A publicity seeking stunt? Or, a little mentioned harm associated with excessive drinking?The family planning service Marie Stopes International said today that it performed a record number of UK abortions last month.The charity carried out nearly 6,000 abortions at its nine centres across the UK in January, the highest number in its 32-year history. This … Continue reading Charity records 13% rise in post-Christmas abortions

First, USA Today did it's best to create the impression that there is still a raging debate about marijuana and the gateway theory:Most users of more addictive drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, started with marijuana, scientists say, and the earlier they started, the greater their risk of becoming addicted. Many studies have documented a … Continue reading Three takes on weed

I'm glad I'm not a drug addict in Ireland:Two doctors specialising in treating substance abuse in Dublin have called for new thinking in treatment services and say doctors need to be aware that the evidence-base shows that abstinence in opiate drug addiction treatment does not work....Dr Quig­ley believes some doctors take an “ultra abstinence approach” … Continue reading Ultra Abstinence Approach?

From the Onion:Following the tragic falling death of 32-year-old methamphetamine addict Phillip Diggs, who was reportedly attacked by spiders while scaling a large construction crane near Palo Alto, CA, thousands of outraged and confused meth addicts marched frenetically on Washington as part of a week of activities urging the federal government to address the nation's … Continue reading Meth Addicts Demand Government Address Nation’s Growing Spider Menace

More on the insula and nicotine addiction. (Requires free registration. If you don't wish to register, you can use http://www.bugmenot.com.)According to neuroscientists who study it, the insula is a long-neglected brain region that has emerged as crucial to understanding what it feels like to be human. They say it is the wellspring of social emotions, … Continue reading A Small Part of the Brain, and Its Profound Effects

The U.K.'s Daily Mail recently ran a story on a plan to vaccinate children for cocaine, heroin and tobacco. The vaccine would prevent any effects from the drugs and therefore prevent any addiction.A group called the Transform Drug Policy Foundation has written a response on their blog. They argue that: Drug vaccines don’t really work; … Continue reading Plan to vaccinate babies against drugs

Recent efforts may have been successful at reducing American meth production, but it appears Mexican cartels may be picking up the slack.The Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005, which trumps laws that had already been passed in many states, made stores move their cold medicines containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine - which can be extracted and used … Continue reading Pseudophedrine restrictions a boon to Mexican cartels

Jack Shafer gives Newsweek a big TOLD YA SO!Last Friday, Jan. 26, the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health released results from a survey that showed meth use had "declined overall between 2002 and 2005" and that the number of "initiates"— people using the drug for the first time in the 12 months … Continue reading About That Methedemic

This article has gotten a lot of attention today. It runs counter to my admittedly biased experience and the experience of colleague who work in settings focused on homelessness. Note that it uses the term substance abuse rather than dependence. It's easy to believe that people with a diagnosis of substance abuse may have developed … Continue reading Homelessness a cause, not a result of drug abuse

Another article on calls for a "safe inhalation site" in Vancouver:Addicts who smoke hard drugs will have an indoor place to get their fix if a Vancouver drug users group is able to open North America's first safe inhalation site later this year.... Such an unsanctioned facility would provide a supervised location for addicts to … Continue reading Activists Plan ‘Safe Site’ for Drug Smokers