2 July 2012 Last updated at 11:17 ET A murder accused has told a jury he remembered little of the night he was alleged to have killed his best friend after an all-day drink and drug binge. Derek Kinghorn, 44, said he only became aware of anything untoward when he felt blood on his face from a head wound. He remembered drinking 10 cans of beer and smoking several cannabis joints earlier in the day. Mr Kinghorn denies murdering Brian Mair and assaulting Amy Michaels in his Hawick home in November last year. He told the High Court in Livingston that he and Mr Mair had been playing Playstation games and drinking and taking drugs since 10:00 on the day in question. Just before 19:00 Mr Kinghorn phoned a dealer to have more drugs delivered. He claimed the large kitchen knife, identified as the murder weapon, would have been brought into the room to divide up a lump of cannabis resin although he could not remember this happening. Mr Kinghorn said he had no memory of going out drinking at The Imperial Bar in Hawick with Mr Mair after the drugs had been delivered to his house. He said he … Continue reading →

On June 27, the FDA approved the first new weight-loss drug in 13 years, Arenas lorcaserin (Belviq). The track record for anti-obesity drugs has not been very goodeach has been withdrawn from the market, after approval, due to safety concerns. Why was this drug approved? How long will this one last before being yanked for adverse events? Lets look at the background and track record of lorcaserins predecessors. Perspective on the need for weight loss drugs Why the brouhaha over Arenas new drug? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese, defined as having a Body-Mass Index (BMI) of > 35. In the U.S. alone, 78 million U.S. adults are obese; another 34% of adults are overweight > 30. So 70% of U.S. adults have a problem with weight. Worldwide, CDC estimates 500 million are currently affected. Overweight and obesity constitute the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking, resulting in an estimated 300,000 deaths per year. The number of obese is expected to rise to 42% by 2030, with an additional 11% prevalence of severe obesity (BMI >40, or ~80+ lbs overweight). In 2000, consumers spent … Continue reading →

Students were caught with drugs in 2173 incidents at school last year and the youngest child to be stood down was in year 3. But the figure is the lowest in three years, according to preliminary data. Last year, there were 1324 stand-downs and 849 suspensions in New Zealand schools for drug-related behaviour (including substance abuse), according to figures released to the Herald. The Ministry of Education said the data was still being updated by schools and so could not be compared with other years, but previous figures have quoted there being 2441 drug incidents in 2009 and 2690 in 2010. A year 3 student - aged between 7 and 8 - was stood down in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. The youngest to be suspended were two year 5 students - aged between 9 and 10 - in Gisborne and Wellington. Gisborne had the highest number of incidents per capita where students were caught with drugs, with a total of 77 suspensions and stand-downs from a roll of 9353. A stand-down is the removal of a learner for a period of up to five days, with the decision made by the principal. A suspension is the formal removal of a student … Continue reading →