In the News

Is Marijuana Medicine?

Marijuana-as-Medicine One of the biggest points of contention about marijuana is whether or not it can be considered medicine, according to Kevin Sabet, PhD, Policy Consultant and Assistant Professor, University of Florida.

He says that while smoked crude marijuana is not medicine, marijuana does have medicinal properties – found in its individual components.

These components can be isolated and delivered in a safe and effective way. Many of these components are being researched; some have been approved as medicines in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Government Launches Online Program to Help Doctors Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

Doctor-with-laptop The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has launched a new online training program to help doctors prescribe opioids more safely and effectively.

The program's goal is to reduce prescription drug abuse, The Boston Globe reports.

The program includes video segments of doctors talking with patients about opioids, the article notes.

National Campaign Aims to Prevent Medicine Abuse Among Teens

Teen-and-pills A national campaign launched this week aims to prevent half a million teenagers from abusing medicine within five years. CBS NewYork reports.

The Medicine Abuse Project is a multi-year effort to help educate parents, teens and the public about the dangers of medicine abuse.

New research released this week by The Partnership at Drugfree.org shows that while only 6 percent of parents of teens believe their child has abused medicine, in fact one in 10 teens (10 percent) admit they misused/abused medicines in the past six months.

FDA Warns Consumers About Fraudulent Internet Pharmacies

drugs-online The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a new campaign to warn consumers to avoid buying medicine from fraudulent online pharmacies.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy estimates that less than 3 percent of online pharmacies meet state and federal laws.

The campaign, called "BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy," explains that drugs purchased from rogue online pharmacies can pose a serious risk, because they may contain too much or too little active ingredient, CNN reports.

Number of Teens Driving While Drinking Alcohol Decreased: CDC

teens driving The percentage of teens in high school (aged 16 or older) who drove when they had been drinking alcohol decreased by 54 percent between 1991 and 2011.

Nine out of 10 high school teens were not drinking and driving during 2011.

For the study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from the 1991-2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS).

The national survey asked high school students if they had driven a vehicle when they had been drinking alcohol one or more times during the 30 days before the survey.

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