The invention of the Breathalyzer test made getting away with drinking and driving much more difficult.  Can you imagine if they had a device that could tell if you were impaired, and to what extent, from everything from marijuana to prescription medication? The battle to help police officer fight drug-riddled drivers has reached the United States Senate.  Two US senators are trying to get the federal government help police departments nationwide obtain the tools and training needed t... [More]

There is no doubt that Facebook and Twitter are responsible for a lot of things. But are they responsible for an increase in drug and alcohol abuse? My first thought was, why not. What are yours? According to researchers at Columbia's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in New York, teens who use social media are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as likely to use marijuana. That is especially frightening given the estimate tha... [More]

True or false – if you get arrested you are likely to have illegal drugs in your system? The answer is true! Up to 83% of people arrested in major cities across the United States test positive for drug use and almost one-third of all arrestees test positive for the presence of multiple substances. Marijuana was the most commonly used drug among the arrestees booked into jails in 10 U.S. cities. The Office of National Drug Control's (ONDCP) Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM II) study ... [More]

This is another entry in my series of blogs regarding New York’s efforts to curb prescription drug abuse. The efforts of its politicians and civic leaders is laudable. Senator Timothy M Kennedy has introduced the Michael David Israel Laws as four separate bills which together represent a comprehensive approach to addressing the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The new bills target training for health practitioners, patient access to information, addiction transition and reform to the con... [More]

There is virtually no place in the United States where prescription drugs are not being abused. The State of New York is ramping up its efforts to curb this disease of epidemic proportions, and hopefully other states will follow suit. Senator Kennedy Spearheading Charge New York congressman Brian Higgins and New York State Senator Timothy M. Kennedy on Monday announced actions they are taking to address the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse. This announcement comes just days after U... [More]

As an avid fan of the New York Yankees, watching the Boston Red Sox collapse down the stretch to miss the playoffs was awesome. As a baseball fan I have long-respected the team’s manager Terry Francona. As the Boston Red Sox disintegrated in what would become the worst September collapse in baseball history, some at Fenway Park grew concerned that the pain medication Francona was taking after a half-dozen procedures on his knee was affecting his ability to manage. Francona left the team ... [More]