Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from May 2007

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from May 2007

CRC discusses growth challenges, reaches out to fellow providers.(CRC Health Corp.)
May 28, 2007... A panel discussion at last week's annual conference of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) was entitled "Growth and Integration While Maintaining Value and Integrity," so it was fitting that the session was...

No prescription necessary: study shows rogue pharmacies market controlled substances to consumers.
May 28, 2007... Rogue online pharmacies that sell controlled substances without a prescription to anyone--including children--are on the increase, according to a new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University...

Resources.
May 28, 2007... The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), a trade group, has a web site that is an online research clearinghouse to help people learn about the dangers of buying drugs on the Internet or importing them--obtaining them...

SAMHSA issues guidance for treatment providers on Vivitrol.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
May 28, 2007... Injectable naltrexone (Vivitrol) helps reduce craving for alcohol, but how treatment providers should use this medication is still unclear. The most typical scenario involves a physician administering the medication. But a new advisory from...

SBI guide instructs trauma centers, hospitals, physicians.(screening and brief interventions)
May 28, 2007... Hospitals--particularly emergency departments and trauma centers--have faced a conflict in the past about whether to screen incoming patients for problem drinking or abuse using screening and brief interventions (SBI). The benefit of SBI is...

Pediatricians call for R rating for movies depicting smoking.(American Academy of Pediatrics)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) last week called for eliminating smoking from movies that have less than an R rating. The Motion Picture Association of America had recently announced that it would "consider smoking as a factor" in...

NIDA finds 'extraordinary results' in early trials of nicotine vaccine.
May 28, 2007... Early results of a trial of NicVAX, a nicotine vaccine, showed that it helped prevent smoking relapse in about a quarter of the study participants for up to months--results which Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Instituted on Drug...

Home drug-testing grows despite warnings.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Pharmatec Inc. sales rises)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... Despite warnings from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and drug abuse treatment professionals, the sale of at-home drug testing kits continues to grow, reported the Denver Post on May 14. Industry leader Pharmatech Inc....

Nevada justices seek to bend minimum sentencing law.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Jim Hardesty, Bill Maupin )(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... Questioning the rationale of Nevada's mandatory minimum sentencing laws, established in 1995, Nevada Supreme Court Justice Jim Hardesty said, "It makes absolutely no sense for us to sentence a young man to 10 to 25 years... who gets paid...

Past drug use can compromise entry to U.S.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(United States. Customs and Border Protection)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency is using internet technology to broaden its background checks, making it increasingly difficult for anyone with past drug use or D.U.I convictions to cross the border into the U.S. On May...

Betty Ford expands to Colorado with children's program.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... With a $1.5 million grant from the Daniels Fund, the Betty Ford Center is opening the Colorado Children's Center, a prevention and education program for children ages 7 to 12 who have a parent or family member addicted to alcohol or other...

Local teen groups produce anti-meth DVDs.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Placer County Health and Human Services produces videos on the dangers of methamphetamine)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... Placer County Health and Human Services have provided six grants totaling over $10,000 to groups in the Tahoe-Truckee, California area to produce straight-to-DVD movies chronicling the dangers of methamphetamine, as a means to educate area...

Anheuser-Busch withdraws Spykes from market.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... Following protests from several state attorneys general and groups including the alcohol industry watchdog The Marin Institute, Anheuser-Busch said that it will cease sales of a flavored malt beverage mixer called Spykes. The Associated Press...

New York announces 90-day grandparenting period for new gambling designation.(Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services )(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... In New York, there will soon be a new specialty designation for treating gambling disorders, which will be available to professionals who are currently credentialed as CASACs or CPPs. There will be a 90-day grandparenting period starting June...

National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.(Coming up)
May 28, 2007... The National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse will hold its Twenty-third Annual Conference on June 3-7 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. For more information, visit www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/nri.

National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors.(Coming up)
May 28, 2007... The annual meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN) will take place on June 7-10 in Burlington, Vermont. For more...

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)
May 28, 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 case you haven't heard ...(pseudoephedrine sell regulated in Nevada)(Brief article)
May 28, 2007... What killed a an anti-drug bill in Nevada last week was a requirement that convenience stores pay a $200 fee to register to sell cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a chemical used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Stores would...

Hearing addresses SAMHSA reauthorization amid worry over NOMs.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Outcome Measures)
May 21, 2007... A May 8 hearing held by the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to discuss reauthorization legislation for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has buoyed addiction field...

Arizona launches 10-point strategy for methamphetamine.
May 21, 2007... At the same time that the state is launching an ambitious 10-point strategy for addressing methamphetamine via law enforcement, prevention, and treatment, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is calling on the legislature to put more treatment money...

Update on the Second Chance Act.(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The Second Chance Act is still waiting for its chance to be put to the vote. Last week, the House of Representatives' scheduled vote on this reentry bill was postponed due to concern that the bill would not have enough votes to be approved....

Purdue Pharma and 3 top executives found guilty of misbranding.
May 21, 2007... The maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma--and, in a highly unusual outcome, three individual current and former executives--pleaded guilty May 10 to misleading consumers about the addictive properties of the drug. Purdue Pharma and the...

Drug court expansion urged in New Jersey.
May 21, 2007... Earlier this month, the New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing issued a comprehensive examination of the New Jersey Adult Drug Court Program (ADCP) calling for an expansion of the system. The report encompasses a series of...

Parents are main sources of alcohol for youth until 8th grade.(Statistical data)(Clinical report)
May 21, 2007... Parents or guardians are a predominant source of alcohol for young teens, according to a longitudinal study that followed Chicago public school students from 6th to 8th grade. More than one-third of alcohol-using youths entering 6th grade...

New Jersey considers parity for substance abuse coverage.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... New Jersey lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require health insurers to cover treatments for alcoholism, substance abuse and mental health disorders on par with coverage of physical illnesses, reported the Associated Press on...

Mass. to receive nearly $1 million from maker of OxyContin.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Massachusetts)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Massachusetts, a leader of the multi-state investigation of the marketing practices of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma (see ADAW May 14), will receive $949,500 as part of Purdue's total settlement with 26 states. The office of Attorney General...

Brazilian beer taster sues brewer for addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Companhia de Bebidas das Americas)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... A Brazilian labor court has ruled that brewer Ambev (Companhia de Bebidas das Americas) must award the equivalent of $49,000 to a former employee who worked as a beer taster, after the man charged the company did not provide adequate health...

Study finds teens who drink at home less likely to binge.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Report)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... A study of drinking habits among over 10,000 British adolescents aged 15-16 finds that teens who drank a moderate amount of alcohol at home with their parents were less likely to engage in binge drinking. Lead researcher Dr. Mark Bellis said...

UNODC head calls for more drug testing, treatment.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... "Public opinion is waking up to the fact that some people are driving cars, public transport, operating heavy machinery or even flying airplanes while on drugs," said Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on...

More teen girls than boys abusing prescription drugs.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Report)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Female adolescents are abusing prescription drugs at a higher rate than male adolescents, according to a report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). An analysis released last month found that nearly one in ten...

Pre-teens vulnerable to alcohol marketing.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Report)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... By the time children reach the sixth grade, alcohol advertising has had a significant impact, according to a study by the nonprofit research organization RAND. While previous studies have found that TV advertising is influential, RAND...

California overdose liability act moves forward.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... In a surprise victory for the sponsors of the Overdose Treatment Liability Act, the bipartisan California Senate Judiciary Committee passed California Senate Bill 767 in a unanimous vote, reported the Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC) on May 8....

Early findings show in-prison treatment effective.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... A study under way in Kentucky is showing promise for in-prison treatment, according to researcher Michele Staton-Tindall. Abstinence rates among participants increased during the 12 months following release, the University of Kentucky...

SAMHSA guidebook for child welfare families.(RESOURCES)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported on May 9 it has made available a new guidebook to assist the staff of public and private agencies in more effectively responding to families in the child welfare...

National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors.(Coming up)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The annual meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN) will take place on June 7-10 in Burlington, Vermont. For more...

National Council on Problem Gambling.(Coming up)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The National Council on Problem Gambling will hold its national conference, "Gambling and Co-Occurrence: Improving Practice and Managing Consequences," June 9-11 in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.ncpgambling.org.

State Associations of Addiction Services.(Coming up)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) will hold the 2007 SAAS National Conference for Executive and Senior Managers in Addiction Services on July 8-11 in Chicago. Register and reserve hotel rooms at www.saasnet.org.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)(National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors)(Brief article)
May 21, 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 case you haven't heard ...(dextromethorphan abuse)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The latest over-the-counter medication to go behind the counter due to abuse is dextromethorphan (DXM), a common ingredient in cough medicine. Giant Food, based in Landover, Md., announced last week that it would join other retailers in...

NESARC study: destigmatization and PC physicians needed to close treatment gap; Seventy percent of patients don't get treatment.(Survey)
May 14, 2007... Seven out of 10 people with a diagnosis of drug dependence don't get treatment, and the two best ways to close this gap are destigmatizing addiction, and getting primary care physicians involved in the treatment of addiction, according to...

New hires at Caron boost capacity to treat co-occurring mental disorders.(Caron Treatment Centers appoints Susan Blank, Harris B. Stratyner)
May 14, 2007... Mindful that addiction relapse among its clients usually appears linked to an ongoing mental health issue, Caron Treatment Centers has hired two nationally known health leaders to improve its in-house capacity to address co-occurring...

Mass. centers act as addiction and primary care provider.(Massachusetts, Addiction Medicine Associates)
May 14, 2007... Addiction Medicine Associates announced last month the opening of its twelfth facility in Massachusetts. Best known for its "home detoxification" protocol, the centers also act as their patients' primary care providers, enabling insurance...

Senate parity bill: strong legislation that will help consumers and families.
May 14, 2007... In the May 7, 2007 edition of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, Deb Beck, Kim Bowman and Marge Hanna make a number of inaccurate and unfair statements regarding S.558, the mental illness and substance abuse insurance parity bill now pending...

Morphine may cause lasting changes in the brain.
May 14, 2007... A single dose of morphine blocks the brain's ability to strengthen connections at inhibitory synapses that limit the release of dopamine occurring from naturally rewarding experiences, perhaps revealing a key to the early stages of addiction...

SAMHSA survey links depression and first use of drugs or alcohol.(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... The most current data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that youths ages 12 to 17 who experienced depression were twice as likely as those who did not have depression to try alcohol or drugs for the first time. The...

NIH conference examines drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.(National Institutes of Health)(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... A conference last week at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was the first-ever public meeting at NIH to include a focus on non-injection drug use and HIV transmission, reported NIH on May 8. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)...

Town Meeting votes against in-school substance educator.(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... Voting on the fiscal 2008 budget last month, Town Meeting members in Reading, Massachusetts did not approve a motion to add $50,000 to the school budget for substance abuse prevention education in the schools, the Reading Advocate reported on...

JAMA on NIDA pain meeting.(Journal of the American Medical Association, National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... In a column in the May 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Bridget M. Kuehn summarizes proposals from several scientists about how physicians might address the "systemic problem" of prescription opioid abuse. At...

Purdue Pharma settles with states over OxyContin.(BUSINESS)
May 14, 2007... Facing allegations that it did not adequately publicize the risk of abuse with its pain drug OxyContin, Purdue Pharma L.P. has agreed to pay the District of Columbia and 26 states a total of $19.5 million. The Bureau of National Affairs...

National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.(Coming up)
May 14, 2007... The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) will hold its 2007 Addiction Treatment Leadership Conference on May 19-22 in San Diego. For more information, visit www.naatp.org/index.php.

National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.(Coming up)
May 14, 2007... The National Rural Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse will hold its Twenty-third Annual Conference on June 3-7 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. For more information, visit www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/nri.

National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors.(Coming up)
May 14, 2007... The annual meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN) will take place on June 7-10 in Burlington, Vermont. For more...

International AIDS Society.(Coming up)
May 14, 2007... The International AIDS Society (IAS) will hold its 2007 conference, "Bringing Together The World of HIV Science to Address the Challenges of Research, Prevention and Treatment," in Sydney, Australia on July 22-25. For more information, visit...

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) will sponsor a conference, "Double Jeopardy: Substance Abuse and Co-Occuring Mental Health Disorders in Young People," on October 18 in New York City. Keynote...

In case you haven't heard ...(Chris Albrecht quits HBO)(Brief article)
May 14, 2007... Even if HBO hadn't produced the landmark "Addiction" series that brought the topic of recovery into every American household with the TV service, the news of CEO Chris Albrecht's May 10 resignation would resonate throughout the field. In the...

POATS looks at buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for prescription opiate addicts.
May 7, 2007... Detox, counseling and maintenance part of the two-phase study The federal government has just begun a $10 million study into the effectiveness of buprenorphine treatment for prescription opiate addiction. Called the Prescription Opiate...

NIATx launches free quality improvement program for treatment providers.(Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment)
May 7, 2007... Emphasis on productivity and client satisfaction A new program designed to help treatment providers reduce waiting lists, improve retention, and better manage transitions between levels of care is now available for free to treatment...

NC partially restores Medicaid rate for MH/SA support services.(mental health and substance abuse)(North Carolina)
May 7, 2007... Treatment providers who bill North Carolina Medicaid by the hour for support services for mental health and substance abuse had reason to cheer April 26. That was the day that officials of the state's Department of Health and Human Services...

Another view on proposed parity legislation.
May 7, 2007... "Primum non nocere." First, do no harm. We need to be sure that we follow this precept as we fight for parity. We must not support any parity legislation that harms progress made through existing life-saving state laws. In the past...

ASAM conference explores parity debate.(BRIEFLY NOTED)
May 7, 2007... The American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) wrapped up it 38th Annual Medical-Scientific Conference on April 30. At the conference, ASAM explored the history and politics behind the struggle for parity in health insurance coverage for...

Critics say branch practices contrary to AA credo.(Alcoholics Anonymous)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Vocal critics and concerned recovery professionals continue to try to close one of the largest Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups in the Washington, D.C. area, reported Newsweek in its May 7 issue. Some former members describe a "cult-like"...

Hurwitz convicted of drug trafficking in federal court.(William E. Hurwitz)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Following a four-week retrial, on April 27 pain physician William E. Hurwitz, M.D. was found guilty in federal court on 16 counts of drug trafficking, after jurors determined he prescribed excessive quantities of narcotic pain medicine to his...

Texas Senate approves needle exchange.(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... Texas, the only state in the country that does not allow legal needle exchange for drug users, moved one step closer to joining the rest of the nation when the Senate overwhelmingly approved such a program on April 26. The Express News...

Study suggests deficits in screening women's alcohol abuse.(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... A recent study by University of Minnesota researchers questioned whether the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence are as accurate for women as they are for men. Penny Nichol and her colleagues looked at nearly 3,000 men and women and...

Case report highlights dangers of BZP.(benzylpiperazine)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... In a case report appearing in the Lancet on April 28, British researchers suggest that clinicians should become aware of the presenting features of toxicity for benzylpiperazine (BZP), an increasingly popular recreational stimulant that is...

Second Edition: APA Practice Guidelines.(Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Substance Use Disorders, 2d ed.)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... The American Psychiatric Association has released the Second Edition of its Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Substance Use Disorders. A portion of the guidelines (Part A, "Treatment Recommendations") appear as a...

Guide: Built environment of behavioral healthcare facilities.(The Design Guide for the Built Environment of Behavioral Health Facilities, 2d ed.)(Brief article)
May 7, 2007... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) has released a newly updated publication: The Design Guide for the Built Environment of Behavioral Health Facilities: Second Edition. In the guide, two national leaders, David...

National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.
May 7, 2007... The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) will hold its 2007 Addiction Treatment Leadership Conference on May 19-22 in San Diego. For more information, visit www.naatp.org/index.php.

National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors.
May 7, 2007... The annual meeting of the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN) will take place on June 7-10 in Burlington, Vermont. For more...

National Council on Problem Gambling.(Coming up)
May 7, 2007... The National Council on Problem Gambling will hold its national conference, "Gambling and Co-Occurrence: Improving Practice and Managing Consequences," June 9-11 in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.ncpgambling.org.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.(Coming up)
May 7, 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 case you haven't heard ...
May 7, 2007... Drinking shrinks the brain: yet another study proves it. And it's not only heavy drinking: people who drink more than 14 drinks a week had a significantly smaller brain than non-drinkers, according to a study by Carol Ann Paul, M.S., a senior...