Drug News

Fatal Drug-Related Violence – Mexico
72 bodies found in northern Mexico – UPI.com

SAN FERNANDO, Mexico, Aug. 25 (UPI) — Mexican marines found 72 bodies in northern Mexico after a gunfight with a suspected drug cartel in which one marine and three suspects died, officials said.

Cocaine Overdoses – UK
Cocaine overdoses on the rise – Telegraph.co.uk

The number of people dying from cocaine overdoses have increased 15 per cent in just four years raising fresh concerns over the growing prevalence of the drug.

Out of Rehab – Lindsay Lohan
LiLo released from rehab – Thaindian News

New York, August 25(ANI): Lindsay Lohan has been released from substance abuse rehab.

Marijuana & Drug Trafficking – California
Marijuana plants worth $100 million seized on Calif. farm believed run by drug traffickers – WGNtv.com – Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say narcotics task force agents have seized an estimated 25,000 marijuana plants worth up to $100 million on a Southern California farm believed to be run by Mexican drug traffickers.

Alcohol Risks – USA Study
Risk For Certain Types Of Breast Cancer Increased By Alcohol Intake – Medical News TODAY

Alcohol increases the risk of lobular and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but not necessarily invasive ductal carcinomas, according to a study published online in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Drugs In Schools – USA
National Study Finds Jump in Drug Use in Public Middle and High Schools – Drug Addiction Treatment

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released a new report this month, exposing the surge in gang- and drug-infected schools based on students’ responses to a national survey. An estimated 5.7 million public school students are believed to be exposed to school environments that are both gang- and drug-infected.

Drug Charges – British Celebrity
George Michael Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges – MTV Networks

Troubled singer receives six-month suspension of driver’s license following July car crash.

Heroin Labeling – UK
Don’t label heroin users as ‘junkies’ - Drug Commission – BBC NEWS UK

People should stop calling heroin users “junkies” or “addicts”, an influential think tank on drugs has said.

Cocaine – USA Celebrity
LiLo wants apology from court over false cocaine addiction charges – Thaindian News

Washington, August 24 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan wants some form of apology or compensation from the court after coming clean in her latest medical reports.

Drug-Related Deaths – UK
12% increase in drug-related deaths – THE INDEPENDENT

The number of drug-related deaths in the UK rose by almost 12% to 2,182 last year, figures showed today.

Marijuana – Social Networking Website
Facebook Blocks Ads For Pot Legalization Campaign – The Huffington Post

Proponents of marijuana legalization, which is on the California ballot in 2010, have hit a Facebook wall in their effort to grow an online campaign to rethink the nation’s pot laws. Facebook initially accepted ads from the group Just Say Now, running them from August 7 to August 16, generating 38 million impressions and helping the group’s fan page grow to over 6,000 members. But then they were abruptly removed.

Methamphetamine – Texas
Grand jury in Lubbock: 428-count drug indictment – Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - A methamphetamine investigation in the Lubbock area has led to a 428-count federal indictment charging eight people.

Meth & Cocaine Seizure – California
Millions of dollars worth of meth seized in Gilroy – TheCalifornian.com

GILROY, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve kept millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine from hitting the streets during a raid of home in Gilroy.

Heroin – Afghanistan
Afghan airline in-flight magazine presents country’s gory side to passengers – Thaindian News

London, Aug 20 (ANI): An Afghan airline, Safi Airways, has presented “interesting” facts about the problems in the country in its magazine, by featuring articles on Kabul heroin addicts, dog fighting and hotel security after suicide bombings, with headlines like “Live Entertainment in Kabul: Dog Fighting,” having caught the readers’ attention.

Marijuana – Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police shocked to find bears guarding marijuana grow-op – Thaindian News

Kelowna (British Columbia, Canada), Aug.20 (ANI): Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were recently taken aback when they raided a marijuana grow-op near the tiny town of Christina Lake, and found that it was guarded by a troop of black bears.

Binge Drinking – USA Study
Binge Drinking Increases Death Risk In Men With High Blood Pressure – Medical News TODAY

If you have high blood pressure, binge drinking may dramatically raise your risk of stroke or heart-related death, according to a South Korean study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Anna Nicole’s Drug Use – California
Larry Birkhead Describes Anna Nicole Smith’s Drug Use – The Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES — Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, testified Thursday he saw her taking numerous prescription drugs but that she told him she was not an addict.

Morphine & Opium – India
Seven arrested with drugs worth Rs.1 crore – Thaindian News

Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 20 (IANS) Seven drug peddlers, who operated in various states, were arrested with morphine and opium worth Rs.1 crore in this Uttar Pradesh’s district Friday, police said.

Cocaine – Scotland
Two face jail for £1.2m drug deal – BBC NEWS GLASGOW & WEST

Two men are facing prison terms over their parts in a £1.2m cocaine deal in the east end of Glasgow.

Marijuana – Washington
Drug agents seize 1,300 pot plants from WA forest – tricityherald.com – The Associated Press

STEVENSON, Wash. Drug officers have removed about 1,300 marijuana plants found in an outdoor grow operation in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest of southwest Washington.

Drug-Related Violence – Texas
Nurses Increasingly Target Of Violence; Texas Nurse Case Settled – Medical News TODAY – The Associated Press

“Violence against nurses and other medical professionals appears to be increasing around the country as the number of drug addicts, alcoholics and psychiatric patients showing up at emergency rooms climbs. Nurses have responded, in part, by seeking tougher criminal penalties for assaults against health care workers.

Drug Charges – Celebrity, George Michael
Singer George Michael faces drug charge – BBC NEWS ENTERTAINMENT

Singer George Michael has been charged with possession of cannabis and driving while unfit through drink or drugs following an incident last month, Scotland Yard has said.

Meth – Tennessee
Meth Lab Found At Drug Rehab Center – WSMV.com

A recovery center in LaVergne that’s designed to help recovering addicts is now part of a police investigation.

Illegal Drugs – South Carolina
Horry County drug bust; amount and types of drugs shocks neighbors – CarolinaLive.com

Millions of dollars in drugs have been seized from a home in Horry County. It’s all part of a year long investigation into a trafficking ring that police say brought some pretty hardcore drugs, like black tar heroin, into the county.

Drunk Driving – Scotland
Drunk driver killed pedestrian in New Year Day crash – BBC NEWS TAYSIDE & CENTRAL

A speeding teenager killed a woman and seriously injured her boyfriend while driving home drunk after a New Year party in Dundee, a court has heard.

Meth – Oklahoma
Meth lab found in toddler’s backpack – UPI.com

TULSA, Okla., Aug. 11 (UPI) — Oklahoma police say they arrested the parents of a 2-year-old girl after finding meth lab materials in the toddler’s backpack.

Underage Drinking – USA
Declining Youth Exposure To Alcohol Ads In Magazines – Medical News TODAY

Youth exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines declined by 48 percent between 2001 and 2008, according to a new study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Binge Drinking – USA College Students
Changing Student Perceptions Can Reduce Alcohol Abuse – About.com:Alcoholism

Many college students drink excessively because they believe “everyone” is doing it. But when they find out that most students do not binge drink and the heavy drinkers are in the minority, they will reduce their own harmful drinking. When they discover that their behavior is not “normal” they modify their behavior.

Drunk Driving – New York
NYC mother pleads guilty in fatal crash – UPI.com

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (UPI) — A 32-year-old New York woman has pleaded guilty to 16 counts for crashing a carload of girls while driving drunk, killing one of them.

Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse – USA Teens
Teen Drug Abuse of Cough and Cold Medicine – WebMD

If you’re raising a teenager and you don’t know much about DXM or cough medicine abuse, you’re hardly alone. DXM, or dextromethorphan, is a common ingredient in cough and combination cold medicines. Teens, however, have found another use for cough medicine — getting high. Taking huge doses of cough medicine to get high may sound revolting. In fact, you might assume it’s just an obscure fringe thing.

Liquid Cocaine – UK
Drug smuggler jailed over rum death – Press Association Ltd.

A drug smuggler has been jailed for 20 years for the manslaughter of a taxi driver who died after unwittingly drinking pure liquid cocaine from a rum bottle.

Health Risks from ‘Legal Highs’ – Scotland
Rise in Lothian ‘legal high’ drug cases – BBC NEWS

Doctors have warned of a “significant rise” in patients suffering from the effects of so-called legal highs in the Lothian area in the past week.

Crystal Meth – China
French citizen gets death for drug trade in China – Thaindian News

Beijing, Aug 9 (IANS) A French citizen and one of his accomplices were sentenced to death for manufacturing large quantities of crystal methamphetamine also known as “ice” in southern China, a media report said Monday.

Cocaine – UK
Cocaine ‘additives’ targeted in drug war – BBC NEWS UK

Police say they are making a large dent in profits made by drug dealers by cracking down on the substances used to dilute or “cut” cocaine.

Child Drug Dealer – New Zealand
New Zealand boy caught dealing drugs – Ottawa Sun

Police and school officials in New Zealand are stunned after they busted a drug dealer who is just 12 years old.

Meth Labs – Ohio
Authorities say meth labs making comeback – The-Daily-Record.com

MILLERSBURG — A Millersburg woman is charged with operating a methamphetamine lab in what is perhaps the fourth illegal drug lab to be identified in Holmes and Wayne counties in as many months.

Heroin Deaths – UK
Heroin warning in Reading after three deaths – BBC NEWS BERKSHIRE

The sudden deaths of three men in separate incidents in a Berkshire town could be linked to contaminated heroin, police have warned.

Drug Driving – UK
Q&A: Tackling drug-driving – BBC NEWS UK

The government has announced plans to equip every police station in England, Wales and Scotland with the technology to test drivers for drugs more quickly and easily.

Prescription Drug Fraud Prevention – USA
Senator Seeks Deadline for Medicare to Prevent Prescription Drug Fraud – The Center For Public Integrity

Taxpayer-funded Medicare recently spent more than $1 billion on drug prescriptions missing a valid doctor identification number and a Senate Democrat is demanding that the government stop ignoring the problem and create a plan this month to fix it.

Deputy Arrested for Drug Possession – California
Kern deputy arrested on suspicion of drug charges – 2 NEWS KTVN RENO Associated Press

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) - A Kern County deputy is facing drug charges after investigators say they found the 53-year-old Bakersfield resident keeping illegal drug paraphernalia and drugs without a prescription in his house.

Cocaine Seizure – US Coast Guard
US Coast Guard seizes ship with 3.5 tonnes cocaine – Thaindian News

Tegucigalpa, Aug 6 (IANS/EFE) A Honduran-flagged ship carrying 3.5 tonnes of cocaine was seized and five of its occupants were arrested by the US Coast Guard off the Honduran coast.

Ecstasy – California
LA Ecstasy Bust: Massive Ring Taken Down – The Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES — Federal officials say they’ve broken up a Southern California ring that sold millions of Ecstasy tablets.

Marijuana – Massachusetts
$20,000 in marijuana seized after traffic stop – Eagle-Tribune

HAVERHILL — What started as a routine traffic stop turned into the arrest of a man who had $20,000 worth of marijuana in his car and apartment, police said.

Crack Cocaine – Alaska
Missing Fairbanks cancer patient arrested on drug charges – newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks cancer patient missing for three days last week was arrested on suspicion of felony drug possession just a day after being found safe in Wasilla.

Cocaine Use – USA Celebrity
Gaga Cocaine Confession - Vanity Fair – the Post Chronicle

Gaga Cocaine Confession: Vanity Fair Nude Cover (Photo) Lady Gaga has urged fans not to follow in her footsteps and take drugs, after confessing she is still an “occasional” cocaine user.

Drug Violence – Mexico
Mexico: 28,000 killed in drug violence since 2006 – Associated Press

MEXICO CITY—President Felipe Calderon said he would consider a debate on legalizing drugs Tuesday as his government announced that more than 28,000 people have been killed in drug violence since he launched a crackdown against cartels in 2006.

Teen Substance Abuse Prevention – New York
Preventing teen alcohol abuse and violence – WABC-TV New York, NY

NEW YORK (WABC) — Alcohol and violence can be tough topics to tackle with your teenagers, but there is a right time to discuss them, when the message will really hit home.

Crack Cocaine – Florida
Man gets 40 years for fatal drug robbery – fox4now.com (Associated Press)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A Tampa man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for a fatal drug robbery.

Binge Drinking – Hispanic Americans
Major Differences in Substance Abuse Trends among Hispanic-American Groups – Drug Addiction Treatment

Statistically, Hispanic-Americans have lower alcohol and drug consumption rates than the U.S. national average. Yet the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has found a rise in binge drinking rates among Hispanic-American groups that is now higher than the national average.

Addiction Leads to Murder – Tennessee
Kelley Cannon: From Life of Privilege to Life Behind Bars – abc NEWS / 20/20

Kelly and Jim Cannon: Nashville Marriage Marred by Addiction Ends in Murder

Children of Drug Addicts – Michigan
Michigan foster children describe struggles; ‘Most people don’t care about children,’ one says – mlive.com

KALAMAZOO — Her mother is a drug addict. Her father “wants to do his own thing.”

Marijuana – California
$1.7 Billion Worth Of Pot Seized By The Californian Police Officers – Thaindian News

July 30, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): The police personnel in California have uttered that they have seized $1.7 billion worth of marijuana plants in the mountains of Sierra Nevada. The policemen have also incarcerated 97 individuals over the past three weeks on the suspicion of being connected to Mexican drug leagues. Most of the incarcerated individuals happen to be Mexican nationals.

Underage Drinking Prevention – USA
Senators Call On FDA To Rule On Alcoholic Energy Drinks – npr

It’s no surprise that people in their 20s are big consumers of these combo products. They look cool and fun. Up to 25 percent of college students seek out that buzz-chill mix, and they think it helps them stay up longer and drink more, researchers say.

Drug Abuse – USA Celebrity
Mike Tyson Talks Cocaine, Prostitutes And More – The Huffington Post

“I’d be sitting down and drinking and doing cocaine, talking to girls, doing anything. Everything,” said Tyson. “Then I make it home and I’m tripping out at home.”

Drug Cartel Leader Dead – Mexico
Mexico announces death of cartel leader – UPI.com

MEXICO CITY, July 30 (UPI) — Mexico announced a victory in its war on drug trafficking by confirming the death of “Nacho” Coronel, a leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel.

Teen Substance Abuse – USA Survey
Girls’ Attitudes are Changing When it Comes to Drugs – Myhighplains.com

New survey results from the Partnership for a Drug Free America report that girls appear more inclined than ever to reach for drugs and booze to help them emotionally. Some girls say drugs “help you forget your troubles.” Researchers advise parents to be especially attentive to their daughters’ moods and worries.

Cocaine Trade Scheme – Russia
US and Russia uncover innovative cocaine trade scheme – Thaindian News

Moscow, July 27 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Russia’s top drug law enforcement officers have announced that they have uncovered a high profile cocaine trade scheme in Moscow. They announced that they uncovered the scheme with the help of United States officials.

Drug Testing – USA
Millennium Laboratories urges for increase in physician reimbursement for POC urine drug screening – THE MEDICAL NEWS

Millennium Laboratories, Inc., a national, research-based medication monitoring company specifically focused on clinicians who treat chronic pain, strongly advocated for an increase in physician reimbursement for point-of-care urine drug screening at the Annual Clinical Laboratory Public Meeting of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 22, 2010. As the only therapeutic drug monitoring company presenting, Millennium was continuing its advocacy campaign, launched in June of 2009, supporting fair reimbursement for point-of-care (POC) urine drug screen devices.

Heroin – Africa
Heroin Addicts in Africa Engage in Dangerous Blood-Sharing – Join Together

“Flashblooding,” the act of injecting one heroin addict’s blood into another to share a high or ward off withdrawal, is becoming increasingly common in some African cities, the New York Times reported July 12.

Drunk Driving – California
Fresno Greyhound Crash: Driver Involved In Fatal Bus Crash Was Drunk – The Huffington Post

FRESNO, Calif. — An 18-year-old woman driving an SUV that was struck by a Greyhound bus in a horrifying crash last week was under the influence of alcohol, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.

Synthetic Marijuana – USA Looking to Ban
American Association Of Poison Control Centers: Fake Marijuana Spurs More Than 750 Calls To U.S. Poison Centers This Year Alone – Medical News TODAY

Synthetic marijuana products being sold at gas stations, convenience stores and “head shops” have spurred more than 750 calls to U.S. poison centers this year alone, causing increased concern among doctors and clinicians as well as state lawmakers, who are quickly moving to outlaw such products.