First Generation of Recreational Drug Users Could Affect Health-Care Costs, Experts Say Nobody is yet predicting pot parties will outdraw carpet bowling at the old folks' home when the baby boomers shuffle en masse into retirement, but counsellors expect recreational drug use among seniors will raise some questions society has never faced. The population bulge born between 1946 and 1964 is the first cohort to use marijuana -- and other illegal substances -- to any degree. Once frowned upon, drug use has become more normalized by society, according to Victoria addiction, loss and trauma counsellor Darrell Pacini. [continues 702 words]
I attended the April 8 Board of Supervisor's meeting. I must say I have never attended a meeting like that before. By that I mean it started out very peaceful until Scheduled Item No. 5 was up for consideration. It was the ordinance of the Del Norte County Code related to the marijuana guidelines for the implementation of Proposition 215. Chairman David Finigan opened public comment on that item, allowing 15 minutes for those who were for the ordinance and 15 minutes for those against the ordinance to address that matter. Had he allowed everyone in the chamber to speak we might still be there. Mr. Finigan gave both sides more time then he had stated. When he tried to close the public comment period, things started to get out of control. The people who were in the chamber started yelling at the supervisors for not allowing those who were in attendance to speak. [continues 220 words]
Increasing rates of amphetamine and cocaine use by young adults significantly boost their risk of stroke, say researchers at University of Texas in the Archives of General Psychiatry. An analysis of risk factors and trends among 8,000 younger stroke victims points to an increase in substance abuse as a major danger, particularly in the abuse of illegally produced methamphetamines. Those who abuse amphetamines are five times more likely to have a hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into brain tissue) than non-abusers. If cocaine is abused, the person's likelihood of having either a hemorrhagic or an ischemic stroke (abrupt artery blockage) more than doubles. [end]
Finding The Right Peer Group Can Lift Teens Out Of Drug Life They're young. They're invincible, or so they think. And there's a lot of experimenting -- often with drugs -- in their teenage lives as they grope toward maturity. For some, this initial "trying" drugs jumps from an experiment to a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle that isn't easily shaken. "They really struggle," says Susie Girling of the Youth Empowerment Society (YES), whose five detox beds are the first stop on the rough road to recovery for many capital region's teens. "They tell me 'I had to change all my friends.' That's really hard. Your peer group is important to kids." [continues 925 words]
West Coast-Style Log Residences Offer Treatment, Counselling Programs The abandoned Skeleem Recovery Centre for head injuries at Cobble Hill is undergoing a multi-million-dollar transformation into a private, residential addiction-treatment facility. The $2.5-million Cedars at Cobble Hill is expected to open mid-month, joining Nanaimo's Edgewood Treatment Centre as the only for-profit residential addiction facilities on Vancouver Island. The demand for addiction treatment surpasses what's now available from the public, non-profit or private sectors, according to Alan Campbell, director of mental health and addiction services for the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA). [continues 1026 words]
If Fido Is a Bit Too Mellow, He Might Be Nibbling on Someone's Drug Stash Dogs have been getting high on B.C. Bud for years, according to several local veterinarians who have treated pets who have ingested marijuana. The number of pot pooches has not yet reached the point where some dog barks sound suspiciously like "bow WOOOW!" or lava lamps are more fascinating to them than chew toys. At least, not yet in Victoria. Veterinarian Shelley Breadner estimates she sees several a year, while Nick Shaw doubts he's treated more than four or five stoned dogs in more than two decades in practice. [continues 500 words]
NANAIMO - There's a wall of names just outside the front door of Nanaimo's Edgewood addiction treatment centre. At first glance, it appears to be a list of donors who have helped fund the Island's only private residential addiction program, which will reach its 10th birthday this month. A second look is sobering. It's the "memory wall," the list of some Edgewood alumni who later died of complications from their drug and alcohol addictions. There's space for more names. [continues 1689 words]
