Latest Office of National Drug Control Policy Stories

An average of 30 million Americans each year get behind the wheel and drive while drunk, according to a new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).According to SAMHSA, 13.2 percent of all people over the age of 16 drove under the influence of alcohol during the past year, and another 4.3 percent (roughly 10 million people) admitted to driving while impaired by illicit drugs.On the plus side, impaired driving appears to be on the decline. SAMHSA...

MIAMI, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- America has a drug problem and the primary source of these abused drugs is the family medicine cabinet. In fact, the supplier just might be...you. Lock Your Meds(TM) is a national grassroots and multi-media campaign designed to reduce prescription drug abuse by making adults aware that they are frequently the "unintentional suppliers" of prescription medications being abused, especially by young people. National Lock Your Meds(TM) Day will be observed by...

Nearly 22 million Americans aged 12 and older used illegal drugs in 2009, a rise of nine percent from 2008 levels, according to results released Thursday of a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).The number of U.S. residents aged 12 and older who used illegal drugs or abused prescription medications rose from 8.0 percent of the population in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009, the highest level since 2002, the National Survey on Drug Use...

LOS ANGELES, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- At an event on Friday, June 25, 2010 at the Universal City Hilton Hotel in Universal City, California, the San Diego-based non-profit CADFY (Californians for Drug Free Youth) hosted community leaders who shared their professional and expert perspectives on the dangers of marijuana in California. Key quotes from the event: John Redman, Executive Director, Californians for Drug Free Youth: CADFY's mission is to bring awareness to people about the issues of...

According to a study by two governmental agencies, emergency room visits linked to prescription painkillers abuse have jumped 111 percent over a five-year period, a shocking increase that threatens the public health system in the United States. Emergency room visits involving abuse of painkillers such as oxycodone rose from 144,644 in 2004 to more than 305,850 in 2008, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and...

PORTLAND, Ore., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland teens are part of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) new, nationwide campaign encouraging teens to engage in a conversation about the positive and negative pressures that influence their decisions. The Influence Project is part of a new emphasis on teens who are central to the anti-drug teen brand, Above the Influence. This emphasis includes hearing directly from teens about what they do to resist drug use and...

BRONX, New York, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today launches a new, nationwide campaign encouraging teens to engage in a conversation about the positive and negative pressures that influence their decisions. The Influence Project is part of a new emphasis on teens who are central to the anti-drug teen brand, Above the Influence. This emphasis includes hearing directly from teens about what they do to resist drug use and stay "above"...

WASHINGTON, June 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Press Club 'MORNING NEWSMAKER' News Conference Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 10 a.m. National Press Club (Zenger Room) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO ) The Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ANTONIO MARIA COSTA and The...

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former White House Drug Policy Spokesman Robert Weiner and Yusuf Hassan, a Senior Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates, have called for professional golf superstar Tiger Woods and all major athletes to be tested for drugs in an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer. "At the White House last month, we asked Apolo Anton Ohno, the eight-time Olympic medalist speed skater if sports like baseball and golf should have the same stringent drug testing...

US President Barack Obama, in an attempt to curb drug use in young adults, released a new anti-drug campaign Tuesday that will put greater emphasis on prevention and treatment of the problem. The plan calls for a reduction of 15 percent in the rate of drug use by chronic drug abusers and youths. The plan is also seeking to cut 15 percent of drug induced deaths by 2015. Obama also wants drug use in young adults, and the incidence of driving under the influence of drugs, cut by 10 percent in...