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. Black tar heroin—named for its dark, gooey consistency—and other forms of the drug are attracting a new generation of users who are caught off guard by its potency. Authorities are concerned that the potency and price of the heroin could widen the drug’s appeal, just as crack did for cocaine decades ago. The heroin comes in the form of black tar or brown powder, and has proved especially popular in rural and suburban areas. The greater potency allows more heroin users to snort the drug or smoke it and still achieve a sustained high—an attractive alternative for teenagers and suburbanites who do not want the HIV risk or the track marks on their arms that come with repeated injections. “That has opened up heroin to a whole different group of users,” said Harry Sommers, the agent in charge of the DEA office in St. Louis.
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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. DEA estimates some 70% of cocaine currently coming into the country is contaminated with levamisole—a veterinary drug used to de-worm animals. The addition of levamisole is impairing cocaine users’ immune systems, subjecting them to various infections and, in some cases, causing death. Dr. Steven Seifert, a board member for the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), co-authored a report on the current status of levamisole-contaminated cocaine. Seifert said the public health threat presented by this contamination is underappreciated and is being under-reported because of a lack of awareness in the medical community. Physicians should suspect levamisole-contaminated cocaine in patients with immune suppression, and should contact their county or state health departments for assistance with testing and epidemiologic investigation. Physicians with questions about the impact of levamisole should call their poison center. Doctors should also warn patients known to use cocaine of the presence of a potentially lethal contaminant in cocaine supplies.
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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. Among the items being used to conceal drugs are soda cans, potato chip containers, lipstick, and even books. The alarming trend is causing great concern among parents and law enforcement. Ava Cooper-Davis, the Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division of DEA, demonstrated how common objects can be transformed into drug carriers. DEA is especially concerned about the growing threat of prescription drugs. In most households, prescriptions are stored in unlocked, easily accessible medicine cabinets. That has given way to “pharm” parties, where teens dump random pills in a bowl at the door, to be shared later on. "Everyone takes a pill," said Cooper-Davis. "Now you have no idea what pill you're taking. On top of it, alcohol is being taken in combination with that and kids are going to bed and never waking up." Just as alarming: two in five teens believe there is nothing wrong with taking prescription drugs, because they are prescribed by a doctor, even if they are intended for someone else.
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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. The problem has become so widespread that the White House made curbing it a goal of the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy. It recognized prescription drug abuse as the "fastest-growing drug problem in the United States." Prescription drugs are now the gateway drugs in the same way alcohol and marijuana once were, said Brian Gamarello, managing director of Daytop New Jersey's Mendham center, which treats youths 13 to 18 years old who have substance abuse problems. Douglas Collier, an agent with the New Jersey division of DEA, described prescription drug abuse as an "insidious" problem. "It's now in your home," he told a group of parents in a presentation that was part of a program titled “Pharming in the Garden State: What Parents Need to Know About Prescription Drug Abuse.” Availability is a big part of the problem, Collier said. Teenagers and young adults have to look no further than their parents' or their friends' parents' medicine cabinets. Parents should remain alert and engaged, Gamarello said. "The really important thing is for them just to be involved and not ignore signs.”
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