Patricia Russo, chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America provided keynote remarks and joined Steve Pasierb, Partnership CEO and Ken Winters, PhD., chairman of the organization's science advisory board and professor at the University of Minnesota, to review a number of new research-based programs from the Partnership at the National Prevention Network Prevention Research Conference...

German scientists from Tübingen and Mainz have developed a blood test that can reliably detect gene doping even after 56 days. Scientists at the universities in Tübingen and Mainz have developed a test that can provide conclusive proof of gene doping...

The BMA has welcomed plans to set the minimum price per unit of alcohol in Scotland at 45 pence. Commenting on the proposed price announced by the Cabinet Secretary this morning, Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said that so far, no credible alternative to minimum pricing had been identified by opposition parties and he urged them to back the Alcohol Bill...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered. Prior research suggested an association between SNPs in a gene that encodes aspects of the brain's gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence...

New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana - that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults - is overblown. Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research...

During the 60th session of the Africa Committee of the WHO on Monday, Luis Sambo, regional director of the WHO for Africa, proposed the creation of a public health emergency fund to provide financial support to African countries in emergency situations, Agencia AngolaPress reports (8/30)...

Ezlopitant, a compound known to suppress craving for alcohol in humans, was shown to decrease consumption of sweetened water by rodents in a study by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, which is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco...

September's National Pain Awareness Month has never been more important for the state of Florida. Recent data from the Florida Medical Examiner shows residents are dying at a rate of at least 7 per day as a result of prescription drug abuse...

Michael Douglas told a US television audience on Tuesday night that he has been diagnosed with and is receiving treatment for stage four throat cancer. Speaking on David Letterman's "Late Show" to promote the release of his new film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", the 65- year old American actor and producer said his doctors had told him he has an 80 per cent chance of survival...

A study published in the scientific journal Addiction argues that privatising Sweden's government monopoly on the sale of alcohol will significantly increase alcohol-related violence and other harms...

Hispanic middle school students may be more likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana than their peers of other races and ethnicities, whereas Asian students seem to have the lowest risk, according to new research in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs...

Responding to figures from the North West Public Health Observatory on the effects of alcohol consumption, NHS Confederation deputy policy director Jo Webber said it was up to society as a whole to address the problems of excessive drinking Commenting on the release of Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) by the North West Public Health Observatory, Jo webber, deputy poli...

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland can confirm that they are investigating the death of a drug injecting heroin user in Leicestershire. Testing of samples from the patient has confirmed the presence of anthrax. This is the fourth case of anthrax seen in an injecting drug user in England, the first being announced in London on 5 February 2010...

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against Scenic View Dairy of Hamilton, Mich., its president, and three of its managers alleging that they sold dairy cows for human consumption that contained illegal drug residues in edible tissues. The complaint, filed Aug. 31, 2010, in the U.S...

Commenting on the Scottish Labour's Commission on Alcohol report yesterday (Tuesday 31 August 2010) the BMA said it was 'disappointed' that the panel had rejected minimum pricing as the most effective measure to address alcohol misuse in Scotland...

The coming weeks mark the return to school for many of our youngest citizens. Sadly the satisfaction of making new friends and obtaining good test scores may be overshadowed by the prospect of substance abuse for some school-aged adolescents. The previous decade has witnessed a two-fold increase in both alcohol consumption and intoxication by adolescents age 12 to 17...

Despite medical research that indicates Vancouver's supervised injection facility, Insite, reduces needle-sharing and overdose deaths, the facility's fate is uncertain, states an analysis article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Insite was North America's first sanctioned supervised safe injection site, opened in 2003 under the then Liberal government...

Researchers found that moderate alcohol drinkers are more likely to live longer over a 20-year follow-up than heavy drinkers and abstainers. Moderate drinking means consuming about one or two drinks per day...

For patients with chronic (long-term) neuropathic pain, smoking cannabis was found to reduce symptoms of pain, improve mood and help sleep, a report published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Journal Association) revealed...

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) will offer psychological assistance to sportspeople and sporting organisations to deal with drugs in sport as part of a new government initiative. As part of the Australian Government's $20...