Cannabis body packing: two case reports.

Introduction: Body packing is a well-known means of narcotic carriage across international borders. The most common drugs carried are cocaine and heroin.

Case Descriptions: We describe 2 cases of cannabis body packing which occurred the same year in the South of France, one with complications: a 45-year-old male went to emergency for abdominal pain.

Evidence of clonazepam abuse liability: results of the tools developed by the French Centers for Evaluation and Information on Pharmacodependence (CEIP) network.

Recent observations suggest the existence of clonazepam abuse. To determine its importance in France, a quantitative and systematic synthesis of all clonazepam data of several epidemiological tools of the Centers for Evaluation and Information on Pharmacodependence (CEIP) network has been performed in comparison with data on others benzodiazepines (BZD). Data on clonazepam and other BZD have been analysed from different epidemiological tools: OSIAP survey that identifies drugs obtained by means of falsified prescriptions, Observation of Illegal Drugs and Misuse of Psychotropic Medications (OPPIDUM) survey that describes modalities of use and data from regional French health reimbursement system.

[Accidental cannabis poisoning in children: experience of the Marseille poison center].

Objective: To assess the frequency and severity of accidental cannabis poisoning in children.

Methods: A retrospective study of cases of accidental cannabis poisoning in people aged under 18 years old, reported to the Marseille poison center from 1993 through 2007. We excluded cases where cannabis was definitively ruled out, and neonatal withdrawal syndromes in newborns from cannabis users.

[Metachlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP): a new designer drug].

Metachlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) is a psychoactive substance that appeared in 2004 on the black market of illicit substances in Europe and France. It has a strong affinity for serotoninergic receptors and the serotonin transporter. In humans, mCPP induces endocrine, neurological and psychiatric effects.

Poisoning by Coriaria myrtifolia Linnaeus: a new case report and review of the literature.

Coriaria myrtifolia should be recognized as one of the most neurotoxic plants in western Mediterranean area. This shrub produces a toxin, coriamyrtin, that is present in high concentrations in the berries. Ingestion of few fruits similar to blackberries may induce digestive and neurological manifestations including seizures, coma and apnea.

[Abuse of licit and illicit psychoactive substances in children and teenagers in the PACA Region (Southeastern France)].

Introduction: The abuse of licit and illicit psychoactive substances in children and teenagers represents a public health problem.

Materials And Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of this phenomenon and its growth in the PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) region (Southeastern France). The cases identified during the 10-year period 1992-2002 by the CEIP (Centre d'Evaluation et d'Information sur la Pharmacodépendance) were studied retrospectively.