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 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169
After the bombing, drug addiction strikes Gaza
20th October 2009
Abu Ahmed lived through last winter's Gaza war in a daze. Though the district where he lives was invaded by Israeli ground forces and came under heavy fire, including the use of white phosphorus shells, he felt little fear. For by then, the 45-year-old unemployed father of 10 was popping tablets of the painkiller Tramadol to feed an ever more dangerous habit.
more...
Confusion reigns over cold pills
15th October 2009
Prime Minister John Key repeated yesterday his intention to have pseudoephedrine-based medications available at local pharmacies after the drug is reclassified as a prescription-only Class B2 controlled drug. This despite contradictory advice from his chief scientific adviser, Professor Peter Gluckman, that a Class B2 classification under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 "would have the effect of ... restricting supply to hospital pharmacies only".
more...
Cold and flu medicine will need prescription
15th October 2009
Anyone with a touch of the sniffles may now have to cough up more money to feel better. Prime Minister John Key announced this afternoon that pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in many cold and flu medication, will become a Class B2 prescription-only drug. The move means people will have to go to their doctor for a prescription before they can purchase the drug.
more...
Drink raises risk of harm for young, ministry says
14th October 2009
Young people are more at risk than other groups of harm related to drinking alcohol, a Ministry of Health survey says. The Alcohol Use in New Zealand report issued yesterday said Maori men and women, Pacific men, and people living in poorer areas were also likely to suffer harm from their own or others' drinking.
more...
Cannabis grown in secret rooms
14th October 2009
A wall cabinet was used to conceal secret rooms being used for growing cannabis at a Glenfield home. North Shore police found 17 plants and up to 2.5kg of high-grade packaged cannabis during a search last week, detective Warren Mills says.
more...
Majority say drinking age drop negative - poll
13th October 2009
Most New Zealanders think lowering the drinking age to 18 a decade ago has had a negative impact on society, a Research New Zealand poll has found. Three-quarters of the poll's 500 respondents said changing the drinking age had had a negative effect, five per cent said it had a positive effect, and 17 per cent said it had no effect at all. Older people and higher income households were most likely to say lowering the drinking age had a negative effect.
more...
Man given smoker's lungs in bungled transplant
13th October 2009
LONDON - A British veteran of the war in Iraq has died after receiving cancerous lungs from a heavy smoker in a transplant, media reports say. Matthew Millington, 31, a corporal in the Queens Royal Lancers, had the operation to save him from an incurable respiratory condition, The Times reported today.
more...
Clampdown imminent on sales of P ingredients
8th October 2009
Much tighter restrictions on the sale of over-the-counter cold and flu tablets containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in P, are on the way. Prime Minister John Key will today announce measures to combat the abuse of methamphetamine, ranging from limiting the availability of precursor ingredients through to providing more Government funding for the treatment of addicts.
more...
Sedatives included in drink-driving Act
8th October 2009
The Government is bringing forward the start date for legislation on drugged-driving and is including some sedatives and anti-anxiety medication. Transport Minister Steven Joyce said he was bringing forward by a month the start date for changes to legislation tackling drugged driving to November 1.
more...
Energy drinks well over limit
6th October 2009
Energy drink manufacturers are exploiting a legal loophole and selling over-the-counter products with unsafe levels of caffeine. The drink-makers are governed by Food Standard Authority regulations that mandate a maximum level of caffeine of 320mg per litre.
more...