Teva Animal Health, Inc. expands a voluntary nationwide recall of Ketamine Hydrochloride Injection, USP CIII 100mg/mL in 10mL vials

Contact:
Denise Bradley
Tel: 215-591-8974 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- December 21, 2009 - Teva Animal Health, Inc. is expanding a nationwide voluntary recall of Ketamine Hydrochloride Injection, USP CIII 100mg/mL in 10mL vials for all lot numbers within their expiration dates to the Veterinary Level.  This product had previously been recalled to the distributor level and is being expanded as a result of an increased trend in serious adverse events associated with this product.

Veterinarians who have this product in their possession are instructed to cease using the product immediately and return it to their distributor.

Ketamine Hydrochloride is a rapid acting, non-narcotic, non-barbiturate agent for anesthetic use in cats and for restraint in subhuman primates. This recall is being conducted as a result of an increased trend in serious adverse events associated with this product, including lack of effect, prolonged effect, and death and involves all lot numbers within expiration.

Teva Animal Health, Inc is voluntarily recalling the aforementioned product. The FDA has been apprised of this action.

Consumers with questions may contact 800-759-3664 from 8:00am – 5:00pm CST Monday-Friday.

 More information here with complete list of brand recall.

Mephedrone (aka 4-methylmethcathinone)

Max Volume aka M-Cat 

The trip:

- feels euphoric, somewhere between cocaine and MDMA, but different than either. Closer to MDMA, but just as expensive or more than coke!
- is much better than MDMA for sex (most people on MDMA don't get horny at all, some can't get erections -- no problems like that here)
- trip comes on and ends very suddenly (bang, there it is... bang, where'd it go?)
- lots of people say it gives them a compulsion to redose, but each time is less effective
- burns like hell when snorted and tastes disgusting (especially the drip) but feels great enough that lots of people think the initial pain is worth it
- strong smell (one user on Erowid compared it to ammonia)
- fast onset (10-20 minutes), medium-short duration (2-3 hours), somewhat of an unpleasant crash for about an hour, not much of a hangover at all
- a common dose with pretty decent effects seems to be 100 mg. 50 mg seems too mild for some and 200 can be overwhelming.

Health effects:

- very caustic (ie, it burns), so causes quite a lot of damage to the nose, sinus and back of the throat when snorted
- high potential for addiction, seems a lot worse for that than MDMA, partly because of the short duration and sudden end making people want to redose
- rather toxic. LD-50 is totally unknown and we only have a vague idea of the long term health effects, but everything we know suggests it's potentially bad news. Handful of deaths, lots more hospitalizations, plenty more adverse reactions that didn't seek medical help
- one of its metabolites, 4-methylephedrine, is a potent vasoconstrictor, which means it causes your blood vessels to squeeze up, which means that it's really dangerous to use if you've got high blood pressure or are pregnant (vasoconstrictors during pregnancy lead to the fetus not getting enough blood supply, leading in turn to poor development and low birth weight)
- in the a lot of the described adverse reactions, people report skin turning blue or purple. If you notice this happening, get help immediately!

For more info see:

Mephedrone: the users, the dealers, the debate

Mephedrone: From plant food to Britain’s party drug

NeuroSoup Mephedrone 

Drugs, drugs, drugs... take this survey and tell us what you've done! The TRIP! Project's own volunteer Leanne WIlkins is undertaking her masters research in cognitive neuroscience and is looking to see the effects of various drugs on the mind. It's 100% confidential so fill it out today! Note that the survey does take time so make sure you have some set aside. Be sure to read the consent form so you know the benifits and risks of participating.

Take the survey today!

Empower: Youth, Arts, and HIV/AIDS Activism
Launch Party!

Check out Drag Performances,
Interactive Panel Discussions, Fashion,
Visual Art Exhibitions, Discussion Panels, and Sexy Safer Sex Information! Come
out to an interactive, action-packed World AIDS Day event with performances,
exhibitions and discussions by local youth activists and educators,
service providers and community organizers. This is a Queer Positive
space.

This FREE interactive symposium will
launch "Empower: Youth, Arts and
Activism: An HIV/AIDS Activism Manual for Youth by Youth." For more
information on the manual, see below.

Performances, Exhibition and Discussion by:

• Kim Simard, Prise Positive
• Jay, Romeo and Company, sprOUT, Griffin Centre
• Nidhi Punyarthi, Gendering Adolescent AIDS Prevention
• Jessica Yee, Native Youth Sexual Health Network
• Jessica Whitbread, No Pants No Problem Party Organizer
• Henry Luyombya, Peer Educator, Planned Parenthood
  Positive Prevention
• Jenn Yee, Visual Artist
• Lulu Gurney and Aaron Chan, Youth CO
• David Lewis-Peart, Mary Yehdego, and Shani Robertson,
  Black-CAP

More to Come!

Everyone is welcome. Snacks & Refreshments
Provided. Guests will
receive a free copy of the manual upon arrival.
For questions or more information, please contact cuhi.admin@utoronto.ca

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: November, 26, 2009
Time: 6:00 - 9:00pm
Place: William Doo Auditorium*,
New College, University of Toronto.
45 Willcocks
(SW Corner of Willcocks and Spadina. Closest Subway Station: Spadina)

* Wheelchair accessible.

*** The launch will be preceded by a
talk by Dr. Jessica Fields
(Sociology, City University of New York), "Under Lock and Key: Sex
Education and the Effort to Prevent and Protect", as well as a
networking reception. These events are organized as part of the Youth
Sexual Health RIG.

Event date/time: November 26, 2009
4:00 - 5:30: Dr. Jessica Fields talk - Women and Gender Studies
Lounge, 2nd Floor Wilson Hall Residence (20 Willcocks)
5:30 - 6:00: Networking Reception
6:00-9:00: Manual Launch & Symposium - William Doo Auditorium (45
Willcocks)

Empower: Youth, Arts, and Activism

The manual, Empower: Youth, Arts, and
Activism, is designed for youth
by youth, and features a diverse range of projects put forward by
passionate, inspiring and fired-up individuals committed to social
change. Each individual, group and project is committed to challenging
social and structural issues around HIV and AIDS. From HIV positive
youth fighting stigma to peer education projects and safer sex
parties, this manual honours the work of communities creating spaces
to talk about the issues that matter most. And? each project is
accomplished with the use of art!

Partners:

Youth
Action Network
www.youthactionnetwork.org/
Gendering Adolescent AIDS Prevention
(GAAP)
www.utgaap.info
Centre for Urban Health Initiatives
(CUHI)
www.cuhi.utoronto.ca

Printing of the manual has been
generously supported by CATIE.
To order a FREE copy of the manual after the launch, please visit the
CATIE Ordering Centre at www.catie.ca after the launch. CATIE Centre
Catalogue Number ATI-26158.

For Us, By Us: Peer Research 101 features peer researchers from Queen West and Access Alliance Community Health Centres.  Produced by TRIP! Coordinator Lisa Campbell Salazar it is an educational webinar on community based research ethics produced in association with the Toronto Community Based Research Network .

During a 'routine sweep' Police raided the afterhours club, the Comfort
Zone, early Sunday morning arresting over 100 people, but releasing
around 75% of them. Most of those charged, were charged for possession
of illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and GHB
with a value of $30,000. About $35, 000 cash was also siezed.

Read the National Post article for full info.

Unbelievable! But according to doctors of the addiction centre at St. George Medical School in London, England it's true. Between the ages of 21 and 30 the patient only known as Mr. A is thought to have taken approximately 40 000 Ecstasy pills (Times Online). Over the course of his use he gradually increased his dosage from 5 on the weekends to 25 a day.

His psychiatrist, Dr. Christos Kouimtsidis reports that Mr. A has trouble functioning in everyday life and is afflicted by "severe short-term memory problems, hallucinations, paranoia and muscle rigidity". And yet the man is still alive.

This certainly tells us something about the supposedly 'Killer Ecstasy'. It would seem that our leaders have been a a but on the hysterical side while demonizing E, a drug that is statistically less deadly than aspirin.

Richard Burnstrom, the Chief of Police for North Wales, has publicly stated that very fact - Ecstasy is a remarkable safe drug, safer than aspirin and far safer than tobacco and alcohol. He has also predicted that the legalization of all drugs in Britain will be inevitable within 10 years time because prohibition doesn't work.

You can read Chief Burnstrom's statements in more detail here.

Hot off the presses! The TRIP! Project has just released
two new pieces of harm reduction literature for the partyers of Toronto.

'Safer K-Holes' describes what a k-hole is and what to
do in case of an emergency. It also contains tips on how to stay as
safe as possible while k-holing and general tips on safer ketamine use.

'Responsible Drug Use' is an important addition to
TRIP's library. It flows through a series of thought-provoking
questions that every drug user should periodically ask themselves. It
asks us to check ourselves to see if trouble is brewing and if our life
goals are coinciding with the nature of our drug use. After all, we
should be in control of our drug use rather than our drug use controlling us.

Look for both these flyers at a TRIP! booth near you or
stop by our offices in the Queen West Community Health Centre at 168
Bathurst St. between Noon-5pm Tue/Wed/Fri to get some copies.

The Conservative minority government of Stephen Harper is set to unveil a new set of draconian mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana related offences. This, in spite of massive evidence of the ineffectiveness of such policies in the United States. It appears Harper is more concerned with his appearances to Washington then that of the Canadian public, which favors decriminalization. I can only hope this strategy backfires on him. The following article from Cannabis Culture's web site shows the uphill battle we face in making sure the Conservatives do not get a majority in the next election.

Read more here

Know a lot about safer partying? Want to learn? Want to educate others and volunteer at parties? Get involved with TRIP!

The TRIP! volunteer training involves a 5-day training course (spread
across 5 consecutive Saturdays, 11am-6pm) and which features
workshops on various topics related to harm reduction, HIV prevention,
and safer partying. These trainings are offered twice a year.

To be eligible for our volunteer program you must:

• be between the ages of 16-30
• be a former or current participant in Toronto's dance music scene
• be able to attend all trainings (all of which occur in downtown Toronto)
• jive with our harm reduction philosophy
• have
  a fun and open attitude, a willingness to learn, and be able to
  contribute time and energy to the project on a regular basis

To indicate your interest in being trained, contact TRIP! by calling 416-703-8482x125, emailing info@tripproject.ca!