This week, the West Virginia Senate introduced legislation designed to address the state's problem with prescription drug abuse. On Wednesday, lawmakers introduced five bills, bringing the total number of new bills under consideration to seven.

West Virginia currently has the highest overdose rate of any state in the nation, and lawmakers are making an effort turn the tide of drug abuse in the state and bring this rate down. A December 2008 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that West Virginia's rate of accidental fatal overdoses was almost twice the national average.

The bills introduced this week focus on curbing "drug diversion" -- the illegal procurement of prescription medications by lying to doctors, buying on the black market or theft.

Democratic senator Ron Stollings, a physician who is leading the charge, commented: "I am out there every day, seeing patients and trying to do good, empathetic, appropriate care, and at the same time not allowing this fraud and abuse to continue."

The new legislation would require, among other things, that prescriptions be written on tamper-proof forms, the penalties be stiffened for using false information to obtain medication, and that all pharmacies in the state give pharmacists access to a controlled substances database.

(Source: www.businessweek.com)

Labels: laws, overdose, prescription-drug-abuse

Soaring rates of drug addiction in Afghanistan have led one province to adopt an extreme policy: Kick the habit or get kicked out of the region.

Leaders of the area, which is located in the remote eastern region of Ghazni, are taking desperate action to battle the overwhelming increase in young addicts over the past several years. Heroin addicts are being given quitting deadlines after tribal elders decided that the only way to fight the tide of addiction was to begin threatening, punishing and ultimately evicting drug users.

Users receive a warning, followed by a fine. If they ignore these measures, they may have their houses burned down, and they will eventually be evicted from their communities. The measures will also be used against drug dealers and suppliers.

Elder Mohammad Razaq commented: "Heroin addiction among our young people was destroying us. This destruction was getting worse and worse every day and we felt that we had no choice but to deal with it in this way.

"Since the elders made the decision, we have evicted more than 200 addicts from villages in this district. They have all been told that until they give up their addiction, they are not welcome back."

Opium exports currently represent about 25 percent of Afghanistan's annual gross domestic product, or $2.8 billion. Opium is a widely grown crop, which contributes to its easy availability.

In addition, according to a United Nations report, "Conflict, displacement, economic hardship and overflowing opium production have generated widespread drug abuse in Afghanistan."

(Source: www.google.com/hostednews)

Labels: addiction, drugs, heroin, opium

This week, in a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray acknowledged the seriousness of prescription drug abuse in Massachusetts and highlighted the administration's current efforts to tackle the issue. Lt. Governor Murray admitted that the state's current Prescription Monitoring Program is ineffective.

According to a statement by the Public Health Council: "The Prescription Monitoring Program was established in 1992 by joint regulation between the Board of Pharmacy and the Department of Public Health. The Program collects prescription records for Schedule II drugs, dispensed at community, clinic and outpatient pharmacies and hospitals. The data is reviewed by the Department and a Medical Review Group, which is comprised of physicians, dentists, other practitioners and pharmacists."

Lt. Governor Murray stated that the administration has been working to overhaul this program, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health and the Governor's Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention. Murray also indicated that recommendations from the OxyContin and Heroin Commission, as well as input from legislators, public safety officials, providers, and community representatives will be incorporated into improvements to the monitoring system.

(Sources: www.boston.com; www.mass.gov)

Labels: prescription-drug-abuse

Experts are warning that the increased availability of gambling opportunities may be causing an increase in problem gambling and gambling addiction. According to San Francisco psychotherapist Michael Halyard, addiction treatment providers are receiving more requests to treat gambling behaviors, which are extremely similar to drug and alcohol abuse behaviors.

According to Halyard, "Compulsive gambling is the urge to gamble despite having harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. It's not how much time or money a gambler gambles, but the harm to the gambler or his or her partner or family that determines whether it is compulsive gambling. Compulsive gambling, like drug and alcohol addiction, is a debilitating condition that wrecks havoc in people's lives."

Halyard says that problem gamblers seeking treatment even include teens who become addicted to Internet gambling. Teen gamblers, like other gamblers, are falling prey to the new proliferation of gambling opportunities, especially on the Internet.

He said, "It used to be that if you wanted to gamble, you had to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Now days, people can gamble in the comfort of their own homes on the computer, or go to nearby card room or Indian Casino. Casinos offer slot machines, sports betting, card games, but there's also the horse racing, greyhound racing, card rooms, bingo parlors, and state lotteries. Gambling is ubiquitous and one of the few booming industries. In 2006, Americans lost nearly 91 billion dollars gambling."

(Source: www.prweb.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling

According to recent research conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, daily, heavy drinking may increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Dr. Zhihong Gong, Ph.D., and researchers used data from more than 10,000 men participating in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) to study the effects of alcohol consumption.

The identified participants who reported heavy alcohol consumption (50 grams or more per day) and regular heavy drinking (four or more drinks per day on five or more days per week) and found that these participants were twice as likely to be diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer.

Moderate alcohol consumption was not found to carry the same risk.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol, binge-drinking, cancer

According to a 2005 study published in the journal Injury Prevention, New Year's Day is the most deadly day of the year for pedestrians. From 1986 to 2002, 410 pedestrians were killed on New Year's Day, and 58 percent of them had high blood alcohol levels.

Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also show that alcohol has a high rate of involvement in pedestrian deaths throughout the year. In 2007, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians aged 16 or older had blood alcohol concentrations above 0.08 percent. Of pedestrians who were killed at night, over half (54 percent) had high blood alcohol levels.

According to Dr. Thomas Esposito, a trauma surgeon at Loyola University Health System in Illinois, alcohol consumption makes people prone to all types of injuries:

"It's not just walking outside. All the time we see people who have been drinking that have fallen down the stairs or tripped at home and injured themselves. Others have decided to pick a fight using a knife or with someone holding a gun. Alcohol impairs your physical ability to walk and to drive. It impairs your judgment, reflexes and coordination. It's nothing more than a socially acceptable, over-the-counter stimulant/depressant."

According to Esposito, from July 2008 to June 2009, 86 patients aged 16 or older were treated at Loyola after being struck by cars. Of these, 18 (21 percent) were found to have alcohol in their systems. Of those, 14 (78 percent) had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher.

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: alcohol

Scientists have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that helps to explain the addictiveness of cocaine, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The study, which is published in the January issue of the journal Science, demonstrates who cocaine affects an epigenetic process call histone methylation. An epigenetic process is a process that is capable of influencing gene expression without changing a gene's sequence. The changes caused to this process by cocaine affect the brain's pleasure circuits and are likely to contribute to an acquired preference for cocaine.

For the study, researchers studied the effects of chronic cocaine exposure in young mice. The researchers gave one group of young mice repeated doses of cocaine, while a control group received repeated doses of saline solution with a final dose of cocaine. The researchers then examined how one-time exposure to the drug differed from chronic exposure. The study confirmed that chronic exposure alters the brain's reward pathway.

NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow commented on the findings: "This fundamental discovery advances our understanding of how cocaine addiction works. Although more research will be required, these findings have identified a key new player in the molecular cascade triggered by repeated cocaine exposure, and thus a potential novel target for the development of addiction medications."

Dr. Eric J. Nestler, study investigator and director of the Brain Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, commented: "The more complete picture that we have today of the genetic and epigenetic processes triggered by chronic cocaine give us a better understanding of the broader principles governing biochemical regulation in the brain which will help us identify not only additional pathways involved but potentially new therapeutic approaches."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, cocaine

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has recorded a near 100 percent increase in youth being treated for cocaine addiction over the past four years, and many experts are blaming the drug's newfound glamorous image for the spike in abuse.

Last year, 753 youth under the age of 18 sought treatment for cocaine addiction, compared with 453 in 2005-2006. Among these, at least 15 children were under the age of 12, 14 children were aged 12 to 14, and 169 children were aged 14 to 16.

Experts believe that young children and teens using "Class A" drugs are most likely to be using them as a coping mechanism or imitating a parent or family member who uses the substance. Harry Shapiro, director of communications at the charity Drugscope, said that in recent years all age groups have been moving away from heroin and crack and more often using cocaine.

He commented: "If young people are in a particularly risky or dysfunctional environment, alcohol or cannabis abuse is going to be more likely, and that makes them more likely to try other drugs. If you are in an environment where the house is used as a dealing hub or there are users regularly coming round to score, or if they come into contact with Class A substances through family members who are using them, then clearly that is an issue.

"Although they are coming forward for treatment, it's likely that their drug use is symptomatic of other problems that are going on at home or school. I don't think it's a question of children and teenagers hanging round street corners, buying off dealers, but that could be their future if they don't get treatment."

(Source: www.timesonline.co.uk)

Labels: addiction, cocaine, teens, treatment

The lead singer of famed rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, entered rehab this week to receive treatment for an addiction to painkillers. Reportedly, the singer has been taking painkillers for the past 10 years to cope with "performance injuries."

Tyler also checked into rehab last year to recover from several foot surgeries and receive physical therapy. The surgeries were to correct injuries sustained during years of highly physical performances with Aerosmith. According to the doctor who will be treating Tyler, severe orthopedic injuries have left Tyler with chronic pain that will require several more surgeries on his knees and feet.

Although Tyler was known to be a heavy drug and alcohol user in the 1970s, he first entered rehab in 1986, and achieved several years of sobriety. After this bout in rehab the band enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Tyler expressed his commitment to making a full recovery: "I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of."

(Source: www.google.com)

Labels: addiction, chronic pain, painkillers