Bill to Cut Penalties for Crack Cocaine Heads to Obama

Mandatory-minimum prison sentences for crack-cocaine would only kick in when defendants possess 28 grams or more of the drug under legislation passed last week by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Gene May Influence Drinking in Social Settings

Do you find yourself drinking more heavily when you are out with friends? There may be a gene for that.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Colo. Set to Regulate Medical Marijuana from 'Seed to Sale'

The head of Colorado's medical-marijuana enforcement effort promises a comprehensive plan that other states could adopt as a model.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Washington Imposes New Rules on Prescribing Powerful Painkillers

The state of Washington plans to impose tough new rules on doctors who want to prescribe opiate painkillers to patients, including mandatory third-party evaluation of patients who request higher doses of the drug but don’t show signs of improvement.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Clergy a Common Resource for People Battling Addiction

About 15 percent of people seeking recovery from alcoholism turn to clergy members for support, a University of Michigan study finds.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Conn. Candidates Spar on Marijuana Use, Legalization

Republican candidates for Congress are slinging accusations of hypocrisy over marijuana use and policy, including the spectacle of a candidate who favors legalization defending a YouTube video focused on his opponent’s arrest a decade earlier for marijuana possession.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Doctors Not Reporting Impaired Colleagues, Survey Finds

A study from the Harvard Medical School found that 17 percent of doctors knew of drunk, addicted or otherwise incompetent colleagues, but one-third said they did nothing to report the behavior.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Police Challenged by Crashes Involving Prescription Drugs

Car crashes involving prescription drugs are often harder to detect and prosecute than those involving alcohol or illicit drugs.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

U.S. Ban on Clove Cigarettes Draws International Scrutiny

U.S. lawmakers say they banned clove cigarettes because of their health risks and appeal to young smokers, but the World Trade Organization (WTO) is investigating whether the ban violated international free-trade agreements.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Proposed FDA Plan on Prescription Drugs Rejected

A lack of mandated training for physicians has helped sink a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal intended to curb misuse of prescription drugs.

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Virginia Governor Leads Drive for Privatization of Liquor Distribution

Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell has spent months quietly trying to build consensus around a plan to shutter state liquor stores established after Prohibition and return the distribution of alcohol to private wholesalers and retailers.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Snuff Sales, Price Hikes Bolster Tobacco Profits

Higher snuff sales, cost-cutting and price increases led the nation's biggest tobacco company, Altria Group Inc., to a 3.2-percent increase in second-quarter profits.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader

Oakland OKs Plan for Four Big Marijuana Farms to Supply Medical Users

Seeking greater control over who supplies marijuana to legal medical users, the city of Oakland has approved a plan that would license four large marijuana farms and sets hefty regulatory fees on the operations.

Source: "Rehab Drug Centers" via Glen in Google Reader