Drug, Alcohol, Nikotin Addiction

Supply shortage forces Canada pot shops to curtail hours

A week after Canada legalized cannabis, the country’s Canada’s pot shops have been forced to cut their opening hours as demand outstrips supply

A little more than a week after Canada legalized cannabis, supply shortages are forcing Quebec pot dispensaries to curtail hours, they said Friday, while Ontario’s online store is still trying to clear a huge order backlog.

“Because of supply issues, our branches will be open from Thursday to Sunday only,” the government-run Quebec Society of Cannabis (SQDC) said in a Twitter message.

“Our branches will therefore be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays until the availability of product has stabilized,” it said.

In Ontario, which processed more than 100 online orders per minute on the first day of legalization on October 17, many customers are still waiting for deliveries.

Those were initially promised within one to three days. But the Ontario Cannabis Store now says to expect long delays due to “significant order volumes immediately following legalization” and a postal strike that started on Monday.

Other provinces have also reported supply woes.

Quebec opened its first 12 pot stores on October 17, when Canada became the first major economy to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, and plans to ramp up the number to 150 within three years.

In its first week the SQDC said it had received 138,150 orders for cannabis. The government said the huge demand had been predicted and blamed suppliers for the shortages, which it added are likely to persist for several months.

Ahead of legalization, a C.D. Howe Institute report had warned Canadians to expect cannabis shortages as only about 120 growers had been licensed to grow the mind-altering weed, which it estimated would only meet 30 to 60 percent of demand.

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More than 60 overdose on synthetic marijuana

LANCASTER, Pa. – Officials in a Pennsylvania town say they have treated more than 60 people who overdosed on synthetic marijuana over a weekend period.

Executive Director of Lancaster Emergency Medical Services Bob May tells Lancaster Online first responders received 65 overdose calls between Friday and Monday morning.

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The Lancaster County coroner says none of the overdoses were fatal.

Synthetic marijuana, often marketed as K2, is a hallucinogen that can raise a person’s blood pressure and cause reduced blood supply to the heart. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says the chemical can cause kidney damage and seizures.

The district attorney’s office says users of the drug can become erratic and aggressive.

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Sheriff won’t let officers use Narcan, says life-saving drug not helping heroin epidemic

An Ohio sheriff is taking a stand in the war on heroin addiction that he said will get at the root of the epidemic, and that seems to fly in the face of standard police practices.

Sheriff Richard K. Jones of Butler County, Ohio, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he believes the drug naloxone, a substance used to revive overdose victims that is known by its brand name Narcan, is more trouble than its worth.

"I don’t do Narcan," Jones told the Enquirer, noting that his deputies "never carried it… nor will they."

Jones’ position raises eyebrows for a number of reasons. In his state alone, health care costs related to the epidemic totaled some $1.1 billion in 2015, with Ohio tallying more prescription opioid overdose deaths that same year than any other state in the nation.

11 TEENS HOSPITALIZED AFTER CONSUMING GUMMY BEARS REPORTEDLY LACED WITH THC

And it’s not as if his county has been immune, either. According to the Ohio Department of Health, there were less than two dozen unintentional drug overdose deaths in Butler county in 2003. By 2015, that number had skyrocketed to 195.

In June, Middletown city council member Dan Picard proposed a three-strike style policy for repeat-overdose victims. He said his proposal wasn’t meant to address the heroin issue, but to help the city budget cope with the high uptick in overdose calls.

"My proposal is in regard to the financial survivability of our city," Picard told The Washington Post. "If we’re spending $2 million this year and $4 million next year and $6 million after that, we’re in trouble. We’re going to have to start laying off. We’re going to have to raise taxes."

In Dayton, Ohio, the drug has been used to reverse overdoses more than 160 times since December 2015.

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While there are no laws mandating the use of naloxone by law enforcement, data from the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC), a group committed to getting the drug into the hands of community members and law enforcement, suggests that 1,214 law enforcement agencies nationwide are using it as of December 2016.

For Jones, these numbers mean little when weighed against the safety of his deputies. Jones said that users can often become violent, or start vomiting once the drug is administered, and that for his officers "to get on the ground and spray it in their nose is simply dangerous.”

Jones told Fox News that another point he thinks is being missed in the debate over Narcan is that the drug has “helped revive and save some lives but not bring down the usage of heroin.”

Jones said the heroin problem is so bad in his county that "heroin parties" are being held with designated Narcan providers who can buy it at a health department.

He said there have been at least three babies born in his county jail in the last 18 months that were addicted to heroin.

PARENTS SHARE DAUGHTER’S POEM ON HEROIN ADDICTION IN OBITUARY

"I’ve held these little kids and their legs quiver," Jones said. " It’s sad.”

Jones isn’t alone in his reluctance to have officers carry the drug.

Chief Craig Bucheit of Hamilton, Ohio, won’t have his officers carry Narcan because the paramedics do.

"It would duplicate efforts," Bucheit told Fox News.

The idea that using Narcan borders on a medical procedure, and thus should be left to people like EMT’s, is a philosophy embraced by some officers, as well. According to a man identified as a senior officer serving with a North Carolina municipal police department, the issue of whether officers should be carrying Narcan presents something of a Pandora’s Box.

"Officers have years of training and experience in enforcing the law and making arrests," the officer wrote in Calibre Press. "It takes a unique mindset and specialized skills. It’s not realistic to ask an officer to switch all of that off in an instant and become a medical professional. Where do we draw the line? Do officers carry EpiPens? Anti-seizure medication? Nitroglycerin pills? These are things that can all save lives, too."

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How to recognize heroin addiction and help with recovery

When laying out life plans and dreaming about the future, people don’t usually include drug addiction in their vision. Sometimes, a person gets entangled in addiction because of peer pressure, depression, or stress. Once he starts, he will likely have great difficulty overcoming the addiction alone, especially in the case of heroin addiction. This suffering person needs the help of friends and family for support and encouragement.

Heroin’s Strong Effects

Essentially, heroin is an opioid made from morphine. It comes in the form of a white powder or black sticky substance, and users will often snort the powder or inject it with needles. Although illegal, heroin grips people with a high addiction factor, keeping its users coming back at any cost.

AS NEW AND LETHAL OPIOIDS FLOOD US STREETS, CRIME LABS RACE TO IDENTIFY THEM

The reason for the high addiction is due to heroin’s rapid absorption into the brain. Once absorbed, it changes back into morphine and binds to opioid receptors that influence pain and pleasure.

This process gives users the characteristic high that they’re looking for. What they don’t realize is that their addiction will affect many areas of their lives.

Signs of Heroin Addiction

IS PERMANENT MAKEUP SAFE?

Because heroin is so addicting, you can recognize it in a loved one right away if you know the signs. You must identify the problem and get help quickly in these cases. Look for the following signs if you suspect heroin addiction in a loved one.

Unnatural Happiness/Euphoria

Heroin users like the drug due to its ability to invoke feelings of pleasure and euphoria. If a person is high from heroin, you will likely notice a flushed appearance along with an unnatural happiness. Once the effects wear off, however, the person may sink into depression, anxiety, or go through mood swings.

Chronic Sleepiness

Due to heroin’s sedative effects, a user will want to fall asleep often. If you notice a loved one falling asleep all the time or in unusual circumstances, you should watch for other signs of heroin use.

Neglect for Responsibilities

Exacerbated by the drug’s sedative effects, an addict will often shirk important responsibilities. He may lose his job, disregard personal hygiene, forget dates, and lose interest in family or children.

Covering Up

If your loved one is using needles to get the heroin, he may cover up his arms and legs to hide the needle marks. While this sign might go undetected for a while, watch for moments when people normally wouldn’t cover up. Your loved one may also avoid social situations where he might need to uncover, such as going to the beach.

Habitual Lying and Stealing

Finally, you might notice that money goes missing around the house frequently. Your loved one will need to fund his behavior and may steal or borrow money often to do so. In addition, you may catch him lying about his whereabouts or financial spending to cover up his addiction.

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM A PARATHYROID CONDITION?

Apart from directly finding heroin, these signs do indicate that something is wrong. If your loved one starts these habits, you should keep watching his behavior and find professional help.

How to Help

Heroin addicts need strong encouragement and support. At this time, your loved one will need your help more than ever. Here are a few steps you should take if you suspect addiction.

Cut addiction support.

If the loved one is receiving money or free shelter from you, you have to stop enabling the addiction. He will see no reason to change unless you do.

However, you can perform this step with graciousness. For example, instead of free meals and shelter, you can require the loved one to work for them. Refuse to give them money, and let other family and friends know not to do the same.

Offer help.

Talk with your loved one and offer him your help with this problem. Be as soft as possible but as firm as necessary. Often, heroin users may face criminal charges, giving him other motivation to change as well.

Find outside support.

Heroin addicts need to go through treatment and support groups. They need the professional advice and medicine that will get them out of their addiction.

Many times, surrounding themselves with these groups and supportive family will give them a boost into life again. Also, get teachers, supervisors, and other family members involved in case any suspicious activity is happening at work or school.

While heroin addicts will need support to overcome addiction, they can get past it. You should learn to recognize heroin addiction signs and find professional help as soon as possible. Show addicts that you care without enabling them, and stay part of their lives throughout treatment. Together, you can make the addiction part of your loved one’s past, not his future.

This article first appeared on AskDrManny.com.

Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as Fox News Channel’s senior managing health editor. He also serves as chairman of the department of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Click here for more information on Dr. Manny’s work with Hackensack University Medical Center. Visit AskDrManny.com for more.

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As new and lethal opioids flood US streets, crime labs race to identify them

ATLANTA – The yellow pills had already killed four before landing in Brian Hargett’s lab last month. They were clearly counterfeit — the letters P-E-R-C-O-C-E-T were as crooked as the dealer who had peddled them throughout central Georgia — but now his chemists had to figure out exactly what they were. And fast. Lives were still at stake; health officials wanted to alert the public about the phony pills. First, though, they had to know what was in them.

At the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s forensic lab outside Macon, Hargett assigned the tablets to one of his forensic chemists. She threw on her gown and gloves, weighed a pill, and dropped it in a skinny vial to soak in ethanol. Then she ran a test designed to separate and identify each substance in the pill. Two synthetic opioids showed up — including one never before seen in Georgia.

Their best guess: the little-known, and lethal, compound known as cyclopropyl.

As newer and stronger opioids flood states from Arizona to New York to Ohio, crime labs like this one find themselves racing to identify unfamiliar drugs in hopes of saving lives. They need to know what’s on the streets in order to build legal cases against the dealers. But identifying the drugs is also vital for public health: It lets first responders know how much of the overdose antidote naloxone to carry. And it helps them understand how lethal the drug residue might be — a crucial bit of information in an era when police officers have overdosed simply from incidental exposure at a crime scene.

As new and lethal opioids flood US streets, crime labs race to identify them

Their best guess: the little-known, and lethal, compound known as cyclopropyl.

2 new strains of fentanyl may be resistant to Narcan, Georgia authorities warn

Georgia authorities have confirmed two new strains of fentanyl so potent that they may be resistant to the lifesaving antidote naloxone, also known as Narcan. Georgia Bureau of Investigators (GBI) warned on Tuesday of acrylfentanyl, which has been linked to at least 44 overdose deaths in Cook County, Illinois, this year, and tetrahydrofureon, which is so new that it’s not on Georgia’s banned synthetic designer drugs list.

According to GBI, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office submitted forensic drug evidence containing the two new drugs in March. The state officially outlawed acrylfentanyl in April, with officials warning that it’s not clear how the body will respond to either drug.

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“There are multiple reports showing that this drug is resistant to naloxone,” Nelly Miles, of the GBI, told Channel 2 Action News of acrylfentanyl.

Police are also warning that simply touching any form of fentanyl or fentanyl residue could result in a life-threatening overdose.

“We’re talking about such trace amounts that literally the size of one grain of salt can kill,” Marietta Police Office Chuck McPhilamy told First Coast News.

HIGH HOPES RIDE ON MARIJUANA PAINKILLERS AMID OPIOID CRISIS

Georgia was hit with a rash of overdoses in June, which was believed to be linked to a street version of Percocet and resulted in four fatalities and more than a dozen hospitalizations. At the time, the overdose clusters were concentrated in southern and central areas of the state. It is not clear if the two new strains have appeared outside of Forsyth county.

Opioid overdoses, including prescription drugs and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of the fatalities involved a prescription opioid.

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6 new cases reported in massive overdose in Georgia

The number of overdoses linked to what authorities in Georgia believe to be a street version of Percocet continues to rise, officials said Wednesday.

The Georgia Department of Public Health said six additional overdose cases have been reported in central and south Georgia, and may be related to the fake Percocet linked to four deaths and more than a dozen hospitalizations.

None of the newly reported cases was fatal, according to the agency. The Georgia Poison Center is working with the hospitals and gathering more information to determine whether these additional cases are connected to the cluster of overdoses reported in the past three days.

4 DEAD, DOZENS HOSPITALIZED IN MASSIVE OVERDOSE, GEORGIA AUTHORITIES SAY

On Tuesday, officials said emergency workers in Macon, Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins and Albany counties responded to overdose calls over a 48-hour period and found people unconscious and not breathing. Patients reportedly purchased yellow pills alleged to be Percocet, the health department said.

The substance has not yet been identified, but it is extremely potent and required massive doses of naloxone (Narcan) to counteract its effects. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is performing drug analysis on the pills to try to identify them.

There is also concern in other parts of the state the dangerous yellow pills could turn up in other counties.

"That’s the scary part, that it may go beyond the cluster that we see in Macon," Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the Director of Georgia’s Poison Center, told FOX 5 Atlanta.

Read more from FOX 5 Atlanta.

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4 dead, dozens hospitalized in massive overdose, Georgia authorities say

At least four people are dead and dozens more have been hospitalized after overdosing on what authorities in Georgia believe to be Percocet. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) spokesperson said reports of overdoses are still coming in and the number of fatalities could increase, AJC.com reported.

GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles told the news outlet that over the past 48 hours emergency workers in Macon, Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins and Albany responded to overdose calls and found people unconscious and not breathing. Some had to be placed on a ventilator, AJC.com reported.

‘DEATH CAP’ MUSHROOMS SICKEN 14 IN CALIFORNIA

The victims reportedly ingested a “yellow pill,” which authorities have not yet definitely identified. The Georgia Department of Public Health called the pills “extremely potent” and warned that while the overdoses are concentrated in the middle and southern areas of the state, the drugs may be sold elsewhere, AJC.com reported.

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Rich kids and drugs: Addiction may hit wealthy students hardest

Teens who attend high-achieving schools in well-to-do communities may be more vulnerable to drug and alcohol problems than their less well-off peers, a new study from the Northeast U.S. suggests.

Researchers found that by age 26, upper-middle-class young adults’ lifetime chances of being diagnosed with an addiction to drugs or alcohol were two to three times higher, on average, than the national rates for men and women of the same age. The findings were published online today (May 31) in the journal Development and Psychopathology.

These are alarming rates of addictions to drugs and alcohol for young adults , said lead study author Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Many people perceive addiction as a problem that affects mostly those in poorer neighborhoods, Luthar said. But this study shows there is a significant risk for substance abuse at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum, among kids who grow up in wealthy, white collar families, Luthar told Live Science.

Ohio police officers on the frontline fighting opioid crisis

Ohio police officers are taking added precautions while on patrol as they try to save others overdosing on opioids.

East Liverpool Officer Chris Green almost died on the job last month after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl because of exposure on the job. Green told Fox News he noticed drugs in a suspect’s vehicle during a routine traffic stop then took the necessary precautions when directly dealing with the substance.

A colleague back at the police station later pointed out powdery particles on Green’s shirt. Green wiped it off, then he collapsed.

He was briefly hospitalized and treated before being released.

1-YEAR-OLD REVIVED WITH NARCAN AFTER OPIOID OVERDOSE, POLICE SAY

Green is not the only one. Many police officers are interacting with opioids like fentanyl more today than they did years ago, and despite precautions taken, their exposure while on the job can result in accidental overdoses.

Ohio led the nation in opioid overdose deaths in 2015, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Soon after Green’s overdose, a Maryland sheriff’s office corporal overdosed after searching a drawer at an overdose call and another Ohio officer said he felt light-headed after touching what police believe was fentanyl.

It is possible to overdose on opioids like fentanyl by simply touching the drug, or by accidentally taking in particles that are nearly impossible to see, Michael Lynch, medicial director of Pittsburgh Poison Center, told Fox News.

"Any situation where the drug would…come into contact with your mouth, nose or eye mucosa would be a situation where you might be concerned about exposure,” Lynch said, adding that it is not common.

DAD OVERDOSES ON HEROIN TO TEACH HIS ADDICT SON A LESSON

Green believes his overdose may have come from infiltration of the drug into his skin, noting that he had just removed his gloves and his hands were sweaty. Lynch told Fox News that it’s possible.

“Officers or first responders potentially could be in situations where they’re sweating where…it is possible to absorb more of the fentanyl as it is sort of dissolved in the sweat and exposed to skin that becomes more permeable,” Lynch said.

Green said he felt alert after receiving four doses of Narcan.

Lynch thinks it may be harder to revive officers from an overdose in the future as drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil become stronger.

"We’re hearing anecdotal reports of larger and larger amounts of Narcan being needed to reverse it.” Lynch told Fox News.

And while there is no clear indication of a future solution for this opioid overdose epidemic, Green said he fears for his colleagues.

“I pray every day that I’m the last one,” he said. “There’s no way that I’m the last one.”

Michelle Chavez is a Fox News multimedia reporter based in Pittsburgh.

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Ohio attorney general sues 5 drug companies related to opioid crisis

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio attorney general sued five drugmakers on Wednesday, accusing the companies of perpetrating the state’s addictions epidemic by intentionally misleading patients about the dangers of painkillers and promoting benefits of the drugs not backed by science.

Attorney General Mike DeWine said the companies created a deadly mess in Ohio that they now need to pay to clean up.

"This lawsuit is about justice, it’s about fairness, it’s about what is right," DeWine said in announcing the complaint filed in Ross County, a southern Ohio community slammed by fatal drug overdoses from painkillers and heroin.

A record 3,050 Ohioans died from drug overdoses in 2015, a figure expected to jump sharply once 2016 figures are tallied.

DeWine wants an injunction stopping the companies from their alleged misconduct and damages for money the state spent on opiates sold and marketed in Ohio. The attorney general also wants customers repaid for unnecessary opiate prescriptions for chronic pain.

"These drug companies knew that what they were doing was wrong and they did it anyway," DeWine said.

The drugmakers sued by DeWine are Purdue Pharma; Endo Health Solutions; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and its subsidiary, Cephalon; Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals; and Allergan.

They variously manufacture OxyContin, Percocet and a host of other painkillers that DeWine said represent the heart of the problem.

Christina Arredondo said her 24-year-old pregnant daughter, Felicia Detty, died after a painkiller addiction led to heroin and overdose. She said she’s hopeful the Ohio lawsuit can begin to curtail the epidemic by fighting it "from the top."

"It’s not like they’re going out to buy some cocaine on the street," she said. "They’re going to the doctor for a torn ligament in their shoulder, or migraines, or having a tooth pulled."

Janssen on Wednesday called the lawsuit’s accusations legally and factually unfounded. The company said it acted appropriately, responsibly and in the best interests of patients.

Another defendant, Purdue Pharma, said it shares DeWine’s concerns about the opiate crisis and is committed to working together on a solution. It won’t say if it’s challenging the lawsuit.

Teva Pharmaceuticals says it’s still reviewing the lawsuit and is unable to comment.

Endo declined comment. A message was left seeking comment with Allergan.

DeWine, a Republican expected to run for governor next year, joins other states that have filed similar lawsuits. His move comes after years of calls for such action by Ohio Democrats.

Democratic candidate Nan Whaley, Dayton’s mayor, is airing online video spots in which she criticizes sitting Republicans for doing too little to solve the heroin and opioid epidemic. Whaley says taking on drug companies for their role in the crisis will be her highest priority as governor.

Another gubernatorial contender, Democratic state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, said he had previously called for such an action.

"I hope that whatever financial settlement this lawsuit might bring will be put toward helping the victims of this epidemic," he said. "In the meantime, the General Assembly must do more to provide the resources our counties desperately need now for drug treatment and other services."

In 2015, Kentucky settled a similar lawsuit with Purdue Pharma for $24 million.

Oregon reached a settlement in 2015 with opioid painkiller manufacturer Insys for off-label promotion of Subsys, a fentanyl spray more powerful than heroin. It was also among 27 states that reached a settlement with Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, in 2007.

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