Study: ‘Case closed’ –
drinking age of 21 saves lives
A BU public health researcher is hoping to eighty-six any
further debate about rolling back the nationwide legal drinking age of 21 with
a new study that argues the law saves lives — even though underage youths
widely disregard it. William DeJong of Boston University’s School of Public
Health calls his report, published today, “Case Closed.” “I really wanted the
public to know the evidence in support of the law is overwhelming,” DeJong told
the Herald. “This debate really should be declared over.” Advocates of lowering
the drinking age have argued that a drinking age of 18 would make alcohol less
of a forbidden fruit that’s attractive to youths largely because it’s illegal.
College students, they claim, would cut down on risky binge drinking if they
were allowed to drink in bars and restaurants.
Please click here to continue reading.
Alcoholics Anonymous,
Without the Religion
Three floors above a Manhattan street of loading docks and
coffee shops, in a functional room of folding chairs and linoleum tile, a man
who introduced himself as Vic began to speak. “Today is my 35th anniversary,”
he said. The dozen people seated around him applauded, and several even whooped
in support. By most overt measures, this gathering two weeks ago was just
another meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, one of its multitude of meetings
worldwide. At the session’s end an hour later, however, as the participants
clasped hands, instead of reciting the Lord’s Prayer in usual A.A. fashion,
they said together, “Live and let live.” This meeting, as the parting phrase
suggests, is one of a growing number within A.A. that appeal to nonreligious
people in recovery, who might variously describe themselves as agnostics,
atheists, humanists or freethinkers. While such groups were rare even a decade
ago, now they number about 150 nationally. A first-ever convention will be held
in November in Santa Monica, Calif. Please
click here to continue reading.
No Easy Answers For DUI
Concerns As Marijuana Gains Support
The Lodo Wellness Center in Denver has been selling medical
marijuana for several years. But since Jan. 1, when marijuana in Colorado
officially moved from underground to behind the counter, the center has also
been selling legal, recreational pot. A majority of Americans now say they
support full legalization, and the trend is spreading to other states.
Meanwhile, the public health community is warning of a potential safety
problem: more people driving while stoned. But health officials and law
enforcement don't yet have the data or the tools to address the concern. Please
click here to continue reading.
How Evolution Explains Why
Humans Drink and Abuse Alcohol
You may have wondered why we're attracted to alcohol, and
why some people self-destructively consume it to excess. Of course, we drink
alcohol because we like it, but are there deeper evolutionary explanations as
to why our brain is so responsive to the stuff? And are there other animals
that are exposed to alcohol in natural environments? It is the yeasts, after
all, that produce alcohol while fermenting sugars within ripe fruits, nectars,
and other sugar-rich substances. Fruitflies figured out a long time ago that
the smell of alcohol indicates a great source of calories upwind, both for
themselves and for their larvae when they lay eggs on decomposing fruit. But
what about birds and mammals, many of which eat ripe fruit for a living? Please
click here to continue reading.
More than one-third of
adults experiencing major depressive episodes did not talk to a care provider
A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that 38.3 percent of the 15.2 million
American adults who had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year
did not talk to a health provider or an alternative service provider. A
major depressive episode is defined as a period of at least two weeks when a
person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily
activities and had at least four of seven additional symptoms reflecting the
criteria as described in the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric
Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Mental Disorders
(DSM-IV). General practitioners and family doctors were the most common
sources of help among those experiencing major depressive episodes in the past
year who did talk to a healthcare provider about their depression (37.4
percent). About 20.3 percent of people who did consult a professional about a major
depressive episode spoke to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist and 16.3 percent
spoke to a psychologist. Religious or spiritual advisors were the most
cited source of alternative service professional help among adults experiencing
major depressive episodes in the past year (11.3 percent). Slightly more
than 10 percent of adults experiencing a major depressive episode in the past
year talked to both health providers and alternative service providers. More
than One Third of Adults with a Major Depressive Episode Did Not Talk to a
Professional, is available here.
The report is based on data drawn from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and
Health – an annual survey of 67,500 Americans conducted throughout the nation.
Why You Shouldn’t Have
Alcohol Around if You’re On a Diet
Studies show it's more tempting than sugary snacks
Dieting is hard, but it turns out there are specific things
that make us more likely to fall off the wagon. In a new study published in the
journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, researchers found that people are more
likely to give into alcohol than a sugary snack, and friends are especially
hard to refuse. In the study, researchers followed 80 people who were dieting
for one week. All the participants used cell phones to record their diet
temptations and when they gave into temptation. Participants failed at their
diets about half the time, particularly at night. Alcohol was one of the
greatest temptations, more so than sugary snacks. Dieters were also more likely
to lapse when other people were around. Please
click here to continue reading.
Marijuana’s rising
acceptance comes after many failures. Is it now legalization’s time?
In the “medication area” of the nation’s biggest marijuana
exposition, scantily clad young women hand out marshmallows they’ve dipped into
a rushing fountain of pot-laced chocolate. A few steps away, Anthony Ramirez
offers free hits from a bong filled with the waxy marijuana extract that his
family started producing when a friend’s mother needed relief from the pain of
lupus. Please
click here to continue reading.
At Least 6 More States
Considering “Good Samaritan” Laws to Prevent Overdose Deaths
At least six states are considering joining the 17 states
that have passed “Good Samaritan” laws, designed to prevent drug overdose
deaths. The laws grant limited immunity to people who seek help for someone who
has overdosed, USA Today reports. Maine, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Virginia are considering the measures, the newspaper notes. In addition, 17
states have expanded access to the overdose antidote naloxone. The treatment,
sold under the brand name Narcan, has been used for many years by paramedics
and doctors in emergency rooms. It is administered by nasal spray. The medication
blocks the ability of heroin or opioid painkillers to attach to brain cells.
The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy says it is encouraging police
departments to carry Narcan. North Carolina and Oklahoma are among the states
that have passed Good Samaritan laws with the support of conservative
Republican legislators. The measures have the support of groups including the
American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Drug Diversion
Investigators. Republicans spearheaded Good Samaritan and naloxone legislation
in North Carolina last year. According to Robert Childs, Executive Director of
the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, since the naloxone legislation went
into effect in April, there have been 45 documented cases of overdose reversals
due to the use of naloxone. The coalition has dispensed more than 700 reversal
kits in the past five months. Maine Governor Paul LePage opposes the naloxone
access bill under consideration in his state. He says making naloxone more
available would encourage more drug use. He also vetoed a Good Samaritan bill
last year.
Advocates Urge FDA to
Revoke Approval of Painkiller Zohydro
More than 40 addiction treatment, health care and consumer
groups are urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse its
decision to approve the prescription painkiller Zohydro ER (extended release),
CNN reports. The drug is a pure form of the painkiller hydrocodone. The FDA
approved Zohydro ER in October for patients with pain that requires daily,
around-the-clock, long-term treatment that cannot be treated with other drugs.
Drugs such as Vicodin contain a combination of hydrocodone and other
painkillers such as acetaminophen. Zohydro ER is set to become available in
March, the article notes. In December 2012, a panel of experts assembled by the
FDA voted against recommending approval of Zohydro ER. The panel cited concerns
over the potential for addiction. Zohydro is designed to be released over time,
and can be crushed and snorted by people seeking a strong, quick high. The
opioid drug OxyContin has been reformulated to make it harder to crush or
dissolve, but Zohydro does not include similar tamper-resistant features. In a
letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the coalition of health
groups, wrote, “In the midst of a severe drug epidemic fueled by
overprescribing of opioids, the very last thing the country needs is a new,
dangerous, high-dose opioid. Too many people have already become addicted to
similar opioid medications, and too many lives have been lost.” The health
groups include the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Public Citizen
Health Research Group, Phoenix House, the Hazelden Foundation, and Physicians
for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. In December, 28 attorneys general wrote to
Commissioner Hamburg, saying they believe the approval of Zohydro ER “has the
potential to exacerbate our nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic because
this drug will be the first hydrocodone-only opioid narcotic that is reportedly
five to ten times more potent than traditional hydrocodone products, and it has
no abuse-deterrent properties.”
Marijuana Legalization
Expected to Lead to More Teen Use: Survey
A survey of high school seniors suggests marijuana
legalization will lead to increased use of the drug among teens. The survey
found 10 percent of seniors who said they don’t currently use marijuana said
they would try it if the drug were legal. Researchers at New York University’s
Center for Drug Use and HIV Research surveyed almost 10,000 high school seniors
about their attitudes toward marijuana, UPI reports. The findings appear in the
International Journal of Drug Policy. “What I personally find interesting is
the reasonably high percentage of students who are very religious,
non-cigarette smokers, non-drinkers, and those who have friends who disapprove
of marijuana use — who said they intended to try marijuana if it was legal,”
lead researcher Dr. Joseph J. Palamar said in a news release. “This suggests
that many people may be solely avoiding use because it is illegal, not because
it is ‘bad’ for you, or ‘wrong’ to use.”
Prescription Drug Abuse
Explained: Painkiller Addiction May Stem From How Opiates Affect Brain’s Reward
System
Worldwide, an estimated 12 to 21 million people abuse
opioids — including prescription pain killers, morphine, and heroin — while in
the U.S. alone, 1.9 million people are addicted to prescription pain relievers.
Although the seduction of opioids may be clear to some people, what remains
unknown is the effect of these drugs on specific pathways in the brain. Now,
research led by a scientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
reveals that use of opiates alters the activity of a specific protein known as
RGS9-2, which in turn impacts and alters the normal functioning of the brain's
reward center. By identifying the specific brain pathways that promote pain
relief, addiction, and tolerance, the researchers are hoping to develop less
dangerous yet more effective analgesics. Please
click here to continue reading.
Prescription drug abuse
focus of governors’ winter meeting session
As part of the National Governors Association’s (NGA)
ongoing effort to help states reduce prescription drug abuse, findings from the
Prescription Drug Abuse Reduction Policy Academy were the focus of the Health
and Human Services Committee session at NGA’s 2014 Winter Meeting. Prescription
drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States and the
second most common type of drug abuse (following marijuana use among 12- to
17-year-olds). Please
click here to continue reading.
Pivotal Point Is Seen as
More States Consider Legalizing Marijuana
A little over a year after Colorado and Washington legalized
marijuana, more than half the states, including some in the conservative South,
are considering decriminalizing the drug or legalizing it for medical or recreational
use. That has set up a watershed year in the battle over whether marijuana
should be as available as alcohol. Demonstrating how marijuana is no longer a
strictly partisan issue, the two states considered likeliest this year to
follow Colorado and Washington in outright legalization of the drug are Oregon,
dominated by liberal Democrats, and Alaska, where libertarian Republicans hold
sway. Please
click here to continue reading.
Can David Nutt wean us off
the demon drink with his alcohol substitute?
The former government drugs adviser believes the only way to
reduce the harms of alcohol is to replace it with a safer intoxicant.
Cancer incidence is set to increase by 70% globally between
now and 2024, according to the World Health Organisation's World Cancer Report
published earlier this month. The report states that much of the increase will
be down to lifestyle factors – not just smoking, but also physical inactivity
and excessive consumption of sugar (leading to obesity) and alcohol. Changing
people's behaviour is notoriously difficult and costly, but what if it were
possible to greatly reduce the toxic effect of one of these lifestyle choices,
alcohol? This is what David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at
Imperial College London and former chairman of the UK government's Advisory
Council on the Misuse of Drugs hopes to achieve with an alcohol substitute he
is working on. The drug would be intoxicating but harmless. Please
click here to continue reading.
It's not 1960 anymore
I began my career as an alcoholism counselor in 1962 in a
28-day, inpatient, 12-Step, disease model alcoholism treatment program. There
was no patient assessment of any kind, there was no treatment planning, and
treatment consisted of 28-day immersion in the Steps and Principles of
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Group therapy consisted of reading and discussing a
chapter in the Big Book or listening to a tape recording of someone telling
his/her story at an AA meeting. The psychoeducational component consisted of
Step lectures or topics such as the disease of alcoholism. What I have just
described would not be considered “treatment” by today's standards. Funny
thing, though: It worked, and many patients went on to become the early
alcoholism counselors after their own treatment. The fact that this approach
was the precipitant for so many people to begin their recovery screams for explanation.
If this was not treatment by today's standards, as valuable as it might have
been, this phenomenon leads us to take a closer look at the patients back then.
Please click
here to continue reading.
DEA Cracks Down on Potent
Marijuana Product Called “Wax” in California
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is cracking down
in California on a potent marijuana product called “wax,” according to ABC
News. Wax is legal—and popular—in Colorado. Wax is a distillation of marijuana
said to be so potent that a single hit will keep a person high for more than a
day, the article notes. A person making wax uses the flammable substance butane
to strip out the THC, the chemical in marijuana that causes a high. “There is
no weed out there that possesses the punching power that the wax does,” an
anonymous undercover DEA informant told ABC News’ “Nightline.” “And it’s like
smoking 20 joints of the best grade of weed that you have into one hit of the
wax.” Gary Hill of the DEA’s San Diego office said, “We have seen people have
an onset of psychosis and even brain damage from that exposure to that high
concentration of THC. Our concern is that this is going to spread before we get
it under control.” In Colorado, wax is legal for anyone over the age of 21. It
is sold in recreational marijuana dispensaries. A three-day contest called the
X-Cup, held in Denver, is designed to determine who can make the most potent
batch of wax.
Medical Marijuana Workers
Have The Same Labor Rights As Everyone Else, Feds Say
The next time a pot shop gets a visit from the feds, it
won't necessarily be from drug enforcement agents looking to shut the operation
down. It might just come from workplace regulators making sure that labor laws
are being followed. Such is the federal government's deeply conflicted approach
to marijuana these days. The National Labor Relations Board has already waded
into a union organizing campaign at a medical marijuana dispensary in Maine,
even though the industry itself remains at odds with federal law. Please
click here to continue reading.
Prescription Addiction:
What Can Be Done About Rising Rx Overdoses?
The evening news is filled with fatal car crashes and
shootings. But drug overdoses kill nearly 40,000 people a year, accounting for
more deaths than vehicular accidents or homicides. Drug overdoses are on the
rise in America, fueled largely by prescription meds. Reversing the course of
this epidemic will require some dramatic changes. Please
click here to continue reading.
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