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Drug addiction management costs UK £3.6bn a year: Report

According to a latest report from the think tank the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), drug addiction costs £3.6bn a year for both treating problem drug users and keeping them on benefits. The study by has criticised government plans to change the way authorities tackle drug addiction. It claims the plans for payment-by-results schemes are “doomed to failure, not least because they are being run by the very organizations responsible for the current failure of policy”.

19 Jun 2011

Train the brain to manage chronic pain

How do you function when chronic pain is a part of your daily life? The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness (UCSD CFM) at UC San Diego Health System offers a novel program to help people who are dealing with chronic pain "train their brains" to lessen their experience of discomfort and, in some cases, eliminate it.

16 Jun 2011

Exposure to cigarettes fosters tween smoking: New study

Exposure to secondhand smoke can create symptoms of nicotine dependence in non-smoking preteens, according to a new study from Concordia University and the University of Montreal.

14 Jun 2011

Survey reveals increase in drinking, cannabis use and psychological distress

The latest survey of Ontario adults from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows increasing rates of daily drinking and cannabis use and high levels of psychological distress. The results of the 2009 CAMH Monitor survey, the longest running survey tracking mental health and addiction indicators among adults in Ontario, were published today.

13 Jun 2011

Scripps Research receives $2.2M NIH grant to develop novel therapeutics for substance abuse

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of addiction to multiple substances in a national effort with the University of Kansas.

10 Jun 2011

Smoking keeps weight off: Study finds out how

The researchers have found that nicotine activates a pathway in the brain that suppresses appetite. The study was published in the journal Science. The authors believe this discovery should lead to better diet drugs.

9 Jun 2011

Ameritox launches Rx Guardian CD, next-generation pain-medication monitoring solution

Ameritox, the leader in pain-medication monitoring, today announced the launch of Rx Guardian CD, its next-generation pain-medication monitoring solution and part of the patented Rx Guardian process.

9 Jun 2011

CAMH receives $2.5 million PHAC grant to expand school-based violence prevention program

The CAMH Centre for Prevention Science is delighted that the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced funding to expand the reach of CAMH's highly successful Fourth R Program. This $2.5 million grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) through its Innovation Strategy supports the regional adaptation of an effective program with a special focus on Aboriginal youth.

9 Jun 2011

Key molecule of vascular system directs axons during neural circuit formation

Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), and his team have shown for the first time that a key molecule of the vascular system directs axons during the formation of neural circuits.

9 Jun 2011

Celebrities urge decriminalization of drug possession

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Branson, actress Julie Christies and Sting have added their support to an ex-drugs minister and three former chief constables in calling for the decriminalization of the possession of all drugs. These celebrities together with leading lawyers, academics, artists and politicians have signed an open letter to David Cameron to mark this week's 40th anniversary of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. The letter, published in a full-page advertisement in Thursday's Guardian, calls for a “swift and transparent” review of the effectiveness of current drugs policies.

2 Jun 2011

Wall Street Journal reports on U.N. AIDS declaration negotiations prior to high level meeting

The Wall Street Journal reports on negotiations surrounding a U.N. declaration to be discussed at the High Level Meeting on AIDS scheduled for June 8-10 in New York.

1 Jun 2011

Researchers discover new drug target that may effectively prevent onset of Huntington's disease

McMaster University researchers have discovered a new drug target that may be effective at preventing the onset of Huntington's disease, working much the same way heart medications slow the progression of heart disease and reduce heart attacks.

1 Jun 2011

Research provides new understanding of how heroin affects the brain

New research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health suggests that our understanding of how heroin affects the brain should be changed. A new report shows that heroin is metabolised to 6-MAM which then crosses the blood-brain barrier to cause the intoxicating effects that arise shortly after heroin administration.

27 May 2011

Cognitive decline incidence higher in southern ‘stroke belt’

New research shows that residents of the Stroke Belt—a southern portion of the U.S. with significantly elevated stroke morality rate—also have a greater incidence of cognitive decline than other regions of the country. Researchers believe shared risk factors among members of this population are to blame. Results of this study, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), are published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association.

26 May 2011

People who have close relative with type I alcoholism react more positively to alcohol

Scientists have long known that people who have a close relative with alcohol problems themselves run an increased risk of starting to abuse alcohol. The reason for this has not been known, but a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, provides part of the answer.

24 May 2011

Public smoking ban in NYC

Smoking has been banned from many parts of the U.S. over the last decade. New York City is now taking the war against tobacco a step further with a new law that goes into effect tomorrow, banning smoking outdoors - at beaches, boardwalks, parks, and pedestrian plazas.

23 May 2011

Novel compound could become an effective alternative to common narcotic analgesics

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time accomplished a laboratory synthesis of a rare natural product isolated from the bark of a plant widely employed in traditional medicine.

23 May 2011

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org, today honored the recipients of its fifth annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers.

21 May 2011

Coordinated efforts required to close gaps in preventive behavior: American Cancer Society

A new report from the American Cancer Society details cancer control efforts and outlines improvements as well as gaps in preventive behavior that contribute to cancer mortality.

21 May 2011

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain.

17 May 2011

Addiction News and Research

Drug addiction management costs UK £3.6bn a year: Report

Train the brain to manage chronic pain

Exposure to cigarettes fosters tween smoking: New study

Survey reveals increase in drinking, cannabis use and psychological distress

Scripps Research receives $2.2M NIH grant to develop novel therapeutics for substance abuse

Smoking keeps weight off: Study finds out how

Ameritox launches Rx Guardian CD, next-generation pain-medication monitoring solution

CAMH receives $2.5 million PHAC grant to expand school-based violence prevention program

Key molecule of vascular system directs axons during neural circuit formation

Celebrities urge decriminalization of drug possession

Wall Street Journal reports on U.N. AIDS declaration negotiations prior to high level meeting

Researchers discover new drug target that may effectively prevent onset of Huntington's disease

Research provides new understanding of how heroin affects the brain

Cognitive decline incidence higher in southern ‘stroke belt’

People who have close relative with type I alcoholism react more positively to alcohol

Public smoking ban in NYC

Novel compound could become an effective alternative to common narcotic analgesics

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

Coordinated efforts required to close gaps in preventive behavior: American Cancer Society

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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