6/8/2008
Is Colombia’s FARC On The Ropes?
The surrender this week of a leading commander of Colombia's leftist rebels is the latest in a string of devastating blows to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that has been fighting to take power for more than 40 years. That desertion, along with recent killings and captures of other top leaders – as well as the revelation of the inside workings of the rebels through seized computer files – show a weakened and fractured force, but analysts say it would be a mistake for the conservative US-backed government of President Álvaro Uribe to claim victory. Nelly Avila Moreno, better known as "Karina" said that after 24 years as a member of the FARC she decided to turn herself in to authorities because she and her troops were besieged by the Army and she feared any one of her comrades would give her up for the $2 million bounty on her head. The Christian Science Monitor, May 21, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Let’s Help Kids From Abusing Medication
The home medicine cabinet is a significant area of concern. Young people have virtually unlimited access to anything in it. Prescription drugs are usually kept in the medicine cabinet, but they're also left on night tables, in the kitchen, or in various other places around the house. Many adolescents don't know—or care—how dangerous these medications can be and often decide to try them out. When teenagers are asked how they decide which drug to take from the medicine chest, they might reply: "Any drug that has a warning label like 'don't drive.' That means the drug could mess your head up. I want to mess my head up, so that's the pill I'm taking." Medical Economics, May 2, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Drinks On The Table At World Health Organisation Summit
The World Health Organisation faces pressure to take a tough stance on alcohol consumption at its annual assembly in Geneva this week amid fears industry lobby groups will water down any proposals. The WHO's 61st assembly opening Monday will debate "strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol" and a key official said there was a firm commitment among members to achieve concrete results. "The forces behind this are now well marshalled... the push to WHO to actually move towards a draft strategy is very strong here," said Bill Kean, executive director of the office of the Director General, Margaret Chan. "We've heard from several large developing countries of their interest in this... I think the debate will be very wide-ranging but I don't think this will be watered down, I hope not," he told journalists. Agence France Presse, May 17, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Heavy Drinking Damages Heart And Arteries
Heavy drinking causes high blood pressure, stiff arteries and rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women, boosting their risk of having heart attacks and strokes, researchers said. They defined heavy drinking as more than 21 drinks a week for men and more than 14 per week for women. "We definitely see quite a deleterious effect," said Dr. Azra Mahmud of St. James Hospital in Dublin, who presented her findings Wednesday at a meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in New Orleans. "The most worrisome aspect is in women. It has a direct toxic effect," Mahmud said in a telephone interview. "Basically, women are not able to cope with high alcohol consumption. It is going directly to the heart and damaging it." Reuters, May 15, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Mendocino Sheriff Backs Tighter Pot Rules
Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman broke Tuesday with medical marijuana advocates and endorsed a local ballot initiative aimed at repealing the county's current liberal marijuana guidelines. An angry Allman ended weeks of neutrality in an increasingly acrimonious campaign surrounding Measure B, which -- if approved in the June 3 election -- will sharply reduce the number of plants allowed to be grown for personal use from 25 to 6. "Today, I lend my name and full support to the passage of Measure B," Allman said. "It is the right thing to do for Mendocino County." Medical marijuana advocates issued a public apology to Allman, but the sheriff said Tuesday afternoon their "misrepresentation" no longer allowed him to remain neutral in a campaign being watched closely around the state and nation. The Press Democrat, May 14, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Four Americans Killed In Drug-Smuggling Mexican Area
Four people believed to be Americans were shot in the head and dumped in a notorious drug-smuggling area in northern Mexico near the California border, Mexican police said on Monday. Police in the beach town of Rosarito, across the border from San Diego, said they discovered the bodies of three men and a woman on Sunday in an abandoned car in a remote patch of scrubland near the Pacific coast. Police concluded the victims were U.S. citizens because the vehicle had California license plates, the men appeared to be black, the woman was white and a U.S. driver's license was found in the car, the spokesman said. Reuters, May 19, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Violence Escalates In Mexico’s Drug War
Recent killings of senior police and army officials in Mexico suggest that the government of President Felipe Calderón has managed to significantly hurt drug cartels and that corruption is common among police and other government bodies. These deaths also point to an escalation in the drug cartels' violent responses. Clashes between drug gangs and government forces leading to death or injury have become routine. Clashes between rival drug cartels, and police who may be on their payroll, create a sensation of open warfare. Also, the recent killings of top officials represent an important setback for the government. Oxford Analytica, May 27, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Marijuana Dispensaries Linked To Fatal Car Crash
The owner-operator of six Los Angeles-area “medical marijuana” dispensaries and his wife were arrested this morning on a host of federal charges, including operating several dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools and churches. Authorities are seeking a third defendant, an employee who allegedly sold a pound of marijuana out the back door of one of the dispensaries. The investigation into three THC outlets in Compton, Gardena and Los Angeles, as well as Western Caregiver Group in Los Angeles, MedXnow.com in Los Angeles and Southern California Caregivers in Van Nuys, began after a horrific accident in which a CHP officer was critically injured and the driver he had stopped was killed. Drug Enforcement Agency, May 27, 2008. .
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6/8/2008
Teen Pill Parties Growing In Town
Placed next to the chips and salsa is a bowl filled with prescription pills. This is how casually some teens view using pain killers or mood-altering drugs at parties. And although "pharming" or "bowling" parties are not new, they have become a growing problem in town and throughout Fairfield County, according to Stephanie Paulmeno, community health planner for the town Health Department. "This is a significant public health issue," she said. The department has been aware of prescription pill misuse for more than two years, working closely with agencies monitoring the problem, but not until recently had the concerns been confirmed by police departments, Paulmeno said. Greenwich Time, May 25, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Funds For Marijuana Removal Rejected
For the second time in eight years, the Big Island County Council has refused to accept grant money to finance county marijuana eradication programs, and Big Island police say that move may hamper other law enforcement work, including efforts to crack down on harder drugs. The council last week deadlocked in a 4-4 vote over whether to accept $282,000 in federal money and $159,000 in state funds to target marijuana-growing operations. "It is our sworn duty to enforce all state laws, and the illegal cultivation of marijuana will continue to be one of our department's priorities," Jelsma said. Honolulu Advertiser, May 26, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Should Medicinal Pot Users Get Job Security?
Californians gave Gary Ross the legal right to smoke medicinal marijuana at home. But that didn't keep the Carmichael resident from being fired for doing so. Ross is at the epicenter of a fight pitting the rights of more than a quarter-million medicinal marijuana users against those of business owners. "It's insane that someone has to fight so hard to use a medication that a doctor says is best for your treatment," said Ross, 46. The issue is not whether workers can be stoned on the job – they can't – but whether even trace amounts of doctor-approved pot are grounds for firing. The California Supreme Court ruled against Ross in January, sparking recent legislation to protect the jobs of medicinal users. The court found that California's medicinal marijuana initiative, passed in 1996, did not address employment. The Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Machines Pushed To Pay For Anti-Drug Program
A Tinley Park parent whose fifth-grade son was inspired by DARE to fight crime wants to put about 200 vending machines throughout the village to help fund its new anti-drug program. Larry Canning said he would donate $1 from each machine a month - for 25 cents you could get a handful of M&Ms or Mike and Ike chewy candies in one of three canisters - toward a new youth drug enforcement program Tinley Park recently created after cutting Drug Abuse Resistance Education from its budget that began May 1. SouthtownStar, May 27, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Methadone To Be Dumped In Scotland As Treatment For Heroin Addiction
A new approach to tackling heroin addiction is about to be tried out in the United Kingdom. Health authorities in Scotland are planning to phase out methadone treatment programmes for heroin addicts and offer instead alternative therapies and residential rehabilitation programmes. The change in policy follows mounting evidence which has shown that methadone programmes, first introduced in the 1970s, have failed to reduce addiction rates or cut the number of drug-related deaths. The shift in policy indicates a radical change in attitude from using the heroin substitute to wean addicts off heroin - to encouraging abstinence by offering support via a range of other treatment options. Methadone is also an addictive opiate and costs the government around £12m a year and research suggests that five years after starting the treatment, 90% of addicts are still taking methadone. News-Medical.Net, May 27, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Schools See Increase In Students Abusing Prescription Drugs
School districts across Central New York tell us they're seeing a marked increase in the number of teenagers abusing prescription drugs. Teens are selling pills inside the schools for as much as $10 each, to classmates looking for a high that they believe still allows them to function in the classroom. What most parents don't realize is that this kind of drug abuse is entirely preventable. It’s easy for teens to get the pills, but even easier for parents to keep their home from being a drug house. Paul Taylor was the first to let us inside his family's home. He has a prescription for Adderrall, but knows others who down the pills- even snort the powdered form- for a different reason. “Some people take it to go partying,” Taylor says. “It keeps them more alert and they can party harder.” Newport Television, LLC, May 20, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Does ‘Do The Right Drugs’ Give Readers The Wrong Idea?
Yes, its name is a double entendre, referring both to technology and to being high. But does Wired magazine really mean to promote drugs? In the May issue, the main feature was “12 Ways to Super-Charge Your Brain.” On the cover, Steve Carell, the comedian, wears oversized electrodes on his head next to a headline that says, “Get Smarter!” In a 15-page package, the magazine gives some mild advice to people who want to enhance their cognition: “Think Positive,” it advises, and “Distract Yourself.” Then there is a somewhat disarming chart: “Do the Right Drugs,” it recommends, laying out the pros and cons of eight drugs — some legal, some not — that it says can “boost your cognitive output.” Six are prescription medications, like Adderall, a potentially addictive drug that is often prescribed to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But the list also includes nicotine, which, according to Wired, aids in “memory formation and attention.” And methamphetamine, which the magazine says can “increase concentration and creative output.” NYTimes.com, May 20, 2008.
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6/8/2008
UK Drinkers Confused Over Safe Alcohol Limits
A trend to serving wine in larger glasses has added to public confusion over how much alcohol is safe to drink, the British government said on Monday. Nearly four out of five British drinkers were unaware that a large glass of wine contains three units of alcohol -- the maximum recommended daily limit for women, a Department of Health survey found. It released the findings as it launched a national advertising campaign -- Know Your Limits -- to promote alcohol awareness. "Glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of many wines and beers has increased, so it's no wonder some of us have lost track of our alcohol consumption," said Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo. Reuters, May 19, 2008.
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6/8/2008
Russia, China, India Seek Afghan Anti-Drug “Belt”
China, India and Russia called on Thursday for the creation of a security belt around Afghanistan to halt the spread of heroin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a joint communique on boosting links between the three large developing countries would look at enhanced co-operation on humanitarian aid, fighting terrorism and combating drug trafficking. "We discussed the situation around Afghanistan, where the drug threat emanates. It would help to build drug-secure belts around Afghanistan," Lavrov said after holding talks with his Chinese and Indian counterparts in this Urals city. Afghanistan, devastated by three decades of Soviet occupation and civil war, accounts for 93 percent of world opium output, according to United Nations data. Reuters, May 15, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Federal Funding To Find Drugs In Rural Areas May End
Federal money that funds dozens of county and regional drug task forces around the state may go away if congressional action doesn't restore a grant program. About 20 rural drug task forces in the state could see grants that fund most of their budgets go away in July. State officials say 10 counties have already shut down their task forces. Last year, drug task forces opened more than 3,000 investigations into local and interstate drug activity. Arrests ranged from small-time drug users up to high-level dealers. The governor's drug control policy officials say task forces seized more than 3,000 pounds of illegal drugs worth more than $31 million. KHQA News, May 12, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Unique Packaging Of Marijuana Draws Attention From DEA
Howard police seized a new type of packaging for suspected marijuana seeds that has stumped forensic scientists, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Police confiscated two packages of seeds in March from an inactive marijuana-growing operation in Laurel and submitted them to the state police’s Forensic Sciences Division Laboratory in Pikesville, according to the DEA. Though the type of seeds was typical, the lab had never seen them packaged in such an unusual way. The white plastic packages labeled “BCFH” had pink and yellow tubes sticking out of the ends and contained five small seeds paced between cotton swab tips, according to the DEA. The Washington Examiner, April 30, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Reactions Mixed On Children’s Marijuana Book
A new children's book is stirring up controversy for the way it portrays what many people believe to be an adult topic: marijuana use. The book, authored by Ricardo Cortes, who is no stranger to hot topics, is called "It's Just A Plant," and portrays marijuana use as a relatively benign adult activity. The book is written in simple terms children can understand and is filled colorful images depicting pot use, history, cultivation, activism and law enforcement. The story begins with the central character, a young girl named Jackie, waking up at night and walking into her parent’s room where they are smoking a joint while sitting together on their bed. KVAL News, May 12, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Mexican Drug Gangs Step Up Police Murder War
Suspected drug gunmen ambushed and killed a Mexican police chief on Saturday in a murder campaign against senior policemen that has escalated in the past week. Juan Antonio Roman, the No. 2 policeman in the gritty border city of Ciudad Juarez, was riddled with bullets outside his home as he stepped from his pickup truck in the early hours of the morning, a police spokesman said. He was the sixth senior policeman killed throughout the country this week in a blow to President Felipe Calderon's fight against well-armed cartels that smuggle cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines to the United States. Reuters, May 10, 2008.
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5/20/2008
LA Police Credit Crackdown With A Changing Skid Row
Crack users openly suck on glass pipes, gang members deal drugs on sidewalks and streets are speckled with human feces. Yet the Los Angeles Police Department and some people who live and work on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles - the city with the nation's largest population of homeless people - say that crime is dropping and that the streets are safer and cleaner than they were just two years ago. They credit the
turnaround to a police crackdown launched 18 months ago and call it a rare success in dealing with homelessness, one of the most troubling social problems facing urban areas nationwide. Associated Press, May 1, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Computers May Aid Drug Abuse Treatment
People in treatment for drug abuse may be more likely to succeed with the help of computer-based behavioral therapy, a pilot study suggests. In a study of 77 adults being treated for drug and alcohol dependence, Yale University researchers found that those given computer-based lessons in how to change their behavior in addition to standard therapy tended to fare better than those given standard therapy alone. On average, the group that received computer-based therapy failed fewer drug tests and stayed abstinent slightly longer during the eight-week study. The findings suggest that specially designed computer programs can help bolster traditional, face-to-face drug counseling, according to the researchers. Reuters, May 1, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Affluent Parents Warned About Drug Dangers
Parents living in affluent Auckland suburbs are being warned their daughters may be targeted by drug dealers to get them hooked on the methamphetamine drug P. North Shore area commander Inspector Les Paterson said P was the "grim reaper" of the drug world. He said it often took only one hit to become addicted and the drug could destroy lives. Mr. Paterson said those targeted were often young women from good, caring and loving North Shore families. NZPA, May 13, 2008.
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5/20/2008
South Carolina Bill Banning Booze Inhaler Moves To House Floor
A device that turns liquor into a breathable vapor of oxygen and alcohol would be banned from South Carolina under legislation sent to the House floor. On May 6, the House Judiciary Committee voted 10-4 to approve the bill banning the alcohol without liquid device, known as AWOL. The Senate passed the measure last year. Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said a gadget used to help people get drunk without actually drinking is not in the public's best interest. Fellow GOP Rep. Mike Mulvaney of Indian Land argued unsuccessfully that it made no sense to outlaw a device that delivers a legal substance, worrying the same logic could lead to a ban on drinking shots of alcohol because people can get drunk quicker. Associated Press, May 8, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Dagga Is Top Dutch Export
Marijuana is one of the most popular Dutch export products, it was reported on Monday. Speaking on the current affairs television programme Reporter, Dutch police commissioner Max Daniel said "Dutch marijuana ranks second or third after the cucumber and the tomato on the list of best-selling Dutch export products." The sale of so-called soft drugs - marijuana - is legal in the Netherlands, but growing cannabis, which is used to make marijuana, is prohibited in the Netherlands. In recent months, the Dutch government has been making an effort to close sites where cannabis is being grown. Last year alone, some 5 500 sites - 15 per day - were closed by the police. South African Press Association, May 5, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Young Adults Using Alcohol, Drugs For Better Sex
Many teens and young adults in Europe are drinking alcohol and taking drugs for sexual purposes, according to a survey of more than 1,300 people who are regular nightlife-goers. The results showed that a third of males and a quarter of females aged 16 to 35 drink alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are used to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex. Nearly all of the respondents reported alcohol use, with most having had their first
drink when they were 14 or 15 years old. About three-quarters had tried or used cannabis, and about 30 percent had at least tried ecstasy or cocaine. Healthy Day News, May 9, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Report: Depressed Teens, Marijuana A Dangerous Mix
Teenagers who use marijuana put themselves at higher risks for serious mental health problems, including worsening depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and suicide, according to a new White House report. The goal is to "correct the blind spot we've had in our society that's caused more young people to suffer," Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters said. "The short message is: Marijuana's not safe." Although the report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy notes that use of the drug among teenagers has dropped by 25 percent in the past seven years, it emphasizes that more teens use marijuana than all other illegal drugs combined. CNN, May 9, 2008
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5/20/2008
Child Abuse Increasingly Linked To Cocaine
Instances of child abuse and neglect that involve parents exposing their children to cocaine are on the rise in Doña Ana County, said one state official here Thursday. "We're seeing a lot of issues around cocaine or crack," said Kasandra Gandara, who oversees the state's child protective services branch locally. "There's been, in the last two or three years, a real increase." Gandara addressed a small audience at the Munson Senior Center during a public input session hosted by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department. She said three years ago, a bigger percentage of child neglect and abuse cases involved methamphetamine exposure, but the drug use has since shifted to cocaine. Las Cruces Sun-News, May 9, 2008
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5/20/2008
Law Bans Retailers From Selling 'Pot Candy' To Minors
Georgia retailers soon will be banned from selling candy flavored to taste like marijuana to children. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a measure into law Wednesday that bans the sale of "marijuana flavored products" to minors -- anyone under 18 -- and calls for a fine of up to $500 for each offense. The measure takes effect July 1st. It targets businesses that sell the candies with drug-inspired names such as "Kronic Kandy" and "Pot Suckers." Associated Press, May 7, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Smith Upgrades Cannabis To Class B
The government today defied the advice of drug experts and upgraded cannabis from class C to class B. The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced a new system of escalating penalties for adults caught in possession of small amounts of the drug from early next year. Tougher sanctions will replace the current system of police warnings, and officers will be able to arrest first-time offenders. Smith justified her decision by highlighting the strength of "skunk" strains of herbal cannabis now widely available. Last week, Gordon Brown warned of the "more lethal quality" of much of the cannabis now available, described it as a gateway drug, and said that the reclassification was needed to "send a message to young people that it was unacceptable". The Guardian UK, May 7, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Medical Marijuana Growers Struggle With Legality
Since Proposition 215 was passed more than a decade ago, a uniform understanding of how to legally grow marijuana in California has not been sorted out, NBC11 reported. Medical marijuana is an issue that has sparked debate since Proposition 215 was passed. However, marijuana continues to be grown behind closed doors in neighborhoods across northern California. "It's a massive part of the economy. It's not going away, and it's time for it to come out of the shadows and for people to start acknowledging it," a grower told NBC11. Growers said what they do is legal, creating a gray area, and that every grower makes a choice about how legitimately they want to run their businesses. NBC 11, May 6, 2008
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5/20/2008
Feds Penetrated Drug Culture Easily At San Diego State
State Undercover agents who posed as college students to bust more than 100 suspected drug dealers at San Diego State University never had to crack a book to gain acceptance on campus. All it took was cash. The federal agents went to one or two parties but never actually went to class or lived in the dorms. Instead, they merely arranged meetings with suspected dealers and asked about buying cocaine, Ecstasy, methamphetamine, marijuana and other drugs, authorities said Wednesday. "All it took was saying, `Hey, I go to State, can you hook me up?'" said San Diego County prosecutor Damon Mosler. "And then it was off to the races." Associated Press, May 6, 2008.
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5/20/2008
Drug Deaths Soar In Boston
Deaths from drugs and alcohol in Boston soared dramatically in 2006, an increase fueled by cheap heroin, the allure of crystal methamphetamine, and the widespread availability of addictive prescription medications. Boston health authorities are so alarmed by the spike in fatalities - 176 people died from substance abuse in 2006 - that they are scouring medical examiner reports on each case, hunting for clues that might further explain the precipitous rise. In that year, the number of people dying from drugs and alcohol climbed 32 percent, reflecting a decadelong trend sweeping the state. The findings, detailed in a draft of the annual Health of Boston report obtained by the Globe, ranked substance abuse as the fifth-leading cause of death, with Bostonians three times more likely to succumb from drugs or alcohol than from homicide.
The Boston Globe, May 9, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Needle Sharing Prompts Renewed Calls For In-Prison Exchange
Programs Up to 15 per cent of incarcerated drug users report injecting heroin and cocaine while behind bars, according to one of two new studies that say Canadian prisons are contributing to the spread of the virus that causes AIDS. The findings are so worrisome the researchers at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, who conducted the studies, have renewed calls for in-prison needle exchanges to reduce the risk of dirty syringes spreading HIV and Hepatitis C infections, which are common among inmates. The sharing of used needles in prisons is "a recipe for disaster," says Dr. Evan Wood, a principal investigator on both studies. The Province, April 6, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Grand Theft Auto IV Release Stirs Controversy
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) stamped a "Mature" label on GTA: IV banning US retailers from selling the game to anyone less than 17 years old. The game's rating includes a warning it contains "intense violence, blood, strong language, strong sexual content, partial nudity and use of drugs and alcohol." Game play includes simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving. The ESRB and the National Institute on Media and the Family are urging parents to vigilantly check ratings on games for their children. "With the latest installment of the Grand Theft Auto series...parents need to be reminded to make sure their kids are playing games appropriate for their age and level of maturity," says a joint statement released Friday. Agence France Presse, April 27, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Flying Drones To Track Down Marijuana Growers
The U.S. Forest Service has purchased a pair of flying drones to track down marijuana growers operating in remote California woodlands. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, who oversees the Forest Service, told The Associated Press today that the pilotless, camera-equipped aircraft will allow agency law enforcement officers to pinpoint marijuana fields and size up potential dangers before agents attempt arrests. Rey said there are increasing numbers of marijuana growers financed by Mexican drug cartels using California's forests to stage their operations. "We're dealing with organized efforts now - not just a couple of hippies living off the land and making some cash on the side," Rey said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "These (drones) are small, hard to see from the ground and they're quiet so they won't tip off (growers)." Associated Press, April 3, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Dutch Plan To Shift Coffeeshops Worries Neighbors
Sitting among the mellow smokers in a coffeeshop in Maastricht it is easy to forget that a plan to relocate half of the cannabis-selling outlets to the city limits has aroused fury. The southern Dutch city has been trying for five years to push seven shops to three new "coffee corners" at its northern, western and southern borders. The marijuana equivalent of out-of-town shopping malls would serve the 1.5 to 2 million people who pour into the city each year in search of a powerful puff. Neighbouring Belgian districts and the Dutch community of Eijsden, enraged by the prospect of coffeeshops on their doorsteps, forced Maastricht to back down after winning a legal challenge last month. The Dutch city has now put forward a watered-down proposal to place two coffeeshops in a single "coffee corner" at its southern edge for a trial period of three years. Its neighbours are still not happy. Reuters, April 21, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Montana Meth Project Unveils Ads By Famed Filmmaker
The Montana Meth Project has unveiled the latest phase of its in-state media campaign, including three TV ads directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (een-YAR'-ee-too). Inarritu's works include "Babel," "21 Grams" and "Amores Perros." The graphic, 30-second ads are built around the theme "This isn't normal, but on meth it is." One shows a pair of teenage girls selling themselves to a group of older men so they can buy meth. Another features teens robbing a home to support their addiction. And the third shows a teenage boy lying on the floor overdosing on meth while his friends smoke the drug on the bed beside him. Associated Press, April 1, 2008.
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5/3/2008
N.Y. Among Highest Rates Of Drug, Alcohol Use In Country
Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers abuse or are dependent on alcohol, drugs or both. A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided this and other information about substance abuse and mental health patterns in each state. Rates vary state to state, but all areas of the country are affected to some degree by drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Nation wide, 9.2 percent of respondents 12 years old and older reported dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs or alcohol in the last year. The Daily Orange, April 10, 2008.
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5/3/2008
NASCAR Drivers Want Drug Testing
NASCAR's stars are serious about fighting drug use in the sport - even if it means regular, random testing. In the wake of revelations by former Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike that he was addicted to painkillers and sometimes used heroin at the track on race day, drivers at Phoenix International Raceway yesterday were dismayed. "I cannot believe it," two-time reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. "It's absurd." Fike was arrested while shooting up heroin last July 7 in the parking lot of a Cincinnati amusement park. He was eighth in the truck standings and racing for rookie of the year at the time. Associated Press, April 11, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Methadone Deaths Rising
When her 20-year-old son stumbled home one night last October, Gail DeLucca told him to go to bed and sleep it off. "I love you, Ray," she called up the stairs, figuring she would wait until morning to lecture him about drinking. But it wasn't alcohol that made her son so woozy. It was methadone, and it killed him. Raymond DeLucca was one of 168 people to die of drug overdoses in New Hampshire last year. That was more than the number killed in car crashes. More than half the drug deaths involved methadone, and an alarming eight of them happened in Laconia, a city of about 17,000. "After about the fifth one, we had a meeting and said this is crazy," said Police Chief Michael Moyer. Nationwide, methadone deaths are increasing at a faster rate than any other drug-related deaths, the National Center for Health Statistics reported in February. According to the most recent data available, the number of methadone deaths nationwide rose from 786 in 1999 to 4,462 in 2005, a nearly six-fold increase. By comparison, fatal cocaine overdoses rose 63 percent, from 3,832 to 6,228. Associated Press, April 17, 2008.
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5/3/2008
California Judge Deals Blow To Medical Pot Movement
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that federal law allows landlords to boot medical marijuana dispensaries that rent from them. The decision by Judge Margaret Oldendorf was a strike against dispensaries in their legal battle against the Drug Enforcement Administration. The agency, over the past year or so, has notified landlords who rent to dispensaries that doing so is a violation of federal law, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The case before Oldendorf stemmed from Northridge, Calif., landlord Parthenia Center's attempt to evict dispensary Today's Health Care Inc. Oldendorf ruled that federal law gave Parthenia the right to evict THC, citing the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1, that supported the federal government's ability to prohibit medical marijuana despite the passage of California's Compassionate Use Act in 1996. Evan Hill, The Recorder, Law.Com, April 18, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Study Suggests Why Teens Get Hooked On Cocaine Easier Than Adults
New drug research suggests that teens may get addicted and relapse more easily than adults because developing brains are more powerfully motivated by drug-related cues. This conclusion has been reached by researchers who found that adolescent rats given cocaine - a powerfully addicting stimulant - were more likely than adults to prefer the place where they got it. That learned association endured: Even after experimenters extinguished the drug-linked preference, a small reinstating dose of cocaine appeared to rekindle that preference - but only in the adolescent rats. Medical News Today, April 22, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Risk Of Depression Dims Hopes Of Anti-Addiction Pills
Two years ago, scientists had high hopes for new pills that would help people quit smoking, lose weight and maybe kick other tough addictions like alcohol and cocaine.
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5/3/2008
Supreme Court Broadens Police Searches
The Supreme Court offered unanimous support for police Wednesday by allowing drug evidence gathered after an arrest that violated state law to be used at trial, an important search-and-seizure case turning on the constitutional limits of "probable cause." "When officers have probable cause to believe that a person has committed a crime in their presence, the Fourth Amendment permits them to make an arrest, and to search the suspect in order to safeguard evidence and ensure their own safety," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote. CNN, April 23, 2008.
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5/3/2008
U.S. To Step Up Prosecution Of Mexico Border Crime
The United States is hiring more federal prosecutors to help crack down on gunrunning and the smuggling of drugs and illegal immigrants over the porous U.S.-Mexico border, officials said on Thursday. Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip said the Justice Department would provide funding for an additional 64 assistant U.S. attorneys to target crime along the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border. The prosecutors, together with 35 additional contract support staff, are to be allocated from Southern California to south Texas and will work to curb smuggling over the border. Illegal immigration is a hot topic in this U.S. election year and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have pledged to do more to secure the border. Reuters, April 24, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Propane Tanks Used To Make Meth
It's another item found in your home and like cough medicine propane tanks are being used to make Methamphetamine. Drug Experts say people are stealing tanks from places that fill them with propane and using them to store Meth. "It is a tremendous impact all the way around and that's what makes it, it's the totality it's all of the circumstances or all of the things that are involved that make it a number one drug threat," said Tommy Farmer the Tennessee Meth Task Force Director. A threat that has virtually taken over the state of Tennessee. Now just one more thing to look out for... drug cooks who are using propane tanks and filling them with anhydrous ammonia to make Meth. Employees at one local hardware store fill tanks daily, but never even knew this method existed. News Channel 9 Chattanooga, April 28, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Dutch Look To Ban Magic Mushrooms
The Dutch cabinet has proposed a ban on the sale of all hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms because they could induce life-threatening behavior. A bill will now pass to the Dutch parliament, where a majority of lawmakers are expected to back a ban after a teenage French girl who had eaten mushrooms died jumping from a bridge in 2007. While dried magic mushrooms are illegal in the Netherlands, fresh mushrooms can still be bought openly in so-called "Smart Shops." Posters in Smart Shops outline the effects the mushrooms have and whether users are more likely to feel chatty or exhilarated, for example. "The use of mushrooms can produce hallucinogenic effects which can lead to extreme or life-threatening behavior," the health ministry said in a statement late on Friday after the cabinet decision. Reuters, April 26, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Medical Marijuana Patients Face Transplant Hurdles
Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal, but the fluid building up in his abdomen makes the 56-year-old musician look eight months pregnant.
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5/3/2008
What It’s Like To Buy Medical Marijuana
The advertising flier left no doubt about its pitch: a giant marijuana leaf with a phone number that ended GOT KUSH. A friend's teenage daughter brought it home from last weekend's Earth Day celebration on the Santa Monica Pier. What else would I expect from a concert held on 4/20 -- a shorthand reference to smoking pot -- that featured reggae artist Ziggy Marley, son of Bob? "Have you or anyone else experienced an illness [for] which you believe marijuana could provide relief?" the flier read. "If you don't qualify for a recommendation, your visit is free." I'd seen similar ads before. Walk along the Venice boardwalk and it's hard to not get handed one of those head-shop postcards promising instant approval to smoke marijuana. Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2008.
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5/3/2008
Addicted Doctors Still Treat Patients
A woman who says she had to forgo cancer treatment because of botched surgery by a California doctor says she was never made aware the doctor was being treated for alcoholism and had been convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol.
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5/3/2008
Canada’s Top Court Rules Random Drug Search At School Unlawful
The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday ruled that random drug searches using police sniffer dogs are unlawful, citing constitutional protections from unreasonable search and seizure. The 6-3 ruling stems from two separate cases in 2002 that resulted in one conviction and one acquittal. In one case, a man was arrested at a Calgary bus depot in January 2002 by officers on the lookout for drug couriers after a black labrador named Chevy sniffed drugs in his luggage. A subsequent search of the man, who was approached at first because he stared suspiciously at police, found 17 ounces (482 grams) of cocaine in his bag and a small amount of heroine in his pocket.
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