Drug Abuse
57 articles
Marijuana Protects "Stressed" Rats from Opiate Addiction
Rats that grow up in stressful environments get addicted to opiates more easily than rats that grow up under normal conditions. However, if "stressed" rats are given high doses of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) during adolescence they become far less addicted to opiates given later in life.
Tainted Cocaine Causes 42 Cases of Neutropenia in Alberta and B.C.
The majority of North American cocaine is now spiked with levamisole, which can cause a dangerous or fatal blood disorder called neutropenia. Public health officials in Canada who are monitoring the situation say that over 15 months, 42 people in 2 provinces contracted the condition from tainted cocaine.
Heavy and Long-Term Marijuana Use Causes Brain Shrinkage
Australian researchers have found that heavy marijuana smoking men exhibited significant brain shrinkage in the hippocampus and the amygdala.
40% of Medical Marijuana Patients Use Cannabis to Control Alcohol Cravings
A University of California, Berkley researcher says that almost half of medical marijuana patients at a Berkley marijuana dispensary are using cannabis to control alcohol cravings and suggests marijuana substitution as a “radical new alcohol treatment”.
Using Opiates in Massachusetts More Dangerous than Overseas Combat?
Mass. state drugs commission calls opiate use in the commonwealth an “epidemic” and to emphasize the point, compares the numbers of state citizens that die in overseas combat with those that die from drug overdoses – saying that drug overdoses cause 42 times more deaths.
Medical Group Warns that Common Heart Attack Medications Can Be Deadly for Cocaine Users
The American Heart Association has recommended that doctors start asking emergency room visitors complaining of chest pain, whether they had been using cocaine.
Ketamine Causes Memory Loss
British researchers followed 150 subjects for a year, and found that heavy ketamine use results in substantial cognitive impairments.
Heavy and Long-Term Marijuana Use Causes Brain Shrinkage
Australian researchers have found that heavy marijuana smokers exhibited significant brain shrinkage in the hippocampus and the amygdala.
Police Called During Home Invasion - On Arrival They Find Major Marijuana Growing Operation!
Ontario police made some easy arrests this week after they were summoned to the scene of a major marijuana growing operation.
WHO Says That Americans Are the World's Biggest Drug Users
In a new report, the WHO has released statistics that show how little effect punitive drug laws seem to have on drug experimentation rates.
Opiate Overdoses Up Dramatically in Canada
The number of people in dying in Ontario Canada after overdosing on prescription medications has doubled since the 1990s.
Daily Marijuana Smoking Linked to Psychosis
Marijuana is a known risk factor for the development of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, Emory University researchers say that it’s not whether or not a person uses marijuana, but rather how quickly an adolescent user progresses to daily marijuana use that’s most important as a predictor for psychosis.
Michigan Asks Public To Be Vigilant of Marijuana Plots
MI state police is asking outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for cultivated marijuana plants.
Dealer Busted for Marijuana Juice?!?
Innovative NYC drug dealer arrested for selling marijuana juice; a mixture of distilled marijuana resin and grain alcohol.
Ex Cops Rally Over Vancouver Safe Injection Clinic
Law makers are threatening to shut down Vancouver's controversial safe injection clinic. The clinic is getting supported by somewhat improbable allies - retired police officers.
Cheese Heroin Addicts in Dallas Now as Young as 9 Years Old
Police say that the average cheese heroin user in Dallas is getting younger, and doctors confess that they just don't know how to treat an addiction in those as young as 9.
Cocaine Users More Likely to Overdose in Warmer Weather
Researchers say that after 75 degrees Fahrenheit, cocaine overdoses start to increase – and as the mercury rises, so do the risks.
Prenatal Meth Exposure Causes Fetal Brain Damage
Using alcohol during pregnancy causes great harm to the developing fetus. Using methamphetamine (meth) during pregnancy – may be even worse.
Using Marijuana before the Age of 15 Increases Risk of Psychotic Disorders
Teens that start smoking marijuana before the age of 15 are twice as likely to develop a psychotic disorder by the age of 21 as teens that don’t smoke marijuana.
K2 – Health Officials Say Synthetic Marijuana Can Make You Sick
Legislators are worried about K2 and other synthetic marijuana products that are legal and for sale in 49 states. Health officials say these herbal products can be dangerous and that since they’re produced in unregulated ‘dorm room labs’ – there’s no way to say what’s really in them.
Cocaine Use Up Dramatically in UK
In the UK, 5 times as many adults use cocaine today as did in 1996.
7% of American 12 Year Olds Are Huffing Inhalants
American 12 year olds are more likely to use (huff) inhalants to get high than any other drug.
Ecstasy May Cause Brain Damage
Canadian researchers say they’ve found changes in the serotonin systems of chronic ecstasy users, which may explain why chronic ecstasy users experience a tolerance to the effects of the drug.
East African Heroin Addicts Are Injecting the Blood of Other Heroin Addicts to Share a High
As a way to make one bag of heroin intoxicate 2 people, some East African addicts will inject a small quantity of blood from a person who has just used heroin, a practice known as flashback. Experts say that this is the most efficient possible way to transfer HIV infection.
The Marijuana Gateway Theory – Smoking Marijuana Leads to Harder Drugs –Researchers Say It’s Not So
The gateway theory – use marijuana as a teen and you’re opening the door to harder drug use down the road. It’s a fairly commonly help belief, but researchers at the University of New Hampshire say it’s probably not true…they say their research shows that teens who use marijuana are no more likely to use harder drugs as adults
Doda, a Ground Opiate Poppy Used for Tea – Is a Growing Problem in Vancouver
Police in Vancouver Canada say ‘doda’ an opiate product that is easily bought under the counter in pawnshops and video stores, is a big problem in south Asian communities within the region. Area police just discovered a field of 60 000 poppy plants destined to feed the area’s growing hunger for the drug.
Methamphetamine Can Cause Aortic Rupture in Young People
Young people who use methamphetamine suffer a 300% increased chance of aortic dissection, an often fatal tear in the main artery leading from the heart.
Senior Federal Judge Pleads Guilty to Buying Cocaine for Stripper
Jack T. Camp lost his job on the bench and may spend as many as 4 years behind bars for his role in procuring a whack load of drugs for a stripper he was involved with.
Teen Marijuana Use on the Rise (2010 Monitoring the Future Survey Results)
Marijuana is up once again but teen drinking shows a slight decline. More on these statistics and other highlights from the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey of teens about drug and alcohol use.
Scientists Prove Marijuana Causes Lasting Brain Changes
Chronic use of marijuana leads to lasting but reversible changes in the number of cannibanoid receptors in the brain.
Morphine in Breast Milk Kills 6 Week Old Infant
A 37 year old woman in South Carolina is facing negligent homicide charges after consuming such heavy quantities of opiates as to turn her breast milk toxic.
Treading in Dangerous Waters – A New Trend; the Abuse of Designer Drugs Sold Legally as ‘Bath Salts’!
Users in the know have been purchasing cocaine-like intoxicating ‘bath salts’ over the internet, in gas stations, truck stops and convenience stores for months. It’s all completely under the radar and since these substances are chemically distinct from cataloged drugs and sold for bathing - completely legal.
Incarcerating Fathers Leads to Increased Drug Use in Teen Children Left Behind
13% of young adults in America today grew up with a father who spent some time behind bars. It’s a pretty substantial number of people, and research out of Bowling Green State University suggests that teens growing up in such households are at an increased likelihood to use marijuana and other drugs.
Most Opiate Abusers Get Pills from Friends or Family – Not from Doctors
The overwhelming majority of those who abuse opiates or become addicted get the medications from friends or family and have previously used drugs, such as cocaine.
Tainted Cocaine Causing Rotting Skin Condition across US
Doctors in San Francisco, LA and Rochester New York are saying that levamisole (an agricultural de-worming agent) tainted cocaine is causing people to show up in hospitals with purplish decaying skin on the face and ears.
UK Study Shows That Ketamine Use Is on the Rise and That People Are Unaware of Its Dangers
A UK study on Ketamine reveals that it is now the 4th most popular drug amongst clubbers, that most drug users are unaware of its serious dangers and that when the UK government reclassified the drug as a controlled substance – use went up and the price went down.
Canadian Researchers Prove Link between Methamphetamine Abuse and Parkinson’s
People who use methamphetamine are at increased risk to develop Parkinson’s disease, probably because chronic methamphetamine use can damage dopamine systems and Parkinson’s occurs as a result of insufficient dopamine in the brain.
Cocaine Increases Risks for Future Glaucoma
Need a good reason to stop using cocaine? How about this – researchers at the Veterans Health Administration say that using cocaine increases your risks of glaucoma by 45% and accelerates the age of onset by about 20 years.
Researchers Say Marijuana Smokers Are Less Motivated at Work
Norwegian researchers say that the myth of the laid back pot smoker might have more than a kernel of truth to it - basing their assertion on the results of a research study on marijuana use and motivation at work.
High Risk Behavior: 15% of Clubbers Use White Powder Drugs Without Knowing What They Are
A large-scale survey of readers of a clubbing magazine reveals that 15% of those polled take white powder drugs without knowing what they’re taking, and that most are already drunk or buzzed when they make that risky decision.
ADHD: Defiance, Not Hyperactivity Linked with Increased Risk of Adult Substance Abuse
Researchers say that not everyone with childhood ADHD has the same increased risk of adult substance abuse, hyperactivity, for example, does not increase the risks.
4 Months of High-Dose Opiate Use Ups Erectile Dysfunction Risk by 50%
Here’s one very compelling reason to quit opiates sooner rather than later.
Scientists in Oregon Test Wastewater to Detect Drug Use
A team of researchers in Oregon spent a day collecting wastewater from around the state to see which communities are using what drugs – and in what quantities!
Teens More Easily Addicted to Drugs - Say Harvard Researchers
Harvard researchers used animal model studies to learn more about how teens get addicted to drugs.
Ketamine Reduces Suicidal Thoughts
Research doctors who administered IV ketamine to depressed patients struggling with suicidal thoughts say that the drug significantly reduced suicidal ideation for 24 hours and that repeated ketamine treatment maintained this result over a period of weeks.
DEA Arrest Owners of 6 L.A. Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
After undercover agents were able to purchase as much as a pound of marijuana without ever having to display any medical need, the owners of "Holistic Caregivers" were arrested on felony drugs charges.
People Who Smoke Strong Marijuana Are 7 Times More Likely to Become Psychotic
Researchers have long known of the link between marijuana and an increased risk of psychosis, but no one knew just how significant that risk might be or how the type of marijuana smoked might influence the outcome. British scientists now say that people smoking very strong ‘skunk’ marijuana are 7 times more likely to experience psychosis than people smoking lower potency cannabis.
Oakland Votes to Tax Marijuana Sales – America’s First Marijuana Tax
Oakland voters supported legislation to tax medical marijuana with 80% of a popular vote. America’s first marijuana taxation measure will raise at least $300 000 annually for the city.
Shake and Bake Meth Labs Circumvent Federal Restrictions on Cold Medications
It's known as shake and bake. It’s a new way to make methamphetamine that doesn’t require a lab set up or hard to find ingredients, and which allows meth users to cook up their own drugs in about 45 minutes.
Substance Abuse Results In Over 1.7 Million E.R. Visits
Hospital Emergency departments receive over 1.7 million visits a year as a result of substance abuse or misuse, according to a report just released by the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Cocaine use was involved in more of those visits than any other substance.
Tainted Cocaine in San Francisco Turns the Skin of Drug Users Black
8 Patients in San Francisco have developed some form of autoimmune disorder that causes their skin to blacken and slough off. Doctors think the condition is caused by poisoning from levamisole (a veterinary medication) that is added to cocaine.
Coming Lung Cancer Epidemic for Marijuana Smokers?
Scientists in New Zealand examined lung cancer patient case histories, and determine that smoking 1 joint a day for 10 years increases your risk for lung cancer by 5.7 times.
NIDA Grants 4 Million to Study Marijuna Addiction
Barbara Mason, of the Scripps Research Institute, will spend four years and four million dollars of govt. money looking at marijuana addiction, and hoping to learn how we might be able to treat it.
Your Brain on Drugs? Irish Cocaine Researchers Say - It's Very Different
Irish researchers will reveal study data today that shows remarkable differences in the pre frontal cortexes of addicts and non addicts.
Crack Smokers Face Hugely Increased Risk of HIV
Canadian researchers say that daily crack users are four times more likely to contract HIV than non crack smoking drug users.
Medical Marijauna Users Denied Organ Transplants
Admitting to the use of doctor prescribed marijuana gets Washingtonians labeled illicit drug users by organ transplant committees.
Canadians Are Smoking More Marijuana and The Average User is 30+
Almost twice as many Canadians smoked marijuana in 2005 than did in 1977, and the average age of a marijuana user increased from 26 to 31 over that same period.