Heroin & opiates

Recent news includes the opioid Opana, Federal laws outlawing synthetic marijuana and "bath salts" as well as smuggling tunnels, new nicotine vaccination, and a discussion of true gateway drugs: alcohol and cigarettes.

Psychoactive drugs cross ... the placental blood barrier - so can affect a baby in utero. ... hospitals have recently seen a large increase in babies born addicted to opioids, and the profound consequences that follow. We discuss this issues, options for detox and treatment, also the use and misuse of methadone.

Heroin has become more popular recently, because the most sought-after prescription drugs are ... much more expensive, and inexpensive heroin, especially from Mexico is filling the gap. We look at the "War on Drugs" started by Nixon, inreaction to the grwoing use of heroin in the 60s, and the current changes in demographics, with the realization that heroin is not just the drug of the inner city, the poor and disenfranchised, but rather crosses all levels of society.

Canada has ordered OxyContin removed from pharmacies, in response to the continuing abuse of this powerful opioid. Many groups, including First Nations members with high numbers of addicted persons among them, are warning that the move will push people to more dangerous drugs such as heroin. We look at the OxyNeo replacement drug, what its implications are, and related aspects, including whether doctors are under- or over- prescribing powerful and highly addictive pain medications.

New statistics from the DEA show a six-fold (600%) increase in the use of opioids, primarily oxycontin and vicodin, over the last ten years. We discuss this trend which we have reported, and the relationship to pain management.

We look at addiction treatment models, Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-Step Program and other non-12 Steps models as well as the increased use of opioid antagonist drugs - nalaxone and nalmefene, for countering opiate overdoses, and with the potential to block craving for many addictions