Drug News

Meth – Michigan
Trail from meth found at gas station leads to Lawton man – Kalamazoo News

ANTWERP TOWNSHIP — A Lawton man on probation for maintaining a methamphetamine lab was arrested Sunday on new drug charges, police said.

Military Drug Use – UK
Is the Army losing its war against drug abuse? – The Independent

More than 6,000 soldiers have failed drugs tests over the past decade, an investigation by The Independent has found. Figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that the main drug of choice for military personnel has been cocaine, with a fivefold increase in the number of soldiers failing tests for it between 2000 and 2008.

Drug Violence – Mexico
Mexico game preserves hope to lure back U.S. hunters leery of drug wars – azcentral.com

Across Mexico, drug violence is putting a damper on efforts to attract American hunters, a form of tourism that ranchers and the government have been trying to encourage in recent years as a way of bringing jobs to rural parts of the country.

Drunk Driving – New York
Drunk driver sentenced for killing pedestrian in NY 12 years ago before fleeing to Ecuador – Thaindian News

NEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) – A New York man was sentenced after hiding in Ecuador for more than ten years, prosecutors said Friday.

Prescription Drug Abuse – Minnesota
Pharm Party Awareness - KAAL-TV LLC

(ABC 6 NEWS) — When you think about drug abuse, you probably think of things like marijuana, cocaine, and meth. But the drugs being abused most often these days are far more accessible, and Minnesota cities and counties are fighting back.

Meth – Oregon
New script for Sudafed? – Stateline.org

Oregon raised eyebrows in 2005 when it became the first state to require a doctor’s prescription for tablets of Sudafed, Claritin D and several other common cold and allergy medicines. Intended to stop production of crystal meth — which is made with a decongestant found in those medicines — the law was panned by some as a huge hassle.

Opium – India
India expresses concern over opium cultivation in neighbouring countries – Thaindian News

Vienna (Austria), Mar 12(ANI): India has expressed concern that more than 90 percent of the world’s opium production is taking place in its neighbourhood.

Border Control – Mexico & USA
U.S. Customs: Mexican cartels corrupt border agents – Associated Press

McALLEN — Mexican drug cartels are infiltrating federal law enforcement agencies along the southwest border and those charged with weeding them out say they don’t have the money to catch all the corrupt agents, homeland security officials told a U.S. Senate panel Thursday.

Meth Lab Bust – California
Pleasanton brothers ran meth lab, cops say – San Francisco Chronicle

Two brothers were arrested on suspicion of operating a methamphetamine lab hidden in a Pleasanton home, police said Thursday.

Drug Court Sentencing – Oregon
Ore. meth kingpins get more than decade in prison – StatesmanJournal.com

SALEM, Ore. — Two leaders of a Mexico-based methamphetamine ring that operated in Oregon and Washington state have been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

Drunk Driving – Nebraska
Police: Man Drunk At DUI Sentencing – KETV.com

PAPILLION, Neb. — Authorities said a drunken driver showed up for his sentencing hearing drunk again.

Pre-Teen Inhalant Abuse – USA
12 Year Olds More Likely To Use Potentially Deadly Inhalants Than Cigarettes Or Marijuana – Medical News TODAY

More 12 year olds have used potentially lethal inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, according to data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in conjunction with the 18th annual National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week.

Prescription Drug Abuse – Florida
Prescription drug abuse on the rise – wmnf.org

According to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, prescription drug abuse has become more fatal than abuse of illegal street drugs.

Underage Drinking – Georgia
Zach Mettenberger Arrested, Charged With Underage Drinking – The Huffington Post

REMERTON, Ga. — A quarterback competing for the starting job at the University of Georgia has been released on bond after his arrest in south Georgia over the weekend on charges related to underage drinking.

Meth – USA Study
Women and Methamphetamine Use – Drug Addiction Treatment

The ratios of men to women who use particular substances vary greatly and generally statistics show a significant trend toward more substance use by males for all classes of substances.

Overdose – Michigan
Grand Rapids woman sent to prison for role in Amy Bousfield’s heroin-overdose death – Kalamazoo News

KALAMAZOO — A Grand Rapids woman will spend three to 20 years in prison for her role in a heroin deal that led to the fatal overdose.

Heroin – UK
Burglar jailed for student murder in Leeds – BBC News

A 31-year-old man has been jailed for life for stabbing a student to death while burgling his house in Leeds.

Marijuana Bust – Nebraska
Lincoln Police Bust Big Marijuana Grow Operation – KETV.com

LINCOLN, Neb. — Lincoln police have busted what they called the largest indoor marijuana growing operation in memory.

Rohypnol – Colorado
Reports of Blackouts Believed Caused by ‘Date Rape’ Drugs Boom in Aspen – abc NEWS

A young man who awoke disoriented in a movie theater showing “Avatar” 10 miles from where he had been drinking with friends is one of at least 11 people from the tony ski town of Aspen, Colo., who claimed that someone surreptitiously slipped drugs into their drinks, police say.

Drug & Alcohol Addiction Prevention – Massachusetts
Kitty Dukakis joins panel addressing students about drug abuse – boston.com

Fifty six years after she graduated from Brookline High School, former Massachusetts First Lady Kitty Dukakis returned Thursday to discuss her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction before an audience of current students and parents.

Teen Drug & Alcohol Abuse – North Carolina
Teen drug & alcohol abuse up in NC; first time in decade – WWAY NewsChannel 3

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America/MetLife Foundation Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) shows the first reversal in the consistent decline of teen drug and alcohol abuse since 1998.

Cocaine – Rhode Island
3 Providence, RI, police officers arrested on drug charges, along with 3 other men – Associated Press

SCITUATE, R.I. (AP) — Three Providence police officers, including a narcotics detective and a school resource officer, were arrested Thursday on charges that they helped with a cocaine-dealing operation.

Drunk Driving – New Jersey
Mount Olive Municipal Court: Quadruple drunk limit for driver – Mount Olive Chronicle

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. – In-patient rehab, jail time, more than $1,000 in fines and a 10 year license suspension were the penalties for a Woodbridge man who admitted in court on Monday, Feb. 22, that he drove while four times over the limit for legal intoxication.

Drunken Gambling Lawsuit – Indiana
Ky. gambler sues casino for drunken losses – UPI.com

PAOLI, Ind., March 4 (UPI) — A Kentucky businessman has filed a lawsuit against an Indiana casino for loaning him $75,000 — which he lost — while he was drunk, court records showed.

Cocaine – UK
The Big Question: Is Britain’s cocaine problem out of control, and what can we do about it? – The Independent

A report released by the Home Affairs Select Committee suggests that cocaine is now seen as socially acceptable in Britain and that while much is being done to tackle the supply side of the cocaine industry not enough is being done to address the spiraling demand. The report by MPs came a day after a separate NHS report identified a worrying increase in hospital admissions relating to cocaine use among teenagers.

Drunk Driving – Michigan
Grand Junction woman was drunk and texting while driving, police say – Kalamazoo News

WAVERLY TOWNSHIP — A 19-year-old Grand Junction woman was drunk and texting on her cell phone when she crashed her car early Wednesday in Van Buren County, police said.

Drug Overdoses – Pennsylvania
In Camden, overdose victims add to a string of recent deaths – philly.com

THE EVIDENCE of a troubled neighborhood was scattered all over an empty lot on Berkley Street, in Camden, yesterday morning, even after police removed the body of a female who overdosed there.

Prescription Drug Addiction – USA
Burt Reynolds recovering after open-heart surgery – Thaindian News

… Reynolds, 74, had also recently completed a month-long stint in rehab, in which he sought treatment for an addiction to prescription drugs.

Heroin – Utah
Alpine Council: ‘In our neighborhood, it is heroin’ – Daily Herald

Are your kids skipping Sunday School to do heroin?

Ecstasy – Kansas
Texas man detained with 436,000 Ecstasy pills – Thaindian News

WICHITA, KANSAS (BNO NEWS) – A Texas man was charged for possessing with intent to distribute Ecstasy pills, prosecutors said Thursday.

“Spice” – World News
More Bans on “Spice” – Drug Addiction Treatment

Spice, a product which has been portrayed as a natural herbal mix of substances such as vanilla and Baybean, is being banned more and more by various groups and agencies. Spice actually contains a type of synthetic cannabinoid. It has been legally marketed as a harmless product – a “legal high”. It is sold under various names including K2, Spice Diamond, Spice Gold and Spice Silver.

Meth – USA
Meth Mouth Can Signal Addiction to Dentists – About.com: Alcoholism

When otherwise healthy young people show up at the dentist with severe oral health problems, it should signal to the dentist that the patient may be addicted to methamphetamine. Patients who exhibit symptoms of “meth mouth” are more likely to be injection drug users, according to a new study.

Drug & Alcohol Bust – India
Holi haul! 2,000 held with illicit liquor, drugs – Thaindian News

Lucknow, March 2 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Police had a busy day ahead of Holi as they made a huge haul of illicit liquor, hashish, marijuana and other intoxicants and arrested as many as 2,055 people in a state-wide haul, officials said Tuesday. Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters here Tuesday evening: “we have seized as much as 27,253 litres of illicit liquor from some 250 hooch brewing units during the state-wide 24-hour campaign launched by us between February 27 and 28.”

Heroin – USA
Buffalo man sentenced for operating a heroin trafficking ring – Thaindian News

A Buffalo, New York man was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for operating a heroin distribution ring, prosecutors announced on Monday.

Prescription Drug Abuse – USA
Teen and Pre-Teen Prescription Drug Abuse - The Latest Dope – Ezine @rticles

There is a new drug pusher in town. He does not hang out down the alley or on the street corner. And it is not heroin or crack this time. The drugs are what most people would call medicines and more teens abuse them than of all types of illicit drugs combined, excepting only marijuana.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse By Teens – USA
U.S. teen alcohol, drug abuse on upswing – UPI.com

NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) — The number of U.S. teens who say they used alcohol or drugs rose in 2009 compared with 2008, a survey indicates.

Drug Trafficking – USA
Michael Douglas In ‘Vanity Fair’: I Put Career Over Fathering Cameron – The Huffington Post

Michael Douglas covers the new Vanity Fair and inside he opens up about his son Cameron, who faces at least ten years in prison for trafficking meth, and trying to get fatherhood right the second time around with his family with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Marijuana – USA
AP IMPACT: Drug Gangs Taking Over US Public Lands – abcNEWS/U.S.

Not far from Yosemite’s waterfalls and in the middle of California’s redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them.

Drug Overdose – USA
Three Cave Creek girls sent to hospital for overdose – azcentral.com

Three middle-school girls in Cave Creek were transported to a hospital Friday afternoon, after they apparently overdosed on Tylenol cold medicine while at school, according to Deputy Chief Frank Salomon of the Phoenix Fire Department.

Drunk Driving – Australia
90-year-old loses licence for speeding, drunk driving – Thaindian News

Melbourne, Feb 28 (IANS) A 90-year-old man lost his driving licence in Australia’s Victoria state after he was clocked over-speeding and detected with double the alcohol limit, police said.

Meth – USA
Great-grandmother gets 5 years on meth charges – The Associated Press

A Northern California great-grandmother has been sentenced to prison after being convicted on methamphetamine charges.

Heroin – USA
Abington Heights drug policy working, officials say, but heroin problem remains – thetimes-tribune.com

Two years after Abington Heights School District officials began responding to a growing heroin problem, statistics show a slight drop in the number of students in trouble over drug and alcohol abuse.

Illegal Prescription Drug Distribution – USA
South Carolina doctor sentenced for illegal drug distribution – Thaindian News

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) – A doctor, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, was sentenced to 41 months of supervised release for conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald announced on Friday.

Drug Prevention – USA & Mexico
U.S. and Mexico issued a declaration of drug demand reduction cooperation – Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – The White House announced on Friday that government officials from the U.S. and Mexico issued a declaration of drug demand reduction cooperation.

Drug Rehabilitation – World News
Narconon network celebrates its 44th birthday - Behavioral Health Central

The Narconon drug rehabilitation program began on February 19th, 1966, based on a decision by Arizona State Prison inmate by the name of William Benitez. After reading a book by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, “The Fundamentals of Thought”, Benitez recognized there could be a whole new approach to curing himself and helping others get permanently off drugs - concentrate on your abilities, rather than your addiction. It sounds simple now, but it wasn’t to an inmate who had tried every other method to get off drugs way back in ‘66.

Prescription Drug Abuse - USA
Superwoman syndrome credited to popping prescription pills – Thaindian News

New York, Feb 26 (ANI): A survey has revealed that most women, who are overwhelmed by jobs, kids and commitments, pop prescription pills to boost their energy, calm them down or for any other non medical reason.

Drunk Driving – USA
Police: Drunk man drove off with gas hose – UPI.com

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Feb. 25 (UPI) — Indiana police said they arrested an alleged drunk driver who drove away from a gas station with the nozzle and hose still attached to his vehicle.

Drug Related Incarceration – USA
Michael Douglas’ son Cameron to stay in jail until sentencing – Thaindian News

New York, Feb 26 (ANI): It has emerged that actor Michael Douglas’ drug-dealing son, Cameron, will remain in jail until he is sentenced in April.

Drug & Alcohol Rehab – USA
‘Two and a Half Men’ star Charlie Sheen goes into rehab – Norwalk Reflector

LOS ANGELES (MCT) - In a surprise development Tuesday that casts doubt on the rest of its season, television’s top-rated sitcom, “Two and a Half Men,” halted production after its star Charlie Sheen announced he was checking into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic.

Heroin – UK
Drug addict’s ‘letter to heroin’ published after her death –Telegraph.co.uk

The family of a teenage drug addict who wrote a moving letter to heroin days before she overdosed have released her words in the hope of inspiring other youngsters to steer clear of drugs.

Drug Addiction – USA
Kelly O: Drugs worse than being fat – Press Association

Kelly Osbourne claims she was looked down on for being overweight more than she was for her drug addiction.

Drug Testing – USA
Cubs minor leaguer says bring on testing - MESA, Ariz. – Southtown Star

While major league players, through their union, have resisted blood testing for performance-enhancing drugs, the Cubs’ top draft pick from last year said he’s all for baseball’s plan to start blood-testing minor leaguers for HGH.

Drug Prevention – USA
More Than $1.1 Million In Grants Available For Community-Based Drug Prevention Coalitions – Medical News TODAY

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing the availability of more than $1.1 million for new Drug Free Communities Support Mentoring program (DFC Mentoring) grants. An estimated 15 new Mentoring grants will be awarded (up to $75,000 per grant, per year) to drug and alcohol prevention community coalitions from across the nation. The length of the project period is up to two years.

Prescription Drug Abuse – Nepal
Date rape drugs, prescription pill abuse rising, warns report – Thaindian News

Kathmandu, Feb 25 (IANS) The use of “date rape drugs” as well as abuse of prescription drugs is rising with India emerging as one of the main sources of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies, drugs watchdog International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned.

Marijuana – USA
(Video) Seniors & Pot: Marijuana For Pain – The Post Chronicle

The aging of the baby boom generation is resulting in a dramatic increase in levels of illicit drug use among adults 50 and older, a U.S. officials said.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse – USA
Lindsay Lohan blames dad for her cocaine use – The Money Times

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan has hit headlines again, this time talking candidly about her history of cocaine use as well as her three rehab visits and her arrest for drunk driving twice.

Methamphetamine Addiction – South Africa
‘I can see my son is ready to kill’ – iol.co.za

The recent murders of at least three adults, allegedly by tik addict relatives in Cape Town townships, have parents living in fear.

Methamphetamine Production Halted – Guatemala
160,000 illegal drug tablets seized in Guatemala – Thaindian News

Guatemala City, Feb 23 (IANS/EFE) Guatemalan drug enforcement agents seized some 160,000 pseudoephedrine tablets in a warehouse at the capital’s La Aurora International Airport, but no arrests were made, the police said. The tablets were found at a warehouse belonging to Conbex, a company that imports and exports a variety of products.

Alcohol – UK
Drunk man ’straddled aeroplane’ – BBC News

Two drunk men on a work night out sparked a terror alert after they broke into an airport and tampered with the controls in the cockpit of a plane.

Alcohol – Russia
Russian ex-police chief jailed for life – the moscow news

A purge in the top ranks of the Interior Ministry and an unprecedented life sentence for a police major who killed two people on a drunk shooting spree has raised the stakes in a controversial anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Dmitry Medvedev.