A National Survey on Drug Use and Health will be released today, stating that about 20 Milion people used illicit drugs during the past month.
Drug use increased among those 50-59 years old as more baby boomers joined that age group. Previously, their drug use rose from 4.3 percent in 2006 to 5 percent in 2007.
According to John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, “Baby boomers have much higher rates of self-destructive behaviors than any other age group from which we have statistics.”
About 20% of young adults acknowledged illicit drug use within the previous month last year, a rate that has held steady. However cocaine use declined by 25% and meth by 33%. Cocaine and methamphetamine use declined last year mainly due to dwindling supplies which lead to higher costs and less potency.
Across the board, the overall use of illicit drugs showed little change.
A researcher at Oregon State University has used a new method of combining multiple sources of data to identify counties in Oregon with high numbers of methamphetamine-related problems per capita, giving officials a new tool in fighting the illegal drug.
When smoked, crystal meth rapidly achieves high concentrations in the brain without the burdens of the intravenous route. The actions of methamphetamine are explained, as well as the potential role of dopamine in methamphetamine craving.
The author, Kish, states that there is currently no medication approved for the treatment of methamphetamine addiction or meth addiction relapses, but potential therapeutic agents targeted to dopamine and non-dopamine systems are in clinical testing.
Young adults who abuse meth at greater risk of suffering a heart attack. Heart attacks caused by increasing heart rate and blood pressure and by inflammation and artery spasms due to meth abuse. Blood to the heart muscle is
