Addiction
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The European Union has banned sales of moist snuff (snus) in all member states, with the exception of Sweden. The ban is motivated by the potential adverse health effects of snus, but snus may also help people to avoid smoking or stop tobacco use. ⋯ Snus contributed to the reduction of smoking among Swedish males in the 1990s. Snus had different effects among non-smokers and smokers in different age groups.
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To describe all people dying from unintentional overdoses of methadone or other opioid analgesics (OOA) in West Virginia in 2006. ⋯ The high prevalence of a substance abuse history and lack of prescriptions suggest that most of the deaths in both groups are related to substance abuse. There was no indication of a harmful effect from methadone's metabolic interaction with benzodiazepines, but provider or patient unfamiliarity with methadone may have been a risk factor. Prescribing methadone, especially to young males, requires extra care. Providers, OTPs and coroners/medical examiners should use state prescription drug monitoring programs to monitor the use of controlled substances by their patients.