The latest news, tips and updates
from The Partnership at Drugfree.org.
Police in Louisville, Kentucky say they are seeing a rise in the use of heroin, as prescription painkillers become more difficult to obtain. People who formerly were addicted to painkillers are now turning to heroin, which is cheaper, easier to get, and very potent.
With Election Day just around the corner, voters in multiple locations will again be confronted with cannabis-related questions. Stuart Gitlow, MD, MPH, Acting President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, says “medical marijuana” has simply been the camel’s nose under the tent, with the true goal of legalization covered up with a supposedly scientific approach.
A new study shows 57 percent of fatal car crashes involve a driver who tested positive for alcohol or drugs. Alcohol was the most common substance detected, followed by marijuana and stimulants, Reuters reports.
Emergency room doctors are learning the signs of designer drug use in teens and young adults as the substances continue to grow in popularity, The Miami Herald reports.
A new study finds elevated rates of suicides and overdose deaths in the month after people have been released from the hospital for substance abuse treatment. Researchers found death rates were substantially higher for those who had been out of the hospital for less than one month, compared with those who had been out for at least one year.
A new survey finds an estimated 17 percent of American high school students say they drink, smoke or use drugs during the school day. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found 86 percent of teens say they know which of their peers are abusing substances at school.
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is sponsoring the first National “Above the Influence” Day on October 18 to celebrate youth who avoid pressure to use drugs and alcohol.
In case you missed any of our thought-provoking columns this summer, from individuals such as Rep. Mary Bono Mack of California, Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Sharon Stanliff of the Harm Reduction Coalition and other industry experts, please find our top 10 features of the summer here.
“Molly,” the powder or crystal form of MDMA, the chemical used in Ecstasy, has been a popular drug at music festivals this year, CNN reports.
High-potency marijuana, and the synthetic form of the drug, known as “K2” or “Spice,” can harm a developing embryo’s brain, a new study concludes.
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