Drug News

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
‘Pill-mill’ doctors responsible for much prescription-drug abuse – TC Palm
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How about a “zero tolerance” policy for the pill-mill doctors? Let’s levy a fine closer to $100,000 than $10,000, permanently revoke their medical license, and deliver a mandatory prison term for homicide. In the “war against drugs,” these doctors are the worst kind of war criminal.

BATH SALTS – USA
Bath salts: America’s newest drug addiction – Examiner.com

Synthetic drugs, being sold under the facade of “bath salts,” have quickly become a cause for alarm with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and federal authorities.

COCAINE – BRAZIL
Outrage: Rio Drug Dealers Sell Amy Winehouse Brand Cocaine‎ – Student Operated Press

Drug dealers in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro are packaging their product with pictures of Amy Winehouse in a bid to make the drug more attractive to younger users.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Campus Life 101: Staying Sober – Fox News

As a high school senior, Aaron Weir decided to attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock, not for any particular academic program but for the hospitality that school extends toward students in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction. “I was 16 years old when I got clean and sober and I want to stay that way in college.”

HEROIN – USA
Heroin ‘lamp shades’ lead to arrest – Washington Post

Upon closer inspection, the officers noticed that the frames contained a “brown powdery substance” that tested positive for heroin. A lot of it.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Arrests won’t solve prescription drug problem, leaders say‎ – Charleston Gazette

“Law enforcement cannot arrest our way out of this problem,” Smithers said. “It’s way beyond that.” West Virginia has the nation’s highest rate of drug overdose deaths. More than 90 percent involve prescription drugs.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Teens take road to addiction early in life – Times Free Press

The road to teen addiction often begins when children are still young enough to climb into their parents’ laps. The majority of alcohol and drug abuse begins right before adulthood, Columbia researchers said, but small children who see their parents smoking, drinking or pill-popping are more likely to give it a whirl during their teenage years.

HEROIN – USA
Richland man charged in 3rd heroin-related death – The News Tribune

A 35-year-old alleged drug dealer now is charged with the deaths of three Tri-Citians who overdosed after using his heroin. In the newest case filed against Brian Haney Burt, the Richland man reportedly found the victim in a poor condition but panicked and left without getting help.

HEROIN – UK
Pete Doherty: who will stop the Pied Piper of heroin? – Telegraph.co.uk

Three children, three bright futures, three pairs of grief-stricken parents. And one man linking them all: Pete Doherty, the singer – the not-so-angelic singer. Thirty-two years old, 15 court appearances in eight years, 25 drugs convictions, plus three more for burglary, driving without insurance and assault.

METHADONE/HEROIN – UK
Failure to help drug addicts is costing Britain £3.6bn a year – The Independent

Its author, Kathy Gyngell, said: “By sponsoring addiction, drug treatment has entrenched a costly dual dependency – on drugs and on welfare.” Three-quarters of those in treatment programmes are on methadone, amounting to 150000 people.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS/HEROIN – USA
Atlantic County narcotics officer says teen drug use rising – Press of Atlantic City

An Atlantic County narcotics investigator told a state commission investigating the rise in drug use among teenagers that he has seen many high school students progress from getting drugs from their parents to buying heroin on the streets.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Local drug addict speaks out about success of Georgia Meth Project – WRDW TV

They are graphic commercials, showing drug use at its worst, but
new research shows The Georgia Meth Project is working. Information released by Governor Deal today shows, more teenagers believe meth is dangerous, and they say the ads are sending a message loud and clear.

ALCOHOL – USA
Alcohol is teen drug of choice – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Teens reported consuming alcohol more than any other drug. They also reported having the lowest levels of perceived harm from drinking alcohol.

ALCOHOL – USA
Gun Owners More Likely to Abuse Alcohol – Laboratory Equipment

Binge drinking, chronic heavy alcohol use and drinking and driving are all more common among gun owners than among non-owners, even after adjusting for age.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Teens’ toxic combo: Boredom, alcohol and drugs – St. Augustine Record

Summer is often a point of concern for parents as their young people tend to have more free time and less adult supervision. These two factors can be a toxic combination fueled by boredom and risky decision making when it comes to alcohol and other drug use.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
A County Takes Down Prescription ‘Pill Mills’ – NPR

Behind her is a memorial to victims of prescription drug abuse. Many of the clinics are blamed for prescription drug abuse in a state where the leading cause of accidental death is unintentional drug overdose.

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 – 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.

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.

Prescription Drug Abuse – USA
Quest Diagnostics reports use of prescription opiates by American workers has increased by 40% – THE MEDICAL NEWS

Accidents do happen, but many times the incident could have been prevented when it is a result of prescription drug abuse.

Ending Drug Abuse – Georgia
Annual summit focuses on breaking cycle of drug abuse – times-georgian.com

Former NFL star Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson became aware of the effects of alcohol as a 10-year-old. He did not abuse the drug himself at that age, but he saw how it affected his mother and stepfather’s relationship.

Mephedrone Ban Request – European Union Nations
EU Calls For Ban on ‘Meow Meow’ Drug – MeDINDIA

The European Commission Wednesday called for a ban on suspected killer drug mephedrone, a popular ecstasy-like party drug known as “meow meow”, sold on the Internet and available in 12 EU nations.

Drug Trafficking – Massachusetts
Mass. Arrests 31 In Organized Crime Investigation – wbur.org

BOSTON — Authorities have charged 31 people in a yearlong investigation into organized crime and drug trafficking, including reputed New England mob capo Mark Rossetti.

Methamphetamine – Use During Pregnancy
Prosecution of Drug Abuse During Pregnancy – HEATH & WELLNESS

Kirsten Scharnberg, a Tribune National correspondent reported, “Tayshea Aiwohi is charged with consuming such huge amounts of crystal meth while she was pregnant that her son died of methamphetamine poisoning two days  after his birth” (Scharnberg, 2003). Cases such as this are appearing much more often in the spotlight recently. Prosecution against pregnant drug addicts has escalated greatly in recent years in a hope to protect the unborn fetus the women are carrying. Women who drink during pregnancy risk delivering a child with fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as mental retardation. Drug abuse exponentially increases the risk of miscarriage as well as much physical and mental impairment in the fetus.

Drug Abuse Prevention – US Air Force Musicians
Air Force musicians take a visible stand against drug abuse – U.S. AIR FORCE

10/21/2010 – SAN ANTONIO (AFNS) — The Air Force’s Band of the West is reaching out to thousands of school children in San Antonio with a “Stay in School” and “Say No to Drugs” message.

Synthetic Marijuana – Alaska
‘Spiced’ Man Breaks into House, Falls Asleep, Blames God – KTVA

A Fairbanks man was arrested Monday night after he reportedly broke into a home under the influence of potent synthetic marijuana.

Drug Violence – Portugal
Scot has ear, fingers & toes chopped off during drug gang kidnap ordeal in Portugal – DailyRecord.co.uk

A SCOT had an ear, two fingers and three toes chopped off during a horrific kidnap ordeal over an alleged £10,000 drug debt.

Marijuana – Mexico
134 tons of marijuana burnt in Mexico – Thaindian News

Tijuana, Oct 21 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Mexican army has burnt the 134 tons of marijuana that was seized from drug traffickers in Tijuana on Monday.

Alcohol – Colorado
‘Drunkorexia’ a growing trend among college students – Los Angeles Times

While “drunkorexia” is not a medical term, it has become easily understood slang for the practice of swapping food calories for those in alcohol.

Substance Abuse Trends – USA
Latest Substance Abuse Stats Show Troubling Trends – About.com: Alcoholism

The latest government statistics about how and how much Americans use drugs and alcohol are out and the news is not encouraging for healthcare providers. More people are doing illicit drugs and an alarming percentage of people engage in regular binge drinking, the numbers show.

Drug Cartels – Mexico
Student, 20, heads police in Mexico drug corridor – THE INDEPENDENT

A 20-year-old woman who hasn’t yet finished her criminology degree was named as Mexico’s new police chief.

Youth & Alcohol Study – UK
Brit Kids Get Drunk for About Half the Cost of a Chocolate Bar – MeDINDIA

A recent study has revealed that youngsters in the UK can get drunk for half the price of a chocolate bar.

Drug-Related ER Visits For Kids – USA
Kids Under 6 Made Majority of ER Visits for Accidental Drug Ingestion – Join Together

Children five years old and younger account for 69 percent of visits made to the emergency room in 2008 for accidental ingestion of drugs — and adults should take heed, HealthDay News reported Oct. 15.

Marijuana – Mexico
Marijuana packages seized in Mexico had Homer Simpson labels – Thaindian News

TIJUANA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) — Around 105 tons of marijuana – which would have been sold for around 4.2 billion pesos ($337 million dollars) in roughly 210 million packages – were seized in Mexico’s drug-plaged north on Monday.

Cocaine – Kansas
Sixteen people charged in KCK cocaine-distribution ring – The Kansas City Star

Sixteen people are charged with distributing more $4.2 million in cocaine in the streets of Kansas City, Kan., federal officials announced Monday.

Alcohol – UK
‘Drunk’ dad leaves 3-year-old son in car for 25 hours – Thaindian News

London, Oct 19 (ANI): A ‘drunk’ father left his three-year-old boy alone in a car for up to 25 hours.

Meth – USA
Killer Meth: America’s Greatest Drug Threat – Drug Addiction Treatment

Five years is a long time in the evolution of drug use. In August 2005, Newsweek magazine published a story claiming that meth was “America’s Most Dangerous Drug.” A lot has changed in the drug landscape in America since then, and it’s gotten to the point where many experts believe that killer meth is America’s greatest drug threat.