Drug News

DRUG REHAB – USA
Rethinking addiction: Expanding treatment isn’t enough – Baltimore Sun

Each additional life saved from addiction is a tremendous victory, both for the individual and the community. But it is not enough. Recent medical advances and greater access to care have helped many addicts reclaim their lives, but the underlying environmental and social causes of substance abuse remain largely unchanged

DRUG ADDICTION – CANADA
Drug prohibition fuels crime, hurts society – Victoria Times Colonist

Drug prohibition is the true cause of much of the social and personal damage that has historically been attributed to drug use. It is prohibition that makes illegal drugs expensive, while giving criminals a monopoly over their supply.

HEROIN – USA
Grieving family seeks to prevent heroin deaths – Hometownlife.com

They contacted the Livonia Observer to tell the story of their son’s drug use and eventual heroin addiction, which they said led to his taking his own life May 24 at age 22. “He was a good kid, but the drugs made him a totally different. He couldn’t even think straight.”

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION – USA
White House Drug-Control Strategy Focuses on College Students – The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Obama administration’s 2011 National Drug Control Strategy, a report released today, for the first time includes a focus on college students for substance-abuse prevention efforts. “Drug addiction is a disease that too often begins—and can be prevented—on campus.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
A 3-point plan to battle prescription drug abuse – Albany Times Union

Chuck Schumer has proposed a three-pronged attack on the rising abuse of prescription drugs: doctor training, law enforcement and information exchange. “I remember back in the ’80s and ’90s when crack began to rear its head and we didn’t do enough.”

HEROIN – USA
Addiction experts defend drug for heroin addicts – KOB.com

KOB Eyewitness news 4 reported about a spike in abuse of a drug used to treat heroin addiction. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s detectives said it is a new trend, but many viewers responded with skepticism. KOB decided to take a closer look at this drug.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription-Drug Abuse Is Focus of U.S. Drug-Control Strategy – Bloomberg

According to a fact sheet accompanying the report, cocaine abuse has fallen 46 percent over the last five years among young adults aged 18 to 25. Prescription drug abuse hasn’t seen the same decline. “We’re seeing more initiation for drug use by young people through the medicine cabinet than through marijuana.”

ALCOHOL – AUSTRALIA
Alcopops tax cuts youth grog abuse, ‘but community-wide reform needed’ – Cowra Community News

The alcopops tax has worked to reduce drinking by young people but broader changes and a comprehensive approach, including taxation reform, are needed to tackle alcohol abuse across the wider community.

DRUG REHAB – GLOBAL
Eric Clapton auctions guitars for drug rehab clinic – Seer Press‎

Legendary musician Eric Clapton will be selling 150 items, including 70 guitars, for his drug rehab clinic in Antigua. This will mark the third time Clapton …

DRUG COURT – CANADA
Drug treatment court aims to break cycle of crime – Waterloo Record ‎

Kitchener is about to join a handful of cities across Canada who have drug treatment courts. The weekly court, to begin Feb. 2, will be held in Ontario …

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
Substance abuse treatment admission rates show dramatic shifts from 1998 to 2008 – Examiner.com ‎

Drug treatment admission rates, as well as types of drugs involved during the period of 1998 to 2008 shows dramatic shifts says a new study out by the …

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION/TREATMENT – PORTUGAL
Switch succeeds – Scranton Times-Tribune ‎

Users are sent to counseling and for treatment rather than to prison. After 10 years, Portugal has reported a 20 percent increase in drug treatment and a 66 …

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION/TREATMENT – USA
Portugal’s drug policy and how USA is looking to do same – Planet News World ‎

10 years past, the Lisbon locality was a hell on earth, a “drug supermarket” wherever roughly 5000 users lined up each day to purchase heroin and slipped …

ALCOHOL – USA
Wine, strong beer idea questioned by Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws – NewsOK.com ‎

The Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission worries putting wine and strong beer in grocery stores will cause alcohol abuse to increase. …

ALCOHOL – GLOBAL
SIDS rate spikes 33 percent for New Year’s Day, study says – StandardNet ‎

A large-scale study looking at the connection between SIDS and alcohol was conducted by University of California sociologist David Phillips from 1973 to …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Social Issue – Pill Mills – Florida Newsmakers of the Year – Florida Trend ‎

Prescription drug deaths climbed to 2488 in 2009 — a rate of seven deaths per day — making prescription drug abuse the No. 1 Killer of Middle-Aged Floridians.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION – USA
So many need to go to rehab, but Gov. Herbert’s budget says no, no – Salt Lake City Weekly

State data show that nearly 80,000 Utahns are in need but can’t access substance-abuse treatment (see the document below). Gov. Gary Herbert’s 2012 budget plan, which proposes cutting the $3 million in funding for the Drug Offender Reform Act, or DORA, would let more addicts go untreated each year..

CLUB DRUGS – USA
California legislation would ban raves at publicly owned venues – Los Angeles Times

A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that found that many teenagers attending raves use so-called club drugs, including Ecstasy, GHB, … Raves would be outlawed at publicly owned venues in California under a proposal made Wednesday by a lawmaker after the death of a teenager and scores of injuries at rave events in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

HEROIN – USA
Teens are seeking heroin treatment at steady pace – Dallas Morning News

The number of local teens seeking treatment for heroin addiction remains high three years after a series of fatal overdoses from a mixture of heroin and sleep aids, according to a new report released by the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

ALCOHOL – USA
Medical: Studies find binge drinking on the increase – The Republic

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that two or three times more people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents around Christmas …

CLUB DRUGS – USA
Northern border drug control bill goes to Obama – Wall Street Journal

Far more of those drugs come across the southern border, but agents seize eight times the amount of the club drug Ecstasy up north than they do on the …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Operation Growing Pains’ targets prescription drug abuse, nets 135 arrests – Florida Times-Union

The first phase of what’s described as a long-term crackdown on the epidemic of prescription drug abuse has led to 135 arrests. …

COCAINE – USA/CANADA
Too many air fresheners leads to massive drug bust at border – National Post ‎

CBSA officers seized 37-kilograms of cocaine after becoming suspicious about the number of air fresheners a driver was using in the cab of his truck. …

COCAINE/HEROIN – MEXICO/USA
Cocaine, heroin, $120000 seized at Nogales border crossing – AZ Central.com

Border Patrol officers in Nogales seized over $700000 in heroin and cocaine and more than $120000 in undeclared cash in less than an hour.

Heroin – New York
Three arrested in Port Jervis heroin bust – recordonline.com

PORT JERVIS — City police Tuesday arrested a Monticello man they say sold heroin to undercover officers.

Alcohol Abuse – Australia
Indigenous leaders fear rise in drug, alcohol abuse – ABC | Indigenous

A Cape York leader in far north Queensland says he is concerned about the impact a High Court decision could have on substance abuse in the community.

Meth Lab – South Carolina
Meth lab discovered in Hartsville neighborhood - CarolinaLive.com

The discovery of a meth lab at a home in a Harstville community sent shock waves of alarm through the neighborhood. Those living nearby were understandably concerned because their homes weren’t the only thing in danger. There’s a school just 500 yards away.

Meth & Marijuana – Iowa
Iowa Drug Report Shows Issues With Meth, Marijuana – Action3News.com

Des Moines, IA (AP) – Iowa drug control officials have issued a new report that finds the state has an escalating synthetic drug abuse problem and there has been an increase in need for treatment for methamphetamine and marijuana users.

Cocaine – Arizona
Border officers seize $12 million in cocaine – azcentral.com

NOGALES – Border officers in the southeastern Arizona city of Nogales made three separate cocaine seizures worth a combined $12.1 million in one day.

Heroin – New York
Drug Dealers Caught on Google Street View – abcNews/Technology

Google Street View sightings tend to be more peculiar than practical — in the past year alone, the globe encompassing image service has turned up photos of a so-called two-headed man, a “dead” girl and a snake out for a walk with its owner. But the latest additions to the canon of Street View spectacles are so valuable they might be used in a court of law.

Heroin – Australia
Australian woman who hid heroin in stomach held – Thaindian News

Sydney, Nov 6 (IANS) An Australian woman has been arrested here after she was found to have swallowed 41 balloons filled with heroin, a media report said Saturday.

Meth-Related Death – UK
10-day-old girl dies in washing machine – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (IANS) A 10-day-old girl died in Britain when her mother put her in a washing machine with a pile of laundry, a media report said Monday.

Caffeinated Alcohol Ban – Michigan
Michigan Bans Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks – CSP

LANSING, Mich. — The state of Michigan has banned caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) rescinding the approval of all “alcohol energy drinks.” The commission will notify beverage makers via a commission order about the product ban; they will have 30 days to remove these products from the state of Michigan, it said.

Drug Raid – Ohio
Holmesville meth raid ‘went really well and no one got hurt’ - The-Daily-Record.com

MILLERSBURG — Deputies donned camo and checked their weapons and gas masks, then checked them again.

Heroin Seizure – Nevada
Las Vegas heroin seizure worth $1 million – UPI.com

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 7 (UPI) — Police say the $1 million worth of heroin seized at the Las Vegas airport was the largest in the city in recent history.

Cocaine – UK
Benson Offia in court for a 3 million Pounds cocaine haul – Thaindian News

London, Nov 8 (THAINDIAN NEWS) British Officers will take a man accused of possessing one of the highest quantities of cocaine in the country to court today. The street value of the drug that was seized from the man is estimated to be worth £3 million. He is charged with possessing Class A drug with the intent to sell.

Heroin – Colorado
Students found using heroin at AAHS – Coloradoconnection.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Academy District 20 officials said they found students using heroin and other substances at Air Academy High School, and one student has been arrested.

Cocaine – Florida
‘Candy’ cocaine leads to drug arrest – UPI.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 4 (UPI) — A Puerto Rico man is charged with attempting to smuggle 21 pounds of cocaine into Florida disguised in bags of candy, authorities said.

Probation – USA Celebrity
Lil Wayne Can’t Drink For Three Years Under Probation – MTV NEWS

Lil Wayne isn’t allowed to drink alcohol for three years, according to Arizona probation documents obtained by TMZ.

Meth – Wyoming
Wyo. cops lose box of drugs that says ‘METH’ on it – ctpost.com

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Officials in Wyoming want people to be on the lookout for a black box with white lettering that says “METH,” after a deputy lost a stash used to train police dogs. Teton County sheriff’s Sgt. Lloyd Funk said the deputy accidentally left the box on a bumper after a canine training exercise Oct. 27. It contained nearly an ounce of methamphetamine.

Marijuana – Nebraska
State Patrol: Pot Found Stashed In Spare Tire – KETV.com

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska State Patrol said a Las Vegas man is in jail after marijuana was found stashed in the spare tire of his pickup truck.

Alcohol Abuse – Ireland
President of UCC issues alcohol warning – IrishExaminer.com

HEALTH problems and Ireland’s image abroad will worsen significantly unless rising alcohol abuse by young people is reversed, the head of one of the country’s biggest colleges has warned.

Meth – Arizona
Man caught with meth pipe in his underpants in Mesa – azcentral.com

A man confessed to hiding a methamphetamine pipe in his underwear after he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a dangerous drug.

Heroin Smuggling – Dominican Republic
Dominican Police Say Singer Had Drugs in Stomach – abcNEWS/Entertainment

Dominican police say singer found at airport with heroin in stomach rushed to hospital

Drug Arrest – Michigan Mother
Kalamazoo woman appearing unconscious with son in her car, arrested on drug charges – Mlive.com

ALMENA TOWNSHIP — A Kalamazoo woman who police say had her 11-year-old son with her in her car was arrested on drug charges in northeastern Van Buren County late Monday, police said.

Marijuana – California
California Citizens Reject Proposition 19 – Thaindian News

Nov 3, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Proposition 19 has been drawing national and international attention as California attempted to become the first state in nation to legalize marijuana-related activities. However, yesterday all the hopes and dreams of Proposition 19 supporters were crushed when the proposal was rejected by 57 percent against 43 percent in favor of it. However, the supporters believe that this was their first step of legalization of marijuana and in 2012 also they would raise the issue during election.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse – California Sheriff’s Deputy
Drug counts added in OC deputy DUI case – The Modesto Bee modbee.com

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Prosecutors have added doctor-shopping drug counts to the prescription drug driving under the influence case against a now-former Orange County sheriff’s deputy.

Heroin Death – UK
Anthrax linked to heroin user’s death – The Independent

A drug user who was left fighting for life after injecting heroin contaminated with anthrax died today, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.

Marijuana – Arizona
Border agents recover $1.3 million in marijuana – azcentral.com

TUCSON – Border Patrol agents working a desert area in southwestern Arizona Sunday recovered 1,700 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $1.3 million.

Crack Cocaine – California
87 year old crack dealer Ola Mae Agee jailed – Thaindian News

Los Angeles, Nov 1 (THAINDIAN NEWS) It is often said that old habits die-hard and that might be exactly the case in the case of Ola Mae Agee. At the very advanced age of 87 years Ola has been jailed for a-year-and-a-half for dealing in crack cocaine. Ola was arrested after an undercover cop managed to get the octogenarian to sell him a crack.

Teen Pot & Alcohol Abuse – USA Study
Study: Heavy Alcohol and Pot Use May Damage Teen Brains – Join Together

New research found adolescents who abused marijuana and alcohol scored lower on a battery of intellectual aptitude tests than their drug-free peers, HealthDay News reported Oct. 19.

Drug Sentencing Reform – USA
Reforms of crack sentencing take effect – UPI.com

DENVER, Nov. 1 (UPI) — Federal drug sentencing reforms took effect Monday, but Colorado’s U.S. attorney does not expect dramatic changes.

Alcohol & Drug Abuse – USA
Alcohol Is Most Harmful Drug, Followed By Heroin And Crack – Medical News TODAY

Alcohol is the most damaging drug to the drinker and others overall, heroin and crack are the second and third most harmful, Professor David Nutt and colleagues wrote in the medical journal The Lancet today. When all factors related to self harm and harm to others are considered, alcohol comes out top. The authors explain that drugs, including tobacco products and alcohol are major contributors to damage to individuals as well as society as a whole.

Heroin – Australia
168 kg of heroin seized in Australia – Thaindian News

London, Nov 2 (IANS) Australian authorities have seized 168 kg of heroin, the fifth biggest shipment of the contraband ever to be smuggled into the country, hidden inside a consignment of wooden doors from Malaysia to Sydney, a media report said Monday.

Meth – Iowa
Mom convicted in girl’s death faces meth charges – KWQC-TV Davenport, IA / Associated Press

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A Cedar Rapids mother who’s been sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with her 2-year-old daughter’s death faces new drug charges.

Inhalants – Virginia
Survey suggests more Fairfax County youths are using inhalants – FairfaxTimes.com

Although the number remains small, there was a slight increase in the number of Fairfax County students who said they used inhalants between 2008 and 2009, according to a report released Tuesday.

Alcohol – USA Celebrity
Charlie Sheen Hospitalized After Intoxicated Disturbance in NYC – gather.com

No stranger to infamous problems with the law or drugs and alcohol, Charlie Sheen is in the spotlight once again.  Sheen was reported by TMZ to be drunk and disorderly at the Plaza Hotel in NYC on Tuesday evening following a dinner at a nearby restaurant. While no arrests were made by the NYPD, Sheen was hospitalized and evaluated according to TMZ.

Alcohol Energy Drinks – Washington
‘Four Loko’ Hospitalizes Students, Concern Raises Over Alcohol Energy Drink – The Huffington Post

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Sugary, high-alcohol energy drinks that are popular with college students who want to get drunk quickly and cheaply came under renewed scrutiny Monday as investigators announced that nine freshmen had been hospitalized after drinking them at an off-campus party.

Drug Trafficking – USA Flight Attendant
American Airlines employee charged with drug offences – LaosNews.Net

The US Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the indictment of an American Airlines employee.

Meth Lab – Washington
Drug Lab Found In Georgetown Dorm – The Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — A dormitory for freshmen at prestigious Georgetown University was evacuated after a suspected meth lab was found in a room.

Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages – Washington
Caffeinated Booze Four Loko, Not Drugs, Sickened Students at Party – abc NEWS / Health

A highly caffeinated, but legal alcoholic drink was responsible for sickening dozens and sent nine Central Washington students to the hospital and led to an investigation of whether the party-goers had been drugged, police said today.

Drug Abuse – USA Study
Teens, Parents Both Underreport Drug Use, Study Finds – FoxNews.com

Teenagers aren’t the only ones who skirt the truth in admitting drug use: Their parents do it too, a new study suggests.

Drug Sniffing Dogs – USA
Could Your Kids be On Drugs? New Biz Sends Search Dogs to Sniff Out Their Rooms – abc News / U.S.

Maryland Non-Profit’s Dogs Can Detect Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin and Meth

Drug-Related Violence
Three killed in Chicago suburb shooting – Thaindian News

Washington, Oct 25 (IANS) A 28-year-old woman, her 9-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old boy were shot dead overnight in Chicago in apparent drug-related killings, police said Monday.

Past Drug Use Preventing Job – USA Celebrity
Disney is going to cut all Keith Richards scenes from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4′ – Thaindian News

Los Angeles, Oct 25 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Shortly after announcing that rocker Keith Richards was going to be a part of the movie – ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4’, there is now a new twist in the tale. Apparently Disney is not too happy with Keith’s drug tales and so now they have decided to axe him from the movie. And apparently that is not all. They have also decided to delete and cut away all the scenes that they have already shot with him in the movie.

Heroin – UK
Heroin addict accepts cash to be sterilized – examiner.com

A British citizen has become the first person in that country to accept money to be sterilized by a controversial U.S. charity, Project Prevention, founded by Barbara Harris reported the Mail October 23, 2010.