Heroin is an opioid drug similar to morphine. It came into use in 1868 when it was commercially distributed by the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company. Since then it has been an agent for addiction and the decay of millions of people and their families. Now that the drug is illegal, it is sourced primarily from Southeast…

Alcohol abuse continues to be the number one drug abused that Oregon teens abuse. A recent state survey indicates that 18 percent of Oregon’s eighth and eleventh graders admitted to having at least one alcoholic drink within a month of responding to the questionnaire. The survey asked teens about their health habits, covering topics including…

A rash of drug overdoses has plagued Cape Cod since the beginning of the year and sent local officials and outreach workers scrambling to respond to the surge in heroin and other opiate use. Yarmouth has recorded 13 overdoses since Jan. 1, including two fatalities, police said. The Barnstable villages of Centerville, Osterville, and Marstons…

The number of people killed in fatal accidents involving large trucks increased in 2012. As a result, new regulations have been proposed. February 09, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ — Even if you do not drive much, you likely already know that accidents involving large trucks can often have fatal results, as the aftermath of such accidents are…

64 incidents, 5 fatal since year began; residents, officials confer on epidemic. TAUNTON — In the last month and a half, 64 people have overdosed in Taunton, five fatally, and at a community meeting Monday night, Police Chief Edward Walsh asked a question that no one can yet answer. “When will this end?” On Saturday…

CVS Caremark, the country’s largest drugstore chain in overall sales, announced on Wednesday that it planned to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products by October 2014. The company’s move was yet another sign of its metamorphosis into becoming more of a health care provider than a largely retail business, with its stores offering more…

Marijuana use has been involved in a sharp increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes, with rates nearly tripling since 1999. The prevalence of non-alcohol drugs detected in fatally injured drivers in the U.S. has been steadily rising and tripled from 1999 to 2010. Marijuana is the most commonly detected non-alcohol drug involved. Toxicological testing data…

Teenage pot smokers could be damaging brain structures critical to memory and reasoning, according to new research that found changes in the brains of heavy users. Research released Monday in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin showed the brains of young heavy marijuana users were altered in so-called sub-cortical regions – primitive structures that are part of…