House panel approves drug-tracking
bill
A House panel on
Wednesday advanced legislation along party lines to increase the tracking of prescription
drugs. The Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013 requires the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to propose new rules to keep consumers safe from
counterfeit prescriptions, but stops short of forcing regulators to finalize
those rules. Lawmakers voted down an amendment from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
that would have required the development and implementation of an electronic
unit-level tracking system for drugs within 10 years. The system would not
allow criminals to insert fake medications into the supply system because each
individual prescription would have a marker. Read
more here.
The Link Between Stress and Alcohol
Today, more and more servicemen and women are leaving active duty and returning
to civilian life. That transition can be difficult. The stresses associated
with military service are not easily shed. But dealing with stress is not
limited to recent Veterans. A new job, a death in the family, moving across the
country, a breakup, or getting married—all are situations that can result in
psychological and physical symptoms collectively known as “stress.” Continue reading
here (and also download the report).
Teens may be seeing more drinking on screen, but will that lead them to have more problems with alcohol? In a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, scientists studied the placement and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco products in 1,400 films that were among the top 100 box-office hits in the U.S. between 1996 and 2009. According to the researchers, smoking and the appearance of tobacco products dropped during that period, by 42.3% in youth rated movies and by 85.4% in adult rated movies, while the appearance of alcohol increased. Read more.
Teens Mix Prescription Opioids with Other Substances
Abusing prescription opioid pain relievers is a major problem among young people, and a new study shows users are combining those drugs with other substances. Click here to read the full report.
Abusing prescription opioid pain relievers is a major problem among young people, and a new study shows users are combining those drugs with other substances. Click here to read the full report.
Many Arrested Men Use Illegal Drugs
But Don’t Receive Treatment
A study of men arrested in five major U.S. cities finds more than 60 percent
use illegal drugs, but most do not receive treatment. The report found positive
drug test results among arrested men range from 62 percent in Atlanta to 86
percent in Chicago, USA Today reports. According to the Office of National Drug
Control Policy (ONDCP), 70 percent had never been in any form of drug or
alcohol treatment. The 2012 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Annual Report,
included data from 1,736 men in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York and
Sacramento, who were drug tested within 48 hours of their arrest. Marijuana was
the mostly commonly used drug among arrested men, showing up in more than half
of drug tests, the report found. In Sacramento, 40 percent of men tested
positive for methamphetamine, while fewer than 1 percent of men in Chicago, New
York and Atlanta tested positive for the drug. In Denver, 13 percent tested
positive for meth. Positive tests for opiates, including heroin and painkillers
such as oxycodone, increased in Denver in Sacramento, but decreased in Chicago
and New York. ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske said the report shows criminal
justice reform is needed. The report “confirms an urgent need to support policy
reform outlined in the Obama Administration’s new drug policy strategy, which
emphasizes prevention, treatment, and ‘smart on crime’ policies that break the
vicious cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration in America,” he said in a
statement.
Trends in Prescription
Drug Abuse: 'Bridging Medications'
The epidemic of unintended prescription drug overdoses
continues to spread across the United States. The medications being abused and
misused in these tragic events are often opioids and benzodiazepines. A lesser
known phenomenon involves use of other prescription medications to minimize
physiologic withdrawal until individuals can obtain their next "chemical
high" with their drug of choice. This practice is commonly referred to as
"bridging." Recognizing bridging behaviors may help clinicians
identify patients with the disease of addiction or potential medication adverse
effects. More here.
Research highlights the
increasing problem of prescription drug abuse among youth
Young people are increasingly turning to prescription drugs
to get high. Research out of the University of Cincinnati sheds new light on
what could increase or lower that risk. The research by Keith King, a
University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion; Rebecca Vidourek, a UC
assistant professor of health promotion; and Ashley Merianos, a graduate
assistant in health promotion, is published in the current issue of the Journal
of Primary Prevention. The study focused on more than 54,000 7th- through 12th
- grade students in schools across Greater Cincinnati, including the Tristate
regions of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The data was collected by the Coalition
for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati as part of the 2009-2010 Pride Survey on
adolescent drug use in America. A total of 13.7 percent of the students
reported using prescription drugs – without a doctor's prescription – in their
lifetime. Males were more likely to abuse prescription drugs, as well as high
school students, versus junior high school students. Among ethnicities studied,
Hispanic students indicated they were more likely to use nonmedical
prescription drugs compared with white and African-American students. Read
more here.
Study Finds
Movies Feature More Alcohol and Less Tobacco
Depictions of
drinking alcohol in movies increased between 1996 and 2009, while smoking
scenes decreased, according to a new study. Researchers studied the placement
and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco products in 1,400 movies during that
period. Smoking and tobacco products decreased 42.3 percent in youth-rated
movies, and 85.4 percent in adult-rated movies during that time frame. In
contrast, alcohol brand product placement in youth-rated movies increased from
80 to 145 per year, an increase of 5.2 appearances annually. The researchers
report in JAMA Pediatrics that the decrease in smoking in movies can
be attributed to the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, which required
tobacco companies to change their marketing practices and to fund anti-smoking
advocacy organizations. Experts disagree about how much alcohol and tobacco
scenes in movies influence young people’s behavior, Time.com reports. Some
point out it often isn’t known whether teens start drinking or smoking before
or after seeing particular movies. A study published last year found watching
movies with scenes that feature alcohol consumption doubles the likelihood that
teens will start drinking alcohol. The two-year study of more than 6,500
American kids, ages 10 to 14, also found that teens who are exposed to
alcohol-fueled movies are more likely to progress to binge drinking (five or
more drinks in a row). A second study published last year, which included more
than 16,000 European teens, suggested the amount of drinking children and teens
see in movies may influence their own drinking habits.
Taking ADHD Drugs in
Childhood Does Not Affect Later Substance Abuse Risk: Study
Taking medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) in childhood does not affect the risk of substance abuse later
in life, according to a new study. Earlier research indicated children who took
ADHD drugs had a reduced risk of substance abuse, The New York Times reports.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, reviewed 15 previous
studies on ADHD medication use in childhood and later risk of substance abuse.
They published their results in JAMA Psychiatry. Almost one in five boys of
high school age, and 11 percent of school-age children overall, have received a
medical diagnosis of ADHD in the United States, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 to 17
had received an ADHD diagnosis at some point. This represents a 16 percent
increase since 2007, and a 53 percent increase in the past 10 years. Study
Senior Author Steve S. Lee said his team only knew whether a child had ever
taken ADHD medication, but not how old they were when they took it, which
medication they took, or how long they used it. He said it is possible that
some subgroups of these children might have lower or higher risk of substance
abuse later in life. “For any particular child, parents should consult with the
prescribing physician about potential side effects and long-term risks,” Lee
said in a news release. “Saying that all parents need not be concerned about
the use of stimulant medication for their children is an overstatement; parents
should have the conversation with the physician. As with other medications,
there are potential side effects, and the patient should be carefully evaluated
to, for example, determine the proper dosage.”
73 New Synthetic Drugs
Detected in Europe Last Year, Agency Announces
Last year 73 new synthetic drugs were detected in Europe,
according to the European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMDCCA). Of these drugs, 30
were variations of synthetic marijuana. “These products, which can be extremely
potent, have now been reported in virtually all European countries,” according
to the agency’s annual report. The BBC notes the agency detected 49 new drugs
in 2011. An estimated 85 million adults—one quarter of Europe’s adult
population—have used an illicit drug, the report found. Rob Wainwright, Director
of Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, said in a news
release, “The new drugs phenomenon is now recognized to be a global issue and a
globalized market, which makes it particularly difficult to control. The report
shows that organized crime is involved in the production of new drugs, a
rapidly developing and expanding market with low risks and high profits.” In a
study conducted with Europol, the EMCDDA found synthetic drugs are often
imported in bulk from China and India for processing and packaging. The annual
report noted there are fewer new users of heroin, and less marijuana and
cocaine use in some countries. The agency called for more long-term support for
substance abuse treatment.
New medicine offers hope
for some addicts
There is no magic pill to cure addiction. There is no one
answer, no one-size-fits-all solution to opiate addiction. But medical
breakthroughs are saving lives, offering answers to people who thought they’d
run out of choices, of places to go, of methods to try. Continue
reading here.
The most embarrassing
graph in American drug policy
When it comes to drugs, it’s all about prices. The ability
to raise prices is– at least is perceived to be–a critical function of drug
control policy. Higher prices discourage young people from using. Higher prices
encourage adult users to consume less, to quit sooner, or to seek treatment.
(Though higher prices can bring short-term problems, too, as drug users turn to
crime to finance their increasingly unaffordable habit.) An enormous law
enforcement effort seeks to raise prices at every point in the supply chain
from farmers to end-users: Eradicating coca crops in source countries,
hindering access to chemicals required for drug production, interdicting
smuggling routes internationally and within our borders, street-level police
actions against local dealers. That’s why this may be the most embarrassing
graph in the history of drug control policy. (I’m grateful to Peter Reuter,
Jonathan Caulkins, and Sarah Chandler for their willingness to share this
figure from their work.) Law enforcement strategies have utterly failed to even
maintain street prices of the key illicit substances. Street drug prices in the
below figure fell by roughly a factor of five between 1980 and 2008. Meanwhile
the number of drug offenders locked up in our jails and prisons went from fewer
than 42,000 in 1980 to a peak of 562,000 in 2007. Rest
of this article is here.
When a Committee Isn't
Enough
California State University at Chico has had seven
alcohol-related deaths since fall of 2012. But when it comes to risk reduction,
the institution has realized there is strength in numbers -- and from diverse
angles. That's consistently been the case for more than a dozen state
universities in California that have reduced rates of alcohol-related incidents
in large part by partnering student health staff with scores of seemingly
unrelated but immensely helpful groups, both on campus and off. Continue
here.
Move over tequila, here
comes Chinese firewater
Chinese baijiu, a flammable, pungent white liquor averaging
a 110-proof wallop, is the world's most consumed form of liquor thanks to its
popularity in China, but for the first time distillers are looking to develop
export markets. According to data from International Wine & Spirit
Research, Chinese people drank over 11 billion liters of baijiu in 2012; the
spirit, distilled from sorghum, wheat or rice, accounted for more than
one-third of all spirits consumed in the world. Read
more here.
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