The conviction of Dr. Conrad Murray in Michael Jackson’s death highlighted a worrying drug trend in the U.S. Less than a week before a jury found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter for improperly using an anesthetic to …
Cocaine
Is Nicotine a ‘Gateway’ to Cocaine Addiction (and Cancer)?
Some have claimed that tobacco and alcohol are “gateway” drugs that people use before turning to illicit substances. While causal conclusions are hard to draw, at least one new study in mice shows that smoking may indeed increase …
Marijuana Derivative May Offer Hope in Cocaine Addiction
A new study in mice has found that activating a receptor affected by marijuana can dramatically reduce cocaine consumption. The research suggests that new anti-addiction drugs might be developed using synthetic versions of …
Does Acting Like a Weiner Mean You’re An Addict?
As revelations about Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter sexting continue to emerge — including private messages he sent to a 17-year-old girl — the announcement Saturday that he was entering “treatment” was almost inevitable. …
Perspective: The Debate Over Anonymity in Addiction Recovery
Should addicts and alcoholics remain anonymous about their recovery? Eighteen years ago this month, I wrote my first op-ed for the Washington Post‘s Sunday Outlook section, arguing against that idea. It was headlined “Addicted to …
Perspective: Why Comparing Painkiller Addiction to Crack Worsens the Problem
As the Obama administration and the media increasingly promote the idea that prescription drug misuse is this generation’s crack epidemic, I want to take a few minutes to note how irresponsible and off-base this idea is.
Are Oxycontin Babies This Decade’s Crack Babies?
In the late 1980s and early ’90s, it was almost impossible to avoid hearing about the plight of “crack babies” — infants born to mothers who had used crack cocaine during pregnancy. These offspring were predicted to become a …
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 …
Perspective: What the Supreme Court Doesn’t Know About Crack
It’s always possible to crack a good cocaine joke — I’m as guilty as the next person — and there were more than a few of them in a recent syndicated column from the Washington Post about the Supreme Court’s somewhat bumbling …
Major Triggers of Heart Attack: Alcohol, Coffee — and Sitting in Traffic
We all know that high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure can increase the risk of having a heart attack. On the behavioral side, triggers include getting angry, exerting yourself and feeling stressed. But none of these …
Can You Use Crack ‘Socially?’ Addiction Myth Watch: Charlie Sheen Edition
The subject of addiction swirls with myths and misinformation. It doesn’t help that so many people seem to believe that their own struggle with addiction — or a few drop-ins to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings — make them …
Drug Legalization Is a ‘Legitimate Topic for Debate,’ Obama Says
It’s been 40 years since President Nixon’s “War on Drugs.” Is it possible that peace talks are now at hand? On Thursday, President Obama said the question of drug legalization and regulation is an “entirely legitimate topic for …
New Hope For An Anti-Cocaine Vaccine
OK, so maybe there’s not an epidemic of coke-snorting mice in your neighborhood, but if there were, a new finding at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City could help them. It could also help millions of humans addicted …