Featured Articles

• Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus

As people age, they normally lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to remember events. Chronic THC exposure can significantly hasten the age-related loss of hippocampal neurons.

• ADHD Drug Abuse Gets Colleges' Attention

Colleges and universities are warning students about the risk of misusing attention-deficit drugs.



• Monthly Illicit Drug Use Highest in S.F. Area

About 13 percent of San Francisco residents told federal researchers they used some type of illicit drug in the past month, the highest reported drug-use rate in the country, USA Today reported Jan. 8.

• Alcohol Involved in One-Third of Suicides

A third of suicide victims in a recent study had alcohol in their system, and about 10 percent tested positive for other drugs, such as opiates, cocaine, marijuana, or amphetamines, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• NIDA Calls for Meetings to Be Held in States, Cities with Indoor-Smoking Bans

With a few exceptions, future meetings sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will only be held in communities that have enacted comprehensive smoke-free policies, the agency said.

• Meth-Lab Victories Prove Fleeting

MSNBC reported Sept. 18 that police in Georgia and elsewhere have been hit by a wave of imported, high-quality meth as drug cartels moved to fill the void in local markets after local labs shut down.

• Study Says Marijuana Alters Blood Flow in Brain

Marijuana users' problems with memory and concentration could be related to altered blood flow to the brain, according to new research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.



• Class-Action Status Sought in 'Light' Cigarette Case

A federal judge is slated to hear arguments this week about whether to certify a class-action lawsuit centering on marketing of 'light' cigarettes, the Associated Press reported Sept. 12.

• Study: IQ Scores Not Lower in Babies Exposed to Cocaine

Research from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio finds that babies born to mothers who used cocaine heavily during pregnancy do not have lower IQ scores than other children, as originally believed, Reuters reported May 26.


• Majority of Young Adults Who Use Prescription Pain Relievers Nonmedically Obtain the Drugs Free from a Friend or Relative

In 2005, more than 4 million adults ages 18 to 24 reported using prescription pain relievers nonmedically in the past year, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

• Rapid Detox - Rapid Opiate Detox - What is it?

Also referred to as "ultra rapid opiate detox," rapid detox is generally conducted in a hospital setting and under general anesthesia for treating opiate based substances and addictions such as heroin, vicodin, methadone, or any prescribed narcotic pain killers.

• Report Shows Healthy Decline in Smoking During Pregnancy

According to a just-released government report, smoking by pregnant women dropped by one-third in the 1990s, with a particularly sharp decline among women in their late 20s and early 30s. Health officials are, however, concerned by the growing numbers of expecting teenagers who are acting counter to this healthy trend.

• Broad Drug Testing Adopted in Kansas Town

Middle- and high-school students in El Dorado, Kansas are subject to random drug testing when they attend or take part in any extracurricular activity, from sports to clubs, field trips, driver's education, and school plays, the Associated Press reported Sept. 13.

• People in Recovery Make Good Employees

The owner of a Los Angeles cafe says that he makes a point of hiring people in addiction recovery because they make good employees, the Los Angeles Times reported.

• ADHD Students Prescribed Stimulant Medications Less Likely to Abuse Other Drugs

Students who take prescription stimulant medications to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report relatively low rates of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy use compared to students who illicitly use prescription stimulants, according to a recent study of Detroit middle and high school students.


• Binge Drinking: Too Often a Deadly "Game"

In recent national surveys about a third of high school seniors and 42 percent of college students reported at least one occasion of binge drinking within the previous 2 weeks. Alcohol poisoning – a severe and potentially fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose – is the most serious consequence of binge drinking.

• Tobacco Co. Says Nicotine Levels Didn't Increase

The Massachusetts Department of Health recently reported that nicotine levels in cigarettes have risen steadily in recent years, but tobacco firm Philip Morris USA said that nicotine levels in its products have fluctuated from year to year, the Associated Press reported Sept. 11.

• Spitzer to Seek Tobacco Taxes from Tribes

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said that he plans to collect tobacco taxes from Native American tribes that sell cigarettes from reservations around the state, reversing the position of former Gov. George Pataki.

• Smokeless Tobacco Poses Challenge for Stop-Smoking Advocates

Smokeless tobacco use carries serious health risks, but it's not as dangerous as smoking, and some people have used it to help them quit cigarettes. That leaves some health experts torn between the desire to see people stop smoking and advocating an alternative that still may be deadly.

• Deadly Campus Fires Related to Drinking

Overconsumption of alcohol is a huge factor in fires at off-campus college housing, including most fatal blazes, USA Today reported Aug. 30.