Spike in methadone-related deaths has some seeking drug regulation A drug commended years ago for helping to loosen heroin’s deadly grip in Pennsylvania and beyond may now be the region’s No. 1 killer. Coroners say 21 people in Blair, Cambria and Clearfield counties died of accidental methadone overdoses in 2007 – more than the statewide….
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Whether drinking alcohol helps or hurts your chances of avoiding heart disease and stroke may depend on your gender as well as how much you imbibe, a new study finds. The report, which appears online July 11 in the journal Stroke, looked at the drinking habits and lifestyles of more than 80,000 Japanese men and….
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An Associated Press analysis of federal records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available. Over the seven-year span, 83 of the college-age victims were under the drinking age of 21. A separate AP analysis of hundreds of….
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If there was a disease suffered by one out of every ten Americans over twelve years of age, wouldn’t you agree that this disease was raging out of control? That’s exactly the situation that exists with drug abuse and dependence. The government agency that monitors the statistics on drug abuse and dependence is the Substance….
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Scientific evidence has long suggested that moderate drinking offers some protection against heart disease, certain types of stroke and some forms of cancer. But new research shows that stopping drinking — including at moderate levels — may lead to health problems including depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce new neurons, a….
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Alterations in a molecular brain pathway activated by marijuana may contribute to the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Expression of the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R), the site of action of the main chemical ingredient of marijuana, is significantly….
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It was a sight that stunned early-morning surfers and left environmentalists in disbelief. For the first time in memory, San Diego-area beaches didn’t look like a dump the morning after Independence Day. With alcohol banned at most county beaches this year, Fourth of July festivities were milder, family-friendly affairs up and down the coast. And….
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If you have children between the ages of 12 and 20, you might want talk to them about the dangers of underage drinking. A new study released from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says more kids are drinking at a younger age because their parents aren’t educating them enough about the….
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A survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) research consortium found that the United States had among the highest lifetime rates of tobacco and alcohol use and led in the proportion of participants reporting cannabis (marijuana) or cocaine use at least once during their lifetime. The study, led by Dr. Louisa Degenhardt of the….
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Knowledge dispels ignorance. And when it comes to underage drinking and other drug use, we as a society are astonishingly and shamefully ignorant. Efforts by the media and public officials to enlighten residents are critical to breaking this woeful lack of awareness. The sky is falling on our teens and young adults, and there is….
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