"Health & Medical News"

From:
Treatment Research Institute
600 Public Ledger Building, 150 S. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: (215) 399-0980
http://www.tresearch.org

Paying substance abuse treatment providers for results, not services, may lead to improved quality of care, according to the first published study of a novel performance-based contracting system implemented by the State of Delaware in 2002.

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Some studies have found that marijuana can dull pain, but new research finds that smoking large amounts of the drug can actually increase pain sensation, the BBC reported Oct. 24.

Researchers injected capsaicin, the chemical found in chili peppers, under the skin of 15 healthy volunteers, then had them smoke various doses of marijuana. Within 45 minutes, those who smoked moderate amounts of marijuana said the pain at the injection site had eased, but those given high doses said the pain had become worse.

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Some San Francisco drug-reform advocates and health officials say that allowing addicts to shoot up in a government-sponsored and medically supervised setting will prevent overdoses and the spread of HIV, but the idea has been met with some skepticism even in this liberal city, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Oct. 19.

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A bracelet designed to send an anti-drug message is being pulled from the market for unintentionally doing the opposite, the Burlington (Iowa) Hawk Eye reported Oct. 26.

The novelty bracelets, intended to be distributed during national Red Ribbon Week, are embossed with the slogan “I’ve Got BETTER things to DO than DRUGS.” But some parents said that they got a different message when reading only the capitalized words: BETTER DO DRUGS.

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