| 'Bupe' to draw closer scrutiny
The addiction treatment drug buprenorphine will come under closer scrutiny through a new federal initiative to track the deaths of opiate addicts taking it or methadone.
U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration officials hope the new tracking system will significantly improve the safety and quality of drug treatment for more than 400,000 addicts across the country, including thousands in Baltimore.
A series of articles published in The Sun in December showed that while buprenorphine can be a highly effective addiction medicine, misuse of the drug is on the rise. Some people have died when taking buprenorphine with other drugs. But the number of deaths is unknown, because medical examiners in Maryland and most other states don't test for buprenorphine in overdose deaths.
Darfur killings meet tests for genocide
As a physician and public health professional who has dedicated my career to improving the lives of those with addiction to heroin and other opiates, I read with dismay The Sun's articles on buprenorphine ("The 'bupe fix,'" Dec. 16-18). I have never seen a newspaper report so lacking in balance and context. Every medication has side effects; what's critical is the balance of risks and benefits. Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for the dangerous disease of opiate addiction. Balanced against the benefit of saving thousands of lives is the small risk of diversion of the drug, which is a tiny slice of the overall illegal drug trade. It is telling that despite months of reporting and thousands of words, The Sun did not find a single person in Baltimore whose life has been ruined by buprenorphine.
Pete Doherty Uses Meditation To Kick Drugs
Troubled British rocker Pete Doherty is using meditation to kick his drug habit and help him focus on Babyshambles' current U.K. tour. The 28-year-old singer completed a six week stint in rehab this summer to treat his heroin addiction, and is now using martial arts to help cure his addictions. His band mate, drummer Adam Ficek, says, "You won't believe it but Pete is actually meditating next door, right now. I've got him into it. I do a lot of Tai Chi... Stranger things have happened in the world of Babyshambles." -More Pete Doherty News (This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network) .
Senators urge action to reduce 'bupe' abuse
Two U.S. senators from New England are calling for action to reduce misuse of buprenorphine, a narcotic that federal officials are promoting for treatment of tens of thousands addicted to heroin and pain pills.
In Maryland, two key lawmakers said yesterday that they will question health officials about abuse of the drug and state spending on it when the General Assembly convenes next month in Annapolis.
The responses follow a series of articles this week in The Sun, which showed that while many experts champion buprenorphine as a highly effective addiction medicine, the drug is starting to cause some of the kinds of problems that it was created to solve.
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Warn children about accepting candy – it could be a dangerous ...
Shaken out of their paper sleeves, the tiny colored rocks make a short journey to the mouth, where they sizzle and crackle on the tongue, filling the nose and senses with their flavor and sound.Most people experienced Pop Rocks sometime in their childhood, but several reports show that a dangerous substance — called strawberry quick (meth) — can be made to mimic the taste and appearance of this candy, resulting in a lifetime of addiction. .
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