Drug News

DRUG REHAB – IRELAND
An artistic form of drug rehab – Irish Times

Can art help transform drug users’ lives? A project in Dublin is proving that it can.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Lindsey Lohan’s Dad Fills Yacht Full of Women From Drug Treatment Center to Shoot TV Show – ‎Broward New Times

Michael Lohan, father of actress Lindsey Lohan, is trying to pitch a reality TV show involving a drug treatment center for women based on a luxury yacht. He already shot a pilot of one episode in Fort Lauderdale using a borrowed yacht and a dozen girls from a local center.

HEROIN, COCAINE – USA
14 indicted on heroin, cocaine charges – BurlingtonFreePress.com
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A four-count indictment has accused 14 people of conspiring to move heroin and crack cocaine from New York City to Vermont, and to sell the drugs in and around Burlington.

HEROIN – USA
Uprooting deadly heroin trio in East County – Portland Tribune

Gresham Police Detective Bob Peterson helped investigate two fatal heroin overdoses, including one in Rockwood, that lead to the arrests of three Troutdale men. “The word needs to get out that we’re going to chase these guys down on all of these overdose deaths. If they sell heroin to someone and it results in their death, we’re going to hold them accountable.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – AUSTRALIA
O’Callaghan ‘avoided asking son about drugs’ – The West Australian

Speaking openly about his son’s methamphetamine addiction this morning, Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan urged parents to ask difficult questions of their children. “You go through this whole process of asking questions and skirting around the issue because sometimes you just don’t want to know the answer,” he said.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Study Reveals Doctors Can Do More To Address Prescription Drug Abuse – Medical News Today

As prescription drug abuse reaches epidemic proportions, a recent study reports disturbingly low monitoring rates for patients taking powerful prescription drugs. Only 8 percent of patients taking opioid pain medications are screened by their doctor.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – THAILAND
Phuket an addicts haven – Phuket Gazette

Although illegal, over-the-counter sale and purchase of benzodiazepine derivative drug like diezapam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax) is common in Thailand, and is even tacitly accepted by many local authorities. However the practice exposes buyers to health risks including addiction or overdose.

DRUG ABUSE – CANADA
DUI: Driving after drug use a growing concern – Globe and Mail

The report concluded that “driving after drug use is a growing issue that is as prevalent as driving after alcohol use – and that drug-impairment may also be a contributing factor to collisions and fatal road crashes.”

ALCOHOL – UK
Amy Winehouse returns to rehab for alcohol abuse – TheCelebrityCafe.com

Amy Winehouse, who has battled substance abuse and mental health issues ever since she burst onto the scene with 2006′s Back to Black, has checked into the UK’s Priory Clinic to seek treatment for alcoholism.

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.

Cocaine & Meth – Oregon
Medford family members charged in drug bust – OregonLive.com, The Associated Press

MEDFORD, Ore. — Several members of a family have been arrested on charges of dealing methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine.

Alcohol-Related Crash – Michigan
Covert man hurt in crash early Sunday morning – Mlive.com

PAW PAW — A 48-year-old Covert man was critically injured Sunday during an alcohol-related, two-car crash, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.

Substance Abuse Grants – USA, SAMHSA
SAMHSA Awards Up To $6.7 Million In Grants To Expand Technology Assisted Care For Behavioral Health Services – Medical News TODAY

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it is awarding a total of up to $6.7 million for three years to up to six grantees to expand their behavioral health treatment systems using technology-assisted approaches in communities that can most benefit from these types of integrated comprehensive services. This program is part of SAMHSA’s strategic initiative on preventing substance abuse and mental illness.

Marijuana & Crack Cocaine – North Carolina
Neighborhood shocked after man tries to sell drugs door to door – WMBF

MURRELLS INLET, SC (WMBF) – Neighbors in one Murrells Inlet development said they’re in shock after a man is arrested for trying to sell marijuana and crack to several people door to door.

Marijuana – Florida
Police find lost bong; suspect says thanks – UPI.com

BRADENTON, Fla., Oct. 17 (UPI) — A Florida man, arrested after admitting to police there was marijuana in his car trunk, thanked them for finding his bong, lost for seven years, officers say.

Prescription Drug Theft – Washington
Pastor charged with stealing pain meds – UPI.com

SPOKANE, Wash., Oct. 15 (UPI) — A pastor in Spokane, Wash., was arrested Friday for stealing prescription drugs from the home of a parishioner, police said.

Substance Abuse Treatment – Oregon
Demand for drug rehab in Oregon outpaces supply – KVAL.com

EUGENE, Ore. – Willamette Family drug treatment center’s resources are being stretched by an increase in addicts needing goverment assistance and relying on its services.

Drug & Alcohol Testing – Trinidad & Tobago
Consultant: Zero tolerance for alcohol on the job – Trinidad Express Newspapers

COMPANIES should institute random testing for drug and alcohol abuse for its employees, occupational health consultant Dr Carol Bhagan-Khan, has advised.

Substance Abuse Prevention – Canada
Government Of Canada Works With Yukon And Its Communities To Help Prevent Young People From Taking Drugs – Medical News TODAY

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced over $1.7 million in Government of Canada funding support for three projects in Yukon under the National Anti-Drug Strategy; the first project focuses on drug treatment services and the other two on drug prevention aimed at youth.

Drug Prevention – New York
Public hearings for county drug panel – Times Beacon Record media

The Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Advisory Panel, created this past summer to help end the drug epidemic in Suffolk County, will be holding the first of two public hearings on Thursday, Oct. 14, in Hauppauge.

Cocaine – SAMHSA Survey Results
Fewer Young Adults Seek Help For Cocaine And Crack Use – Medical News TODAY

New figures from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) show a sharp drop for the first time in the numbers of drug users seeking treatment for addiction to cocaine and crack.

Underage Drinking Prevention – Ohio
ADAPT coalition ready to take on underage drinking – salemnews.net

LISBON – A coalition tackling underage drinking in Columbiana County secured grant funding recently – now the coordinator is recruiting people for community leadership teams to aid their efforts.

Heroin – New Jersey
15 charged in connection with alleged heroin distribution ring in Paterson – NorthJersey.com

Police have arrested 15 people in connection with an alleged heroin distribution network operating out of Paterson.

Mephedrone – Ireland
Mephedrone Use In Northern Ireland Post-Ban – Medical News TODAY

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have completed one of the first studies of mephedrone use in Northern Ireland since the drug was outlawed earlier this year. They found that the ban did not deter those mephedrone users surveyed from taking the substance

Prescription Drug Abuse – Late USA Celebrity
Anna Nicole Smith Portrayed as Coconspirator – abcNEWS / Entertainment

In a new twist at the Anna Nicole Smith drug trial, prosecutors are casting the dead celebrity model in the role of coconspirator who pressured her two doctors and her lawyer-boyfriend to provide her with excessive prescription drugs.

Crack Cocaine – New York
Eighteen people were arrested Friday in a large drug bust at Al’s Inn in Geneva – stargazette.com

The arrests stemmed from a search warrant executed at Al’s Inn, 408 Exchange St., following a six-month investigation into the sale of crack cocaine, according to Geneva Police.

Underage Drinking – Michigan
Woman, 19, injured after jumping from second-story window at party – Mlive.com

OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP — For the second time in about a month, a teenager who police said was intoxicated has sustained serious injuries while at an underage drinking party.

Prescription Drug Addiction – World-Wide Epidemic
Addicts Go to Great Lengths to Obtain Prescription Drugs – Ezine @rticles

Unfortunately, whether they’re aware of it or not, doctor shopping has become the number one way addicts are acquiring drugs like Xanax, Oxy Contin, and other pain pills. Once an addiction has reached this point, the only real way to handle it is by enrolling in an effective drug and alcohol rehab.

Mephedrone Arrests – Scotland
Scots police make first arrests for mephedrone possession since drug ban was introduced – DailyRecord.co.uk

THE first arrests in connection with possession of the newly-banned drug mephedrone have been made in Scotland.

Driving While Intoxicated – New York
Ronald Moore Arrested: DWI Charge Hits Siena Guard – The Huffington Post

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — Siena senior guard Ronald Moore, who helped lead the Saints to the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons, has been charged with drunken driving after being pulled over near campus.

Drug Charge Sentencing – New York
Cameron Douglas’ son sentencing on drug-dealing charges to be made public – Thaindian News

New York, Apr 17 (ANI): Actor Michael Douglas’ son Cameron will not be sentenced privately.

Heroin – Pennsylvania
Third-Grader Accused of Dealing Heroin – abc NEWS VIDEO

Police confiscate 80 packets of heroin from an 8-year-old boy in Pennsylvania.

Crack Cocaine – USA
More U.S. Infants Born With Syphilis, CDC Study Finds – Medical News TODAY

Reversing a 14-year decline, 23% more U.S. infants were born with syphilis in 2008 than in 2005, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday, Reuters reports. The findings show that syphilis rates, which have increased among men who have sex with men, also are increasing in the heterosexual community, the researchers said. Many of the infants with syphilis were born to women in the South who use crack cocaine and work in the commercial sex trade, according to the report. These increases “might portend a larger increase in the congenital syphilis rate in 2009 and future years,” according to the report.

Crack – UK
Six arrested over crack cocaine finds – BBC News

Six people have been arrested following discoveries of crack cocaine in two areas of Aberdeen.

Cocaine – Scotland
Court appearance over £75,000 cocaine haul – NEWS.scotsman.com

A MAN appeared in court yesterday charged in connection with the discovery of £75,000 of cocaine.

Heroin Overdose – Michigan
Kalamazoo man pleads no contest in death of Amy Bousfield – KALAMAZOO NEWS

PORTAGE — Curtiss Odell Thompson pleaded no contest Friday for his role in the heroin overdose death of 18-year-old Amy Bousfield nearly two years ago.

Underage Drinking – Florida
Spring Break Teen Tragedy: How Safe Are Your Children? – abc GOOD MORNING AMERICA

Promising Teenage Football Player Dies After Intoxicated Fall from Hotel Balcony

Tainted Drugs – UK
Merseyside Police warning over dangerous drug batch – BBC News

Police have issued a warning after all three people experienced symptoms such as excessive confusion, agitation, fitting and nausea.

Drug Bust – Australia
Illicit drug haul in Newtown: children exposed to drug fumes – The Medical News

In a shocking report a Newtown, Sydney couple have been arrested and charged with exposing their young children to fumes while they were allegedly cooking drugs in their unit. The police raid also found illegal drugs like amphetamines, pseudoephedrine tablets, marijuana and syringes.

Drug Testing – USA
Should Welfare Recipients Get Drug Testing? – National Public Radio

Kasha Kelley believes that people on welfare need to spend their money on things like diapers and detergent — not drugs.

Black Tar Heroin – Mexico
Xalisco Boys Push Mexican Black Tar Heroin – Drug Addiction Treatment

Imagine heroin addicts ordering their daily fix by cell phone, just as easily as calling for a home-delivery pizza. That’s the ingenious business model employed by the enterprising immigrant boys from Xalisco, Mexico to not only introduce U.S. customers to Mexican black tar heroin but also to get them hooked.

Crack & Cocaine – USA
Teens’ Crack and Cocaine Use Triggers High HIV/AIDS Risk: Study – MeDINDIA

Teens using crack or cocaine are at a higher risk of engaging in unprotected sex than youth who have never used these drugs, putting themselves at increased risk for HIV, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse.

Drug War – Mexico
Mexico Army Base Attack May Be Related To Drug War, 18 Gunmen Killed – The Huffington Post

A seized statue of the folk saint Santa Muerte, or Death Saint, is displayed as a police officer and soldier stand behind during the presentation of suspects and seized items to the press in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, March 31, 2010. According to the army, seven suspects were arrested Tuesday during a joint operation in which they seized 847 kilograms (1,867 pounds) of marijuana, guns, cars and machines to falsify official credentials.

Alcohol Testing – USA
Blood Test Could Identify Heavy Drinkers – Join Together

Analysis of protein changes in the blood could be used to distinguish heavy drinkers from light and moderate alcohol consumption, ANI reported March 24.

Drug Related Arrests – South Carolina
5 arrested in drug operation – CarolinaLive.com

Thursday afternoon the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, along with the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, announced the arrests of five people in a ongoing drug investigation.

Prescription Drugs – USA
Middle-schoolers suspended for drug use – UPI.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 9 (UPI) — An ambulance was called to a middle school in Jefferson County, Ky., after 12 students allegedly took an unknown prescription drug, officials said.

Drugs – USA
Local man gets prison time — no drug rehab – TheUnion.com

There’ll be no drug rehab for a man who rammed police cars during a snowy chase in Grass Valley last year. Nevada County Superior Court Judge Robert Tamietti opted against drug rehab for William Hennefer. Instead, he sentence the Grass Valley man Monday to state prison.

Steroids – USA
Letter to the Editor: Save it for Hollywood, McGwire – delcotimes.com

Former baseball slugger Mark McGwire showed up the other night on Bob Costas’ “Studio 54 Show” all teary eyed. He had just announced what the whole world already suspected, that he had been using steroids and HGH since 1989.

Drunk Driving – USA
58 DUI drivers arrested in Oregon during Super Bowl weekend – Thaindian News

PORTLAND, OREGON (BNO NEWS) – Fifty-eight drivers were arrested this weekend for drunk driving in Oregon, state authorizes said on Monday.

Meth – USA
Drug bust in ND nets 7 pounds of meth – The Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Two men from Washington state face felony drug charges in North Dakota after a big drug bust. Highway Patrol Capt. Eldon Mehrer (MARE) said that the street value of the 7 pounds of methamphetamine is between $350,000 and $500,000.

Crack Cocaine – USA
Man Tries To Buy Crack With Credit Card, Robbed, Then Arrested – Thaindian News

Michigan, Feb 9, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A man has been detained by the police after he attempted to buy crack cocaine not with cash, but with his credit card.

Pharmaceutical Disposal – USA
Drugs In The Water: Even When Careful, Pharmaceuticals Can End Up In Water – The Huffington Post

PORTLAND, Maine — The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.

Crack Cocaine – USA
Cedar Rapids, Iowa couple arrested on drug, gun, perjury and obstruction charges – Thaindian News

DeShawn Hull, 28, was arrested last Wednesday and held without bond. In 2009, he allegedly distributed crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school after being convicted of two felony drug offenses.

Heroin – South Africa
‘Drugs ruined my sweet child’ – The Cape Times

The heartbroken mother of Angelique Cilliers believes an attack in which her daughter, then 16, was raped, beaten and left for dead might have led her to a life of drug addiction and, ultimately, to face trial for murder.

Prescription Drugs – USA
Prescription drug abuse on the rise in Ohio – The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An illegal prescription drug trade is killing more Ohioans every year, and frustrated authorities say they don’t have enough resources to stop it, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Drunk Driving – USA
Oregon police cracking down on drunk drivers for Super Bowl – Thaindian News

BEAVERTON, OREGON (BNO NEWS) – Super Bowl Sunday leads the Beaverton Police Department in Oregon to crack down on drunken driving offenses, police officials said on Friday.

Marijuana Bust – USA
Gilbert woman busted at border with pot – azcentral.com

DOUGLAS – Authorities say a 45-year-old Gilbert woman has been arrested after trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico with 112 pounds of marijuana concealed in her car.