Heroin News and Research

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Heroin is a very addictive chemical called diacetylmorphine. Heroin is a modified form of morphine, a highly abundant opium derived from the seedpods of the poppy plant.

Charity says using Valium as a substitute for heroin, increases overdose risk

A drug charity in Britain says increasing numbers of drug users are turning to the tranquilliser Valium (diazepam) as a substitute for heroin.

3 Sep 2008

Multi-agency approach needed to help street-based sex workers break the 'work-score-use' cycle

Integrated multi-agency work will be needed to address the poor physical and mental health experienced by street-based sex workers (SSWs), according to recent research including a new study by Bristol University.

18 Aug 2008

Seattle Post-Intelligencer examines efforts to improve medication management for HIV-positive people

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Monday examined efforts by some organizations and pharmacies in the city and surrounding area to improve medication management for HIV-positive people.

13 Aug 2008

Treatment for cigarette, alcohol and drug use in pregnancy improves outcomes for mother and baby

Pregnant women who receive treatment for substance abuse early in their pregnancy can achieve the same health outcomes as pregnant women with no substance abuse, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the Journal of Perinatology.

27 Jun 2008

New research scotches link between heroin drought and increased amphetamine use

The suspicion on the part of some experts that Australia's heroin drought has led to an increase in amphetamine use in the last decade, has been scotched by the latest research from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

16 Jun 2008

Party drug GHB a growing problem in Australia

Drug experts say use of the party drug GHB has escalated over the last four years and this is a cause for concern.

16 Jun 2008

University of Pennsylvania researcher to launch drug trial in Chinese province among IDUs

David Metzger, director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues plan to launch a trial in China among injection drug users to determine if a drug that reduces the craving for heroin also can reduce the spread of HIV through the sharing of contaminated needles, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

Methadone to be dumped in Scotland as treatment for heroin addiction

A new approach to tackling heroin addiction is about to be tried out in the United Kingdom.

27 May 2008

Just what is a binge drinker and how to get through to them

Just as governments in Australia and Britain are on the brink of introducing new measures to combat alcohol abuse and binge drinking, new research says that campaigns warning about the harmful effect of excessive alcohol consumption don't work.

13 May 2008

Big differences in depressed brains

Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain's "feel good" stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new University of Michigan Depression Center research shows.

8 May 2008

Russia should increase HIV prevention efforts targeted at IDUs, UNAIDS Executive Director Piot says

Russia should increase efforts to address HIV/AIDS among injection drug users to slow the spread of the disease, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said on Saturday during a conference on HIV/AIDS in the former Soviet Union, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, the former Soviet Union has the third-highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

6 May 2008

Legalizing opium production in Afghanistan for medical use is neither viable or necessary

Proposals to legalise the production of opium in Afghanistan for medical use are unworkable and unnecessary, says the Minister of State for Africa, Asia, and the United Nations in an editorial in this week's BMJ.

1 May 2008

Children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit

Nearly one in three children admitted to pediatric intensive care will experience delusions or hallucinations, which put them at higher risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms, according to a new study of children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

1 May 2008