Study in UK Reveals Dangers of Ketamine
New research from the UK links Ketamine with memory loss and other adverse psychological effects, as well as reveals the drug might be more addictive than previously thought. Ketamine, also known as Speical K, has become an increasingly popular party drug, especially among young clubbers, due largely to its drop in price in recent years. […]
National Substance Abuse Conference Discusses The Role of Addiction Treatment Systems in Canada
At Issues of Substance 2009, over 13 sessions, The CCSA will also examine the role of treatment systems from a variety of perspectives, including Canada’s National Treatment Strategy (NTS) program. It is estimated, according to the CCSA, that only one in 10 persons requiring addiction treatment services actually receives it through the current health care […]
National Conference on Substance Abuse Examines Addiction and Mental Health
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) announced its biennial national conference on substance abuse, Issues of Substance 2009. There will be a number of discussions and sessions surrounding several major topics concerning the substance abuse community. A primary focus of the conference is co-occurring disorders—namely the role of neuroscience, mental health and addictions, and […]
Substance Abuse Becomes A Part of Med School Curriculumn
Drug addiction is often not sufficiently, if at all, covered in medical schools’ curriculum, despite being a national major public health issue. Addiction severely affects overall health, puts lives at risk, and results in a wide range of health conditions. In response to the education gap, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) is launching […]
Meth in the Heartland
Recently we reviewed Methland, a look at America’s meth epidemic through the eyes of small town Olewein, Iowa.Earlier this week, a report from Iowa’s Office of Drug Control Policy found that, although alcohol remains the state’s number one intoxicant of choice, that marijuana and methamphetamine are the most abused illicit drugs by Iowans.The epidemic, it […]
New Drug Addiction Treatment Model Emerging in the States
Philadelphia and Connecticut are emerging as the leaders in drug addiction treatment in the US, renovating an antiquated system that supports incarceration over treatment. Currently, laws in the States, resulting from the thirty-year ‘war on drugs’, create a revolving door of drug addiction and relapse. Addicts either face jail-time or are rehabilitated for 30 or […]
Vancouver May See Inhalation Rooms for Crack Addicts
Vancouver advocates, who won the battle to have supervised injection sites back in 2003, have turned their attention to the city’s crack addicts. Looking for a similar program, advocates are pushing for supervised inhalation rooms, connecting addicts with treatment programs and other health services in an attempt to, above all else, stem the spread of […]
Stress-Induced Responses Linked to Cocaine Addiction Relapse
New research out of the US, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that changes to the brain’s circuitry brought on by stress may lead to cocaine-use relapse. Changes to the circuitry are related to the regulation of serotonin—the neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction, and some cognitive […]
Book Review: Methland
In Methland, New York journalist Nick Reeding serves up a realistic account of the destruction of Middle America at the hands of methamphetamine, as told through the eyes of one small Iowan town. Meth is a highly addictive and extremely potent stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The drug is injected, snorted, smoked, or […]