nevada-California line about half way between Reno and Las Vegas. A hiker notified authorities after happening upon the plants growing in the wilderness in Emeralda County southwest of Tonopah. State and county investigators estimate the street value of the plants between $800,000 and $1 million. The Associated Press, August 21, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Internet Drug Trafficking Skyrockets, Experts Warn
Drug trafficking on the web has soared as Internet use has become commonplace, presenting far more challenges and dangers than traditional trafficking, experts warned at a conference in Stockholm that wrapped up Wednesday. "Buying drugs on the Internet is really easy. You only need an Internet cafe, a credit card, and it's done," said Daniel Altmeyer, an Interpol officer attending the World Forum against Drugs in the Swedish capital this week. While he said there were no available statistics, drug sales via the Internet have skyrocketed in the past few years. AFP News, September 11, 2008.
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9/27/2008
Abuse of Painkillers Can Predispose Adolescents To Lifelong Addiction
No child aspires to a lifetime of addiction. But their brains might. In new research to appear online in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology this week, Rockefeller University researchers reveal that adolescent brains exposed to the painkiller Oxycontin can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system - changes that increase the drug's euphoric properties and make such adolescents more vulnerable to the drug's effects later in adulthood. Medical News Today, September 11, 2008
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9/27/2008
Who Uses And Abuses Drugs And Alcohol?
Are fewer Americans using illicit drugs? How many people are binge or heavy drinkers? To answer those questions and more, a new federal government study takes a look at trends in drug, alcohol, and tobacco use across the nation. The 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings is being released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The survey shows that people aged 18 to 25 are using less cocaine and methamphetamine, but they are using more prescription pain relievers recreationally compared to 2006. CBS News, September 5, 2008
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9/27/2008
Snurg Pills Herbal?
The Pennsylvania teens may not have been trying to get DXM when they obtained the Snurf pills. Users report that the package listed its "herbal" ingredients as "Fevizia, Palenzia, and De la Amazon. "No such herbs exist, according to multiple references. Since the Pennsylvania school incident, Snurf itself is hard to find on the Internet, although it's been sold at least since 2005. But other products listing the same ingredients — such as Snuffadelic and Red Dawn Vector Euphoria Enhancer — are readily available. The "herbal" moniker may make teens think the drugs are safe or even healthful, warns Windle, leader of a landmark, 20-year study of the long-term effects of teen substance abuse. Medicine Net, September 9, 2008.
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