Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from August 2002

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from August 2002

Drug-reform group expands to Washington D.C., New Jersey.(Drug Policy Alliance)
August 5, 2002... The drug-reform group that has introduced ballot initiatives in California and elsewhere that offer some drug offenders treatment instead of jail is broadening its efforts to the District of Columbia, and is expanding its presence to New...

Ohio report demonstrates value of drug courts in reducing recidivism.
August 5, 2002... Ohio's drug court system has proven successful at reducing recidivism among participants, according to a University of Cincinnati (UC) study released last month, which offered a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of drug courts...

Washington D.C. initiative would exclude Schedule I substances.("Treatment Instead of Jail for Certain Non-Violent Drug Offenders Initiative of 2002")
August 5, 2002... Measure 62, Washington, D.C.'s proposed "Treatment Instead of Jail for Certain Non-Violent Drug Offenders Initiative of 2002," calls for giving nonviolent first- or second-time offenders the option of undergoing treatment. Such offenders...

SAMHSA survey analyzes treatment facilities, services: most clients enrolled in outpatient care.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
August 5, 2002... Onany given day, about 1 million people in the United States are receiving treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, according to the 2000 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services released last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental...

$1,500 reward offered for information about illegal copying.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... Manisses Communications Group, Inc. offers a reward of up to $1,500 to persons providing evidence of illegal photocopying, sending by fax, transmitting electronically or reproducing by any other means of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly. This...

Chronic Ecstasy use may promote long-term neuropsychiatric damage.
August 5, 2002... Repeated use of the club drug Ecstasy may cause long-term neuropsychiatric problems, and could develop into a major health problem, according to a study published in the July/August issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. Approximately...

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., has been named the new president and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., has been named the new president and chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Robert E. Campbell, chair of the RWJF trustees, announced. Lavizzo-Mourey is currently senior vice president and...

Kenneth E. Leonard. (Names in the News).(receives Method to Extend Research in Time Award)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... Kenneth E. Leonard, Ph.D., an internationally recognized scholar in the area of addictions, has received a MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award from the Prevention Branch of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism...

CSAT offers resources for anger management. (Resources).(Center for Substance Abuse Treatment)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is offering two new treatment tools developed to help clients with concurrent substance abuse and anger management problems. Anger Management for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients. A...

CMS offers guidance on HIPAA transactions. (Resources).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a video presentation, "Implementing HIPAA Standards and the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act." The video explains how to prepare for the Health Insurance Portability...

NIDA launches new journal. (Resources).(National Institute on Drug Abuse; Science and Practice Perspectives)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched a new publication that seeks to promote a dialogue between drug abuse re searchers and addiction treatment providers. Science & Practice Perspectives features reviews of critical topics;...

ABMC receives clearance for new on-site drug test. (Business Notes).(American Bio Medica Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... American Bio Medica Corporation (ABMC) has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug and Drug Administration (FDA) for Rapid Tec 5, an on-site point of care assay capable of detecting five classes of commonly abused illicit drugs from a...

Increases in prison population at record low in 2001. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... During 2001, the nation's prison population rose at the lowest rate since 1972 and had the smallest absolute increase since 1979, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced last week. The number of prisoners in state...

San Francisco may explore growing medical marijuana. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... San Francisco's Board of Supervisors has approved a ballot measure that would explore growing marijuana on public property as a way around the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) continual closing of medical marijuana clubs,...

Methadone clinics consider expanding in Maine. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... In response to an increasing need for services, two methadone treatment centers are considering expanding in the Bangor, Maine area, reported the Associated Press. Discovery House, a for-profit methadone clinic, applied for a state license to...

Authorities probe marketing of alcoholic gelatin shots. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... Ohio authorities are considering charges against a company that markets Zippers alcoholic gelatin shots, reported USA Today. Police raided the Toledo-based BPNC Inc. as part of an investigation last month. Charges could include distributing and...

FDA rules against nicotine-laced water. (Briefly Noted).(as a dietary supplement)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled last month that nicotine-laced water is illegal, reported the Associated Press. Lawyers for the FDA concluded that because nicotine is legally sold over-the-counter in FDA-approved...

College drinking affects local neighborhoods. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... Residents in neighborhoods located near colleges report a lower quality of life due to the "secondhand effects" of college students' binge drinking, according to findings published in the international journal Social Science & Medicine....

In case you haven't heard.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2002... According to the New York Times, a police officer from Bayonne, N.J. who once served as a drug-abuse prevention instructor was one of two officers charged in the sale of Ecstasy to undercover police officers. Officer Michael Hurley had...

Pa. lawmakers introduce managed care addiction bills.
August 12, 2002... Frustrated by what they say are problems in accessing addiction treatment services in Pennsylvania, some Republican state lawmakers have filed legislation that would make treatment-related decisions by managed care companies more transparent....

Behavioral economic model links Anti-Drug ads with decreased teen use.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Anti-drug advertising programs are effective in reducing marijuana or cocaine/crack use in adolescents, according to the findings of a study published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers concluded...

Report: millions of teens exposed to alcopop ads.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Alcohol advertisers are exposing millions of teens to a growing category of liquor-branded malt beverages known as alcopops, according to new pollingdata released last month by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and funded in...

ONDCP report notes increased treatment demand since Sept. 11.(White House Office of National Drug Control Policy)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Data released last month by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) found that in New York City and Washington D.C., as well as three other locations, there have been increases in treatment admissions and demand for...

Wristwatch to help smokers quit habit. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Neil Perlman, M.D., a physician who specializes in smoking-cessation research, and Dan Mapes-Riordan, Ph.D., of Chicago-based ElectroMed Technologies, have developed the Quitting Time Watch (QT-Watch) to help smokers quit their habit. The QT-...

Online program offers substance abuse series. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... PSI eCollege, a national online continuing-education program for social workers, is expanding its curriculum to include a series of courses on substance abuse. The first course will describe how psychoactive drugs affect the brain and central...

NIDA offers new slide packets. (Resources).(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has added two new presentations to its series of slide teaching packets. The Neurobiology of Ecstasy (MDM4) focuses on the risks of Ecstasy use and its effects on the brain. It includes a list of...

WestCare seeks director of Residential Treatment. (Help Wanted).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Director, Residential Treatment Services: WestCare, a progressive, quality-minded, growth-oriented non-profit behavioral health and human service organization, seeks outstanding applicants for the position of Adult Residenital Treatment...

Enzyme may indicate alcohol, marijuana use. (Briefly Noted).(adenylyl cyclase)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... An enzyme that is affected by alcohol may help identify recent alcohol or marijuana use and risk of depression, according to findings in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Researchers found that the activity level...

Medical texts not clear on drinking during pregnancy. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... A majority of widely used medical textbooks fail to communicate that pregnant women should not drink alcohol and some actually contradict the warnings from public health authorities, researchers reported in the August issue of the American...

Ky. Coalition awards homeless shelter. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... The Healing Place and one of its employees, Anne Fajardo, received the Kentucky Coalition for Women's Substance Abuse Services' 2002 Awards for Outstanding Program and Individual last month. The awards specifically recognize the Women's...

Scottish Parliament asked to combat sniffing deaths. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... A father whose son died after sniffing lighter fuel is calling on the Scottish Parliament to create laws to stop shopkeepers from selling the gas to children, reported the Scottish Daily Record. John O'Brien has launched a campaign, the Lee...

Study links smoking ads and parenting style. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... Cigarette advertising may have a greater influence on teenagers with more authoritative parents-- those who are actively involved in their teenagers lives -- than it does on those with less involved parents, according to findings in the August...

In case you haven't heard.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2002... The Toronto Star reported this month that military aviators are routinely given speed to keep them alert on long missions. When they return from missions, they are given a sedative so that they can sleep, the newspaper reported. The newspaper...

Study finds many school districts not using prevention programs effectively.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... A study published this month in Health Education Research found that many school districts are not effectively using proven drug prevention programs. The study's lead researcher cites a lack of resources, as well as education and training, as...

Wisconsin faith-based groups push bill for treatment over incarceration.
August 19, 2002... A Wisconsin congregational-based coalition working on a proposed law that would offer the state's non-violent offenders substance abuse treatment rather than prison or jail time as part of its Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP) initiative met...

HHS announces final HIPAA privacy rule.(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Modified consent requirement retained On Aug. 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of its final rules governing the privacy of medical records. The rules were required under the Health Insurance...

Study finds two factors may reduce treatment drop-out rates.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... A study published in this month's Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that helping patients manage their negative emotions and find rewarding activities that do not involve chemical use increased the chances that they will...

Federal approval of buprenorphine expected in the fall.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... After nearly two years, the long-awaited approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of buprenorphine for treatment of opiate addiction may happen within the next few months, according to an industry official. Charles...

HHS announces new Office on Disability.(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson last month announced the creation of the HHS Office on Disability to oversee the coordination, development and implementation of programs and special initiatives...

Web site offers support, chance to share stories. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... The Bright Side-Wings of Support at www.the-bright-side.org offers support to people dealing with a crisis or addiction, coping with a mental disorder or going through any difficult period in their life. The Web site, run by volunteers,...

Second edition of textbook on dually diagnosed available. (Resources).(Managing the Dually Diagnosed Patient: Current Issues and Clinical Approaches)
August 19, 2002... Haworth Medical Press is offering the second edition of Managing the Dually Diagnosed Patient: Current Issues and Clinical Approaches by David O'Connell, an attending psychologist at the Caron Foundation. The second edition stems from the 1990...

Guide offers advice on emergency planning. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Joint Commission Resources (JCR), a subsidiary of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), is offering a Guide to Emergency Management Planning in Health Care. This book gives health care organizations...

Video informs women of drinking consequences. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has produced a film, "Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue." The 12-and-a-half minute video features the narratives of seven women who are recovering from alcohol problems. It provides...

PacifiCare to provide services in Pennsylvania. (Business Notes).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Camp Hill, Pa.-based Keystone Health Plan Central has selected PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH), a subsidiary of Cypress, Calif.-based PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., as its behavioral healthcare partner, according to a PBH announcement. PBH...

Netsmart announces contract with Commonwealth of Virginia. (Business Notes).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Netsmart Technologies Inc., a supplier of software for health and human services providers through its wholly owned subsidiary, Creative Socio-Medics (CSM), has announced that CSM has signed a contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia's s...

Consumers more confident in the health care system. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Privately insured consumers' confidence in the health care system increased between 1997 and 2001, according to a new Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) tracking report. The increase indicates that consumers have noticed changes...

Adolescent drug use may affect health in adulthood. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Adolescent drug use may be associated with increased health problems in early adulthood, according to findings in the June issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. Researchers found that people who used drugs as adolescents reported more...

Family history of alcoholism associated with tolerance. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... People with a family history of alcoholism may develop an acute tolerance to alcohol that causes them to drink more to maintain the same effects, according to findings reported in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental...

Recently detoxified alcoholics show signs of impairment. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... The way people who are suffering from alcoholism respond physically to stress may affect their problem-solving ability and memory, according to findings in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Researchers found...

Drug use increasing among military personnel. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Drug use in the U.S. military has started to increase after 20 years of decline, reported the San Diego Union-Tribune. Positive drug tests in the military have risen 29 percent since 1999, and about 17,000 people have been discharged for...

Peers may influence adolescent smoking. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Having friends who smoke is a strong predictor of adolescent smoking progression, according to findings in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology. Researchers found that adolescents who had at least two friends...

Arizona to vote on marijuana initiative. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... This fall, Arizona's general-election ballot will include an initiative that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, reported the United Press International. The Drug Medicalization, Prevention and Control Act of 2002...

Colombia succeeds Asia as top heroin supplier to U.S. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... Authorities say recent arrests indicate that Colombia has succeeded Asia as the major supplier of heroin to the United States, reported the New York Times. Law enforcement experts also are noting the use of new smuggling techniques, such as...

Coming up.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... The Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Association will hold its annual conference, "Advancing the Conversation: Strengthening Treatment & Prevention in Florida," Aug. 28 to 30 in Orlando, Fla. For more information, call (850) 878-2196 or visit...

In care you haven't heard.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2002... For advocates who protest the appearance of alcoholic beverages in motion pictures and television, they may soon find more to complain about. According to the Associated Press (AP), Coors Brewing Co. and Miramax Films have reached an agreement...