Prescription drugs misused by 1 million Australians in year, report shows
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report also finds ‘substantial rise’ in drug-induced deaths involving prescription drugs
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Australian Associated Press Tue 19 Dec ‘17 10.28 AEDT
One million Australians misused pharmaceuticals in the previous 12 months, a new report has found.
Analysis by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed the misuse of powerful prescription medications for non-medical reasons was rising and accounted for more drug-induced deaths than illegal drugs.
“Over the past decade, there has been a substantial rise in the number of deaths involving a prescription drug, with drug-induced deaths more likely to be due to prescription drugs than illegal drugs,” said an institute spokesman, Matthew James.
“No Liberalisation”: How Drug Policy was Discussed in the Russian Parliament
The chairman of the conference was Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma. As the first speaker, he suggested introducing stronger penalties for drug use. One measure, for instance, included toughening the penalty for advertising and propaganda of forbidden substances:
“…we need to press for imposing more responsibility for propaganda and advertising of drugs and psychoactive substances. To form a sustainable hostility in the society against not only the drug itself but also the subculture built around it”.
Volodin also mentioned drug distribution done through anonymous, online instant-messaging platforms. Here, he advised the Duma to expand legislation that combats “propaganda” of drug use on social media, and to react “flexibly” to the issue, recommending pre-court bans:
“Drug dealers [have now moved] to anonymous messengers and modern payment systems. And we need to be quick and flexible in decision making. In the Russian Federation, there are already legislative acts on counteraction against the propaganda of drug use in media and social networks. In accordance with them, the pre-court bans of these resources are possible”.
He also spoke against countries that legalise “light drugs”, accusing them of creating difficulties amongst their neighbours. Rather, Volodin suggests opposing this trend by creating a unified legal model:
“We need to base [ourselves] on the principle of united and equal responsibility of all countries. We need to conduct analysis to avoid situations in the future when one country can create difficulties and problems in the neighbouring states by changing its legislation. It primarily concerns the liberalisation and legalisation of so called ‘light drugs’”.
For more Russian Parliament Talks Drug Policy
FEDERAL REGISTER – Dept of Justice (Vol. 81 Friday, No. 156 August 12, 2016)
Drug Enforcement Administation21 CFR Chapter II and Part 1301Denial of Petition To Initiate Proceedings To Reschedule Marijuana; Proposed Rules and Applications To Become Registered Under the Controlled Substances Act To Manufacture Marijuana To supply researchers in the United States; Policy Statement
Document One – DEA Submission Federal Register Denial of Cannabis Rescheduling Petition 2016
Document Two – Dalgarno Institute Summary Federal Register Document Sumary_JV_19_12_17
America\’s opioid crisis behind \’shocking\’ two-year drop in life expectancy![\"\"](\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2017/12/22/TELEMMGLPICT000149829222_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=450\")
Boston paramedics face front lines of U.S. opioid crisis CREDIT: REUTERS Rozina Sabur, Washington DECEMBER 2017
America\’s worsening opioid crisis has caused life expectancy to fall for the second year running for the first time in more than half a century.
The average life expectancy in the US is now 78.6 years – down by 0.1 years, figures from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found.
It is the first consecutive drop in life expectancy since 1962-63 and surpasses the previous one-year dip in 1993 at the height of the Aids epidemic.
America\’s opioid addiction crisis – caused by the over-prescription of opioid-based painkillers – has been blamed for the trend. For complete Story click here Lifespan
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What you should know about date rape drugs 25 December 2017 By Zawn Villines, Reviewed by Alan Carter, PharmD
Any drug that alters a person\’s consciousness in a way that makes self-defense or sound decision-making difficult can be a date rape drug.
Most estimates suggest that at least 25 percent or 1 in 4 of American women have been sexually assaulted or raped. Someone the victim knows, sometimes with the assistance of a date rape drug, commits most rapes.
Knowing the most common date rape drugs, their side effects, and the signs of a perpetrator planning to use one can prevent victimization.
Fast facts on date rape drugs:
- Many people worry about a perpetrator adding a date rape drug to an alcoholic drink.
- The primary sign of being drugged is a sudden, unexplained change in consciousness.
- A person who thinks they may have been drugged should seek safety first and foremost.
Types and their side effects
Alcohol and benzodiazepines are commonly used date rape drugs, as they may cause physical weakness and loss of consciousness.
Date rape drugs make a sexual assault, including rape easier in one or more ways, such as:
- making a victim more compliant and less able to say no
- weakening a victim so they are unable to resist or fight back
- making a victim fully or partially unconscious
- weakening a victim\’s inhibitions, so they consent to sexual activity they may otherwise decline
Any drug that changes a potential victim\’s state of mind, including some prescription drugs, street drugs such as heroin, and popular drugs such as marijuana, can be a date rape drug.
The most common date rape drugs are:
Any drug that changes a victim\’s consciousness can be used to facilitate date rape.
In some cases, the victim might even ingest the drug willingly. A person who uses heroin, for example, may be so intoxicated that they do not realize a perpetrator is attempting to rape them. People who use drugs should, therefore, avoid taking them around certain acquaintances or in settings that might facilitate date rape.
For complete article https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320409.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly
What gives police the right to legalise cannabis on the sly?
PC Plod, on coming across someone in a spaced-out state who is giving off the unmistakeable aroma of ‘weed’, is now expected to step aside and continue on his way as though nothing is awry.
The absurd diktat was partly driven by the desire of senior police officers to reduce the use of stop and search, which is particularly resented by some in the black community. The latest figures show that black people are eight times more likely to be stopped than their white equivalents.
It may surprise some that, according to the same figures, black people are less likely to have drugs on them than white suspects. So maybe they are being unfairly targeted by overzealous police.
Duty: At least five forces in England have announced without apparent shame that they will turn a blind eye to cannabis if it is for personal consumption. Police in Avon and Somerset, Durham, Derbyshire, Dorset and Surrey are taking this lenient approach, and we can be certain others are doing so less publicly.
Meanwhile, some forces are being almost equally indulgent towards growers of cannabis. Small-scale producers routinely escape prosecution in Durham. Devon and Cornwall Police uncovered 194 cannabis farms in four years but only brought charges against 79 people. The rest were cautioned or given warnings.
All this is thoroughly bad. The police have a duty to uphold the law. If they visibly fail to do so, they are actually encouraging people to break it in the knowledge that even if they are caught they will very likely be let off.
It’s not just true of drugs, of course. By disclosing that they no longer have the time to investigate ‘low-level’ crimes such as burglary, the police are effectively giving thieves a green light. Steal a smartphone by all means, but better not take the Mercedes this time.
And so inveterate consumers of cannabis, and those who grow and supply the stuff on a modest scale, know they are safe even though the maximum sentence for possession is supposedly five years in prison, and a stiff 15 years for selling the stuff. In some countries such as Holland, and American states such as Colorado, they are at least honest enough to have had a public debate before – misguidedly, in my view – decriminalising cannabis. In Britain we are legitimising it on the sly while going through the charade of pretending it remains against the law.
Read more: You wonder why kids dont care if they get caught using?