Prescription Drug Abuser in Utah Getting Younger and Younger—State Takes Action
May 09, 2012
Prescription pain medications are the most frequently abused substances in Utah.
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Fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event Collects Record 276 Tons
May 03, 2012
Americans have again responded overwhelmingly to the most recent DEA-led National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
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Teen “Heavy” Marijuana Use Up, Teen Abuse of Medicines Remains at Dangerous Levels
May 02, 2012
New, nationally projectable survey results released today found that past-month heavy marijuana use has increased by 80% among U.S. high school students since 2008.
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Number of Painkiller-Addicted Newborns Triples in 10 years
May 01, 2012
According to a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of babies born addicted to the class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers has nearly tripled in the past decade.
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Teens’ Friends’ Parents Influence Drug Choices
May 01, 2012
Teenagers’ friends’ parents can have as much of an effect on whether they use substances as their own parents, according to a recent study.
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Some Teens May Be Pre-Wired for Addiction
Apr 30, 2012
How instinctive is a teen’s desire to snort a line of coke?
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Prescription Pill Abuse a Growing Problem in Louisiana
Apr 26, 2012
Officials in the Louisiana parishes of Terrebonne and Lafourche say that prescription pill cases are on the rise in their communities.
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National Survey Shows Friends and Family Are Primary Sources of Abused Painkillers
Apr 25, 2012
New analysis of data from the 2009 and 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveals that the majority of new or occasional nonmedical users of pain relievers obtained the drug from family or friends for free or took them without asking.
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New Jersey Works Together Across Sectors to Address Prescription Drug Abuse
Apr 24, 2012
Declaring that prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions, New Jersey’s top law enforcement officials convened a summit to focus attention on the problem and efforts to combat it.
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Police Reaching Out to Parents Amidst New Drug Trends
Apr 19, 2012
Emerging drug trends, including new types of drugs and new methods for hiding and taking drugs, have Las Vegas school police reaching out to parents for help.
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Heroin-Related Deaths on the Rise in Local Counties
Apr 18, 2012
Heroin use in Minnesota is a suburban, urban, and rural problem, according to Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.
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Obama Administration Releases 21st Century Drug Policy Strategy
Apr 17, 2012
Today, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released the 2012 National Drug Control Strategy, the Obama Administration’s primary blueprint for drug policy in the United States.
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Largely Driven by Prescription Drug Overdoses, Teen Poisoning Deaths Increased by 91%
Apr 16, 2012
Largely driven by prescription drug overdoses, a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that poisoning death rates increased by 91% among teens aged 15-19 from 2000 to 2009
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Teens Think Prescription Pills Are Harmless, Experts Warn
Apr 16, 2012
Overdoses, addiction, and strip mall pill mills dominate conversations in the battle against addictive prescription medications.
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Tightening the Lid on Pain Prescriptions
Apr 08, 2012
Medical professionals have long been concerned about powerful painkillers like OxyContin® because of their widespread abuse by teenagers and others for recreational purposes.
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Cheap, Easy-to-Get Heroin Leads to Spike in Oregon Overdose Deaths
Apr 05, 2012
In 2011, Oregon experienced 143 heroin related deaths—a 59% increase from 2010 and the most since 2000.
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Painkiller Sales Soar Around United States, Fuel Addiction
Apr 05, 2012
Sales of the nation's two most popular prescription painkillers have exploded in new parts of the country, an Associated Press analysis shows, worrying experts who say the push to relieve patients' suffering is spawning an addiction epidemic.
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Study Shows Most Drug Abuse Starts in the Teens
Apr 02, 2012
A new survey of U.S. teenagers finds that most have used drugs by the time they reach adulthood—with 16% abusing drugs by age 18.
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Synthetic Drug Called “Pump It” Gaining Popularity
Mar 30, 2012
K2 and Bath Salts are synthetic drugs that were once both available over the counter and are now banned.
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Painkiller Opana: New Scourge of Rural America
Mar 27, 2012
Prescription drug abuse is the new scourge of rural America.
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Is Dangerous Teen Craze Whip-Its Making a Comeback?
Mar 27, 2012
There is growing concern among health professionals that Whip-Its—small canisters filled with nitrous oxide that can be used as a recreational drug—are making a comeback among teenagers and young adults across the country.
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Ohio Heroin Abuse Worse, First-Time Users Younger
Mar 27, 2012
Heroin is so prevalent in Ohio, it is "falling out of the sky," according to new state data that finds children as young as 13 are now starting on the drug.
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Nevada’s New High? “Bath Salts”
Mar 20, 2012
“Bath salts” are a new emerging drug trend for Nevada’s youth and young adults.
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Meth Babies Have Higher Risk for Behavior Problems, Study Finds
Mar 19, 2012
The first study to look at methamphetamine's potential lasting effects on children whose mothers used it in pregnancy finds these kids at a higher risk for behavior problems than other children.
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Mothers Lobby in Washington to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse
Mar 18, 2012
Two Florida mothers, each of whom has lost a son to prescription drug abuse, recently lobbied in Washington, DC, for stricter laws governing prescription drugs.
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Bath Salts Surfacing as Augusta-Area Drug Problem
Mar 18, 2012
A designer drug known as Bath Salts—because it resembles the bathing additive—is a nationwide problem beginning to appear in the Augusta, Georgia, area.
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ER Doctors Don't Recognize Signs of Synthetic Marijuana in Teens
Mar 18, 2012
As use of synthetic versions of marijuana such as "K2," "Spice," and "Blaze" becomes more common, a growing number of teens are showing up in hospital emergency rooms where physicians are unfamiliar with symptoms caused by the dangerous substances, says a new report.
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Pot Poses a Growing Risk for Teen Drivers
Mar 17, 2012
Marijuana use is at its highest level in 30 years among eighth to 12th grade students, and one in five teens (19%) admits to have driven after smoking marijuana, according to a study on teen driving released recently by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
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10% of American Adults Report Being in Recovery from Substance Abuse or Addiction
Mar 06, 2012
Survey data released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) show that 10% of all American adults consider themselves to be in recovery from drug or alcohol abuse problems.
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Heroin Addiction Rising in Detroit Suburbs
Mar 05, 2012
Addictions to opiate-based painkillers such as OxyContin® and Vicodin® are fueling a growing heroin problem in the Detroit suburbs.
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Outbreak of Kidney Failure in Wyoming Linked to "Spice"
Mar 02, 2012
Three young people in their late teens and early 20s have been hospitalized with kidney failure and a dozen others sickened in Casper, Wyoming, in an outbreak linked to a batch of the designer drug Spice.
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DEA Controls Chemicals Used in "Spice" and "K2" for an Additional Six Months
Feb 29, 2012
DEA has exercised its emergency scheduling authority to extend, by six months, control of five chemicals used to make so-called “fake pot” products (known as "Spice" and "K2").
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Meth Lab Busts Soar Across North Carolina
Feb 27, 2012
Methamphetamine busts in North Carolina reached a record high last year due to new methods of cooking the drug and more organized efforts to access it, according to state Attorney General Roy Cooper and county sheriffs.
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“Bath Salts” Mimics the Effects of Two Powerful Narcotics
Feb 24, 2012
The street drug commonly referred to as "bath salts" is one of a growing list of synthetic and unevenly regulated narcotics that are found across the United States and on the Internet.
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How Prescription Drug Abuse Costs You Money
Feb 24, 2012
As the human costs mount from prescription drug abuse, so too do the economic ones.
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Geauga County Task Force Targets Prescription Drugs and Heroin
Feb 23, 2012
Representatives from Geauga County churches, health care facilities, law enforcement, government, and schools have formed the Geauga County Opiate Task Force to address illegal drug use in their county.
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Painkillers to be Included in Army Drug Tests
Feb 22, 2012
Amid growing concerns about prescription drug abuse, the Army will begin testing soldiers for hydrocodone and hydromorphone, found in painkillers such as Vicodin®, Lorcet®, and Lortab®, on May 1.
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New Educational Program Aimed at Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse Launching
Feb 22, 2012
A new educational program focused on preventing prescription drug abuse among middle and high school students is launching and will soon be rolled out in schools across Pennsylvania.
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National Methamphetamine Lab Busts Up in 2011
Feb 22, 2012
Methamphetamine lab seizures rose by 8.3% nationally in 2011, according to an Associated Press survey.
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More Teens Drive Under the Influence of Marijuana than Alcohol, Study Finds
Feb 22, 2012
More teen drivers have driven under the influence of marijuana (19%) than alcohol (13%), according to the most recent teen driving study by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
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Editorial: Prescription Drug Deaths Demand Attention
Feb 20, 2012
According to estimates by the Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis University, about 70 people a day die from anti-anxiety medications and narcotic painkillers.
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New Dangerous Drug Trends Among Teens
Feb 18, 2012
There are new trends in how children and teens are abusing household substances and prescription painkillers.
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People Faking ADHD to Get Drugs
Feb 17, 2012
A new study at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota found that one in four adult patients fakes or exaggerates symptoms to get attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescription drugs.
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Prescription Pill Abuse Worries Officials at Houston-Area Schools
Feb 17, 2012
The recent movement of prescription drugs into school hallways has alarmed administrators and law enforcement in the Houston, Texas, area.
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Tennessee Lawmakers’ New War Against Synthetic Drugs
Feb 14, 2012
While synthetic drugs are sold in convenience stores with such harmless-sounding labels as “potpourri,” “herbal incense,” or “bath salts,” many Tennesseans have died using these products.
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More Sacramento-Area Newborns Suffer Withdrawal Resulting from Moms' Drug Use
Feb 11, 2012
Drugs taken by expectant mothers are causing more newborns in the Sacramento, California, area to spend their first days of life suffering through the pains of withdrawal.
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One in Nine U.S. High School Seniors Report Using Synthetic Marijuana in the Past Year
Feb 06, 2012
Marijuana and synthetic marijuana are the most prevalent illicit drugs used by 12th graders, according to recent data from the 2011 Monitoring the Future survey.
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Failed Drug Tests Leave Jobs Open in Ohio
Jan 29, 2012
There are more than 80,000 job openings in Ohio, but employers say that finding enough workers who can pass drug tests to fill these positions remains a challenge, according to a recent state work force development report. Fairfield Township store manager Ben Kincer confirms, explaining that passing a drug test and a background check are the two biggest hurdles applicants face in getting hired at his store.
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Methamphetamine Accidents Fill U.S. Hospitals With Uninsured Patients, Strain Burn Units
Jan 23, 2012
A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug.
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Children Become Victims of their Parents’ Meth Use
Jan 21, 2012
The Central Valley of California is a hub of the nation's methamphetamine distribution network, making extremely pure forms of the drug easily available locally.
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A Bridge to Recovery on Campus
Jan 20, 2012
The social fabric of college can be harrowing for students who are trying to shake addictions.
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States Seek to Tighten Requirements for Prescribing Drugs and Close the "Pill Pipeline"
Jan 19, 2012
States including Florida and Kentucky are taking steps to reduce prescription drug abuse by tightening the requirements for prescribing painkillers.
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Wisconsin Battles Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
Jan 19, 2012
Dane Country, where Madison, Wisconsin, is located, has seen another record year for the number of deaths from heroin and prescription drug abuse.
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Defense Department Medical Experts Warn of Synthetic Drug Dangers
Jan 13, 2012
The Defense Department (DoD) has launched a major effort to alert service members to the dangers of designer drugs, including the synthetic cannabinoid known as “Spice.”
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Prescription Drug Overdoses - A U.S. Epidemic
Jan 13, 2012
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Mother's New Little Helper - Adderall
Jan 13, 2012
The National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that recent shortages of ADHD medications may be due, in part, to a dramatic increase in their use and abuse by women of childbearing age.
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Georgia Authorities Call Prescription Pill Theft "Epidemic"
Jan 12, 2012
South Georgia law enforcers say that prescription abuse and trafficking are becoming epidemics.
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Oxycodone Prescriptions Rose Sharply in New York
Jan 11, 2012
A new report shows that prescriptions for oxycodone, a widely prescribed narcotic painkiller and the main ingredient in OxyContin®, rose by 82% from 2007 to 2010 in New York State.
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Study Finds Kaiser Permanente Early Start Program Could Save U.S. Billions In Health Costs
Dec 31, 2011
A program for women at risk of substance abuse during pregnancy could save nearly $2 billion annually in health care costs if implemented nationwide, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.
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Synthetic Marijuana Is Problem for U.S. Military
Dec 30, 2011
U.S. troops are increasingly using an easy-to-get herbal mix called "Spice."
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Incidents Involving Fake Pot on the Rise in Sioux Falls
Dec 29, 2011
The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, area is seeing a boom in the use of synthetic marijuana and bath salts.
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"Spice" Makers Alter Recipes to Sidestep State Laws Banning Synthetic Marijuana
Dec 28, 2011
Just months after Virginia and dozens of other states banned synthetic marijuana (also called “Spice”), the chemists who make it have found a way to outfox lawmakers.
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America's Killer Med Crisis
Dec 22, 2011
For the past 100 years, car crashes have been the nation's leading cause of accidental death.
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Missouri Grapples With One of the Nation’s Worst Meth Problems
Dec 21, 2011
While methamphetamine use is down nationwide, use in Missouri is still rampant.
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Community Works Together to Address Prescription Drug Problem
Dec 20, 2011
Communities like Roanoke, Virginia, are banding together to address prescription drug abuse.
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Drugs and Alcohol Fuel Child Abuse and Neglect
Dec 16, 2011
When children are abused or neglected, substance abuse often plays a role.
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Survey Finds Highest Daily Marijuana Use Rates Among Older Teens in 30 Years
Dec 15, 2011
The just released Monitoring the Future survey reports that daily marijuana use among the oldest teens surveyed is at its highest in 30 years.
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Synthetic Marijuana Linked to Dozens of Medical Emergencies
Dec 15, 2011
Despite a ban on synthetic marijuana (known as “Spice” or “K2”), emergency calls to the West Texas Regional Poison Center have tripled since last year.
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2011 Monitoring the Future Survey Highlights Areas of Progress and Concern
Dec 14, 2011
This year's Monitoring the Future Survey highlights both good news and areas of concern regarding drug use and abuse among teens.
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Survey Shows More Teens Smoking Marijuana than Cigarettes, Among Other Findings
Dec 14, 2011
The 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey released today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows historically low levels of cigarette and alcohol use among teens, as well as continued high levels of abuse of alternate tobacco products, marijuana, and prescription drugs.
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Statewide Ban Has Reduced, but Not Eliminated, Bath Salts Problem in Ohio
Dec 13, 2011
Bath salts remain a problem in the Dayton, Ohio area despite a statewide ban that went into effect in October.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Leading Teens to Heroin
Dec 12, 2011
Prescription medications are increasingly becoming a gateway drug for teens, forming an expensive dependence that leads kids to look for cheaper ways to get high, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
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More Babies Born Addicted to Opiates
Dec 07, 2011
Some Ohio hospitals have seen more than a four-fold increase in the number of newborns hooked on painkillers, resulting in longer hospital stays for the affected babies and higher public health care costs.
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Study Drug’s Downside
Dec 06, 2011
With finals coming up on college campuses nationwide, use of Adderall® as a “study drug” is expected to spike.
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New Drug Takes Hold in Pittsburgh Area
Nov 28, 2011
A prescription painkiller called Opana® is the newest drug people in the Pittsburgh area are abusing.
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College Administrators Worry that Use of Prescription Stimulants Is Increasing
Nov 27, 2011
For more than two decades, college students have illegally taken prescription stimulants such as Ritalin® and Adderall® to stay awake and focused while studying.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Rises on Campuses
Nov 17, 2011
Drug abuse on college campuses is not limited to binge drinking and illegal drugs.
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Dragonfly: What This Deadly New Drug Means to Your Family
Nov 07, 2011
Over the past decade, synthetic—or “designer”—drugs have been surging in popularity in the United States.
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DEA’s Third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event Collects 188.5 Tons of Medications
Nov 03, 2011
Americans participating in DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29 turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal.
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Micro Meth Labs On the Rise
Nov 02, 2011
Police across the United States are struggling with a proliferation of busts for methamphetamine production, fueled by the rise of small but dangerous "one pot" labs.
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Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the U.S. Reach Epidemic Levels
Nov 01, 2011
Deaths from prescription painkillers have reached epidemic levels in the past decade, according to a recent publication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Family Outraged at Teens’ Easy Access to Drugs
Nov 01, 2011
Following their daughter’s near-death experience with bath salts, a Noblesville, Indiana, family is determined to protect other teens.
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White House Responds to Petitions to Legalize Marijuana
Oct 31, 2011
The White House recently released a statement in response to several marijuana legalization petitions
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The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) Urges Universal Drug Screening for Teens
Oct 31, 2011
The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that all adolescents be screened for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use at every doctor’s office visit.
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Prescription Pill Addiction Linked to Heroin Surge
Oct 31, 2011
Knoxville, Tennessee, addicts of OxyContin®, a prescription drug, are increasingly turning to heroin to get high.
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Teen Injured by Synthetic Marijuana Dies After Lung Transplant
Oct 27, 2011
A 13-year-old boy who ended up in the hospital after smoking K2, a synthetic form of marijuana, has died a month after receiving a double-lung transplant.
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States Target Prescriptions By "Pill Mills"
Oct 25, 2011
Drug tourism, in which drug dealers and addicts travel to states with more lax prescription drug laws to obtain those drugs, is a growing trend.
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Chemicals Used in "Bath Salts" Now Under Federal Control and Regulation
Oct 21, 2011
On October 21, DEA announced that it has exercised its emergency scheduling authority to control three synthetic stimulants that are used to make products marketed as “bath salts” and “plant food:” Mephedrone, 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and Methylone. Under this emergency scheduling, the synthetic stimulants are designated as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
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Painkiller Addicts Fuel Rise in Violent Robberies
Oct 19, 2011
Demand for prescription painkillers is driving an increase in robberies, burglaries, and related violence.
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Pregnant Mothers Addicted to Pills Pass Along the Pain and Suffering of Withdrawal to the Children T
Oct 18, 2011
Prescription drug addiction is dangerous not just for expectant mothers, but for their unborn children as well.
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Are Today’s Parents Going Too Soft On Kids Using Marijuana?
Oct 17, 2011
Even as daily marijuana use among young adults is at its highest levels since 1991, some parents are reluctant to tell their kids not to use it.
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White House Drug Policy Director and MADD Unite to Combat Drugged Driving
Oct 13, 2011
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Jan Withers, National President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have announced a new partnership to raise public awareness of the consequences of drugged driving.
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Marijuana-Shaped Candy Alarms Parents and Officials
Oct 10, 2011
Parents and officials are concerned about candy that won’t get kids high but strongly references marijuana.
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New Report Shows On Average 15.6 Years Between First Substance Use and Entry into Treatment
Oct 06, 2011
A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) demonstrates that an average of 15.6 years pass between the first instance of substance use and admission for treatment.
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Fake Pot Legal But Dangerous
Oct 01, 2011
They go by names like Voodoo, Euphoria, Dead Man and Black Magic, offer a cheap high and are easily found at local tobacco and head shops.
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Indiana Is Second in Nation for Meth-Related Incidents
Sep 28, 2011
Indiana is ranked 2nd in the Nation for incidents relating to methamphetamine, or “meth.”
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White Suburbanites Going from Pain Pills to Heroin
Sep 26, 2011
The face of drug addiction, experts say, is increasingly white, suburban and upper-middle class.
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Senate Designates October National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month
Sep 26, 2011
The U.S. Senate recently adopted a resolution designating the month of October 2011 as “National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month” to raise attention to the problem of prescription medicine abuse, especially by teenagers.
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Battling Meth Epidemic
Sep 25, 2011
The meth problem in the Eastern Tennessee region, which died down for a while due to stricter laws, has returned with a vengeance, drug task force investigators say.
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Georgia Doctors Develop Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Program
Sep 24, 2011
Doctors in Georgia are combating the illegal use of prescription drugs by leading a statewide campaign to keep these medicines out of the wrong hands.
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NIH Study Finds Hospitalizations Increase for Alcohol and Drug Overdoses
Sep 20, 2011
Hospitalizations for alcohol and drug overdoses — alone or in combination — increased dramatically among 18- to 24-year-olds between 1999 and 2008, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Dangerous Synthetic Drugs Available Online; Users Play Chemical Roulette
Sep 18, 2011
Online purchases of synthetic drugs are occurring with alarming frequency around the country as the recreational use of these drugs explodes in popularity. Over the past year, the products have been linked to or suspected in more than 20 deaths nationally.
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Drug Deaths Now Outnumber Traffic Fatalities in U.S.
Sep 17, 2011
Propelled by an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses, drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States, according to an LA Times analysis of government data.
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Synthetic Drug Sales Booming on Web
Sep 11, 2011
The volume and clandestine nature of online sales of a wide range of illegal substances including Ecstasy, bath salts, and other synthetic drugs, make it difficult, if not impossible, for authorities to stop illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs.
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Marijuana Use Grows, While Methamphetamine Falls in USA
Sep 11, 2011
The number of users of marijuana in America rose from 14.4 million in 2007 to 17.4 million in 2010, while the numbers of methamphetamine users aged 12+ years dropped from 731,000 in 2006 to 353,000 in 2010.
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For Seniors, Addiction Often Begins with Prescription Drugs
Sep 10, 2011
The phenomenon of elderly addicts has grown exponentially in the last decade, according to the latest report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (SAMHSA).
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National Survey Shows a Rise in Illicit Drug Use from 2008 to 2010
Sep 08, 2011
The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2010, according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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DEA Moves to Emergency Control Synthetic Stimulants
Sep 07, 2011
DEA is using its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily control three synthetic stimulants: Mephedrone; 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV); and Methylone. Except as authorized by law, this action will make possessing and selling these chemicals or the products that contain them illegal in the United States for at least one year while DEA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) further study whether these chemicals should be permanently controlled.
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Hawaii, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Lead the Nation for Meth Use in the Workforce
Sep 02, 2011
Hawaii, Arkansas, and Oklahoma lead the nation for methamphetamine use in the workforce, according to the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index, an annual report on U.S. worker drug use.
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State Authorities Expecting Surge in Heroin Use
Aug 29, 2011
Law enforcement agents around Tennessee are bracing for a resurgence of heroin use as prescription drug users turn to the drug, fueled by users’ need for a low-cost alternative and dealers’ aggressive marketing techniques.
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New York City Survey Shows Jump in ER Visits Due to Prescription Drugs
Aug 26, 2011
The number of narcotic-related emergency room visits in New York City jumped 40 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to a survey by the city’s Department of Health.
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Teen Substance Abuse Expert Sees Dark Side of Opioid Abuse
Aug 26, 2011
From "pharming" to pill parties, teens are abusing prescription drugs in dangerous ways, and can become addicted quickly, warns an adolescent substance abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston.
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National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents
Aug 24, 2011
American teens ages 12-17 who in a typical day spend any time on social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and drug use, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents, conducted by CASA Columbia.
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Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear Announces Interstate Prescription Drug Task Force
Aug 24, 2011
Looking to permanently shut down the growing prescription drug problem in Kentucky and neighboring states, Governor Steve Beshear today announced the formation of an interstate task force with Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia
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Parents Toll-Free Hotline Goes Live
Aug 24, 2011
The Partnership at Drugfree.org recently introduced its new Parents Toll-Free Helpline, a bilingual support service staffed by clinical social workers with practical experience in substance abuse prevention and treatment. The helpline, which can be reached at 1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373), provides concerned parents with valuable information about prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery from addiction.
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Happiness Can Deter Juvenile Crime, a New Study Finds
Aug 22, 2011
According to a new UC Davis study, happy adolescents report less involvement in crime and drug use than other youth.
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Deaths in Florida from Oxycodone, Other Pain Killers Keep Climbing
Aug 16, 2011
New data shows that prescription drug deaths in Florida increased nearly nine percent last year compared with 2009 despite aggressive efforts by law enforcement to educate people about the dangers and to crack down on illegal distribution.
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Hall of Famer Butkus Targets Steroid Use by High Schoolers
Aug 15, 2011
Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus is trying to keep young athletes from using performance enhancing substances through his foundation, IPlayClean (www.iplayclean.org).
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Drug Abuse Now Equals Childhood Obesity as Top Health Concern for Kids
Aug 15, 2011
Adults rate drug abuse and childhood obesity as the top health concerns for kids in their communities, according to the fifth annual survey of the top 10 health concerns for kids conducted by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.
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Drugs Known As Bath Salts a Threat in Region
Aug 10, 2011
An alarming increase in the use of drugs referred to as "bath salts" has law enforcement officials warning local communities in Maine of the potentially lethal side effects that are already being seen in the area.
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On Idyllic Cape Cod, Growing Drug Problem Fuels a Rise in Property Crimes
Aug 07, 2011
Police say parts of Cape Cod are plagued by drug abuse that the police say has led to a jump in property crime.
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Many Kids Abuse Controlled Medications: Survey
Aug 01, 2011
More than one in five teens who get strong painkillers, stimulants or other controlled medications from their doctor take too much of the substances, according to a new survey of Michigan students.
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Meth Abuse Ups Risk of HIV Infection in Young Gay Men
Aug 01, 2011
Methamphetamine abuse by young adult gay and bisexual males raises their risk of HIV exposure and infection, a new study finds.
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Drug Issue Spreads to Teen with Pain Meds
Jul 20, 2011
Rick Parr, director of outpatient services at The Grove Counseling Center in Seminole County, FL, has seen a spike in the amount of teens developing addiction to prescription painkillers.
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Woman Ashamed of Drug Habit That Led to Bank Robbery
Jul 20, 2011
A Florida woman says she was so desperate for an Oxycodone pill that she robbed a bank with her three-year-old son in tow.
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Forum Teaches Communities to Help Deal With Addiction
Jul 20, 2011
In Charleston, WV, ministers, teachers, community leaders, and others attended a forum on prescription drug abuse.
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"Incense" Becomes Latest Drug to Be Abused in Ohio
Jul 17, 2011
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a warning to parents: If your child wants to buy herbal incense, be aware that they might be buying a potentially harmful product.
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An Alarming New Stimulant, Legal in Many States
Jul 16, 2011
Reports are emerging from hospitals around the country, as doctors scramble to figure out the best treatment for people high on bath salts. The drugs started turning up regularly in the United States last year and have proliferated in recent months, alarming doctors, who say they have unusually dangerous and long-lasting effects.
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Heroin Use on Rise in Valley
Jul 15, 2011
Heroin has become a popular choice of teenagers in California’s Silicon Valley. And more heroin is coming into California from Mexico this year, say law enforcement officials, who already have confiscated more of the drug in six months than they did in all of 2010.
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"Pill Mill" Clinics Spread in 'Burbs
Jul 09, 2011
“Doctor-shopping” and forging prescriptions are prime ways people get their fix. Another avenue is “pill mills.” Unlike legitimate pain clinics, they prescribe large doses of painkillers with little to no screening of patients.
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Hard Truths From Parents of Addicts
Jul 03, 2011
Nancy Holler and Kathy Deady stood in front of a group of parents at Fontbonne Academy in Milton, MA and told stories of their sons’ battle with drug addiction.
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Adolescent Substance Use: America’s #1 Public Health Problem
Jun 29, 2011
According to a national study released by The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), 9 out of 10 Americans who meet the medical criteria for addiction started smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before age 18.
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Detroit Feeding OxyContin Addiction; Supply Runs Down I-75
Jun 28, 2011
Authorities say drug dealers in Detroit are illegally distributing painkillers to communities in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky—even as far away as Maine and Alabama.
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Kentucky Gains in War on Pill Abuse
Jun 27, 2011
Kentucky is slowly gaining ground in its war on prescription drug abuse, officials say – with more drug busts, new efforts to stem the flow of pills from Florida, and a recently unveiled plan of attack from the nation’s drug czar.
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Hazards: Cocaine Users May Face Danger to Skin
Jun 27, 2011
Doctors are warning cocaine users they may develop a painful, disfiguring skin reaction after taking the drug, because it is often mixed with levamisole, a veterinary medicine that is banned for human use and that can set off severe allergic reactions.
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Armed Robberies of Pharmacies on the Rise
Jun 25, 2011
Pharmacies have increasingly become victims of holdups and burglaries, fueled for the most part by abuse of such prescription medications as oxycodone, hydrocodone – the main ingredient in Vicodin – and alprazolam, or Xanax.
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Rising Painkiller Addiction, Ruthless Dealers Drive U.S. Pharmacy Robberies
Jun 25, 2011
Armed robberies at pharmacies rose 81 percent between 2006 and 2010, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Thieves are overwhelmingly stealing the highly-addictive oxycodone and hydrocodone-based painkillers.
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Treatment Up for Prescription Drug, Alcohol Abuse
Jun 24, 2011
According to a report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the percentage of patients treated for opiates other than heroin, such as OxyContin and other prescription drugs, rose from 1% of all substance abuse admissions in 1999 to 7% in 2009.
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South County Opioid Spike Kills Dozens
Jun 24, 2011
Coroner records from South County and beach cities in southern California report more than 80 accidental opioid-related deaths for people aged 24 and under.
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Drug Use Involved in 25% of Fatal Crashes, Study Finds
Jun 23, 2011
According to a study conducted by researchers at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 24.9% of drivers who died in single vehicle crashes between 1999 and 2009 tested positive for drugs - 22% of whom tested positive for marijuana, 22% for stimulants, and 9% for narcotics. In addition, 37% of the 44,000 drivers studied had blood-alcohol levels in excess of 0.08.
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The Big Business of Synthetic Highs
Jun 20, 2011
Synthetic cannabinoids are the most common of an expanding array of drugs that mimic the effects of outlawed, mostly farmed, substances but are based on manufactured and often legal compounds.
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Majority of Adult Males Arrested in 10 U.S. Cities Test Positive for Illegal Drugs at Time of Arrest
Jun 15, 2011
More than half of adult males arrested for crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies tested positive for at least one drug, reveals the 2010 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Annual Report (ADAM II).
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Experts Say Prescription Pill Abuse Leads N.J. Teenagers to Heroin Addiction
Jun 15, 2011
The use of prescription pills is becoming more prevalent among teenagers and is leading to heroin addiction, according to several experts testifying before New Jersey’s State Commission of Investigation.
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A General in the Drug War
Jun 13, 2011
Addiction is all about the dopamine, says Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the neuroscientist in charge of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
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Nashville-area Police Fear Heroin Boom
Jun 10, 2011
Law enforcement and health officials blame the resurgence of heroin on widespread prescription pill abuse. Prescription drug abusers are finding that heroin is cheaper and more readily available.
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Police, Experts Warn Public of Dangers from K2 Drug
Jun 09, 2011
In Newton, NJ, the Center for Prevention and Counseling organized a press conference to raise awareness of the growing K2 issue.
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Meth Labs Mushrooming in Michigan’s Gratiot County
Jun 08, 2011
Meth has arrived in Michigan’s Gratiot County, according to Gratiot County Prosecutor Keith Kushion.
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Most Overdose Deaths in Washington’s King County Do Not Involve Illegal Drugs
Jun 08, 2011
Over the past 14 years, prescription drugs have largely displaced illegal drugs when it comes to overdose deaths in Washington’s King County.
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New TN Meth Law Adds Protections of Children, Further Restricts Ingredient Sales
Jun 07, 2011
A new law targeting the production of methamphetamine and striving for better protection of children goes into effect July 1 in Tennessee.
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Heroin Use Soars Among Suburban Youths, with Deadly Results
Jun 05, 2011
Suburban teens and young adults are falling victim, at an alarming rate, to a high they may not perceive as deadly, law enforcement and substance abuse experts say.
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In Oregon, Methadone Becoming a Big Killer
Jun 04, 2011
Last year, a single prescription drug killed 101 people in Oregon: methadone.
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Drug Addicts Putting Pharmacies Under Siege
Jun 03, 2011
Increasingly, pharmacists are under siege by violent attackers looking for prescription drugs such as the painkiller OxyContin.
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Prescription Drugs Worth Millions to Dealers
Jun 01, 2011
Prescription drug abuse—the country’s fastest-growing drug problem—has created a ballooning street market for highly addictive pain relief, anxiety, and depression drugs.
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Drug Overdose Deaths the No. 2 Leading Cause of Unintentional Deaths
May 30, 2011
Drug overdose deaths are rapidly increasing in the United States—only motor vehicle traffic accidents cause more unintentional deaths.
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National Drug Intelligence Center Releases Report on Economic Impact of Illicit Drug Use on American
May 26, 2011
Illicit drug use in the United States is estimated to have cost the U.S. economy more than $193 billion in 2007, according to a study by the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). The Economic Impact of Illicit Drug Use on American Society, produced on behalf of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, estimates the economic impact of illicit drugs for calendar year 2007—the most recent year for which data are available.
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Parents Suffer Children's Addiction in Shame
May 19, 2011
Even as opiate-related overdose deaths are increasing, parents wage battle against their children’s additions in silence.
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Big Spike Recorded in Older Drug, Alcohol Addicts
May 18, 2011
The number of older adults reporting substance abuse problems is growing. Between 1992 and 2008, treatment admissions for those 50 and older more than doubled in the United States.
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Another Huge Turnout at DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event
May 06, 2011
Americans participating in DEA’s second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Event on April 30th turned in more than 376,593 pounds (188 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for proper disposal at the 5,361 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states.
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Hepatitis C Cases Rising Among Massachusetts Youth
May 06, 2011
Hepatitis C infections are rising quickly among youth in Massachusetts, fueled by increases in the use of heroin and other injection drugs.
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Heroin Use by Young Adults Devastates Outer Suburbs
Apr 27, 2011
The number of people seeking treatment through Michigan’s state-sponsored programs for heroin abuse has doubled since 2003.
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Study Shows Meth Use Down in County
Apr 27, 2011
A five-year study released Wednesday shows methamphetamine use is continuing to decline in San Diego County, encouraging news for a region that was once unofficially dubbed the meth capital of the world.
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1 in 4 Adults Who Claim to Have ADHD May be Faking It
Apr 25, 2011
Almost one in four adults who seek medical treatment may be exaggerating—or even faking—their attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, according to a new report published in the journal The Clinical Neuropsychologist.
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Maine Sore Spot in Nation’s Prescription Drug Scourge
Apr 21, 2011
Maine is now on the front lines of a U.S. prescription drug epidemic that the Obama Administration compares to the crack cocaine crisis of the 1980s.
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Obama Launches Campaign Against Prescription Drug Abuse
Apr 20, 2011
At a joint press conference Tuesday, federal health officials and representatives from drug enforcement agencies announced the Obama Administration's new National Prescription Drug Abuse Plan, the first comprehensive federal plan for controlling the intentional misuse of doctor-authorized medications.
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Obama Administration Releases Action Plan to Address National Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic
Apr 19, 2011
The Obama Administration released a comprehensive action plan to address the national prescription drug abuse epidemic. The Administration also announced new federal requirements aimed at educating the medical community about proper prescribing practices.
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National Study Confirms Teen Drug Use Trending in Wrong Direction
Apr 06, 2011
Following a decade of steady declines, a new national study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation indicates that teen drug and alcohol use is headed in the wrong direction, with marked increases in teen use of marijuana and Ecstasy over the past three years.
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Rising Use of Synthetic Pot in Military Prompts Worries
Apr 06, 2011
Capitol Hill lawmakers are concerned that synthetic marijuana is posing a risk to the operational readiness of America’s armed forces. By the end of March, 196 sailors had either been caught with or were accused of using the drug.
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Naval Academy Expels Another Student for Using "Spice"
Apr 01, 2011
The U.S. Naval Academy has expelled another midshipman for using or having a banned marijuana-like substance known as "spice," bringing the total number expelled to 12, officials said.
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Emergency Department Visits Involving Ecstasy
Mar 24, 2011
According to SAMSHA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of drug-related emergency department (ED) visits involving MDMA, commonly known as “Ecstasy” increased 74.8 percent between 2004 and 2008.
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"Plant Food" is Latest Way to Get High
Mar 23, 2011
In Tennessee, teens and young adults are getting high with products marketed as “plant food” or “bath salts” containing ingredients that produce highs similar to Ecstasy.
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Marines Could Face Testing for Spice
Mar 21, 2011
The Marine Corps is working with researchers to develop a test that can detect the marijuana-like substance known as “spice.”
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Buffalo Police Warn of Sudden Spike in Heroin Overdoses
Mar 21, 2011
Since the beginning of 2011, dozens of people have shown up in the emergency rooms of hospitals in Buffalo, NY needing treatment for drug overdoses.
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Synthetic Drug, Subject of Proposed Bans, Kill Teen
Mar 19, 2011
Ten people were hospitalized, and one person died after using the illegal synthetic drug 2C-I at a spring break party in Minneapolis.
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Adults Represent a Majority of Inhalant Treatment Admissions
Mar 17, 2011
More than 1 million adults use inhalants each year, but little is know about this problem because research on inhalant abuse often focuses on the adolescent population.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Leads to Spike in Neglect Cases, Child Protection Investigators Say
Mar 14, 2011
Child abuse investigators say cases of child abuse and neglect involving prescription drugs have skyrocketed in Florida’s Pinellas and Pasco counties.
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Prescriptions Fuel Overdoses
Mar 13, 2011
Abuse of prescription drugs has risen nationally among teens and young adults, experts say, because these drugs are easy to get and seen as a “safe” high.
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Meth a Resurging Problem in North Carolina
Mar 09, 2011
The number of meth labs uncovered in North Carolina is on the rise as makers of the drug have learned ways to get around the state’s restrictions on pseudoephedrine a key ingredient found in cold medicines.
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DEA Holding Second Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in April
Mar 08, 2011
On Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA and its national and community partners will hold the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites nationwide.
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K2 Gains Popularity Among Athletes: Similar High As Pot, No Positive Drug Test
Mar 07, 2011
David Rozga’s parents believe the 18-year-olds use of K2, a synthetic marijuana product, led to his suicide. K2, also known as Spice, is an herbal blend that is sprayed with chemical that mimic marijuana and is marketed as incense.
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States Seek to Ban Dangerous Bath Salts
Mar 05, 2011
Legislatures in Missouri and Kansas are moving to outlaw the chemical compounds in so-called "bath salts." The compounds are mixed with an otherwise harmless powder and marketed with catchy, soft names such as "Ivory Wave" and "Cloud Nine." The plastic packets labeled "bath salts" contain potent powders, and are the latest wave of legal highs, similar to the synthetic marijuana K-2.
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The Current Status of the Methamphetamine Epidemic Policy Brief
Mar 01, 2011
Recent studies indicate that the methamphetamine (meth) epidemic is rebounding after several years of decline.
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Chemicals Used in "Spice" and "K2" Type Products Now Under Federal Control and Regulation
Mar 01, 2011
DEA announced today that the agency has exercised its emergency scheduling authority to control five chemicals used to make “Spice” and “K-2” type products. The news release states, “This emergency action was necessary to prevent an imminent threat to public health and safety. The temporary scheduling action will remain in effect for at least one year while the DEA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) further study whether these chemicals should be permanently controlled.”
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Eight Midshipmen Expelled for Having Synthetic Marijuana
Feb 28, 2011
The U.S. Naval Academy has expelled an eighth midshipman as a result of an investigation into the use of the banned substance known as spice, the superintendent's office announced.
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San Francisco Sues Smoke Shops Over Drug Pipe Sales
Feb 18, 2011
Calling them a public nuisance that puts the community's health and safety at risk, City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed civil suits against six smoke shops for allegedly selling drug paraphernalia for the illicit use of cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine.
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Heroin Use Explodes Across Indiana
Feb 16, 2011
Heroin is making a comeback across the country, including in Indiana, where it is outpacing the trafficking of cocaine, police said.
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Study Shows Sharp Rise in Street Drug Usage Among Stroke Patients
Feb 10, 2011
While smoking and alcohol use remained relatively stable over a 13-year study period, street drug use among stroke patients rose more than nine-fold, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati.
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Statement from White House Drug Policy Director on Synthetic Stimulants, a.k.a. "Bath Salts"
Feb 01, 2011
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released a statement following recent reports indicating the emerging threat of synthetic stimulants, including MDPV and mephedrone. These stimulants are often sold and marketed in stores as "bath salts" under names such as Ivory Wave or Purple Wave.
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Air Force Academy Cadets Under Synthetic Pot Investigation
Jan 31, 2011
Twenty-five Air Force Academy cadets are under investigation for using a legal but intoxicating substance known as "Spice" that has been prohibited by the superintendent, according to a spokesman.
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General’s Story a Warning About Use of Painkillers
Jan 27, 2011
Standing before 700 military doctors and medics, the deputy commander of the nation's elite special operations forces warned about an epidemic of chronic pain sweeping through the U.S. military. Be careful about handing out narcotic pain relievers, Lt. Gen. David Fridovich told the audience.
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Bath Salts: An Undercover Drug in Central Texas
Jan 25, 2011
Use of and interest in bath salts being used as drugs—similarly to cocaine and methamphetamine—is growing, reports Central Texas news station KXXV-TV. In addition to their psychoactive effects, bath salts may also be extremely dangerous if ingested.
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Officials: "Bath Salts" Are Growing Drug Problem
Jan 23, 2011
Law enforcement agents and poison control centers say “bath salts” are an emerging menace. Across the country, emergency calls report overexposure to the stimulants the powders often contain: mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV.
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Why Snorting "Bath Salts" Is Popular and Dangerous
Jan 13, 2011
The hottest new drug on the streets is perfectly legal—and totally dangerous, according to everyone from DEA to toxicology experts. Sold on the Internet and at head shops under names such as Ivory Wave, Cloud 9, Vanilla Sky, and White Lightning, packets of "bath salts" contain small amounts of white crystalline powder.
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3 in 10 Emergency Department Visits Made by Underage Drinkers Involve Other Drugs, SAMHSA Reports
Jan 13, 2011
Annual surveys show widespread use of alcohol among adolescents and young adults under the legal drinking age of 21. And underage drinkers are three times as likely to use illicit drugs within two hours of their last drinking occasion than drinkers aged 21 or older, shows 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data.
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Oklahoma Police Struggle to Fight Meth Lab Epidemic
Jan 11, 2011
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is struggling to shut down methamphetamine laboratories that are popping up throughout the state.
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Meth Flourishes Despite Tracking Laws
Jan 10, 2011
Electronic systems that track sales of the cold medicine used to make methamphetamine have created a lucrative market for profiteers to buy over-the-counter pills and sell them to meth producers at a huge markup. With laws that strictly limit purchases and record buyers' names, meth producers recruit friends, acquaintances, strangers, and even their own children to buy pills.
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New Data Reveals Doubling of Emergency Department Visits Involving Pharmaceutical Abuse
Jan 06, 2011
Visits by individuals to hospital emergency rooms involving the misuse or abuse of pharmaceutical drugs have doubled over the past five years and, for the third year in a row, exceed the number of visits involving illicit drugs.
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Florida Teen Hospitalized After Smoking Synthetic Marijuana
Jan 05, 2011
When police summoned Nancy Ferreira to the emergency room on New Year's Eve, she saw her 14-year-old son having a seizure and struggling to breathe.
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Boomers on Drugs: Millions of Older Americans are Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol
Jan 05, 2011
The number of aging boomer addicts is growing, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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Abandoned Horses Are Latest Toll of Drug Trade
Dec 30, 2010
Horses play a backbreaking role in the drug smuggling industry. Mexican traffickers strap heavy bales of marijuana or other illegal drugs to the horses’ backs and march them north through mountain passes and across rough desert terrain.
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Prescription Drug Abuse is Fastest-Growing Drug Problem in the Country
Dec 29, 2010
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States, and misuse of prescription drugs is driving an increase of deaths from unintentional drug overdoses.
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Drug Overdoses on the Rise in Most Age Groups
Dec 24, 2010
More and more people are dying from abusing or misusing drugs, including both prescription and illegal drugs, new research suggests.
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Highlights of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey
Dec 14, 2010
The Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey is an annual series of classroom surveys of eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Meth Labs Make a Return to the U.S.
Dec 14, 2010
Federal drug agents are reporting a resurgence of methamphetamine production in such areas as rural California and suburban Georgia—a consequence, they suspect, of meth crackdowns in Mexico.
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Addiction to Painkillers Hobbles More Patients
Dec 14, 2010
Deaths from prescription drug overdoses have become the second-leading cause of accidental deaths nationwide, behind car accidents, and the leading cause in some states, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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More Teens Getting Dangerous Prescriptions
Nov 30, 2010
The chance that a teenager or young adult will receive a prescription for a controlled medication has nearly doubled in the last 15 years in the U.S., according to a new report.
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One in Three Fatally Injured Drivers Tested Positive for Drugs
Nov 30, 2010
According to a new traffic fatality analysis released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), one in three motor vehicle fatalities with known drug test results tested positive for drugs in 2009. In addition, the involvement of drugs in fatal crashes has increased by five percent over the past five years.
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Couple’s First Home Is a Meth House
Nov 29, 2010
Five days after moving into their ideal starter home outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jenn Friberg and Rob Quigley learned from a neighbor that it had been a meth lab. The home passed both independent and borough inspections before they bought it, and the couple was never made aware of its listing on DEA’s National Clandestine Laboratory Registry.
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Mexican Cartels Emerge as Top Source for U.S. Meth
Nov 28, 2010
Mexican crime syndicates are importing mass quantities of the cold medicines and common chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine – turning Mexico into the No. 1 source for all meth sold in the United States, law enforcement agents say.
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DEA Moves to Emergency Control Synthetic Marijuana
Nov 24, 2010
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is using its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily control five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47, 497, and cannabicyclohexanol) used to make “fake pot” products.
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In Rural Counties, Scourge of Meth Takes a Toll
Nov 21, 2010
In rundown roadside hotel rooms, trailers in the woods, and even cars, methamphetamine addicts in rural areas of North Central Florida are cooking up a drug that is said to be more addictive than cocaine and eats away at users like the corrosive materials that go into making it.
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Teens and Drugs - Are Your Kids Next?
Nov 17, 2010
A recent episode of The Doctors revealed why more and more teens are getting hooked on drugs and educated parents and caregivers about the latest drug dangers and how to keep their family safe.
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Experts: Mexican Drug Cartels Target Iowa’s Children
Nov 10, 2010
Federal agents said international drug cartels are targeting central Iowa and have been getting their products in the hands of Iowa children.
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Sex, Drugs More Common in Hyper-Texting Teens
Nov 09, 2010
Teens who text 120 times a day or more are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol and drugs than kids who do not send as many messages, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
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Prescription Drug Deaths Rise in Tennessee
Nov 01, 2010
Prescription drugs killed more than 1,600 Tennesseans over a three-year period, according to research conducted by the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.
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Meth Use Rising in Tri-Cities, Washington
Nov 01, 2010
Methamphetamine use is making a comeback in Washington state’s Tri-Cities area.
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Students Held in Case of Suspected Drug Lab at Georgetown University
Oct 26, 2010
Charles Smith and John Perrone, both 18 years old, were ordered to remain behind bars after their arrest on suspicion of manufacturing an esoteric LSD-like drug in Smith’s dorm room.
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Marion Jones: "I Really Wish I Wouldn't Have Lied"
Oct 26, 2010
Olympic track athlete Marion Jones says she is sorry for lying to federal investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs.
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White House Issues Presidential Message on Red Ribbon Week
Oct 22, 2010
As communities across the country prepared to commemorate Red Ribbon Week, the White House issued a Presidential Message to greet and encourage participants.
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Recovering Addict Tells Judge, "DEA Saved My Life"
Oct 20, 2010
His battle with heroin began when he was a teenager and raged for more than a decade, until he was arrested this year and jailed on federal drug trafficking charges.
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Seattle High School Battles Heroin
Oct 19, 2010
Nearly 50 students at Seattle’s Stanwood High School are addicted to heroin. And in Seattle and across the country, the problem is growing.
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Elementary Student Brings Pot to School to Turn In His Parents
Oct 15, 2010
Two parents are facing drug charges after their child took their drugs to school and told a school officer his parents were breaking the law.
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Heroin Addiction Among Students Is on the Rise
Oct 14, 2010
Many of today’s heroin users are suburban kids who have enough disposable income and support to avoid detection—in some cases, even for months.
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Synthetic Marijuana Stirring Trouble in Nebraska Panhandle
Oct 13, 2010
A product, called K2, that looks like marijuana and smells like strawberries or vanilla has parents and law enforcement concerned about abuse.
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Tossed Cannabis Becomes a Canine Curiosity
Oct 13, 2010
A Maryland dog owner faced an unexpected consequence of drug abuse when her poodle, Senator, picked up a cigarette butt while on a walk around the neighborhood. Later, toxicology screens confirmed that the dog was high on marijuana.
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Nine Kids Hospitalized After Pill-Popping Scare
Sep 23, 2010
In Bremerton, Washington, nine kids were hospitalized and two others could face drug charges after a pill-popping scare at Bremerton's Mountain View Middle School.
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Teens Who Have Infrequent Family Dinners Likelier to Expect to Use Drugs in the Future
Sep 22, 2010
Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are more than twice as likely to say that they expect to try drugs in the future, according to The Importance of Family Dinners VI, a new report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
(CASA) at Columbia University.
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U.S. Worker Use of Prescription Opiates Climbing, Shows Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index
Sep 16, 2010
More American workers and job applicants are testing positive for prescription opiates, according to U.S. general workforce data in the
2009 annual Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) released by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated.
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National Survey Reveals Increases in Substance Use
Sep 16, 2010
The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009, according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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Teen Abuse of Over-the-Counter Drugs Flying Under the Radar
Sep 12, 2010
Like many parents, Brian and Julie Unwin didn’t realize their teenage son was “robo tripping” – abusing cough and cold medication to get high. The problem has caught the attention of federal health regulators, who announced earlier this month they’re considering restrictions on the sale of these over-the-counter medications.
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Seabrook Prescription Drug Collection Program Inspires Bill
Aug 17, 2010
The success of Seabrook, New Hampshire’s Police Department’s first prescription drug take-back program has sparked New Hampshire Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter to file a bill to take it nationwide.
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Heroin Use Is on the Rise in Burlington, NC
Aug 16, 2010
In Burlington, North Carolina, heroin is making a comeback. "It's gone from the dark alleys to the suburbs," said Capt. Chris Verdeck. "All demographics, it doesn't matter back, white, Hispanic, everybody is using it and it doesn't matter as far as economics, you got upper middle class using it, to the poor."
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Prescription Drug Abuse Is Stealing Lives
Aug 16, 2010
According to a national study, prescription drug use in Connecticut kills more people under the age of 34 than car crashes.
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Michigan’s Chelsea Community Gaining Ground Against Teen Drug, Alcohol Abuse
Aug 16, 2010
Results from the 2010 Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey reveal that significantly fewer students in the Chelsea School District are using alcohol and marijuana than in 2007.
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Heroin Use Among Young White Women Shows Dramatic Increase
Aug 15, 2010
Young white women are using heroin more than ever before, a Chicago-based study has concluded.
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Treatment Providers Target Teen Prescription Drug Abuse
Aug 13, 2010
Treatment and care providers from around San Diego County recently met for a regional summit addressing the topic of preventing prescription drug abuse, particularly among teenagers. Signs indicate that prescription drug abuse in the county may be on the rise.
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Teen Girls Increasingly Vulnerable to Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Jun 29, 2010
According to the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to perceive potential benefits from drug use and drinking, making teen girls more vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse.
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In Georgia, Cobb and Neighboring Cities Try to Ban Pill Mills
Jun 28, 2010
A move to create a prescription drug monitoring program in Georgia stalled in the Legislature this year, leaving local governments to combat the problem on their own. The failed legislation would have discouraged "pill mills" by tracking the dispensation of prescriptions via an electronic database.
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Heroin, Cocaine Lead List of Most-used Illicit Drugs in Connecticut
Jun 19, 2010
Heroin and crack and powdered cocaine lead the list of most-used illicit drugs in Connecticut, research shows.
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Concern Over "Pill Mills" Is Growing in Ohio
Jun 10, 2010
DEA recently placed Ohio’s Scioto County on a watch list of the 10 most-significant places in the United States for trafficking of medications.
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1 in 5 U.S. High School Students Have Abused Prescription Drugs, CDC Survey Finds
Jun 03, 2010
One in five U.S. high school students say they have ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Stronger Heroin Killing More
May 25, 2010
Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly selling a form of highly potent heroin. It costs as little as $10 per bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly.
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AAPCC Members Warn of Danger of Contaminated Cocaine
May 25, 2010
Toxicologists across the country are sounding the alarm about levamisole, a contaminant increasingly found in cocaine.
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Teens Use Household Items to Conceal Drugs
May 21, 2010
Teens are using common household items to hide drugs, transport them to school, and in some cases, buy and sell prescription medications.
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Risky Prescription Drugs Are Easy for Kids to Obtain
May 21, 2010
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise, say law enforcement officials, anti-drug advocates, and substance abuse counselors.
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Santa Cruz Drug Users Hooked on Mexican-produced Black Tar Heroin
May 21, 2010
Although heroin use has waned in other parts of the state and country, the opium-based drug remains the drug of choice for many users in California’s Santa Cruz County.
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Hooked on Heroin: Public "Blissfully Unaware" of Illegal Drug Trade in Pogonip
May 21, 2010
In Santa Cruz, the tourist industry has a dark underbelly: black-tar heroin. People come to Santa Cruz from miles away to buy $10 hits of the highly addictive opiate.
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Search for Answers in Fentanyl Death Raises More Questions
May 18, 2010
When 24-year-old Amanda Bussard died last October, her mother Robin Bussard was left searching for answers. It was only months later that the toxicology report revealed that fentanyl, combined with alcohol, had stopped Amanda’s breathing.
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OTC High: Cough Medicine Abuse on Rise Among Kids
May 05, 2010
School nurses across the country have launched an initiative called "Home to Homeroom" to educate parents and teachers about the danger of dextromethorphan, or DXM for short.
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Georgia Ranks 3rd in Nation for Teen Meth Use
May 04, 2010
A survey by the Georgia Meth Project shows 35% of teenagers think there’s little or no risk in trying the drug, and that’s a trend experts say needs to stop.
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Losing the Battle: Meth Addicts Struggle to Recover
May 04, 2010
According to a 2006 report by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 50% of meth users relapse, 36% of those within the first six months of treatment.
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Heroin Cases Among Albuquerque Youths on the Rise
May 02, 2010
Heroin overdose deaths among New Mexicans ages 17-24 have climbed steadily in the past few years, according to the state Department of Health.
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"Any Lab Is One Meth Lab too Many," Says North Carolina Attorney General
May 02, 2010
Although meth lab seizures in North Carolina have declined or held steady since a new law restricting sales of pseudoephedrine took effect in 2006, law enforcement officials continue to be vigilant. But the rise of mobile “one pot” or “shake-and-bake” labs is an increasing concern at the local, state, and national levels.
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Are You Living in a Former Meth Lab?
Apr 28, 2010
Across the country, thousands of houses once used as meth labs may be putting their new residents at risk of serious health consequences.
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We Have the Power to Help Loved Ones Get Clean, Says Author Brad Lamm
Apr 27, 2010
When Brad Lamm, known as "Dr. Oz's interventionist" for his regular television appearances, spoke at Florida Atlantic University, many in attendance seemed to be parents.
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Cheaper, More Potent Heroin Continues to Hook Users
Apr 24, 2010
Data shows that heroin has always had a powerful allure for users, with black tar heroin from the poppy fields of central Mexico, a brand of choice.
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Inhalant Abuse Down but Still Snaring Young Kids
Apr 19, 2010
Inhalant abuse of common household products is on the decline but still a deadly problem for children and teens, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. When inhaled, products like such as gasoline, paint thinner, or computer dusters can be more deadly than cocaine, researchers say.
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Most Meth Labs Now Go from Cars to Roadside
Apr 15, 2010
Addicts and dealers have become expert at making methamphetamine on the move, often in their cars, law enforcement officials say.
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Prescription Pills: The New Drug of Choice for Teens
Apr 15, 2010
Schools throughout the country are taking action against prescription drug abuse, including the sale and distribution of prescription drugs at school.
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Rx Drugs a Leading Killer in New Hampshire
Apr 12, 2010
More New Hampshire residents died last year from prescription drug overdoses than injuries from car crashes, according to the state’s chief medical examiner.
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In Georgia, Waging War on the "Devil's Drug"
Apr 12, 2010
Along with OxyContin, methamphetamine is the number one drug problem in Georgia’s Forsyth County. And the meth problem is growing, according to local law enforcement officials.
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In Oregon’s Lane County, Drugs Pose Potent Problem
Apr 11, 2010
The emergence of “gunpowder heroin,” a powerful new strain also known as GP, has contributed to an increased number of heroin-related deaths in Oregon’s Lane County in recent years, according to law enforcement and health officials.
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Prescription Drug Overdoses Jump, Sending More to Hospitals
Apr 09, 2010
Hospitalizations caused by accidental and intentional abuse of prescription sedatives, tranquilizers, and other painkilling drugs have risen dramatically over the last decade, new research reveals.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Is a Growing Concern
Mar 31, 2010
The nation's emergency physicians are issuing a strong warning about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
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Teen Heroin Use in Suburbs on the Rise
Mar 29, 2010
Teens across the country—honor students and athletes, some not even old enough to drive—are getting addicted, overdosing, and dying as heroin use in the suburbs skyrockets.
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U.S. Children Turn to Inhaling to Get High
Mar 11, 2010
More 12-year-olds in the United States admit to using potentially deadly inhalants to get high than have used marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens combined, health officials said.
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U.S. Says Drugged Driving a Growing Threat
Mar 09, 2010
Motorists under the influence of drugs are a growing threat on U.S. roads, while the number who drink and drive has fallen thanks to education and law enforcement.
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Teen Attitudes on Meth Are Surprising
Mar 09, 2010
A third of Georgia teens see little to no risk in trying methamphetamine, and a fifth of them say it is easy to get. The alarming statistics come from a new statewide survey released this week by the Georgia Meth Project.
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Officials Worry About Party Drug BZP
Mar 09, 2010
Prosecutors and legislators in the Detroit metro area are looking to toughen penalties for possession of n-benzylpiperazine, or BZP, a party drug similar to Ecstasy in its chemical makeup and euphoric effects.
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Meth "Epidemic" in Mississippi
Mar 02, 2010
Methamphetamine is a physical and spiritual corrosive eating into Mississippi's resources, social fabric, and even its soul, law enforcement officials say.
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School Administrators Need Parents to Help Control Prescription Drug Abuse
Feb 25, 2010
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise at Pocatello, ID, schools. Drugs are being sold, shared, or consumed at school, administrators say.
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Heroin Takes on a New Look
Feb 21, 2010
A liquefied version of black tar heroin is catching up to marijuana and prescription drugs as the drug of choice for teens in the North Galveston County, TX, suburbs, according to police.
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OxyContin Abusers Often Rely on "Leftover" Meds From Friends
Feb 18, 2010
Almost all people who illegally use or abuse opioid painkillers such as OxyContin or Vicodin get the drugs from a friend or relative who had a prescription, a new report shows.
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The Heroin Road: Black Tar Moves In, and Death Follows
Feb 15, 2010
Mexican black tar has seized a growing share of the U.S. heroin market, according to government estimates.
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Heroin Use Becomes "Epidemic" in Illinois Community
Feb 13, 2010
Heroin’s availability is driving its popularity and death toll in Winnebago County, IL, where more than 50 people have died from heroin overdoses since the start of 2008.
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Rampant Teen Prescription Drug Abuse "Frightening"
Feb 11, 2010
More than 50 parents gathered at a San Diego high school to hear experts talk about the growing use of prescription drugs by teenagers.
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Montana Attorney General Raising Money to Buy Prescription Drug Awareness Ads
Feb 01, 2010
Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock is working to raise up to $500,000 from private groups this year to finance an advertising campaign warning the public of the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
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Most Crime in Hawaii Linked to Drugs, Says Law Agency Official
Jan 30, 2010
Authorities have estimated that as much as two-thirds of all law enforcement investigations in Hawaii are drug-related.
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W.Va. Senate Takes Aim at Prescription Drug Abuse
Jan 27, 2010
Faced with one of the highest fatal overdose rates in the country, the West Virginia Senate introduced legislation aimed at curbing the state's problem with prescription drugs.
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Heroin Use, Deaths Spike in St. Louis Region
Jan 25, 2010
More than 150 people, many in their 20s or 30s, died in the St. Louis region last year of heroin overdoses. They are part of an alarming increase in use that officials link to falling prices and rising purity.
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Face2Face Program Shows Teens "Your Face on Meth"
Jan 24, 2010
A California sheriff is using image-altering software to show teens what they would look like after using methamphetamine.
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Kentucky Meth Labs at All-time High
Jan 24, 2010
The number of meth labs in Kentucky hit an all-time high in 2009, according to statistics compiled by the Kentucky State Police (KPS).
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A Common Cut in Cocaine May Prove Deadly
Jan 20, 2010
Levamisole, a drug used by veterinarians to get rid of worms, has become increasingly popular as a "cut," or diluting agent, in cocaine and possibly some heroin.
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Heroin Use on the Rise in Minnesota, But Not for Students
Jan 20, 2010
An increase in heroin use in parts of the Minnesota metropolitan area has police and public health officials on the offensive, but college students have seemingly remained apart from the trend.
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Drug Abuse Prevention Summit Fights to Decrease Utah’s Prescription Drug Abuse
Jan 13, 2010
More than 30 volunteers including police officers, elected leaders, and individuals and families affected by drug abuse gathered at the Drug Abuse Prevention Summit at Utah Valley University.
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Montana Meth Project Unveils Latest Campaign
Jan 13, 2010
In recent years the Montana Meth Project has made huge strides towards fighting this widespread drug problem. As the largest advertiser in the state, its messages reach 70-90% of teens approximately 3-5 times per week.
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In Hawaii, Crystal Meth Use Up From 2008
Jan 12, 2010
Hawaii’s largest drug testing company said crystal methamphetamine use is up, and drug prevention organizations said the numbers are alarming.
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Mark McGwire Issues Statement About Steroid Use
Jan 11, 2010
After becoming the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, record-setting baseball player Mark McGwire released a statement admitting past steroid use.
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Baseball Player Mark McGwire Admits Steroid Use
Jan 11, 2010
After more than a decade of denying steroid use, Mark McGwire admitted that he used steroids and human growth hormone while playing major league baseball.
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In Wisconsin, Prescription Drug Abuse Fastest Growing Teen Drug Problem
Dec 29, 2009
A new study shows that one in five Wisconsin teenagers have taken prescription painkillers without permission. This was the first year the Department of Public Instruction has asked the question in its annual "Youth Risk Behavior Survey." The study says 11% of high school age teens took prescription drugs to get high. This emerging problem is now on the state Attorney General's radar. Department of Justice Special Agent Brian Dunlap says prescription drug abuse is leading to drug overdose deaths among teens and surpassing illegal drug overdoses in Wisconsin. "So if you look at coke, crack, methamphetamine, add all those together, just the oxycontins account for more deaths on an annual basis than all those other drugs combined," Dunlap said. Dunlap says statistics from the four-county area of Outagamie, Winnebago, Fond du Lac, and Calumet shows more deaths from prescription painkillers among teens than from street drugs. He believes that trend probably is reflected statewide.
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When Kids Raid Grandma’s Medicine Cabinet
Nov 22, 2009
"The medicine cabinet is the primary source of drugs for 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds," said John Burke of the Warren (Ohio) County Drug Task Force and president of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. "Pharm parties" are a disturbing trend in which teens steal prescription medicine from home, take the pills to a gathering, and dump the load into a bowl.
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Shore Area a Heroin "Hot Spot"
Nov 21, 2009
For years, New Jersey has had a reputation of being home to the purest and cheapest heroin in the nation. And aside from the urban centers of Newark and Camden, nowhere in New Jersey is there a greater concentration of heroin addicts than in Ocean and Monmouth counties. A steady growth in both the number of young people seeking treatment and suffering overdoses over the past decade has many specialists concerned the issue is reaching a crisis point.
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Heroin Use Becoming "Serious Public Health Issue"
Nov 12, 2009
Milwaukee County's medical examiner has seen the number of heroin deaths double in just the last year. It's even hit high schools. The family of a Shorewood, WI, boy is hoping his death will dispel the glamour of heroin use. Seventeen-year-old Alex Wajer died in June from a heroin overdose. He had meddled with drugs in the past, but no one suspected heroin. Narcotics agents said kids are making an alarmingly quick leap from prescription drugs to heroin. According to Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent James Bohn, the cartels have revamped heroin’s image, “It's now so pure that users can now smoke or snort it, avoiding the stigma that comes with shooting up with a needle.” And at about $10 a hit, heroin is now far cheaper than pills. Bohn said heroin busts in two of southeast Wisconsin's most affluent communities demonstrate the power of the addiction.
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AMA Resolution Calls for Review of Federal Drug Schedule for Marijuana
Nov 12, 2009
In November, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution asking that marijuana’s federal Schedule I classification be reconsidered: “Our American Medical Association urges that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines. This should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a prescription drug product.”
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Prescription for Trouble
Nov 11, 2009
The use of opioid painkillers—the class of narcotic drugs including oxycodone, hydrocodone, Vicodin®, Fentanyl®, Percocet®, and Darvocet®—now causes more deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Prescription drug-related deaths have increased over the past year in Florida, and the increase is largely attributed to the high number of pain clinics, or “pill mills,” located primarily in South Florida. Florida is the largest of 11 states that has no database for monitoring prescriptions, making it easy to “doctor shop.” In June 2009, Florida’s governor signed a bill to establish an electronic database allowing physicians and pharmacies to monitor a patient’s prescriptions, but the program could take a year or more to become active. In the meantime, law enforcement agencies are working to shut down pill mills and illegal Internet pharmacies.
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Gauging Drug Sweep Success Will Take Time
Nov 09, 2009
It cost the Peoria, IL, police department roughly between $30,000 and $35,000 to sweep South Peoria streets of 29 alleged drug dealers during the Drug Market Intervention program, an effort to clean up neighborhoods and reduce crime. As a short-term measure of success, six of the alleged dealers—all nonviolent, nonrepeat offenders—accepted the offer for a second chance, and 23 are in jail. In the long run, officials say, success depends upon commitment to change by both individuals and community, as well as money to continue the program.
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Alleged Drug Offenders Offered a Second Chance
Nov 04, 2009
It was an intervention. A second chance for nonviolent, nonrepeat drug offenders. Not just a gift, but an agreement: Stay out of trouble and avoid prosecution or face jail, said Peoria County, IL, Assistant State's Attorney Seth Uphoff. In early November, six individuals, all facing a felony drug charge, were offered a second chance in an unconventional initiative to fight violent crime associated with Peoria’s drug trade. Peoria's Drug Market Intervention is aimed to eliminate the open-air drug markets that bring violence and neighborhood blight. The ultimate goal is to return neighborhoods to residents and improve public safety by reducing crime. The community's role involves reporting drug activity to police, spreading the message that drug dealing will not be tolerated, and providing mentoring and other support.
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One Daughter’s Secret Revealed, Ultimately Too Late
Nov 04, 2009
During treatment for drug addiction, teenager Alicia Lannes revealed to her parents that she had been serially raped two years earlier. In attempt to drive away the nightmares and memories of the brutal attack, she turned to drugs and alcohol and ultimately heroin—the drug that would end her life in 2008. Alicia’s death sparked an investigation that revealed a large heroin ring operating among 50 teens and young adults in a Northern Virginia community. Between December 2007 and September 2008, four teens in the community suffered fatal overdoses, and 16 have been convicted in a number of drug charges. In January 2009, the community formed a coalition of parents, counselors, PTA members, and concerned community members to address the drug problem.
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When Heroin Hits Home
Nov 03, 2009
After four deaths and 16 convictions, a Northern Virginia community is stunned at the grasp of drugs on its youth. When teenager Alicia Lannes died from a heroin overdose in March 2008, authorities discovered the existence of a highly organized heroin ring operating among more than 50 teens and young adults in Centreville, VA. Many were current and former students at a local high school—students who seemed to have it all. It soon became clear that the teens had graduated to heroin from a menu of drugs: ecstasy, psilocybin (mushrooms), LSD, methamphetamine, cocaine, barbiturates, and prescription pills. But why did these kids get involved with heroin? According to neuroscientist and pharmacologist Edythe London, “Heroin is an equal opportunity substance.” The factors that make a person susceptible to drugs cross ethnic and economic lines, and teens are particularly at risk.
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Can Shame Stop Drug Dealers?
Nov 03, 2009
In early November, residents of Peoria, IL, had the opportunity to tell alleged drug dealers what their activities have done to their neighborhoods at a special meeting. It is hoped a new partnership will be forged between residents and law enforcement to stop new dealers from taking root. Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard sees this as a great chance for Peoria. "If a drug dealer quits the business and becomes a productive member of society, that can reap huge benefits in the community long term," the chief said.
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HDNet’s "Dan Rather Reports" Exposes Texas "Pill Mills"
Oct 26, 2009
In October, “Dan Rather Reports” traveled to Houston, TX, to investigate the legal practice of “pain relief centers” that dispense prescription drugs without a doctor’s care or examination. Many of these centers, that accept cash only, are located in strip malls across the Houston area. Commonly known as “pill mills,” the clinics operate mostly on a walk-in, first-come first-served basis. Police say that the centers attract illegal drug traffickers from nearby states who sell the powerful opiates, painkillers, and anti-depressants they receive at the clinic on the black market. Texas lawmakers are working to change the laws surrounding these clinics and how easily people can get their hands on prescription drugs.
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National Family Partnership Calls on Parents to "Lock Your Meds"
Oct 24, 2009
The National Family Partnership (NFP) declared October 27th “Lock Your Meds” Day—a call to action for parents to take a stand against the trend in prescription drug abuse among children and teens. To help parents prevent prescription drug abuse in their homes, the campaign website, http://www.lockyourmeds.com, includes easy-to-use resources such as a home medicine inventory card and downloadable guidelines on how to properly dispose of prescription medicine.
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Teens Look to Parents as Role Models for Drug, Alcohol Use
Oct 08, 2009
According to a new study, teens say hearing about their parents’ experiences with drugs and alcohol would make them less likely to use the substances themselves. In the study, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the Hazelden Foundation, a Minnesota-based addiction treatment center, 67 percent of teenagers said their parents had told them about their past experiences with alcohol and drugs, and 95 percent of those teens welcomed that openness. The findings of the study have inspired a new campaign, “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction,” designed to spark conversations about the dangers of addiction among four generations.
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Survey Inspires Hazelden to launch "Four Generations Overcoming Addiction" Campaign
Oct 08, 2009
The “Four Generations Overcoming Addiction “campaign, inspired by a study commissioned by the Minnesota-based addiction treatment center Hazelden, seeks to ignite conversations about the dangers of addictions and the value of treatment among four generations: Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Greatest Generation. "Each generation views the use of alcohol and other drugs through a different filter; each requires a different approach when they seek treatment for addiction," says Mark Mishek, president and CEO of Hazelden. The campaign includes: a website at http://www.fourgenerations.org with free videos and conversation guides about drug use and abuse, addiction treatment, and recovery; an online library of podcasts featuring personal accounts from four generations of Hazelden alumni; and Hazelden’s first-ever Recovery Resources Blog, an online home base for news about addiction and recovery.
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Hallucinogenic Herb Under Legislative Eye
Sep 30, 2009
The herb Salvia divinorum has been gaining popularity over the past decade as a smokable drug whose psychotropic extract provides a short-lived but potent hallucinogenic trip. Total or partial salvia bans have been imposed in 16 states, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is considering adding it to the list of drugs banned under the Controlled Substances Act. While salvia doesn’t appear to be addictive or particularly toxic, it is a powerful drug that leaves users confused and disoriented. Matthew W. Johnson, a psychopharmacologist at the Johns Hopkins University, warns, “This is a powerful drug. If someone were to drive on it, that would be a very bad thing.”
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UM Researcher Dies After Using "Bupe"
Sep 30, 2009
Dr. Carrie John, a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, died after apparently injecting herself with a “bad” batch of buprenorphine, a narcotic known on the street as “bupe” and commonly used to treat heroin addiction. Introduced in 2003, buprenorphine—prescribed as Suboxone for treatment of addiction—is often misused. Health officials said addicts were injecting or snorting the narcotic to mute cravings for heroin and opiate-based pain pills such as OxyContin. "Because [the pills] are expensive, many people have turned to the Internet to purchase bupe from other countries and getting them much cheaper," said Michael Gimbel, former director of Baltimore County’s Bureau of Substance Abuse. "Obviously, quality is not guaranteed, and that may be what killed the doctor."
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Prescription Drugs on Killing Spree, Abuse the Cause
Sep 29, 2009
According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, pain relievers are the most widely diverted and abused prescription drugs in America. The recent deaths of celebrities like Heath Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith, and DJ AM have raised awareness of the problem of prescription drug abuse, but the problem does not seem to be getting better. The substantial increase in deaths among persons age 15-24 is consistent with increases in recreational prescription drug and cocaine use among adolescents and young adults, says the Office of National Drug Control policy. Between 2001 and 2005, 35,000 deaths have been attributed to prescription narcotic drug abuse according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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Meth Abuse Impacts Pregnancy
Sep 26, 2009
At least 50 percent of methamphetamine (meth) users in Hawaii are women, and most women who use meth are of childbearing age. Using meth during pregnancy poses a significant risk to the mother and the fetus. Some risks to the fetus include premature or early delivery, limb abnormalities, low birth weight, stroke, neurological problems, and learning disabilities. In July 2009, Child and Family Service in Hawaii started a new substance abuse treatment program, E Ala Hou, for pregnant and parenting women. Funded by the Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, E Ala Hou is designed to prepare women to make a commitment to change and participate in substance abuse treatment services, decrease their use of substances during pregnancy, and support their continued positive behaviors once they have completed treatment.
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Low Price, High Potency Spike Heroin Deaths
Sep 24, 2009
A lethal combination of rock bottom prices combined with a spike in the potency and availability of heroin on Massachusetts streets has led to a startling increase in the number of heroin-related deaths in recent years. “It's actually our No. 1 priority,” said Special Agent Steven Derr of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “You can go out for $10 and get a bag of heroin. I don't think the future is particularly bright." The new mission, according to Derr, is to stop the flow of heroin from Colombia to New England streets. “Don’t assume it’s just the cities, don’t blame the cities. It’s everywhere,” said Salisbury Police Chief David L’Esperance. Since 1996 the number of fatal opioid-related overdoses in Massachusetts has more than tripled—killing more people than motor vehicle accidents.
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The Importance of Family Dinners
Sep 23, 2009
According to a new report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, teens who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana; more than one-and-a-half times likelier to use alcohol; and twice as likely to use drugs in the future than teens who have five or more family dinners per week. “The magic of the family dinner comes not from the food on the plate but from who’s at the table and what’s happening there. The emotional and social benefits that come from family dinners are priceless,” said Elizabeth Planet, CASA’s Vice President and Director of Special Projects. CASA founder and chairman Joseph A Califano, Jr. urges “parents to arrange their schedules and their outside activities so that they can frequent family dinners. If they do so, they’ll discover what a difference dinner makes.”
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Nationwide Public Health Alert Issued Concerning Life-Threatening Risk Posed by Laced Cocaine
Sep 21, 2009
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is alerting medical professionals, substance abuse treatment centers and other public health authorities about the risk that substantial levels of cocaine may be adulterated with levamisole – a veterinary anti-parasitic drug. There have been approximately 20 confirmed or probable cases of agranulocytosis (a serious, sometimes fatal blood disorder), including two deaths, associated with cocaine adulterated with levamisole. The number of reported cases is expected to increase as information about cocaine adulterated with levamisole is disseminated. Ingesting cocaine mixed with levamisole can seriously reduce a person's white blood cells, suppressing immune function and the body's ability to fight off even minor infections. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ILLNESS THAT NEEDS TO BE TREATED AT A HOSPITAL. Signs to watch out for include: high fever, chills, or weakness; swollen glands; painful sores (mouth, anal); any infection that won’t go away or gets worse very fast, including sore throat or mouth sores, skin infections, abscesses, thrush (white coating of the mouth, tongue, or throat), or pneumonia (fever, cough, shortness of breath).
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Peoria Trying New Approach in Fight Against Crime
Aug 26, 2009
Police and prosecutors in Peoria, IL, are preparing to roll out an alternative way to help rid the city of drugs and violence, one neighborhood at a time. The Drug Market Initiative/Intervention strategy targets geographic drug markets and involves prosecuting the most violent offenders. Low-level offenders are offered a second chance through interventions and help from social service agencies, along with the warning that another crime means jail time. Success also hinges on families and community members taking part in interventions. “The police can’t do it alone... What we’re trying to do is get the community involved,” said Peoria police Lt. Tom Larson.
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"Shake and Bake" Meth Labs Sweep State
Aug 25, 2009
A new way of making the highly addictive drug, meth, is sweeping the state of Tennessee. Meth lab seizures are doubling, even tripling some places and the new process makes it easier for meth cooks to fly under the radar. Law enforcement officials say meth cooks are using 2-liter soda bottles to make the drug. Not only is it easy to transport but this “shake and bake0 method can take less ingredients to make. The state of Tennessee is seeing an increase in meth labs. So far this year, 794 meth labs have been seized, nearly as many as all of last year. Experts predict the number of meth lab seizures could reach 1,300 by the end of the year.
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Teen Trippin’ on ADHD Drugs Can be a Real Downer
Aug 24, 2009
Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit disorder drugs increased 76 percent from 1998-2005, sobering evidence about the dangerous consequences of prescription misuse. Kids taking ADHD drugs to get high or increase alertness may not realize that misuse of the drugs can cause serious, sometimes life-threatening symptoms, including agitation, rapid heartbeat, and extremely high blood pressure. The true number of teen abusers who have bad side effects is likely much higher, because many cases don't result in calls to poison control centers.
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AP IMPACT: New Meth Formula Avoids Anti-Drug Laws
Aug 24, 2009
This is the new formula for methamphetamine: a two-liter soda bottle, a few handfuls of cold pills, and some noxious chemicals. Shake the bottle and the volatile reaction produces one of the world's most addictive drugs. Using the new formula, batches of meth are much smaller but just as dangerous as the old system, which sometimes produces powerful explosions, touches off intense fires, and releases drug ingredients that must be handled as toxic waste. An Associated Press review of lab seizures and interviews with state and federal law enforcement agents found that the new method is rapidly spreading across the nation and is contributing to a spike in the number of meth cases.
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Many Teens Share Prescription Drugs
Aug 18, 2009
A survey of 592 12-to17-years from across the United States found that 20 percent admitted to having lent a prescription drug to a friend, while a similar percentage said they had done the borrowing. The most commonly shared prescriptions were allergy drugs and narcotic pain relievers like Oxycontin and Darvocet, followed by antibiotics, acne medications like Accutane, and mood drugs such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. The findings suggest that doctors need to talk to patients about the risks of using other people’s prescriptions.
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Metro Sees Dramatic Rise in Heroin Seizures
Aug 17, 2009
Las Vegas Metro Police have seized 75 percent more heroin this year than they did in the same period of last year. Authorities and drug treatment providers suspect heroin is being sold to a younger clientele, teens and young adults who abuse prescription pain pills and are switching to heroin for a cheaper opioid high. Where an oxycodone pain pill might sell for $40 and yield only enough drug for a few highs, a gram of heroin costs as much, if not less, and can be used for two or three times as long.
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Weymouth Mayor Declares War on Drug Abuse
Aug 11, 2009
Opiate drug overdoses are a leading cause of substance abuse deaths in20Massachusetts, and Weymouth, Massachusetts Mayor Susan Kay is attempting to prevent these tragedies from occurring to families through an information campaign. The most common opiate drugs abused include Percocet, Vicodin, and Oxycontin. A published news report stated that the fatal overdose rate for opiate drug abuse in Weymouth is 25.3 fatalities per 100,000 people—three times higher than the state average. Kay’s Opiate Prevention Task Force is warning residents about the dangers of opiate substance abuse by placing advisory brochures in their water bills during the current quarter. “We are trying to make people aware about the dangers of these drugs,” Kay said on Aug. 11. “We can’t do that through law enforcement alone.”
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Police Ultimatum to Drug Dealers: Quit, or Go to Prison
Aug 07, 2009
In early August, more than a dozen drug dealers in Seattle walked into an auditorium full of police and prosecutors and were presented with an ultimatum: Stop selling dope or prepare for prison. The dealers were promised they wouldn't be arrested, prosecuted, or sent to jail for 20 months or more if they embraced the job training, educational opportunities, housing assistance, and chemical-dependency treatment being offered them. Should they break the bargain by selling drugs anywhere in King County, Washington, they'd feel the full force of the law.
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Illegal Drug Users Dip Into Embalming Fluid
Aug 03, 2009
Syracuse, New York health-care officials say they are seeing more cases of embalming fluid being mixed with drugs for a hallucinogenic—and often violent—high. Local emergency rooms are on pace to handle twice the number of embalming fluid cases as a year ago. Embalming fluid is often combined with phencyclidine, also known as PCP, a strong hallucinogen, and used to coat marijuana cigarettes, experts said. The PCP causes the unpredictable and violent behavior that is associated with embalming fluid, giving it the reputation of a drug that causes users to act crazy.
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Officials: Heroin Busts Show California Problem
Jul 30, 2009
Recent large heroin seizures show a resurgence of the drug in California unseen since the early 1970s. "Heroin is making a comeback in the Bay Area," San Francisco Police Capt. Denis O'Leary said at a news conference held in late July. A federal grand jury in Sacramento has indicted 21 Mexican and American citizens on charges of smuggling at least 440 pounds of heroin grown in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, through Tijuana to Modesto, in California's Central Valley. The charges include conspiring to import and distribute heroin and smuggle cash back to Mexico. Possible sentences range up to life in prison.
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Stopping Heroin Use Before It’s Too Late
Jul 30, 2009
Opiate-related deaths in Massachusetts rose in 2006 to five times their number in 1997. In Brockton, heroin has been a problem for the last five years. Teenage heroin addiction has also hit Farmingdale, Long Island; Janesville, Wis.; Glastonbury, Conn.; and Orlando. The heroin problem appears throughout the heartland. After high school, between the ages of 18 to 25, is the time of greatest risk for heroin addiction. If people are addicted to prescription opiates, they may switch to heroin, which is cheaper than OxyContin. Once someone has tried heroin, it’s hard to go back. Once someone is addicted, everything changes.
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"Perfect Storm" of Factors Made South Florida a Pill Mill, Experts Say
Jul 19, 2009
Those who work in law enforcement and in treatment of drug addiction say a combination of factors have spawned a perfect storm of prescription drug abuse for profit in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Authorities and observers think the region's high concentration of doctors served as a foundation. As Appalachian states created programs to track who was writing and receiving prescriptions, Florida legislators held off for seven years before adopting a plan this year. The prolonged inaction drew addicts and drug traffickers from other states to Florida, where pills could be had cheaply and then resold for a profit elsewhere. For the first time, oxycodone, rather than cocaine, is the deadliest drug in the state. It was blamed for 941 fatal overdoses statewide in 2008.
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Maine Battles Drug War
Jul 14, 2009
New England may be thousands of miles from the producers and brutal drug enterprises of Mexico and Colombia. But a busy pipeline from Mexico resolutely moves heroin and cocaine to emerging markets as far away as coastal Maine."It's just unbelievable what we've seen here," said Edward Strong, police chief in nearby Kittery. "I can remember when people around here didn't know what the word 'heroin' meant. Now, it's everywhere—cheaper, more available, and demand is high."
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Pain Relief Can Spiral Into Addiction to Prescription Drugs
Jul 14, 2009
People who abuse prescription drugs often do so believing the pills are safe because they are prescribed by doctors and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, addiction experts tell CNN. Non-medical use of prescription drugs is most prevalent among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. One trend is "pharming parties," where teens raid their home medicine cabinets, put various pills in a bowl and pick which one to consume. Sometimes, they take the pills with alcohol, which presents dangers. Older adults who take medication to treat pain can also become addicted. While the pills are considered safe, continued heavy abuse could result in slowed breathing, respiratory arrests, reduced oxygen to the brain and overdose.
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Illnesses Afflict Homes With a Criminal Past
Jul 13, 2009
Rhonda and Jason Holt’s family had been plagued by mysterious illnesses since they moved into their Winchester, Tennessee home: babies with breathing problems, migraines, kidney ailments. Five years after they moved in, the Holts discovered that the home was contaminated with high levels of methamphetamine left by the previous occupant, and that it would cost them at least $30,000 to clean it up. This same scenario is playing out across the nation as federal data suggests that there are tens of thousands of contaminated homes in the U.S.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Ravages a State’s Youth
Jul 06, 2009
22-year-old Savannah Kissick is one of 485 people who have died from prescription drug overdoses in Kentucky over the past year. While the problem exists in every state in the country, Kentucky led the nation in the use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes during the last year. “It affects, quite literally, every kind, every type of crime that we have…it’s breaking families up,” says Greenup County Sheriff Keith Cooper.
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Meth: Scourge of St. Clair County
Jun 25, 2009
Methamphetamine, or “meth,” has become a growing problem for law enforcement across the United States, and St. Clair County, Alabama is no different. From burglary, to forging bad checks to get cash or even committing murder, meth has left its impression on St. Clair County. “It’s everywhere at all times of the day and night and I don’t foresee a drastic reduction anytime soon,” says Pell City Police Officer Richard Woods.
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California Regulators Find Pot Smoke Causes Cancer
Jun 20, 2009
Marijuana smoke has joined tobacco smoke and hundreds of other chemicals on a list of substances California regulators say cause cancer. The listing only applies to marijuana smoke, not the plant itself.
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Prescription Drugs Leading Killer
Jun 11, 2009
Someone has died of an accidental prescription-drug overdose almost every week so far this year in Wilkes County, North Carolina, according to authorities. That puts Wilkes County on pace to have double the 26 prescription-drug overdose deaths it had last year. "Prescription drugs right now are the No. 1 problem," Wilkes Sheriff Dane Mastin said. "Not cocaine. Not meth. It's generating lots of break-ins, home invasions."
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Prescription Drugs Account for the Growing Share of Abuse Among Young People
Jun 07, 2009
Prescription pills and painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin are gaining hold among people of all races, ages and demographics, officials in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania said. Of the more than 250 fatal overdoses county Medical Examiner Karl Williams assesses each year, more than 80 percent involve at least one prescription narcotic, usually used in conjunction with an illegal drug. The problem has spread to high school kids in towns and cities nationwide, including Pittsburgh and its suburbs.
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Will Regulation Muscle its Way into Gyms?
Jun 05, 2009
In the fitness world, some people will do anything to get rippling muscles and tight abs, including taking steroids or other performance enhancers. The May 2009 arrests of more than 70 local trainers, gym owners, and others allegedly involved in dealing steroids and other drugs throughout the Houston area brought that fact home. Some have said tighter government requirements could ensure that only highly qualified people call themselves personal trainers.
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Study Finds Half of Men Arrested Test Positive for Drugs
May 28, 2009
Half of the men arrested in 10 U.S. cities test positive for some type of illegal drug, a federal study found. Not only do the findings show "a clear link between drugs and crime," they also highlight the need to provide drug treatment.
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Vast US Illegal Drug Market Fuels Mexican Cartels
May 26, 2009
The Mexican drug cartels battling viciously to expand and survive have a powerful financial incentive: Across the border to the north is a market for illegal drugs unsurpassed for its wealth, diversity and voraciousness. In all, 46 percent of Americans 12 and older have indulged in the often destructive national pastime of illicit drug use. The Mexican cartels are eager to feed this ravenous appetite. Once used mostly to transship drugs from South America, Mexico is now a major producer and distributor.
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Police: Meth is Growing on Maui
May 25, 2009
Crystal methamphetamine and other narcotics are showing signs of a resurgence on Maui, due to the dismal economy, according to Maui Police Department vice officer Ken Doyle. The current economic situation is making people more willing to participate in the drug trade, such as agreeing to transport packages of meth from the Mainland to Hawaii on their bodies, says Doyle. "Right now, it's all about the money," Doyle said, adding, "As people lose their jobs, times are going to be tough. People are going to do things they wouldn't normally do."
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Grip of Meth Addiction Felt Across Midwest
May 23, 2009
Trailing only alcohol and marijuana, methamphetamine (meth) has outpaced heroin and cocaine to become one of the most frequently used drugs in many Midwestern states. Use can have toxic side effects, including convulsions and death, but abusers aren’t the only ones affected by meth.
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Internet Fuels Legal Abuse of Plant Hallucinogens
May 21, 2009
A 22-year-old Michigan State University student killed himself after ingesting Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds, bought on eBay. The seeds contain a compound that can cause psychosis, including hallucinations. Thanks to the proliferation of YouTube videos and Internet blogs, learning the "how-to" of a quick hallucinogenic high from substances like Hawaiian seeds and salvia and moonflowers is easier than ever.
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Adderall at CU: Getting High or Getting Higher Grades
May 05, 2009
In the scientific journal Addiction, a published study in 2005 surveying more than 10,000 randomly selected college student across the nation reported the 7 percent to 25 percent of respondents admitted to non-medical use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall.
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Adderall and Academia: A Loaded Combination?
Apr 30, 2009
Among students with prescriptions for stimulants like Adderall, 84 percent reported having been asked to illegally give their drugs to their peers, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of American College Health.
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Powerful, popular YouTube Drug Remains Legal
Apr 28, 2009
Salvia divinorum, or "salvia," has been dubbed the "YouTube drug," apparently for users' penchant to share their experience in front of a camera. The DEA reports salvia is more common among people 18 to 25 years old, with an estimated 1.8 million people 12 years old or older having used the substance as of February 2008.
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Meth Menace-The Human Side
Apr 24, 2009
Twenty-year-old recovering meth addict K.K. S trickland shares her story of addiction and recovery. Her message to those still fighting the addiction: Quit now.
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Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents: 2002-2007
Apr 16, 2009
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that combined data from 2002-2007 indicates that more than 1 in 10 children in the United States under the age of 18 lived with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug.
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Scary Drug Makes Comeback
Mar 17, 2009
District of Columbia police, prosecutors, and drug testing agencies are bracing for more PCP-related violence. Ten percent of adult defendants now test positive for the drug, and the number the people with PCP in their systems arrested on murder and sexual assault charges jumped in 2008.
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Fewer Teens Sniffing Glue, Household Products
Mar 16, 2009
According to a recent U.S. government report, more than 17 percent of American adolescents who use drugs started by sniffing common household products such as glue, shoe polish, and air fresheners to get high.
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Meth Madness
Mar 16, 2009
Methamphetamine, or “meth,” is one of the most popular drugs in Louisiana’s Jones County, according to Sheriff Alex Hodge.
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Anna Nicole Smith’s Boyfriend, Doctors Charged
Mar 13, 2009
Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer-turned-boyfriend, and two of her doctors face charges that they conspired to provide her with thousands of prescription pills before her fatal 2007 overdose.
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This Is an Emergency
Mar 10, 2009
Jonathan Myerson discusses the impact of his son’s addiction on his entire family and tells why his wife decided to share their story in her new book, The Lost Child.
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A Life Defined by Methamphetamine
Mar 06, 2009
Methamphetamine (meth) abuse is an epidemic in Merced County, CA—51-year-old Nanette’s story is evidence of how it impacts not just the lives of users but of everyone around them.
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Meth: Scourge of Merced County Causes a Rising Tide of Misery
Mar 06, 2009
In Merced County, CA, methamphetamine (meth) abuse seems to be on the rise despite local law enforcement efforts to fight the drug. Ray Framstad of the Narcotics Task Force is worried that the meth problem will only get worse with the recession.
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Why Is Meth So Addictive?
Mar 05, 2009
At least as addictive as heroin, methamphetamine (meth) triggers dependency faster than almost all other illegal drugs
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School Drug Use Still Rampant, Study Shows
Mar 05, 2009
According to a recent study, nearly 14,000 students from 115 public middle and high schools in CA have tried drugs or alcohol, and one in six teens reported driving while under the influence of alcohol or marijuana.
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Resurgence of Meth Labs in Arizona Feared
Feb 20, 2009
While Arizona’s efforts to eradicate meth production have proved successful over the past five years, not much has been done to curb the demand for the drug.
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Genetic Risk for Substance Use Can be Neutralized by Good Parenting
Feb 16, 2009
According to a new University of Georgia study, a genetic risk factor that increases the likelihood that youth will engage in substance use can be neutralized by high levels of involved and supportive parenting.
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Cannibas and the Risks: Facts You Need to Know
Feb 14, 2009
There is an overriding belief among teenagers today is that cannabis is a bit of harmless fun - the most dangerous thing about a joint being the tobacco that the grass or resin is mixed with.
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Cleaning up the Meth Mess
Feb 13, 2009
In New Mexico, the San Juan Rotary Club’s anti-meth committee is embarking on its third annual “Don’t Meth With Us” campaign.
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Obama Calls A-Rod Steroid Admission 'Depressing'
Feb 09, 2009
President Barack Obama called Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids “depressing news” that tarnishes an entire era of major league baseball.
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Methamphetamine Use Cost the US About $23 Billion in 2005
Feb 04, 2009
A RAND Corporation study estimates that methamphetamine use cost over $23 billion dollars in 2005.
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Heavy Marijuana Use May Damage Developing Brain in Teens, Young Adults
Feb 03, 2009
Adolescents and young adults who are heavy users of marijuana are more likely to have disrupted brain development.
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Teens Who Frequently Go Out With Friends More Likely to Use Marijuana
Feb 03, 2009
A recent study shows that marijuana use appears to have decreased among most European and North American adolescents, and those who went out with friends fewer evenings during the week were less likely to report using the drug.
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Santonio Holmes: From Drug Corner to Super Bowl MVP
Feb 02, 2009
Santonio Homes once sold drugs on a street corner. Now he’s the Most Valuable Player of a most remarkable Super Bowl.
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Erin Brockovich Fights for Teen’s Sobriety
Feb 02, 2009
As Brockovich was gaining fame, her teenage daughter was struggling with a secret drug addiction.
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Getting Real About Meth
Feb 02, 2009
One in four teens say meth is easy to acquire, and one in three see little to no danger in trying meth once or twice.
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Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Pipe Photo
Feb 01, 2009
The Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps quickly acknowledged his poor judgment after a photograph showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe was published Sunday in a British newspaper.
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Local Meth Fight Not Over
Jan 06, 2009
Utah has reached another crossroads in its fight against drugs. For the last two years, the state has ramped up efforts to fight meth addiction.
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Moved by Patients, Committee Clears Medical Marijuana
Dec 16, 2008
Moved by pleas from chronically ill patients, a state Senate committee in New Jersey approved legislation yesterday that would regulate the sale and use of medical marijuana for people who can show they need the drug to ease their suffering.
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Increase in Heroin Use Leads to Proposed Laws
Dec 14, 2008
Prompted by a surge in heroin use in Long Island, New York, county legislators have proposed laws to notify school districts and other groups about arrests for heroin possession and sales.
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Survey: College Students Say Illicit Use of ADHD Drugs Helps Their Ability To Study
Dec 12, 2008
Undergraduates who illegally use ADHD medication without a prescription say it’s worth the risk for one key benefit: enhancing their ability to study.
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Painkillers Linked to Increase in Overdose Deaths
Dec 09, 2008
Deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs, primarily pain relievers, appear to be on the rise throughout the United States, new research suggests.
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Canadian Ecstasy Smugglers Using VT, NY as Conduit
Dec 07, 2008
Even though most Ecstasy production in Canada seems to be centered in western provinces, smugglers now appear to be focusing their efforts to reach American markets in the U.S.-Canadian border area on the New York and Vermont sides of Lake Champlain.
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Mexicans Catch Meth Habit in Shadow of Drugs War
Dec 01, 2008
Drug violence, including decapitations and grenade attacks, has killed some 4,500 people in Mexico this year, but thousands of others are falling victim to a quieter crisis: addiction to methamphetamine.
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KY Lawmakers Work for Salvia Ban
Nov 25, 2008
Kids are using a drug called Salvia Divinorum or Salvia. It may look like fun, but what these kids are doing is no laughing matter.
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Methamphetamine Abuse Linked To Underage Sex, Smoking, and Drinking
Nov 23, 2008
Teens who have never done drugs, but engage in other risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and being sexually active, are more likely to use Crystal Meth, medical researchers have concluded.
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Black Tar Heroin on the Rise
Oct 20, 2008
KVOA Tuscon reports the Northwest community and the foothills are becoming hotspots for black tar heroin use, according to some law enforcement officials.
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Methamphetamine Enters Brain Quickly and Lingers
Oct 16, 2008
DOE research found that the addictive and long-lasting effects of Methamphetamine can be explained in part by its pharmacokinetics — the rate at which it enters and clears the brain — and its distribution.
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Steroid Users Seen Twice as Prone to Violence
Oct 15, 2008
According to U.S. researchers, young men who use anabolic steroids are twice as likely to engage in violence than those who do not use the muscle-building drugs.
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Can Taking Ecstasy Once Damage Your Memory?
Oct 11, 2008
Ecstasy users show significantly impaired memory when compared to non-Eecstasy users, and the amount of ecstasy Ecstasy consumed is largely irrelevant.
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Congress Passes Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy
Oct 01, 2008
DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart today hailed Congressional passage of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2007, which addresses the problems of online prescription drug trafficking, abuse, and availability.
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Cocaine Popular Once Again in Boise
Aug 03, 2008
Law enforcement in the state of Idaho announced recently that cocaine has surpassed the popularity of methamphetamine in Boise. However, this is not representative of hard drug use throughout the state, where meth is still number one.
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Energy Drinks Popular Among "Risk-Takers"
Jul 24, 2008
The Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo has identified links between the use of energy drinks, risky substance abuse and sexual risk taking.
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Prescription Drug Abuse in Montana: Part 4 in a 4 Part Series.
Jul 23, 2008
Missoula, Montana's Andrew Bagley recounts his story of the road to heroin addiction and delinquency. He says of his time in rehab that an addict either comes out a changed person or a better liar; Bagley followed the path of the latter. He even resorted to burglarizing a local pharmacy to feed his addiction to opiate painkillers. Today, Bagely has been sober for over a year.
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The Family That Dines Together Prevents Substance Abuse in Girls
Jul 23, 2008
A study by the University of Minnesota Medical School found that regular family meals reduced teen girls' use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs by 55 percent.
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Prescription Drug Abuse in Montana: Part 3 in a 4 Part Series.
Jul 22, 2008
Montana homemaker, Amy Johnson, became so addicted to prescription pain killers that her three children were taken away for their own safety. Despite keeping up appearances, Amy got through each day thinking only about her next high. The loss of her children and the tragic death of her brother from a drug overdose, finally led to Amy's sobriety. She speaks with sadness about the lost years of her life.
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Why Marijuana Shouldn't Be Legalized
Jul 22, 2008
DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division, James Capra, explains that if our current drug enforcement policies were to change, and shift toward decriminalizing marijuana use, progress would be slowed. The nation is on a track of significantly decreasing use and abuse of drugs by teenagers, and this success will only continue with consistent controls.
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Prescription Drug Abuse in Montana: Part 2 in a 4 Part Series.
Jul 21, 2008
In the second part of the journalistic investigation into the real world of prescription drug addiction, Montana man Todd Havelka details his experiences with the crippling abuse of painkillers. Todd was a successful college graduate, business man, husband and father, and never predicted his life would turn toward addiction.
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Prescription Drugs Like a Kid in an Online Candy Store
Jul 20, 2008
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) continues to investigate Internet pharmacies that distribute pills to buyers without prescriptions. These organizations are not only focused on making a profit, but also on recruiting doctors and pharmacists willing to help them get the medications. Because it is still a struggle to determine the number of deaths caused by medications purchased online without a perscription, the DEA continues to place emphasis on the issue.
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Prescription Drug Abuse in Montana: Part 1 in a 4 Part Series.
Jul 20, 2008
The drug abuse situation in Montana represents the problems shared by the rest of the United States: nonmedical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana in illegal drug use. Experts explore possible solutions to the crisis, including considering the breakdown in communication among all those needed to create an effective treatment and prevention methodology: health care professionals, social services, addiction treatment specialists, mental health experts, law enforcement agencies, lawmakers, addicts and the public. One specialist discusses who she learns the most about the prescription drug abuse problem: from addicts themselves.
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Web Sales of Steroids--No Prescription Required
Jul 20, 2008
The popularity of the Internet for communication and commerce has significantly lowered the barriers to obtaining substances for illegal use. KnujOn.com, an Internet spam watchdog and LegitScript.com, an online pharmacy verification service, have reviewed 156 websites that sell anabolic steroids over the Internet. None of the 156 websites required purchasers to produce or submit a prescription for the steroids.
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Recovery is Possible, MLB Star Josh Hamilton Proves
Jul 15, 2008
Major League Baseball Star Josh Hamilton suffered from a severe addiction to alcohol, drugs and crack that nearly took his life and his talent. Recently, Hamilton returned to Major League Baseball and the All-Star Home Run Derby to break the record for the most home runs in the first round.
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Meth Labs Reappear in Alabama
Jul 13, 2008
An increase in the number of methamphetamine labs that have been busted in the Mobile and Baldwin counties of Alabama leads authorities to believe the trend is on the rise again, despite down-turns in recent years. Many attributed the declines to 2005 restrictions on buying key ingredients, over-the-counter ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.
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Unintentional Overdoses of Methadone
Jul 13, 2008
Recent drug-related incidents in North Carolina are not uncommon in other parts of the country. Even patients who are legitimately prescribed methadone for pain, run the risk of a fatal overdose. Methadone is most commonly used as a treatment for heroin addiction, but without proper administration and follow up by a physician, the opioid can cause death.
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Heroin Bust in Arizona; Trafficking a Border-Wide Problem
Jul 11, 2008
The recent drug bust of a 47-pound load of Mexican black-tar heroin in Arizona has federal agents stumped. While heroin trafficked over the border into the U.S. is more common every year, the amount of heroin seized is a first.
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Heroin Claims Another Young Life Despite Parents' Best Efforts
Jul 09, 2008
New York parents are fighting for the lives of their children as another teen dies of a heroin overdose. At a news conference in Nassau County, officials discuss evidence of a network of drug dealers, one of whom may have sold the deceased her last hit of the drug.
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Heroin and Painkillers: Prescription Abusers are Graduating
Jul 07, 2008
Trends in southeastern Wisconsin indicate that many prescription pill abusers who are unable to get the oxycodone or hydrocodone for their next fix are turning toward a cheaper opiate: heroin. It is believed that deaths caused by heroin overdoses are under-reported, since toxicology reports in autopsies are unable to detect the specific form of opiates remaining in the system. Heroin is one of the quickest drugs to metabolize in the blood, so cases reported as "morphine overdose" may actually have been due to a heroin overdose. These findings are largely representative of trends throughout the United States.
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Cannabis and Cocaine Use Highest in U.S., Study Says
Jul 01, 2008
In a study conducted throughout 17 countries, surveying over 50,000 participants, the United States was found to have the highest percentage of adults who had used cocaine and cannabis in their lifetime. In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the study found that 16.2 percent of Americans have used cocaine. While New Zealand survey results placed it second behind the U.S., only 4.3 percent of adults surveyed had used cocaine.
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College Students Using Prescriptions for Non-Medical Purposes
Mar 04, 2008
In a study which surveyed nearly 4,000 college students (the average age 19.9 years old), Sean Esteban McCabe, Ph.D., M.S.W., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor found that one in five students admitted to having taken a prescriptive drug (opioid, stimulant, sleeping aid, anxiety or sedative medication) without a prescription, for non-medical purposes. Students who reported having used medications without a prescription for non-medical purposes were more likely to screen positive for drug abuse than those students who had used medications with a prescription for medical purposes.
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Addiction-The Story From Both Sides
Mar 04, 2008
In author and columnist David Sheff's memoir, "Beautiful Boy," he discusses the effects of his son Nic's crippling addiction to meth, cocaine and other drugs on their family and their relationship. Sheff explains that, while he felt "hip" and aware of the drug culture, he never saw his son's addiction coming. Nic has also published tales of his experiences in his book, "Tweak."
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HGH-What's It All About?
Feb 25, 2008
Although there is a lack of scientific evidence of the benefits of using Human Growth Hormone, or HGH, it continues to remain popular among both men and women, athletes and non. Studies conducted in the 1980s confirmed that administering a manufactured form of the substance that is secreted by the pituitary gland increased bone density and muscle mass. However, no quantifiable evidence has been found to support professional athletes' claims that HGH can improve their performance.
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The Battle for Effective Drug Treatment Continues
Feb 23, 2008
Since Nixon announced the war on drugs in 1971, and the subsequent birth of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for ceasing drug trafficking in the United States, have things really gotten better? The judicial system is tired of seeing repeat offenders who are not getting the proper care and treatment for addiction. Rehabilitation clinics are not receiving the funding and support they need to be effective. The search for a solution continues...
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A New Era in Drug Addiction Recovery
Feb 23, 2008
With the advances made in scientific research and psychological theory, the recovery options for drug addicts continue to grow. Vaccines that could prevent the user from feeling high, or even chemicals that tell the brain of an alcoholic not to pick up the glass, are just some of the options that medical practitioners, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and major pharmaceutical companies are exploring.
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Drugs to Cure Addiction? What Happened To Choice?
Feb 23, 2008
Mitchell Rosenthal, M.D. and his work with Phoenix House makes the case for free will in choosing to overcome drug addiction. While the brain can be treated for illicit drug abuse with ever-advancing pharmaceuticals, society is neglecting the need for therapy, counseling and personal conviction to recover.
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One Family's Story of Addiction and Recovery
Feb 21, 2008
Evan Wattles and his father have begun volunteering their time with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, telling the story of young Evan's decline into prescription drug abuse and attempted suicide caused by severe addiction to prescription pills. Sober since December 2006, Evan explains to adolescents and teens that just because they are made in a drug company's laboratory does not make prescription pills safer than street drugs.
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You May Be Your Child's Own Drug Dealer
Feb 20, 2008
Bob Stutman has spent more than 25 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration, combatting the drug wars throughout the country. Now his company designs programs to educate communities on the increasing problem of children getting drugs from their own parents' medicine cabinets. Stutman says parents and teachers need to be caught up to what their kids already know about getting high.
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Steroid Use Among High Schoolers-Not Just for Boys
Feb 19, 2008
Diane Roberts was a respected, straight-laced, cheerleader and gymnast at her Allen (Texas) High School. Obsessed with her weight and physical appearance, she asked a football player about using anabolic steroids. Five years later, she is still dealing with both the physical and mental effects on her health. Using injectable steroids like Winstrol appeals to female high school students as well as males. The risks of a shortened life span, depression and other health problems are not enough to deter use.
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Role Models and Steroids, Parents Fighting for Their Children
Feb 11, 2008
Though not invited to speak at the Congressional hearing, Frank and Brenda Marrero will be present, giving witness to the death of their son, Efrain, after he stopped using steroids. Their story, and many like it, says the success of star athletes like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte influenced their son to begin using illegal steroids to gain muscle mass while on his college football team. The Marreros were not prepared for his suicide three weeks after he stopped using.
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Rolling Stones Comment on Publicized Celebrity Drug Use
Feb 11, 2008
At a Berlin Film Festival, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and front man Mick Jagger commented on the drug use of musicians like Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty. With so much more being known about the effects of drugs on the body, and the advances of science and treatment for addictions, the one-time party boys express surprise that celebrities today aren't more cautious.
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What You Don't Know About Your Prescriptions Can Kill You
Feb 07, 2008
IIts been brought to the public's awareness by the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger, but how much do Americans really understand about the interactions of their prescription drugs? The New York City medical examiner found lethal levels of oxycodone and hydrocodone (painkillers), diazepam (anti-anxiety, insomnia), temazepam (insomnia), alprazolam (anti-anxiety) and doxylamine (antihistamine) in Ledger's system. Sadly this is a common concoction.
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The Over-Medication of Americans: Was Ledger a Victim?
Feb 07, 2008
In Dr. Charles Barber's new book, "Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation," he discusses how Americans have become accustomed to the commoditization of prescription drugs for mental health treatment. With commercials for Xanax (anti-anxiety) appearing on television alongside those for soft drinks and automobiles, our culture has changed: patients request drugs from their physician, who may find it easier to write the prescription than to diagnose, treat and follow-up on the problem. Some say actor Heath Ledger's death could have been prevented with psychotherapy and proper follow-up on the prescribed medications.
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Across Genres, Popular Music Often References Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Use
Feb 06, 2008
In an analysis of nearly 300 popular songs from many genres, one-third of the unique songs contained behaviors encouraging drug or tobacco use, and/or alcohol abuse. With teens being exposed to an average of 2.4 hours of music each day, next steps include exploring how influential popular music is in their behaviors and drug abuse habits.
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Kids and Steroids: Willing to Risk it All
Feb 05, 2008
A study by the College of New Jersey health and exercise science program discovered that high school students are willing to risk a lot for enhanced athletic performance, including illegal steroid use. The survey, conducted from 2005 to 2006, involved more than 3,200 students in 12 states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Minnesota and California. Students reported being influenced by professional athletes' claims that steroids increased their athletic performance. Most startling, students who reported steroid use were more likely to try pills or powders to enhance performance, even if use would shorten their life.
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Bulking Up: Steroids vs. Natural Methods
Feb 05, 2008
High school Spanish teacher and coach, Dan Nieboer, puts a lot of effort into educating his athletes and students about healthy ways to improve physical performance and to gain muscle mass, without the dangerous involvement of illegal anabolic steroid use. Mr. Nieboer and athletic trainer Ken Locker agree: eating right and exercising are the most effective and rewarding methods to "bulk up." Also, this plan helps in avoiding symptoms like back acne, mood swings and depression that steroids can cause in the developing body of adolescents.
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Pharmacy Students Dispense Information and Prescriptions
Jan 26, 2008
Four pharmacy students at the University of Southern Nevada formed the Drug Abuse Awareness Team, or DAAT, which has grown to 60 members in just over two years. The group visits middle school health classes with their presentation on the use and misuse of prescription drugs, hoping to inform teenagers before they enter high school.
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What Helps Can Also Hurt
Jan 14, 2008
Many patients are prescribed painkillers like Oxycontin to treat pain, and become addicted to the relief and the high. But there are those who continue to scrounge for the pills and whose lives are focused on where their next fix will come from. Fred Berger, medical director of the Scripps McDonald Center, the drug rehabilitation center at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, California explains that the same reason that the opiod painkillers work is the reason that they become highly addictive: they attach to the brain's pleasure centers and relieve pain.
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Wisconsin Looks to Ban Hallucinogenic Drug Plant
Dec 04, 2007
A Mexican herb that has hallucinogenic effects similar to those of marijuana remains outside the legal restrictions of federal law, but many states are now prohibiting sale and harvesting of the plant. While its long-term effects remain undocumented, the quick high from smoking it affects judgement and actions, and may be addictive.
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Houston "Pill Mill" Doctor Suspended
Dec 03, 2007
In an on-going expose of Houston area pain clinics, news investigators discovered many doctors selling prescriptions for addictive pain killers and anxiety medications at multiple clinic locations. One such doctor, Maurice Conte, has been suspended and the Texas medical board is reviewing his ability to practice. Conte was found to be the prescribing physician for Xanax, Soma and Lorcet at the home of a man who died from the lethal combination.
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Hershey's Product Resembles Cocaine
Nov 30, 2007
Hershey's has become synonymous with "chocolate" in the United States, but one of their other product lines is making headlines this week. The company also manufactures the popular breath mints, IceBreakers, and a new product for the brand has authorities concerned. The breath mint "pacs" resemble the pouches drug dealers use to sell cocaine. The breath mints, made of a clear blue casing, and filled with a white powdered mint and sweetners, bear a resemblance to the tiny heat-sealed bags often sold with cocaine and heroine.
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"Pill Mill" Pain Clinics in Houston
Nov 28, 2007
Hidden cameras with a Houston area news investigation uncovered local pain clinics serving more as "pill mills" than locations for medical help. Employees of clinics bypass standard medical charting and intake procedures, even going so far as to suggest additional medications when an undercover police officer asked for pain medication. Addicts can walk into the clinic, describe vague physical pain or anxiety, and leave with a prescription minutes later.
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NASCAR Driver Arrested for Heroin Use; Might Not Race Again
Nov 27, 2007
Driver, Aaron Fike, had an idea of where his life was headed when he was arrested for shooting heroin in a parking lot in the summer of 2007. He completed four months of intense rehabilitation, where he realized that had he not been abruptly pulled out of the mire, his life may have ended a long time ago. Now, Fike visits schools and racetracks speaking about his drug addiction.
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Cocaine Use In Europe On the Rise
Nov 23, 2007
New data released by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction indicates that cocaine use by Europeans continues to increase each year. In 2005, four hundred deaths were caused by cocaine, and the 2007 annual report on the drug situation in Europe notes that 12 million Europeans are believed to have tried cocaine. The report also details that most cocaine powder comes from the South American countries of Colombia, Peru or Bolivia, and that the main entry point to Europe is the Iberian Peninsula.
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Report Finds British Youth Influenced By Parents' Addiction Habits
Nov 23, 2007
The annual report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has shown the drug problem in the European Union varies not just by region--age also plays a significant role. Data indicates that the UK has the youngest cannabis experimenters, though, just last year Spain and the Czech Republic lead the Union in 15-34 year old cannabis users. The report says a main factor for younger children trying drugs is that many are growing up in the families of Britain's 330,000 problem drug users. Findings show that until the age of 15, young people whose parents had used drugs during the previous year were more than twice as likely to have used drugs than those whose parents had not.
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Arizona Teens Die of Heroin; Officials on Alert
Nov 22, 2007
Arizona high school students are becoming more affected by the cheaper (yet no less potent) black tar heroin, and several recent deaths have officials on alert. The findings support that even top students who appear to have it together mistakenly believe that smoking heroin and avoiding needle marks means that the drug isn't as harmful.
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Canadian Students' Abuse of Painkillers on the Rise
Nov 20, 2007
The latest issue of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey shows that 21 percent of students aged 14 through 18 (early high school through graduation) admit to having taken a prescription painkiller medication for non-medical purposes in the past year. Over three-quarters of those who reported having taken the pills say that found them at home.
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Hospital Safety Threatened by Violent "Ice" Addicts
Nov 19, 2007
Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia analyzed more than 10,000 patients admitted to a public hospital after taking illegal drugs. Conducted over three months, the study found methamphetamine, or "ice", users to be more agitated, violent and aggressive than patients who had used other drugs. The research indicates a need for increased training and safety measures for hospital staff.
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Pro Wrestler's Diary Exhibits Severe Depression; Linked to Steroid Abuse
Nov 19, 2007
When Chris Benoit, 40, killed his wife and child and committed suicide, the professional wrestling industry realized that the problems with steroid abuse needed to be addressed. A diary kept by the wrestler showed his familiarity with the health risks associated with steroid use; his close friend Eddie Guerrerro died of an enlarged heart in 2005. The majority of the diary's content displayed deep-seated depression from which Benoir suffered.
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Cocaine Perforates Palate of Healthy Male
Nov 08, 2007
A healthy 25 year-old male sought consultation for a hole in the roof of his mouth, complaining of no other medical issues. His 5 year addiction to snorting cocaine was cited as the cause of the perforation, and the patient did not return for treatment after the initial consultation.
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Lasting Effects of Doped German Athletes
Nov 01, 2007
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, East Germany's star athletes who thought they were being prescribed vitamins for performance were actually being doped with anabolic steroids. German researcher, Giselher Spitzer, now shows that athletes' health and their children's development have been harmed by the presence of the drugs.
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Study: Sudden Death Explained by Heart Disease and Drug Overdose
Oct 30, 2007
Research released in October 2007 found that the cause of sudden death of young adults ages 14 through 40 can be linked to either heart disease or to illegal drug overdoses. Dr. Zhaohai Yang, M.D., Resident Pathologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, reviewed over a 3 year period the autopsies of 16 males and 5 females, all with no known history of significant medical disease and whose deaths were sudden and unexpected. Of the total cases, 17 drug screens were performed; 48 percent were positive for illegal drugs-the major cause of death in these individuals. 52 percent of the cases attributed death to natural, though unexpected, causes.
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Doctors Issuing Prescriptions for Street Drugs?
Oct 29, 2007
For nearly 25 years, Dr. James Miller has been prescribing hydrocodone, an addictive pain killer, and the cough syrup Phenergan Expectorant with codeine for children with chest pain and coughing, never suspecting that it was being used as a drug. But federal investigators have put Dr. Miller's license up for review, saying that he should have known better since kids have been mixing the prescription drugs with soda and candy for a sweet-tasting high in many communities for many years. What is unique about Dr. Miller's experience is the quantity of prescriptions he wrote for kids travelling over the state border to obtain them.
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Teens Driving Under-the-Influence Still a Problem
Oct 29, 2007
According to a 2006 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nearly a third of high school seniors say they have driven while under the influence or been in the car with an impaired driver. The analysis of the findings is published in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The report also states that many teens choose to drive after drinking or taking illicit drugs like marijuana, despite being well aware of the consequences and dangers of doing so. High-achieving teenagers with good grades, two parents living at home, and church involvement reported much lower occurences of driving while under the influence.
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Parents Likely to Know Frequency of Their Teen's Drug Abuse
Oct 22, 2007
The University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) found that most parents are acutely aware of the frequency and extent of their child's overall substance abuse. The study of 75 parents and their teenagers reports that, when parents aren't dealing with addictions and substance abuse problems of their own, 86 percent of parents accurately reported instances of cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and drinking in their children. When discrepancies in parent and teen reports arose, the research found that parents were nearly twice as likely to underestimate how often their teen used marijuana or how much alcohol they drank.
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Utah Crack Cocaine Problem Being Addressed Full Force
Oct 22, 2007
Utah isn't the type of place you'd expect heavy drug users and the associated violence of that culture. But narcotics officers who routinely buy methamphetamine from street dealers in the Pioneer Park area of Salt Lake City are now being offered crack, and the city is working hard to figure out an effective solution. It won't be solved by arresting themselves out of the problem.
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Reports of Cannabis-Induced Mental Illness Increase in U.K.
Oct 21, 2007
Pressures on the English government to reclassify cannabis to its former class B status have been echoed by the Forensic Science Service, which cites that "skunk" cannabis--a highly potent form of the drug--now accounts for nearly 75 percent of all seizures. Skunk cannabis has been the cause of nearly 75 percent of children who are undergoing mental treatment. It is also reported there are more adults in drug treatment programs for cannabis than for crack or cocaine.
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Teens Struggle with Meth Addiction
Oct 21, 2007
Crystal Meth is one of the most addictive drugs with which teens are choosing to experiment, finding themselves locked into the pattern of destructive behavior with little hope of getting out. Parents in Ventura County, California report spending tens of thousands of dollars on treatment programs, but say the only way to stop the cycle may be serving jail time with constant supervision. Mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and depression are often lingering effects of the addiction, which can occur after just one hit of the paint thinner-cold medicine-drain cleaner concoction.
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Liberal Dutch Drug Policies Ban Sale of Mushrooms
Oct 12, 2007
The Dutch government has cracked down and will ban the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Since there is no way to determine the amount of the naturally-occuring psychadelic substance in any given mushroom, preventing sale of mushrooms aims to lessen the instances of crime and injury attributed to their ingestion. Tourists often purchase mushrooms in herbal "smart-shops" and more than one death has been blamed on their use.
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Maryland Develops "Huffing" Prevention Program; First in the Nation
Oct 10, 2007
The dangers of inhalant abuse previously took a backseat while television commercials and school programs focused on the risks and side effects of marijuana and alcohol abuse. With Maryland's response to "Makenzie's Law," the state's Inhalant Abuse Prevention Program will help parents and teachers to reduce the frequency of "huffing" among teenagers. Common household items like aerosol cans of cooking spray are popular go-to's for teens seeking a quick high. The program aims to educate parents and teachers of warning signs and intervention strategies.
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Olympic Athlete Returns 5 Medals; Marion Jones and Steroids
Oct 09, 2007
Olympic athletes are the super-heroes of the modern age. But athletes on the U.S. Olympic team were found to have been competing with an unfair advantage. Marion Jones, world class sprinter and winner of 3 gold medals at the Sydney Olympics, has returned her medals to the International Olympic Committee, admitting to steroid use during the races.
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Cheese Heroin Linked to Mexican Drug Cartels, Gangs in Texas
Sep 20, 2007
Dallas, Texas area high schools are a breeding ground for a diluted form of a the highly addictive "cheese" heroin, made from mixing it with crushed cold tablets. Investigations have revealed a complicated web of gangs and drug dealers linked with several powerful Mexican drug cartels. Many teens get hooked on the drug, even to the point of mixing it themselves, and struggle to extricate themselves from the cycle of destruction to their lives and the lives of others.
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Study Finds Teens Concerned About Drugs at School
Aug 16, 2007
While the percentage of teenagers concerned about drugs in their high school has decreased 8 percent since 1995, Joseph Califano of the Columbia University National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse says this might not be a good sign. Califano explains that teens have come to expect drugs and alcohol as part of the high school experience, and parents remain unaware of the frequency of these behaviors. The survey of over 1,000 students and 550 parents found that 86 percent of parents say drinking is a big part of the college experience, but only 29 percent think their own teens' behavior will involve drinking.
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Prescription Drugs Overtake Street Drugs in Popularity
Jul 05, 2007
Teenagers believe prescription drug abuse is safer than street drugs, and commonly trade or buy pills from people they know. Users can get stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall from friends with legitimate prescriptions, and tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium from their parents' medicine cabinets. Growing trends in prescription drug abuse highlight that addiction occurs in all types of communities.
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Steroid Use Suspected in Pro-Wrestler Murder-Suicide
Jun 27, 2007
Pro wrestler Chris Benoit, nicknamed "The Canadian Crippler," hung himself in his Atlanta, Georgia home after strangling his wife and suffocating his 7-year-old son. Evidence shows Benoit to have purchased anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone from a Florida-based business. While Benoit's wife of three years had dropped her case for divorce, which had cited cruel treatment, this violent behavior causes suspicion of the effects of steroid use.
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Study Finds Teens Online Exchanging Advice on Drugs, Sex and Alcohol
Jun 21, 2007
In a new study by Nielsen BuzzMetrics, researchers found that 1 in 10 messages posted on popular youth-focused social networking sites-like MySpace.com-are drug-related. Teens are finding the Internet a convenient forum to share behaviors and advice about using illicit drugs and alcohol and sexual activities. The study, initiated by counselors at the Caron Treatment Center, further supports the need for parents to be aware of not only who their children are talking to, but also what they're talking about.
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