Psychemedics

Repeated use of the drug popularly known as “ecstasy” significantly raises the risk of developing sleep apnea in otherwise healthy young adults with no other known risk factors for the sleep disturbance, a new study by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests. The finding is the latest highlighting the potential dangers of the amphetamine-style chemical, currently used … Read more

Deaths from opioid use in Ontario, Canada, have doubled since 1991 and the addition of long-acting oxycodone to the drug formulary was associated with a 5-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Most of these additional deaths were accidental. Opioids are among the most commonly prescribed medications … Read more

“In Elkhart, meth is not the only illegal drug, but it is the one that has dealt the hardest blow to its working-class gut, bringing down many men and women who staff the area’s RV factories. Over the course of the recession, at least one aspect of the problem has worsened: By mid-November of this … Read more

Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new study shows that, in the case of cocaine, a high score on the so-called ‘scale of craving’, an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse … Read more

By January W. Payne “Michael Jackson’s death has brought renewed attention to prescription drug abuse, which has long been a problem for everyday Americans as well as pill-popping celebrities. About 48 million people, or 20 percent of Americans over age 12, have taken prescription medications—often, the painkillers called opioids—for nonmedical reasons, according to the National … Read more

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend approval of a new formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin) that is more difficult to crush or dissolve, and which may deter drug abuse. By a 14-4 margin, with one abstention, the panel recommended that the FDA approve Purdue Pharma’s application … Read more

By Andrew Clevenger “CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A retired Mingo County school bus driver who admitted she dealt large amounts of cocaine was sentenced in federal court Thursday to more than 13 years in prison.” https://wvgazette.com/News/200908270781

“Before condos in Williamsburg started selling at a loss and weekend flights to L.A. dropped to under $200, New York’s cocaine dealers were supplying good times to people who indulged like the party wouldn’t end.” https://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/08/hit_by_recession_cocaine_deale.html

ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB MCKENNA – THE BELLINGHAM HERALD “In Washington state, there are more deaths annually from prescription drug abuse than from meth, cocaine, and heroin combined. Due to the abundance of prescription medications, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in our state. That means you or a loved one are … Read more