Drug abuse

Reformulated OxyContin reduces abuse but many addicts have switched to heroin

Reformulation of OxyContin into an abuse-deterrent formula has reduced its illicit use but has caused people to switch to other opioid drugs, a US study finds.…

Scientists use crowdfunding to boost LSD research

Scientists have turned to crowdfunding to support an imaging study showing the effects of LSD on the brain, the first to be conducted in the UK.…

Narcotics monitoring board reports 66% increase in global consumption of methylphenidate

The global consumption of methylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant primarily used for the treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, has increased by 66%, a report finds.…

Learn about doping in sports

‘Drugs in sport’, edited by David R Mottram and Neil Chester.…

Scientists use crowdfunding to boost research into LSD effects on the brain

Scientists have turned to crowdfunding to support an imaging study showing the effects of LSD on the brain, the first to be conducted in the UK.…

Facilitate recreational drug testing to help save lives

Giving drug users better information about what is in their drugs before they take them could save lives.…

Uruguay delays plans to sell cannabis in pharmacies

Marijuana will not be sold in pharmacies in Uruguay until March 2015, the National Drugs Board (JND) has announced.…

Medicinal cannabis widely used in Israel

I would like to add to David Nutt’s piece about medicinal cannabis ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:560). Cannabidiol and d9-tetrahydrocannabinol were discovered by scientists in Israel and medicinal cannabis is now widely used there for a number of conditions. It is grown in …

Community pharmacists could screen at-risk groups for liver disease

According to The Lancet’s commission, community pharmacists could play a key role in helping to improve liver disease services in primary care, say hepatology specialists.…

NHS England issues naloxone warning

Inappropriate use of naloxone can cause patients severe distress and can be fatal, says NHS England in a Patient Safety Alert.…