Make more noise against drug abuse

Last Thursday night I attended a meeting regarding drug addiction awareness. A small group of mothers with a special bond decided to start up this group (never underestimate the power of a mother). There were approximately 60 people in attendance all with the same goal - to have our town and schools drug free and safe, to offer more facilities in Parry Sound to help people in recovery, to work together as a community with existing services, to offer education and prevention and to lobby politicians to make changes to existing laws. This seems like a tall order for 60 voices. When the next meeting is announced let us have hundreds of voices in attendance. We live in one of the most beautiful towns in the country, however, within our community an ugly and dangerous world of drugs exists.

Article - The lesson of Justice Rehniquist's drug addiction - US ...

Newly released FBI records reveal that a physician prescribed a powerful sleeping pill for the late William Rehnquist when he was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. According to these records, the doctor prescribed 500 milligrams of Placidyl every evening. Instead, the justice popped 1500 milligrams every night before bed. The problem apparently came to a head in 1981 when, according to a shrink interviewed by the FBI, the family admitted awareness of long-standing slurred speech which seems to coincide with the administration of Placidyl. A month-long detox program weaned His Honor off the addiction in 1982, we are told. Its instructive to ask what sorts of decisions the Justice was rendering at the peak of his drug addiction in 1981. While hardly an exhaustive review of the cases in which Justice Rehnquist weighed in, here are a couple of quick examples: In Robbins v.

Editorial: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration drunk at the wheel

BALTIMORE - A new audit shows the state agency charged with overseeing substance abuse programs needs treatment — for financial misfeasance, at least. And it's not the first time. Two audits in a row of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration, covering six years ending in March, criticized its mismanagement of taxpayer funds. Among the reports' findings are that the ADAA did not properly monitor whether agencies under its supervision provided services they claimed and that it did not manage its cash receipts in a timely fashion. The ADAA does not handle pocket change — it granted about $125 million last year for substance abuse programs. How much of that is not accounted for? The audit found that 80 of the 265 care providers it serves never received a site visit. The agency's response to each of the audit's recommendations was “procedures are being implemented," to fix this or that problem.

Read More

Abu Dhabi to host global conference on drug addiction

Abu Dhabi: The emirate will initiate a global campaign against drug addiction when it hosts the first UAE International Conference on Addiction (UICA) next year, officials announced yesterday. With the motto "Yes...to Life", the UICA is organised by the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the National Addiction Centre in London. Over 300 speakers from various countries will participate in the first campaign of its kind, including Queen Silvia of Sweden, president of the Mentor foundation, a non-government drug prevention organisation. "Prevention is better than cure," said Abdul Aziz Nasser Al Raisi, NRC Chairman. "The best strategy is to address drugs. We want to develop rehabilitation and treatment inside the country, and be a support for other centres worldwide by exchanging expertise." The UICA will cover all kinds of addictions, including alcohol, prescribed and illegal drugs.

Read More