Read it here. The 10 second version is that Obama has a decent sized list of predictable progressive pledges and McCain was an early champion of tobacco policy reform and has said little on drug policy recently. The article does look at McCain's positions that are indirectly related to drug policy.

My gut reaction to this is very negative. Id be interested in visiting a school where this is already happening and hear about the impact, positive and negative.Finney High School in Detroit received a federal grant Wednesday to start randomly testing some of its students for drug use as early as this fall.Kanzoni Asabigi, the … Continue reading Drug testing coming to Detroit high school

An new direction for pharmacotherapy:Reporting this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, scientists describe for the first time a set of genes, about 100 in all, that seem to predict how well a smoker will respond to two different types of quitting programs — nicotine replacement or bupropion (Zyban). Nicotine-replacement methods, including the patch, … Continue reading A Genetic Clue to Quitting Smoking

This writer has an interesting take on the Insite controversy.Some of his beliefs about addiction are deeply flawed:I recognize, though, that the advantages of life are not universally shared. I recognize that some people have more choices than others. I recognize, too, that some people have stronger wills than others, and an instinct not to … Continue reading Society pays a high price for the bad choices of a few

This is a little creepy:Drugs that encourage the growth of new neurons in the brain are now headed for clinical trials. The drugs, which have already shown success in alleviating symptoms of depression and boosting memory in animal models, are being developed by BrainCells, a San Diego-based start-up that screens drugs for their brain-growing power. … Continue reading Fertilizer for your brain

An interesting finding:Marijuana's effect on the brain is far from understood, but Australian research published Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that very heavy long-term smoking might be associated with structural changes in two areas of the brain rich in receptors to the drug. The hippocampus, believed to regulate emotion and memory, and … Continue reading The Brain on (Lots of) Marijuana

From Scientific American:Writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Gay­athri J. Dowling, Susan R. B. Weiss and Timothy P. Condon warn that many aging baby boomers, long accustomed to using illicit drugs for recreation and medicinals of all kinds for treating whatever ails them, will carry their love affair with drugs into old age. Medicine is only … Continue reading Aging doesn’t stop drug use

A scathing criticism of the Canadian federal government's opposition to Insite.Complete with serious flaws when reporting history...A major factor in the court's thinking was the widespread belief at the time that addiction could be cured easily thanks to a marvelous treatment invented by Charles B. Towns, a failed stockbroker. Unfortunately, it was realized not long … Continue reading Drug policy freak show

Recently, some questions have been raised about the appropriateness of 12 step facilitation with adolescents. It's been suggested that it's an ineffective strategy and, worse, that it's harmful to adolescents.First, let me address the use of 12 step facilitation with adolescents at Dawn Farm. First, we only employ 12 step facilitation with clients who meet … Continue reading Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous benefit adolescents who attend