An archive of recent news articles on the topic of alcohol and drugs.
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Criminals control large part of world sport - Wada
17th March 2011
The criminal underworld now controls a large proportion of world sport, World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman has claimed. Howman told a doping conference overnight (NZ time) convened by the World Sports Law Report at Twickenham rugby stadium that the criminal elements who controlled illegal betting were also involved in steroid trafficking. "My inside information has it that the underworld is now controlling a significant proportion of world sport," he said. "The criminal underworld is providing prohibited substances.
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Second-hand smoke linked to diabetes
17th March 2011
Cigarette smoke is tied to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, both for smokers and the people around them, a new study shows. And the more secondhand smoke people are exposed to, the greater their risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the paper in Diabetes Care. The potential risks of diabetes from being exposed to secondhand smoke weren't previously known, said Dr. David Nathan, who heads the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a professor at Harvard Medical School.
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Tobacco firm challenges 'prohibition' proposals
16th March 2011
The Government is committed to making New Zealand smokefree by 2025 but a tobacco company has called the plan prohibition by another name.
The goal was the only one of the 42 recommendations by the Maori Affairs committee inquiry into the tobacco industry that the Government accepted outright.
However, it ruled out requiring anyone who sells tobacco to be aged over 18, getting rid of tobacco-vending machines, requiring nicotine replacements to be sold wherever tobacco is sold, and establishing a new tobacco control authority.
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UK toddler treated for alcoholism
16th March 2011
A three-year-old British child has been treated for alcoholism by staff at a National Health Service hospital. The unnamed toddler, thought to be the country's youngest alcoholic, was among 13 youngsters aged 12 and under who were diagnosed as alcoholics by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust between 2008 and 2010.
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More than 60 arrests after $45m cannabis haul
15th March 2011
A two-week cannabis operation in the Hawke's Bay has resulted in the seizure of about $45 million worth of cannabis plants and more than 60 arrests. Police had recovered about 12-13,000 plants and five firearms in the annual operation, which involved property searches and arrests in the Hawke's Bay area, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Foster told NZPA. A mature plant could fetch about $3500.
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Are addicts fooling our family doctors?
15th March 2011
An experienced family doctor prescribed opioid drugs to a "druggie" after a consultation - without any physical examination - because he was "well-dressed". The admission appears to contravene the Misuse of Drugs Act and has sparked investigations by police and the Medical Council. The incident, which occurred during a Sunday Star-Times investigation, has sparked alarm - and sympathy - among drug addiction specialists, with one saying the doctor has ended up in "seriously dangerous territory". The Star-Times visited a random selection of Auckland doctors requesting a prescription for highly addictive pain relief medication pethidine.
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Call for smokers to be offered cancer risk test
10th March 2011
Smokers are in denial that their habit causes lung cancer and they should be offered tests that show their personal risk, a researcher says. Auckland University Associate Professor of Medicine and Molecular Genetics Robert Young has called for a test where smokers can find out if they have a moderate, high or very high risk of cancer to be widely available. He was making a submission on the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill, which makes changes such as stopping tobacco products being displayed in stores, to Parliament's health select committee.
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"When I see girls lighting up, I want to rush in..."
10th March 2011
Everyone knows smoking can cause cancer, so why aren't we doing more to stop it, asks sufferer Cassandra Jardine
It has taken me six months to be able to say "I have lung cancer" with any ease. It's not just the grim prognosis that makes the words stick in the mouth, it's the image that troubles me. Lung cancer is a disease of elderly male barflies with fags dangling from their lips, isn't it? So how can I - female, fittish and in my fifties - have it?
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Supermarket booze ban needed - HANZ
9th March 2011
Supermarkets are driving binge drinking with aggressive pricing and should be banned from selling alcohol, the Hospitality Association says. In a submission on the Alcohol Reform Bill today, the association said supermarkets had dramatically increased their market share of alcohol sales, which had led to a shift in where New Zealanders drink and more people binge drinking. Retail sales through supermarkets have doubled from about $8 million to almost $16 million in the past decade, while sales at bars and restaurants were either flat or growth was limited.
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Cut-price alcohol claims rejected
9th March 2011
Foodstuffs yesterday rejected accusations it was helping drive youth drinking by selling alcohol below cost. MPs are hearing submissions on the Government's Alcohol Law Reform Bill, which has taken aim at youth drinking. The Hospitality Association said supermarkets were driving binge drinking with aggressive pricing and should be banned from selling alcohol. The association said the availability of cheap alcohol from supermarkets had increased the availability of alcohol to youths.
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