Will new stronger hydrocodone add to opiates/heroin epidemic? The VA and Pain Mgmt, Nicotine as medicine, Tylenol tied to ADHD
Several treatment professionals are so worried about Zohydro, the newly released much stronger opiate, that they are petitioning the FDA to pull it. Also is the VA making more opioid addicts with its approach to pain treatment for soldiers? Some interesting new studies are showing that nicotine can be valuable as a treatment for such conditions as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, ADHD and learning problems. Seminars for marijuana entrepreneur are cropping up, discussing marketing and local laws as well as new extract methods like “wax” which also has the DEA’s attention – its the the latest form of super-powerful THC extract. And one girl scout with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit set up her Girl Scout cooke table outside a medical marijuana dispensary. Her success story went viral!
E-cig Restrictions, Nek-nominate, Winter Olympics, Legalize-Tax-Discourage, Smoking and Mental Illness
Putting e-cigarettes behind the counter and not sold to minors in Cook County, while Chicago has banned e-cig “vaping” wherever cigarette smoking is forbidden. Nek-nominate, popular in UK and Australia, now here, involves drinking large amounts of alcohol often mixed with other bizarre things, then nominating one or two friends to follow suit, or do even more. Of course its recorded on YouTube. New performance-enhancing drugs coming out of Sochi. Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank advocating for legalizing drugs, and some success with smoking cessation among those with mental illness using the stop-smoking drug varenicline
Celebrities and Heroin ODs, CVS Stops Selling Cigarettes, 3rd Hand Smoke
Celebrity deaths increase the general recognition of drug problems, which lately have been heroin and prescription painkillers overdoses and deaths. Oscar and Tony-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’ s overdose death is the most recent in a long list celebrity drug death. Hoffman probably died of heroin mixed with some form of fentanyl, an extreme powerful opioid. Also the pharmacy chain CVS made news by announcing it would no longer sell cigarettes, with other large pharmacy chains like Walgreens saying they may follow suit. And the dangers of 3rd hand smoke are highlighted in a new study.
MJ Biz has Roaring Start in CO, Dabbing, Genetic Testing for ADHD, E-Cigs on TV
Recreational marijuana business got off to a roaring starting in Colorado, with $5 million is sales reported for the first week. Dabbing is a general term for several ways to extract the THC from the marijuana and greatly increase the potency. Genetic testing and treatment for ADHD is being explored. Low levels of dopamine seems to be part of the condition. And e-cigarette companies are planning a major advertising effort for this year, including TV ads. Meanwhile the FDA is intending to adopt new regulations for e-cigarettes, and New York City and a few other areas are requiring tobacco and e-cigarette purchasers to be 21.
E-cigarettes use doubles among students
Use of e-cigarettes by students doubled in 2012, to 1 to 10 in ten, with 1.8 million middle and high school students saying they had tried e-cigarettes in 2012. Health official fear that this might lead to the use of regular cigarettes, as well as concern about the nicotine itself and its addictive qualities. PODCAST
FDA eyes menthol in cigarettes and the additive effect of smoking with alcohol
The FDA is considering regulating menthol in cigarettes, saying it makes it easier to start and harder to quit, and makes smoking more attractive to young people. We also consider a new study showing how smoking increases the likelihood of drinking more, and the way the dopamine reacts in the brain. PODCAST.