Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from July 2004

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from July 2004

GAO finds SAMHSA's future planning efforts incomplete.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
July 12, 2004... The General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report last week that concluded that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has not completed planning efforts for effectively managing its programs and has operated...

Senate passes bill that would lift patient limit for buprenorphine.
July 12, 2004... The U.S. Senate last month passed a bill that would lift the 30-patient limit on group practices for prescribing buprenorphine for opioid addiction treatment. The legislation, currently awaiting review in two U.S. House committees, is...

Survey: half of adults with co-occurring disorders lack treatment.(mentally ill persons with substance abuse problems)
July 12, 2004... More than half of adults with co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI) and a substance use disorder (a total of 2 million adults) received neither specialty substance use treatment nor mental health treatment during the past year, according to...

Field leaders in California establish policy institute.(From the Field)
July 12, 2004... Crafting good public policy is both an art and a science. Effective policy requires good science, vision, understanding the levers of government and an appreciation of how policy impacts people. Field leaders in California have taken a bold...

The Change Companies.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Frankie D. Lemus has been appointed national training director for The Change Companies. Lemus is currently an educator and trainer for the Counseling and Educational Psychology Department, Mountain West Addiction Technology Transfer Center and...

Free teleconference focuses on reducing underage drinking.(Resources)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA's) National Coalition Institute will host a teleconference, "A Fork in the Road: The Path to Reducing Underage Drinking in Your Community," July 22 from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m., EST. The...

Handbook provides guide to diagnosis and treatment.(Resources)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has published the Handbook of Addictive Disorders: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment by Robert H. Coombs, Ph.D. The 600-page book covers the full spectrum of addictions and addictive behaviors including...

Netsmart recognized by FORTUNE Small Business.(Business Notes)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Netsmart Technologies, Inc. was ranked 70th in the FORTUNE Small Business Magazine list of the top 100 fastest growing companies with revenues tinder $200 million, according to a company announcement. FORTUNE Small Business ranked public...

Ceridian to provide HR services to Phoenix House.(Business Notes)(human resource)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Ceridian has announced an agreement to provide a full suite of human resource solutions to Phoenix House. Under the agreement, Ceridian will deliver human resource outsourcing (HRO) to include integrated web-based benefits, HR/payroll, tax...

NIH to tighten restrictions on work with drug companies.(Briefly Noted)(National Institutes of Health)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D., has proposed tighter restrictions on NIH employees' work with drug-companies, the Associated Press reported. Some collaboration with the industry is necessary to translate...

Insurance too expensive for some employees.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... A survey by the Urban Institute has found that more people are choosing not to purchase employer-subsidized health insurance, the Boston Globe reported. The Urban Institute found that 88 percent of people eligible for insurance at work,...

N.Y. court rules against discriminatory coverage claim.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... The Court of Appeals in New York has ruled that disability policies written in the state do not have to provide the same coverage for mental and emotional conditions that they provide for physical conditions, the Associated Press reported. The...

Lawsuit claims tobacco maker targeted African-American youth.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... The son of a woman who died from lung cancer in 2002 is suing the maker of Newport cigarettes, the Boston Globe reported. Will Evans claims Lorillard Tobacco played a role in his mother's death by illegally giving samples of Newport cigarettes...

British drug users committing crimes to access treatment.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Findings released by Turning Point, a social care charity, suggest that chronic drug users in some parts of Britain are committing crimes to gain access to treatment, The Guardian reported. The report, "Routes into Treatment: Drugs and Crime,"...

State suggests Hazelden could have done more.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... A state investigative report has suggested that the Hazelden drug treatment center in Minnesota could have done more to prevent the overdose death of a patient earlier this year, the Associated Press reported. The report states that Hazelden...

Report: binge drinking increasing among women.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... Binge drinking among women of childbearing age is on the rise, according to a report released by the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. From 1999 to 2002, binge drinking among women ages 18 to 44 increased nationally by 13...

Coming up.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 12, 2004... The Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center in conjunction with the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration will sponsor the Second Annual DC Summer Institute July 18 to 21 in Washington, D.C. For more information, contact...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
July 12, 2004... The Marin, Calif. County Fair has a new sponsor, and for the first time in many years, it is not a beer company, the Marin Independent Journal reported. Six community groups operating under the name "Play Fair" purchased the $8,500 sponsorship...

Report: drug courts save money, lower recidivism rates.(Painting the Current Picture: A National Report Card on Drug Courts and Other Problem Solving Court Programs in the United States)
July 19, 2004... Drug courts significantly increase access to and retention in drug treatment, reduce criminal recidivism, and save money on the state and local levels, according to a first-time drug court report card released this month by the White House...

Despite protests from researchers, NIAAA discontinues online research database.(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
July 19, 2004... The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) discontinued its comprehensive online resource database, despite past year efforts by alcohol researchers, librarians and other constituents to persuade officials to reconsider...

Enactment of SA parity falls short in California.(substance abuse parity)
July 19, 2004... Efforts to enact substance abuse parity in California failed again during this year's legislative session, but advocates, undaunted, expect the effort to be revived next year. The bill, SB 1192, passed the state Senate in May, but was voted...

Parent Corps officially unveiled; leaders trained in seven cities.
July 19, 2004... The Bush administration last week officially unveiled "Parent Corps", a prevention initiative that will train parent leaders to build a corps of volunteer parents to work with students in middle and high schools. Based on the ethos of...

Barthwell steps down as ONDCP deputy director.(Andrea Barthwell of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Andrea Barthwell, M.D. resigned her position as White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP's) Deputy Director earlier this month. Barthwell had served in the post since January 28, 2002. An ardent advocate of...

Alcohol/Drug Council of North Carolina.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... The Alcohol/Drug Council of North Carolina (ADCNC) has named Lattie Baker Jr. as its new executive director. Baker has served as assistant secretary for substance abuse programs at the North Carolina Department of Corrections for the past 17...

CADCA institute launches website.(Resources)(Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA's) National Coalition Institute has launched a website, www.coalitioninstitute.org, Coalitions Online reported. The site offers training and technical assistance information and features an...

Maryland moving forward on planned treatment facility.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Commissioners in Carroll County, Maryland have signed a lease for state-owned land that will be used as the site for a long-term drug treatment facility, the Baltimore Sun reported. The seven acres of land are located at the southern end of...

Computer-based intervention may increase HIV knowledge.(Briefly Noted)(injection drug users and AIDS prevention)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Findings published in the American Journal of Health Behavior suggest that a computer-based intervention may help injection drug users learn about HIV/AIDS prevention, Health Behavior News Service reported. Researchers found that participants...

Mass. takes action against online liquor retailers.(Briefly Noted)(Massachusetts Liquor Control Act)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Massachusetts has taken action against seven online liquor retailers who allegedly violated the Massachusetts Liquor Control Act by selling to minors, the Boston Globe reported. Four of the companies are being sued for not having a license to...

Oakland initiative calls for city to tax, regulate cannabis.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... California's Oakland County Registrar of Voters has qualified the Oakland Cannabis Initiative for the November presidential election, according to an announcement from the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance, which proposed the initiative. The...

Court says church members may use peyote in ceremonies.(Briefly Noted)(Oklevueha Earth Walks Native American Church )(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... The Utah Supreme Court has ruled that the state cannot prosecute members of a Native American Church who use peyote as part of religious ceremonies, the Deseret Morning News reported. According to the unanimous decision, an exemption in the...

House votes against medical marijuana.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... The U.S. House of Representatives has voted against an amendment that would have prevented the federal government from overriding state medical marijuana laws, the Associated Press reported. The 268-148 vote against the amendment upheld the...

Coming up.(Calendar)
July 19, 2004... Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (CHEF) will present the ninth annual National Prevention Symposium, "Learning from Our Past... Creating Our Future," July 28 to 30 in Seattle. For more information, call (800) 323-2433 or visit...

In case you haven't heard ...(Athens cleans up rehab centers for Olympics)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2004... Greek officials rejected requests by hoteliers in Athens to clear the city of its drug rehabilitation centers prior to the hosting of next month's Summer Olympics, Agence France Presse reported. "Athens doesn't intend to put on an Olympic...

House appropriations budget would boost SA research: bill would only level-fund Access to Recovery.
July 26, 2004... The House Appropriations Committee last week passed a fiscal 2005 Labor/Health and Human Services (HHS)/Education budget that would provide significant increases to substance abuse research but would only level-fund the highly anticipated...

Legislation would combat underage drinking on multiple fronts: bill proposes funding for media, research.
July 26, 2004... U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine (R.-Ohio) last week unveiled legislation that proposes to spend $19 million over two years to combat the spread of alcohol use among minors by coordinating federal efforts, enhancing a national advertising campaign and...

Study finds girls overexposed to alcohol advertising.
July 26, 2004... Underage youth saw more alcohol advertising, on a per capita basis, than adults, and girls were even more overexposed than boys to alcohol advertising, according to a study published this month in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent...

California county criticized for its implementation of Proposition 36.
July 26, 2004... A California county's implementation of Proposition 36, California's groundbreaking diversion-to-treatment initiative, has been criticized for ineffective treatment, increased costs and with compromising public safety and health, according to a...

MADD estimates 20,000 lives saved by raising of drinking age.(Mothers Against Drunk Driving)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and members of Congress marked the 20th anniversary this month of the federal law that raised the minimum legal drinking age to 21, estimating that 20,000 lives have been saved by the enactment of the law....

Doug Tieman, president and chief executive of the Wernersville, Penn.-based Caron Foundation, has received the Large Businessperson of the Year Award through the Berks County Chamber of Commerce.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Doug Tieman, president and chief executive of the Wernersville, Penn.-based Caron Foundation, has received the Large Businessperson of the Year Award through the Berks County Chamber of Commerce. Since Tieman's arrival in 1995, the Caron...

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director Ting-Kai Li has named Markus Heilig, M.D., Ph.D., as chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Studies, and clinical director in NIAAA's Division of Intramural Clinical and...

Obituary.(Obituary)
July 26, 2004... Carole Fields-Arnold, cofounder of the Musicians Assistance Program, died at her home at age 59, the Los Angeles Times reported. Fields-Arnold and her husband, Buddy Arnold, founded the Musicians Assistance Program in 1992 to help artists fight...

ABMC manufactures new oral fluid test.(Business Notes)(American Bio Medica Corporation)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... The American Bio Medica Corporation (ABMC) has begun manufacturing its own point of collection device for the detection of drugs of abuse in oral fluids, according to a company announcement. The device will be sold under the OralStat trade...

State court rules that addiction is not a disability.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... An appeals court in New Jersey has found that a correction officer's addiction to cocaine is not a disability protected under state law, the Courier-Post reported. The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office fired Kelvin Wagner, then a corrections...

Partnership recognized for reducing teen Ecstasy, meth use.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... The Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) recently received a Discovery Health Channel Medical Honor for its work in combating substance abuse among America's youth. The award specifically recognized the Partnership for its campaigns...

Scientists identify gene that may influence withdrawal.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Scientists reporting in the journal Nature Neuroscience may have identified one of the genes that influence drug dependence and withdrawal, Medical News Today reported. The scientists believe that the gene Mpdz is involved in physical...

MRI scans reveal brain damage in meth users.(Briefly Noted)(Magnetic resonance imaging)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Findings published in the June 30 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience suggest that chronic use of methamphetamine may cause permanent damage to parts of the brain, the New York Times reported. Researchers found that chronic methamphetamine...

Lawsuits accuse government of delaying marijuana research.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Several scientists have filed lawsuits claiming that the government is delaying research projects that would explore the potential medical use of marijuana, the Associated Press reported. According to the lawsuits, the government has delayed...

Teen binge drinking may affect adult health.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Binge drinking during adolescence may lead to health problems in young adults, according to the results of a University of Washington study. Researchers found that 24-year-olds who drank heavily from age 13 through age 18 were more likely to be...

Hazelden Fellowship Club celebrates 50 years.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... The Hazelden Foundation is celebrating the 50th year of its halfway house, Fellowship Club, located in St. Paul, Minn. The Fellowship Club was established in 1953 to provide a transitional living option for men leaving Hazelden's residential...

Researchers identify relapse links in brain.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Findings presented at the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Harrogate, England suggest that researchers may have identified parts of the brain that play a role in relapse, the Press Association Limited reported. The...

Americans spending more money on prescriptions.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... A study released by Boston University shows that people are spending a higher percentage of their income on prescriptions, the Boston Herald reported. Americans spent 1.8 percent of their personal income on prescriptions in 2002, compared to...

Marijuana may not be associated with oral cancer risk.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Findings published in the June issue of Cancer Research suggest that marijuana use is not associated with increased risk of developing oral cancer, despite the findings of an earlier study. Researchers found no association between marijuana use...

Advocates appeal to voters for increased funding.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... Advocates in some states are trying to appeal directly to voters through ballot initiatives for money to fund various programs and services, the Associated Press reported. Voters in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah and...

Coming up.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 26, 2004... Faces & Voices of Recovery will hold regional "Fighting Stigma and Discrimination" trainings July 31 in New York City and Aug. 21 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc. For more information, contact Taylar Nuevelle at tnuevelle@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
July 26, 2004... A group of Massachusetts teens are making the rounds to clubs and camps this summer, spreading the message to their younger peers about how drug use damaged their lives, the Boston Globe reported. The teens, all recovering, some very recent,...