Methamphetamine skyrocketed in popularity during the 1990s, when at-home labs churned the drug out across the country. Through various law changes and programs, the use of methamphetamine has slowed. For instance, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 limited the amount of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine that could be sold over the counter, slowing the production of methamphetamine.
Last week, health officials from Massachusetts’ Public Health Council unanimously approved the implementation of a new state detection system that will help physicians prevent prescription drug addicts from doctor shopping.
Before I knew better, whenever I envisioned an “addict”, I saw in my head some scrawny guy with greasy hair trying to slyly slip a wad of money to his dealer in order to get a little plastic baggie of white powder in return. In other words, a “junkie”. Today’s addict, however, is your lawyer, doctor, accountant, stockbroker and soccer mom too. And while people from all walks of life still dabble in the illegal stuff — snort coke, do meth, and smoke pot, an emerging epidemic involves taking medication that is perfectly legal with the appropriate prescription.
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is involved with learning and memory, and could help with treating cocaine addiction. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) represent a network of G-protein-coupled receptors that help transmit glutamates, and these receptors could play an important role in treating a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as drug addiction.
In the United States. the 21st birthday is the great milestone into adulthood. It is a very important day for young adults, because they are able to legally drink alcohol. With many young adults turning 21 away at school, out from under a parent’s watchful eye, the party can get crazy.
There is an ongoing problem in Florida, the state is the leading destination for the illicit procurement of prescription drugs – for which most consumers do not have a prescription. The question that law and policy makers continue to ask is whether or not a monitoring program can thwart the problem.
A synthetic, psychoactive drug, MDMA – or methylenedioxymethamphetamine – is known to be chemically similar to stimulant methamphetamine, as well as the hallucinogen mescaline. Individuals will take MDMA, which is also known as Ecstasy, due to its ability to produce feelings of increased energy, emotional warmth, euphoria and even distortions in perception, time and tactile experiences.
On July 5, former Oakland Raider quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested by police at his home in Mobile, Alabama, for possession of codeine cough syrup without a prescription. The arrest resulted as part of a two-month undercover operation by police from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department. After posting bail on July 8, Russell is scheduled to appear in court on July 20 to face charges of possession of a controlled substance.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has contributed a $1.86 million grant to the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Dentistry to lead a study on the hazards that methamphetamine use causes to oral and dental health.
A rave can be a fun event, until ecstasy becomes involved. These all-night dance parties have been known to draw the use of the drug and when it becomes mixed with alcohol or other drugs, can lead to hospitalization or even death.
