"Health & Medical News"

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey is asking Congress to reverse a decision by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to apply reduced sentences for crack-cocaine offenses retroactively, Reuters reported Feb. 6.

The commission recently voted unanimously to reduce the crack penalties to bring them more into line with those for powdered-cocaine offenses and to apply the reduced penalties to individuals already in prison. The policy takes effect next month.

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Youths and young adults who experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year are more likely to have also used alcohol or illicit drugs for the first time in the past year, according to a recent analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Among youths ages 12 to 17 who had not previously used alcohol, those who had experienced a past year MDE were nearly twice as likely to have used alcohol for the first time in the past year as those who did not experience a MDE. Likewise, youths who experienced a MDE in the past year were more than twice as likely to initiate illicit drug use.

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Read about Food allergies and chronic fatigue/depression ? Q. About 10 years ago I began to experience severe lethargy, chronic fatigue, and depression.

Allergies and Fatigue | Advanced Wellness Solutions
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A new Gallup poll finds that most Americans think homelessness is largely caused by alcohol and other drug abuse, but still think more should be done to address the problem, the Associated Press reported Nov. 14.

The poll, funded by mortgage company Fannie Mae, found that more than 80 percent of the 1,000 people polled blamed addiction for causing homelessness, while about 70 percent cited mental illness. By comparison, only 67 percent thought homelessness was caused by insufficient income, and 65 percent cited job loss.

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Citing lax security and procedures, undercover investigators said that it would be easy for truckers to cheat on mandatory drug tests required by federal law, NBC News reported Oct. 31.

The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) sent agents to 24 drug-testing sites using fake truck driver’s licenses and found that three-quarters failed to restrict items that could be used to adulterate urine samples. Agents were able to buy drug-masking kils online and use them at testing sites without being caught. “Every drug-masking product went undetected by the drug-screening labs,” the GAO report added.

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Depression, alcohol use, and marijuana use are all more prevalent among adolescents who smoke, according to a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA).

Reuters reported Oct. 23 that the report, which analyzed previously published data and surveys, found that 59 percent of smokers aged 12 to 17 also drank alcohol, compared to 11 percent of nonsmokers. Current cigarette smokers in this age group also were 13 times more likely to smoke marijuana, and also have a higher risk of depression and anxiety disorders.

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SEATTLE — In a study of more than 100,000 patients treated for depression, suicide attempts declined during the first month of treatment??”whether that treatment consisted of medication, psychotherapy, or both. The findings, published by Group Health researchers in the July American Journal of Psychiatry, show a similar pattern for populations of adolescents and young adults (up to age 24) as for older adults.

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