An archive of recent news articles on the topic of alcohol and drugs.
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Cocaine smugglers 'targeting NZ'
16th December 2010
A South American drug syndicate appears to be targeting New Zealand, as the amount of seized cocaine this year has increased more than 10-fold on two years ago, says the Customs Department. Customs has intercepted more than 10kg of cocaine this year, compared to just under 3kg in 2009 and 733 grams in 2008. "The high purity of the cocaine we've seen in recent months means that it is likely to be 'cut' for street sales and end up as a much greater quantity than was actually smuggled in," said Customs group manager of investigations, Bill Perry.
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New Zealander of the Year Finalist: Professor Doug Sellman
16th December 2010
Doug Sellman shines a bright light on the damage done by alcohol abuse. Better yet, he understands the vested interests and the associated lobbying which work against significant policy change. He makes a compelling case that the Government is captured and the public hoodwinked by these interests. Dr Sellman, too, has a vested interest. As a professor of psychiatry specialising in addiction, he wants to reduce the damage he sees flowing from alcohol abuse.
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Just one cigarette can be a killer
15th December 2010
WASHINGTON: The first Surgeon-General's report issued under the Obama administration shows that smoking a single cigarette causes immediate lung and DNA damage that may lead to eventual illness and death. The new research shows that chemicals in cigarettes can harm the body ''from the moment they enter your mouth'' by attacking tissues as smoke travels to the lungs, the Surgeon-General, Regina Benjamin, said in a report issued on Thursday. Smoking weakens the immune system's ability to prevent damaged DNA from causing cancer, she said.
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Police pull over alleged drink driver, 14
15th December 2010
A 14-year-old boy had to be restrained with handcuffs after he was caught allegedly drink driving in Hamilton early yesterday morning. The boy came to the attention of police after an officer saw him lose control on Bridge Street, Inspector Leo Tooman said. "The car was pulled over outside the Police Station and the officer was surprised to find the driver was only 14-years-old and appeared to have been drinking."
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Cocaine seizures 'tip of iceberg'
14th December 2010
Cocaine has become the trendy drug of choice and the the number of smugglers from South America caught at the border is rising. Police believe the cocaine is being supplied to a West African group in Auckland - hidden inside mail, chocolates, laptops and human bodies - then distributed around city nightspots.
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Army's ecstasy scandal
14th December 2010
Two trainee officers at Linton Army Camp were caught with a haul of 210 ecstasy tablets, that police say they were intending to supply to others.
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Seven arrested after drug raids
9th December 2010
Seven people have been arrested after drug raids on nine properties including the Hells Angels gang headquarters in Auckland this morning. Police said the raids came on the back of an "intensive" two month investigation into a Hawkes Bay methamphetamine ring. They alleged the men arrested today had been buying large quantities of methamphetamine from the Auckland Hells Angels and selling it from a Napier property.
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Energy drink and alcohol dangerous brew
9th December 2010
New Zealand should restrict the mixing of energy drinks and alcohol which leads to heavy intoxication, violence and even death, a medical expert says.
Wellington Hospital emergency medicine specialist Dr Paul Quigley said parts of Australia had banned the mixing of alcohol and energy drinks and New Zealand should follow suit.
"We need to certainly restrict it," he said. "It seems to be a very harmful way of consuming alcohol."
Quigley, who is also a clinical toxicologist, said studies showed people drinking alcohol together with stimulants such as energy drinks or party pills would have at least five standard drinks more than those who did not.
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Two Drinks Max: Tough drink drive talk in Oz
8th December 2010
John Key's Government continues to refuse to reduce the drink-drive limit but in Australia debate has started on radical new proposals that may reshape driving habits there. The Australian Transport Council this week released a discussion document calling for the national alcohol limit to be reduced to 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Some states, such as Victoria, already have a limit of 50mg, which is 30mg lower than New Zealand's 80mg.
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Cocaine use doubles in a decade
8th December 2010
As Australia digests news of a $160 million cocaine bust in Queensland, latest national figures show use of the drug has doubled in less than a decade. Research by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), released today, shows a surge in cocaine use at the same time as demand for ecstasy wanes. The NDARC's Dr Lucy Burns said rising cocaine use was first spotted in NSW in 2009, and this trend had rippled out across the other states and territories during this year.
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