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.

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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.

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Youths can take different routes to drug addiction

Drug policies in the United States have long been influenced by the idea of a "gateway progression" in drug use, where the use of one substance eventually leads to "harder" drugs. Marijuana is often called a "gateway drug" because many young people who use it later move on to substances such as heroin and cocaine, and the gateway progression has been considered a strong predictor for drug dependency. A new study from the University of Pittsburgh, however, suggests that teens who follow a reverse sequence -- using harder drugs without having first tried "softer" ones, such as cigarettes and alcohol -- are just as likely to develop a drug dependency. In a study of 214 boys, researchers monitored participants' use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana over a 10-year period, until they reached the age of 22.

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Doherty treated for drug addiction

BRITISH rock star Pete Doherty, the on-off boyfriend of supermodel Kate Moss, is reportedly being treated for drug addiction at a clinic in Portugal. The 27-year-old Babyshambles frontman will have the drug naltrexone, which reduces the craving for heroin, implanted in his abdomen at the clinic at Oeiras, an oceanside suburb of Lisbon, Portuguese newspaper 24Horas reports, citing clinic sources. Doherty arrived in Portugal on Monday and is being accompanied by a British doctor, the paper said. The troubled singer has repeatedly sought treatment for drug addiction before in Portugal as well as at clinics in England, France and Thailand. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine earlier this month after he was spotted driving his Jaguar erratically near his home in East London.

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OBNDD Selects SumTotal for Online Curriculum to Stem Drug Abuse

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) has chosen SumTotal Systems' software to build an online curriculum to stem the abuse of drugs, specifically methamphetamines. OBNDD will develop and deliver Web-based courses with SumTotal's learning and content management systems. SumTotal's TotalLMS and TotalLCMS are part of a suite of software products that deliver, analyze and track training over the Internet. .

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Judge Hatchett: Child abuse amplified by drug abuse

Television's Judge Glenda Hatchett said the more we talk about child abuse, the better off we are. She visited Wayne State University yesterday to discuss child abuse and its effect on the community. Phyllis Ivory Vroom, Dean of the Wayne State University college of social work, called child abuse an “immense social issue," saying 30,000 Michigan children are victims of mistreatment each year, and 20,000 are in foster care. Vroom also said “children of color" are more likely to be in the child protection system and less likely than white children to be reunited with parents. Hatchett, who not “in her wildest dreams" envisioned becoming a judge, said “these are not just numbers, these are children." .

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Courtney Love Credits Gibson With Her Drug Addiction Recovery

New York, NY (AHN) - Noted actress and rock singer, Courtney Love said on Tuesday that Mel Gibson helped her on her road to recovery from drug addiction. The widow of rock legend Kurt Cobain, who has been sober for 15 months, said Gibson showed up unexpectedly at a Beverly Hills, California hotel where she was in the throws of a drug binge, and coaxed her to seek help. "Mel kept coming to the door with this cheesy grin going, `Hi!'" Love said on Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I just kept looking at him going - I can't cuss - um, `Blank off!' ... I know him and he's a nice guy. It didn't matter who it was. It could have been Jesus. I didn't care," she said. The 42-year-old former lead singer for the band Hole, said that Gibson came with addiction counselor, Warren Boyd.

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