NARCONON BLOG

DRUG INFORMATION

Drug Dealers’ Fake Pills Are More Deadly Than Ever

A tidal wave of counterfeit pills that contain deadly fentanyl plus thousands more pounds of the drug threatens a continued high loss of American lives.

DRUG INFORMATION

Powerfully Dangerous Meth Linked to Homelessness and Mental Illness

Reports from across America testify to the catastrophic effects of a new form of methamphetamine that is driving some people into mental institutions and others into homeless encampments.

DRUG INFORMATION

The Extraordinary Dangers of Carfentanil

The powerful opioid carfentanil in America’s supplies of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fake pills makes addiction more dangerous than ever.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Kroger, Albertsons, and Rite Aid Latest Pharmacies Under Fire for Their Role in the Opioid Epidemic

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed suit against Kroger, Albertsons, and Rite Aid for failing to act as a final barrier to halt the spread of addictive opioids into Washington communities. This move marks the latest effort to hold...

DRUG INFORMATION

Cocaine and Opioid Abuse Connected to Potentially Fatal Heart Disease

A recent NIDA press release shows how it’s not just opioid addiction that is connected to endocarditis, but new studies show cocaine addiction increases the risk for potentially fatal heart disease too. These findings highlight how it’s not just the...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Parents: Getting Rid of Expired Pills Can Save Kids

A significant percentage of young people undergo their first exposure to mind-altering drugs by simply consuming leftover medications they found in the family medicine cabinet or elsewhere in the home. Because it is far easier to prevent someone from using...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alarming Increase in California Fentanyl Busts Shed Light on How Accessible Fentanyl Is

California recently conducted a statewide crackdown on fentanyl, seizing over 28,000 pounds of the highly potent opioid in the past year, a nearly six-fold increase over the previous year. Given the exponential increase in the prevalence of fentanyl in...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Addiction Is a Serious Problem for Teens and Senior Citizens Too

People often think of drug addiction as primarily a problem for adults, especially adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. However, three recently published studies highlight how the addiction epidemic is expanding to include age demographics that previously...

DRUG INFORMATION

More Evidence Suggests Drinking Leads to Accidents, Hospitalization, and Death

A recent study produced an alarming finding: People who get injured while intoxicated to the point where they require hospital treatment are five times more likely to die in the coming year. That critical data point suggests that just one alcohol-related...

DRUG INFORMATION

Alcohol Abuse Increases Cancer Risk

A recent scientific study and population survey found that some Americans erroneously believe alcohol helps prevent cancer. Yet the opposite is true. This article briefly comments on the study’s findings while highlighting the different types of cancer...

DRUG REHABILITATION

Fentanyl Vaccine Won’t Address Underlying Reasons Why Addicts Use Drugs

Researchers have reported they’ve created a vaccine to help fight the opioid epidemic that claims tens of thousands of lives every year. While the medication is being hailed as a breakthrough (and it indeed will help save lives), the only way to truly...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

America’s Pregnant Women at Increasing Risk for Drug Overdoses

One could say that the most important mandate for the human species is to protect the future of the species. So when new research shows an alarming increase in fatal drug overdoses for pregnant and postpartum women, it serves as a warning sign that fast...

DRUG INFORMATION

Meth Abuse and Resulting Heart Failure are on the Rise Around the World

A recent study published in the journal Heart provided a worldwide examination of meth abuse, addiction trends, and the cardiovascular implications of meth addiction. The researchers found that no matter which country they examined, meth abuse was on the...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Fatal Heart Infections Linked to Opioid Addiction Soar Among Youth

Scientific researchers are finding a grim answer to why growing numbers of young Americans are dying from the effects of heart failure, endocarditis, strokes, and leaking heart valves. Researchers have determined that opioid abuse among young people is...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How One Police Chief Is Changing the Conversation Around Addiction

A 30-year law enforcement veteran from Newtown, Ohio, Police Chief Tom Synan has stepped up and launched the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, a partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The coalition’s goal is to...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Digital Currency and Fentanyl, New Elements of 21st-Century Drug Trafficking

“Two Dutch nationals, an Englishman, and nine companies have been targeted for sanctions by the U.S. government for allegedly operating an illegal fentanyl ring that generated millions of dollars in virtual currency.” That is the opening line from...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Without Sufficient Drug Treatment of Addicts, Current Overdose Plateau Will Not Last

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest a slight leveling-out in overdose deaths across the U.S. This has led some to believe the worst of the addiction epidemic has passed. Unfortunately, no leveling-out or even a downturn...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

CDC Releases New Guidelines for Opioid Prescribing

In what many consider a step backward for the movement towards cautious, conservative opioid prescribing, the CDC has softened its recommendations on how doctors should prescribe potentially addictive painkillers.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Marijuana Is on the Ballot, but Are Advocates Ensuring Voters Are Informed?

If voters are to decide the fate of marijuana legalization, voters must know the truth about marijuana, and they must be informed about the short and long-term effects of the drug.

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Clandestine Labs in the U.S.? Illicit Fentanyl No Longer Just a Transnational Trafficking Problem

When illicit fentanyl production first became a serious problem in the United States, it was almost entirely a trafficking problem, with the fentanyl being made in Mexico and China and then trafficked to the U.S. But according to recent DEA reports, many...