Author Archives: James

The biggest drug myths

Over the years I’ve been asked numerous questions about which substances will get people high. To reduce some harm I though I’d list the biggest myths I’ve come across below. If you know of others, post a comment below and I’ll update the list.

The myths

1. Banana skins have a hallucinogenic effect

The most details description of this myth I’ve come across involves boiling up banana peels until they have a consistency of paste, then spreading that paste onto cookie sheets for further cooking in the oven. This allegedly creates a fine black powder that can be smoked.

I’m yet to meet a person who has gotten any effect from this and even a cursory review of online discussion sites will show it up for the myth it is.

2. There’s flavoured versions of Crystal Meth

We’ve covered this one previously – there seems to be endless questions about crystal meth that tastes like strawberry pop rocks, chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange.

Essentially, any colourations are due to impurities and there’s been no documented cases to date of such substances being flavoured to increase desirability. And anyway, to use an analogy, strawberry flavoured dog excrement will still taste like dog excrement – flavouring never fully disguises what’s underneath.

3. I can get high from peanut shells

I’ve seen this one float around the internet a bit: shell some raw peanuts, grind up the shells and smoke them. Zero reports of this doing anything other than making an interesting smell.

4. Yeast extracts / spreads as hallucinogenic agent

I’ve had direct exposure to this myth as far back as the early 1990’s. Apparently ‘some people’ were creating grazes or deeper lacerations and then rubbing an iconic Australian yeast extract into the area to get high. The result? A lovely infection and nothing else from everything I’ve seen.

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. London Times (UK) – Song of the year: 2006 Amy Winehouse – Rehab. “During a break in recording in New York in 2006, Amy Winehouse and her producer, Mark Ronson, took a stroll. In the course of this, the singer recounted to Ronson attempts by her then managers to persuade her to seek treatment for her addiction problems. When she described her response — “They tried to make me go to rehab; I said, ‘No, no, no’” — Ronson remarked that the phrase sounded like a lyric. Within minutes, the pair were back in the studio, working it up into a song. Winehouse initially set it to a bluesy shuffle, before Ronson suggested upping the pace and injecting the chord sequences of both the Beatles and classic 1960s girl-group soul into the sound picture. Days later, they were recording the song with the Dap Kings, a crack Brooklyn vintage-soul band.”

2. Arkansas Matters (USA) – Bailout Plan Has Mental Illness Insurance Provisions. “A $700 billion financial bailout plan contains legislation that also benefits Americans with mental illnesses and addiction problems. Contained in the package is a measure that boosts insurance coverage for the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction as well as coverage for mental illness.”

3. BBC News (UK) – ‘People doing drugs is really bad’. “Eleven-year-old Ellie Stevens thinks drugs are disgusting and cannot understand why anyone would want to take them. She suffered a campaign of abuse and intimidation after her mother, Marie, took a stand and decided to keep her daughter away from those who might draw her into substance abuse.”

4. Tampa Bay Online (USA) – Breaking The Cycle Of Child Abuse. “Kids get hurt all the time”. Between the soccer matches, bicycle tumbles and wrestling mishaps, most children have an assortment of cuts and bruises. It’s part of growing up. What’s not natural are cigarette burns on the hands, welts across the backside, a child’s explicit understanding of sexuality. “Child abuse” is a broad tern applied to the physical and emotional mistreatment of children under the age of 18. But the root cause of abuse and the long-term effects on its victims make this crime unlike any other, experts say.”

5. Ironton Tribune (USA) – Wal-Mart should not support idea of alcohol sales. “The residents of Burlington will make a decision this fall to allow or not allow the local Wal-Mart to sell alcohol in its store. I know that Wal-Mart has been a great help in the local economic structure of the township. Wal-Mart has been very good at helping local agencies as well at the local churches and they do purchase products from the Burlington store. Wal-Mart has made many positive effects upon the local area. But all the good you do will not justify intentions of selling alcohol within the local store.”

6. BBC News (UK) – Parents ‘under drugs suspicion’. “One in five children thinks their parents have tried drugs and one in 10 believes they still take them, a survey in England and Scotland suggests. Some 90% of the 500 teenagers polled by charity Addaction said they were “against” drugs, but one in 10 thought celebrities made drugs seem “cool”.”

7. The News-Press (USA) – Dr. Morrow: You will never conquer addiction with pixie dust. “There are addictions to drugs, addictions to alcohol, and addictions to food and sex. The fallout from these illnesses, when they strike an individual or a family, is devastating. Health and happiness are at stake, not to mention the crazy consequences from someone like a drunk driver. Children to the third generation are affected emotionally when a family has been made dysfunctional by an addicted adult. Although it is hard to measure the emotional and financial cost, our community clearly suffers in quality, like a beautiful painting that has been defaced. Sometimes it’s in the news; sometimes it stays undercover, hidden but chewing away at the core, and waiting to blow up.”

8. The Mail on Sunday (UK) – ‘He has a disease, just like cancer’: David Hasselhoff’s wife reveals how his wild drinking wrecked their marriage. “Slumped in front of an empty minibar in an anonymous hotel room, David Hasselhoff somehow managed to concentrate for long enough to phone home. ‘I’m drunk and I think I’m dying,’ the veteran star of Baywatch and Knight Rider slurred to his wife. Then the line went dead.”

A treatise on psychoactive drugs

Thanks to Andy via the ADCA Update list for this:

“Psychoactive drugs are everywhere. Any discussion of drug use needs to take this into account. The broad category of “psychoactive drugs” consists of natural and synthetic substances that alter a person’s thoughts or feelings. There exist hundreds of plants, which, if eaten, smoked, snorted, or injected, will affect the mind—whether acting as a stimulant, depressant, or psychedelic. Thousands of known chemicals will do the same. Used recreationally, medicinally, or for work, some are illegal and others not: They include coffee, wine, and tobacco; prescription pain medications, sleep aids, and antidepressants; as well as cannabis, LSD, and heroin. Psychoactives are in the kitchen, in the hardware store, in the greenhouse, in home medicine cabinets, and in fuel tanks across the country.

Everyone uses them. Would you believe that nearly 90% of 45-year-olds in the United States have tried an illegal drug in their lifetime?[1] As of 2006, more than 35 million Americans had taken an illicit drug in the previous year.[2] Monitoring the Future (MTF), the best current survey about illegal drug use in the United States,[3] reports that one in five college students used an illicit drug in the past month. Nearly all adults in the U.S. have tried alcohol, while over 80% use caffeine daily.[4] Last year there were over 180 million prescriptions written for opiates alone,[5] and a diverse assortment of psychoactives are increasingly used by older Americans from coast to coast.[6]

They are not going away. Humans have used psychoactive substances for as long as we have records[7] and some of the largest corporations in the world are actively developing new ones for the future. There is no magic bullet that will suddenly make these compounds disappear from our society. If there were, the past century of ever-increasing penalties for possession and sale of recreationally used drugs, along with massive anti-drug “education” campaigns, would have reduced use. But they have not.

The United States has implemented random drug testing of junior high and high school students who participate in chess club. No-knock warrants allow police to invade private homes with guns drawn in case a suspect might try to flush illegal drugs down the toilet. Taxpayers spend 8 billion dollars each year to incarcerate drug law offenders,[8,9] and pay for ideologically driven, abstinence-only education programs that are so factually misleading that they often fail to acknowledge the pleasurable or useful effects of the substances they teach about.

Despite these extreme measures, a majority of the population age 18-65 has chosen to try an illegal drug.[10] The mainstream reaction is to continue the calls for “getting tougher.” Instead of working towards unrealistic, naïve goals such as a “drug free century,” our response has been to step back and reassess, asking: How can society adapt to the realities of the communication age and develop more sophistication and balance regarding the use of psychoactive drugs?

Modern humans must learn how to relate to psychoactives responsibly, treating them with respect and awareness, working to minimize harms and maximize benefits, and integrating use into a healthy, enjoyable, and productive life. But above all else, in a world filled with materials and technologies that affect the mind, adults must have the robust education and accurate, pragmatic information necessary to help them take charge of their relationships with psychoactives and teach their children how to do so from an early age.

Rest at: http://www.cato-unbound.org/2008/09/08/earth-and-fire-erowid/towards-a-culture-of-responsible-drug-use/ ”

I couldn’t disagree with a lot there – psychoactives have only ever been on the perimeter of mainstream drug education, usually due to a somewhat legitimate fear of widening the use options for young people. WHat do you think – how would you mainstream education on psychoactives?

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. Deutsche Welle (Germany) – EU Aims to Fight Drug Use with New Action Plan. “With a brand new drug-free campaign, the European Union hopes to keep young people substance free — and improve cooperation between the bloc’s member states. Two million people in the European Union are dependent on drugs and roughly 7,500 die every year as a consequence of their addiction – statistics which are reason enough for the EU to fight drug consumption and the spread of drugs.”

2. The Sun Daily (Malaysia) – Film competition on beating drug dependency. “THERE are some 250,000 registered drug addicts in Malaysia today. But Dr Steven Chow, president of Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia, said this is only the tip of the iceberg. According to him, only one in four drug addicts are detected and the emergence of newer designer drugs in the social scene means the numbers could have increased.”

3. Straight.com (Canada) – Researcher condemns Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s war on drugs. ”
When retired SFU psychology professor Bruce Alexander starts thinking about Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s $63.8-million National Anti-Drug Strategy, he “goes ballistic”. The policy promotes cracking down on illicit drugs, mandatory minimum sentences, media messages to youth, increasing abstinence-based treatment capacity, and funding more police officers. In other words, a classic drug-prohibition stance—one the Conservatives are repeating heading into the October 14 election.”

4. Metro (Canada) – Tackling ‘sex addiction’. “I wonder how David Duchovny’s doing in rehab. As you no doubt know by now, the former X Files star and husband of actress Téa Leoni checked himself into rehab for “sexual addiction” at the end of August. No word on how he’s doing but you have to wonder. When one goes into rehab for alcohol or drug addiction, they don’t generally let you bring in a flask or a joint or two for when the temptation gets to be too much. But, what do they do when a so-called sex addict feels the urge. Keep his hands tied behind his back? Frankly, the whole idea of “sex addiction” is problematic.”

5. New York Times (USA) – Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate? Wrong. “We’ve heard it before. “Drug abuse is an equal opportunity destroyer.” “Drug addiction is a bipartisan illness.” “Addiction does not discriminate; it doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, famous or unknown, a man or woman, or even a child.” The phrase “addiction doesn’t care” is not meant to remind us that addiction casts a long shadow — everyone knows that. Rather, it is supposed to suggest that any individual, no matter who, is vulnerable to the ravages of drugs and alcohol.”

6. The Daily Times (Pakistan) – Students highlight hazards of drug abuse. “In connection with International Day against Drug Abuse, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in collaboration with Iqra University organised a painting competition titled ‘Say no to drugs’ at university campus here on Thursday. Ambassador of Italy Vincenzo Prati was the chief guest on the occasion. Dr Jamil Ahmed, Dean Iqra University, and Anwar Hafeez, ANF director, were also present on the occasion.”

7. Newsday (USA) – Survey: Drug use among older adults hits all-time peak. “Drug use among older adults in the United States has hit its highest point ever, according to data from the federal government’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In the government’s latest report – reflecting drug use in 2007 – 1 in 20 Americans ages 50 to 59 told researchers they had used illicit drugs in the last month. More than one-half of these older users still like their street drugs, including marijuana and cocaine.”

8. Medical News Today (USA) – National Institute On Drug Abuse Unveils “Innovations” In Addiction Research. “The first annual NIDA Notes “Innovations” issue, released today, features examples of benchmark NIDA research advances that have profound implications for addiction science. Highlights include deep brain exploration made possible by new optical technologies; remote control of animal behavior in real time; and novel approaches to pain treatment. Articles in this issue shed light on mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases and will explore the role of memory in addictive behavior. ”

9. AlterNet (USA) – It’s Time for the Federal Government to Abandon the Drug War. “As both a U.S. Attorney and Member of Congress, I defended drug prohibition. But it has become increasingly clear to me, after much study, that our current strategy has not worked and will not work. The other candidates for president prefer not to address this issue, but ignoring the failure of existing policy exhibits both a poverty of thought and an absence of political courage. The federal government must turn the decision on drug policy back to the states and the citizens themselves.”

Interesting ruling on drug testing in the workplace

This is a fascinating decision as it shows the long way the industry has to go in offering comprehensive testing solutions. At best a company can assume it’s usually ok to do oral fuid testing and that some urine testing might be acceptable when testing regimes are up to par.

The summary of the decision:

AIRC Decision on “Implementation of random drug testing: use of oral fluids or urine as specimen for testing”

On 25 August 2008 in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, Senior Deputy President Jonathan Hamberger, handed down his decision in the case of Shell Refining (Australia) Pty Ltd, Clyde Refinery versus the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union regarding the matter of “Implementation of random drug testing: use of oral fluids or urine as specimen for testing”.

In a private arbitration, which both parties agreed to waive confidentially, and consented to the decision being made public, Senior Deputy President Jonathan Hamberger, said the question at stake was:

“… Whether it would be unjust or unreasonable for the company to implement a urine-based random testing regime with its wide ‘window of detection’, with all that implies for interfering with the private lives of employees, when a much more focussed method is available, where a positive test is far more likely to indicate actual impairment, and is far less likely to detect the use of drugs at a time that would have no consequential effect on the employee’s performance at work.”

In his conclusion “… that the implementation of a urine based random drug testing regime in these circumstances would be unjust and unreasonable … ” , Senior Deputy President Hamberger gave two qualifications to his decision. The first was that no Australian laboratories were yet accredited for oral fluid testing under the relevant standard [not-for-profit company RASL gave evidence that it would shortly seek accreditation], and Shell could not be expected to implement its system until they were.

The second was that there were drugs (such as benzodiazepines) for which the relevant standard did not contain target concentration levels. Shell, he said, again could not be expected to implement an oral fluids based regime until it had the agreement of the union and the laboratory it would use on what other drugs it wished to test for and what would be an appropriate target concentration level.

Senior Deputy President Hamberger said that once these two issues were satisfactorily resolved, any random drug testing should be conducted using oral fluids. Until then, it would not be unreasonable for the company to implement a urine-based testing regime on an interim basis.

The full ruling can be found here.

Thanks to ADCA for the heads-up.

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. Detroit Lakes Tribune (USA) – Report: 12 percent of American Indian deaths alcohol-related. “In the first-ever national survey of its kind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that almost 12 percent of the deaths among American Indians are alcohol-related — more than three times the rate in the general U.S. population. The CDC report, released Thursday, also found that the greatest number of alcohol-related deaths among Indians occurred in the Indian Health Service’s Northern Plains region, which stretches from Montana to Michigan and includes North Dakota and Minnesota. There was no breakdown by state or tribe.”

2. Nyngan Observer (Australia) – Website to help beat drug problems. “A major new website has been set up by the Australian National Council on Drugs to inspire women and men across Australia who are battling problems with drugs or alcohol to realise that problems can be beaten.
The website, located at www.positivestories.org.au, is designed to highlight that when it comes to drug and alcohol problems, treatment works. The ANCD highlights that thousands of Australians are currently in treatment programs and that treatment can make a world of difference.”

3. The Morning Sun (USA) – Opinion: Random rules vs true respect. “When my brother, sister and I get together for a meal, one of us invariably recites a line from our childhood visits to our grandparents on my father’s side. Both grandma and grandpa would regularly chastise us when we ate meat. “Don’t stab your meat,” one of them would say, which was always followed by a lecture on what poor manners it was. According to them, you squeezed your fork tines down onto your meat when cutting it with a knife, and then lifted it to your mouth.”

4. The Australian – Nice sentiment but no message. “North Melbourne’s Michael Firrito thought he got a bum decision from an umpire last weekend. The defender raised a finger in anger in the direction of the umpire. He was subsequently fined $1200 for this obscene gesture. Firrito knew he was doomed and accepted his guilt so the fine was reduced to $900. The AFL punished the footballer because it knows and believes in two things fervently. One, a warning must be sent to the broad community that umpires need to be respected no matter what the circumstances. Two, the AFL and football of all codes and their players are the most powerful messengers available to reach this nation’s youth. That’s why Firrito is short $900. And it is also why the AFL’s revamped illicit drug policy announced yesterday is as dangerous and worthless as its predecessor. The AFL commission and its executive simply cannot get the balance of player welfare and public interest right. It might not even understand that it must.”

5. Miadhu (Maldives) – Anni says a TV ad not enough to curb drug abuse. “MDP Presidential Candidate Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) has said that a song, a slogan and a television advertisement is not enough to curb drug abuse in Maldives. Anni said this while speaking at a press conference held yesterday at S. Feydhoo to reveal his policies to close all doors for drugs. Anni said that an MDP lead government would give priority to do some work beneficial in curbing drugs abuse.”

6. The Arkansas Traveler (USA) – Drinking: an option for adults of any age. “”It’s time to rethink the drinking age,” proclaim the 129 signatories of the Amethyst Initiative petition. These petitioners are not eager-to-drink 18-year-olds. They are well-educated and presumably conscientious administrators, including the presidents of Duke, Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins. Nor is the Amethyst Initiative a sloppy student movement with a trippy title. It’s a thoughtful, concerned campaign that began when a group of college presidents “discovered a common desire to reopen public debate over the drinking age,” according to the Amethyst Initiative Web site.”

7. Drug War Chronicle – Europe: Scottish Heroin Crackdown Sparks Violent Crime Increase. “In an object lesson on the unintended consequences of drug prohibition enforcement, police in Dundee have admitted that their crackdown on heroin has led to an increase in violent crime. Police called it “an unfortunate side effect” of the crackdown, which they qualified as a success. Tayside Police undertook Operation Waterloo earlier this year in an effort to target drug dealers and users in the Hilltown and Maryfield areas of Dundee. Assistant Chief Constable Clive Murray told the Tayside Joint Police Board 39 people had been arrested, and there was anecdotal evidence of price increases and disruption of the heroin market.”

8. The Courier Mail (Australia) – Queenslanders addicted to drink and drugs. “TENS of thousands of Queenslanders drink at least once a day and thousands more smoke marijuana, a report out today reveals. Despite warnings about drug and alcohol abuse, the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey has found many Australians still drink to risky levels. Canberra will use the report to back its stand on increasing taxes for alcopops to curb binge drinking among teenagers.”

9. Los Angeles Times (USA) – Opioids — we love them. Or need them. “Opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin and morphine are used to treat pain — with which Americans are apparently sorely afflicted. More than 10 million of them take the drugs, researchers at Boston University have found, with 4 million people consuming the medications at least five days a week. The researchers report that regular use of the drugs, which pose something of an addiction risk, rose with age, fell with education level and was more common among women and whites. Their work, published in the Aug. 31 issue of the journal Pain, also found that use was more prevalent in the south central portion of the country. “

The ADF and AFL

A press release from the ADF:

AFL ILLICIT DRUG POLICY A LEADER IN THE FIELD
The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF) today spoke out at the Australian Football League’s (AFL) press conference in support of the AFL’s illicit drug policy.

‘The AFL’s illicit drug policy is one of the most rigorous drug policies in sport internationally, and we praise their commitment to the health and welfare of their players’ said ADF Chief Executive John Rogerson. ‘We’re pleased to see them take steps to continue to develop a culture which support players, parents and other members of the community to reduce the likelihood of drug problems’.

‘The reality is this is a tough issue, and the AFL is one of only three sports in Australia to seriously tackle illicit drug use. They have gone above and beyond the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, and their players, and the community will benefit as a result’.

Mr Rogerson urged parents to use the publicity around the AFL drugs policy to discuss drug issues with their children.

‘Children are always watching and listening to what is going on around them. This is a great opportunity to check in with them about what they think about drugs, why they think people use them, what they know about the damage that can be done to careers and personal lives by drug use’

‘We know that having a strong relationship with an adult is a key protective factor for preventing a young person from developing a drug problem. This is the time to make sure that communication channels are open between you and your kids’

Parents who want more information about drugs, or tips for starting these conversations can go to www.adf.org.au or call 1300 85 85 84 to request a copy of ‘Young people and drugs: what parents need to know’.

What are your thoughts? I wold have thought a little more info on what the actually policy is may have been helpful given the emphatic endorsement….

Community Treasurers’ Awards launch

MESSAGE FROM SENATOR URSULA STEPHENS

Earlier this month the Treasurer Wayne Swan launched an exciting new initiative that recognises the efforts of the thousands of community treasurers across the country who volunteer their time to keep community groups financially healthy.

The Westpac Community Treasurers’ Awards recognise and reward the unpaid labour of the many thousands of treasurers toiling in our community groups. These Treasurers often go above and beyond the call of duty spending hours ensuring their groups meet financial obligations, formulating budgets, generating numerous spreadsheets and making sure there’s enough money in the kitty to keep things ticking.

Too often, though, their efforts have gone unnoticed – Until now. The Westpac Community Treasurers’ Awards will provide prizes of $5000 in the organisational categories of small, medium and large. Importantly, the awards provide the opportunity for groups to say publicly they recognise and appreciate the great work the treasurers do for them.

I encourage you to circulate information about these awards in your community and to consider nominating a community treasurer who services you think deserve recognition.

More information on these awards including nomination forms are available through the Our Community website at www.ourcommunity.com.au/treasurersawards

Nominations close September 10.

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. The Independent (UK) – Ian Oliver: Legalising drugs would only make matters worse. “Recently, A great deal of media attention has been focused on a call for the legalisation of drugs by a former civil servant who was responsible for the Cabinet’s anti-drug unit. In The Independent last week, Julian Critchley said that legalisation would be “less harmful than the current strategy” and that an “overwhelming majority of professionals in the field” agree with that view.”

2. Dallas Morning News – Sober Dorm helps college students stay the course on recovery. “Maggie Howard, a strikingly pretty college junior as fresh-faced and sweet as a spring daffodil, is accustomed to the polite dismay new acquaintances often exhibit when she mentions casually that she does not drink alcohol. She can see the little gears spinning in their heads: But she looks so cool! She’s so cute! What is she, a religious nut?”

3. Desert Dispatch – From drug addict to doctor. “The walls of John Smethers’ Barstow house are lined with antique Civil War history books, volumes from psychologist Carl Jung, copies of his own recently published book on the psychology of drug addicts, and his greatest source of pride, a doctorate degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute. It’s not the typical setting of a recovered drug addict with a pages-long rap sheet.”

4. The Daily Mail – How doctors are turning millions of us INTO addicts. “Gina Loxam was feeling a bit low, so she went to see her GP and was prescribed the anti-depressant, Seroxat.
Ten years later, she is still on the drug because the severe mood swings, headaches, fatigue and weight gain she suffers when she tries to come off are unbearable.”

5. CBC (Canada) – Clement questions MDs who favour safe injection sites. “Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says ethical concerns raised by supervised injection sites for drug addicts are “profoundly disturbing,” and he questions doctors who support the practice. “Is it ethical for health-care professionals to support the administration of drugs that are of unknown substance, or purity or potency — drugs that cannot otherwise be legally prescribed?” Clement said Monday in a speech at the Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting in Montreal.”

6. NEWSInferno (USA) – Methadone Overdose a Growing Problem. “Once mainly used to treat heroin addiction, Methadone is being prescribed by family doctors, osteopaths, and nurse practitioners for some types of severe pain. Methadone, a synthetic form of opium, is powerful, cheap, and long lasting. Unfortunately, while it has helped millions, methadone is also widely abused and poorly prescribed by physicians. Because of this, methadone is now the fastest growing cause of narcotic deaths, is implicated in more than twice as many deaths as heroin, and is equaling or exceeding OxyContin and Vicodin in negative responses.”

7. Punjab Newsline (India) – Seizure of Intoxicants: Morcha asks Punjab BSP chief to quit. “After recovery of a huge quantity of intoxicating drugs was seized from the chemist shop of state president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Avtar Singh Karimpuri in Hoshiarpur , the Bahujan Samaj Morcha Monday asked the party chief to quit his post on moral grounds.”

8. Fierce Healthcare (USA) – FDA may urge training to dispense narcotics. “The FDA is considering making a recommendation that doctors get special education to prescribe strong narcotics, despite the fact that it has no power to enforce such a proposal. FDA officials say they’re most concerned about high-potency, long-acting narcotics like methadone, fentanyl and some forms of oxycodone. In particular, they’ve noted that a mix of methadone and fentanyl patches has been associated with patient deaths and injuries from doctor misprescribing or accidental patient misuse.”

9. Blast Magazine – The new stoner…you. “Sitting up against a mound of pillows legs stretched over a deep blue comforter Mike and his girlfriend are like any other couple studying on a Sunday afternoon. She is frustrated that she hasn’t mastered her Italian flash cards and keeps repeating verb conjugations. Their feet are flirtatiously entangled while Mike stares intently into a large history notebook. With a slam of a flash card she gives Mike a frustrated look and he intuitively reaches for a blue box that’s sitting on the nightstand. He pulls out a blue and green swirled pipe followed by a bag of marijuana. A smile crosses Mike’s face as he fills the pipe and passes it to his girlfriend. She lights it, breaths in deeply and the room fills with a thin fog of smoke.”

10. LA Times (USA) – Pro: Marijuana use for chronic pain and nausea. “Medical marijuana use has a history stretching back thousands of years. In prebiblical times, the plant was used as medicinal tea in China, a stress antidote in India and a pain- reliever for earaches, childbirth and more throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa.”

News of substance – drugs in the worldwide news

1. Maui News (USA) – Partnership taps felons as mentors. “Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui County launched Tuesday a new anti-drug campaign shaped through partnerships with a national organization and local programs working with former drug addicts and families dealing with substance abuse. The group received an endorsement from Mayor Charmaine Tavares and commitments from its three partners – the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Maui Economic Opportunity Inc.’s Being Empowered and Safe Together Reintegration Program, better known as BEST, and the Institute for Family Enrichment.”

2. Newswise (USA) – Medicinal Marijuana Effective for Neuropathic Pain in HIV. “n a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the impact of smoked medical cannabis, or marijuana, on the neuropathic pain associated with HIV, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that reported pain relief was greater with cannabis than with a placebo. The study, sponsored by the University of California Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR) based at UC San Diego, will be published on line, August 6 in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.”

3. Total Catholic (UK) – Priest: alcohol abuse must be tackled. “In a week that saw new powers come into force that allow Gardaí to target alcohol sales and public drinking, a Limerick priest has said the issues which are driving young people to abuse alcohol must be urgently addressed. Fr Joe Young, chaplain to the Brothers of Charity Services in Limerick, said he “welcomed with open arms” the new laws, which mean off-licences will not be able to sell alcohol after 10pm.”

4. EurekAlert (USA) – Post-partum suicide attempt risks studied. “Although maternal suicide after giving birth is a relatively rare occurrence, suicide attempts often have long-lasting effects on the family and the infant. In a study published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers compared two populations of mothers and found that a history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse was a strong predictor of post-partum suicide attempts.”

5. Waterford Today (Ireland) – Solvents: The Facts. “Solvents are substances which are inhaled. Solvents are sniffed from a cloth, sleeve or plastic bag or sprayed directly into mouth (this is the most dangerous way of taking them as it can lead to instant death). Other names include aerosols, gases, glues, nail varnish, thinners, cleaning and degreasing agents.”

6. iol (South Africa) – Tobacco public hearings for North West. “The North West legislature will hold public hearings on the bill for the prevention of and treatment for tobacco abuse later this month. In a statement on Wednesday, the legislature said the North provincial Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development would be conducting public hearings across the province from August 18 to 21.”

7. The Daily Times (USA) – Drug screenings: Are they really legal? “Are drug screens legal? Recently, I overheard a conversation at a meeting where two people were discussing the legality of pre-employment drug screens. Are they legal? Yes. Are they necessary? Absolutely. Pre-screening or background checks are necessary to make sure that you, the employer, make the right decision for your business.”

8. Times-West Virginian (USA) – More teens using hallucinogenic salvia. “A sage-like herb that triggers intense hallucinogenic trips is a new drug of choice among the country’s teenagers. It’s a drug you don’t need to buy covertly off the street. Salvia divinorum can be purchased legally online or at smoke shops in most states, including West Virginia. ”

9. Scoop (New Zealand) – The FDA Guerillas of Wonky DrugWonks – Part I. “Former Bush Administration officials have formed a pharmaceutical industry guerilla group called the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, described on its website as “a non-partisan, non-profit educational charity,” and a “new vital force in health care policy.” However, for all intents and purposes, the mission of CMPI front group is to promote back-door efforts at tort reform, including pushing complete drug maker immunity through federal preemption, to pump out rapid-response propaganda on the internet to deflate scandals involving the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA, and to discredit anyone who would dares to criticize the industry or the FDA.”

10. PE.com (USA) – Inland parents respond to influx of home drug-testing kits. “All it takes to know whether your child has been using drugs in the past 90 days — from marijuana to methamphetamine to prescription medications — is a lock of hair and an overnight mailer, according to one San Diego company. Thanks to home drug-test kits, which are for sale online and promise results within a few days, it is getting easier for parents who want to test their teenagers. And, unlike the urine tests available in drug stores, the manufacturers say hair-follicle tests are cheat-proof.”