News
Drug-Free Texas provides broad daily coverage of relevant news, research, blogs and other resources with a focus on news relevant to Texans. Website visitors can search an archive of news articles tagged by subject, audience or key phrase.
As with any news clipping service, errors in an original source could be unknowingly reproduced in our summary. Please make us aware of any errors, and we will post a correction.
Submit a News Article
News Articles
Source: Washington Post | Posted on March 20, 2013
The federal government, facing a court-imposed deadline and fierce opposition from the tobacco industry, has decided to abandon its legal fight to require cigarette makers to place large, graphic labels on their products warning of the dangers of smoking.
The federal government, facing a court-imposed deadline and fierce opposition from the tobacco industry, has decided to abandon its legal fight to require cigarette makers to place large, graphic labels on their products warning of the dangers of smoking.
« hide description
Source: San Antonio Express-News | Posted on March 20, 2013
State health officials were looking into reports Tuesday of what could be an unusual number of people having drug-related seizures and hospitalizations during Spring Break last week, including four people who had to be put on ventilation. South Texas Poison Control Center Director Dr. Miguel Fernández confirmed that hospitals reported more… continue reading »
State health officials were looking into reports Tuesday of what could be an unusual number of people having drug-related seizures and hospitalizations during Spring Break last week, including four people who had to be put on ventilation. South Texas Poison Control Center Director Dr. Miguel Fernández confirmed that hospitals reported more than 100 people transported for treatment. At one hospital, about 90 percent of the 43 patients treated had seizures believed to be caused by stimulant drugs, possibly mixed with alcohol.
« hide description
Source: New York Times | Posted on March 20, 2013
Fans of Monster Energy, the popular high-caffeine energy drink, may not notice the change: its ingredients will be the same and its familiar label bearing a green, clawlike monogram will change only slightly. But the drink’s maker has decided after a decade of selling it as a dietary supplement to… continue reading »
Fans of Monster Energy, the popular high-caffeine energy drink, may not notice the change: its ingredients will be the same and its familiar label bearing a green, clawlike monogram will change only slightly. But the drink’s maker has decided after a decade of selling it as a dietary supplement to market it as a beverage, a switch that will bring significant changes in how it is regulated. Among them: Monster Beverage, the nation’s biggest seller of energy drinks, will no longer be required to tell federal regulators about reports potentially linking its products to deaths and injuries.
« hide description
Source: Los Angeles Times | Posted on March 20, 2013
Taking aim at “America’s most abused narcotic,” congressional lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would place tighter restrictions on the painkiller hydrocodone, which is a key contributor to the nation’s prescription drug death epidemic. The proposed law would place medications containing hydrocodone in the same category as OxyContin, another opiate-based painkiller… continue reading »
Taking aim at “America’s most abused narcotic,” congressional lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would place tighter restrictions on the painkiller hydrocodone, which is a key contributor to the nation’s prescription drug death epidemic. The proposed law would place medications containing hydrocodone in the same category as OxyContin, another opiate-based painkiller so potent and addictive that it is sometimes referred to as synthetic heroin. If enacted, patients would be able to get fewer hydrocodone pills at one time, and there would be more restrictions on refills. In addition, pharmacies would have to follow stricter procedures for handling and storing the drug. The restrictions follow those recommended by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel in January.
« hide description
Source: ValleyCentral.com | Posted on March 19, 2013
There is a public health issue spreading among Spring Breakers. It is a combination of drugs called “Molly.” Investigators said the life-threatening cocktail was made up of cocaine, bath salts and ecstasy. In the last week, about 100 people have been hospitalized at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Texas.
There is a public health issue spreading among Spring Breakers. It is a combination of drugs called “Molly.” Investigators said the life-threatening cocktail was made up of cocaine, bath salts and ecstasy. In the last week, about 100 people have been hospitalized at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Texas.
« hide description
Source: New York Times | Posted on March 19, 2013
A group of 18 doctors, researchers and public health experts jointly urged the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to take action on energy drinks to protect adolescents and children from the possible risks of consuming high amounts of caffeine. “There is evidence in the published scientific literature that the… continue reading »
A group of 18 doctors, researchers and public health experts jointly urged the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to take action on energy drinks to protect adolescents and children from the possible risks of consuming high amounts of caffeine. “There is evidence in the published scientific literature that the caffeine levels in energy drinks pose serious potential health risks,” the doctors and researchers wrote.
« hide description
Source: Reuters | Posted on March 14, 2013
Doctors warn about the ethical and medical implications of prescribing attention-boosting and mood-altering medications to healthy kids and teens, in a new statement from the American Academy of Neurology. Focusing on stimulants typically used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, researchers said the number of diagnoses and prescriptions… continue reading »
Doctors warn about the ethical and medical implications of prescribing attention-boosting and mood-altering medications to healthy kids and teens, in a new statement from the American Academy of Neurology. Focusing on stimulants typically used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, researchers said the number of diagnoses and prescriptions have risen dramatically over the past two decades. Young people with the disorder clearly benefit from treatment, but the medicines are increasingly being used by healthy youth who believe they will enhance their concentration and performance in school.
« hide description