Drug News You Can Use
Drug tests effective in prevention, study shows: Less students used substances in schools with drug policies
Port Neches-Groves High School principal Marc Keith said the random drug-testing program at his school, which is in its third year, is an effective tool for reducing drug instances on campus.
“I know the data we’ve seen through the years have shown a lot less drug activity,” he said.
Keith said he’s able to track the data through disciplinary reports, which have “greatly decreased since implementing the drug-testing program.”
National survey reveals increases in substance use from 2008 to 2009
The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.
http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1009152021.aspx
Pills leading Cape’s youth to heroin
Prescription drug use has spread nationally for more than a decade, and once the trend hit the Cape and Islands, it spread fast. Pills brought heroin, a cheaper, potent and extremely dangerous high, to the suburbs.
The number of patients with opiate addiction at Gosnold, the Cape’s only drug treatment center, has soared from 24 percent in 2002 to 45 percent last year.
LSD-laced gummi bears found
The RCMP in Cranbrook is alerting people about what they believe is a new method of disguising and trafficking drugs. While searching a local residence earlier this year, police located a bag of candy that seemed out of the ordinary and suspicious.
They decided to investigate further and sent the gummi bears to the drug lab for analysis. When they received the results, if confirmed their suspicion. The lab results showed the gummi bears were laced with the drug LSD, also known as Acid.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/102795374.html
Poll: FDA May Miss the Mark on Controlling Substance Abuse in Teens
While the Food and Drug Administration is set to hold hearings later this month on the risks and abuse of over-the-counter cough medicines, a new poll found that law enforcement officials and teachers say marijuana and alcohol abuse are still the biggest threats facing teenagers.
http://www.afro.com/sections/news/afro_briefs/story.htm?storyid=2502
