drugs

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Reefer Madness: Marijuana Ups Psychosis Risk

New study reveals that pot smokers have a 41% increased chance of psychosis

(Newser) - Smoking pot increases your risk of developing schizophrenia and other forms of psychotic illness later in life, according to a new study. Partakers had a 41% higher chance of developing psychosis with hallucinations or delusions—a risk that only increased with heavy use. The findings may push the UK to...

Celebs Turning Rehab Into Joke: Experts

Lohan, Spears 'waltzing' in and out of treatment sends wrong message

(Newser) - The debauched lifestyles of celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are turning substance-abuse rehab into a punch line, making light of a process that helps thousands of people each year, say experts. Lohan was arrested on suspicion of DUI this week just days after finishing rehab; in February, Spears...

Cartels Come Down Hard on Mexican Cops

Local law enforcement wages drug war within and without

(Newser) - Despite the Mexican government's vow to crack down on drug cartels, local police forces are outmanned, outmaneuvered, and outgunned by the more sophisticated trafficking organizations, the Los Angeles Time reports. The ill-prepared and often corrupt community police have emerged as the weakest link in the offensive against drug trafficking on...

Al Gore III Arrested on Drug Charges

Ex-VP's son nabbed (in a Prius) with pot, prescription drugs

(Newser) - Al Gore III was arrested on drug charges early this morning after being pulled over for doing 100 mph on a California freeway. An Orange County deputy allegedly smelled marijuana, CBS 2 in LA reports, and a search turned up an ounce of pot as well as Valium, Xanax, Vicodin,...

Majority of Alcoholics Are Young Adults

Study splits drinkers into 5 categories; 2 largest are in 20s

(Newser) - More than half of all alcoholics in the United States are young adults, reveals a new study that surveyed 1,484 US adults. The study, reported by CBS, divided problem drinkers into five types. Despite the stereotype of the alcoholic as middle-aged, the average age in the two largest groups—...

Terror Groups Use Commodity Trades to Move Money

Looks like food aid, funds insurgency

(Newser) - Commodity trading is the latest avenue for terrorists and narcotics traffickers to launder large amounts of money, the Wall Street Journal reports. Basic foodstuffs, like sugar, flour and oil, are legitimately bought on the market and transferred to trade-restricted Iran or Palestine in the guise of legal aid. There they're...

In Anti-Drug Move, Mexico Purges Police

Surprise replacement of chiefs intended to root out corruption

(Newser) - Mexico has dismissed all of its federal police chiefs in an effort to kick-start the country's stalled war on drugs. Corruption within law enforcement is a major factor in the failure of President Felipe Calderon's six-month drug crackdown, the LA Times reports. Six federal officers were arrested this month for...

New Studies Give Hope to Parkinson's Patients

Gene therapy, drug could halt disease

(Newser) - Two new experimental treatments for Parkinson's could stop the progress of the devastating disease and allay its symptoms, researchers say. A new study shows gene therapy was successful in boosting production of an enzyme that calms overactive neurons, reducing the jittery effects of the brain disorder.

Bloodthinner Can Help Frostbite Victims

Drug spares digits, study says

(Newser) - A clot-busting drug is remarkably effective in treating frostbite patients, according to new research from the University of Utah health center, reports the Los Angeles Times. Patients whose treatment included tissue plasmingoen activator (tPA) kept 90% of affected fingers and toes; patients treated before the drug was in use had...

FDA Advisory Panel Rejects Weight-Loss Drug

Possible side effects send Acomplia to the sidelines

(Newser) - Accomplia, a weight-loss drug marketed in 18 other countries, failed to win approval from an FDA advisory board yesterday. The 14-member panel of outside experts ruled unanimously that manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis had not dispelled concerns about the safety of the drug, whose potential side effects include suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and depression.

China to Test Controversial Malaria Treatment

Researchers aim to eradicate disease on African island

(Newser) - A Chinese researcher will test a radical new strategy designed to wipe out malaria on a small African island, the International Herald Tribune reports. Mass treatment with a highly effective antimalarial drug would virtually clear the parasite from patients' blood, but critics fear the plan could backfire, causing drug resistance...

New Drug Battles Liver Cancer
New Drug Battles Liver Cancer
Jun 4, 2007 7:37 AM CDT

New Drug Battles Liver Cancer

Nexavar, already approved for kidney cancer, shows promise in liver patients

(Newser) - An impressive clinical trial has produced what could be the first effective drug treatment for liver cancer, the New York Times reports. Nexavar, which blocks both the blood supply to the tumor and proteins that spur tumor growth, extended the lives of patients in the trial by almost three months,...

Glaxo Stems Stock Slide Over Avandia

Medical chief rebuts findings on heart risks; claims comparable to other drugs

(Newser) - Glaxo shares pulled out of a tailspin after the pharma giant defended its second biggest selling drug, Avandia, against claims that it triggers heart attacks.  A sharply worded letter from the company's chief medical officer on the website of medical journal The Lancet pointed out that the increased incidence...

Drug Company Nemesis Strikes Again
Drug Company Nemesis
Strikes Again
May 22, 2007 1:32 PM CDT

Drug Company Nemesis Strikes Again

Crusading cardiologist took on Vioxx, now Avandia, for heart risks

(Newser) - The doctor who helped to raise concerns about the painkiller Vioxx is back—with the study released earlier this week linking the same company's popular diabetes drug, Avandia, to higher risk of heart attacks. The Wall Street Journal looks at 58-year-old cardiologist Steven Nissen's role in identifying and publicizing drug...

Psych Drugs Drove Kid Crazy
Psych Drugs Drove Kid Crazy
May 18, 2007 9:44 PM CDT

Psych Drugs Drove Kid Crazy

Careless prescriptions turned shy chess nerd into into belligerent hulk

(Newser) - The careless prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, often by psychiatrists who draw pay checks from the companies who make them, has drawn attention in the New York Times recently. Now Ann Bauer, writing in Salon, draws an intimate portrait of the effects of such carelessness on one autistic teenager, who turned...

Doping Scandal Takes a Turn for the Tabloid

Witness LeMond describes intimidation by Landis' manager

(Newser) - Floyd Landis' doping hearing vaulted from procedural to lurid yesterday with an allegation of harassment and acknowledgment of sexual abuse by a fellow American Tour de France winner. In an attempt to keep Greg LeMond from taking the stand, Landis' manager phoned him on Wednesday and impersonated the uncle who...

Big Pharma Loses Generic Drug Fight
Big Pharma Loses Generic
Drug Fight
May 17, 2007 10:23 AM CDT

Big Pharma Loses Generic Drug Fight

Deal for developing nations first blow by Dems in Congress

(Newser) - Congress and the White House have agreed to give developing nations more access to affordable generic drugs by easing some patent enforcement rules. Tucked into a broader trade agreement passed last week, the provision is the first blow to American pharmaceutical companies since the Democrats won control of Congress, the ...

Mexico Deploys Soldiers to Fight Drug War

Law-enforcement gaps, budget woes give traffickers upper hand

(Newser) - In its battle against drug traffickers, the Mexican army fights not just the cartels but also a lethal combination of corruption, power vacuums, and even geography. Desertion rates are high, salaries low, and the assignment difficult if not impossible. The LA Times visits Apatzingan, a drug-war hotspot whose police chief...

FDA Given New Muscle To Monitor Drugs

Senate bill requires continued scrutiny after approval

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration would be given sweeping new powers to order drug recalls, regulate advertising and mandate changes in labels under a bill passed by the Senate yesterday. The bill signals a fundamental shift in the FDA's role, the New York Times reports, requiring the agency to track...

Dealers Making Drugs for Kids
Dealers Making Drugs for Kids
May 9, 2007 9:52 AM CDT

Dealers Making Drugs for Kids

Heroin mixed with cold medicine is a hit with middle-school customers

(Newser) - Drug traffickers are pursuing the middle-school crowd by mixing snortable dope with everyday products like cold medicine and candy, and pushing the product under kid-friendly names. A blend of black tar heroin and Tylenol PM labeled "cheese" has been linked to the deaths of 19 teenagers in Dallas.

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