An archive of recent news articles on the topic of alcohol and drugs.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168
Michael Duncan: Binge-drinking the new danger game
21st January 2010
It's time for cotton-wool parenting to change, says Michael Duncan. On Saturday, the Weekend Herald had as one of its banner headlines, "Number of drunk women astonishes festival paramedics". On Sunday, binge-drinking by young women also featured on Murray Deaker's Newstalk ZB show.
more...
Battle lines drawn in final push to get rid of tobacco
21st January 2010
The number of teenagers who have never lit up a cigarette is rapidly increasing, leading some to conclude a sea change is occurring in young people's attitudes to tobacco. Surveys for the Ministry of Health show that just over half of teenagers aged 15 to 19 have never tried smoking - "not even one puff".
more...
Addiction fears trigger bid to control painkillers
20th January 2010
Public access to a widely-used class of painkillers containing codeine is likely to be restricted within months because of what is said to be an increase in the rate of addiction to the opium-linked drug. The recommendations of a Government advisory committee on the painkillers mirror the controls on pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in many cough and cold medicines, and also a precursor of the illegal drug P.
more...
Teenager tells of terrifying nights in Thai prison after drugs arrest
20th January 2010
A New Zealand-born teenager spent two harrowing nights in a Thai jail after being caught with drugs he didn't know were illegal. More than six weeks later he is still stranded in the country, waiting to be called to court. His parents have spent about $10,000 on flights and accommodation to support him.For the first 24 hours behind bars Taylor Laird, 17, sat cramped and alone in a windowless "shoebox" cell.
more...
Gun, drug threats lift pressure on armed cops
19th January 2010
Increases in methamphetamine-related crime, and criminals' increased willingness to use guns, has resulted in armed offender squad officers routinely accompanying general-duties police colleagues to call-outs.
more...
Researchers say alcohol strength key to cancer risk
19th January 2010
Wine drinkers should switch to lower-alcohol varieties to reduce their chances of getting cancer, scientists say. By substituting a light German Riesling (10 per cent alcohol) for a heady Australian Chardonnay (14 per cent), people can continue to enjoy a glass or two at the same time as reducing the risk to their health.
more...
P chemical theft could be worth $1b
29th December 2009
A chemical which could help make nearly $1 billion worth of the drug methamphetamine, or P, is still missing, nearly a year after it was stolen. One thousand litres of hypophosphorus acid, a key ingredient in P manufacturing, was stolen from a Mt Maunganui factory in January - the biggest theft of its kind in New Zealand.
more...
Alcohol-free lifestyle urged for under-15s
29th December 2009
Children should avoid alcohol completely before the age of 15 and not drink on more than one day a week before the age of 18, the UK government's chief medical officer says. At least 500,000 children aged 11 to 15 get drunk every month and the number has doubled since 1990, Sir Liam Donaldson said.
more...
15 cigarettes all it takes to harm genes - study
22nd December 2009
One genetic mutation occurs on average for every 15 cigarettes that a typical lung-cancer patient smokes, according to a study that has identified for the first time all of the mutations acquired during the lifetime of a cancer patient.
more...
Booze as bad as LSD and Ecstasy
22nd December 2009
Here's a sobering thought for the festive party season - alcohol is more dangerous than Ecstasy and LSD, and would be a class B drug if put forward for official approval today. That's the view of leading addiction specialist and University of Otago professor Doug Sellman who says that despite being scientifically determined "high risk", alcohol has become almost as easy to access as bread and milk.
more...