Buying Marijuana Online Easy for Minors, Study Finds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 26, 2023
• Full Page

The lax enforcement of age limits by many online marijuana dispensaries makes it easier for minors to buy weed, claims new research that looked at online weed sales in 32 states.

"It is imperative to require strict age-verification procedures prior to cannabis purchases ...

Substance Abuse Greatly Raises Odds of Heart Attack, Stroke During Pregnancy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Substance abuse and pregnancy may be a dangerous combination.

New research finds that pregnant women with a history of substance abuse had a dramatically increased risk of death from heart attack and stroke during childbirth compared to women with no drug history.

...

New Opioids Are Joining the Illicit Drug Supply, and They're More Potent Than Fentanyl

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• September 5, 2023
• Full Page

In recent years, the opioid epidemic has been worsened by the advent of street fentanyl, an illicit version of a powerful prescription painkiller.

But experts now warn that the threat posed by fentanyl may ultimately pale in comparison to the emergence of an even more da...

1 in 10 ICU Patients With Heart Issues Has Illicit Drugs in Their System

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 18, 2023
• Full Page

More than 1 out of every 10 patients who land in an ICU with a potentially deadly heart emergency test positive for recreational drug use, a new French study reports.

About 11% of nearly 1,500 patients admitted to a French intensive cardiac care unit for a heart crisis t...

After U.S. Warns of Counterfeit Pills Laced With Fentanyl, Mexico Shuts Down 23 Pharmacies

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 9, 2023
• Full Page

Following a four-day raid, Mexico has closed 23 pharmacies in Caribbean resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum for irregular pill sales.

Last spring, the United States

Psilocybin May Help Some Who Battle Anorexia

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• August 1, 2023
• Full Page

One dose of the hallucinogenic ingredient in "magic mushrooms" may help some people with anorexia move past their preoccupation with body image, an early study suggests.

The study, of just 10 women with anorexia, tested the effects of a single dose of psilocybin plus psy...

ADHD Drugs Won't Raise Risk for Illicit Drug Use Later

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 12, 2023
• Full Page

Teens who use stimulant medication like Ritalin to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not have an increased risk of illicit drug use later, a new study finds.

This study looked specifically at cocaine and methamphetamine use. High school seniors wh...

First Murder Conviction for Fentanyl Dealer Delivered in California

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 11, 2023
• Full Page

A fentanyl dealer has been found guilty of second-degree murder in what authorities believe is the first-ever murder conviction for dealing the dangerous drug.

The conviction happened in Placer County, Calif., in a case involving the fatal overdose last summer of a 15-ye...

Lesbians, Gays Suffer More Mental Health Issues, Drug Use Problems: Survey

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• June 14, 2023
• Full Page

Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are experiencing more mental health and substance use issues than their heterosexual peers, researchers say.

According to a new

Young Adults' Use of Hallucinogens Like Mushrooms, PCP Doubled in a Few Years: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• June 9, 2023
• Full Page

Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns.

Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") and PCP, thoug...

Illicit Use of Ketamine Keeps Rising in U.S.

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• May 24, 2023
• Full Page

Seizures of illicit ketamine by drug enforcement agents have surged throughout the United States, growing 349% from 2017 through 2022, a new study finds.

Rising use of ketamine could increase the likelihood that people who use the drug recreationally may instead get a po...

U.S. to Fund Study on Safe Drug Injection Sites for Overdose Prevention

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• May 8, 2023
• Full Page

The U.S. federal government has committed $5 million to study three existing and planned safe drug injection sites to see if they help prevent overdoses and whether they may offer savings in the health and criminal justice systems.

At these overdose prevention centers (O...

Apetamin: Using This Illegal Weight-Gain Product Can Bring Tragic Results

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• May 2, 2023
• Full Page

U.S. regulators are urging Americans to avoid Apetamin, an illegal drug used for weight gain and figure enhancement.

The substance, typically sold as a syrup, is manufactured overseas, illegally imported and isn't approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Mix of Vet Tranquilizer, Fentanyl an 'Emerging Threat,' U.S. Officials Warn

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• April 12, 2023
• Full Page

U.S. officials are intensifying efforts to crack down on illicit use of the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, which can cause painful and deadly side effects in humans.

The drug, when mixed with the opioid fentanyl, has been designated an "emerging threat,"the Office of ...

Lawmakers Want to Tighten Access to Veterinary Drug Xylazine, Often Mixed With Fentanyl

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 29, 2023
• Full Page

Congressional leaders introduced a bill on Tuesday that would further restrict access to the veterinary drug xylazine, which is now being added to fentanyl powder.

Also known as tranq, the drug is meant to be a sedative and muscle relaxer for horses and other large anima...

FDA Takes Action Against Animal Tranquilizer Tied to Fatal ODs

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 28, 2023
• Full Page

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it has taken action to restrict imports of the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine to prevent illicit use of the drug.

While veterinarians use products containing xylazine to sedate large animals such as horses and dee...

U.S. Tourists in Northern Mexico Are Buying Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 6, 2023
• Full Page

Researchers have uncovered groundbreaking evidence that pharmacies in tourist areas of Northern Mexico are selling counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines.

The pills, mainly sold to U.S. tourists without a prescription, were passed off as contr...

Colorado Says Yes to Medical Use of 'Magic Mushrooms'

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 14, 2022
• Full Page

Colorado voters have voted narrowly to approve the medical use of "magic mushrooms"in Colorado.

"I'm in awe of what we were able to accomplish,"s...

Fatal Heart Infections Linked to Opioid Abuse Have Tripled Among Young Americans

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 9, 2022
• Full Page

The U.S. opioid epidemic has been heartbreaking -- literally.

Young adults' risk of dying from a devastating infection of the heart has doubled to tripled in the United States during the past two decades, a new study reports.

Researchers ascribe the increase in fat...

FDA Warns of Animal Tranquilizer in Illicit Drugs

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 9, 2022
• Full Page

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday warned health care workers to look out for patients who may have been exposed to a potentially deadly animal sedative, possibly through illicit drug use.

The veterinary medication xylazine is sometimes added to fentanyl, h...

Could Psychedelics Help You Kick the Habit?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 26, 2022
• Full Page

Smoking is an incredibly hard habit to break. Anne Levine of Baltimore can attest to that.

But Levine, 58, is getting help from a potential ...

New Biden Plan Would Help Pregnant Women Fight Opioid Addiction

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 21, 2022
• Full Page

Pregnant women addicted to opioids have both a compelling reason to change and a harder time getting medications to battle their substance use disorder.

Now, a new plan from the B...

Allergy Meds in Street Opioids Make Overdoses More Deadly

• By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 13, 2022
• Full Page

A new study is sounding the alarm about the addition of antihistamines to street forms of opioids -- and how they might make a fatal overdose more likely.

The prime drug in question is

Experts Say New Street Drug Is 'as Deadly as Fentanyl'

• By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• September 16, 2022
• Full Page

Nitazenes: You've probably never heard of these highly toxic drugs, and neither have many Americans who abuse opioid street drugs.

...

Deadly 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Looks Like Candy, Could Entice Kids

• By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
• September 1, 2022
• Full Page

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public that colorfully dyed fentanyl -- dubbed "rainbow fentanyl" -- is readily available across the United States.

"Rainbow ...

LSD Is Making a Comeback Among Young Americans

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• August 23, 2022
• Full Page

If you think hallucinogens like LSD are a thing of the past, think again.

New research estimates that the use of mind-altering LSD rose from less than 1% in 2002 to 4% in 2019 among people aged 18 to 25. An...

B 8/9 -- When Pot Made Legal, Poisonings From Synthetic Pot Decline

• By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2022
• Full Page

People appear less likely to turn to dangerous synthetic pot products in U.S. states where marijuana has been legalized, a new Washington State University study finds.

Researchers disco...

Police Records Show Use of Illegal Fentanyl-Laced Pills Soaring

• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• March 31, 2022
• Full Page

Dovetailing with a surge in overdose deaths, the United States has seen a sharp rise in seizures of illicit fentanyl, according to a new report.

Law enforceme...

Young Americans Lost Almost 1.5 Million Years of Life to Opioids Between 2015 and 2019

• Robert Preidt
• February 1, 2022
• Full Page

The U.S. drug epidemic continues its death march, with new research showing American teens and young adults have lost nearly 1.5 million years of life due to drug overdose deaths in recent years.

For