Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from August 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from August 2007

Court rules against insurance industry in Pennsylvania; Treatment must be covered if certified by a doctor.
August 6, 2007... The treatment community in Pennsylvania is celebrating yet another legal conquest against the insurance industry. An unequivocal July 26 ruling by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania concluded that group health insurers must "provide...

SA spending lags as public sector assumes greater burden.(substance abuse)
August 6, 2007... A Thomson Healthcare study published in the July/August issue of Health Affairs offers clear evidence of a trend that has troubled addiction field leaders for years: Substance abuse treatment spending is falling in proportion to overall health...

Conflict brews as 'sober homes' blur treatment-housing distinction.
August 6, 2007... Sober homes are houses which, depending on your viewpoint, help people in early recovery, perhaps with a recent history of incarceration, gain a foothold in society--or they are investment opportunities for the operators, who use their tenants'...

New group to take on advocacy of SAMHSA.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
August 6, 2007... A new group that will help educate about and advocate for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is in the fledgling stages, but already the group--the Friends of SAMHSA--has some powerful friends, ADAW has...

Mixed results from Baltimore's buprenorphine initiative.
August 6, 2007... The good news from Baltimore's buprenorphine initiative is patient retention: 65 percent of the 388 patients who have entered treatment have stayed in treatment for at least 90 days, with only two dropouts. The initial benchmark called for 67...

British review supports cannabis-psychosis link.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his government are considering returning cannabis to its stricter class B status, after a 2004 downgrade to class C. A review of data regarding potential harm is likely to include the most...

Substance abuse high among Outer Banks youth.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Report)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... According to Sheila Davies, the project manager for the Dare County Substance Abuse Project, the elevated rate of substance abuse in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina is too often attributed to increased tourist activity. In reality, she...

Names.
August 6, 2007... Carol Falkowski has been named director of the DHS Chemical Health Division, Minnesota's alcohol and drug authority. Falkowski, most recently director of Research Communications at Hazelden Foundation, will assume her new post August 15. In...

Radio show features real-life stories told by addicts.(RESOURCES)(Steppin' Out: The 12 Step Meeting on the Air)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... "Steppin' Out: The 12 Step Meeting on the Air" is a radio show featuring the personal stories of those struggling with addictions including alcohol and drugs, gambling, sex and food. Its goal is to reach those struggling with addiction, their...

California to ban program protecting addicted doctors.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Following five audits, the diversion program that allows California physicians to continue to practice while receiving covert treatment for drug or alcohol addiction is likely to come to be phased out by June 2008. The Associated Press reported...

Massachusetts casino plan worries addiction experts.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Gov. Deval Patrick has convened a task force as Massachusetts considers expanding gaming and opinions stack up on either side of a proposed casino in Middleborough. From the addiction standpoint, adding a casino stands to double the number of...

Ohio reconsiders prison diversion programs.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Despite considerable support and financial backing, Ohio legislators backed by former Gov. Bob Taft voted in 2002 against State Issue 1, which would have diverted non-violent offenders into treatment programs. Five years later, reported the...

In case you haven't heard.
August 6, 2007... There's no methadone clinic in Chilton County, Alabama, but the one in next-door Shelby County can't handle the need from the adjoining counties. So owner Susan Staats-Sidwell is seeking state approval to develop another clinic in Chilton...

Congress votes to increase SCHIP funding with tobacco taxes; winning plan, says Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
August 13, 2007... Congress has voted to increase the cigarette tax significantly--61 cents per pack in the Senate bill passed before the August recess--to help fund the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with an additional $35 billion over the...

Study finds 3.8% rate of pain patients abuse their opioid medication.(Report)
August 13, 2007... In the first study of opioid dependency among primary care patients who are prescribed opioids for pain, the frequency of abuse of the drugs was found to be 3.8 percent. The study, published in the July issue of The Journal of Pain, is...

Recovery home gets grant from OxyContin agreement.(Braxton County Fellowship Home)(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... The Braxton County Fellowship Home in West Virginia on August 6 received a $30,000 grant from state Attorney General Darrell McGraw. The money is coming out of the $10 million settlement paid by Purdue Pharma to West Virginia in 2005, which...

New York state and the MSA.(master settlement agreement)(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... The state which has taken the lead in tobacco policy is New York State, which last month called for tobacco-free addiction treatment programs statewide (see ADAW July 9). In announcing the plan, Karen Carpenter-Palumbo, commissioner of the...

NASADAD makes case for increase in block grant.(National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors)
August 13, 2007... With Congress on recess until September, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) wants to keep the critical issue of funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant on the front...

Legal community pitches in to prevent underage drinking.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
August 13, 2007... When an otherwise disengaged student remarks, "This is the best thing I've had in high school. If I wasn't doing this, I would have been sleeping in the back of the class," then you know something special has occurred. That is what happened...

Senate judiciary committee passes Second Chance Act.
August 13, 2007... The Senate Judiciary Committee, by voice vote, earlier this month approved the Second Chance Act of 2007 (S.1060), legislation that would help states and local communities help individuals reentering society from the criminal justice system. A...

Former attorney general testifies in favor of Purdue Pharma.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Jay P. McCloskey)(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Legal action against Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin has led to a $19.5 million settlement with 26 states, reported the Portland Press Herald on August 2, following charges of misleading marketing that critics say played down the painkiller's...

Names in the News.
August 13, 2007... Patricia M. Greer, LCDC, AAC, has taken on her new role as president of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, reported NAADAC on July 26. Sharon Morgillo Freeman stepped down from the position in mid-July. Greer served as NAADAC...

New Jersey to implement pilot needle exchange program.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... Proponents of needle exchange have been fighting to establish programs in New Jersey since 1993, The Record reported on August 1. Fourteen years and many concessions later, a pilot program has finally been approved in four cities. Paterson,...

Promoting awareness of motivational incentives.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
August 13, 2007... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently announced the availability online of Blending Team products related to informing the field about proven approaches in the use of motivational incentives (or contingency management). The...

Coming up ...
August 13, 2007... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals,will hold its annual conference in affiliation with the Tennessee Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors and the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals in...

In case you haven't heard ...
August 13, 2007... It can be expected that flying in outer space is stressful, especially in the wake of space shuttle tragedies in 2003 (Columbia) and 1986 (Challenger). But NASA doesn't expect flight crew to drink before take-off. The agency is now facing...

Reckitt Benckiser website seeks to prevent and treat prescription opioid abuse: buprenorphine meets the MySpace generation.(Website overview)
August 20, 2007... In a creative attempt to reach out to the youngest prescription opioid abusers, Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of buprenorphine, has launched a website on MySpace, the popular "social networking" Internet site. Called Addiction411,...

CASA school survey reveals disturbing details on drugs' presence.
August 20, 2007... Taking a probing look at the presence and influence of drugs in the nation's middle and high schools, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has concluded that a strong majority of high schoolers and...

N.Y. targets underage gambling in $150,000 'mini-grant' program.
August 20, 2007... The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) has given a series of "mini-grants" totaling $150,000 in 15 areas across the state aimed at preventing underage gambling, commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo...

Two reports promising on methamphetamine treatment drugs.
August 20, 2007... Two studies have offered hope that pharmacotherapy can help treat methamphetamine addiction. One study, published earlier this year, found that methylphenidate (Ritalin) is effective in reducing intravenous drug use in patients with severe...

Women just as vulnerable to alcohol dependence as men.
August 20, 2007... It's not news that more men than women abuse alcohol, and more men than women are admitted to treatment. But researchers have been trying to determine whether the higher rates of dependence are due to higher rates of use, or to differences in...

Disability checks linked to drug-related morbidity.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... According to a report in the Journal of Public Economics, monthly disability payments can lead to drug-related hospitalization and even death. Drug-related hospital admissions in California increase by 23 percent during the first five days of...

NIDA renames scientific journal.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Institute on Drug Abuse changes Perspectives to The Journal of Addiction Science and Clinical Practice)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced on August 1 it is changing the title of its scientific journal "Perspectives" to "The Journal of Addiction Science & Clinical Practice," effective with its November issue. The most widely...

Town meetings raise awareness of youth abuse of cough meds.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... Anti-drug coalitions nationwide are holding community forums this month to raise awareness about the abuse of cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM), which increasing numbers of children and adolescents are using to get high. The...

DOJ supports states in Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Department of Justice)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... The Department of Justice reported on August 2 that its Office of Justice Programs has announced more than $17 million in block awards to 50 states and the District of Columbia through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program, the...

Marin Institute report implicates makers of alcoholic "energy" drinks.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... A recent report from the Marin Institute implicated the alcohol industry for irresponsible and possibly illegal marketing of alcoholic "energy drinks" to underage drinkers. The "alcohol industry watchdog" reported that in promoting drinks such...

Casinos in Louisiana donate treatment money.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... Six casinos in Louisiana gave more than $60,000 to the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling earlier this month. Reece Middleton, executive director of the association, said it will use some o f the funds for a halfway house or a...

South Dakota expands DUI sobriety program.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... Following a highly successful pilot program in 14 counties, South Dakota has expanded its "24/7" sobriety program statewide. Forty-six of 66 counties are now requiring repeat DUI offenders to undergo twice-daily mandatory testing for alcohol...

Names in the news.
August 20, 2007... Kenner C. Rice, Ph.D. has been selected to receive the 2007 Smissman Award presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Rice, whose research has led to the development of compounds or medications that have the potential to treat or prevent...

Promoting Awareness of Motivational Incentives.(Resources)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently announced the availability online of Blending Team products related to informing the field about proven approaches in the use of motivational incentives (or contingency management). The...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... If you're building a treatment center, you better pay attention to paperwork. The Eastern Oregon Alcoholism Foundation lost federal funds for a detox center, which is 60 percent finished, because Umatilla County officials neglected to wait 14...

Authorities, providers monitor youths' access to prescription drugs.(White House Office of National Drug Control Policy )
August 27, 2007... With prescription medications continuing to have a more prominent standing on the list of drugs of abuse in surveys of young people, those who work with children are closely monitoring youths' growing access to prescription drugs. At the same...

Brain-scan study sheds light on ADHD-substance use disorders link.
August 27, 2007... A new study, published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, suggests that a dopamine problem may be the link between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs), by...

States face obstacles setting up prescription monitoring programs.
August 27, 2007... Some states are hoping that monitoring pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals will help stem the increase in prescription drug abuse. In New Hampshire and Florida, for example, advocates have been trying to get prescription monitoring programs off...

FDA issues new codeine warnings for nursing mothers.
August 27, 2007... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that mothers who carry the gene for being "ultrarapid metabolizers" may put their infants at risk of morphine overdose if they take codeine while nursing. The FDA warning, issued August 17,...

Integrating primary health care and treatment: Haight Ashbury free clinics.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
August 27, 2007... For a number of years we have witnessed a flurry of interest in and activity about integrating substance use disorder treatment and mental health services. Behavioral health has become the new umbrella term encompassing programs, services and...

Pressures to assimilate lead to drug use by Hispanics: study.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 27, 2007... A recent study has found that Hispanic immigrants do not bring addiction with them, but rather develop it due to cultural isolation. The study, released earlier this month and conducted by an Oregon State University sociologist, found that in...

Recovery Month proclaimed.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 27, 2007... On August 22 President Bush issued a proclamation making September National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The theme of this year's Recovery Month is "Join the voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars." This theme...

Compulsive gambling, alcohol and medication.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
August 27, 2007... A news report from the Boston Herald last week related the case of a beloved 65-year-old grandmother who was allegedly shot in the head by her husband during a fight over finances. He had been drinking, according to the report, and she had...

Medical complications of methamphetamine use.(Brief article)
August 27, 2007... Rural methamphetamine users living in the Midwest may be at higher risk than urban users for medical complications related to their methamphetamine use, according to a recent study of adult methamphetamine users receiving services at five...

New web tool from SAPRP.(RESOURCES)
August 27, 2007... The Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) has launched a new tool providing access to research and policy discussion related to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. A project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, SAPRP is calling the web...

Obituary.(Obituary)
August 27, 2007... Jack H. Mendelson, M.D., director of McLean Hospital's Clinical Research Program on Substance Abuse, died Aug. 15 at the age of 77. Along with his wife Nancy K. Mello, Ph.D., Mendelson founded McLean's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
August 27, 2007... NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, will hold its annual conference in affiliation with the Tennessee Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors and the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals in...

In case you haven't heard...
August 27, 2007... By measuring drug metabolites found in sewage, scientists can determine the pattern of drug use in a community. The researchers, based at Oregon State University, developed an automated system to test samples collected at wastewater treatment...