New York state last week became the largest state in the nation to adopt a “Good Samaritan” law to fight overdose. The law bars arrests and prosecution for personal possession of drugs, paraphernalia or underage drinking …
Drugs
Heat Spikes Death Risk from Drugs
With relentless heat enveloping much of the nation, no one, it seems is spared. That includes a group at especially high risk of harm from high temperatures: drug users, both therapeutic and recreational, particularly those who …
U.S. Rules That Marijuana Has No Medical Use. What Does Science Say?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ruled on Friday that marijuana has “no accepted medical use” and should therefore remain illegal under federal law — regardless of conflicting state legislation allowing medical …
Teens and Drugs: Rite of Passage or Recipe for Addiction?
Teen drug use shouldn’t be looked at as a rite of passage but as a public health problem, say experts, and one that has reached “epidemic” levels.
Drugged Driving: A Quarter of Fatal Car Crashes Involve Drugs
A new study finds that among 44,000 U.S. drivers involved in fatal single-vehicle car crashes between 1998 and 2009, 25% tested positive for drug use. The most common drugs were marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines.
Top 10 Unhealthy Side Effects of the War on Drugs
June 17 marks the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s declaration of war on drugs, an effort that has cost the U.S. $1 trillion to date. What have we gotten for our investment?
A Mystery Partly Solved: How the ‘Club Drug’ Ketamine Lifts Depression So Quickly
A new study sheds light on why the anesthetic and “club drug” ketamine can relieve depression rapidly — in hours, instead of weeks or months. The findings may help provide new targets for developing antidepressants and increase …
Drugging the Vulnerable: Atypical Antipsychotics in Children and the Elderly
Pharmaceutical companies have recently paid out the largest legal settlements in U.S. history — including the largest criminal fines ever imposed on corporations — for illegally marketing antipsychotic drugs.
Kids With ADHD May Use Drugs and Alcohol More Often
Two recent studies find that being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood may predict a child’s likelihood of later dependence on nicotine, alcohol or other drugs.
Marijuana Facts for 4/20
As stoners toke today, April 20 — on what has become an unofficial holiday celebrating all things marijuana-related — there’s good news and bad for those who smoke weed.
Why Pot Smokers Are Paranoid
Paranoia is one of the most unpleasant “side effects” of marijuana. It’s also a key experience shared by marijuana smokers and people with schizophrenia. But exactly how does smoking a joint cause the feeling that dark forces are …
Drug Courts: Martin Sheen Defends Them in Congress. But Do They Work?
(Updated) U.S. drug courts, which divert non-violent drug cases and assign offenders to treatment and supervision rather than jail, are championed by the left, right and center. The left likes them because they favor treatment …
Are the Astronauts Trying to Get Even Higher?
For the second time in two years, cocaine has been found in a NASA facility. On March 7, 4.2 grams of a white, powdery substance, which tested positive for cocaine, was discovered at the Kennedy Space Center, a NASA executive …