Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse - An Epidemic on Staten Island
Staten Island is an island county located off the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City. The island is one of NYC's five boroughs and home to approximately half a million residents. Last week, Staten Island authorities arrested 23 young people in connection with the distribution and abuse of prescription narcotics.
Authorities believe that the makeshift network has been responsible for placing nearly 21,000 prescription painkillers in the hands of teens and young adults. Even more disturbing, however, is the fact that authorities believe the latest wave of arrests only represents the fabled "tip of the iceberg." Like their peers across the United States, teens and young adults on Staten Island are experimenting with potent prescription drugs like Xanax, OxyContin, and Vicodin, often with tragic results. According to a study by the Columbia University center, prescription opioid abuse among 12- to 17-year-olds has increased by 542 percent since 1992.
The group of young adults arrested last week was organized around a ringleader, who kept track of when members would fill prescriptions. The group utilized a stolen prescription pad to forge 108 prescriptions for oxycodone at 14 different pharmacies. A single prescription provides as many as 360 pills. (Source: www.silive.com)
Authorities believe that the makeshift network has been responsible for placing nearly 21,000 prescription painkillers in the hands of teens and young adults. Even more disturbing, however, is the fact that authorities believe the latest wave of arrests only represents the fabled "tip of the iceberg." Like their peers across the United States, teens and young adults on Staten Island are experimenting with potent prescription drugs like Xanax, OxyContin, and Vicodin, often with tragic results. According to a study by the Columbia University center, prescription opioid abuse among 12- to 17-year-olds has increased by 542 percent since 1992.
The group of young adults arrested last week was organized around a ringleader, who kept track of when members would fill prescriptions. The group utilized a stolen prescription pad to forge 108 prescriptions for oxycodone at 14 different pharmacies. A single prescription provides as many as 360 pills. (Source: www.silive.com)
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:01 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Marijuana Not Benign
According to an opinion piece by Dr. Herbert D. Kieber, M.D., professor of psychiatry and the director of the Division on Substance Abuse at Columbia University, medical marijuana use requires rigorous FDA testing before it can safely be prescribed in a smoked form.
Dr. Kieber states that although marijuana use dates back to approximately 2700 B.C.E., the potency of marijuana available in the United States is significantly higher than ever before, and approximately 9 percent of individuals who try it end up addicted. Among other potentially harmful side effects, marijuana disrupts short-term memory, attention, and judgment and impairs coordination and balance. Marijuana also carries increased risk for cancer, impaired immune system, and increased risk of other substance use problems.
Dr. Kieber believes that smoked marijuana for medicinal purposes should currently be limited to situations where a patient has not responded to any other treatments and where data on effectiveness and side effects can be gathered.
(Source: www.cbsnews.com)
Dr. Kieber states that although marijuana use dates back to approximately 2700 B.C.E., the potency of marijuana available in the United States is significantly higher than ever before, and approximately 9 percent of individuals who try it end up addicted. Among other potentially harmful side effects, marijuana disrupts short-term memory, attention, and judgment and impairs coordination and balance. Marijuana also carries increased risk for cancer, impaired immune system, and increased risk of other substance use problems.
Dr. Kieber believes that smoked marijuana for medicinal purposes should currently be limited to situations where a patient has not responded to any other treatments and where data on effectiveness and side effects can be gathered.
(Source: www.cbsnews.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:06 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
U.S. Teen Drug Abuse Declining
The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) recently reported that drug use among American teens has dropped 24 percent in the past eight years (2001-2007). However, the report also noted that prescription drug abuse is on the rise.
The statistical decline in drug abuse by young people between the ages of 12-17 is largely due to a decrease is cannabis (marijuana) use. The INCB believes that the drop in cannabis use resulted from an increase in perceived risks of smoking the drug, possibly highlighted by recent anti-drug education campaigns. Drug abuse fell in all categories for Americans between the ages of 18-25 except for prescription painkillers.
Despite the overall decline in youth drug use, the INCB reinforced that drug abuse among American teens continues to be a national issue: "Despite that significant decline, the problem of substance abuse among United States teenagers continues to be widespread, as nearly half of United States students aged 17-18 (47 percent) have tried an illicit drug by the time they have finished secondary school."
(Source: macondaily.com)
The statistical decline in drug abuse by young people between the ages of 12-17 is largely due to a decrease is cannabis (marijuana) use. The INCB believes that the drop in cannabis use resulted from an increase in perceived risks of smoking the drug, possibly highlighted by recent anti-drug education campaigns. Drug abuse fell in all categories for Americans between the ages of 18-25 except for prescription painkillers.
Despite the overall decline in youth drug use, the INCB reinforced that drug abuse among American teens continues to be a national issue: "Despite that significant decline, the problem of substance abuse among United States teenagers continues to be widespread, as nearly half of United States students aged 17-18 (47 percent) have tried an illicit drug by the time they have finished secondary school."
(Source: macondaily.com)
Labels: drug-abuse, teenagers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:15 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Illinois County Sees Disturbing Trend in Drug Deaths
According to a story this week in the Peoria Journal Star, Tazwell County is seeing a disturbing trend in drug deaths. A series of local deaths is suspected to be linked to prescription drug abuse. Five women, ages 20 to 53, have died in the past three weeks, all of suspected overdoses of prescription narcotics. By comparison, the county had seven prescription drug deaths in all of 2007, and a total of 22 in 2008. It's a clear sign: Prescription drug deaths are on the rise. Tazewell County Sheriff Bob Huston commented, "We're going to do everything we can to educate the public so we don't have any more." (Sources: www.pjstar.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:13 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, March 20, 2009
Teens Aren't Getting the Help They Need
According to a new study by the University of Kentucky, only about 10 percent of teens in the United States with substance abuse problems are getting the help they need. The study estimates that over 1.2 million teens with substance abuse issues aren't accessing treatment.
Study author Hannah Knudsen commented on the situation, saying, "Part of this treatment gap may be driven by the limited availability of adolescent-only treatment services. Less than one-third of addiction programs in the U.S. have a specialized program for adolescents. Despite the public health significance of adolescent substance abuse and the knowledge that treatment can be effective for this group, services for them are less available than for adults. It means we lose our chance at early intervention, and that families may be unable to find services for their children in their communities." (Source: www.forbes.com)
Study author Hannah Knudsen commented on the situation, saying, "Part of this treatment gap may be driven by the limited availability of adolescent-only treatment services. Less than one-third of addiction programs in the U.S. have a specialized program for adolescents. Despite the public health significance of adolescent substance abuse and the knowledge that treatment can be effective for this group, services for them are less available than for adults. It means we lose our chance at early intervention, and that families may be unable to find services for their children in their communities." (Source: www.forbes.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:12 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
North Carolina Institute of Medicine Gives Recommendations for Substance Abuse Services
This week, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine released 32 recommendations for improving the state's substance abuse treatment services system. The recommendations include 11 priority items and an emphasis on implementing evidence-based prevention programs. Heeding the recommendations could cost the state as much as $9 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011.
Other recommendations included incorporating the diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse disorders into primary health care settings. According to the report, the toll of substance abuse on the state's economy equaled more than $12 billion in 2004, but in 2006 the state spent only $138 million on substance abuse treatment services.
(Sources: www.citizen-times.com)
Other recommendations included incorporating the diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse disorders into primary health care settings. According to the report, the toll of substance abuse on the state's economy equaled more than $12 billion in 2004, but in 2006 the state spent only $138 million on substance abuse treatment services.
(Sources: www.citizen-times.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:05 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Monday, March 16, 2009
U.S. Government Website Dedicated to Stopping Teen Smoking
On Monday, February 23, the U.S. government gave a big show of support to the teen smoking cessation program No On Tobacco (NOT) by launching a new website. The Prevention Research Centers Program office at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Directors of Health Promotion and Education are launching this website in the hopes of further increasing the reach of this program.
The NOT program was developed at West Virginia University by Kimberly Horn, Ed.D., and Geri Dino, Ph.D., in collaboration with the American Lung Association (ALA). The research team at WVU designed this program to be 10 weekly sessions led by a facilitator. The weekly sessions help teens get an in-depth understanding of why they smoke, and build their confidence to quit and resist peer pressure. The program also gives teens skills to cope with nicotine withdrawal.
Fred Butcher, Ph.D., interim vice president of health sciences is quoted:
The NOT program was developed at West Virginia University by Kimberly Horn, Ed.D., and Geri Dino, Ph.D., in collaboration with the American Lung Association (ALA). The research team at WVU designed this program to be 10 weekly sessions led by a facilitator. The weekly sessions help teens get an in-depth understanding of why they smoke, and build their confidence to quit and resist peer pressure. The program also gives teens skills to cope with nicotine withdrawal.
Fred Butcher, Ph.D., interim vice president of health sciences is quoted:
"We are so proud of our faculty who developed this program and then continued to build their research findings into strategies that help young people succeed at overcoming their nicotine addictions. The federal government's creation and sponsorship of a web site signals not only that this program works, but also that it provides a much-needed lifeline to young people."(Sources: www.huntingtonnews.net)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:14 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Drug Marketing Techniques May Jeopardize Patient Safety
A new study from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center warns that high-speed review and release of new drugs by regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies may be compromising patient safety.
Drug regulators are currently under a lot of pressure to make drugs available to the public as quickly as possible, and short deadlines may be moving the emphasis away from patient safety. The study reviewed trends in drug approval times in the United States in recent years and showed that drugs approved in the U.S. during the two months before the mandated deadline were more likely to be withdrawn later for safety reasons or to be released with a warning.
Dr. David Kao, from the University of Colorado, says that marketing techniques for new drugs are so advanced that upon approval, a marketing campaign can be launched on the Internet within 90 minutes. With large numbers of people being targeted by marketing campaigns to try hastily approved drugs, the risk is that large numbers of people will be exposed to unknown risks. Dr. Kao believes that the drug monitoring system must be revamped to exclude the influence of biased parties, such as doctors, drug companies, and even patients.
(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)
Drug regulators are currently under a lot of pressure to make drugs available to the public as quickly as possible, and short deadlines may be moving the emphasis away from patient safety. The study reviewed trends in drug approval times in the United States in recent years and showed that drugs approved in the U.S. during the two months before the mandated deadline were more likely to be withdrawn later for safety reasons or to be released with a warning.
Dr. David Kao, from the University of Colorado, says that marketing techniques for new drugs are so advanced that upon approval, a marketing campaign can be launched on the Internet within 90 minutes. With large numbers of people being targeted by marketing campaigns to try hastily approved drugs, the risk is that large numbers of people will be exposed to unknown risks. Dr. Kao believes that the drug monitoring system must be revamped to exclude the influence of biased parties, such as doctors, drug companies, and even patients.
(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:04 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Texas Surveys Show Girls Out-Drinking Boys
Recent surveys by the Texas group Texans Standing Tall, an organization that works to create safer and healthier communities, indicate that girls in grades seven through 12 are now out-drinking boys.
Experts link the rise to the emergence of drinks marketed specifically to younger females. The group has evidence that since 2000, female driving under the influence arrests have risen by a startling 97 percent. Nicole Holt, Executive Director of Texans Standing Tall, commented for an article in the Lufkin Daily News: "Traditionally beer is an acquired taste for men, but the girls aren't drinking beer, they're drinking 'girly drinks.' ... Girls try to do everything that boys do and try to do it better. That holds true to all things including risky behavior."
One category of alcoholic beverage that seems to appeal to girls, and that may be new and deceptive to adults, are alcoholic energy drinks. Currently, 20 alcoholic energy drinks are licensed to sell in Texas. Ms. Holt stated, "The labeling can be deceptive to adults if they don't know what to look for. ... A grandfather could walk into a store to buy an energy drink for his grandchild and just as easily buy one with alcohol, not noticing the difference."
(Source: www.lufkindailynews.com)
Experts link the rise to the emergence of drinks marketed specifically to younger females. The group has evidence that since 2000, female driving under the influence arrests have risen by a startling 97 percent. Nicole Holt, Executive Director of Texans Standing Tall, commented for an article in the Lufkin Daily News: "Traditionally beer is an acquired taste for men, but the girls aren't drinking beer, they're drinking 'girly drinks.' ... Girls try to do everything that boys do and try to do it better. That holds true to all things including risky behavior."
One category of alcoholic beverage that seems to appeal to girls, and that may be new and deceptive to adults, are alcoholic energy drinks. Currently, 20 alcoholic energy drinks are licensed to sell in Texas. Ms. Holt stated, "The labeling can be deceptive to adults if they don't know what to look for. ... A grandfather could walk into a store to buy an energy drink for his grandchild and just as easily buy one with alcohol, not noticing the difference."
(Source: www.lufkindailynews.com)
Labels: binge-drinking, girls, risky-behavior
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:04 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Smokeless Tobacco Use Increasing Among Boys
According to a report released by the federal government this week, smokeless tobacco use by boys in the United States increased from 3.4 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2007. The report, Smokeless Tobacco Use, Initiation, and Relationship to Cigarette Smoking: 2002 to 2007, includes data from approximately 405,000 people, ages 12 and older, who responded to a survey conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The report also indicates that approximately 85.8 percent of current smokeless tobacco users have also used cigarettes at some point in their lives, and 38.8 percent have used cigarettes in the last 30 days. Among people who have used both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes, approximately 31.8 percent used smokeless tobacco first. The survey also found that some smokers believe that switching to smokeless tobacco products will help them quit smoking; however, 88.1 percent of daily smokers who started using smokeless products were still smoking after six months.
(Sources: http://health.usnews.com)
The report also indicates that approximately 85.8 percent of current smokeless tobacco users have also used cigarettes at some point in their lives, and 38.8 percent have used cigarettes in the last 30 days. Among people who have used both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes, approximately 31.8 percent used smokeless tobacco first. The survey also found that some smokers believe that switching to smokeless tobacco products will help them quit smoking; however, 88.1 percent of daily smokers who started using smokeless products were still smoking after six months.
(Sources: http://health.usnews.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 11:03 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Friday, March 6, 2009
Deaths in Rural Areas Linked to Painkillers
Tuesday, U.S. government researchers said prescription painkillers account for the majority of lethal overdoses from legal drugs in West Virginia. Officials also said that prescription painkillers are contributing to an exploding problem of overdoses that is most evident in rural areas.
Aron Hall and Leonard Paulozzi, from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studied abuse patterns in West Virginia, where overdose rates had risen 550 percent between 1999 and 2004. Hall and Paulozzi were interested in the means by which the overdose victims obtained the prescription drugs.
According to their findings, more than two-thirds of West Virginians who died from overdoses of legal pills had no prescription for the drugs that killed them. This finding suggests that many legal drugs are being diverted for non-medical uses. In addition, 21 percent of people who died had prescriptions from five doctors or more. The report suggests doctors play a crucial role in controlling the use of these drugs.
Aron Hall stated, "Now in the United States, drug overdoses are the second-leading cause of unintended deaths behind motor vehicle deaths." (Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
Aron Hall and Leonard Paulozzi, from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studied abuse patterns in West Virginia, where overdose rates had risen 550 percent between 1999 and 2004. Hall and Paulozzi were interested in the means by which the overdose victims obtained the prescription drugs.
According to their findings, more than two-thirds of West Virginians who died from overdoses of legal pills had no prescription for the drugs that killed them. This finding suggests that many legal drugs are being diverted for non-medical uses. In addition, 21 percent of people who died had prescriptions from five doctors or more. The report suggests doctors play a crucial role in controlling the use of these drugs.
Aron Hall stated, "Now in the United States, drug overdoses are the second-leading cause of unintended deaths behind motor vehicle deaths." (Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
Labels: death, painkillers
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 10:48 PM
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Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Chain Smoker's Widow Awarded $8 Million
The first of 8,000 similar cases against the tobacco company Philip Morris ended this week in a victory for the plaintiff. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, jury awarded $8 million to Elaine Hess, the widow of a chain smoker who died in 1997. This case is the first to go to trial since 2006 when the Florida Supreme Court voided a $145 billion class-action jury award in the so-called Engle case. The court decided each smoker's case had to be deliberated individually, but allowed the jury's findings that tobacco companies knowingly sold dangerous products and hid risks from the public.
The Hess award is significantly less than the $130 million originally sought by the plaintiff. However, experts still consider this case momentous because tobacco companies rarely lose court cases. This case could set the precedent for all pending cases, which could mean significant liability for tobacco product manufacturers.
Edward L. Sweda Jr., attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project at Northeastern University law school, stated: "It is still a serious blow to Philip Morris. This jury saw through the smoke screen of Philip Morris' 'blame-the-smoker-for-smoking' defense and instead put its focus on the company's reprehensible conduct."
(Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
The Hess award is significantly less than the $130 million originally sought by the plaintiff. However, experts still consider this case momentous because tobacco companies rarely lose court cases. This case could set the precedent for all pending cases, which could mean significant liability for tobacco product manufacturers.
Edward L. Sweda Jr., attorney for the Tobacco Products Liability Project at Northeastern University law school, stated: "It is still a serious blow to Philip Morris. This jury saw through the smoke screen of Philip Morris' 'blame-the-smoker-for-smoking' defense and instead put its focus on the company's reprehensible conduct."
(Source: www.msnbc.msn.com)
posted by Drug-Rehab.com at 10:33 PM
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