Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from February 2003

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from February 2003

Bush's treatment initiative would give vouchers to 300,000.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... President Bush's stance on Iraq and his economic revival plan weren't the only controversial items in his State of the Union address last week. His proposal to give people vouchers for drug and alcohol treatment is drawing qualified support...

Calif. governor proposes shifting Prop. 36 from state to counties.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... California Gov. Gray Davis has proposed shifting the funding structure for Proposition 36, the state's groundbreaking diversion-to-treatment initiative, from the current state trust fund arrangement to a county-level structure with local...

Wash. governor wants faster diversion to community treatment.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... As states struggle to balance their budgets, they also are facing rising prison populations and the accompanying increase in costs. The combination has some officials taking highly visible actions; Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton recently ordered the...

SAMHSA creates directory of doctors prescribing buprenorphine.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last month announced the formation of an online directory of physicians who can prescribe buprenorphine for opiate addiction. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved...

Gaudenzia Inc. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Rosemary Madl-Young, Ph.D., and Michael D. Link have joined Gaudenzia Inc., the largest non-profit drug and alcohol treatment provider in Pennsylvania. Madl-Young, previously the director of Clinical Services for Planned Parenthood of Central...

The Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ADAS) Board. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ADAS) Board recently appointed Diana Joyce Harris and Gerardo Torres to its board of trustees. Harris is a registered nurse serving as an alternative program monitoring agent with the...

Interactive online tool creates customized anti-drug messages. (Resources).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... As part of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has launched an online tool to help youth leaders create low-cost materials with anti-drug messages for their club, team or group....

Guide will help consumers with health plan disputes. (Resources).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, have released a guide to help consumers handle disputes with their health plan and to better understand their coverage. The Consumer Guide to Handling...

Parents aim to raise awareness of resources for troubled teens. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A group of parents of troubled teenagers, in conjunction with Teen Help and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the resources available to parents and teenagers....

CDC recommendations aim to reduce inmate hepatitis. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published recommendations for preventing and controlling viral hepatitis infections in correctional settings in the January 24 issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), M2...

Methamphetamine in rural states raises census of foster children. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Authorities in Kentucky, Indiana and other rural states have seen an increase in foster care cases as a result of spreading methamphetamine use, the Associated Press reported. About half of the children on the foster-care roster in Knox County,...

Correction.(To:"Advocates elsewhere also seek to protect methadone services" in January 13, 2003 issue)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... In the "Advocates elsewhere also seek to protect methadone services" story contained in the Jan. 13 issue of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, Massachusetts is seeking to trim $500 million more from its fiscal 2003 state budget.

Some pregnant women continue to use drugs. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Almost 3 percent of pregnant women in the United States used illicit drugs during 1996 to 1998, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...

Environmental factors influence binge drinking in college. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Environmental factors may have more influence on binge drinking among college freshmen than alcohol education efforts, according to a national study from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study that appears in the January...

Ho Chi Minh City sets drug reduction goals. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have set targets to dramatically reduce drug abuse by 2005, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported. The targets include reducing the number of drug addicts by 15 to 20 percent; eliminating...

Heavy alcohol use linked to high blood pressure. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Withdrawal from heavy alcohol consumption may increase sodium sensitivity, leading to higher blood pressure, according to findings in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Researchers observed that during the first...

Mass. diverts tobacco money to address budget shortfalls. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Prior to the end of her term as Massachusetts acting Governor, Jane Swift cut $1 million in funding for local anti-smoking programs to address state budget shortfalls, the Boston Herald reported. The programs were funded by the state's share of...

Ohio Prevention Association to receive CADCA award. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) has selected the Ohio Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA) as its 2002 Outstanding Statewide Coalition of the Year, according to an Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction...

Many women drink alcohol during pregnancy. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Many woman consume alcohol while pregnant despite increasing public awareness of its harmful effects, according to findings in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Researchers questioned women in southeastern...

Cocaine use may reduce the ability to feel pleasure. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Regular cocaine use may reduce an individual's ability to feel pleasure, according to findings published in the January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers found lower levels of dopamine and VMAT2 -- a transporter protein...

European agency estimates many adults have tried Ecstasy. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A European drug monitoring agency estimates that millions of adults in the European Union have tried Ecstasy, BBC News reported. The Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimates that three million to 3.5...

In case you haven't heard.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Associated Press reported last week that a survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles found that American freshmen arriving at colleges last fall studied less than predecessors...

Details about voucher program emerge after ONDCP meeting.( Office of National Drug Control Policy; substance abuse treatment vouchers)
February 10, 2003... A week after President Bush proposed giving addicts $600 million in treatment vouchers over the next three years, addiction providers gathered in Washington, D.C. to learn more about the program, called Recovery Now (see ADAW, Feb. 3). ...

FDA issues warning letter to manufacturer of OxyContin.(Purdue Pharma L.P.)
February 10, 2003... The federal government has sent a rare warning letter to the maker of OxyContin after finding that two advertisements placed in a medical journal last fall violated rules that drug ads be balanced and that they convey information about harmful...

Prevention takes a hit under president's '04 budget.
February 10, 2003... While House and Senate conferees hash out details over federal appropriations for fiscal 2003, President Bush has moved forward with his fiscal 2004 budget request. The proposed budget presents a good news/bad news scenario for advocates: a...

Report: girls are more vulnerable to addiction.
February 10, 2003... Girls and young women use cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs for reasons different than boys and are more vulnerable to substance abuse and addiction and its consequences, according to a report released last week by the National Center on...

Efforts to reduce restraint, drug errors win NAATP honors.(Marworth and the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery receive the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers' James W. West Quality Improvement Award)
February 10, 2003... The two addiction treatment facilities that are co-recipients of this year's quality-improvement award sponsored by the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) demonstrate that quality management can have an impact on...

The U.S. Department of Education. (Names in the News).(John Casteen receives Presidents Leadership Group Award from the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention presented the Presidents Leadership Group Award to John Casteen, president of the University of Virginia, late last month. The award recognizes...

Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ADAS) Board. (Names in the News).(Deidra Layne Hair and Eric Recardo Ruffin appointed to board of trustees)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The Cincinnati-based Hamilton County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ADAS) Board recently appointed Judge Deidra Layne Hair (retired) and Eric Recardo Ruffin to its board of trustees. Hair was on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas...

Varian acquires product line from Roche Diagnostics. (Business Notes).(OnTrak TesTcup and OnTrak TesTstik drug abuse testing products)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Varian, Inc. has acquired the trademarked OnTrak TesTcup and OnTrak TesTstik drugs of abuse testing product line from Roche Diagnostics Corporation for approximately $22 million, Business Wire reported. Varian, through its 2002 acquisition of...

Dole joins ONDCP'S anti-drug campaign. (Briefly Noted).(Dole Food Company Inc.; Office of National Drug Control Policy National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Dole Food Company Inc. is the first company to partner with the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP's) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in 2003, according to an ONDCP announcement. As part of the partnership, Dole will...

Federal court nixes methadone clinic's claim. (Briefly Noted).(Discovery House Inc. discrimination case)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... A federal appeals court has ruled that the city of Indianapolis did not discriminate against Discovery House Inc. when it refused to approve zoning for a proposed methadone clinic, the Indianapolis Star reported. In 1995, the Marion County...

Florida Gov. supports prescription-tracking system. (Briefly Noted).(Jeb Bush)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is pushing for legislative approval of a computerized database that would track prescriptions written for narcotic painkillers and other controlled drugs, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The proposed system would...

University of Utah to study genetics of addiction. (Briefly Noted).(National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute award research grants to the University of Utah)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have awarded the University of Utah $10.7 million in grants for a five-year project on the genetics of addiction, the university announced. The project...

In case you haven't heard.
February 10, 2003... A late night television show that premiered last week on ABC has had its liquor license pulled, reported the Olympia, Wash. Olympian. Jimmy Kimmel Live had featured a bar for audience members as a way of attracting young viewers to the program....

Judge strikes down D.C. treatment ballot initiative.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Judge Jeanette J. Clark of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia last week ruled that Measure 62, the ballot initiative that called for diverting drug offenders to treatment instead of incarceration, impermissibly encroached on the...

Vermont advocates pushing for alcohol tax, elevating SA agency to department status.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Some Vermont addiction treatment advocates and lawmakers again this year are seeking to increase taxes on alcohol and dedicate the money to drug and alcohol treatment to shore up what many say is a weak and underfunded system. Meanwhile, a...

Ohio governor proposes SA increases during difficult economic times.
February 17, 2003... The most enviable kid on the addiction-treatment block these days might well be Ohio. Republican Governor Bob Taft has proposed increasing alcohol and drug treatment spending by 10 percent for each of the next two years, with counties to...

Partnership survey shows encouraging signs on attitudes, use.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... A survey released last week by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that the number of teens using Ecstasy is finally leveling off, though a majority of adolescents still don't see great risk in trying the drug. In its 2002...

State-based association opens Washington D.C. office.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) announced last week that it had opened a Washington D.C. office in an effort to conduct education and advocacy efforts for its members. Founded in 1987, SAAS is comprised of 32 state...

SAMHSA seeks applications for SA prevention awards. (Call for Applications).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), in collaboration with the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National...

Betty Ford Center implements NOW Solutions' HRIS software. (Business Notes).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The Betty Ford Center has implemented emPath (TM), a Web-based human resource information system (HRIS) solution from NOW Solutions LLC, an HRIS and payroll software and business solutions provider, Canada Newswire reported. emPath integrates...

Nabi receives second patent for nicotine vaccine. (Business Notes).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has received a second U.S. patent for NicVAX (TM), an investigational nicotine conjugate vaccine for the treatment and prevention of nicotine addiction, according to a company announcement. The patent covers the...

Officials start initiative in South Carolina. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Nancy Moore Thurmond, wife of U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, and Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., are heading a statewide initiative on substance abuse developed by Clemson Mayor Larry Abernathy, the Associated Press reported. The Nancy Moore...

Home intervention may benefit drug-exposed infants. (Briefly Noted).( )(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Home intervention may be associated with higher developmental test scores among drug-exposed infants, according to findings in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers found that drug-exposed infants in families that...

NORML to help teen with 26-year drug sentence. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The NORML Foundation, a Washington-based group working to reform marijuana laws, will help an Alabama teenager who is seeking probation after receiving a 26-year prison sentence for his first drug offense, the Associated Press reported. Webster...

Buying to bacco-promotion items increases likelihood of smoking. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Adolescents who acquire items associated with tobacco promotions maybe more likely to begin smoking, according to findings in the February issue of Pediatrics. Researchers found that 45 percent of adolescents who acquired a promotional tobacco...

Drug czar will not respond to Nevada campaign questions. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... According to a White House lawyer, U.S. drug czar, John Walters will not respond to questions regarding his campaign against a Nevada marijuana initiative, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. In a letter to Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller,...

Supreme Court to review Virginia anti-drug policy. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The U.S. Supreme Court will determine if an anti-drug policy prohibiting unauthorized visitors from the streets and sidewalks of public-housing complexes in Richmond, Va., violates the Constitution, the Washington Post reported. The policy,...

Health officials evaluate proposal to close Conn. treatment unit. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... A Middletown, Conn.-based substance abuse treatment unit will remain open while officials assess the impact its proposed closing would have on health care in the region, the Associated Press reported. The 40-bed Merritt Hall unit at the...

In case you haven't heard.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... In Massachusetts, a state police trooper was charged earlier this month with robbing a CVS pharmacy of OxyContin, the Boston Globe reported. Trooper Christopher P. Shields, who had been on medical leave since injuring his back in October, was...

National Drug Control Strategy narrows its focus.
February 24, 2003... Drug Czar John P. Walters said last year as he issued his first National Drug Control Strategy that future documents would emphasize program accountability and performance, and would focus more on treatment efforts (see ADAW, Feb. 25, 2002)....

Congress finalizes fiscal 2003 budget; treatment increased, prevention cuts restored.
February 24, 2003... Addiction field leaders were pleased with the final results of the fiscal 2003 federal appropriations process. The collective efforts of the field resulted in the restoration of funds to prevention programs that had been slated for cuts, as...

Study: enhanced D.A.R.E. program more effective for male youth.
February 24, 2003... A Minnesota-based enhanced D.A.R.E. program involving students, parents teachers and the community, revealed that adolescent boys were less likely to show increases in alcohol and other drug use compared to their peers in a D.A.R.E.-only...

Dan Anderson, treatment pioneer, former Hazelden president, dies at age 81.(Obituary)
February 24, 2003... Dan Anderson, former Hazelden president and a primary architect of the "Minnesota Model", died last week at the age of 81. "Dr. Anderson was a pioneering father of Hazelden whose wisdom, curiosity and great integrity are a cornerstone of...

AREBA Casriel Inc. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... Gopal K. Upadhya, M.D., has been named medical director of In Patient Services for AREBA Casriel Inc., the oldest drug and alcohol treatment center in the United States. Prior to joining the New York City-based center, Upadhya served as...

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HIRS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson recently announced that Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., has been appointed director of the department's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Clancy has...

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... John B. Brown, III has been named acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He replaces Asa Hutchinson, who was recently sworn in as Undersecretary of Transportation and Border Security at the Department of...

National Institutes of Health. (Names in the News).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., has appointed Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., as the new deputy director of NIH. Kington has served as director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research....

Correction.(To: "California governor proposes shifting Prop. 36 from states to counties" in February 3, 203 issue)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
February 24, 2003... In the Feb. 3 issue of ADA W in the story, "Calif. governor proposes shifting Prop. 36 from states to counties," Gov. Davis' realignment plan would realign $230 million from the Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs.

Government spends billions to care for uninsured. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The money federal, state and local governments spend on uncompensated medical care for the uninsured could be used to provide insurance coverage for the uninsured, according to a report for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured...

More competition for grants may hurt Mass. veterans shelter. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... A Northhampton, Mass.-based shelter for homeless veterans may have to close 60 of its 135 beds after being told it will not receive an expected $415,000 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Associated Press reported. The Western...

Welfare caseloads decline for sixth straight year. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The number of people receiving aid under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program has declined for the sixth straight year, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced. Recipient...

Needle exchange program sees many steroid users. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... A majority of the clients at the needle-exchange program in Ontario, 4 Canada have been steroid users rather than heroin addicts, the Oakville Beaver reported. During the first year of the program, 65 percent of the clients used steroids, while...

FDA accepts NDA for oxymorphone. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc., has announced that the New Drug Applications (NDAs) for its oxymorphone extended release (ER) tablets and its oxymorphone immediate release (IR) tablets...

Treatment for alcoholism may reduce partner violence. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... Findings in the February issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research indicate that treatment for alcoholism may reduce the frequency of partner violence committed by alcoholic men, Health Behavior News Service reported. The...

Calif. youth group pushes prevention bill. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The Youth Partnership in Vallejo, Calif., helped introduce a new Assembly bill that would require alcohol producers to pay a state fee based on revenue earned from the illegal sale of alcoholto minors, the Vallejo News reported. The money would...

Many college students report alcohol-related blackouts. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... A survey at Duke University in Durham, N.C., revealed that 40 percent of college students had experienced alcohol-related blackouts that led to risky behaviors in the past year, according to a university press release. Researchers found that...

SAMHSA announces funds to strengthen substance abuse treatment.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announces the availability of up to 14 awards in fiscal 2003 for cooperative agreements to improve client access to and retention in substance abuse treatment. The grants...

Koop criticizes handling of addiction problem. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General from 1981 to 1989, told addiction specialists and government officials that the federal government and public health establishment have been neglecting addiction out of ignorance and prejudice, Reuters Health...

Mississippi finds drug courts could be cost-effective. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... Findings released by Mississippi State Auditor Phil Bryant indicate that a statewide system of drug courts could save the state over $5 million each year, the Associated Press reported. The state could see the savings if 5 00 people went...

NIPAW partners plan inhalant awareness week. (Briefly Noted).(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The 11th annual National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week (NIPAW) will be held March 16 to 22. The campaign will be launched with a national news conference on March 13, in Washington, D.C. Local groups will be able to tie into the...

In case you haven't heard .(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... The Winston-Salem Journal reported last week that smoking has been prohibited in the North Carolina House of Representatives, after lawmakers voted 71-43 for the ban. "What I'm proposing today is about workplace safety and protecting the health...