Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana Raises Motor Vehicle Crash Risk, Study Finds By Join Together Staff | February 10, 2012

Driving under the influence of marijuana is associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions, an analysis of nine studies concludes.

The analysis found driving under the influence of marijuana was associated with almost twice the risk of a motor vehicle crash compared with unimpaired driving, CNN reports. The studies in the analysis included nearly 50,000 people.

The results are published in the British Medical Journal. According to a press release issued by the journal, this is the first review to look at observational studies concerned with the risk of vehicle collision after the use of marijuana. “Previous studies have failed to separate the effects of alcohol and other substances from the use of cannabis, resulting in a lack of agreement,” the release notes.

Lead researcher Mark Asbridge of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said while alcohol impairs drivers’ speed and reaction time, marijuana affects spatial location. He said drivers who have recently smoked marijuana may follow cars too closely, and swerve in and out of lanes. He added that while people who are drunk often recognize they are impaired by alcohol, those under the influence of marijuana often deny they are impaired.

A 2009 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), based on blood, breath and saliva tests collected on weekends from drivers in 300 locations nationally, found that 16.3 percent of drivers at night were impaired from legal or illegal drugs, including 9 percent of drivers who had detectable traces of marijuana in their system.

New drug could help curb crime Written By Dr. Keith Ablow

With far less fanfare than they deserve, Alkermes Pharmaceuticals is setting out to revolutionize the penal system and help stop prison overcrowding by finally getting at one of the indisputable medical causes of crime (including violent crime):  alcohol and drug dependence.

Alkermes produces Vivitrol, an injectable form of naltrexone that lasts a month.  Naltrexone blocks nervous system receptors for opiates like heroin and oxycodone (the active ingredient in Oxycontin).  In doing so it makes it tougher or impossible for people to “get high” from opiates and also makes it less pleasurable to drink alcohol.  People who use Vivitrol, therefore, are making a biochemical commitment to block their own reward pathways for using drugs and alcohol.

Now, Alkermes has begun a pilot study of Vivitrol in jails to evaluate its impact on whether the inmates who commit to starting it in prison and continuing it upon release from prison end up staying out of prison longer.  They are setting out to short-circuit the connection between crime and addiction by letting inmates decide to short-circuit their brains’ pleasurable response to getting high on heroin or painkillers, or getting drunk.

The study is small.  Alkermes will make Vivitrol available to 30 adult criminal offenders with a prior history of opiod dependence who want help with their addiction.  The first injection of Vivitrol will be one week before they are released, then monthly in the community, thereafter.  Alkermes will then assess whether these criminal offenders re-offend or not to see whether their odds of staying out of jail seem better than people who are not treated with Vivitrol.
I can’t say enough good things about this bold study.  It takes us further down the unforgivably long road it has been to actually respond to the fact that a whole lot of  criminal behavior is linked directly to mental illness.  In fact, nearly 65 percent of the 2.3 million inmates in U.S. prisons meet the medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction, and these inmates are almost twice as likely to return to prison.

Vivitrol is special because it is a monthly injection.  It doesn’t require making a daily commitment.  If a person can summon the willpower to show up in a clinic just once a month, that person can substantially lower his or her chances of relapsing to drug or alcohol dependence.

If I were placing a bet right now, I’d bet the medicine will work.  I believe it has the potential to help snap that stubborn link between drug and alcohol addiction and stealing, assaulting people, driving cars into people and trying to kill people.

If the data come back as I believe they will, it will be time for a much larger study of Vivitrol.  Because if a monthly injection can cut down on human suffering by cutting down on crime, then we’re going to be hard pressed to figure out why we wouldn’t offer it to any criminal who committed a crime in which drugs or alcohol played a role.  Why wouldn’t we?  Even if we ignored the benefits to those being released from jail (which we should not), the cost of Vivitrol is a lot less than the $29,000 per year it costs to keep each inmate in jail, not to mention the costs of arresting them and bringing them to trial.   The overall cost of heroin addiction alone in the United States has been estimated at $22 billion annually.

I have written before that long-acting, injectable medications like Vivitrol (and Depo-Provera, which reduces sexual urges in pedophiles, and RisperdalConsta, which reduces symptoms in psychotic individuals) must become a major part of the ethical and rational prevention of crime, including violent crime.  Now, Alkermes is on that road.  

Dr. Ablow is the author of "Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony." He is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. Dr. Ablow can be reached at info@keithablow.com. His team of Life Coaches can be reached at lifecoach@keithablow.com.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/09/new-drug-could-help-curb-crime/?cmpid=cmty_%7BlinkBack%7D_New_drug_could_help_curb_crime&utm_source=Join+Together+Daily&utm_campaign=9e578971c2-JT_Daily_News_Seattle_Health&utm_medium=email#ixzz1m2BPS0PZ

Two Men Poisoned By Recreational Drugs Purchased Online

By Join Together Staff | February 10, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs& Marketing And Media

Two men who purchased what they thought was a recreational drug were poisoned by the product, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. It is not known whether the company selling the product deliberately substituted ingredients or made a packaging error.

“This case highlights the danger to the public and the challenges facing public health agencies in an era in which virtually any chemical produced in any country is available through Internet sales,” the CDC noted in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Purchase of chemicals from unregulated Internet sources poses a serious risk to purchasers from product contamination and substitution.”

The Oregon men were poisoned and turned blue after using the drug, which they believed was the designer amphetamine derivative 2C-E. The product they received was aniline, a highly toxic industrial chemical, HealthDay reports. The drug was advertised as a “research chemical,” which carried a warning label that it is not for human consumption. One of the men said he bought the drug from the Internet site of a Chinese chemical company.

After taking the drug, the men’s skin turned blue from lack of oxygen in their blood. One of the men lost consciousness. Health officials were able to quickly identify the chemical and provide treatment.

People reporting emergencies involving ingested substances purchased from the Internet should telephone the Food and Drug Administration at its 24-hour, toll-free number (1-888-INFO-FDA).

“iHeal” Multimedia Device Aims to Detect Drug Cravings and Intervene

By Join Together Staff | February 9, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Drugs &Prevention

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts are developing a multimedia device called “iHeal” that aims to detect drug cravings and intervene to prevent drug use.

“iHeal” is a mobile health application that incorporates biosensors to measure physiological changes, according to Medical Xpress. A person with a history of substance abuse would wear the sensor band around their wrist or ankle. The sensor measures the electrical activity of the skin, body motion, skin temperature and heart rate. All of these are indicators of stress or arousal, the article notes. The band wirelessly transmits this information to a smartphone, which has software applications that monitor and process the data.

If the software detects an increased level of stress or arousal, it asks the person to input information about their perceived level of drug cravings, stress and current activities. The developers plan to have iHeal deliver personalized, multimedia drug prevention and intervention messages at the exact time a person needs them.

The researchers say preliminary tests of iHeal indicate there are still technical issues related to data security that need to be worked out. They also need to improve the look of the device. They note it could be a sensor band that looks and functions like a wristwatch, or a sensor that can be worn on the ankle.

Lead researcher Edward Boyer published a paper on the development of iHeal in the Journal of Medical Toxicology.

Brooke Mueller Reportedly Heading to Mexico for Treatment with the Experimental Hallucinogen Ibogaine

by John LeeGoogle+ Twitter Facebook

Ibogaine is a strong hallucinogenic drug which remains an illegal schedule 1 substance in the US but which is legal for use in Mexico, Canada and other countries internationally. Originally a substance used in African shamanic rituals, Ibogaine has gained increasing popularity in the last decades as a medicine which can interrupt drug addiction and eliminate drug withdrawals and cravings for substances including opiates, alcohol, cocaine and others.

Mueller has battled publically with addictions since her teen years and has already participated in 16 periods of addiction treatment. She ended a 45 day treatment stay in June, but since her release only last month she has been photographed with a crack pipe and was asked to leave a United flight for erratic behavior.

Commenting on why Mueller has decided on Ibogaine therapy in Mexico, a source close to the troubled celebrity said, "Brooke is absolutely desperate. She feels completely powerless to her addiction. Brooke feels that going to get treatment is Mexico is her only option. Brooke wants to be sober, but her addiction just too strong right now.”

Weighing in on the risks and benefits of Ibogaine therapy, director of NYU Langone's Center of Excellence on Addiction, Dr. Stephen Ross said, "Ibogaine treats opiate withdrawal through a biological effect, and also induces a psychospiritual state or mystical state of consciousness…They may feel interconnected to a higher form of energy, their consciousness is part of a greater consciousness, and have a sense of sacredness, awe and reverence."

But while that may sound like a good time, experts say that an Ibogaine ‘trip’ is an intense experience that typically involves nausea and vomiting and intense and nightmarish visions, and additionally; Dr. Ross warns that about 20 people have died after taking Ibogaine, typically from cardiac events.

He also adds that while Ibogaine may help people break free from drugs for a short while, it’s the post treatment continuing care that really matters in the long run, saying, "Rarely would an experience like this, without post-therapy, cause long-term recovery and sobriety."

Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife Brooke Mueller is reportedly heading to Mexico for 7 days of addiction treatment with Ibogaine, an experimental hallucinogenic drug that is said to interrupt addiction to drugs such as opiates, alcohol and cocaine.
 
Read more: Brooke Mueller Reportedly Heading to Mexico for Treatment with the Experimental Hallucinogen Ibogaine 

Parenting a Teen with Addiction – 8 Steps to Success

by John LeeGoogle+ Twitter Facebook



© Josh Kenzer


Addiction is a brain disease that causes compulsive substance use, negative behaviors and strong drug cravings and drug seeking. Parenting a teen is rarely all smooth sailing, but when you add teen addiction to the equation – and all the behaviors that tend to accompany addiction – relations in the family can get pretty fractured; and that’s a shame, because teens dealing with addiction truly benefit from the support of a unified and loving family behind them.


Every family differs and no two stories of addiction run the same course, but though a lot can vary, pain in the family is rarely avoided. So how can you raise a child with addiction to happy healthy adulthood while maintaining the peace and harmony – and love – in the family?


There’s no one right answer, but follow the advice of the experts at the National Alliance on Mental Illness on how to love and rear a child with addiction and you stand a pretty good chance of a happy ending.


Make sure your teen feels your love and caring and understanding as he or she goes through a very difficult recovery process. Try to put aside any lingering hurts and just be there when they need you - and during addiction recovery, they definitely need you.
Don’t be embarrassed and don’t act embarrassed. Addiction is a disease; it’s not something anyone chooses and thankfully, recovery is very possible.
Your child needs professional addiction treatment. There is no substitute for this, but it’s also important to strongly encourage participation in community support groups during and after the formal treatment process.
Forget guilt trips and histrionics – they won’t do anything to help your child overcome nearly overwhelming compulsions and cravings, but they will probably make him or her feel badly…
Forget the lectures too – If you’ve said it all 100 times already then adding on that 101st lecture probably won’t do much good. Do communicate but do not nag.
Don’t forget to hold him or her accountable though – You may understand what drives your teen to drink or use drugs, but that does not mean you have to accept these behaviors. Communicate the consequences of breaking the rules of the house and make sure you follow through on any threatened consequences for infractions.
Encourage participation in supervised after school activities or sports, an after school job or an after school community volunteering project. These activities can build self esteem, provide healthy outlets for energy and frustration and can teach teens how to enjoy life without resorting to getting high or drunk.
Remember that recovery is a process and not an event and that setbacks and relapses are the norm, and not the exception.1

Read more: 8 Secrets to Loving and Raising a Teen with Addiction