Overdose Deaths Up Sharply

Medical records will be subpoenaed

(NEWSER) - The investigation into Whitney Houston's death is now turning to her doctors and pharmacies. Investigators are expected in the next few days to serve subpoenas on the singer's physicians and the pharmacies where Houston obtained multiple prescription drugs, reports the Los Angeles Times . Officials aim to determine whether the drugs were dispensed properly, and if the singer was receiving too many prescriptions, a source tells the newspaper. Investigators will likely pore over a state-created database of controlled substances prescribed in California. Tracking celebrity prescription drug use can be complicated because they may regularly use drugs prescribed to aides, according to law enforcement authorities. More»

Customs officers bust three on Australia-bound liner

(NEWSER) - It was supposed to be the cruise of a lifetime—around the Caribbean to Hawaii and onward to Australia. But three passengers who didn't make it past San Francisco look set to spend a big chunk of their lifetimes in jail. Customs officials seized close to 28 pounds of cocaine, and arrested an Australian and two New Zealanders after inspecting the liner on its arrival from Curacao. More»

Xanax, Ativan, Valium found in Whitney Houston's room

(NEWSER) - It will likely be weeks before we know the official cause of Whitney Houston's death, but the fact that bottles of Xanax, Valium, and Ativan were found in her room is shining a light on the dangers of prescription drug abuse, and the real risk of accidental overdose. An estimated 27,000 people died from accidental drug overdoses in the US in 2007, one death every 19 minutes, according to the most recent figures available from the CDC, reports ABC News . Prescription drug abuse is the nation's fastest growing drug problem. More»

Houston's daughter confronts police outside hotel room

(NEWSER) - Specifics are still sketchy in yesterday's sudden death of Whitney Houston . But here's what's beginning to trickle in:

• Houston was found by a member of her entourage on the floor of her Beverly Hills hotel room around 3:30pm, reports the LA Times . Paramedics were called at 3:43pm, and tried CPR for 20 minutes, but were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at 3:55pm.
• No illegal drugs have been found in the room, but TMZ reports that Houston was taking Xanax, and it is possible that she drowned in her bathtub . Combined with alcohol, Xanax can cause extreme sleepiness; the gossip site speculates that Houston fell asleep in the tub.

They share abnormalities that make them more vulnerable

(NEWSER) - New hope in the treatment of addiction? A study shows that people hooked on drugs or alcohol have abnormalities in the brain that make them more susceptible. Researchers were able to determine that the abnormalities existed before the addiction set in because they found the same abnormalities in the brains of non-addicted siblings, reports Reuters . Somehow, the siblings managed to stay clean, and further study of how they did that could be key. More»