Quitting is hardMany ex-smokers say quitting was the hardest thing they ever did. Do you feel hooked? You’re probably addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is in all tobacco products. It makes you feel calm and satisfied, yet also alert and focused. But the more you smoke, the more nicotine you need to feel good. Soon, you … Read more
Health Risks for Women who Smoke Lung Cancer■ Each cigarette contains about 4000 compounds, out of which about 400 are poisonous and as many as 25 of these are carcinogenic or cancer causing. Of all the kinds of lung cancer, about 15 percent are life threatening and are all caused due to smoking. Lung cancer … Read more
World No Tobacco Day is May 31. The National Council on Drug Abuse joins with the World Health Organization (WHO), Heart Foundation Jamaica and the Ministry of Health to celebrate WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY. WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY is celebrated each year on May 31 to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and … Read more
In Jamaica, alcohol is the most abused drug. Access to alcohol among Jamaican youth appears to be unencumbered despite the fact that it is illegal to sell alcohol to adolescents that are 18 years or younger. Findings from the National School Survey (2006) show an 8 percent increase in adolescent current use over the last … Read more
The “Seasoned Spliff” Market A ganja (marijuana) spliff peppered with crack cocaine is a “seasoned spliff” joint. The brand has been expanded to include “lizard tail” that adds mystique to the product. The marketers of illicit drugs in Jamaica are proffering embellishments. With deadly earnest, they are marketing their products and building on … Read more
Devon’s True StoryA riveting story of one Jamaican drug addict’s journey to hell and back My name is Devon. I am a 31-year-old man who is fairly successful at his job, as successful as I want to be really. I have 2 beautiful children and one child on the way. My wife is … Read more
The Governor General, His Excellency, Sir Patrick Allen will declare November as Drug Awareness Month under the theme “You’re sure to lose, if you abuse the booze..” This activity opens a new phase of Jamaica’s antidrug prevention strategy aimed at reducing the national consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is a intractable problem in Jamaica. Seven out … Read more
The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) is raising the alarm that drug abuse may over-whelm national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. During November, Drug Awareness Month, under the theme, “Stop and Think-Drugs not the Link”, the agency will under-score the need for national action at all levels to con-front the many faces … Read more
“Jamaican women are less likely to be a restraining factor over tobacco use at this time.” According to the World Health Organization, women comprise about 20% of world’s more than 1 billion smokers. In Jamaica, an estimated 12% of the population are cigarette smokers. Among the adolescent population, the picture is most disturbing. In 2006, … Read more
Research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that the same brain mechanism that fuels drug addiction in humans may accompany the emergence of compulsive eating. According to Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of NIDA, “This research opens the door for us to apply some of the knowledge we have gathered about … Read more