Synthetic opioids are driving an overdose crisis
From PBS.org
\”Fifty times more powerful than heroin, Fentanyl is driving a surge in overdose deaths and ratcheting up the stakes in the opioid crisis. Where does the synthetic drug come from, and how can it be managed? William Brangham reports from Massachusetts as part of our series, “America Addicted.”
For complete article http://overdosewatch.org/
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The PopPot Report on Child Deaths Directly Linked to Marijuana Use.
Use of pot creates victims, including children who die from neglect or violence when parents, mothers’ boyfriends or caregivers use pot. We have been tracking news reports of child abuse and neglect linked to marijuana since November 2012. The columns show official causes of death related to the caregivers’ marijuana use. We found news reports of 105 such deaths in 30 states; actual number could be much higher. Violent neglect includes marijuana DUI (9), guns (4) and pit bulls. The last column includes infants (9) who died shortly after birth.
For List http://www.stoppot.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/020518-Child-dangers-fact-sheet-FINAL_updated.pdf
Prosecutors: Man stabs mother after smoking pot, believing someone was going to rape him
KATIE DELONG AND BEN HANDELMAN, Feb 7th 2018
RACINE (WITI) — A Racine man is accused of stabbing his own mother multiple times in their home, and prosecutors say he admitted he did it after smoking marijuana and becoming paranoid, believing someone was about to rape him.
Terrell Banks, 23, of Racine faces one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse assessments, and one count of mayhem, domestic abuse assessments. Mayhem in Wisconsin courts refers to when a suspect intends to disfigure an area of the head.
According to a criminal complaint, police on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2 were called out to the Dollar Tree on Erie St. near 3 Mile Rd. for a report of a woman who had recently been stabbed by her son inside their home on Green St. — nearby. Police learned the woman had wandered into the store — bloodied and looking for help. It was determined the woman had been stabbed multiple times, and she identified her son as the suspect.
Her son, Terrell Banks, was located wandering near Lasalle St. and Wolff St. — where he was arrested.
The complaint says at the hospital, it was determined the victim suffered at least nine stab wounds — six to her head and eyes and three to her arm and side.
Cannabis does more harm than good: Health officials warn doctors against prescribing the drug for ailments as the effects outweigh the minor benefits
- New medical guidelines have been issued in Canada, where cannabis is legal
- They warn the effects of the drug to outweigh minor benefits for most conditions
- And for some, it states it most often is only marginally better than a placebo
- The new document will be distributed to 30,000 doctors in Canada
New medical guidelines issued in Canada, where cannabis has been legal for medicinal use since 2001, warns that the effects of the drug outweigh any minor benefits for the vast majority of conditions.
And in the few conditions where it can be helpful – for example as pain relief for multiple sclerosis – the impact is only marginally better than placebo.
The document, published in the Canadian Family Physician journal, warns doctors to \’take a sober second thought\’ before prescribing the drug.
By Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail PUBLISHED: 07:00 AEDT, 16 February 2018 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5396693/Cannabis-does-harm-good-health-officials-warn.html#ixzz57VxtqAN6
Austalia: Medicinal cannabis access a challenge for WA patients despite legalisation last year
West Australian patients are finding it almost impossible to obtain medicinal cannabis more than eight months after it was legalised, advocates say.
By May, no health professional had applied to prescribe the drug (over 10,000 Doctors) , despite it being made legal in November. For more http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-07/families-struggling-to-access-to-medicinal-cannabis/8685712
Reducing Future Rates of Adult AddictionMust Begin with Youth Prevention
These findings show that prevention messaging targeting youth must address all of these three substances specifically. Most current prevention efforts are specific to individual substances or kinds and amounts of use of individual drugs (e.g., cigarette smoking, binge drinking, drunk driving, etc.), all of which have value, but miss a vital broader prevention message. What is needed, based on these new data showing the linkage of all drug use by youth, is a comprehensive drug prevention message: no use of any alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs for youth under age 21 for reasons of health.5 6 This no use prevention message provides clarity for young people, parents, physicians, educators, communities and for policymakers. It is not intended to replace public health prevention messages on specific substances, but enhances them with a clear focus on youth.
For complete Paper NO is Best Practice
IBH_Commentary_Reducing_Addiction_Begins_with_Prevention_2-7-18
NATIONAL DRUG PREVENTION ALLIANCE: DISMANTLE POT INDUSTRY
By Peter Stoker, National Drug Prevention Alliance As members of the worldwide drug prevention movement, the National Drug Prevention Alliance (UK) has been greatly saddened to see how the United States of America has allowed marijuana to be available in so many places for so-called medical and recreational purposes. This far from harmless substance causes pain and hardship to individuals, families and communities.
![\"drug-prevention-logo\"](\"http://www.poppot.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/dp.png?x47959\")
(Should you wish to inform yourself more on marijuana, may we respectfully suggest that you log-on towww.drugprevent.org.uk where you will find many scientific items about this harmful substance).
There is also research which shows that regular, heavy users of marijuana go on to use cocaine. (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry Kleber, Herbert MD. (Suppl) pp3-6 1988)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an important international legal instrument that obligates Parties to protect children and youth from involvement with illicit drugs and the drug trade.
Under the terms of the convention, governments are required to meet children’s basic needs and help them reach their full potential. (Article 33). Since it was adopted by the United Nations in November 1989, 194 countries have signed up to the UNCRC.
The USA is a signatory to this UN convention and should therefore be passing legislation to prevent the enormous market in marijuana that has developed in America. The more children are exposed to stores that sell these harmful products, the more likely they will be to try them and the more young people will then go on to use cocaine and heroin, to the detriment of the individual and society.
Colorado has failed to meet the specific DOJ requirements on controlling recreational marijuana production, distribution and use. A report documents a significant increase in drugged driving crashes, youth marijuana use, a thriving illegal black market and unabated sales of alcohol, which supports the idea that people are not using marijuana instead of alcohol but rather in addition to alcohol. Promises were made in Colorado in 2012, before legalized recreational marijuana, that the result would be a large amount in taxes for education and the elimination of the black market. Yet in the years since,Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana related traffic deaths, poison control calls, and emergency room visits. The marijuana black market has increased in Colorado, not decreased. And, numerous Colorado marijuana regulators have been indicted for corruption.
New reports out of Colorado indicate that legal marijuana is posing real risks to the safety of young people. As Colorado rethinks marijuana, the rest of the nation should watch carefully this failing experiment.
(https://www.madinamerica.com/2017/09/unintended-consequences-colorado-social-experiment/ 11th September 2017)
For more go to Dismnantle Cannabis Chaos
The drug-pushers of Instagram caught on camera: Probe reveals social media giants are fuelling terrifying craze for prescription pills among teenagers
By Ben Ellery PUBLISHED: 10:13 AEDT, 4 February 2018
Ruthless dealers are using Instagram to sell highly addictive and deadly prescription drugs to youngsters across Britain, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.
Criminals openly lure people to buy the powerful tranquilliser Xanax, responsible for dozens of deaths, through the photo-sharing website used by millions of teenagers.
The brazen pushers make no attempt to hide their harmful and illegal trade, and before our investigation, Instagram — owned by internet giant Facebook — appeared to be making no effort to stop them.
Simply by searching for the phrase ‘xanaxUK’ and other similar terms on Instagram, Mail on Sunday investigators were able to locate dozens of drug peddlers on the site.
Doing the deal: Hoodie-wearing MZ sells Xanax to our undercover reporter
Within seconds, photographs of the pills and detailed price lists for Xanax, cannabis and ecstasy appeared alongside clear instructions on how to purchase them.
Users are instructed to contact the sellers through a free encrypted messaging app called Wickr — which deletes the messages after they are read — presumably to avoid dealers being traced by the police.
Xanax is a Class C controlled drug, carrying a maximum sentence for possessing, supplying or importing of 14 years’ imprisonment. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5348797/Drug-pushers-Instagram-caught-camera.html#ixzz56IBdbJ7P
| NEW ILLINOIS MASON-DIXON POLL SHOWS
LARGE MAJORITY OPPOSES LEGALIZING RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA
Poll finds only 23% support the legalization of recreational marijuana; 69% want other options such as maintaining current decriminalization law FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 5, 2018 CONTACT: Luke Niforatos 303-335-7584 CHICAGO – The majority of voters in Illinois oppose legalizing recreational marijuana, according to a recent poll conducted by Mason-Dixon and paid for by SAM Action, a non-profit organization sponsoring Healthy & Productive Illinois. According to the poll, which is one of the first to distinguish between decriminalization and legalization, only 23 percent of Illinois residents 18 and older approve of legalizing recreational marijuana use and sales when given a choice. The majority of residents, 69 percent, want to maintain current decriminalization laws, repeal medical marijuana, or keep recreational marijuana illegal. Marijuana possession in Illinois is currently subject to a civil violation. \”The message from the people of Illinois to their representatives is clear– they do not want Big Marijuana to profit at the expense of their communities and families,\” said Kevin Sabet, PhD, founder of SAM Action, whose project, Healthy & Productive Illinois, is comprised of Illinois parents, organizations, and businesses concerned with the impacts of today\’s highly potent marijuana. \”Furthermore, since legalization in Colorado, more black and Hispanic youth have been arrested for pot. Social justice is not being served by any measure.\” The poll also found 47 percent of Illinois residents would like to keep marijuana laws just as they are. \”This poll clearly indicates my fellow Illinois residents are deeply concerned about the public health effects of marijuana legalization in our state. No tax dollars are worth the price of our families and communities,\” said Dr. Aaron Weiner, a member of Healthy & Productive Illinois. \”Kids\’ brains are particularly vulnerable, and today\’s high THC pot can affect learning and a host of other issues. We do not need to add to our opiate and alcohol problems by increasing the access and availability to another drug.\” ##### JOIN HEALTHY & PRODUCTIVE ILLINOIS! Our coalition is growing! Please spread the word to your contacts to join us (it\’s free) although donations are welcome! http://healthyillinois.org/get-involved/
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