Giving the tools to kick heroin
The influx of cheap heroin caused many in the community to become addicted to the drug. Whether for possession or trafficking or other crimes committed in an effort to obtain more heroin, the vast majority of cases since 2013 have been rooted in heroin … Read more on Times Bulletin

Sycamore City Council could revisit sober house vote
… their vote against granting a special-use permit to allow the county to operate the group home in a house at 491 E. State St. The facility would house male alcoholics and drug addicts who are working to rehabilitate themselves through the county's … Read more on DeKalb Daily Chronicle

Formerly incarcerated activist fights to give people a chance to change
Clean for eight years now, he was coaxed into a new life by the rehab center that Nunn also co-founded — just after kicking his own crack habit a quarter-century ago. …. Drug use in his teen years mixed with feelings of "extreme indignation over … Read more on Los Angeles Times

One Way to Stop Overzealous Prosecutors: Defund State Prisons
When a local prosecutor sends a convicted felon to prison, the cost of keeping him locked up—an average of $ 31,286 per year—is paid for entirely by the state, not the county where the prosecutor holds office. The problem with this setup, some argue … Read more on Slate Magazine

Skid row patients die as clinic lacks OK to dispense methadone
In theory the forces of change are finally in sync: California has stopped putting drug addicts in prison, leaving them free to get help. And Obamacare has put help in reach by providing insurance that covers drug abuse treatment. But in real life … Read more on Los Angeles Times

Three infected with measles at Las Vegas seafood restaurant
All told, more than 150 people across the United Sates have recently been diagnosed with measles, 126 of them in California. Nevada public health officials believe the … Sizemore said none of the newly diagnosed patients was hospitalized, but one … Read more on Raw Story

Beverly Hills Tip Jar Bandit Sentenced to Year of Rehab
A woman charged last week with stealing money from tip jars at various businesses in Beverly Hills was sentenced today to a year in a live-in residential drug rehabilitation facility in connection with her no contest plea to stealing money from a cash … Read more on Patch.com

Is the 'love hormone' a buzz kill — and maybe a treatment for alcoholism?
The newest research comes against the backdrop of some other recent findings on oxytocin and alcohol, suggesting that the love drug also reduces alcohol consumption, cravings and withdrawal symptoms–not only in rats, but in alcohol-dependent humans … Read more on Los Angeles Times

'Huge void' in mental health services
The government may have expected more patients to enroll in the Affordable Care Act, and therefore be able to afford their treatment, but McDonald said that's not the case in his office. “A few more of the people we see will have health care, … one … Read more on Zanesville Times Recorder

Study finds disparity in cocaine arrests
Researchers from NYU's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research published a study that concluded those from disadvantaged backgrounds have a higher tendency to use crack cocaine over powder cocaine. The study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence on … Read more on NYU Washington Square News

Rehab center sued in fatal drunk driving case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a man struck by a drunk driver who drove with the dying victim on her windshield is suing the Southern California drug rehab center where she worked. The Los Angeles Times says (http://lat.ms/1AtTncW) the wrongful … Read more on seattlepi.com

New initiative seeks to defelonize the possession of hard drugs
47 in California, which was passed last month. Prop. 47 also reduces drug possession charges from … Locally, this could help crackdown on drug problems in Capitol Hill, via more funding available for treatment and recovery. A 2013 study by the … Read more on Capitol Hill Times

DOLLISON'S DOCKET: California's Leniency on Crime and What it Means for …
In the '80s and '90s it was not uncommon to see individuals who were convicted of ordinary drug possession doing time in prison for those charges. That started to change when voters were asked to approve drug treatment over incarceration. This was … Read more on Lost Coast Outpost

Dover's Milestone House planning special Thanksgiving
“Alcohol and drug addiction is the number one problem in America. It affects every family and it's an issue we need to talk about to break the stigma associated with it,” Danicic said. “These are good people with an illness and recovery makes them … Read more on Daily Record

Suit filed against Torrance rehab center in fatal drunk driving case
"If they had caught her drinking and using drugs they could've terminated her employment or at least got her drug and alcohol rehabilitation themselves." Kabateck said the center would conduct drug tests on clients but would not do the same for its … Read more on Los Angeles Times

Austin Alcohol Drug Rehab Benchmark Recovery Center on Top of Industry Trends
Benchmark Recovery Center officers interviewed by Addiction Professional Magazine and discuss the benefits of a 90 day residential program for alcohol and drug addiction. Benchmark Recovery Center provides an extended-care recovery program for adult … Read more on DigitalJournal.com

Lake County veterans find help for drug, alcohol abuse
"At one time, I got up in the middle of the night and started drinking alcohol and watching the Andy Griffith Show," McMiller said. "Today, I get up. I drink plenty of water, not alcohol." "At the end of the road, we do recover," McMiller said. "Help … Read more on Chicago Tribune

Law gives terminal patients 'right to try' unapproved drugs
Louisiana, Missouri and Arizona are considering similar measures. It takes more than 10 years and $ 1 billion to get a drug approved by the FDA, Ginal said, and … Terminal patients are not chosen for clinical trials, Ginal said. When conducting a … Read more on Boulder County Business Report

House Votes to Stop Feds From Interfering With State Marijuana Laws
Harris was joined in opposition by John Fleming of Louisiana, while Georgia's Paul Broun argued that medicinal marijuana is "less dangerous than some narcotics that doctors prescribe all over this country." Congress needs to "reserve the states' powers … Read more on The New American

Counties sue narcotics makers, alleging 'campaign of deception'
Twenty years ago, the narcotics industry was hemmed in by a small market because the long-held fear of addiction stopped doctors from prescribing powerful painkillers for anything but cancer pain and end-of-life suffering. To expand their market, the … Read more on Los Angeles Times