Superior Court judge has indicated she will decide later this month whether Daniel Twomey can enter a special program for drug-addicted offenders

Superior Court judge has indicated she will decide later this month whether a Bergen County man accused of coaching his toddler granddaughter to steal a Seaside Heights arcade worker's purse can enter a special program for drug-addicted offenders.
Judge Barbara Ann Villano said she first wanted to review findings of a drug and alcohol evaluation of Daniel Twomey before she decides whether he will be allowed to enter drug court, a form of rigorous probation in lieu of state prison for defendants whose criminal behavior stems from addiction.
Villano indicated she would make a decision on June 19, said Senior Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor John Foti, who handles drug-court cases for the Prosecutor's Office.Foti had rejected Twomey's application to drug court, saying that with 18 prior convictions dating to 1973, mostly for burglaries and thefts, the 52-year-old Teaneck man was not an appropriate candidate. Twomey appealed Foti's decision to Villano, who presides over drug court.Twomey was captured on a videotape last year allegedly coaching his 4-year-old granddaughter to steal an arcade worker's pocketbook on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.He was arrested in Greenwich, Conn., on Sept. 29 after a television station aired the videotape.On it, a man alleged to be Twomey is seen pushing a young girl under a security door at Lucky Leo's Arcade to steal the employee's purse. The incident happened about 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 16.
Twomey was charged in a February indictment with employing a child to commit a crime and two counts of child-endangerment related to the incident at the arcade. Each of the charges carries a five- to 10-year prison term upon conviction.In addition to his granddaughter, Twomey's 8-year-old grandson was with him at the arcade, authorities said.The indictment also charged Twomey with two counts of theft and one count of receiving stolen property, all charges carrying maximum prison terms of five years.Twomey remains in the Ocean County Jail.

Tran Thi Ngoc Dung possession of 600g or more of heroin is punishable by death

Tran Thi Ngoc Dung, 35, was leaving her hotel in Ho Chi Minh City on her way to a flight home on Sunday when she fell unconscious and was rushed to hospital, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said. Doctors found she had two condoms full of heroin in her stomach and one of them had burst, the paper said. Ms Dung was still in the hospital but had been put under arrest. It was unclear how much heroin she was carrying.
Vietnam has some of the world's harshest drug laws. Possession of 600g or more of heroin is punishable by death. About a dozen Vietnamese-Australians have been in court in Vietnam for heroin trafficking in recent years. At least four have had their death sentences commuted because of lobbying by the Australian Government.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said yesterday: "The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to confirm media reports that the woman will be arrested on drug charges."Australian woman is under police guard in a Vietnam hospital after a bag of heroin she was allegedly trying to smuggle broke inside her body.The woman had been about to return to Australia when she fell ill and was rushed in critical condition to hospital on Wednesday, a hospital official in Ho Chi Minh City said.The 35-year-old had stopped breathing at one point, but her condition had improved to stable today, said Nguyen Van Xuyen, the director of Saigon General Hospital.
"We found two small plastic bags containing heroin in her anus and one of the bags had broken," Xuyen said.
"This is the first case in which we have found heroin in a person's anus. We have treated people having swallowed heroin before."
Xuyen said the woman came to Vietnam to visit relatives and was about to return to Australia when she was taken to hospital.
"She was in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital, and she would have died if she had been admitted a few minutes later," Xuyen said.
"She woke up yesterday and told us about the heroin."Police were guarding the woman at the hospital and would formally arrest her once she was released, Xuyen said.
The city's anti-narcotics police did not respond to requests for comment.
Trafficking or transporting 600 grams or more of heroin is punishable by death in Vietnam.
In March, an appeals court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced an Australian woman of Vietnamese origin to death for trafficking heroin.Jasmine Luong, 34, was arrested at the city's Tan Son Nhat Airport in February last year with 1.4kg of heroin hidden in her luggage and shoes.
Several Vietnamese-Australians have been sentenced to death in recent years for drug crimes, but so far none has been executed and several have had their sentences commuted to life in prison.Vietnam this year sentenced at least 22 people to death, including nine for drug crimes.

Mark Standen was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to import enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture $120 million of the drug methamphetamine

Mark Standen, 51, was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to import enough pseudoephedrine to manufacture $120 million of the drug methamphetamine, or ice. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.The arrest sent shockwaves through the NSW criminal justice community because of Standen's seniority and his three-decade career investigating narcotics and organised crime.In 1982, Standen gave evidence before the Stewart Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking confirming that he and two colleagues from the Federal Narcotics Bureau had flushed down a toilet 18 foils of hashish.The commission heard that the three agents had raided a Bondi house on May 7, 1979. The occupant, a man called Udy, admitted the drugs were his and later signed a statement confessing possession.Standen told the royal commission he later destroyed the statement as part of efforts to obliterate all traces of the raid."I do not actually specifically remember the incident - I feel fairly certain I would have destroyed it by shredding," Standen recalled under oath.He said he and his fellow officers decided to destroy the drugs and associated paperwork because the amount of drugs was less than 500 grams and charges could not be brought under federal customs laws. The case would have to have been handed to the NSW police.The royal commission was told Standen had been charged under the Public Service Act, a financial penalty had been imposed and that he and a fellow officer were to be barred from joining the federal police when the AFP took over the Federal Narcotics Bureau from the Customs Department.The royal commission later heard that the financial penalty and the charge against Standen and another officer were dropped."I found out to my amazement that that had occurred," the AFP's Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Bates told the commission.He said the charges and fine were dropped after the Commissioner of the AFP, Sir Colin Wood, had determined Standen would not be accepted into the AFP. Chief Superintendent Bates said it was felt that being barred from the AFP was punishment enough.But another senior AFP officer, Chief Superintendent John Reilly, gave a different reason: he told the commission that the charges against Standen weren't pursued because of indecision between two government departments.Standen told the royal commission he had never been punished in any way."When we became part of the federal police in 1979, I was not offered a position in the police field but I was offered a position in the intelligence side … I never actually started in the intelligence area. Before that was due to happen, the decision was changed," he said.The testimony given before the royal commission was enough to raise questions in Federal Parliament.
Labor senator Nick Bolkus asked the Minister for Administrative Services, Senator Tony Messner, "Did Mr Bates say nothing was done about the charges because the two men were to be denied entry to the federal police … and did Mr Bates also say that despite this … they were still transferred to that force? … Was the Government aware of this rather unorthodox series of events?"Senator Messner declined to answer, saying the matters were still under investigation by the Stewart Royal Commission.When Standen was arrested this week, his Crime Commission colleagues voiced disbelief. But claims have emerged since that Standen's alleged gambling problem was well known when he left the AFP in 1996.The NSW Government yesterday announced the state's Police Integrity Commission would oversee the Crime Commission in the wake of the Standen charges.NSW Police Minister David Campbell said the Police Integrity Commission, which has the powers of a royal commission, would oversee all activities of the Crime Commission, effective immediately.
He said the public would expect that past cases involving Standen were "now properly scrutinised".Mr Campbell yesterday also revealed the Independent Commission Against Corruption was first made aware of allegations against Standen in September last year

Henry T. Nicholas III attorneys said in court Thursday that he has been at a $66,000-a-month Malibu drug rehabilitation center since April.

technology billionaire was a drug fiend who trafficked in cocaine, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine, spiked the drinks of business associates and employees, hired prostitutes for himself and others, and maintained several narcotics dens, including one in an underground lair at his Los Angeles mansion, prosecutors charge. In a remarkable federal indictment unsealed today in Los Angeles, Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III is portrayed as an out-of-control wild man who scored drug caches for Super Bowl parties and rock festivals and had his dealer invoice him for these illicit purchases. A copy of the felony drug conspiracy indictment against Nicholas, who is reportedly worth about $2 billion, can be found below. The 48-year-old Nicholas, who was charged with securities fraud in a separate U.S. District Court case, allegedly "used threats of physical violence and death and payments of money to attempt to conceal his unlawful conduct," according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege that, in June 2002, Nicholas and Broadcom entered into a $1 million settlement agreement with an employee who was aware of the executive's "unlawful narcotics activity." The hefty payout, which Broadcom covered, contractually prevented the employee from speaking about Nicholas's drug abuse. The billionaire apparently did little to conceal his drug transactions. On one occasion, in the lobby of Broadcom's southern California headquarters, he directed an employee to provide cash to a courier "in exchange for an envelope containing controlled substances," the indictment charges. On a drug-fueled 2001 private plane flight--during which Nicholas allegedly used and distributed narcotics--the pilot was forced to don an oxygen mask due to the "marijuana smoke and fumes." According to a March 2008 Forbes story, Nicholas, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, is ranked 677 on the list of the world's wealthiest individuals.allegations that the billionaire drugged his business cohorts, hired prostitutes and maintained a drug warehouse that grabbed headlines.A pair of indictments unsealed Thursday charge the 48-year-old with conspiracy and securities fraud in an alleged scheme to backdate stock options that ultimately forced Broadcom to write down $2.2 billion in profits last year. But prosecutors also detailed a litany of drug charges that apparently came as a surprise to Nicholas and his attorneys.The charges threaten to ground a high-flying lifestyle that prosecutors say featured the former CEO jetting around the world in his two private planes, building a secret lair under his house and hiring strippers to party at a private warehouse stocked with cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy.Defense attorney Gregory Craig said that Nicholas was innocent and would prevail."It's a kitchen-sink attack on Dr. Nicholas. They're trying to throw everything at him from eight years ago," Craig said.At a court hearing, U.S. Magistrate Arthur Nakazato set Nicholas' bail at $3.3 million. He also ordered random weapons searches and drug tests by the government, home detention, electronic monitoring and the disabling of Nicholas' two private planes. Nicholas, in handcuffs and wearing gray slacks and a white shirt with no tie or belt, nodded vigorously when asked if he agreed to the conditions of release.Nakazato said he was concerned that Nicholas' extreme wealth could allow him to flee at any moment. He indicated that Nicholas' current Newport Coast home, valued at $15 million to $18 million, would be no impediment to flight for "one of the wealthiest men in the world." Nakazato also said he was bothered by government allegations that Nicholas had threatened and hit a grand jury witness last year during an argument on a private jet."If you flee, I will detain you and I will order an arrest warrant and I'll have the marshals and the FBI going on a hunt for you," Nakazato said. "And when they bring you back, I'm not going to show much mercy."
An arraignment hearing was set for June 16. Nicholas did not enter a plea.
Also indicted on the stock-option backdating was Broadcom's former chief financial officer, William J. Ruehle. He was not charged with the drug violations.Ruehle, 66, was released on $2.6 million bail and surrendered his passport, although he will be allowed to take three international trips that were already planned. He will also be arraigned on June 16.Ruehle's attorney, Richard Marmaro, said in a statement, "Bill Ruehle is innocent of the charges in the indictment, and he looks forward to the opportunity to clear his good name in a court of law."Nicholas, who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, co-founded Broadcom Corp. in 1991 with Henry Samueli. The company, which makes microchips for cell phones and broadband Internet devices, reported a strong first-quarter profit in April and forecast second-quarter sales of $1.08 billion to $1.13 billion, ahead of Wall Street expectations.The 18-page indictment on drug charges alleges that Nicholas kept four properties in Orange County and Las Vegas, including a warehouse in Laguna Niguel, Calif., where he stashed and distributed cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy.He later remodeled the warehouse with private rooms and furnished it with art and high-end electronics.The court documents also claim Nicholas hired prostitutes and escorts for himself, his employees and customers and conspired to get illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Valium.In 2001, Nicholas smoked so much marijuana during a flight on a private jet between Orange County and Las Vegas that the pilot had to put on an oxygen mask, the indictment states.At a July 1999 Woodstock concert in Rome, N.Y., Nicholas gave a technology executive ecstasy without the executive's knowledge, the indictment states. Nicholas also allegedly spiked a technology executive's drink with ecstacy in New Orleans in early 2000.Nicholas required his unnamed co-conspirators to provide detailed invoices for drugs they sold to him, and used code names such as "party favors" and "refreshments" to conceal what was being sold, prosecutors claimed.
The allegations recall two earlier civil lawsuits filed against Nicholas that accused him of rampant drug use and hiring prostitutes. One lawsuit was cited by prosecutors in a motion filed Thursday that sought to deny bail for Nicholas.
That suit was filed by Nicholas' former bodyguard and personal assistant, Kenji Kato. A second lawsuit was filed last year by a construction crew that claimed they were hired to build an underground lair for Nicholas where he could indulge in sex with prostitutes and drug use.The workers claimed Nicholas failed to pay them millions of dollars and used intimidation and death threats to prevent them from leaving the project, which was kept secret from Nicholas' wife and city inspectors.Nicholas faces a total of 21 counts in both indictments. The drug charges carry a maximum combined sentence of 20 years in prison. He could face up to 340 years in prison on the stock backdating charges.Ruehle faces 21 counts in the stock options indictment, which accuses him of filing false statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, falsely certified financial reports and committed wire fraud. Ruehle could face up to 370 years if convicted of all counts.Backdating stock options, which often are granted as hiring and retention incentives, is legal. Companies across the company have run into trouble when they failed to account for the true cost that the backdating created because omitting that cost sometimes inflated the companies' income.
Last month, securities regulators cited Nicholas, Samueli and Ruehle in a civil suit alleging they falsified the company's reported income. The SEC also cited Broadcom general counsel David Dull, but Dull and Samueli were not named in Thursday's criminal indictments.Nicholas served as CEO and president from Broadcom's inception until he resigned in 2003. At the time, he said he stepped down to try to repair his relationship with his wife.Nicholas' attorneys said in court Thursday that he has been at a $66,000-a-month Malibu drug rehabilitation center since April.

felony drug conviction will keep her from social aid such as food stamps, limit her employment options and bar her from certain housing programs.

CASE STUDIES Convicted and jailed for drug possession, Bliek, 20, is on probation. Her felony drug conviction will keep her from social aid such as food stamps, limit her employment options and bar her from certain housing programs.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do," she said. "I'm not ready to be out on my own."
Her situation is common for those leaving the corrections system, more so in South Dakota than most states, according to a recent study. While conditions of parole often require employment and housing, laws and regulations create barriers to achieving that goal. Women, particularly mothers, might be hardest hit in South Dakota.Programs such as food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are denied to people with a drug felony in South Dakota. Local rules also limit options for people leaving prison.But there often are legitimate reasons at the root of the problem.For example, Crime-Free Housing in Sioux Falls, which many credit for keeping neighborhoods safe, excludes people who have had a drug conviction in the past five years, said Sioux Falls Police Officer Jim Larson, who oversees the program.The program is meant to reduce crime and eliminate problem tenants, not punish offenders, Larson said."Nobody is saying that if you have a drug conviction that you're a bad person," he said. "What we're saying, and the managers are saying is, 'Show us some good history. Show us that you've been rehabilitated.' "
A study by the national Legal Action Center examined every state's ability to help inmates re-enter society. It found that South Dakota was among the nine states with the most "roadblocks" for inmates re-entering daily life. Most of the 38 barriers in South Dakota were in the categories of employment, public assistance and public housing.Many officials who work with offenders say women, especially mothers, face a difficult journey toward re-entering society."Our system seems to be more geared for men, when you think about it," said Steve Fodness, director of residential services at the Arch Halfway House in Sioux Falls. "We encourage (men) to get a job, get independent, and get a place to live. For women that doesn't seem to work as well."
South Dakota incarcerates 89 women per 100,000, the 10th- highest rate in the country, according to the Women's Prison Association, so the state has its share of women dealing with these issues.Mothers with records often considered unfit
The problems can be complicated by mental illness - which women offenders tend to have at a higher rate than men - and a strong social stigma about women with criminal records, Fodness said.That stigma makes it difficult for women to resume their role as a mother. It can brand them unfit for parenting forever, said Virgena Wieseler, division director for child protection with the state Department of Social Services."It's very difficult," she said. "Some of our staff has seen some of the women struggle because some people don't think they should have a second chance at parenting."Finding a job is one of the first hurdles a woman will face after leaving prison."They only have so much time to get a job or they're sent back, because they're in violation of their parole," said Julie Becker, director of St. Francis House in Sioux Falls. "There's so much pressure on them in such a short amount of time."Fodness said more jobs are available to men, and they often pay better. For example, women have trouble getting jobs that require hard labor, he said.With a criminal conviction, careers in fields such as day care or medicine are impossible to get, he said.Barred from certain jobs such as nursingBliek, once in school for nursing, now is barred from that field because of her conviction. She also is unable to receive federal student aid and many scholarships that could help pay for her return to college, she said."I'm trying to get into school again," Bliek said. "I started going to school for nursing and that got taken away from me. So my one passion in life was taken away."A methamphetamine addiction cost Tracy Kashmarek, 27, her job in 2003 and sent her to jail for a month."I was employed at a bank and was stealing money to support my habit," she said.Now sober, Kashmarek said it was difficult to find a job once released from jail. The job interviews she did get ended abruptly when her felony record came up, she said."The interview would go great, but after that it would go downhill," Kashmarek said.
Employers in South Dakota can ask about arrests that never led to convictions. And unlike some states, there is no opportunity for offenders to obtain certificates of rehabilitation in order to better their chances of being employed.
Housing restrictions impede return to society
Women with felony records, particularly drug convictions, find their housing options limited in Sioux Falls and throughout the state. Housing not only is a critical step in re-entry, but is a condition set by their probation or parole and a requirement to be met before social services will return children to their mothers.
"If they don't have a place to go to, then it's really hard for children to come home to them," Wieseler said.
The study found that public housing authorities can look at a criminal record and make individual decisions about an applicant's eligibility. They also may refuse to admit an applicant based on a criminal charge that never led to a conviction.
Federal law allows landlords in federally supported housing programs to impose stricter prohibitions against certain residents, said Vona Johnson, director of rental housing with the South Dakota Housing Development Authority.
"What you're gong to find is the owners can write their own written screening criteria to determine who they're going to allow to live in there," she said. "Each landlord can set their own rules. But the feds don't tell them how to write it."
Sioux Falls Crime-Free Housing went to a stricter standard for its participating properties including the prohibition against those with drug convictions in the past five years.
"That is a standard Sioux Falls decided to go to," said Larson, the Sioux Falls police officer. "It's not mandatory."
A number of properties in Sioux Falls apply an even stricter standard, Larson said.
"I know some managers that say if you have any felony, you're not welcome," he said.
The difficulty of re-entering society also manifests itself in the number of women who return to jail or prison
At the Arch, Fodness said more than 40 percent of women clients are incarcerated again, and that difficulties in finding housing and employment, and limited social services contribute to the most of that recidivism.
"I would say it's 70 percent of it at least," he said.
Department of Labor Career Center staff do go into the women's prison quarterly and present a job-search assistance class. Job-seeking strategies are taught, such as how to make a resumé and cover letter and how to use the self-service job search system. Many of the women, however, say they need more help.
At the Arch, women talk of how months of job hunts, lack of counseling and other assistance can set women up for failure, said Bobbi Jo Zens, 35, who has been at the Arch for six months.
"I think that's why women relapse here and go back to prison," she said. "You get beaten down a lot."
Zens has had success; she recently got a job at a restaurant.
'They come out with no identification'
In South Dakota, women leaving prison need better access to psychiatric care, treatment options and better education about how to successfully enter society, Fodness said.
Offenders also need help to get proper identification, Becker said.
"They come out with no identification. They come out with their DOC card, and that's it," she said. "They can't get a job with their DOC card. What they need to do is to help these offenders get their ID and social security card before they take one step off those prison grounds."
Michigan has implemented a program in both of its women's prisons to address some of these issues, and that effort has become a model for other states, said Florida Andrews, director of the Michigan Council on Crime & Delinquency.
The same Legal Action Center study ranked Michigan as one of the best states for helping offenders transition from incarceration back into society.
Employers in Michigan cannot ask about arrests that never led to convictions, and occupational-licensing authorities may consider only certain criminal records. The state also has opted out of the federal ban on food stamps and public assistance, which keeps those options open to offenders. Michigan also is more lenient in its public housing application process when considering criminal records.
Andrews' efforts focus on the transition from incarceration to daily life by addressing women's educational, vocational and parenting skills.
"I decided we weren't paying much attention to women while they were incarcerated," Andrews said.
She has 85 women in the program, which requires the mothers to get their GED and allows them to maintain their parenting roles by helping with their children's school work, attend parenting classes and having monitored visits with their children while incarcerated.
"I'm watching the visits; their interaction with their children, and then we discuss what happened with the visit," Andrews said.
The program also has collected a listing of homes and services that accept referrals for female inmates, she said.
There is no such centralized effort in South Dakota, Fodness said.
That worries Alicia Meng, 32, who has been out of prison for less that four weeks. She is uncertain of what awaits her.
She was released with only a few dollars and her prison outfit, and stays at the Arch, she said.
There has been no time to search for a job or a place to stay, and she is unsure of where to look for the help to get herself established and see her son again.
"I'm just trying to save up money and get out of here," Meng said. "I need to get my life straight before I can get my boy back."

urgent review of the use of naltrexone (including implants) for opioid dependence is needed

An urgent review of the use of naltrexone (including implants) for opioid dependence is needed following reports of severe adverse reactions, according to two articles in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. In its editorial, Associate Professor Robert Ali, Director of the Drug Alcohol Services Council in Adelaide, and his co-authors said that naltrexone is theoretically an attractive treatment for opioid dependence because it is inexpensive, long-acting, and generally well tolerated. Oral naltrexone is used as a treatment for heroin and alcohol dependence. However, the effectiveness and safety of oral treatments is compromised by poor patient adherence to taking regular doses. This has led to the development of long-acting naltrexone implants and depot injections. Naltrexone implants have not been approved for human use in Australia, but these implants are being supplied through some private clinics. Assoc. Prof. Ali says that naltrexone implants are currently obtained through the TGA Special Access Scheme but without the product being subjected to the usual rigorous scrutiny required for new devices in Australia. "It is concerning that the recent research on naltrexone implants in Australia has not followed usual scientific processes," he said. In a related study published in the journal, Dr Paul Haber, Head of Drug Health Services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and his co-authors studied 12 patients who were admitted to hospital soon after receiving naltrexone in oral or implant form.
Eight of the cases were definitely or probably related to the naltrexone implant, including cases of severe opiate withdrawal and dehydration, infection at the implant site requiring surgery, and a psychiatric disorder. The authors said these severe adverse events challenge the notion that naltrexone implants are a safe procedure. "These events suggest a need for careful case selection, careful clinical management, and for closer regulatory monitoring to protect this marginalised and vulnerable population," Dr Haber said. "Patients should be warned of the associated risks, and appropriate procedures planned to respond to any complications."
Dr Haber also emphasises the importance of screening patients for underlying medical or psychiatric conditions and, importantly, coordinating with relevant service providers. "Similarly, a close relationship between naltrexone implant providers and local emergency departments is important." "The widespread and unregulated use of naltrexone implants without appropriate safeguards for patients, their families and service providers should be restricted until this therapeutic product has been assessed for safety and effectiveness," he said.

Heavy drinkers and heavy smokers develop Alzheimer's disease years earlier than people with Alzheimer's who do not drink or smoke heavily

Heavy drinkers and heavy smokers develop Alzheimer's disease years earlier than people with Alzheimer's who do not drink or smoke heavily, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12-19, 2008."These results are significant because it's possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer's at any point in time," said study author Ranjan Duara, MD, of the Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL, and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
"It has been projected that a delay in the onset of the disease by five years would lead to a nearly 50-percent reduction in the total number of Alzheimer's cases," said Duara. "In this study, we found that the combination of heavy drinking and heavy smoking reduced the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease by six to seven years, making these two factors among the most important preventable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease."The study looked at 938 people age 60 and older who were diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer's disease. The researchers gathered information from family members on drinking and smoking history and determined whether the participants had the epsilon 4 gene variant of the APOE gene, which increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. People with the epsilon 4 variant also develop Alzheimer's at an earlier age than those who do not have the gene variant.
Seven percent of the study participants had a history of heavy drinking, which was defined as more than two drinks per day. Twenty percent had a history of heavy smoking, which was defined as smoking one pack of cigarettes or more per day. And 27 percent had the APOE epsilon 4 variant.Researchers found that people who were heavy drinkers developed Alzheimer's 4.8 years earlier than those who were not heavy drinkers. Heavy smokers developed the disease 2.3 years sooner than people who were not heavy smokers. People with APOE epsilon 4 developed the disease three years sooner than those without the gene variant.Adding the risk factors together led to earlier onset of the disease. People who had all three risk factors developed the disease 8.5 years earlier than those with none of the risk factors. The 17 people in the study with all three risk factors developed Alzheimer's at an average age of 68.5 years; the 374 people with none of the three risk factors developed the disease at an average age of 77 years.

The study was supported by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.

"K-hole"—the so-called nirvana induced by a heavy dose of ketamine.

ketamine hydrochloride—the chemical that induces euphoria, triggers off hallucinations and keeps party animals in a trance through the night. Ironically, in India, it is classified as a veterinary drug primarily used to anaesthetise pets—thus available over the counter. However, ketamine has attracted very little attention in this country since its abuse among Indians is limited largely to Goa's trance and techno music crowd.Ketamine can be injected, snorted or imbibed orally. The effect of the drug varies from person to person, and can last up to 24 hours. Its use can result in delirium, amnesia and impaired motor function. While the drug was tried by acid gurus like Timothy Leary in the '60s, its popularity is linked to the dance-trance movement taking wings in the '80s. Called 'Special K' by the rave party crowd, it is taken along with other drugs like cocaine and has suddenly become popular as an alternative to LSD. Long-term abuse can lead to loss of memory and eyesight besides nervous and mental disorders. An overdose can be lethal

In 2005, a joint investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a major illicit pharmaceutical drug internet marketing organisation which operated in the US, India, Costa Rica and Australia. Officials seized 108 kg of ketamine (street value $1.62 million) in the operation. In the same year, drug enforcement authorities in Hong Kong—in a joint operation with India, Singapore and Malaysia—launched a massive operation code-named Bayonet. As much as 87.5 kg of ketamine was seized in the raids.But despite the increased trafficking of ketamine, drug enforcement agencies the world over have struggled to curb the trade. The profit involved is huge. One kg of the drug costs Rs 35,000 in India, but roughly retails at Rs 10 lakh abroad. Much of their efforts have been impeded by the drug's non-inclusion in the United Nations' schedule of controlled substances. While the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a UN body that steers policy on drug-related matters, has repeatedly pushed for its inclusion, it has failed to convince the World Health Organisation's expert committee on drug dependence.M.M. Bhatnagar, a former NCB director general who also did a five-year stint as a member of the International Narcotics Control Board, says several countries have taken up the issue of putting ketamine on the controlled substance schedule. Says he: "The CND in one of its 2007 resolutions requested the UNODC to share its concerns with the WHO's expert committee on drug dependence and looks forward to an updated review of ketamine by them."Sources told Outlook that the Indian government is now actively considering putting ketamine on the scheduled list. This will ensure that any illegal trade of the drug comes under the purview of the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. As of now, offenders can only be prosecuted under the milder Customs Act. Drug enforcement and DRI officials hope to curb the illicit production and trafficking of ketamine if the drug is included in the controlled substances list.
Meanwhile, the trade goes on. The latest is to conceal the powdered form of the drug and ship it beside flour or sugar. As for the market abroad, there are enough people lured by the hype of experiencing a "K-hole"—the so-called nirvana induced by a heavy dose of ketamine.

Dutch heroin trials find better outcomes in those with prior abstinence based treatments

Matching of treatment-resistant heroin-dependent patients to medical prescription of heroin or oral methadone treatment: results from two randomized controlled trials. Blanken P, Hendriks VM, Koeter Matching of treatment-resistant heroin-dependent patients to medical prescription of heroin or oral methadone treatment: results from two randomized controlled trials. Blanken P, Hendriks VM, Koeter MWJ, van Ree JM, van den Brink W. Addiction 2005 100:89-95
Dear Colleagues,
This re-analysis of the Dutch heroin trials* shows that for most patient variables there was no difference in the proportion of ‘responders’. The study randomised complex, ‘resistant’ opioid dependency cases to either standard oral methadone or medical heroin prescription, injected or nasal forms, depending on individual’s usual route of administration. The factors examined included level of education, hospitalisations, psychiatric history, living arrangements, employment, cocaine use and previous abstinence based treatment. Although overall results were significantly better in the heroin groups, only one of these factors was associated with a difference in treatment outcomes when heroin was prescribed. The group reporting a history of abstinence based treatment had a defined ‘response rate’ in those randomised to ‘medical’ heroin of 61% versus 39% in the oral methadone group. This is highly significant both statistically (p=0.0003) and also from a dependency point of view. The finding appears to be corroborated since the response rate to standard methadone treatment was substantially lower in those who gave a history of having any abstinence based treatment (24 vs. 38%).
The authors speculate about this finding but no firm conclusion is reached. Workers in the field will be familiar with a group of ‘failed’ NA/AA subjects who often take methadone reluctantly at low doses and for short periods. Some can be our most frustrating patients, expressing guilt, depression and other negative feelings towards what they consider a poor option, despite the potential and evident benefits.
The study patients all had limited responses to traditional treatments available in Holland, including oral methadone. The mean age was 39; 80% were male and there was a high degree of psychiatric co-morbidity. Overall the ‘response’ rates in this trial*, were 25% for the oral methadone group and 45% for the others using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to 40% improvement levels.
It is depressing for outsiders (and possibly embarrassing for our British colleagues) that the UK has had thousands of patients prescribed injected heroin or methadone for decades, yet it is the Dutch who performed the first large randomised trial of this treatment. It is to the credit of the Addiction journal that it was prepared to publish this item despite its traditional avoidance of items of this nature. Maybe we will soon be reading a section on harm reduction!
In a report from Canadian Press dated 9th Feb 2005, a clinical trial has been approved by Health Canada in which 158 Vancouver addicts will be prescribed pharmaceutical-grade heroin for 12 to 15 months. A second site is being readied for the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI) in Montreal, expected to open in April, and Toronto will be added shortly after that.
It now appears possible, or even likely, that banning heroin in the 1950s ’sent the wrong message’ to young people. It certainly denied medical patients the benefits of medical heroin in most countries. Far from eliminating heroin problems, the bans have been associated with rampant spread of illicit heroin use. It may be that the bans have contributed to the problems, in part by permitting easy access for minors as well as encouraging hasty and unsupervised use of drugs of uncertain purity. America is still unravelling the mayhem associated with prohibition of alcohol. It is to be hoped that we will be more scientific and methodical in undoing the many problems associated with heroin prohibition in western countries. Although many factors are still uncertain, these trials, injecting rooms, NA and other self help groups, legal diversion, decriminalization and education are all pieces in a larger puzzle of how to reduce drug use as well as reduce the harmful consequences of such use. Australia has scored many successes regarding tobacco and alcohol. Other drugs should follow and society will be the better and more prosperous for it.

Alcohol is behind 40% of all violent crime in Lancashire

Alcohol is behind 40% of all violent crime in Lancashire, figures show today. Almost a quarter of people arrested in Lancashire were drunk at the time of arrest – but at weekends this could be as much as 80%.In the first 10 months of 2007, 21,133 violent crimes were recorded within Lancashire – and police say 8,453 of them were directly linked to alcohol.The figures come two months after Preston city centre's police inspector said Church Street was the most dangerous street in Lancashire, with more recorded violent crime than anywhere else in the county.Today , Chief Insp James Lee of Preston Police, said that binge drinking is the biggest trigger behind crime."Alcohol is a big problem in violent crime and other types of crime, and the biggest factor in alcohol-fuelled violent crime is not underage drinking but binge drinking."We know that offers like two-for-ones, often seen in Preston, can further the problem. We have a particular problem with adults who buy for children and we will be dealing with this issue."Kath Thomas, chief executive of Victim Support Lancashire, said: "People who have gone for a quiet drink and end up being assaulted often lose out on their compensation payout because they have had a drink themselves."A spokesman at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "A&E departments are blighted by problems fuelled by drink, including injuries from fights following excessive drinking."Drinking, and in particular binge drinking, is becoming a favourite pastime. Unless people begin to drink more moderately, the NHS will continue to see a rise in admissions resulting from alcohol."In January, Judge Christopher Cornwall said a booze-fuelled attack on prison officer Paul Ely in Preston city cent
re "illustrates the appalling high price the community pays for the free availability of alcohol".Sentencing Lee Campbell for throwing the punch that wrecked Mr Ely's life, the judge said the case highlighted the terrible consequences of drink-fuelled violence.However, police in Preston insist that violent crime is falling. In the three-month period from November 2006 to January 2007, police recorded 254 incidents of violent crime – but in the same period 12 months later, this fell to 234.
The new policing plan, due to be revealed soon, is expected to focus on violent crime issues.

Scott Weiland has admitted himself to rehab

Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland has admitted himself to rehab.
After a show on Wednesday (February 6) in Los Angeles, the singer checked into an undisclosed rehab centre, resulting in the postponement of last night’s show at the House Of Blues in San Diego.
Weiland has been arrested several times in the past few years for drug related incidents, and has done a number of stints in jail.
His most recent arrest was November 21 when he crashed his car while driving under the influence in Los Angeles.
He previously completed a spell in rehab in 2003.

"Hell Razor" Heroin

23-year-old man who died in his home last week likely is one of six people to overdose on heroin since December.
Five of the overdoses have been fatal.
New Hanover County Assistant District Attorney Tom Old said bags of the heroin stamped with the name "Hell Razor" were found in William Brandon Walters' house.
That heroin has been linked to at least two or three fatal overdoses in the past months, he said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities are trying to find the source of the fatal heroin, and they announced on Tuesday they made a significant heroin bust unrelated to the recent overdoses.
But authorities may have more than "Hell Razor" to blame for recent deaths.
Heroin by another name was found at the home of a 48-year-old man who overdosed Friday in the 600 block of Orange Street, authorities said.
More than a week ago, Walters' father, Michael Walters, went to his son's house to check on him after his mail had piled up. He found his son dead on the living room floor Jan. 27.
Brandon Walters' father said Tuesday he didn't want to discuss details of his son's death because of an ongoing investigation. He added he didn't know how his son died.
"We want to see the final results for toxicology," Michael Walters said. "There was no foul play involved at this point that I am aware of."
Incidentally, right after his son died, Michael Walters reported two Samsung flat-screen TVs - worth a total of $4,000 - stolen from his son's house on White Road.
He said they were stolen after he found his son dead.
For now, Michael Walters is just trying to cope with his son's death.
"It takes a little while to cope with it and deal with the loss," he said. Brandon Walters, who was unemployed, was living off his maternal grandfather's inheritance and enjoying automobiles. He liked to buy and trade vehicles like BMWs, Cadillacs and Hummers, his father said.

"I accused him of trading them before the 30-day tag expired on them," he said.

Brandon Walters, who was born in Wilmington and spent most of his life here, was a fisherman and deer hunter who enjoyed going to the shooting range.

At one point, Brandon Walters also was involved with a Baptist church.

"He was a very lovable person," his father said. "He had a heart of gold."

To date, four other men ranging in age from 16 to 48 have died from heroin overdoses since Dec. 6, 2007.

Also, a 19-year-old woman nearly died from a heroin overdose at a McDonald's in the 2500 block of Carolina Beach Road.

Addiction afflicts people of all backgrounds, Old said.

"You find addiction throughout professionals and everyone throughout society," said Old, a drug prosecutor. "I don't know that anyone ever starts using drugs or alcohol with the thought they'll become an addict. Everyone always likes to think they'll be in control of their lives, never anticipating how addictive drugs are."

addiction is severely stigmatized, and is grouped with prostitution and gambling as a negative behavior.

Drug addiction is not new to China. At one time it was estimated that 27% of the male population was addicted to opium. However, this figure dropped significantly from its peak in 1906 to the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949. Changes in Chinese society in recent years have meant new freedoms and new choices. As a result, drug addiction is again on the rise and, although seemingly insignificant when compared to the epidemic of the early 1900s, reports indicate there were 1.16 million Chinese addicted to heroin in 2005. Currently the number of beds available for those dependent on alcohol or drugs is quite small, especially when considering the vast number of those who could benefit from treatment. In Beijing alone, a city of more than 10 million, only a few hospitals with a handful of beds currently treat patients addicted to alcohol or drugs. While effective treatment for addiction is being recognized in China, the nation is merely scratching the surface when it comes to treatment availability.
In China today, addiction is severely stigmatized, and is grouped with prostitution and gambling as a negative behavior. Chinese society today generally views drug dependence as a moral weakness and sees the addicted individual as having a character flaw. While this view is prevalent in U.S. society as well, there is little distinction in China between the views of the public and those of medical professionals, who often use punitive approaches to treatment. This goes along with a pervasive attitude in China that individuals must be held responsible for their own actions and must learn from their own mistaken behavior.

The stigma associated with addiction has created a major challenge in addressing treatment needs in China. In a recent survey, only about half of the medical professionals who responded viewed addiction as a treatable brain disease. With an apparent lack of understanding of addiction by the medical community, much of the treatment in China is limited to acute care for withdrawal. Without ongoing treatment opportunities, drug- or alcohol-dependent individuals are not given the opportunity to strengthen their recovery from long-term substance use.Fortunately, 12-Step programs may be playing a major role in changing views, among both addicts and treatment professionals, about the prospects of successful recovery. The success of those in recovery through AA has apparently been evident to treatment professionals who are beginning to see that long-term sobriety is possible but cannot always be accomplished by merely offering acute care to the dependent.

Would-be Counselors
With a growing number of people in recovery who are enthusiastic about providing care to those in need, China now has an increasing number of potentially effective counselors. Along with Mr. H., these are individuals with genuine enthusiasm and an interest in learning from faculty who can assist them in expanding their understanding of treatment. During our time together, we had great discussions, role-played group sessions with individuals volunteering to be the leaders, and talked about some of the challenges addicts face in developing successful recovery programs. We also laughed, cried, joked and, despite the language barrier, experienced a bond that brought us together as fellow warriors, struggling to make treatment effective for the addict. I learned a thing or two from the true pioneers of drug and alcohol treatment in China. I learned that challenges faced by those in recovery in societies outside the U.S. are enormous in comparison to those in our country. I learned that one’s level of passion can help overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers. And I learned that those who have the commitment to help others in any society truly speak the same language.

Holme House Prison, Stockton:More Drugs in Prison than on the Street

The British prison service once more shows how out of control the problem of drugs in U.K. Prisons has become.
Between November 2004 and 2007, there were 443 incidents in which drugs - both illegal substances and unlawfully held prescriptions - were discovered at Holme House Prison, Stockton.
In 2005, there were 191 drug discoveries at Holme House, compared to 98 in 2006 and 142 between January 1 and November 6 last year.
The figures, revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, include all drug discoveries made in the prison - on prisoners, visitors or in cells.
Recently fears were raised over the growing use of drugs such as heroin substitute Subutex as a recreational drug in jails.
One 30-year-old former Holme House prisoner, a recovering heroin addict from Stockton, claimed more than half of inmates used drugs.
He said: "At the moment the main thing is a thing called Subutex. For one tiny tablet they go for £50. People get cut up for them and slashed for them."
The former inmate, who does not wish to be named, claimed tennis balls containing drugs would also get thrown over the wall.
Governor of Holme House, Matt Spencer, said his staff used a string of measures in a bid to banish drugs.
He said: "Stopping drugs coming into Holme House is a constant problem and we do have systems in place to stop drugs coming in. Quite obviously, we are not 100 per cent successful in that.
"There are also measures in place to seize and confiscate drugs when they are found in prison.
"We have a regular system of searching prisoners and their cells. Prisoners take part in drug tests, both mandatory and voluntary."

electronic cigarette

AN electronic cigarette that gives smokers their nicotine hit without the other harmful ingredients in tobacco smoke might help them beat their addiction, scientists say.
Auckland University researchers are recruiting 48 smokers who want to quit to take part in a world-first trial of the "e-cigarette".
Hayden McRobbie, from the university's clinical trials research unit, said the e-cigarette, which is sold over the Internet by a Chinese company for $200, is marketed at present as an alternative to smoking rather than a tool to stop smoking.
"But we think it might actually prove more effective than currently available nicotine-replacement treatments, such as patches and gum, because smoking is not just a chemical addiction - it's behavioural."
The device is "smoked" like a normal cigarette, and even glows at the tip when the smoker draws on it.
A vaporiser device delivers a measured dose of nicotine in a mist.
"Ex-smokers often say they miss the ritual of smoking; the e-cigarette gives them something to do with their hands."
Dr McRobbie said the "quit or die" message was not working for many smokers, who knew the dangers but were powerless against their craving.

Christian Slater: flashbacks

Actor Christian Slater says that watching his own films makes him miserable because they flash him back to the days when he was addicted to drugs.
The 'True Romance' star was jailed in 1997 following accusations of assaulting his then girlfriend, Michelle Jonas, and several policemen in a state of inebriation.
Although Slater has been sober for a number of years, he insists that watching his own films reintroduces him to his torturous memories.

"Insite" safe injection sites

The mayor of Victoria even advocated establishing several "Insite" safe injection sites around the island, about which no further mention has been made after many letters of objection.
Apparently crack pipes are widely used, are not issued by the Island Health Authority, but must be condoned and encouraged if the Health Authority is considering issuing in the new year, "safer crack kits" of sleeves and screens that fit over pipes to reduce the chance of spreading Hepatitis C and other diseases, instead of tackling the real problem of drug addiction head on.
Crack cocaine is a highly addictive, relatively cheap and prevalent street drug used across Canada. It can be heated, smoked through a pipe, injected and sniffed. Why, oh why, would anyone encourage the use of addictive drugs when there is such a universal sickness permeating society worldwide. There is only one solution--treat drug addiction properly, eradicate the drugs and prosecute those importing and selling it, before it spreads any further.
Addicts feed their addiction through theft, encouraging dealers and the importation of the supply by drug lords and all sorts of criminals, enriching themselves and their families, making the addicts criminals as well. To condone and encourage the use of crack pipes plus the attachments in the new year, is only increasing the problem at the taxpayers' expense, just to prevent a few cases of Hepatitis C.
If this disease is estimated to cost the Canadian health care system billions of dollars a year, this money could be spent more wisely in treating drug addicts in a residential detoxification and rehabilitation centre or clinic, where they can be educated and taught trades, while being treated, then returned to society as healthy contributing citizens, instead of living a permanent hell, without any hope for the future.
Note should be made of such a community, opening mid-January near Prince George by MLA Lorne Mayencourt, who has had the courage, vision and understanding of how drug addiction should be treated and is pursuing this dream.
Cocaine especially, according to Australian 2006 research results, prevents the up-take of the necessary precursors, dopamine and probably, serotonin, which stimulate the brain's neuro-transmitters.
The tunnel vision regarding the correct treatment of drug addiction needs revision, more attention and understanding. It could take from two to three years for an addict to be rehabilitated after treatment and training, including plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, minerals, vitamins, rest, fresh air, exercise, encouragement and hope, in the country somewhere away from temptation and big city influences. Such a residential detoxification and rehabilitation community is now being made available near Prince George

Drug addiction genetic makeup

Chinese experts, this drug addiction is somehow related to a person's genetic makeup.
According to Chinese scientists, they have identified around 400 genes that seem to make some people more addicted to drugs compared to others.
Furthermore, the results show that the environment factor consisting of peer pressure, neighborhood and the likes only comprise 40% of a person's vulnerability to drugs, while the remaining 60% is attributed to the said genes.
The scientists used four addictive substances in the study namely cocaine, opiate, alcohol and nicotine and mapped out five molecular pathways that trigger addiction. The genes in question turned up more frequently in the determined pathways.
"These common pathways may underlie shared rewarding and response mechanisms and may be targets for effective treatments for a wide range of addictive disorders," commented the scientists.

Death of her 21-year-old son Shawn, who committed suicide in 2001 while playing Everquest

video game addiction has fallen off the radar ever since the American Medical Association declined to classify it as an official diagnosis last summer.
However a local Canadian TV station revived the topic for a recent segment. Weighing in were Liz Woolley, founder of Online Gamers Anonymous (and occasional GamePolitics visitor), Mark Ouellette, professor of pop culture at Ontario’s McMaster University, and Faith from Destructoid, who writes:
It really bothers me that the con side of the conversation got more air time… especially when I had the academic on my side… Games may be the stuff of peoples’ addictions sometimes, but they are never the cause…
Liz Woolley, of course, got into the game addiction topic following the death of her 21-year-old son Shawn, who committed suicide in 2001 while playing Everquest

Downsides to Methadone

#1 - You have to go to a clinic every day for a long time at the beginning, which I did mention, but I didn't mention the fact that you are surrounded by drug addicts while doing so, and there are usually drug dealers parked outside (especially the lower-class clinics, there are many different "types" of methadone clinics, some for street addicts, some for upper-class addicts, and the latter is far superior.) Buprenorphine doesn't have this problem.
#2 - It is extremely difficult to get off of methadone. You have, in most cases, withdrawals worse than heroin, and lasting over a month (as opposed to a week with heroin.) Buprenorphine has extremely mild withdrawals in most cases, but they are long lasting like methadone, about a month (compared to about a week with short-acting opiates.)
Well, that's really it. I think I mentioned everything else. But these two things are very important. Let me know if I am missing anything.
Finally I want to say that this diary has been misinterpreted that I was suggesting lifelong maintenance. I was not. While that is certainly a possibility, especially with certain individuals, the goal of maintenance treatment is that you will get off of it eventually, and that should be very clear.

Buprenorphine is different than methadone

Buprenorphine is different than methadone, and it's vital. I will get into the legal differences and implications in a minute, but let me get the final bit of basics out of the way. Buprenorphine is a "mixed opiate agonist/antagonist," well, actually, it's better described as a "partial opioid agonist." Describing this is beyond the scope of this diary. Let's just say there are several things about buprenophine that make it very different pharmacologically than methadone, which I will describe:

#1 - It is a much weaker drug. It won't leave you with a sky-high tolerance to opioids.
#2 - Following that, even though it's weaker, it has an antagonist effect - meaning it blocks other opioids from working (i.e. heroin.) - quite well in fact, but not as well as was originally believed
#3 - Following THAT, It seems to fix what heroin broke, and anecdotal evidence clearly implies that you are often more sucessful getting off buprenorphine than methadone.
#4 - Finally, the withdrawals of buprenorphine are mild at best in relative comparison to other opiates, especially methadone. Methadone withdrawals are a month of utter, utter hell.

There are two major downsides to buprenorphine, which I will also list for you.
#1 - As I said, it's, simply put, "weaker." This means that it can't satisfy all addicts - although the specific tolerance and level of addiction of the addict seems to play only a small role in this.
#2 - Due to it's opioid-blocking effects, the transition of getting on to buprenorphine from heroin or other opiates can be quite painful, especially if it's not done properly - and most doctors have no idea what the hell they are doing in this regard.

One final thing to say about buprenorphine - poorly understood, but it seems that it helps greatly with cocaine addicts. Getting into this is beyond the scope of this diary.

Well, I hope that's about it for the technical mumbo-jumbo. I hope you are sticking with it. On to some more relevant stuff.

maintaining your addiction

Maintenance is when you take another opioid instead of heroin, "maintaining" your addiction. At face value, that doesn't sound very productive. But it is, and I will now tell you why. At the current time, there are two maintenance medications: methadone, and buprenorphine[Subutex/Suboxone]. There was a third, LAAM, legally no different than methadone, which worked for a whopping three days, but it was pulled from the market (in the USA) because of lack of interest and the potential for heart attacks it causes (one of the few opiates, if not the only, to have such problems.)

So why is maintenance important, and a very necessary option for heroin and opioid addiction treatment? Why isn't it "trading one addiction for another"? Because depending on the study you are looking at, nevermind anecdotal evidence, your chances of success at long-term abstinence are anywhere from 5-15%. No one knows why this is, at least not yet, but even after the withdrawals are over, "the easy part" according to just about anyone, the hard part begins - long term abstinence. "Willing it" just doesn't seem to work - believe me, I have tried. Your brain seemingly gets rewired to treat heroin like the most basic of your biological needs, lasting anywhere from 6-12 months to the rest of your life. It's like trying to "will" yourself not so sleep, or eat, or fuck. Over the long term.

So that's why it's important, because your chances of abstinence are so low, and people just want to live normal lives (and buprenorphine is a HUGE step towards that goal, as opposed to methadone, I will explain.) The important question many must be asking themselves is what makes it any different than heroin? There is a world of difference between methadone/buprenorphine and heroin/other opiates. The first and foremost is the duration of action and the time to peak effects. They both prevent withdrawals for 24 hours (or more), meaning you will not be constantly running around looking for a fix, and you won't have the ups and downs of heroin - once stablized, you will essentially just feel normal - not high, not low. Your body will adjust to the drug and make itself work as if it wasn't there. Ideally, at least, there are some very unique people out there. The fact that it takes nearly 2 hours to reach peak effects means you just simply don't get high from these drugs - unless you are "niave" to opiates, that is, in which case you wouldn't be going into maintenance. As I said, it let's people live normal lives - people on methadone, undetectable, are lawyers, engineers, even doctors. You would be amazed.

Trained actors attempted to purchase alcohol

Trained actors attempted to purchase alcohol while acting out signs of obvious intoxication at a census of on- and off-premise alcohol establishments (n = 372) in 11 communities. The outcome variable was whether an establishment sold alcohol to a buyer. Independent variables included age and gender of server/clerk, type of establishment, area, exterior maintenance, type of license, and time of purchase attempt. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.

Results: Seventy-nine percent of the establishments sold alcohol to a buyer (83% and 76% at off- and on-premise establishments, respectively). Servers/clerks who appeared younger than age 31 and off-premise establishments were significantly more likely than older appearing servers and on-premise establishments to sell alcohol to buyers.

Conclusions: The likelihood of alcohol sales to obviously intoxicated patrons in licensed alcohol establishments is very high. Interventions to reduce illegal alcohol sales to intoxicated patrons are needed.

Gene expression profiling: methodological challenges, results, for addiction research

This review describes the current methods used to profile gene expression. These methods include microarrays, spotted arrays, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE), and massive parallel signature sequencing (MPSS). Methodological and statistical problems in interpreting microarray and spotted array experiments are also discussed. Methods and formats such as minimum information about microarray experiments (MIAME) needed to share gene expression data are described. The last part of the review provides an overview of the application of gene-expression profiling technology to substance abuse research and discusses future directions.

Certain changes in brain chemistry have been linked with drug addiction in humans?

The new findings, published in Science, one of the world’s most prestigious journals, may lead to more targeted treatments for drug addiction and other compulsive behaviour disorders, with less side effects than current alternatives. Government reports estimate there are up to half a million individuals addicted to Class A drugs in England and Wales. This new research should help understand why and how people become addicted. Dr Robinson said “The findings may have important ramifications for a range of addictive substances and could help us understand why some individuals are more susceptible to drug addiction.”
The next step is to identify the gene or genes that cause this diminished supply of brain receptors.More unsubstanciated research and wasted public money to find the reason why, which given its most positive outcome would be debatable and a complete waste of time.

33 percent of those who receive addiction treatment drop out of the programs.

Currently, nearly 33 percent of those who receive addiction treatment drop out of the programs.

large doses of cannabis actually made pain worse

The pain-relieving attributes of cannabis have long been praised, and several countries have made it available for medicinal purposes. But moderation is the key, according to a study in the journal Anesthesiology.

University of California researchers found that limited use of cannabis had the greatest impact on pain in 15 volunteers, while large doses actually made pain worse. The team recruited 15 healthy volunteers, in whom pain was induced by injecting capsaicin—the "hot" chemical found in chili peppers—under their skin.

They were then given cannabis to smoke. The strength of the dose was determined by the tetrahydrocannabinol content, which is the main active chemical in cannabis. Other volunteers were given a placebo.

Five minutes after taking the drug, none of the doses had any effect on the pain felt. But 45 minutes later, those who had smoked the moderate dose said their pain was much better, while those who consumed high doses said it had gotten worse.

Dr. Mark Wallace, the lead researcher, said the findings could have implications for the way medicinal cannabis was offered, both in pure and drug form.

Some experts, however, are concerned that results on healthy volunteers may not be translated accurately into how cannabis works in the bodies of those with cancer or multiple sclerosis, for whom the drug is increasingly seen as a potential form of pain relief.

Dr Laura Bell, of the MS Society, said, "Many people with MS report benefits to symptoms such as pain from taking cannabis, however, studies to date on the effects of cannabis on pain are small and difficult to draw firm conclusions from. We would be interested to see the results from larger scale studies focused on people with MS."

anorexia and the highly addictive club-drug ecstasy activate some of the same brain pathways

Scientists from France have found that anorexia and the highly addictive club-drug ecstasy activate some of the same brain pathways, a finding that may help explain the addictive nature of anorexia and other eating disorders, leading to new treatments.
Dr. Valerie Compan of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, and colleagues report that both anorexia and ecstasy reduce the drive to eat by stimulating the same subset of receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin.
These so-called 5-HT4 receptors are located in a brain structure associated with feelings of reward called the nucleus accumbens.
In mice, Compan and colleagues stimulated these receptors, which are known to play a role in addictive behavior, and found that this led to anorexic-like behavior. Food-fed mice ate less and food-deprived mice showed a reduced drive to eat.
Stimulating these receptors in mice also boosted production of the same enzymes stimulated in response to cocaine and amphetamine use.
Blocking the receptors increased food intake in the animals and mice missing these receptors were less sensitive to the appetite-suppressant effects of ecstasy.
This research may have implications for the development of drug treatments for eating disorders.

crystal meth was cheap, caused a lot of violence and was "probably the most addictive drug".

Judge Phillips said crystal meth was cheap, caused a lot of violence and was "probably the most addictive drug".

"It is very cheap, you can get it not far from here for £20.

"That gives a four to five-hour high but the comedown is frightening, with symptoms including paranoia, stroke, heart problems, irritability and self-harm. It can lead to a lot of violence."

C