recent posts for dwf_admin

(Prosecution for Drug Use) "The Constitution does not provide an individual with the right to use drugs. Nevertheless, the Court in Robinson held that the Constitution prohibits the State from punishing an individual simply due to his status as a drug user.¹⁹⁸ The State is only constitutionally permitted to punish individuals for an act, not their status.

(Psilocybin and Addiction) "The results of the present study have implications for understanding the abuse of hallucinogens. Although psilocybin is regulated by the federal government under the most restrictive category (Schedule I) of the Controlled Substances Act, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2001, 2005) does not consider psilocybin and the other classical hallucinogens to be drugs of 'addiction' because they do not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior as do classic addicting drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, and alcohol.

(Drug-Positive Rates In US Military) "While the overall illicit drug use rate is holding constant, the number of MRO reviews is increasing (includes legitimate prescription drug use and positive UAs for other pharmaceutical drugs; see Figure 15, page 54). As previously noted, current policy governing prescription drug use may be masking illicit drug use due to open-ended prescriptions. Overall use of amphetamines (including both legal and illegal) is growing at a rate of 2.8 percent per year for all COMPOS.

(Positivity Rates for Cocaine and Amphetamine)
"Cocaine Use Is Decreasing
"According to the January to June 2012 DTI oral fluid data, the cocaine positivity rate was down 14.6% compared to 2011, continuing a downward trend from previous years; cocaine oral fluid positives in 2011 were down 10.9% compared to 2010. According to SAMHSA, in 2011, there were an estimated 1.4 million current cocaine users aged 12 or older, comprising 0.5% of the population.
"Amphetamines Use Continues Five-Year Upward Trend

(Characteristics of Patients Admitted to Opioid Substitution Treatment) "General measures of heroin abuse among treatment admissions aged 12 and older were relatively consistent from 2000 through 2010. Primary heroin abuse accounted for 14 to 16 percent of TEDS admissions in every year from 2000 through 2010. Injection was the preferred route of administration for 60 to 70 percent of primary heroin admissions, inhalation for 25 to 34 percent, and smoking or other route for 4 to 5 percent.

(Characteristics of Admissions to Treatment for Alcohol Dependence)
"• Admissions for primary alcohol with secondary drug abuse were less likely to be in treatment for the first time than alcohol-only admissions (35 percent vs. 46 percent) [Table 2.5].
"• Among admissions referred to treatment by the criminal justice system, admissions for alcohol with secondary drug abuse were more likely than alcohol-only admissions to have been referred to treatment as a condition of probation/parole (32 percent vs. 19 percent) [Table 2.6].

(Characteristics of Cannabis Users, Other Drug Users, and Abstainers) "Zambon et al also found that having a good relationship with a best friend was related to increased use of cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco. Similarly, Hoel et al³⁹ reported that although abstainers are successful in many social arenas, they socialize less frequently with friends than youth who drink, while a Finnish study⁴⁰ indicated that moderate use of alcohol among adolescents was associated with a positive self-image in social relationships. Another

(Breath Testing for Other Drugs in DUI Enforcement) "The results of this investigation provide further support to the possibility of using exhaled breath as a readily available specimen for drugs of abuse testing. There is a possibility that exhaled breath will develop into a new matrix for routine drug testing and present an alternative to already used matrices like urine, blood, oral fluid, sweat and hair. Each matrix may have its specific advantages and disadvantages.

(Impact of Medical Marijuana Laws (MMLs) on Cannabis Use by Youth) "We replicated the findings of Wall et al. (2) that marijuana use was higher in states that have passed MMLs, and our analysis suggests this is unlikely to be a causal association. Our difference-in-differences estimates suggest little detectable effects of passing MMLs on marijuana use or perceived riskiness of use among adolescents or adults, which is consistent with some limited prior evidence on arrestees and emergency department patients (17).

(Effectiveness) "For more than 45 years, research has confirmed that opioid agonist therapy (ie, methadone hydrochloride) is a highly effective treatment for opioid addiction provided outside primary care.^4-6"