drug abuse

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Trump Has Some Thoughts on Hunter Biden

Former president tells Fox that drug addiction is 'a very tough thing' for families to contend with

(Newser) - Donald Trump weighed in on Hunter Biden on Thursday in the wake of the latter's conviction this week on felony gun charges—appearing to be sympathetic to President Biden's son and his struggles with drug addiction. "I understand it pretty well, because I've had it with...

WSJ Alleges Extensive Illegal Drug Use by Elon Musk

Musk pushes back, heavily

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal was out with a lengthy piece Saturday about Elon Musk's alleged illegal drug use, which, per the newspaper's sources, is a concern for leaders at the various companies he's founded. Though Musk has openly smoked weed in the past and has talked about...

One Woman's Controversial Mission to Help Drug Addicts

Louise Vincent focuses on 'harm reduction' approach instead of abstinence

(Newser) - One way to help addicts off of drugs is to get them to quit cold turkey, an approach favored by many US politicians as they push for legislation and tougher prison sentences to combat the emergence of such drugs as fentanyl and xylazine (aka "tranq," or "zombie...

Oregon Considers Reversing Course on Hard Drugs

Just 2 years after Measure 110 passed, officials are taking a hard look at whether it's working

(Newser) - Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs , but with overdoses and public intoxication on the rise, officials are taking a hard look at whether the new law is working. The Wall Street Journal reports that Measure 110, which had 58% support in 2020, is declining in popularity after...

US Army Sees Record Number of Fatal ODs From This Drug

Fentanyl is hitting all military branches, but none as hard as the Army, and loved ones want answers

(Newser) - Earlier this year, Congress received some sobering data from the Department of Defense showing that fentanyl was involved in 88% of the 2021 deaths of US troops who'd died of drug overdoses—up from just 36% five years earlier. "Our military is not immune to the opioid epidemic,...

Pregnant Women Jailed Here for Drugs Have Only One Way Out

They're kept behind bars in Etowah County, Ala., unless they go to rehab, pay $10K

(Newser) - Multiple pregnant women or new moms are behind bars in an Alabama prison after being arrested for drug use, and they're being kept there for "weeks or months" on end under "special conditions," per AL.com . The outlet reports that the women involved, accused of exposing...

The 10 States With the Biggest Drug Problems

District of Columbia actually fares the worst on WalletHub list

(Newser) - Drug abuse has only gotten worse with the pandemic, with 87,000 overdose deaths in the 12 months ending in September—representing a 29% increase from October 2019 to September 2020, reports the New York Times . Breaking down the states most affected by drug abuse using 21 metrics—including per...

Mulaney Isn't Only One Who Relied on Booze in Pandemic

One survey found 9 out of 10 people telecommuters have been drinking while working

(Newser) - Like many people, John Mulaney suddenly had a lot of downtime once the pandemic began. For someone who's struggled with cocaine and alcohol use, that wasn't a good thing. The comedian is now undergoing a rehab program in Pennsylvania. "It was a relief to his wife and...

This Is the State With the Worst Drug Abuse

Missouri gets unwanted distinction in WalletHub list

(Newser) - As America remains mired in a drug crisis , the added weight of the coronavirus pandemic has only made things harder. That's per WalletHub , which looked at all 50 states and DC to see which areas are affected the most by drug abuse. It looked at nearly two dozen metrics,...

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills 7 in San Diego. This Is to Blame

Bacteria is linked to the injection of black tar heroin

(Newser) - Seven people in San Diego County have been killed by a flesh-eating bacteria since the beginning of October, and health officials say the outbreak is linked to the use of black tar heroin. Black tar heroin is "sticky like roofing tar or hard like coal," with a dark...

In This State, a 'Mind-Boggling' Stat on Death Rates

WVa.'s drug OD rate has seen huge growth; US seeing record rates in 'deaths of despair' overall

(Newser) - Mortality rates in the US from drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicides have reached an all-time high, per a new report, and one region of the country is especially hard-hit. NBC News cites the survey from the Commonwealth Fund health advocacy group that takes a close look at 2017 data from...

10 States With the Most Drug Abuse
10 States With the
Most Drug Abuse
May 13, 2019 10:14 AM CDT

10 States With the Most Drug Abuse

The epidemic continues

(Newser) - A recent sliver of hope in the US opioid crisis emerged in the form of a substantial drop in prescription opioid use in 2018. But that doesn't mean the country's drug epidemic is anywhere near over. Drug abuse continues to run rampant, and WalletHub looked at the problem...

Why a 20-Year-Old Woman Clawed Out Her Own Eyes

Kaylee Muthart describes her struggle with drugs

(Newser) - On Feb. 6, Kaylee Muthart dug her fingers into her eyes and pulled them out of their sockets. How did the South Carolina 20-year-old go from straight-A student and National Honor Society member to that point? She explains in a first-person piece in Cosmopolitan , charting her path from drinking alcohol...

Energy Drinks Linked to Cocaine Use Later in Life
Are Energy Drinks the 
New Road to Cocaine?
NEW STUDY
Aug 10, 2017 1:43 PM CDT

Are Energy Drinks the New Road to Cocaine?

Researchers find 'significant' link, call for further study

(Newser) - Energy drinks have been blamed for heart attacks and banned from college campuses , but they're now being studied for their potential to increase one's chances of getting hooked on drugs. And the news is not good: Writing in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence , a University of Maryland...

11-Year-Old Girl Revived From Heroin Overdose

Police found multiple bags of the drug in her room

(Newser) - Paramedics were able to revive an 11-year-old girl after she was found overdosing on heroin in her Beechview, Penn., home on Wednesday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , the sixth grader was unresponsive but still breathing when paramedics arrived and administered Narcan, an opioid-blocking drug. The girl was then sedated after...

Christie Finally Has a White House Gig

NJ governor will be leading a drug addiction task force, but not a 'permanent role'

(Newser) - After being unceremoniously dropped from President Trump's transition team, Gov. Chris Christie is dipping his toes into the administration as he takes the lead of a White House commission to combat drug addiction, the AP reports. On Wednesday, Christie and Trump will host an opioid and drug abuse listening...

Cops: Woman in Labor Asked Friend to Inject Heroin, Meth

Friend says woman was trying to inject herself

(Newser) - A woman in labor demanded a friend inject her with heroin and methamphetamine before firefighters arrived at their home and she gave birth while entering an ambulance, New Hampshire police said Wednesday. Police in Concord arrested Felicia Farruggia, 29, this week, about six months after her son was born, the...

Judge's Order to Drug-Addicted Mom of 4: No More Pregnancies

Until she regains custody of infant son, order says

(Newser) - A New York judge has ordered a drug-addicted mother of four who has worked as a prostitute not to get pregnant again until she has gained custody of her infant son, the AP reports. Family Court Judge Patricia Gallaher wrote that the order is meant to improve the woman's...

How Prince Could Have Kept Such a Secret

The 'New York Times' delves into his private addiction

(Newser) - Prince's final days are coming into sharper focus, and it now appears the singer had developed an addiction to pain pills so serious that he was set to meet with an addiction specialist when he died. The New York Times delves into the question of how Prince—who had...

Mom Who Found Daughter Dead Writes Devastatingly Honest Obituary

Kelsey Endicott, 23, died of accidental overdose

(Newser) - Kathleen Errico is the latest devastated family member to take part in a heartbreaking trend: being brutally honest about a person's untimely death. Errico found her 23-year-old daughter dead in her bed, TV still on, at 3:45am on April 2. Kelsey Endicott, who leaves behind a 2-year-old son,...

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