Information gathered from Florida's 24 state medical examiners reveals a disturbing trend - cocaine-related deaths have been steadily rising in the past several years. Law enforcement officials, substance abuse specialists, and others agree that the drug is gaining popularity among a new generation that's unaware of the drug's dangers.

"What's attracting new users? Low prices, for one. Between 2001 and 2006, the price of a gram of cocaine averaged about 30% less than it was in 2000... In the minds of many, powder cocaine simply doesn't carry the same stigma as crack cocaine, and some mistakenly believe it is somehow safer."

Some experts agree that the true impact of cocaine use in this generation may not be fully realized for years. Deaths from overdoses are just one result of cocaine use. Those who use but don't overdose may be faced with serious health problems - like strokes and brain bleeds - when they're in their 40s and 50s. Source: Florida Trend

Labels: cocaine, crack, rise_in_use

One of the ingredients used to make methamphetamine can be found in an over-the-counter drug. In 2005, the state of Iowa limited the availability of that drug in hopes of curbing meth production in the state. It worked for a while.

"'The law has been real effective, but like any criminal, you give the bad guys long enough and they'll find ways around the law,' said Darren Grimshaw, a police lieutenant in Burlington..."

Before the 2005 law was enacted, effectively limiting how much of a particular over-the-counter drug could be purchased by one person in a 30-day period, police were seizing 25 to 30 meth labs a year. The total dropped dramatically to three to five a year after the law, but is beginning to rise again. The state is now considering enacting a law that would allow electronic tracking of the over-the-counter drug's purchase.

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Labels: laws, meth, rise_in_use

At least two federal agencies have been warned that Afghan heroin is making its way into Canada with increasing frequency and that it poses a direct public threat. The RCMP's Ottawa drug branch Director, Paul Nadeau, says that about 60 percent of the heroin that's currently on Canadian streets comes from Afghanistan.

"Afghan heroin typically flows into Canada through two main trafficking arteries, Mr. Nadeau said: the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and then onto India and, finally, Canada; or from Afghanistan to western Africa, then through the United States into Canada."

Currently about 92 percent of the world's heroin comes from poppies grown in Afghanistan. Read more at TheGlobeandMail.com.

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Labels: awareness, heroin, rise_in_use

Drug-abuse experts call it "generational amnesia", and they say it explains why cocaine use is increasing among adolescents. Generational amnesia happens when sufficient time has passed and a new generation is no longer aware of the dangers of a particular drug. It's one of the main reasons for the cyclical increase and decrease in popularity of certain drugs.

"The visibility of cultural markers - and the absence of cautionary tales - leads to the assumption that coke is not as harmful, say, as heroin (which was associated with the high-profile overdoses of River Phoenix and Curt Cobain in the 1990s), or methamphetamine, whose recent popularity in the gay community has led to a targeted campaign against it, said Perry N. Halkitis, a professor of applied psychology at New York University who studies behavior, the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse."

By and large, cocaine is thought to be safe, which means that more teens are likely to try it. It's also considered "fashionable" in the entertainment and finance industries, which drives its popularity. The annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found a 20 percent increase in past-month use between 2004 and 2005, meaning that 20 percent more people admitted to using cocaine within the last 30 days. Read more at TheLedger.com.

The Teen-Help-Directory offers resources for parents on teen substance abuse and drug addiction, including articles about the warning signs and what treatment options exist. Learn about teen drug and alcohol use and prevention tactics to keep your adolescent on the right path.

Labels: cocaine, rise_in_use, teenagers