The latest news, tips and updates
from The Partnership at Drugfree.org.
An Ohio doctor was convicted in federal court on Tuesday of illegal distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in the death of four people. Dr. Paul H. Volkman was described by federal authorities as one of the largest dispensers of oxycodone in the nation. He could face life in prison.
Anonymity isn’t as big a part of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) as it used to be, according to The New York Times. Whether or not this is a good thing is a matter of debate.
The use of heroin and other injectable drugs are contributing to the rise in hepatitis C infections among white youth in Massachusetts, according to a report by the state’s Department of Public Health.
Florida’s House and Senate have unanimously passed a bill designed to shut down “pill mills,” pain clinics that cater to people shopping for opioid medications. Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has long opposed the drug monitoring database that is part of the legislation, said he will sign the bill into law.
An increase in heroin use in Ohio in the past six months is due partly to the rise in addiction to opioid medication, according to a new report by the Ohio Department of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Services. The report says that people who become addicted to opioids may turn to heroin when they can no longer afford the pills.
Instituting tobacco-free policies at substance abuse treatment centers may discourage participants from completing the program, a study of an Ohio program suggests. The study found that when such a policy was implemented, both smokers and nonsmokers were more likely to stop treatment early.
An Oklahoma doctor who treats patients with opiate addiction by prescribing buprenorphine says federal restrictions on the number of prescriptions he can write for the drug are hurting patients.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced a bill designed to cut down on the abuse of prescription opioids. The bill would limit the number of doctors from which “high-risk” Medicaid beneficiaries could receive prescriptions, as well as pharmacies from which they could obtain opioids.
The effects of nicotine on the parts of the brain involved with addiction are similar to the effects of cocaine, according to a study using rat brain tissue.
Scientists are working to develop new vaccines to fight drug addiction that are more effective than current treatments, The Wall Street Journal reports. The vaccines use the body’s own defenses to block addictive substances from getting into the brain and triggering a pleasure response.
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