This results in needless tragedy. Let’s consider the facts.

According to information from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), more than 38,000 people died of drug-induced causes in 2007, the latest year for which data are available. In 1999, there were 19,128 drug-induced deaths, or 6.8 deaths per 100,000 population. In 2007, it grew to 12.6 per 100,000. This only comprehends deaths due to drugs, such as accidental poisoning or overdoses, and not as result of deaths indirectly caused by drugs, such as homicides, accidents, AIDS or other causes.

In the U.S., there is a drug-induced death every 15 minutes, four per hour, 96 per day, and an average of 2,920 per month. That’s an incredible waste of lives.

As for drugged driving, the statistics are similarly alarming. The ONDCP cites results from a 2009 self-report survey included in the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Survey (NSDUH) findings that approximately 10.5 million Americans reported driving under the influence of an illicit drug during the past year. Also in 2009, stats reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that one in three drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes (who were tested for drugs and the results known) tested positive for at least one medication or illicit drug. One in 10 high school seniors in 2008 reported in the two weeks prior to their interview that they had driven a vehicle after smoking marijuana. That’s from the 2008 Monitoring the Future Study conducted by the University of Michigan.

Where the Drugs Come From

Mexico is the principal transit country for the cocaine entering the United States from South America. It is estimated that 70 percent of the cocaine shipments bound for the U.S. pass through Mexico’s borders. In addition, Mexico is also the leading foreign source of marijuana consumed in this country, and, together with Columbia, is one of the principal heroin sources. Mexico is also a major production and transit point for methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs.

Marijuana

Marijuana, also known as pot, is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. There is much debate over the increased levels of marijuana potency in more recent years. Some pro-marijuana advocates state that federal reports of increasing potency are overblown and/or complete fabrications. Due to disparities in additives and source of origin, there is no definitive way to determine potency or concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. Marijuana laced with PCP and other potent chemicals is extremely dangerous.

Over the past few years, synthetic marijuana, also called Spice, Blaze, Red Dawn and K2, has become increasingly popular among teens. It is available over the Internet and is sold in retail shops labeled as incense to mask the true intent. These smokable herbal blends provide a marijuana-like high. They consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC.

Late in 2010, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), under its emergency scheduling authority, began the process of classifying the five chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana as controlled substances.

This follows numerous reports since 2009 of serious adverse events and hospitalizations among people using synthetic marijuana. For at least the next year, while the DEA studies and classifies the five chemicals, it is now illegal to possess or sell these chemicals.

Data from the 2009 NSDUH released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show that there is a sharp increase in marijuana use among teens and they are beginning use at younger ages. There were 2.9 million new past-year users of marijuana in 2009, and their average age of initiation (first-time use of the drug) dropped from 17.8 to 17.0 years (2008 to 2009). There was also a nine percent increase (to 7.3 percent from 6.9 percent) of current marijuana users age 12 t 17 from 2008 to 2009.

Looking at dependence and addiction statistics, marijuana tops the list of illicit drugs with the highest rate of past year dependence in 2009. Of 7.1 million persons aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs in 2009, 4.3 million were dependent upon or abused marijuana or hashish.

With marijuana use so widespread, the risks of higher potency THC cannot be minimized. Marijuana use is associated with dependence, cognitive impairment, poor motor performance, respiratory and mental illness, among other potentially negative effects. Although chronic use of drugs can lead to addiction at any age, research shows that the earlier a person begins drug use, the more likely they are to move on to more serious abuse and addiction. This can happen even later in life, long after drug use has been discontinued, and reflects the long-lasting harmful effects of early initiation of drug use. Teen use of drugs, such as potent marijuana, is particularly dangerous because research shows teen brains are still maturing into their 20s.

Heroin

Heroin is a highly addictive drug and is the most widely used and rapidly acting of the opiates (painkillers). Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance that is extracted from the seed pod of certain types of poppy plants.

Pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste and is rarely sold on the streets. Most of the heroin sold on the street is a powder ranging in color from white to dark brown. What accounts for the color differences is what’s left behind in the form of impurities or chemical or other additives. There is another form of heroin, “black tar” heroin, which is primarily available in the western and southwest parts of the U.S. Black tar heroin comes from Mexico. The reason it is called black tar is that its consistency may be like that of black tar, sticky like roofing tar and hard like coal. Black tar heroin, widely available, is much higher in potency and concentration, and that, coupled with the fact that it is less expensive than illegally-obtained prescription opiates and therefore more attractive to buy, makes it much more dangerous for users due to the potential for overdose.

Heroin may be injected, smoked, or snorted. Injection is the most efficient way to administer low-purity heroin. What’s happened recently, however, is that the availability of high-purity heroin – and the fear of HIV/AIDS infection due to needle sharing – has made smoking and snorting the drug more common. No matter which route of administering heroin is used, however, the fact remains that all forms are highly addictive.

The 2009 NSDUH data shows an increase in the number of heroin initiates, with 180,000 persons age 12 or older who had used heroin for the first time within the past 12 months, compared with the average annual number of 100,000 first-time heroin initiates in the 2002 to 2008 period. Of the 7.1 million persons aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs in 2009, 399,000 were dependent on or abused heroin (up from 213,000 in 2007).

Cocaine and Crack Cocaine

Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. It can be snorted, smoked, or injected. When it is snorted, it is inhaled through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal passages. Injection delivers the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling the smoke or cocaine vapor directly into the lungs, with the effect of getting into the bloodstream as rapidly as by injection.

Crack cocaine is cocaine base that has not been acid neutralized to make hydrochloride salt. Crack cocaine comes in a rock crystal that is heated to produce vapors which are then smoked.

Price and purity studies have shown that as prices of cocaine decline, purity levels increase. In 2001, the purity of powder cocaine ranged from 55 to 65 percent pure. In 2009, it ranged from a low of 55 percent to a high of 75 percent. The price in 2007 was down to $125 per gram from $145 in 2001.

With crack cocaine, the purity level was highest with lowest quantities (below 1 gram) and lowest with the highest quantities (above 15 grams). In the past five years, adjusted prices for crack cocaine shifted downward from about $180 to $170 per gram, while retail purity remained approximately constant in the 75 to 80 percent pure range.

In 2009, according to data from the 2009 NSDUH, there were 617,000 persons age 12 or older who had used cocaine for the first time within the past 12 months. This averages approximately 1,700 initiates per day. The number of cocaine initiates is a decline from the 1.0 million in 2002. Crack cocaine initiates saw a similar decline in the 2002 to 2009 period, from 337,000 to 94,000.

Of the 7.1 million persons aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs in 2009, 1.1 million were classified with dependence on or abuse of cocaine.

Prevention Efforts on the Southwest Border

The Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) is one of the most diverse of the HIDTA areas that is overseen by the ONDCP. The vast area covers about 2,000 miles of international border between Mexico and the United States, and stretches from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas. This area is critical to combating the drug threats arriving in the U.S. including Mexican-produced methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin produced in South America, as well as other dangerous drugs such as marijuana and precursor chemicals used to produce meth.

There are five regions in the Southwest Border HIDTA: Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas and South Texas. There are 45 counties, five federal judicial districts, and includes representatives from 115 federal, state and local agencies.

While each region faces unique challenges, they have adapted to meet changing needs. In Southern California, the California Border Alliance Group (CBAG), one of four California HIDTAs, supports drug intelligence, investigative and interdiction operations, and coordinates efforts to stop drug use before it starts. Through its community-based Demand Reduction program, CBAG brings together community institutions to prevent drug use. One of their projects, “Forces United,” brought together all four California HIDTA regions in 2010 and played a key role in educating the public on the dangers of methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs in local communities.

The Arizona HIDTA recognizes that law enforcement alone isn’t enough to combat the proliferation and potency of street drugs. They have also developed demand reduction programs to educate the citizenry about the dangers of drug use and abuse. Their goals include reducing pharmaceutical substance abuse and related crimes, raising awareness of the prescription drug problem in the state, and partnering with DrugFreeAZ to develop an effective demand reduction program to educate parents and children about drug abuse dangers.

In New Mexico, the Investigative Support Center (ISC) is the go-to organization that works to help get things done for the state’s drug task forces and supports all New Mexico’s law enforcement agencies.

In West Texas, the drug trafficking in the region and the escalating drug and gang violence from Juarez, Mexico spilling over into El Paso, Texas has resulted in law enforcement agencies being on high alert for the past several years. Similarly, in South Texas, despite low population density in some areas, drug trafficking and related crime in the area impacts the U.S. nationally. The South Texas HIDTA utilizes a balanced counter-drug strategy that includes law enforcement action and drug education and prevention efforts.

New England HIDTA

The major threat to the six-state (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire) New England HIDTA is heroin, followed by cocaine and crack cocaine. In recent years, however, drug trends have centered on the increasing use of opioids, including diversion of prescription pharmaceuticals.

In 2009, the largest cocaine seizure in the history of New Hampshire was conducted by the North Shore HIDTA. In the operation, a multi-million dollar international drug trafficking organization (DTO) was identified and dismantled and 45 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated $4 million on the street was seized. The New England HIDTA also focuses on prevention efforts. One of the newest prevention initiatives involves working with the Essex County Massachusetts Sheriff’s Office (ESCO) in its Youth Leadership Academy. This is a program designed to involve at-risk children, aged 12 to 15, in challenging, fun, and safe activities in a drug-, tobacco-, alcohol- and gang-free environment. It also provides instruction in anger management, peer counseling, teamwork, ethics, and cooperation.

Street Drugs are No Picnic

Any involvement with illicit street drugs is a very risky endeavor. In addition to being against the law to buy, sell, use or transport them, their potency is always unreliable and could be life-threatening to certain individuals in certain circumstances. Thus, getting involved in street drug use is a zero-sum game. There’s just no point in putting yourself in such harm’s way.

The illicit drugs available on the street today could come from Mexico (very likely), South America (also a high probability), or some poppy fields in Afghanistan. But they are all potentially deadly and, if nothing else, could lead to a life-long addiction.

The Pure and Deadly: Concentrations Higher in Today’s Street Drugs is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Researchers looked at the smoking habits, use of other tobacco products, alcohol, and drugs (as well as exposure to second-hand smoke) in 2,620 Aboriginal youth who lived off-reserve and 26,223 non-Aboriginal youth. All the participants were in grades 9-12 and had participated in the 2008-2009 Youth Smoking Survey.

The study found that 24.9 percent of the Aboriginal participants were regular smokers, 2.6 percent were former smokers, and 72.4 percent were non-smokers. Of the non-Aboriginal participants, 10.4 percent were current smokers, 1.5 percent were former smokers, and 88 percent were non-smokers. Aboriginal youth were more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke than non-Aboriginal youths.

The majority of the respondents (88.5 percent of Aboriginal and 84.2 percent of non-Aboriginal youth) said they had tried alcohol, and the average age at which they first tried alcohol was significantly lower among Aboriginal youth. Of those who had tried alcohol, 91.9 percent of Aboriginal youth had engaged in binge drinking, compared to 85.2 percent of non-Aboriginals. Aboriginal youth were also more likely than non-Aboriginal youth to use marijuana (62 percent compared to 41 percent) and other illicit drugs (34.8 percent compared to 20.6 percent).

The study also found that Aboriginal females had higher rates of using tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit drugs than male Aboriginals.

Dr. Tara Elton-Marshall of the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, said that the high prevalence of smoking and substance abuse among Aboriginal youth living off-reserve underscores the need for prevention programs that target Aboriginal youth.

The researchers noted that most of the Aboriginal youth who currently smoke (especially females) said they had tried to quit at least once. This suggests that Aboriginal youth are interested in quitting but may require additional support to stop smoking.

The researchers concluded that their study highlights the need for culturally appropriate prevention and treatment methods and programs for Aboriginal youths living off-reserve.

Source: Medical News Today, Aboriginal Youth Use Tobacco, Illicit Drugs and Alcohol More Than Non-Aboriginal Youth, May 9, 2011

Aboriginal Youth Living Off-Reserve More Likely to Smoke, Use Drugs and Alcohol is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the increase in drug use was disappointing but not surprising, considering the number of states approving medicinal use of marijuana and the change in attitude about the danger of illegal drugs. He added that he believes the growing focus on medical marijuana is sending the wrong message to young people.

The report found an eight percent increase in marijuana use, remaining the most commonly used illicit drug. Cocaine abuse continued to decline, down 32 percent from its highest point in 2006.

The survey found that 21.8 million Americans over age 12 reported using illegal drugs in 2009, which is the highest level since the survey was first performed in 2002. In 2006, the high was a little over 20 million. The survey is based on interviews with about 67,500 people, and is considered the most comprehensive sample of American drug use.

There was a 37 percent increase in ecstasy use and a 60 percent increase in methamphetamine use. Kerlikowske said more focus should be returned to ecstasy, as anti-ecstasy campaigns started dwindling as use of the drug began to decline after its peak in the early 2000s.

After a law was passed in 2006 that forced pharmacies and convenience stores to put cold medication containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient used in making methamphetamine, meth use saw a decline. However, there has been an increase in “smurfing,” or purchasing these pills from different stores in an effort to stockpile pseudoephedrine-containing medication. Kerlikowske said the increase in meth use could be due to people getting around the law and an increase in meth coming from Mexico.

The SAMHSA survey also found that in 2007, 49.3 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 17 perceived a risk of harm from smoking marijuana once or twice a week, which was down from 54.7 percent in 2007. This suggests that there has been a shift in attitude toward the harmful effects of smoking marijuana, especially among adolescents.

In California, voters will be able to decide whether marijuana should be legalized for medical use. An Associated Press-CNBC poll showed that most Americans oppose legalizing marijuana, but more people believe the drug has medical benefits and should be taxed like alcohol and tobacco.

Source: Associated Press, Sam Hananel, Report: Illegal drug use up sharply last year, September 15, 2010

Illegal Drug Use Hits Highest Level in Ten Years is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A study in 2009 examined the effects of exposure to cannabis in music on adolescents’ cannabis use (Primack et al, 2009). The researchers hoped to better understand the association between hearing about cannabis and actual use of cannabis.

To gather information, the study used baseline survey data of an anti-smoking clinical trial. The 959 participants were all recruited from health classes from three large high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The baseline survey included information about socio-demographic variables, parenting style, sensation seeking, rebelliousness and alcohol use.

The researchers used two methods to measure the exposure students had to lyrics in two ways. The students were asked how many hours per day they listened to music, and they were asked which musician was their favorite. The researchers then analyzed this data to determine the student’s unique exposure to cannabis lyrics by measuring the number of hours per week multiplied by the number of cannabis lyrics per hour in their favorite artist’s songs.

The second way that the students’ exposure was measured was by determining the number of songs that contained cannabis lyrics by the artists named as favorite artists.

The primary outcome variables of interest were divided into those who had ever used cannabis (even a puff) and a measure of past 30 day cannabis use (even a puff).

The researchers used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine that the students with the highest exposure to cannabis lyrics also had the highest odds of past 30 day cannabis use when compared with those students who had low cannabis lyrics exposures.

The regression analysis also revealed that those who had the highest song exposure had higher odds of past 30 day cannabis use than those who had the lowest song exposure.

The study’s results may be limited by the use of self-reported data. In addition, the study assumes that the favorite artist of the student is also who they listen to most, which may not be true. The study also does not determine causality with its cross-sectional design.

This study’s findings are the first to examine the relationship between lyrics containing references to cannabis and actual cannabis use among adolescents.

Reference
Primack, B. A., Douglas, E. L., & Kraemer, K. L. (2009). Exposure to cannabis in popular music and cannabis use among adolescents. Addiction, 105, 515-523.
 

Study Examines Impact of Music with Cannabis References on Adolescent Marijuana Use is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

There is a new warning for parents who have a teenager that uses marijuana. A recent study has found that even light cannabis use can lead to problems in the future. The study was led by researcher Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW.

The study recruited 2,000 school children in Australia. The children were tracked over a decade. The results of the study indicate that children who used cannabis occasionally at the age of 13 and 14 were at a higher risk for using ecstasy, cocaine or amphetamines at the age of 24.

Even those who used marijuana lightly were also at risk for addiction. The study showed that the individuals who used cannabis lightly at age 13 or 14 became addicted as adults at a rate of one in 10.

In addition, the study revealed that a third of teens who used marijuana lightly were taking harder drugs in their twenties, compared with only 11 percent for those who had not used marijuana during their teen years.

The study also highlighted a link between light marijuana use and alcohol. The research indicated that 15 percent of individuals who used marijuana lightly in teen years were addicted to alcohol early in adulthood. Only 9 percent of those who had not used marijuana were addicted to alcohol in early adulthood.

The results of the study suggest a warning for teenagers who have used marijuana only as a recreational drug on occasion. Prior research has shown that regular use of the drug was harmful, but that light use may be of little concern. This study highlights the need for education about even the light use of marijuana.

“What it definitely says is that early onset occasional cannabis use is a marker for being more likely to be engaging in a whole range of drug use behaviors in young adulthood,” said Degenhardt.

The findings of this study suggest that parents take heed of warnings that cannabis use in teen years may cause problems later in early adulthood, even if the use of marijuana is occasional and light.
 

New Research Indicates Marijuana Really Can Be a Gateway Drug for Teens is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, and colleagues studied 3,801 young adults born between 1981 and 1984. At a 21-year follow-up, when participants were an average age of 20.1, they were asked about cannabis use in recent years and assessed using several measures of psychotic outcomes (including a diagnostic interview, an inventory of delusions and items identifying the presence of hallucinations).

At the 21-year follow-up, 17.7 percent reported using cannabis for three or fewer years, 16.2 percent for four to five years and 14.3 percent for six or more years. Overall, 65 study participants received a diagnosis of “non-affective psychosis,” such as schizophrenia, and 233 had at least one positive item for hallucination on the diagnostic interview.

Among all the participants, a longer duration since the first time they used cannabis was associated with multiple psychosis-related outcomes. “Compared with those who had never used cannabis, young adults who had six or more years since first use of cannabis (i.e., who commenced use when around 15 years or younger) were twice as likely to develop a non-affective psychosis and were four times as likely to have high scores on the Peters et al Delusions Inventory [a measure of delusion],” the authors write. “There was a ‘dose-response’ relationship between the variables of interest: the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related outcomes.”

In addition, the researchers assessed the association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms among a subgroup of 228 sibling pairs. The association persisted in this subgroup, “thus reducing the likelihood that the association was due to unmeasured shared genetic and/or environmental influences,” the authors continue.

“The nature of the relationship between psychosis and cannabis use is by no means simple,” they write. Individuals who had experienced hallucinations early in life were more likely to have used cannabis longer and to use it more frequently. “This demonstrates the complexity of the relationship: those individuals who were vulnerable to psychosis (i.e., those who had isolated psychotic symptoms) were more likely to commence cannabis use, which could then subsequently contribute to an increased risk of conversion to a non-affective psychotic disorder.”

The findings should encourage further research to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between psychosis and cannabis use, the authors conclude.

This work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Co-author Dr. Alati is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Award in Population Health.

Long-Term Marijuana Use and Psychosis is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The researchers analyzed data from 109 hospitalized patients who were experiencing their first psychotic episode. The results showed that patients who had a history of using marijuana, or cannabis, and increased to daily pot smoking experienced both psychotic and pre-psychotic symptoms at earlier ages.

“We were surprised that it wasn’t just whether or not they used cannabis in adolescence that predicted the age of onset, rather it was how quickly they progressed to becoming a daily cannabis user that was the stronger predictor,” said Michael Compton, lead author and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Emory School of Medicine.

The study also found that the female subjects who progressed to daily pot smoking had a greater increased risk for the onset of psychosis than the males.

Marijuana is the most abused illicit substance among people with schizophrenia, the most extreme form of psychosis, and previous research has shown that smoking pot is likely a risk factor for the disease.

The Emory study also focused on what is known as the prodromal period, when a person has symptoms such as unusual sensory experiences, which are often precursors to frank hallucinations and delusions. Prodromal symptoms can occur months, or years, before a diagnosis of psychosis. About 30 to 40 percent of prodomal teenagers will eventually develop schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.

“The prodromal period is especially important because it’s considered to be a critical time for preventive intervention,” says Elaine Walker, a co-investigator of the study and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Emory.

The study also involved researchers from Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Georgia State University. It was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Daily Marijuana Use May Hasten Psychosis is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“It appears that about one-third of genetic influences on alcohol and marijuana use and dependence can be traced to the same set of genes,” said first author Carolyn E. Sartor, Ph.D. “Other genetic contributions are specific to alcohol or marijuana.”

The study results will be published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, and they are available online through the journal’s Early View.

Jim Dryden of Washington University of St. Louis writes that Sartor, a research instructor in the Department of Psychiatry, said that with both alcohol and marijuana, the majority of genetic factors that contribute to use also contribute to the development of dependence symptoms.

She and her colleagues studied more than 6,200 Australian twins between the ages of 24 and 36. The twins were asked about the amount of alcohol and marijuana they had consumed over their lifetimes, their frequency of use, when they used the most, and questions that helped scientists determine whether the twins had symptoms of alcohol or marijuana dependence.

By studying twins, it’s possible to get a handle on the roles played by genetic and environmental factors involved in behaviors such as drinking alcohol or using marijuana. Identical twins share 100 percent of their genetic material, and fraternal twins share about half of their segregating genes. So when identical twin pairs are found to be more similar in a given behavior than fraternal twin pairs, it’s likely genes are playing a significant role. The researchers used the twin model to estimate the contributions of genes and environment in alcohol and marijuana use and dependence.

They classified alcohol users according to how much they drank. Those who were heavier users of alcohol were more likely to use marijuana, too. The survey found that almost everyone drank alcohol, at least occasionally.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Roughly 8 to 12 percent of marijuana users are considered dependent and, as with alcohol, the severity of their symptoms increases with heavier use.

“In a 2008 survey of high-school students in the United States, 41.8 percent of 12th graders reported having used marijuana,” Sartor said. “Most had used the drug on just a few occasions, but more than 5 percent reported using it daily in the month preceding the survey.”
Heavy marijuana or alcohol use is closely linked to dependence. Not long ago, many believed marijuana was not an addictive substance like alcohol or nicotine, but Sartor said that’s incorrect.

“There is a myth that cannabis is harmless, and although there is plenty of recreational use of the drug that does not lead to problems, like any other drug, you can misuse it to the point that it interferes with day-to-day functioning,” she explained. “For about 10 percent of the people who ever try marijuana, that’s what happens.”

Although studies involving genetic contributions to alcohol dependence have been ongoing for close to 30 years, similar studies involving marijuana have emerged much more recently. Sartor believes ultimately environmental factors linked to alcohol and marijuana use may be key to effective therapies for abuse and dependence.

“Interestingly, the environmental influences on use and dependence did not appear to be the same for alcohol as for marijuana,” Sartor said. “The overlap in genetic influences on marijuana-dependence symptoms and alcohol-dependence symptoms tells us that individuals with family histories of alcohol-related problems are at increased risk for developing problem marijuana use and that a family history of marijuana-related problems is an indicator of elevated risk for alcohol misuse.”

“But when we talk about prevention and treatment—since it’s the environmental components rather than the genetics that we can manipulate—we may need to focus on those substance-specific environmental influences to help people avoid becoming dependent on alcohol or marijuana,” she continued.

Common Genetic Factors Contribute to Alcohol and Marijuana Use and Dependence is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

However, there is no evidence of the differences between both of these consumer groups, which makes these experts believe that “consuming these substances, whatever their nature, is related to impulsivity.”

Science Daily reports that this study, which began in October 2006, was promoted by the Department for Equal Opportunities and Social Welfare.

In an attempt to discover if recreational use of these substances (alcohol and cannabis) affects impulsivity, this behavior was measured in three categories: motor impulsivity, cognitive impulsivity, and unplanned impulsivity. To achieve this goal, a population sample was taken of a total of 575 students (50.7% women and 49.3% men) who were assigned to three groups depending on their drug habits.

The researchers observed, in the first samplings, that 21.4% use cannabis regularly, 32.5% drink alcohol, and the remaining 34.6% do not consume any drugs. It seems that gender influences consumption patterns, since 62.5% of the male population sample are usual consumers of one of these substances and 45.6% of women are regular consumers. Men also consume higher amounts of both substances.

The results show significant behavior differences depending on the analyzed groups. Cognitive impulsivity may be defined as the subject’s tendency to give quick responses, especially in tasks that implicitly or explicitly imply uncertain responses, and therefore, they make more mistakes.

With regard to the analysis of the data obtained in the laboratory tests that measure this type of impulsivity, the student groups that consumed addictive substances showed more impulsive behavior than nonusers. However, this pattern changes when one takes into account motor tasks, where this correlation has only been proven in the case of cannabis users. Motor impulsivity implies acting without thinking and being driven by the momentum.

In conclusion, the researchers explain that “it is undeniable that university students regularly consume addictive substances. On the other hand, it seems clear that there is a relationship between drug use and impulsive behavior, although we still have to clarify whether this attitude is a cause or a result of drug use.”

Regular Users of Cannabis and Alcohol More Impulsive than Non-Users is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“Based on primary substance abuse treatment admission data from the Iowa Department of Public Health, alcohol accounts for about 61 percent of all clients, followed by 23 percent who are there primarily for marijuana and almost 8percent mainly for meth,” said Gary Kendell, Iowa’s Drug Policy Coordinator and Director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy. “All available evidence indicates more Iowans are abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs too.”

Kendell presented Iowa’s new drug control strategy Monday to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske during a discussion with officials at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Kerlikowske was in Iowa to gather input for the Obama Administration’s first National Drug Control Strategy, due to be released early next year.

“Coordination at all levels and across borders is required to reduce drug abuse and related issues such as crime, and I’m pleased Director Kerlikowske has come to Iowa to listen as state and local officials share experiences that may relate to the national drug control plan,” said Kendell.

Iowa’s strategy, developed in coordination with the State’s Drug Policy Advisory Council, calls for a balance of substance abuse prevention and treatment programming, as well as drug enforcement.

Prescription drug abuse continues to emerge as Iowa’s fastest growing form of substance abuse. The Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement opened 243 percent more pharmaceutical cases and seized 412 percent more pharmaceutical units last year, compared with the previous year. Another indicator of the growth in medicine abuse is the 1,225 percent increase since 2002 in public calls to the Statewide Poison Control Center to identify hydrocodone and oxycodone pain pills.

In response to these developments, the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy recently launched Iowa’s first statewide prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse awareness campaign, featuring the new website www.TakeADoseOfTruth.com.

After trending downward over the last five years, methamphetamine use in Iowa has increased again. The resurgence is reflected in small increases in meth-related treatment admission rates, cases of manufacturing meth in the presence of a minor, and, for the second straight year, the existence of meth labs.

Implementation of an electronic pseudoephedrine sales tracking database is slated for early next year to further curb meth labs. Due largely to the drop in meth labs since 2004, drug-related prison admissions were down for the fifth year in a row last year.

Marijuana potency has generally increased in Iowa in recent years, according to law enforcement officials. And while the Iowa Department of Public Health reports that marijuana was the primary substance of abuse for more than 23 percent of all treatment clients last year, it was cited as the drug of choice by almost 56 percent of juvenile substance abuse clients during that same period.

Alcohol consumption in Iowa, based on sales, increased for the eighth straight year in State Fiscal 2009 to 2.1 gallons of absolute alcohol sales per capita, according to Iowa’s Alcoholic Beverages Division. That’s a nearly 50 percent increase in alcohol sales/consumption over the last decade, representing the highest level in recent history, and coinciding with 61 percent of treatment clients citing alcohol as their primary substance of abuse.

“The good news is that almost all categories of substance abuse by Iowa youth continue to decline, and we have the nation’s lowest rate of illicit drug use by youth according to recent state and national surveys,” said Kendell.

“Substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, and law enforcement initiatives are working relatively well among some segments of the population, but considerable work remains to keep Iowans from starting to use drugs and to get those who’ve started to stop.”

The report includes the following recommendations by Iowa’s Drug Policy Coordinator:

• Regulate Salvia divinorum by making it a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, to protect Iowans from the potentially intense and debilitating effects of this hallucinogenic herb.

• Require utilization of Iowa’s Prescription Monitoring Program by all prescribers (physicians, etc.) and pharmacists, and increase law enforcement access to the database to improve patient care and citizen safety.

• Require full substance abuse and mental health parity to increase access to treatment, reduce crime, and retain workers in Iowa.

• Require substance abuse prevention education as part of the Iowa Core Curriculum to enhance student health and prevent unsafe behavior.

• Resist efforts to legalize the smoking of marijuana for medical or other purposes, based on the consensus of science and other medical evidence.

• Enhance community-based corrections supervision of offenders, including drug testing, to improve offender rehabilitation and accountability in a cost-efficient manner.

• Continue enhancing and implementing a comprehensive plan to reduce underage and binge drinking, including possible policy changes and environmental prevention strategies.

Marijuana and Meth are the Most Abused Illicit Drugs in Iowa is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment