News: July 2011 Archives

AMY WINEHOUSE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCED; WILL HELP ADDICTS, CHILDREN

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 31, 2011 | No Comments

Amy Winehouse's family is hoping she may be remembered for more than self-destructive behavior and tabloid headlines. In the wake of the singer's tragic death, they're establishing a namesake charitable organization in her honor.

Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, announced at her funeral in London Tuesday that he plans to create the Amy Winehouse Foundation, according to the Daily Mail.

The organization will provide support for those dealing with substance abuse and possibly also include a rehabilitation center. The foundation will also benefit children and horses, two things she was extremely passionate about.

Mitch Winehouse had been in New York with a relative when he heard of Any's death, the Daily Mail reports. At that very moment, he knew what he needed to do:

"I was with my cousin Michael when I heard and straight away I said I wanted an Amy Winehouse Foundation, something to help the things she loved - children, horses, but also to help those struggling with substance abuse."

He added that his plans for the Amy Winehouse Foundation are rooted in hope of systemic change.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

SAMHSA AWARDS $1.1 MILLION TO THE NASADAD

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 31, 2011 | No Comments

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded a $1.1 million grant to the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) to provide support for states as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented in the changing health and human services environment.

"Changes are rapidly occurring in health care financing with States playing an increasing role in policy and funding decisions affecting behavioral health prevention, treatment and recovery support services," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "The new, more flexible and streamlined block grant application and the technical assistance provided by NASADAD through this grant will help states maximize the use of limited substance abuse resources available to advance service delivery systems and deliver the best care for those in need."

The grant will provide assistance to substance abuse Single State Agencies to increase service capacity, including recovery support services, develop integrated systems of care, and improve behavioral health outcomes all key elements of effectively administering SAMHSA's Substance Abuse Block Grant. The grant will also assist states in their response to emerging issues, such as health reform (focusing on improving quality, offering individuals opportunities to be partners in their health care decisions), parity, information technology innovations, and implementation of evidence-based practices.

SAMHSA recently moved to help states use block grant funding to address their communities' behavioral health challenges.

Continue Reading: medicalnewstoday.com

FEDERAL JUDGE THROWS OUT FLORIDA'S DRUG LAW

Article from: stopthedrugwar.org

Jul 31, 2011 | No Comments

By: Phillip Smith

A federal judge Wednesday ruled that Florida's drug law was unconstitutional, leaving thousands of criminal cases up in the air. US District Court Judge Mary Scriven of Orlando threw out the Florida Drug Abuse Prevention and Control law on the grounds that it violates due process because it does not require prosecutors to prove a person knew he or she possessed illegal drugs.

In 2002, Florida legislators amended the state's drug law, eliminating the requirement that prosecutors prove mens rea, or criminal intent, as part of obtaining a conviction. Florida was the only state in the nation to not require mens rea as part of a drug conviction.

"Not surprisingly, Florida stands alone in its express elimination of mens rea as an element of a drug offense," Scriven wrote in her order. "Other states have rejected such a draconian and unreasonable construction of the law that would criminalize the 'unknowing' possession of a controlled substance."

The ruling came in the case of Mackle Vincent Shelton, 33, who was convicted in 2005 of drug charges in Osceola County. Shelton, who is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence for cocaine delivery and other charges, appealed his conviction on the grounds that the jury wasn't required to consider intent in order to convict him.

In his instructions to the jury in Shelton's case, the trial judge told jurors that "to prove the crime of delivery of cocaine, the state must prove the following two elements beyond a reasonable doubt: that Mackle Vincent Shelton delivered a certain substance; and, that the substance was cocaine."

Continue Reading: stopthedrugwar.org

COCAINE: THE EVOLUTION OF THE ONCE 'WONDER' DRUG (video)

Article from: cnn.com

Jul 30, 2011 | No Comments

By: Caleb Hellerman

(CNN) -- Long before drug cartels, crack wars and TV shows about addiction, cocaine was promoted as a wonder drug, sold as a cure-all and praised by some of the greatest minds in medical history, including Sigmund Freud and the pioneering surgeon William Halsted.

According to historian Dr. Howard Markel, it was even promoted by the likes of Thomas Edison, Queen Victoria and Pope Leo XIII.

It was an explosive debut that would be echoed a century later, when cocaine re-emerged as a different kind of miracle drug, the kind that could let you party all night long with no ill effects and no risk of addiction. Each time, the enthusiasm was misplaced and the explosion left a wreckage of human lives behind.

In 1884, Sigmund Freud was a young physician in Vienna, struggling to make a living even as he dreamed of being a world-famous medical pioneer. He just needed a discovery -- and he thought he had it.

"If all goes well," he wrote his future wife, Martha, "I will write an essay on it and I expect it will win its place in therapeutics by the side of morphine and superior to it... I take very small doses of it regularly against depression and against indigestion and with the most brilliant of success."

Dr. Howard Markel: Freud's cocaine problem

Freud wasn't the first to write about cocaine. The drug is derived from the coca plant, where natives in South America had been chewing the leaves for centuries.

By 1880, a number of companies had succeeded in creating a concentrated version: cocaine hydrochloride -- that would set the world reeling.

"It was tens to hundreds of times more powerful than chewing on a coca leaf," Markel says. "It was extremely pure and extremely powerful."

Continue Reading: cnn.com

ABUSE OF METHAMPHETAMINE INCREASES RISK OF DEVELOPING PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 30, 2011 | No Comments

By Join Together Staff

Abusing methamphetamine or other stimulant drugs can increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, new research suggests.

Scientists compared three groups: 40,000 people hospitalized because of abuse of methamphetamine or amphetamines, 207,000 people not addicted to drugs who were admitted to the hospital for appendicitis and 35,000 people admitted for cocaine-use disorders. They found patients with methamphetamine or amphetamine-use disorders were 76 percent more likely than the other two groups to develop Parkinson's disease, HealthDay reports.

According to the article, the findings translate into 21 out of 10,000 people with methamphetamine or amphetamine dependence develop Parkinson's over 10 years, compared with 12 out of 10,000 people without this drug dependence.

Lead researcher Dr. Russell Callaghan from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said in a news release, "This study provides evidence of this association for the first time, even though it has been suspected for 30 years." He said that Parkinson's disease is a result of low levels of the chemical dopamine in the brain, and that animal studies have shown that methamphetamine damages the brain's dopamine-producing regions.

Continue Reading: drugfree.org

FORT BRAGG TO HIRE SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELORS TO WORK WITH SOLDIERS

Article from: fayobserver.com

Jul 30, 2011 | No Comments

The Army is looking to hire 130 substance abuse counselors in the coming weeks in an attempt to fill a shortage that dates to at least 2008.

The counselors, who are needed at a variety of military installations, including Fort Bragg, will be tasked with helping substance-impaired soldiers who have the potential for continued military service.

A job notice posted to an Army recruitment website for medical job opportunities says hiring for the positions is targeted to be completed by Sept. 30.

"The Department of Army is seeking to hire civilian psychologists and social workers to provide assessment, evaluation, treatment plan development and counseling services to active duty military and their family members utilizing individual, group and family psychotherapy," the notice reads.

Fort Bragg is listed among the 54 installations in need of counselors.

An Army release said the Army needs about 10 providers each at Fort Bragg and other major bases, such as Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Salaries range from about $50,000 to $93,000, according to the Army.

There also are incentives. According to a recruitment video posted with the job notices, qualified counselors could have their student loans paid for them if they are hired.

Continue Reading: fayobserver.com

DRUNKEN-DRIVING PENALTIES COULD DEPEND ON YOUR LOCATION

Article from: usatoday.com

Jul 29, 2011 | No Comments

Interactive Map - Typical penalties faced by first-offense drunken driving offenders in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. These are not the maximums allowed by state laws. (BAC refers to blood alcohol content):

By: Emily Brown

When former NBA star and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose was sentenced for a March drunken driving incident this week, one of the biggest factors in his punishment was the location of his arrest: the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield.

Rose appeared before Judge Kimberly Small on Wednesday, who ordered him to serve 20 days in the county jail on his first offense. Small told him she doesn't mind him drinking but said: "I do mind when you get behind the wheel of a two-ton vehicle and use it as a weapon against the rest of us."

If Rose had been arrested a few miles away in Pontiac, Mich., his chances of going to jail would have been almost zero, Michigan state statistics show.

The case showed the inconsistent punishment meted out for drunken driving in Michigan and across the country. Drunken driving penalties are a lot like real estate values; they depend on location, location, location.

Alaska, Tennessee and Georgia are among the states with mandatory jail time for first offenders, locking up drunks for three, two and one day respectively, a survey of state laws shows. California, Connecticut and Indiana don't require jail for first timers.

In Wisconsin, first-offense drunken driving isn't even a crime. It's a civil infraction that results in a ticket.

"There are no set guidelines on this. There's no national standard on this," said Alex R. Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Texas-Dallas, who has studied drunken driving for more than 20 years. "There is a lot of discretion. It's like a ref on the football field. Everyone holds on every play. Which one is the most egregious of the offense?"

Continue Reading: usatoday.com

COULD NEW YORK STATE LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA?

Article from: lmagazine.com

Jul 29, 2011 | No Comments

By: Eugene Reznik

State Senator Diane J. Savino (a Democrat representing Sunset Park, Coney Island, Bensonhurst and part of Staten Island) doesn't want New York to fall behind the Garden State. Now that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has green-lighted his state's medical marijuana program--stalled for over a year after it was signed into law by his predecessor--she has co-sponsored medical marijuana legislation in Albany, drawing on her own experience of losing both parents to cancer. We spoke to her over the phone about what medical marijuana in New York would look like, when we should expect a corner Canna-bakery, and whether she'd take a blunt, bong, bowl or brownie.

Why sponsor such legislation now? Is it just becoming politically feasible?
Well, it's always been important to me. It's one of the issues that when I got to legislature--I didn't spearhead this. It was already something being pushed by Senator Tom Duane and Assemblyman Gottfried and I immediately saw the wisdom of this bill and I signed on as a co-sponsor. And, for the first couple of years there was almost no activity on it because, you know, there are still a lot of misconceptions about marijuana. Certainly there's a tremendous amount of misconceptions about addiction still, to this day, that continue to criminalize behavior, which, you know, hasn't really turned the tide of drug abuse. But, what makes this more possible and more feasible now is that other states have done it. And New York sometimes is a leader; sometimes it's a follower; sometimes we're in the middle. We tend to be somewhere in the middle on this issue.

As you know probably from your research, a couple of other states have already adopted a medical marijuana program, and I think what made it really jump to the forefront is when New Jersey signed it, allowing it to go foreword. Chris Christie is, by anybody's definition, one of the most conservative governors in the country, both fiscally and on social policy. And, Andrew Cuomo is still a Democrat--a little fiscally conservative, but still a Democrat. And on social-justice issues, he is far more progressive than his neighbor to the west. So to see Chris Christie, who, it's not in his interest really, politically, to support this issue, say that it's the right thing to do, kind of gives us the impetus that we might need now to kind of push New York foreword. And so, when he announced it, I immediately jumped on it and said, "congratulations, New Jersey"--something I never thought I'd do. It's time for New York to set aside our misconceptions and our fear about what this can lead to, and let's look at it for what it is, a public health policy, a humanitarian policy that will allow people who are chronically ill, terminally ill, who are in constant pain, for whom traditional medicine is not working, to have another option. And this would provide that option.

Continue Reading: lmagazine.com

BINGE DRINKING RIFE AT UNIVERSITIES

Article from: mg.com

Jul 29, 2011 | No Comments

By: Nalisha Kalideen

For Bongani, a third year BCom Accounting student, drinking with his fellow students doesn't begin on a weekend. It does not have a starting point because it does not really stop.

"In the block of seniors that I'm staying at, we drink beers the whole week in residence," Bongani, who did not want his last name published, said. Drinking at tertiary institutions has come into the spotlight.

Research by CALS (the Centre for Applied Legal Studies) for Soul City has found that drinking is a "serious problem in South African universities" and is said to be higher among new students, as they learn drinking habits during orientation week.

The research stated that although an element of wild behaviour by students was generally tolerated, this often served to conceal very serious problems involving alcohol use and violence on campuses. "These problems need to be taken seriously and addressed and not simply dismissed as "student antics"," the research noted.

Aadielah Maker, Soul City campaign manager for the Phuza Wize (Drink Wise) Drink Safe Live Safe Campaign, which aims to reduce levels of violence by tackling alcohol abuse, said that 2001 statistics show that among males aged 15 to 35 years, interpersonal violence was the highest cause of death. In 53 percent of fatal and 73 percent of non-fatal cases alcohol was the reason for the violence.

"We have a culture of binge drinking where people drink to get drunk in one sitting. We are not social drinkers, we are binge drinkers and with young people alcohol is one of the rights of passage," Maker said using year-end matriculant parties and orientation week at universities as examples.

Continue Reading: mg.com

BORDER PATROL FOILS COCAINE AND CRYSTAL METH SMUGGLERS

Article from: examiner.com

Jul 28, 2011 | No Comments

Eight bundles of cocaine were concealed inside a non-factory compartment in the rear bumper.

Credits: CBP File

By: Kimberly Dvorak

Border Patrol agents east of San Diego stopped two separate drug smuggling efforts and seized more than $300,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine headed for the streets of Southern California.

Yesterday, Border Patrol agents came across a female U.S. citizen driving a Plymouth Neon at the Pine Valley checkpoint. She arrived with a 22-year-old male Mexican national passenger and during the inspection process agents became suspicious of the occupants nervous behavior and directed them to a secondary inspection.

Once the K-9 team inspected the car, agents found illegal drugs in the rear of the car. Further examination lead Border Patrol agents to a non-factory compartment inside the car's rear bumper.

"Inside the compartment, agents discovered eight bundles of cocaine with a total weight of 22.05 pounds and an estimated street value of $220,500," according to a Customs and Border Patrol press release. "The suspected smugglers and drugs were taken into custody and subsequently turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration."

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PASSPORT TO A DRUG FREE OLYMPICS?

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 28, 2011 | No Comments

By: Matt McGrath

The 2012 Olympics in London will be the first summer games to use "biological passports" to try to stop drug cheats.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed that some competitors in cycling, rowing, athletics and triathlon will be using the passports, which are a long term history of an athlete's physiology based on key markers in the blood.

Scientists who support the passports' introduction say they are a major step forward because they will pick up even minute changes in a competitor.

But critics argue that the passport is an expensive bureaucratic exercise and cannot stop the determined cheat.

As the multi-coloured peloton of Tour de France cyclists whizzed along the Champs Elysee on Sunday, many commentators reflected that this was the most competitive and open race in years.

For a long time, professional cycling has been the sport most closely associated with doping. But that has changed, say cycling officials, because of the introduction of the biological passport in 2008.

Targeted testing

Simply put, the passport is an ongoing electronic record of variables in the blood of an athlete.

By monitoring changes in these variables, researchers can determine if a competitor is using illegal substances or practices.

No-one is yet claiming that the passport is the golden key to clean sport, but scientists who work in the field are quietly confident that the concept can also help to keep the London Olympics drug free.

Continue Reading: bbc.com

THE AUTHOR OF UNWASTED TALKS ABOUT SOCIALIZING SOBER

Article from: time.com

Jul 28, 2011 | No Comments

By: Amy Sullivan

Writer Sacha Z. Scoblic spent years reveling in her life as the party girl, always quick with a laugh and up for another drink--or five. But when she gave up alcohol in 2005, Scoblic found she wasn't interested in chronicling the past debauchery so much as exploring the perplexing new world of sobriety. In her new book, Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety, Scoblic writes about the challenges of being newly sober and the surprise of discovering that life without alcohol wasn't as lame as she'd expected. Scoblic spoke to TIME from her home in Washington, DC.

Q: Most memoirs by recovering addicts are about the dark and stormy nights of binges and blackouts. Why write about becoming sober?
A: I was bothered by all of those addiction memoirs--I call them "junkie lit." They're voyeuristic, focusing on the wild and crazy episodes, and then there's this burning bush moment in the last chapter when the addict decides to quit. The books remind me of romantic comedies in which the struggle of a couple getting together is the whole movie. But real life comes after that.

Q: You write about not really knowing who you were once you were sober.
A: I had defined myself for years as a kind of party girl, like Karen from "Will and Grace." I liked subversive humor and was attracted to the dark side of things. That was the story I told myself because I thought it made me look cool. Without alcohol, the story sounded ridiculous.

It was terrifying to realize that I had to figure out what I actually liked to do. I had no ideas at first. And it seemed like I was surrounded by people who knew exactly who they were. Suddenly it became hard to contribute to conversations. I didn't have my salve to pave the way for clever thoughts--or to make me not care if what I said wasn't really clever.

Q: Did others see you as this suddenly different person?
A: People were supportive right away, which surprised me a little because I felt I had disappointed them. And acquaintances, as opposed to good friends, were often surprised to hear about my addiction. They had only dipped in and out of my life, and thought everything seemed really good. It was fascinating to see that what I looked like to other people was not reflective of how I felt inside.

Continue Reading: time.com

FLORIDA JUDGE DECLARES STATE'S DRUG LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Article from: wsj.com

Jul 28, 2011 | No Comments

By Nathan Koppel

Breaking: Florida federal judge Mary Scriven has declared the state's Drug Abuse Prevention and Control law unconstitutional.

The law was challenged on the grounds that it does not include an intent requirement, meaning that a defendant can be convicted of a cocaine offense in Florida even if the defendant did not know he was selling cocaine. Or, as the judge put it in her ruling, in Florida, a "person is guilty of a drug offense if he delivers a controlled substance without regard to whether he does so purposefully, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently."

Florida is the only state in the nation to have expressly eliminated intent as an element of drug offenses, according to the ruling.

"Other states have rejected such a draconian and unreasonable construction of the law that would criminalize the 'unknowing' possession of a controlled substance," Judge Scriven wrote, concluding that Florida's drug law is unconstitutional "on its face."

A spokeswoman for the Florida Attorney General's Office said the office is "reviewing the ruling and will determine its next steps."

The case involved a Florida man, Mackle Vincent Shelton, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison on a cocaine offense.

James Felman, Shelton's lawyer, said his client denied he had engaged in the offense. The ruling is "a huge victory for the Constitution," Felman said. "This casts doubt on a large number of convictions in this state. It's possible that thousands of people are sitting in prison in Florida pursuant to a statute that we now know is unconstitutional, according to this ruling."

Continue Reading: wsj.com

DRUGS DEBATE SPARKED IN FRANCE

Article from: riveratimes.com

Jul 28, 2011 | No Comments

With the death of Amy Winehouse hitting the headlines world over, the debate about drug use is raging in the news once again.

Although the cause of Winehouse's death is not yet known and speculation over it being related to substance abuse are inappropriate at this point, the rumours remain inevitable given the singer's lengthy and well-documented battle with drugs and the fact that she has died at such a tragically young age.

She may have only passed away 5 days ago but the likes of Russell Brand have already started waxing lyrical on the problem of drink and drug addiction, and should it turn out that Winehouse's death is related to either one, or both, there will be much more to come. The current debate in the French government regarding the legalisation of cannabis is thus rather timely.

It has long been the case that whilst alcohol and tobacco consumption is legal and socially accepted, the use of cannabis is forbidden and punishable by law. Last month, the former French Socialist Interior Minister, Daniel Vaillant, launched a new debate on the issue in parliament by proposing that the punishment for those caught in possession of or consuming cannabis should be softened through a process of 'légalisation contrôlée' (controlled legalisation). This is not the first time Vaillant has pushed the subject: back in 2003 he announced his idea for a special government committee whose only task would be the supervision and control of cannabis production and distribution in France. The delegates of the Parti Socialiste (PS) argue that this could establish a 'policy of risk minimisation' and could also stem consumption.

Currently, France has some of the strictest drug laws in the EU, with large fines meted out to both drug dealers and consumers if they are caught. Convictions can carry a one-year prison term or a fine of 3,750 euros. Yet despite the severe punishment facing users, there remains an extremely high number of people dealing, buying and smoking weed.

According to a study by the OFDT (Observatoire français des drogues et des toxicomanies), 1.2-million people regularly consume cannabis in France. By regularly they mean more than 10 times a month. Since the 90s, the number of French consumers has increased constantly and consistently. As a result, France has the second highest number of cannabis smokers in Europe after Spain. It remains ahead of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and other illegal substances, as the most consumed drug in France. Even though there are tough laws to police the situation, they do little to put people off smoking. Only a small percentage of cannabis users see the strong arm of the law anyway.

Continue Reading: riveratimes.com

MARIN INSTITUTE, ALCOHOL INDUSTRY WATCHDOG, CHANGES NAME TO 'ALCOHOL JUSTICE'

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 27, 2011 | No Comments

By: The Join Together Staff

The Marin Institute, which organizes campaigns to reduce alcohol-related harm, announced it has changed its name to "Alcohol Justice." The San Francisco-based organization said its new name better reflects its national and global reach, and clarifies its mission.

The organization, founded in 1987, campaigns to raise prices on alcohol through taxes and fees; tries to remove dangerous youth-oriented alcoholic drinks from the market, and aims to restrict alcohol ads and promotions.

Alcohol Justice focuses much of its attention on what it calls "Big Alcohol"--the global conglomerates Anheuser-Busch InBev, SABMiller and Diageo. Together these companies control more than 80 percent of the U.S. market, according to Alcohol Justice. The group also monitors smaller companies including Phusion Projects, which makes Four Loko and Blast by Colt 45. In November 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned the makers of seven caffeinated alcoholic drinks, including Four Loko, that their products are a public health concern and cannot stay on the market as currently formulated.

Continue Reading: drugfree.org

BETTY FORD, AMY WINEHOUSE: WHO IS WORTHY OF A1?

Article from: latimes.com

Jul 27, 2011 | No Comments

By: Deirdre Edgar

Which of these obituaries would you run on the front page of the newspaper: that of a well-respected former first lady, or an acclaimed yet troubled young singer?

The Times' response to this question puzzled reader Colleen Bennett of La Verne.

"OK, let me get this straight," Bennett wrote. "The L.A. Times didn't think the death of Betty Ford, former first lady and substance abuse treatment icon, deserved a front page obituary. But Amy Winehouse, a flash-in-the-pan singer who didn't see the need to recover from said substance abuse, does?"

Who is deserving is one important consideration. Deadline is another.

In this case, the editors' answer, actually, was that both Ford and Winehouse were worthy of the front page. However, as Assistant Managing Editor Joe Eckdahl explained, deadline came into play:

"On many days, production concerns and press capacity issues require us to close the front page before we send the LATExtra section to press. The news of Ford's passing came late on a Friday. We held the A1 presses long enough to ensure readers were informed of her death with a sizable photograph and an index item telling folks they could turn to LATExtra to read the full obituary."

In contrast, Winehouse's death was reported before noon Saturday, leaving plenty of time to be considered for Sunday's front page.

In terms of news space, the Ford obituary was given far greater prominence. The story dominated the cover of the LATExtra section and filled two pages inside with details and photos from her political and personal life.

Continue Reading: latimes.com

NAACP ADOPTS RESOLUTION TO END 'WAR ON DRUGS'

Article from: dailycaller.com

Jul 27, 2011 | No Comments

By: Caroline May

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) passed a resolution Tuesday calling for an end to the "War on Drugs" during their 102th NAACP Annual Convention in Los Angeles, CA.

"Today the NAACP has taken a major step towards equity, justice and effective law enforcement," said NAACP president and CEO Benjamin Jealous. "These flawed drug policies that have been mostly enforced in African American communities must be stopped and replaced with evidenced-based practices that address the root causes of drug use and abuse in America."

The resolution, titled "A Call to End the War on Drugs, Allocate Funding to Investigate Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Opportunities in Communities of Color for A Better Tomorrow" highlighted the fact that the United States spends $40 billion each year fighting the drug war and that African-Americans are 13 times more likely to end up in jail for drug-related crimes than their white counterparts.

"Studies show that all racial groups abuse drugs at similar rates, but the numbers also show that African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color are stopped, searched, arrested, charged, convicted, and sent to prison for drug-related charges at a much higher rate," said Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP. "This dual system of drug law enforcement that serves to keep African-Americans and other minorities under lock and key and in prison must be exposed and eradicated."

Continue Reading: dailycaller.com

STUDENTS GIVE IDEAS ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION

Article from: cbc.com

Jul 27, 2011 | No Comments

Young teens in southwestern Ontario are using drugs and alcohol at higher rates than elswhere in Ontario, according to recent provincial surveys.

On Monday, the United Way released the results of another survey aimed at combating the problem.

Grade eight Catholic school students were asked to anonymously answer questions about what makes them consider using drugs and alcohol and what it would take to make them reconsider taking illicit substances.

A total of 619 students from Windsor, Ont., and Essex County took the Windsor-Essex Youth Opinion survey during school hours last fall. The study targeted grade eights because it's considered an "at risk" year for drug and alcohol experimentation.

'We know more about them than most adults think'

One quarter of the students surveyed had used alcohol and five per cent or less had used inhalants, prescription drugs, cigarettes, or marijuana.

One student wrote, "We know more about them than most adults think."

The majority of the students surveyed were well aware of the harmful effects of smoking and regular drug use, but only a few perceived any problem with regular alcohol use.

Continue Reading: cbc.com

JERET 'SPEEDY' PETERSON COMMITS SUICIDE, POLICE SAY

Article from: nytimes.com

Jul 27, 2011 | No Comments

By: Bill Pennington

Jeret Peterson, a charismatic, pioneering United States Winter Olympian who won a silver medal in the freestyle aerials during the 2010 Vancouver Games, was found dead in a remote Utah canyon Monday night in what police are calling a suicide.

Peterson, who was known as Speedy, called 911 to relate where he was before shooting himself, the police said.

Peterson, 29, battled alcoholism and depression throughout his adult life. He had been cited for drunken driving Friday in Hailey, Idaho, and pleaded not guilty.

The police said his body was found between Salt Lake City and Park City, and a suicide note was found near his car.

Peterson's time with the United States Ski Team was full of brilliant success, daring spirit, and turmoil off the mountain. A gold medal favorite in the 2006 Turin Olympics, he was in position to win the aerials in the final jumping stage when he chose to boldly attempt his signature jump. Known as the Hurricane, it had five dangerous twists and three flips.

He landed it ever so slightly off balance, touching his right hand to the snow, and finished seventh.

Making matters worse, Peterson was in a bar fight later that night with a friend who was visiting Italy. When the police report of the scuffle became public, the ski team, already under fire for not curbing the late-night hours Bode Miller had been keeping, asked Peterson to leave the Olympic Village.

Continue Reading: nytimes.com

REPORT FINDS MAJORITY OF PUBLICLY FUNDED SUBSTANCE USE CLINICS TAKE MEDICAID

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 26, 2011 | No Comments

By Celia Vimont

Despite concern that few substance abuse clinics are enrolled in Medicaid, a new report finds that 64 percent of publicly funded facilities that deliver substance use disorder treatment accept Medicaid.

The report, "Understanding the Baseline: Publicly Funded Substance Abuse Providers and Medicaid," also found that 49 states already encourage or have plans to encourage substance abuse providers' enrollment in Medicaid. The analysis was conducted by the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors' (NASADAD) Research and Program Applications Department.

The findings are important in light of the Parity Act and the Affordable Care Act's requirement that substance abuse services be included in the new Medicaid expansion, says Dr. Tom McLellan, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Penn Center for Substance Abuse Solutions.

"Providers are finally getting it, and they are wisely signing up for another payment opportunity," says Dr. McLellan. "With the coming changes in payment structure, substance abuse treatment will be transitioning into the rest of health care. Substance use disorders--not just addiction--will be eligible for treatment. It will become part of the repertoire of our nation's 550,000 primary care physicians. We'll see more prevention, early intervention and support services opportunities because they will be reimbursed."

The Affordable Care Act will require treatment for substance abuse disorder services by 2014. The Parity Act does not require health plans to cover addiction or mental illness, or any specific types of treatment, but mandates that plans which do include such benefits treat these conditions on par with other illnesses. According to the law, group health insurance plans may not limit benefits or impose higher patient costs for addiction and mental health treatment than those applying for general medical or surgical benefits.

Once substance abuse treatment is integrated into the payment system for the rest of health care, treatment programs will begin getting more referrals from primary care and other physicians, according to Dr. McLellan. "We'll see substance abuse treatment become mainstream, just as we once did for depression and AIDS."

Continue Reading: drugfree.org

SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA GROWS INTO PROBLEM FOR POLICE, POISON CENTERS

Article from: patch.com

Jul 26, 2011 | No Comments

U.S. drug officials monitor growing use of legal products that have effects similar to, or even more potent, than real marijuana.

By Dave Matthews and Charles Menchaca

A new, "legal" way to get high is becoming a growing problem for authorities and the people who abuse various products containing synthetic marijuana.

Products containing synthetic marijuana mimic the effects of traditional marijuana. The products are largely unregulated and are generally available in local tobacco shops, drug officials said.

The suspected drugs are packaged as potpourri or incense, under names such as "K2," "Black Mamba" and more. They are sold in small quantities such as 1, 3 or 4 grams.

Most of the packaging on these products says "lab certified" or "Not for human consumption." But experts say the sellers and the customers know smoking it can get you high.

"This incense is hundreds of times more expensive than the other incense, so it's kind of sold with kind of a wink and a nod," said Special Agent Will Taylor, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Chicago Field Division.

"These store owners and people don't care what happens," Taylor said. "For them it's all about making money."

For some people, the effects of smoking the synthetic weed will be much like smoking regular weed--some paranoia, some giddiness and bloodshot eyes. For others, products containing the synthetic substance can lead to severe panic attacks, high blood pressure, nausea and an increased heart rate.

Continue Reading: patch.com

D.C. TAKES BRONZE FOR BOOZIEST IN U.S.

Article from: wtop.com

Jul 26, 2011 | No Comments

By: Paul D. Shinkman

WASHINGTON -- D.C. is one of the booziest places in the country, according to a new government survey, placing third among all "states" for binge drinking.

Almost a third of all Washingtonians have reported binge drinking in the past month, according to a CBS News analysis of the report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

But many in Washington are split on whether that's accurate portrayal, or if it's a bad thing.

"It's a drinking town, no doubt about it," says George Mallios, owner of Fox & Hounds in Dupont. Mallios and his brother-in-law opened the doors at the lounge in the early 1960s, and weathered the ensuing riots that boarded up many District businesses.

Bars in the 60s and 70s could serve alcohol until 2 a.m. during the week, and 3 a.m. on the weekends, said Mallios. Establishments close to adjacent Montgomery County became a popular destination after they were forced to close their bars at midnight, he said.

Mallios started the bar under the principles his partner had learned from his native Chicago: "Let it flow." Their bartenders serve a "heavy drink" with just booze in a glass with some ice, and provide the customer with a bottle of Schweppes or other mixers to measure their own ratio.

But five drinks in one sitting -- the SAMHSA definition* of "binge drinking" -- is too much, Mallios said, "especially if you pour a strong drink like how we pour it."

"If someone had five drinks in my place he'd be wiped out," he said, and his bartenders know to cut patrons off before then.

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NIXON'S 'WAR ON DRUGS' BEGAN 40 YEARS AGO, AND THE BATTLE IS STILL RAGING

Article from: guardian.com

Jul 25, 2011 | No Comments

By: Ed Vulliamy

Photo: In 1971, President Richard Nixon, motivated by addiction among US soldiers in Vietnam, told Congress drug abuse was 'public enemy number one' Photograph: AP

Despite decades of battling against narcotics, the levels of addiction, trafficking and violence continue to rise. The war on drugs has failed. Now, politicians in Latin America are calling to review all options - from full legalization to a new war

Four decades ago, on 17 July 1971, President Richard Nixon declared what has come to be called the "war on drugs". Nixon told Congress that drug addiction had "assumed the dimensions of a national emergency", and asked Capitol Hill for an initial $84m (£52m) for "emergency measures".

Drug abuse, said the president, was "public enemy number one".

But as reported the following morning in our sister newspaper, the Guardian, the president's initiative appears to have been primarily motivated not by considerations of the ghettoes or Woodstock festival, but by addiction among soldiers fighting in Vietnam: the first and immediate measure in the "war on drugs", implemented 40 years ago this weekend, was the institution of urine testing for all US troops in Indochina. The Guardian's "sidebar" story to the news bulletin was not from Chicago or Los Angeles but the Mekong Delta, with soldiers laughing: "You can go anywhere, ask anyone, they'll get it for you. It won't take but a few seconds."

Nixon signed his war on drugs into law on 28 January 1972, Adam Raphael quoting him in this newspaper as saying: "I am convinced that the only way to fight this menace is by attacking it on many fronts." The catchphrase "war on drugs" mimicked that of Nixon's predecessor Lyndon B Johnson, who had declared a "war on poverty" during his state of the union address in 1964.

Four decades on, in a world (and an America) accursed by poverty and drugs, there is almost universal agreement that the war on drugs has failed as thoroughly as that on poverty. In the US and Europe, the war has been fought on the streets, in the courts and through the jail system, to no apparent avail. In the world that has "developed" since 1971, it has been fought in the barrios; it has defoliated land and driven peasants into even worse poverty. The war in the so-called "producing" countries has ravaged Colombia, is currently tearing Mexico apart, and again threatens Afghanistan, Central America, Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela. In places such as west Africa, the war is creating "narco states" that have become effective puppets of the mafia cartels the war has spawned.

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MARY J. BLIGE OPENS UP ABOUT TROUBLED PAST

Article from: cbs.com

Jul 25, 2011 | No Comments

(CBS) In an episode of "Behind the Music" that aired Sunday night on VH1, singer Mary J. Blige opens up about the problems in her past. In one section, she talked about her struggle with alcoholism.

Pictures: Mary J. Blige

"I stopped drinking," she says in the episode. "It was will power. It was prayer. It was really hard. But, I cared so much about [husband Kendu Isaacs], I didn't want to be just this alcoholic burden on him. He doesn't deserve for me to be some, you know, slum-bucket alcoholic, and so I took responsibility and I cleaned up, as much as I could. But it was hard."

Blige told the Miami Herald the special was about "[f]orgiveness, recovery, hope, inspiration, determination, [and] love."

Blige's album "My Life 2: The Journey Continues" is scheduled for a fall release.

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MISUSE OF PAIN MEDICATION IS PATHWAY TO HIGH-RISK BEHAVIORS

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 25, 2011 | No Comments

A new study by researchers at Drexel University's School of Public Health suggests that abuse of prescription painkillers may be an important gateway to the use of injected drugs such as heroin, among people with a history of using both types of drugs. The study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, explores factors surrounding young injection drug users' initiation into the misuse of opioid drugs. Common factors identified in this group included a family history of drug misuse and receiving prescriptions for opioid drugs in the past. The results support a need for efforts to prevent misuse of prescription drugs, particularly during adolescence.

"Participants were commonly raised in household where misuse of prescription drugs, illegal drugs, or alcohol, was normalized," explains Dr. Stephen Lankenau, an associate professor in the School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study. "Access to prescription medications - either from a participant's own source, a family member, or a friend - was a key feature of initiation into prescription drug misuse."

In numerous cases, the desire to experiment with a prescription opioid drug (the common class of drugs that includes codeine and oxycodone), combined with financial incentives or pressures from friends to sell available quantities, resulted in escalated patterns of opioid misuse, according to the study.

Lankenau and colleagues also describe two key findings as evidence of an emerging dynamic among misuse of opioid drugs and the use of injection drugs.

Continue Reading: medicalnewstoday.com

NEW DRUGS FUEL WAVE OF VIOLENCE AND DEATH

Article from: startribune.com

Jul 25, 2011 | No Comments

By: Pam Louwagie

Designer drugs can be purchased easily online, leading users to believe they are safer than street drugs. But the chemicals can be unpredictable - and disastrous.

KONAWA, OKLA.

Past midnight, Kat Green arrived home from her police shift exhausted. She pulled the ponytail from her hair, slid into pajamas and clicked on the television. Then her smartphone started ringing with urgent messages.

Mass drug overdose. Party at a ranch house outside of town.

Green yanked her black police shirt over her head and sped off into the spring night. On the way, more information trickled in: At least a half-dozen young adults sick, some near death. She knew she had to be strong. In a town of just 1,300 people, she was bound to know some of them.

As the squad car raced up a dusty gravel driveway near 1 a.m., emergency lights flickering, Green spotted three young men writhing on the front lawn. The lanky one in the front looked familiar.

"Oh my God," she thought, running closer. "That's my son."

Colton, 20, was still breathing, but his mouth foamed and his eyes rolled back in his head. He could only growl.

Green grabbed her son by the shoulders. She tried to rouse life from his rigid body. "Colton! Colton!" she hollered in his face. "Son, what did you take?"

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DRINKWISE 'USED' BY ALCOHOL COMPANIES

Article from: yahoonews.com

Jul 24, 2011 | No Comments

By: Xavier La Canna

Controversial new research argues the industry-funded DrinkWise organisation is being used as a puppet by alcohol companies to boost profits.

Dr Peter Miller, from Deakin University's School of Psychology, described DrinkWise as a SAPRO (social aspects/public relations organisation) commonly used by industries which harm many of their users.

"They appear to lend credibility to the industry's claims of social responsibility," Dr Miller said in a statement.

DrinkWise was established in 2005 by the alcohol industry and since 2009 has been entirely funded by drinking companies.

It claims to promote a healthier and safer drinking culture in Australia and was behind the Kids Absorb Your Drinking and Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix advertising campaigns.

"It is clear from our study that DrinkWise is being used by the alcohol industry for its own benefit," Dr Miller said.

Dr Miller led a research team that examined submissions to the Australian National Preventative Health Taskforce to see who had discussed positive relationships or work by DrinkWise.

"All the submissions mentioning DrinkWise were submitted by the alcohol industry or its affiliates as evidence of their social responsibility or in recommending actions that are likely to benefit their bottom line," he said in a statement.

He said DrinkWise was used to create an impression of social responsibility but only promoted interventions that would have little impact on alcohol companies' profits.

Measures known to be effective, such as higher taxes on alcohol or curbs on industry promotions were not pressed by DrinkWise, Dr Miller said.

But Drinkwise chair Trish Worth said it was "highly insulting" for Dr Miller to suggest her organisation was a SAPRO.

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DANIEL BALDWIN FEELS HELPLESS WATCHING WIFE'S ALCOHOL BATTLE

Article from: contractmusic.com

Jul 24, 2011 | No Comments

Daniel Baldwin has told of his heartbreak over his estranged wife's alleged alcohol addiction, after struggling with his own substance abuse demons for years.

The Mulholland Falls star filed for divorce from Joanne earlier this month (Jul11), and was granted a restraining order against his spouse and temporary custody of their two daughters after admitting he fears for their safety.

Joanne was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence, and Baldwin admits he is devastated watching his partner "disintegrate".

He tells Cnn news host Piers Morgan, "I've never been on the opposite side of the continuum... The only good thing that has come out of (my addiction) has been the fact that in the 12-step programme, step nine is that you make amends to those that you have harmed... I've had to go back to a number of people in my family, loved ones, and say, 'My God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea what you were feeling.'

"I knew what I did. But I never had to feel it before. Now I'm on the opposite side of the continuum. And it's just an awful and helpless feeling to watch someone that you love disintegrate."

But Baldwin admits he is open to a reconciliation with his wife if she gets clean.

He adds, "She needs to understand that this (the divorce) is an ultimatum now. I can always reverse that or stop that should she decide to get some help...

Continue Reading: contratmusic.com

DROWNED YACHTSMAN HAD BEEN DRINKING: CORONER

Article from: yahoonews.com

Jul 23, 2011 | No Comments

Tasmania's coroner has found a yachtsman who drowned during a race off Bruny Island had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.

Coroner Stephen Carey found Ross Cubit, 56, had a blood alcohol reading of 0.164 when he drowned during the Derwent Sailing Squadron's Pipe Opener last September.

He recommended licenced yacht clubs review their procedures regarding the sale of alcohol to event participants.

Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Ron Bugg admitted it was a problem.

"We are now governed by the code of responsible serving of alcohol as are the other clubs," he said.
"Maybe we need to go back and revise that. One of the problems we have is that the boats that enter races come from a variety of clubs around Hobart and it's difficult to know where crew have been beforehand."

Continue Reading: yahoonews.com

COLO. DRUG USE HIGHER THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE, STUDY SHOWS (video)

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 23, 2011 | No Comments

By: Matt Ferner

For a state that gets celebrated for having health-focused, active, outdoorsy citizens, there is a new report that sheds some disturbing light on a darker side of our state culture, namely, drug and alcohol use.

A recent study by the The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that marijuana, cocaine and alcohol use in Colorado is among the highest in the nation, Fox 31 reports.

According to 7News, the study reveals that the number of young adults in Colorado who said they had used marijuana in the past year was 38 percent -- 9 percent higher than the national average of 29 percent. Illicit drug use was 3 percent higher in Colorado than the national average of 8 percent.

47.5 percent of the population of Coloradans ages 18 to 25 reported binge drinking in the last month, The Denver Post reports. That compares with 41.4 percent nationally in the same age group.

Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator, said this about the report on the SAMHSA website:

"No state is free from the unique impact of mental and substance abuse disorders. Data like these give states the information they can use to target their prevention and treatment activities for the greatest benefit to their residents."

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

BEER IS ALCOHOL, NOT FOOD, SAYS NEW RUSSIAN LAW

Article from: ibtimes.com

Jul 23, 2011 | No Comments

Screen shot 2011-07-23 at 11.45.36 AM.png

A new law was passed in Russia Wednesday that officially classifies beer as an alcoholic drink.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed the bill, which changes the status of beverages containing less than 10 percent alcohol by volume. Previously, beer and similar drinks were considered foodstuffs in Russia.

The law will mean that beer could be subject to new regulations and sales restrictions, a sign that the Russian government is trying to sober its fermenting alcoholism problem.

"It is common to see people swigging beer in the street and in parks as if they are drinking soft drinks," claim BBC correspondents.

According to the World Heath Organization, Russia's level of alcohol consumption is twice the critical level.

The new sales regulations won't go into effect until 2013, according to The Moscow News. The delay will help retailers adjust to the new law. Medvedev's presidential term ends in 2012.

Last year, the government tripled the tax on beer.

Unlike in the United States, where healthy bar patrons usually turn to clear liquors as an alternative to carb-heavy beer, Russians have recently been drinking more beer as a salubrious preference to harder alcohol. In the past 10 years, beer sales in Russia have risen by more than 40 percent.

Continue Reading: ibtimes.com

POLICE: SINGER AMY WINEHOUSE DIES AT AGE 27 (video)

Article from: yahoonews.com

Jul 23, 2011 | No Comments

2011-07-23T173218Z_01_BTRE76M1CI600_RTROPTP_2_BRITAIN-WINEHOUSE.JPG

By: Jill Lawless

LONDON (AP) -- Amy Winehouse, the beehived soul-jazz diva whose self-destructive habits overshadowed a distinctive musical talent, was found dead Saturday in her London home, police said. She was 27.

Winehouse shot to fame in 2006 with the album "Back to Black," whose blend of jazz, soul, rock and classic pop was a global hit. It won five Grammys and made Winehouse -- with her black beehive hairdo and old-fashioned sailor tattoos -- one of music's most recognizable stars. But her personal life, with its drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders and destructive relationships, soon took over her career.

Police confirmed that a 27-year-old female was pronounced dead at the home in Camden Square northern London; the cause of death was not immediately known. London Ambulance Services said Winehouse had died before the two ambulance crews it sent arrived at the scene.

Singer and actress Kelly Osbourne, who helped Winehouse check into a drug addiction treatment facility in 2008, was one of many who grieved for the singer on Twitter.

"I cant even breath right now im crying so hard i just lost 1 of my best friends. i love you forever Amy and will never forget the real you!" she tweeted.

The singer's father, Mitch Winehouse, had arrived in New York this weekend to prepare for his U.S. performing debut Monday night at the Blue Note jazz club, but upon receiving news of his daughter's death was heading back home to London to be with his family, his publicist Don Lucoff said.

Continue Reading: yahoonews.com

DEREK BOOGARRD'S BROTHER COULD FACE DRUG CHARGES

Article from: nytimes.com

Jul 22, 2011 | No Comments

By: John Branch

MINNEAPOLIS -- A brother of Derek Boogaard, the hockey enforcer for the Minnesota Wild and the Rangers who died of a painkiller-and-alcohol overdose in May, faces potential felony narcotics charges in relation to his brother's death.

The brother, Aaron Boogaard, 24, surrendered to the Minneapolis police late Wednesday and was being held in Hennepin County jail. Investigators have until Friday to file charges or release him, a police spokesman said. The charges, if they come, could involve illegal possession and distribution of prescription drugs.

The family said that Derek Boogaard was addicted to painkillers for about two years. He twice spent multiple weeks in N.H.L.-regulated rehabilitation to combat the problem.

Continue Reading: nytimes.com

CONNECTICUT MOM CHARGED WITH FORCING COCAINE, BEER ON CHILDREN

Article from: foxnews.com

Jul 22, 2011 | No Comments

A Connecticut mother is charged with forcing her 4-year-old son to drink beer and giving beer and cocaine to her 10-month-old daughter.

The Connecticut Post reports that 29-year-old Juliette Dunn was arrested on June 28 after a neighbor flagged down police and told them the woman was feeding beer to her children at the Success Village playground in Bridgeport.

Dunn and a 33-year-old companion, Lisa Jefferson, were arrested and charged with assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Witnesses told police that Dunn gave a 40-ounce bottle of beer to the boy and ordered him to chug it down.

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COLOMBIA DRUG SUBMARINES BECOMING VEHICLE OF CHOICE FOR CARTELS

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 22, 2011 | No Comments

By: Tobias Kaufer

Off the east coast of Central America, the Honduran navy recently captured a submarine with some four tons of cocaine and five crew members on board.

The drug mob is now believed to have a whole fleet of submarines used to ship cocaine from producing countries like Colombia and Peru to distributors in Mexico and Africa, where it then can make its way onto the lucrative European and US markets.

Experts have expressed amazement at the technical savvy that lies behind the submarines' design and construction. The boats are built expressly for the drug trade. A few weeks ago, Colombian authorities captured a brand-new submarine in a river in the middle of the jungle. The boat was 30 meters long, and although empty when seized, it had room for four people - and eight tons of cocaine.

Continue Reading: huffingtonpost.com

SUCCESSFUL LAB TESTS ON A POTENTIAL VACCINE FOR HEROIN ADDICTION

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 22, 2011 | No Comments

By: Michael Bernstein

Scientists are reporting development and successful initial laboratory tests on the key ingredient for a much-needed vaccine to help individuals addicted to heroin abstain from the illicit drug. Their study appears in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Kim D. Janda and colleagues note that heroin use cost the United States more than $22 billion in 1996 annually due to medical and law enforcement expenses and productivity loss. Although behavioral therapy and certain medicines help heroin-addicted patients, many experience relapse, lack access to treatment, or develop unwanted side effects from the treatments themselves. To overcome these challenges, the researchers made and tested a new vaccine formulation that might serve as an additional tool in helping addicts maintain abstinence. Janda's team previously reported development of vaccines for cocaine, methamphetamine, and nicotine.

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N.J. GOV. TO ALLOW MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW

Article from: cbs.com

Jul 21, 2011 | No Comments

TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that he will allow New Jersey to move forward in implementing its medical marijuana law despite his concerns over whether federal authorities could prosecute state regulators.

After saying last month that he wanted assurance from the U.S. Justice Department that it won't pursue criminal charges against state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs, he pivoted Tuesday, saying he was drawing upon his seven years of experience as New Jersey's U.S. attorney in anticipating that federal prosecutors have more important crimes to pursue.

"It is my belief, having held that job for seven years, that there's a lot of other things that will be more important as long as the dispensaries operate within the law," he said.

He never received blanket assurance from the Justice Department. But in making his announcement, the governor said that allowing the program to move forward was "a risk I'm willing to take as governor."

The Republican governor also cited comments Barack Obama made in 2008, when he was a presidential candidate, in which he said he would not "use Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue," preferring to focus instead on fighting violent crime and potential terrorism.

New Jersey legalized marijuana for patients with certain conditions last year as Gov. Jon Corzine was leaving office. But the law's implementation was delayed as the state labored over regulatory details.

Christie has said he supports the concept of medical marijuana for patients for some conditions but didn't think the law was tough enough and wouldn't have signed it into law.

Continue Reading: cbs.com

POLICE BUST PROSTITUTION RING CATERING TO WALL STREET

Article from: reuters.com

Jul 21, 2011 | No Comments

By Bernd Debusmann Jr.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A high-end prostitution ring catering to Wall Street clients who often would spend over $10,000 for a night bingeing on sex and cocaine has been busted and 17 people indicted, authorities said on Wednesday.

"The business of high-end prostitution is enormously profitable," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes told a news conference, adding that the ring earned more than $7 million over three years.

Hynes said clients often spent in excess of $10,000 in a single night. He said they were "all high-end customers coming from the financial markets. People with nothing but money."

The prostitution service, named High Class NY, was run 24 hours a day out of an office in Brooklyn and charged from $400 to $3,600 an hour for its services, according to the 144-count indictment. It also provided customers with cocaine and other narcotics, the indictment said.

Police said the sophisticated business ran several escort websites and used dummy corporations with misleading names and codes during business-related phone calls.

Among those websites were discreteclub.com, cupiddirect.com and angelofyourchoice.com. Many of the websites were still online on Wednesday afternoon.

The prostitution and drug service also advertised its wares on popular social networking websites such as Craigslist and backpage.com, said Jonah Bruno, a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

Bruno added that many of the clients could possibly be forced to pay fines of up to $250 in addition to attending a one-night multiple hour educational program for "Johns," or customers of prostitutes.

High Class NY even had a law firm draw up employment contracts for its prostitutes, who described themselves as models and fraudulently agreed to refrain from sexual contact with clients, police said.

Continue Reading: reuters.com

BOND ACTRESS ANGELA SCOULAR DIED DRINKING ACID CLEANER

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 21, 2011 | No Comments

A Bond girl actress who had suffered from bowel cancer ended her life by drinking a corrosive cleaning liquid, Westminster Coroner's Court has heard.

Angela Scoular, 65, who starred in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, died in April.

The actress, who lived in Maida Vale, west London, was battling alcoholism and depression and worried about debts.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox recorded a verdict that she killed herself "while the balance of her mind was disturbed".

Ms Scoular's death was not suicide, the coroner ruled.

The court heard Ms Scoular suffered non-survivable 40% burns to her throat, body and dietary tract.

The cause of death was ingestion of a corrosive substance and multiple fractures, said Dr Wilcox.

The coroner heard the actress died two hours after drinking the liquid, containing 91% sulphuric acid, and pouring it over her body.

The inquest was told Ms Scoular had been diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and was given the all clear after treatment and surgery.

But months before her death she began to fear the return of the disease.

Ms Scoular, who had battled alcoholism for years, used to drink between 150 and 210 units of alcohol a week.

Weeks before her death she was arrested for drink-driving while on bail after crashing her car in Wales.

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SURVEY: NEARLY 1 IN 4 AMERICANS BINGE-DRINK

Article from: usatoday.com

Jul 21, 2011 | No Comments

By Jonathan Shorman

Nearly a quarter of all Americans have participated in binge drinking, and 8.4% have used an illicit drug in the past month, a new report says.

Data released Thursday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration suggest that North Dakota has the highest percentage of binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion), and 29.8% of those 12 and older reported binge drinking in the past month. Utah ranks lowest at 14.1%.

Among all Americans ages 12-17, the percentage in the past month was 8.8%.

The report also found that 6.4% of Americans had used marijuana in the past month and 10.8% in the past year.

The information comes from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which interviewed more than 137,000 people between 2008 and 2009. The report includes statistics on drinking and tobacco use, substance abuse and mental health.

Vermont had the highest reported underage drinking in the past month at 36.6% among those ages 12-20. Utah was lowest, with 14.2%. Nationwide, underage binge drinking decreased, from 19.2% in 2002-2003 to 17.7% in 2008-2009.

"We have been improving the stats around alcohol over a number of years, but we're still not where we want to be," says Peter Delany, director of the substance abuse administration's Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality.

Teenage use of illegal drugs has decreased; 9.7% of teens reporting using illegal drugs in the past month in 2008-09, down from 11.4% in 2002-03.

Continue Reading: usatoday.com

CANNABIS, MONEY AND COMMON SENSE

Article from: jornal.us.com

Jul 21, 2011 | No Comments

By Reynold N. Mason JD

At long last, the burning issue of marijuana has been placed on the front burner of American politics. The two brave lawmakers stirring the political pot are Representatives Ron Paul and Barney Frank. They have introduced HR 2306, a bill aimed at decriminalizing the distribution and sale of marijuana. No doubt the task of garnering the votes required to pass this bill is gargantuan, and at this juncture, nearly impossible. But it is a commonsense new approach to an old problem now approaching crisis proportions.

Growing opposition to punitive marijuana policies

Increasing numbers of people--physicians, lawyers, judges, police, journalists, scientists, public health officials, teachers, religious leaders, social workers, drug users and drug addicts--now openly criticize the more extreme, punitive, and criminalized forms of drug prohibition. These critics, from across the political spectrum, have pointed out that punitive drug policies are expensive, ineffective at reducing drug abuse, take scarce resources away from other public health and policing activities, and are often racially and ethnically discriminatory.

U.S. drug laws mandate long prison sentences for repeated possession, use, and small-scale distribution of Marijuana. The Rockefeller drug laws have, over the decades, criminalized even users of small amounts of Marijuana. Many U.S. drug laws explicitly remove sentencing discretion from judges and do not allow for probation or parole. In the 1980s, the Reagan and Bush administrations substantially increased criminal penalties for drug possession and launched an expensive "War on Drugs." There are nearly half a million men and women in prison for violating its drug laws. Most are poor people of color who are imprisoned for possessing an illicit drug or "intending" to sell small amounts of it. The mandatory federal penalty for possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine, for a first offense, is 5 years in prison with no parole.

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KETAMINE SMUGGLERS CASH IN ON GROWTH OF 'DANGER DRUG' (video)

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 20, 2011 | No Comments

By: Chris Buckler

Secret filming shows a black market ketamine dealer in India

A BBC investigation has uncovered evidence of ketamine smuggling ahead of a new report into the dangers of the drug.

The review by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs will say that the animal tranquiliser is now the fourth most popular party drug in the UK.

It will also state that ketamine's classification as a Class C substance fails to recognise the harm it can do to regular users.

But the report, which is due out on Thursday, will not call for ketamine to be reclassified - because its authors say classification will not stop people taking the drug.

One of the main sources for the drug is India, where earlier this year the authorities put in place new rules to try to prevent its misuse.

In the bustling pharmaceuticals market in Delhi you can buy everything from wheelchairs to canisters of oxygen.

But the traders make clear that you can no longer purchase ketamine here.

"It is a doctor-only drug," one stallholder said. "You won't be able to buy it in the market."

However, we have discovered there is a black market trade in India.
Hidden in jars

Harsh Choudhary advertises on the internet as a pharmaceuticals agent who sells a range of drugs, including ketamine.

Continue Reading: bbc.com

REDS PITCHER TUTTLE SUSPENDED

Article from: minorleaguebaseball.com

Jul 20, 2011 | No Comments

NEW YORK -- Former Reds fifth-round pick Daniel Tuttle was suspended Tuesday after his second violation of the Minor League drug program.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced that Tuttle has received a 50-game suspension for use of a drug of abuse. It's the second time the right-hander has violated the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Tuttle was the Reds' fifth-rounder in 2009 out of Randleman (N.C.) High School. He made his Minor League debut that summer with the Reds' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate before moving to Rookie-level Billings last year. He's split the 2011 season between Class A Dayton and the Reds' Arizona League club, going a combined 7-4 with a 4.59 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings.

The 20-year-old will begin serving the suspension immediately. He last appeared on the mound on July 15.

Drugs of abuse as defined by Major League Baseball include cocaine, LSD, marijuana, opiates like heroin and morphine, Ecstasy, and several others.

According to Major League Baseball's drug testing guidelines, "all Players shall be prohibited from using, possessing, selling, facilitating the sale of, distributing or facilitating the distribution of any Drug of Abuse, Performance Enhancing Substance and/or Stimulant."

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THE LURE OF COCAINE, ONCE HAILED AS CURE-ALL

Article from: nytimes.com

Jul 20, 2011 | No Comments

By DWIGHT GARNER

The world's first cocaine millionaire was probably Angelo Mariani, a French chemist originally from Corsica, Dr. Howard Markel writes in his new book, "An Anatomy of Addiction." Mariani combined ground coca leaves with Bordeaux in the 1860s and marketed his "tonic wine" under the name Vin Mariani. Each fluid ounce contained six milligrams of cocaine. The wine expert Robert Parker would surely have given this bright liquid 110 points.

Admirers of Vin Mariani included Ulysses S. Grant, who, dying of throat cancer, drank it while writing his memoirs. Celebrity endorsements arrived from Jules Verne, Henrik Ibsen, Thomas Edison, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexandre Dumas and Arthur Conan Doyle. It's pleasant to imagine each in a newspaper ad for Vin Mariani with a tag line proclaiming, as Lenny Bruce would later say about his heroin use: "I'll die young, but it's like kissing God."

Dr. Markel is a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan and the author of books that include "When Germs Travel" and "Quarantine!" He relates the story of Vin Mariani as a way of indicating the intellectual mania surrounding cocaine, an intoxicant new to the United States and Europe, in the second half of the 19th century.

Scientists rushed to understand and exploit cocaine's potential uses. Some believed in its ability to "energize the most indolent of patients," the author writes, "and to cure a wide variety of chronic maladies such as dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, hysteria, hypochondria, back pain, muscle aches, nervous dispositions." Patients could buy cocaine in drugstores without a prescription, the way you today might purchase a cold can of Red Bull or -- the name is touching -- Rockstar.

Among those caught up in the fervor surrounding cocaine in the 1880s were the young Sigmund Freud, the future father of psychoanalysis, who was then practicing medicine in Vienna, and the young William Halsted, practicing in New York, who would become a groundbreaking surgeon. Freud believed, disastrously, that cocaine could be used to cure morphine addiction, and he wrote his first major scientific publication, "Über Coca" (1884), about the drug.

Continue Reading: nytimes.com

EXPAND VETERANS DRUG COURTS, SENATORS TOLD

Article from: navytimes.com

Jul 20, 2011 | No Comments

By Gina Harkins

Actor Martin Sheen pressed Congress on Tuesday to authorize the $88.7 million needed to fund veterans drug treatment courts in 2012, and urged lawmakers to keep expanding both civilian drug courts and those set up specifically to help veterans struggling with substance abuse.

Veterans drug treatment courts serve active-duty service members and veterans who have committed low-level drug crimes. The courts focus on curbing recidivism by helping veterans get treatment for substance abuse so they can stay out of the jail system.

Sheen, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, emphasized that he is not a former president, but has played one on TV. "The West Wing" star helped set up a civilian drug court system in Berkeley, Calif., in 1996, with a focus on the homeless addicts in the city.

"We ask so much of our men and women in uniform, and they ask for so little in return," Sheen said. "They are often the last to ask for counseling or treatment. It is our duty to care for our veterans when they suffer as a direct result of their service to our country."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said veterans are returning from combat with invisible wounds that can lead to alcohol and drug abuse or other kinds of serious problems.

"About 30 percent of [post-traumatic stress disorder cases] or traumatic brain injuries are undiagnosed," Blumenthal said. "This makes them candidates for committing acts of violence if they go back out into society without understanding there are problems."

The Obama administration released its national drug control strategy last week. It identified issues of concern to specific groups, including service members, veterans and military families, said Benjamin Tucker, deputy director of state, local and tribal affairs for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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COLUMBIA STUDENT DRUG SUSPECTS DUE IN NY COURT

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 19, 2011 | No Comments

NEW YORK -- Five Columbia University students arrested in a crackdown on drug dealing on the Ivy League campus are due in court as many of them try to persuade a judge to send them to drug-abuse treatment.

All five students are due in court Tuesday. All but one told a court last month they're interested in a program that could get the charges dismissed or lowered to misdemeanors if they succeed in treatment.

They're expected to file paperwork arguing for them to get the consideration. The fifth student faces more serious charges related to selling cocaine. He's been offered a plea deal entailing a year in prison.

Prosecutors say the students sold drugs ranging from marijuana to LSD-spiked candy out of dorms and fraternity houses. All have pleaded not guilty.

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STRESS CHANGES ALCOHOL'S EFFECTS ON YOU

Article from: myhealthnewsdaily.com

Jul 19, 2011 | No Comments

By Luke Yoquinto

Stress can determine whether alcohol gives drinkers a jolt of energy or sends them sleepily off to bed, a new study reveals.

The results of the study may provide a physiological explanation for why some people drink more when stressed, the researchers said.

"When you give people alcohol in the lab, they tend to respond in one of two ways," said study co-author Emma Childs, who researches behavioral pharmacology at the University of Chicago. Drinking stimulates some people, making them feel "energized, excited, talkative, vigorous," she said. Others become "drowsy, unable to communicate," she said.

But the study showed that when stress mixes with tippling, people can have the opposite of their usual reaction.

Participants who said they normally derive a pleasant, stimulating buzz from alcohol reported feeling sedated when they were put in a stressful situation before drinking. And those who said they usually feel sedated after drinking instead became less drowsy, and had increased cravings for more alcohol when they were stressed before drinking.

The study will be published this October in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Don't try this at home

The study's participants were 25 healthy men, most of whom were in their mid-20s and of European descent. The researchers put the participants into either a stressful or a non-stressful situation. The non-stressful situations included playing computer solitaire. The stressful situations included counting backwards aloud in multiples of 13 and speaking before a nonresponsive panel of interviewers. The interviewers are "very stony-faced. It's very disconcerting," Childs said.

Continue Reading: myhealthnewsdaily.com

MINNESOTA BARS DENIED PERMIT RENEWAL AS STATE SHUTDOWN CONTINUES

Article from: reuters.com

Jul 19, 2011 | No Comments

By David Bailey

(Reuters) - Minnesota bars, liquor stores and restaurants running low on alcohol because their state buyer's permits have expired cannot renew them before the government shutdown ends, a judge ruled on Monday.

Minnesota's broad government shutdown entered its 18th day on Monday with the governor and legislative leaders trying to hammer out the details of a two-year budget to follow a broad framework agreement they announced last Thursday.

No date has been set for a special session needed to end the shutdown, but Democratic Governor Mark Dayton, House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch said Sunday in a joint statement that "considerable progress" had been made on the spending bills.

The debate in Minnesota has mirrored those in the nation's capital over the debt ceiling.

The shutdown has forced closure of state parks, historic sites, rest stops, two horse-racing tracks and the suspension of about 100 road construction projects -- but the threat of beer taps running dry has generated broad attention.

About 300 liquor retailers across the state have been unable to buy more inventory because buyer's identification cards have expired. Another 400 or so businesses could face dwindling inventory if the shutdown continues past August 1.

The buyer's cards must be renewed annually for a $20 fee and most businesses renewed them before the shutdown began on July 1.

While the bars and restaurants cannot buy any alcohol stronger than 3.2 percent without the cards, the impact is strongest on beer because it is perishable and most businesses keep only about a one or two week supply in inventory.

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INEBRIATED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER? DENVER CONTROLLER DISMISSED AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL (video)

Article from: abc.com

Jul 19, 2011 | No Comments

By LISA STARK and SARAH PARNASS

A 25-year veteran Denver air traffic controller was recently removed from duty after he tested positive for alcohol while on the job, according to a report from ABC News affiliate KMGH. The report has been confirmed by ABC News.

The controller was six hours into an eight-hour shift at the Denver Center, which oversees aircraft flying in more than nine states, when Federal Aviation Administration officials entered the center to administer drug and alcohol testing. An aviation source tells ABC news the controller was working the 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift that day.

The test revealed that the controller was above the legal limit for blood-alcohol content for controllers, which is less than .02, while for automobile drivers, the limit is .08.

The controller has since been removed from duty and is in an alcohol rehabilitation facility, KMGH reported.

"The response has to be very firm and draconian," said John Nance, a former commercial pilot and an aviation consultant for ABC News.

The FAA said it is investigating the incident, and that the controller in question is not working air traffic.

The head of the union representing air traffic controllers also issued a statement. "We take our responsibility of ensuring aviation safety very seriously. That includes acting professionally in all that we do. ... . Thus, the incident is deeply troubling.

Continue Reading: abc.com

GENDER DIFFERENCES EMERGE IN ALCOHOL USE DISORDER TREATMENT

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 19, 2011 | No Comments

By Celia Vimont

A growing body of research is showing that when it comes to treatments for alcohol use disorders, women's needs are different from men's. Scientists who recently presented studies at the Research Society on Alcoholism are exploring gender differences in alcohol treatment and moving beyond a one-size-fits-all strategy.

"Women have different barriers to treatment than men," says Elizabeth Epstein, PhD, Research Professor in the Clinical Division of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. "They are less likely to seek alcohol treatment in a dedicated alcohol facility, and more likely to seek treatment with a general practitioner or psychiatrist for depression or fatigue." However, many of these doctors don't routinely screen for an alcohol or drug use problem, she explains.

"We know that 85 percent of people who have alcohol problems in their lifetime don't seek treatment for it, so we are focusing most of our treatment research resources on the 15 percent who do," according to Dr. Epstein. "We need to look beyond that, to who is struggling without treatment." More training in alcohol use disorders is needed for emergency department physicians, obstetrician/gynecologists and family practitioners, she states. "We need to develop interventions that allow doctors to screen for alcohol use problems, since we know that women are not likely to come in and say they drink too much."

Alcohol tends to affect women more than men for several reasons. Dr. Epstein explains, "A woman who weighs the same as a man and consumes the same amount of alcohol over the same length of time is likely to have a higher blood alcohol level. Women have less body water than men, leading to a higher blood alcohol concentration, and they also have less lean muscle mass and fewer enzymes in the stomach that break down alcohol. That means more ethanol is going into the bloodstream and directly to organs like the heart, brain and liver, and doing damage."

She notes that women develop a host of alcohol-related health problems more quickly than men, even though they tend to start drinking later. "Older womens' bodies are not processing anything as well as younger women, including alcohol," she says. "And we are seeing younger women's drinking patterns catching up with men's, which is not a good thing. That means that as this generation progresses, we'll see more and more older women with alcohol problems."

Continue Reading: drugfree.org

ECUADOR BANS ALCOHOL AFTER 21 DIE FROM BOOTLEG LIQUOR

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 18, 2011 | No Comments

Ecuador has banned the sale and consumption of alcohol for three days after 21 people died as a result of drinking adulterated liquor.

Most of the deaths have been in Los Rios province, where a dry law was imposed over the weekend.

Police seized 28 containers in Los Rios and some contained methanol, a toxic alcohol, officials said.

Officials decided to extend the ban nationwide amid reports of bootleg liquor in other provinces.

Public Health Minister David Chiriboga urged people to seek help if they started feeling nausea or were vomiting.

Other symptoms could include abdominal pain, blurred vision or difficulty in breathing, he said.

Mr Chiriboga said 28 barrels, each with a volume of 55 gallons (208 litres), had been confiscated and some had been found to contain methanol, also known as methyl alcohol.

Police have so far made one arrest, the Spanish news agency Efe reported.

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GRIEVING FAMILY SEEKS TO PREVENT HEROIN DEATHS

Article from: hometownlife.com

Jul 18, 2011 | No Comments

By: Karen Smith

Carol and Mark Garofoli want to spare other parents the unimaginable pain of losing a child to suicide.

That's why 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 person," Carol Garofoli said. "He couldn't even think straight."

The Garofolis want other parents to know how prevalent drugs are in Livonia and that once a child turns 18, there is nothing they can do or say to force him into treatment.

They want other parents to be on their guard, and they want the laws to change to help parents get help for their drug-addicted adult children.

"Even if it saves one family's child, it's worth it," Mark Garofoli of sharing their story.

The Garofolis have two older children, daughters ages 25 and 29, who graduated from Livonia Public Schools. Drugs were a problem when they went to school, too, but Carol said its seems like it's an epidemic now.

Mark Garofoli says heroin is "sweeping our schools," not just in Livonia but in the Metro Detroit area.

Continue Reading: hometownlife.com

JELLO? WHIPPED CREAM? BATH SALTS? (video)

Article from: patch.com

Jul 18, 2011 | No Comments

About 80 youths and adults attended a recent conference sponsored by the Madison Alcohol and Drug Education Coalition, held at the First Congregational Church's Hubley Hall and on the lawn outside. Credit Pem McNerney

It all sounds innocent enough, but sometimes those innocuous sounding products can contain alcohol, deadly drugs, and a world of trouble for the youths abusing them

By Pem McNerney

Catherine LeVasseur has three pieces of advice for parents who want to help their kids stay off drugs and alcohol.

First, talk with your kids.

Second, talk with each other. Find out what other parents are seeing and hearing.

Third, know what's out there.

That third piece of advice is where it can get scary, she says, because some of the alcohol and drug products currently on the market are easily accessible to youths, diabolically designed to mimic child-friendly products, and some of them are potentially lethal.

Just like the snacks you would put in someone's lunch box

"There are alcoholic jello shots, packaged just like the snacks you would put in someone's lunch box," said LeVasseur, a program manager with the Governor's Prevention Partnership, who was one of the featured speakers at a recent multi-town symposium on youth drug and alcohol abuse. "There is adult chocolate milk. There is alcoholic whipped cream. And the marketing is deceptive so it can be easily confused with the snacks."

She also said some youths experiment with potentially dangerous ways of consuming alcohol, including pouring vodka into their eyeballs.

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VEGAS COPS NAB 212 POUNDS OF METH

Article from: msnbc.com

Jul 17, 2011 | No Comments

Eight arrested in Las Vegas in largest drug seizure in Nevada history

LAS VEGAS -- Eight illegal immigrants from Mexico were arrested on drug trafficking charges after federal and Las Vegas law enforcement officials seized 212 pounds of drugs worth an estimated street value of $5.7 million in the largest methamphetamine bust in Nevada history, authorities announced Thursday.

Police also seized $280,000 in cash, six guns and nine vehicles used for drug trafficking after searching nine residential properties in Las Vegas and Henderson on Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials heralded the record bust as a significant blow to Las Vegas' illegal underground that would be felt by every player, including drug bosses, small-time dealers and users hoping to score on the street. The raid yielded four pounds of heroin and 208 pounds of methamphetamine in varying stages of processing, from its liquid form to the crystal-like pieces sold on the street in small quantities for consumption.

"There will be a noticeable difference in the amount of drugs on our streets," said Las Vegas police spokesman Jacinto Rivera. In the previous record bust, Las Vegas officials seized 70 pounds of methamphetamine, he said.

'High level drug trafficker'
In all, nine men and women were arrested in this week's raid, including Mexican nationals Jorge Loza, 26; Armando Lara, 37; Sergio Vieyra-Medrano, 37; Moreliano Zaragoza-Ramos, 26; Felix Roman, 27; Salvador Garibo, 27; Cecilia Salgado, 55; and Alejandro Gomez, 31. Mayra Torres, 28, of California was also arrested.

Law enforcement officials said at a press conference Thursday morning that officers had arrested 11 people, but late Thursday Rivera said officers would arrest the two others tied to the operation soon. The men and women all face drug trafficking charges. Torres was released after posting an unknown bail amount and most of the others were due in Las Vegas court Friday morning, Rivera said.

It's unclear how long the illegal immigrants have been in the United States or how they entered the country. Police said the operation was run by Zaragoza-Ramos, who goes by the name Oscar Cavadas.

Continue Reading: msnbc.com

FRESH CALLS TO RAISE ALCOHOL PRICES

Article from: yahoonews.com

Jul 17, 2011 | No Comments

The success of the alcopops tax in cutting teen drinking could be used as a model to introduce a minimum price on all alcoholic beverages, drug and alcohol experts suggest.

A study of the effects of the three-year-old alcopops tax by an alliance of representatives from the Alcohol Advisory Group, National Drug Research Council and academics has found teenagers are drinking less as a result.

They used the findings to intensify their calls for the federal government to set a minimum price for all alcoholic drinks, arguing that teenagers are not the only ones indulging in excess drinking.

"If a pricing strategy is to be used to reduce the hazardous consumption and harm - and it is clear that price is the most effective and cost-effective measure we can use - a comprehensive approach is preferable," the groups wrote in an article published by the Medical Journal of Australia on Sunday.

"It should cover all products and aim to reduce the ability of industry to promote cheaper alternatives.

"This should include a comprehensive graduated volumetric taxation system that covers all types of alcoholic beverages and is informed by the relationship between consumption of these products and consequent harm.

"Setting a minimum price per standard drink would curtail the alcohol industry's ability to discount prices to increase sales and to shift consumers to cheaper alternatives."

Research by the groups found that the alcopops tax, introduced in 2008, pushed the sale of the popular drinks down by more than 30 per cent in a year.

While sales of other spirits rose in the same period, the increase accounted for less than half the fall in alcopop sales.

Continue Reading: yahoonews.com

CRACK COCAINE USE MAY BE PREDICTED BY CURRENT, NOT PRIOR, DEPRESSION

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 17, 2011 | No Comments

Even after accounting for current crack use, a new study finds that women in drug court who are experiencing current major depression are more likely to use crack within four months than other women in drug court. The paper's lead author argues that depression screening and treatment may be important components of drug court services for crack-using women.

Women who are clinically depressed at the time they enter drug court have a substantially higher risk of using crack cocaine within four months, according to a new study. Because current but not past depression was associated with a higher risk of use, the study published in the journal Addiction suggests that addressing depression could reduce the number of women who fail to beat crack addiction in drug court.

"We found that current major depression increased the risk of crack use, but depression in the past year that had gotten better did not," said Jennifer Johnson, assistant professor (research) of psychiatry and human behavior in the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and lead author of the study. "This suggests that if the depression remits, the risk of crack use goes down. Screening for depression and effective depression treatment may be important components of drug court services."

Addiction and depression are closely associated, said Johnson, who is also affiliated with Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. It isn't always clear how the two affect each other, especially at an urgent moment such as entry into the court system. Johnson set out to untangle the two by analyzing data gathered by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis as part of an HIV prevention study.

Among the 261 women in the study, 16 percent had a current major depressive episode and 40 percent had experienced a major depressive episode in their lifetime. Among the women currently depressed, 46 percent used crack during the next four months. Among women who weren't currently depressed, only 25 percent used crack in the next four months.

At the beginning of the study, the analysis statistically adjusted for whether women were using crack, which is highly addictive, and took the timing of the women's depression into account, said Johnson, who is also affiliated with the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, a collaboration of Brown University and The Miriam Hospital.

Continue Reading: medicalnewstoday.com

ADDICTION EXPERTS DEFEND DRUG FOR HEROIN ADDICTS (video)

Article from: kob.com

Jul 17, 2011 | No Comments

By: Cristina Rodda

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 called Suboxone.

One addiction expert claims that while Suboxone, like any other drug, can be abused, it is not the prescription drug of choice for those addicted to heroin.

Dr. John Vigil practices addiction medicine. He said Suboxone is not the same euphoria or high as heroin.

Vigil explained that if it is being sold on the streets or in jail it may be used as a way to stem withdrawal until a user can get their next heroin fix or get into a recovery program.

Vigil also points out that these treatments have heavy oversight.

"It is a federal regulation that any doctor that prescribes Suboxone or Suboxone treatment must either provide counseling therapy or make referrals for those patients to go for appropriate treatment," Vigil explained.

Methadone came about in the 1960's and Suboxone in the 2000's.

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8 KILLED, 11 SICKENED AFTER DRINKING ADULTERATED ALCOHOL IN ECUADOR

Article from: washingtonpost.com

Jul 16, 2011 | No Comments

QUITO, Ecuador -- Authorities in Ecuador say at least eight people have died and 11 more are sick after drinking adulterated alcohol.

Health officials in the tropical province of Los Rios tell Ecuavisa television that tests on the dead show an excess of alcohol.

Provincial health inspector Jose Sanay says blindness and other symptoms shown by the victims suggest they ingested methyl alcohol. Methyl alcohol is a toxic substance sometimes used to illegally produce cheap liquor.

A police statement Friday says the victims drank the alcohol July 7 and the eight people died over the course of the past week.

The poisoning occurred in Canton Urdaneta, 115 miles (185 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Quito.

Continue Reading: washingtonpost.com

POLICE SAY WOMAN WAS DRUNK AND HIGH WHEN DOG KILLED HER DAUGHTER

Article from: bangordailynews.com

Jul 16, 2011 | No Comments

By: Heather Steeves

BELFAST, Maine -- Police say Katrina Mitchell was passed out on her couch, too drunk and high to hear whether her 7-month-old daughter cried out when the family Rottweiler fatally attacked the baby last April.

On Friday, Mitchell pleaded not guilty to endangering the welfare of a child during a videoconference in Belfast District Court from Two Bridges Regional Jail, where she is being held in lieu of $1,000 bail. She was arrested Wednesday night.

It was about 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, when Mitchell started drinking beer and possibly vodka, according to a police affidavit filed in court and released Friday.

Tests done later that night showed her blood alcohol level to be about .30, almost four times the legal driving limit in Maine. She also tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

By about 5 that night she had passed out on her couch, according to the affidavit written by Maine State Police Detective Adam Kelley.

Mitchell told police that she did not pass out, but simply had taken a nap with her baby at the other end of the couch.

Her son Jett, who is almost 3, also was in the home at the time.

When Mitchell woke up around 7 p.m., her baby was dead on the floor, purple and cold with claw marks and possibly bite marks from an attack by the family's Rottweiler, Hannibal. She called 911.

When police arrived at the Frankfort home "[A first responder] and I had to help [Mitchell] walk by holding up her arms," Maine State Police Trooper Jonah O'Roak wrote in his report, which is quoted in the affidavit. "It was very clear that she was heavily under the influence of alcohol or other drugs."

Continue Reading: bangordailynews.com

ALCOHOL MIX-UP AT BUCA SICKENS 7 YEAR OLD

Article from: startribune.com

Jul 16, 2011 | No Comments

By: Marissa Evans

The Minneapolis-based chain of restaurants is making changes after the girl's chocolate milk was mistakenly made with a liqueur.

Buca Inc. is sobering up its dessert chocolate sauce in its Buca di Beppo restaurants nationwide after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl was accidentally served chocolate milk laced with alcohol.

Brent Calderwood, 35, took his family to a Buca di Beppo restaurant while visiting Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon. His daughter had drunk half of her chocolate milk when she started to not feel well. After calling their server over, they were told that the restaurant's chocolate dessert sauce, which is made in part with sambuca, an anise-flavored liqueur, had been poured in the drink instead of Hershey chocolate syrup.

Calderwood said his daughter got sick not too long after. The chef at the restaurant didn't charge them for the meal, but the next day Calderwood called the restaurant's corporate office in Minneapolis three times and left voice mails that were not returned.

"I couldn't understand how they could put the sauce in the wrong place," Calderwood said.

Buca officials, after being contacted by the Star Tribune, said they had been unaware of the incident.

Continue Reading: startribune.com

DRINKING ALCOHOL MAY PROLONG, NOT RELIEVE STRESS

Article from: usnews.com

Jul 16, 2011 | No Comments

Stress can also change how booze makes a person feel and boost the desire for alcohol, study shows

Although many people think that having a cocktail will help them relax, the relationship between stress and alcohol is a two-way street, researchers say.

Alcohol can change the way the body manages stress, the authors of a new study pointed out. Meanwhile, stress can also reduce the intoxicating effects of alcohol, causing individuals to drink more to produce the same effect. As a result, turning to alcohol to alleviate anxiety or tension may actually make some people feel worse and prolong their stress, the findings indicate.
Click here to find out more!

When faced with stress, a person has separate physiological and emotional reactions that occur at different times after the stressful event, the study's corresponding author Emma Childs, a research associate at the University of Chicago, explained in a university news release. "For example," she said, "the increase in heart rate and blood pressure, the release of cortisol [a stress hormone], and also the increased feelings of tension and negative mood each reach a climax and dissipate at a different rate. Therefore, drinking more alcohol might have different effects, depending on how long after the stress a person drinks."

In conducting the study, which was released online in advance of publication in the October print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the researchers asked 25 healthy men to complete a stressful public speaking task known to increase heart rate, blood pressure and feelings of tension, as well as one non-stressful task for comparison.

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STUDY SHOWS HOW BINGE DRINKING HARMS MEMORY

Article from: usatoday.com

Jul 16, 2011 | No Comments

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Binge drinking may not necessarily kill or even damage brain cells, as commonly thought, a new animal study suggests.

But it can block key receptors in the brain and trigger production of a steroid that interferes with brain functions critical to learning and memory, according to researchers.

Neuroscientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis argued their findings not only shed light on exactly what is happening when alcohol-induced "blackouts" occur, but could also lead to strategies to help improve memory.

The scientists examined slices of the brains of rats exposed to alcohol to determine how it affected them. The study, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that large amounts of alcohol affect the hippocampus and other areas of the brain involved in cognitive functions, such as memory formation.

Plagued by excessive alcohol, key receptors in the brain are blocked and later others are activated, producing steroids that undermine long-term potentiation (LTP), a process that strengthens the connections between neurons and is essential to learning and memory.

"It takes a lot of alcohol to block LTP and memory," study senior investigator Dr. Charles F. Zorumski, the Samuel B. Guze Professor and head of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis's Department of Psychiatry, said in a university news release. "But the mechanism isn't straightforward. The alcohol triggers these receptors to behave in seemingly contradictory ways, and that's what actually blocks the neural signals that create memories."

Continue Reading: usatoday.com

SIGNS OF ALCOHOL-MAKING AT BOSTON FATAL EXPLOSION SITE

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 15, 2011 | No Comments

Chemicals found at an industrial unit in Lincolnshire where an explosion and fire killed five men indicate alcohol was being made there, police have said.

Emergency services were called to the Broadfield Lane Industrial Estate in Boston at about 1900 BST on Wednesday.

One man who survived is having surgery after suffering 75% burns. Police said an unidentified spirit was probably being produced illegally at the site.

Supt Keith Owen said the exact cause of the fire was still being investigated.
Fake vodka

"It is a smoke-damaged area," he said. "We are working very closely with the fire service because they are the people who can identify what the component parts are.

"They have got experts in there, we have got forensic experts in there, and I wouldn't like to speculate on exactly what sort of alcoholic drinks we are talking about."

Describing the deaths as "a tragedy", police said they intended to interview the injured man as soon as possible to try to identify the dead and find out how the fire started.

The bodies have been removed from the building for post-mortem examinations.

It is believed the men had died instantly in the force of the explosion. The fire was so intense the metal door of the unit was buckled and cars parked nearby were damaged.

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WOMAN, 20, DETAILS ADDICTION TO BATH SALTS (video)

Article from: kmbc.com

Jul 15, 2011 | No Comments

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 20-year-old woman is sharing her story of addiction to bath salts and battle to stay clean in hopes of sparing others.

"It is so accessible; you can get it anywhere," said Ann, who asked that her real name not be used.

Ann told KMBC's Maria Antonia that she could buy packets of bath salts, with names such as Ivory Wave, at gas stations and smoke shops. Ann said she snorted the bath salts, which contain chemicals similar to methamphetamine and cocaine.

"It was easy, and everyone did it because you could not get tested for it," Ann said.

Antonia reported that experts blame chemicals found in bath salts for a sharp spike in medical emergencies and deaths nationwide. A new Kansas law bans them, and on Thursday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon Gov. signed a bill outlawing the sale of synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of cocaine and marijuana. It takes effect on Aug. 28.

"It just got so bad, I'd be shaking for days," Ann said.

Ann is now in intensive outpatient treatment.

"Not only does it take a physical toll on the body, there seems to be a real mental toll," said Molly Pellettiere, Ann's chemical dependency counselor at Crittenton Children's Center.

Continue Reading: kmbc.com

OFFICIALS SAY DRUG TRAFFICKING RING BUSTED

Article from: washingtonpost.com

Jul 15, 2011 | No Comments

By June Q. Wu

Nine purported members of a heroin trafficking ring have been charged in a scheme to smuggle heroin from Ghana into the United States through Dulles International Airport, authorities said Thursday.

The ring recruited couriers -- including two Alexandria women -- to hide $250,000 worth of heroin in carry-on bags designed to avoid airport security detection during at least four flights from Accra, according to Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

All nine were charged with conspiracy to import heroin, MacBride said. Some were also charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Authorities said they arrested two men in Maryland, one man in New York, and three men in Ghana -- including the ringleader -- Thursday morning in a coordinated sting. The Alexandria women were arrested earlier and have been in custody, according to authorities; One Ghanaian man has been charged but is still at large.

Authorities say Edward Macauley, 61, of Ghana, led an organization that paid couriers up to $15,000 per trip to smuggle the heroin through Dulles to distributors in D.C., Baltimore, Northern Virginia and New York, according to a five-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The organization paid for the couriers' airfare, passports and hotel rooms, according to the indictment.

Macauley allegedly worked with Fred Oppong Brobbey, 49, of Ghana, who designed bags to conceal more than a kilogram of heroin in their linings, according to court documents.

Macauley recruited Matilda Antwi, 29, of Alexandria, to smuggle 1.2 kilograms of heroin last September on a United Airlines flight from Accra to Dulles, court papers allege. Yvonne Ansah Owusu, 26, also of Alexandria, was arrested in May after U.S. Customs officials discovered a bulge in the lining of her luggage containing 3.3 kilograms of heroin when she arrived in Dulles from Accra, according to court documents.

Continue Reading: washingtonpost.com

CAUTIONARY MESSAGE ISSUED ON YOUNGSTERS DRINKING ALCOHOL

Article from: royalgazette.com

Jul 15, 2011 | No Comments

CADA chairman Anthony Santucci, Judith Burgess executive director of PRIDE, and Cathy Belvedere executive director of the Bermuda Sport Anti-Doping Authority joined efforts to encourage responsible alcohol behaviour among the Island's teens.
(Photo by Glenn Tucker)

By Conor Doyle

Parents should be mindful of their children's alcohol consumption this summer.

That is the message from three drug and alcohol-related organisations which have joined forces to curb the trend of underage drinking in Bermuda.

Calling themselves the 'Prevention Partners', the group warned yesterday that the summertime is often a period of increased alcohol consumption among young people.

Cathy Belvedere, executive director of Bermuda Sport Anti-Doping Authority, noted that a 2007 survey of 3,000 young people found that 70 percent of 15-year-olds had tried alcohol. The survey also revealed that alcohol consumption began, on average, at age 14 with some starting as early as age nine.

She added that while her organisation usually focuses on the use of drugs in sport, she encouraged "all our stakeholders to be mindful of alcohol use and access for young people this summer".

Judith Burgess, executive director of Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) Bermuda, referred to the same survey which she said demonstrated that underage drinking was a "major challenge" for the Island's youth.

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ALL CHARGES DROPPED IN MASSIVE INTERNATIONAL DRUG-SMUGGLING CASE

Article from: vancouversun.com

Jul 14, 2011 | No Comments

By Kim Bolan,

Police had charged two Vancouver men and a Mexican with importing drugs worth $9 million

Federal prosecutors have dropped all charges laid last fall in a high-profile international drug case in which more than $9 million worth of cocaine was smuggled from Mexico.

The Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP's Federal Drug Enforcement Branch showed off their massive cocaine and methamphetamine seizure at a news conference in October, announcing charges against two Vancouver men and a Mexican.

They claimed Vancouver businessman Francisco Javier Gomez, local resident Jason Quinn Lawrence and Eduardo Gonzalez, of Mexico, smuggled 275 kilograms of drugs, packed in limestone flooring and garden fountains, in seven shipping containers through Port Metro Vancouver.

But late last month, all charges against the three were stayed.

The Vancouver Sun obtained a copy of the letter sent by associate chief federal prosecutor Martha Devlin to lawyers for the former suspects June 20, saying she had sent a letter to the "Criminal Registry directing a stay of proceedings on all counts on information 202377-C2 with respect to your clients."

There is no explanation provided as to why the charges were stayed.

Devlin declined to comment on the stays when contacted by The Sun.

RCMP Chief Supt. Brian Cantera said it was the decision of the Crown, in consultation with police.

"It takes a high degree of evidence to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence doesn't support that bar that needs to be reached, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada makes the decision to enter a stay as they did in this case," Cantera said.

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TEACHER IN MARIJUANA CASE RELEASED IN MEXICO

Article from: foxnews.com

Jul 14, 2011 | No Comments

Mexico City - A teacher arrested when marijuana was found in her vehicle as she tried to cross from Mexico into the United States was released over the weekend after authorities confirmed that she was a victim of drug traffickers who use innocent people to smuggle drugs, officials said.

Ana Isela Martinez, who teaches English at an elementary school in El Paso, Texas, was released on Sunday.

Martinez was arrested on May 26 as she tried to cross one of the international bridges that span the Rio Grande and link Ciudad Juarez to El Paso.

Mexican authorities found 40 kilos (88 pounds) of marijuana in the trunk of Martinez's car and charged her with drug smuggling.

The teacher's family and friends staged a series of protests to demand her release from a jail in Juarez, considered Mexico's murder capital and the most violent city in the world in terms of homicides per 100,000 residents.

Martinez, who always claimed that she did not know where the drugs came from, was released on Sunday night after six weeks in jail and welcomed by about 100 people gathered outside the facility, prosecutors told Efe.

The teacher, who said goodbye personally to the warden and thanked him for the good treatment she received, emerged from the municipal jail accompanied by her husband, Isaac Cuanalo.

The couple plan to move to El Paso due to fears of retaliation by drug traffickers, Martinez said.

The federal Attorney General's Office dropped the charges against the teacher, who crosses the border daily to work and take her daughter to school in El Paso.

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RODNEY KING SHOULD BE TREATED AS ANY ACUSED DRUNK DRIVER WOULD.

Article from: latimes.com

Jul 14, 2011 | No Comments

Rodney King's in trouble again. This time he was arrested in Moreno Valley on suspicion of driving under the influence and freed on bail Wednesday morning. As his extensive rap sheet -- not to mention his gig on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" -- proves, King struggles with substance abuse.

While I don't personally believe punitive measures, such as the tactics used in Glynn County, Ga., are the best way to guide a troubled person back to health, I also don't think people who break the law should be in a position to call the shots. Some would argue that King -- who received $3.8 million in a civil suit and became a household name after LAPD officers savagely beat him -- has had that advantage since 1991. Others argue it's the other way around.

Columnist Patt Morrison navigated this issue in "The undying echo of fate."

Some people believe unswervingly that the 1991 videotaped beating hung a flashing, beeping, glittering neon "Kick Me" sign on Rodney King's back for the rest of his life.

And there are others who are certain that it handed Rodney King a get-out-of-jail-free card with no expiration date.

Those of the first school will point to a pile of small-potato encounters with the law since 1991 -- illegally tinted windows, picking up a transvestite hooker and aiming his car at vice cops, domestic abuse, seat belt violation, drunk driving charges here and there.

Police harassment, they will say. He put it to the cops, and now the cops are out to put it to him. And after what he's been put through, who wouldn't be completely freaked at the sight of a cop?

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TEN YEARS AGO PORTUGAL MADE ALL DRUGS LEGAL. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

Article from: thefix.com

Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments

By: Tony O'neill

When the drug-drenched nation legalized all drugs within its borders, most critics predicted disaster. Instead drug use has plunged dramatically.

The government in Portugal has no plans to back down. Although the Netherlands is the European country most associated with liberal drug laws, it has already been ten years since Portugal became the first European nation to take the brave step of decriminalizing possession of all drugs within its borders--from marijuana to heroin, and everything in between. This controversial move went into effect in June of 2001, in response to the country's spiraling HIV/AIDS statistics. While many critics in the poor and largely conservative country attacked the sea change in drug policy, fearing it would lead to drug tourism while simultaneously worsening the country's already shockingly high rate of hard drug use, a report published in 2009 by the Cato Institute tells a different story. Glenn Greenwald, the attorney and author who conducted the research, told Time: "Judging by every metric, drug decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success. It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country."

Back in 2001, Portugal had the highest rate of HIV among injecting drug users in the European Union--an incredible 2,000 new cases a year, in a country with a population of just 10 million. Despite the predictable controversy the move stirred up at home and abroad, the Portuguese government felt there was no other way they could effectively quell this ballooning problem. While here in the U.S. calls for full drug decriminalization are still dismissed as something of a fringe concern, the Portuguese decided to do it, and have been quietly getting on with it now for a decade. Surprisingly, most credible reports appear to show that decriminalization has been a staggering success.

The DEA sees it a bit differently. Portugal, they say, was a disaster, with heroin and HIV rates out of control. "Portugal's addict population and the problems that go along with addiction continue to increase," the DEA maintains. "In an effort to reduce the number of addicts in the prison system, the Portuguese government has an enacted some radical policies in the last few years with the eventual decriminalization of all illicit drugs in July of 2001."

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ALCOHOL AND CANCER: IS ANY AMOUNT OF DRINKING REALLY SAFE?

Article from: latimes.com

Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments

How much alcohol is it really safe to drink?

Possibly less than you've been led to believe, say French researchers writing in CMAJ (the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal).

In a piece published Monday, Paule Latino-Martel, a cancer researcher at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, and co-authors argued that many countries' alcohol consumption guidelines -- which typically define a moderate, "sensible" level of drinking designed to help consumers drink safely -- fail to take into account long-term risks associated with drinking.

The U.K. introduced the concept of "sensible drinking" back in the 1980s. Such limits were intended to prevent hospitalizations due to alcohol abuse, which had been on the rise in the country. In 1984, the British established recommended limits of 18 drinks a week for men and nine drinks for women; in 1987, they raised those limits to 21 drinks for men and 14 for women. U.S. guidelines recommend no more than two drinks per day for men, and no more than one for women.

(According to the study, the standard drink size in the U.K. is 8 grams, or about 3 ounces; a standard drink in the U.S. is 13.7 grams, or about 5 ounces. Average recommended daily limits for alcohol are therefore slightly higher in Britain than in the U.S.)

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MISSOURI TO DRUG TEST WELFARE RECIPIENTS

Article from: cbslocal.com

Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments

St. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) - It's official; the Missouri Department of Social Services now has the go-ahead to put together a program for screening welfare applicants and recipients for drugs.

Governor Jay Nixon signed the bill into law Tuesday that states people who test positive or refuse to be checked and fail to complete a substance abuse program will lose their benefits for three years. All it's going to take is the suspicion that there is reasonable cause to suspect illegal drug use. There is a failsafe for households with children; if benefits are cut off, the state will appoint a third-party to receive benefits on the children's behalf. Also if the recipient participates in a substance abuse program and does not test positive for at least half a year, they could keep their benefits.

In addition to the drug tests, the legislation requires that photographs of welfare recipients be placed on their electronic benefit cards. This will reduce the possibility of drug addict using fraudulent identification.

Proponents of the testing requirement strongly contend that welfare benefits funded by taxpayers should not go to people who are using illegal drugs. Critics on the other hand say the legislation singles out one group of people for no reason and my be unconstitutional.

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA: U.S. RULES THAT MARIJUANA HAS NO ACCEPTED MEDICAL USE

Article from: latimes.com

Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments

By John Hoeffel

The decision by the DEA comes almost nine years after medical marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify cannabis to take into account a growing body of research that shows its effectiveness in treating certain diseases.

Marijuana has been approved by California, many other states and the nation's capital to treat a range of illnesses, but in a decision announced Friday the federal government ruled that it has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin.

The decision comes almost nine years after medical marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify cannabis to take into account a growing body of worldwide research that shows its effectiveness in treating certain diseases, such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.

Advocates for the medical use of the drug criticized the ruling but were elated that the Obama administration has finally acted, which allows them to appeal to the federal courts. The decision to deny the request was made by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and comes less than two months after advocates asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to force the administration to respond to their petition.

"We have foiled the government's strategy of delay, and we can now go head-to-head on the merits," said Joe Elford, the chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access and the lead attorney on the lawsuit.

Elford said he was not surprised by the decision, which comes after the Obama administration announced it would not tolerate large-scale commercial marijuana cultivation. "It is clearly motivated by a political decision that is anti-marijuana," he said. He noted that studies demonstrate pot has beneficial effects, including appetite stimulation for people undergoing chemotherapy. "One of the things people say about marijuana is that it gives you the munchies and the truth is that it does, and for some people that's a very positive thing."

In a June 21 letter to the organizations that filed the petition, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said she rejected the request because marijuana "has a high potential for abuse," "has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States" and "lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision."

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WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS 2011 DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY

Article from: thefix.com

Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments

By: Dirk Hanson

As expected, the emphasis is on prescription drug abuse among college students and in the military.

The White House today unveiled its official 2011 National Drug Control Strategy, which calls for stepped-up enforcement of prescription drug abuse, particularly among "high-risk groups" such as veterans and college students. The new plan also includes an increasing emphasis on the special needs of women in treatment, according to director Gil Kerlikowske. 'Treatment is about half the cost of incarceration,' Kerlikowske said in an interview with Bloomberg, 'so we think that in many ways, that makes a lot of sense.'"

According to the Office of National Drug Control Strategy (ONDCP), the agency headed by Drug Czar Kerlikowske, "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." Kerlikowske said the ONDCP will focus on the estimated 375,000 veterans who were diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder in 2007. He claimed the current federal budget of $26 billion for drug abuse is split about evenly between enforcement and treatment. The report says that drug-induced deaths "now outnumber gunshot deaths in America. In 17 states and the District of Columbia, drug-induced deaths now exceed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of injury death." The complete report can be downloaded here.

The "action items" in the report appendix are mostly harmless platitudes--but almost all of the suggestions would be highly useful, if they were ever acted upon. Here is a sampling:

Continue Reading: thefix.com

PRESCRIPTION DRUG DEATHS SOAR IN MICHIGAN

Article from: detroitfreepress.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

Photo - Francine Sumner, 41, chief probation officer for the 53rd District Court in Howell, holds a bag of drugs collected from the Drug Disposal Unit in the Livingston County Jail lobby in Howell, Mich. on Thursday, July 7, 2011. The pill containers in the plastic bag will be emptied into a box, sealed, and incinerated. (The boxes seen below the bag have been processed and sealed and are ready for the incinerator.) / PATRICIA BECK/Detroit Free Press

By: Patrica Anstett

Michigan, like the nation, is experiencing a troubling increase in prescription drug abuse -- medicines for pain, hyperactivity and anxiety are triggering a rise in emergency hospital visits, overdose deaths and treatment for addiction.

In Michigan, more residents now die from prescription drug abuse than from heroin and cocaine combined, a federal registry shows. In 2009, the latest year data are available, 457 Michiganders died of overdoses from one or more prescription drugs, up from 409 deaths the year before.

"We're seeing an alarming trend that continues to increase," said Larry Scott, manager of the prevention section of Michigan's Bureau of Substance Abuse and Addiction.

Health officials and others say the drugs are easier to get now, and the rise mirrors rocketing rates of prescriptions written by doctors and dentists.

Nearly one in four seeking emergency care in Michigan for the abuse was younger than 25, particularly alarming because prescription drugs are a gateway to heroin and are being mixed by teens and young adults in potentially lethal combinations to get a more intense high, substance abuse experts say.
Parents, friends and doctors can be source of drugs to be abused

Kayla Westerman's entry into the world of drugs started at 13 with the painkiller Vicodin. She got it from a friend.

Others raid parents' and grandparents' medicine cabinets for unused pills, or they trade or sell narcotics prescribed by dentists and doctors.

Continue Reading: detroitfreepress.com

MANATEE WOMAN FINDS HOPE IN RECOVERY FROM PRESCRIPTION PILL ABUSE

Article from: bradenton.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

By Paradise Afshar

MANATEE -- It began with sips of alcohol and hits of marijuana at 10.

When she turned 12, she was popping pills.

And by 14, Paige O'Brock was injecting herself with prescription drugs.

She was hooked.

"We started with snorting pills and I was doing a lot of Xanax," said O'Brock, now 20. "I would black out a lot and would have no idea what I was doing. I remember bits and pieces, so what I do remember are a lot of the bad parts of what I did."

That was then. This is now:

In June alone, O'Brock graduated from the Richard Milburn Academy, celebrated a year of sobriety and registered at State College of Florida with hopes of becoming a nurse.

She is being adopted by the woman who helped get her clean, Sabrina Crain-Sweeney, and will complete her probation this week.

"It's different. I don't know how to accept it yet," O'Brock said. "I would never have thought it would happen. Of course, every day is going to be a battle. But I believe having the obsession to use has been lifted because I don't think about it anymore. When problems arise, it doesn't cross my mind."

Lucky to be alive...

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WHY DO ADDICTS GET HOOKED?

Article from: boston.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

By Meg Murphy

A growing number of suburban young people are falling prey to deadly drug addictions, but most emerge from the same cultural environment with lives intact. Why?

Is the answer in genetics, environment, psychology, or a potent mix of these? Or is it sometimes a matter of chance - an adolescent's decision to try a pill with addictive properties infinitely more powerful than a jigger of whiskey from the family liquor cabinet?

There is no simple answer, says Dr. Kevin Hill, psychiatrist-in-charge at the alcohol and drug abuse treatment program at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a global resource on substance abuse.

"There is certainly a heritable component, a genetic predisposition toward substance abuse, but depending on what is going on in a person's life, it may or may not express itself,'' he said in a recent interview.

Hill said about 40 percent of the people at McLean's post-detoxified treatment center are struggling with a dependence on opioids, an umbrella term often used in the medical community to indicate drugs, such as heroin or oxycodone, that are derivatives of the narcotic material found naturally in the opium poppy plant.

"Think of addiction as a chronic medical illness, such as high blood pressure or diabetes,'' he said, adding that all have a biological basis but personal behavior and environment can influence whether the given disease develops and affects an individual's life.

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OBAMA PRAISES WASHINGTON SUBSTANCE-ABUSE SESSIONS

Article from: seattletimes.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

A brief counseling session on substance abuse offered to trauma patients in emergency rooms has proved so successful in Washington state that it was cited as a model in President Obama's 2011 National Drug Control Strategy.

The 108-page strategy report, released Monday, focuses on prescription-medication abuse among high-risk groups such as military personnel, veterans, women and college students.

The Washington program cited as one of the models for the new national strategy began at Harborview Medical Center in the early 1990s with the work of Dr. Larry Gentilello, then Harborview's associate director of trauma intensive care.

Working with other hospital leaders, Gentilello found that a brief counseling session for those who came into the ER with trauma injuries greatly reduced the chances they would return with new injuries.

A few obstacles were in the way -- not the least, a state law allowing insurers to refuse to pay charges for patients injured while under the influence. Lawmakers repealed that provision in 2004, and medical providers have since helped refine how best to conduct the "brief intervention" sessions, which several studies have showed work well for patients and save money.

Nine hospitals in six counties in the state now use the program, called Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), in their emergency departments.

Dr. Richard Ries, director of the division of addictions at the University of Washington and Harborview, said the ER interventions are semi-structured but very low-key.

For example, a patient might come in with a broken leg from an accident. An intervention worker would seek the patient's cooperation, ask some low-stress questions to find out whether alcohol or drugs might have been involved, and if so, whether the patient is motivated to do something about it.

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SOBER HIGH: 'A DIFFERENT EDUCATION'

Article from: startribune.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

By: Corey Mitchell

PEASE Academy in Minneapolis offers strict sobriety rules and a deep understanding of the battle.

The teenagers, some as young as 14, sat in the basement lounge of a Dinkytown church, 30 of them reciting the dates they last succumbed to drugs or alcohol.

Several had been clean for a year or more. Most marked their sobriety milestones in months or weeks.

On a recent morning, English teacher Sheila McMahon stood amid her students and announced her own date: Oct. 21, 2006.

Unlike the students whom she teaches at PEASE Academy high school in Minneapolis, gambling was McMahon's vice.

In the world of substance abuse recovery, anonymity is sacred, but at Minnesota's longest-operating sober school, and one of the nation's oldest, opening up about addiction is a gateway to connect with students who have hit rock bottom.

"We speak a common language," said executive director Michael Durchslag.

At PEASE, an acronym for Peers Enjoying a Sober Education, several staff members have battled addictions themselves, McMahon and Durchslag among them.

"Only those who suffered through addiction can really understand it," said Wallace Swanson, a retired Minneapolis school district English teacher, twice-weekly volunteer at PEASE and recovering addict.

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WITH ABUSE INCREASING, ARMY LIMITS ADDICTIVE MEDICATIONS, CHANGES RULES FOR DRUG TESTING

Article from: washingtonpost.com

Jul 12, 2011 | No Comments

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Faced with rising abuse of prescription drugs, the Army has limited how many painkillers a soldier can get at one time and is threatening disciplinary action for troops caught violating the restriction.

Army data requested by The Associated Press shows the number of soldiers referred for opiate abuse treatment has been growing steadily for at least a decade, a time when increasing numbers of troops have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat or training injuries that can cause chronic pain. The Veterans Administration says more than 50 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report pain issues as they leave active duty military service.

The Army put limits on painkillers in November by restricting most Schedule II controlled substances, which include narcotics, opiates and amphetamines, to just 30-day prescriptions. Previously, some prescriptions had been available for 60 or 90 days and the average was 40 days. The policy makes an exception for medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and it affects anyone who fills a prescription at an Army hospital or pharmacy, including military spouses, children and retirees.

In June, the Army followed with a policy that soldiers found using the restricted drugs six months after they were prescribed could be disciplined, too. The force carries out random drug tests among active duty soldiers.

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RETHINKING ADDICTION'S ROOTS, AND ITS TREATMENT

Article from: nytimes.com

Jul 11, 2011 | No Comments

By Douglas Quenqua

There is an age-old debate over alcoholism: is the problem in the sufferer's head -- something that can be overcome through willpower, spirituality or talk therapy, perhaps -- or is it a physical disease, one that needs continuing medical treatment in much the same way as, say, diabetes or epilepsy?

Increasingly, the medical establishment is putting its weight behind the physical diagnosis. In the latest evidence, 10 medical institutions have just introduced the first accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, where doctors who have completed medical school and a primary residency will be able to spend a year studying the relationship between addiction and brain chemistry.

"This is a first step toward bringing recognition, respectability and rigor to addiction medicine," said David Withers, who oversees the new residency program at the Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Waverly, Pa.

The goal of the residency programs, which started July 1 with 20 students at the various institutions, is to establish addiction medicine as a standard specialty along the lines of pediatrics, oncology or dermatology. The residents will treat patients with a range of addictions -- to alcohol, drugs, prescription medicines, nicotine and more -- and study the brain chemistry involved, as well as the role of heredity.

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BETTY FORD: MEMORIAL SERVICES TO BE HELD IN MICHIGAN AND CALIFORNIA (video)

Article from: abc.com

Jul 11, 2011 | No Comments

By: Olivia Katrandjian

Public and private services will be held in California and Michigan for former first lady Betty Ford, who died of natural causes.

She died Friday at the age of 93.

Ford, whose candor and courage touched the nation, will first be remembered in a private service Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif., where she and President Ford lived after the White House.

On Wednesday, her casket will be flown to Grand Rapids, Mich. where a public memorial and funeral service are scheduled.

Ford's dear friends Lynn Cheney, Cokie Roberts, and Rosalyn Carter, whose husband defeated Gerald Ford in the race for the White House in 1976, will deliver her eulogies.

"The relationship that Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Carter had was one of the deepest and richest of Mrs. Ford's life. It was a wonderful, wonderful friendship. One that was very dear to Mrs. Ford," said Greg Willard, a personal representative of the Ford Family Funeral Service.

Ford impacted lives around the word, making public her struggles with breast cancer and substance abuse and opening the treatment center that bears her name.

"Shame and stigma were significantly reduced and the Betty Ford Center has become a model for effective treatment," Dr. Scott Basinger, associate dean at Baylor College of Medicine, told ABC News Saturday.

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HORSES HELP PATIENTS THROUGH THERAPY

Article from: myrecordjournal.com

Jul 11, 2011 | No Comments

By: Robert Cyr

DURHAM - When Normajean Cefarelli first started looking into the relationship between humans and horses as part of her master's thesis in counseling, she didn't think she'd be part of the first program in the state to offer therapy with the animals to recovering addicts.

Cefarelli started working in May as a marriage and family counselor at The Way Back Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, tucked into the woods off of Route 68. The rehab center is a dozen buildings spread out on 50 rural acres and includes a horse stable and paddock.

On Aug. 1, Cefarelli and a horse trainer will begin three-person classes using the center's two horses, owned by a local woman who trades her pets' time with patients in return for free housing for four-year-old, Scotch, and 14-year-old Jake, a retired racehorse.

"With the horses, you get to the heart of the matter, right away," she said. "The horses have nothing to gain, but the humans have everything to gain. We believe that the clients have all the answers inside them and the horses help them realize that."

The system, dubbed Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, works on deep metaphorical levels and examines a person's interactions with a horse and how it relates to their problem-solving skills in other areas of life.

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FORMER BBC MAN FROM BRIGHTON DIED FROM DRINK

Article from: theargus.com

Jul 11, 2011 | No Comments

A former BBC high flyer was found dead on a crowded beach.

John Dimick, 52, a former head of business and marketing for the BBC World Service, appeared to be asleep in the sun when two off-duty doctors noticed he was an odd colour.

They couldn't get a response from him so started resuscitation but he was later declared dead at the scene.

Friends say the father-of-two, who had a string of successful companies in Brighton, was in debt after developing a severe alcohol problem.

Former BBC colleague Ed Mitchell said: "He was a great achiever and had a highly paid job on the commercial side of the BBC. He was very successful but it's true to say alcohol got a grip on him.

"People pointed this out but he couldn't acknowledge it.

"He went from being someone who wore the best tailored suits to someone heading off to the beach with a rucksack looking like a typical street drinker. It was tragic."

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LONGMONT CHILI'S MISTAKENLY SERVES 3 CHILDREN TEQUILA ON JULY 4TH

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 10, 2011 | No Comments

Screen shot 2011-07-08 at 2.53.39 PM.png

By: Ryan Grenoble

A Chili's in Longmont may be in hot water after mistakenly serving three children alcohol on Independence Day. Pam Bruenning, the mother of the children, said they stopped at the restaurant to cool off before the fireworks show and ordered three fruit smoothies.

After her children, ages 8, 6, and 1, had some of the beverage, her 8-year old complained about the taste. When Bruenning tasted the drink, she found it contained tequila.

A police report on the incident indicates a communication error between the server who took the order and the bartender is likely to blame. The order was entered into the system with the note "see server." The server instructed the bartender to distribute the drink evenly between three children's cups, but did not specify the drink should be nonalcoholic. The bartender did not read the entire ticket due to being extremely busy at the time.

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COULD TRAGIC DEATH OF FAN LEAD TO DRUG/ALCOHOL RELAPSE?

Article from: ibtimes.com

Jul 10, 2011 | No Comments

Screen shot 2011-07-08 at 2.22.48 PM.png

Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers superstar, who is currently grieving the tragic death of a fan who reached out to grab a foul ball he tossed into the stands, has already suffered more than his share woes and heartbreak.

Although he was the number one overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft of 1999, his ascension to the big leagues was sidetracked by injuries and drug addiction.

"Not that long ago, there were nights I went to sleep in strange places praying I wouldn't wake up," Hamilton once told a reporter for ESPN about his years in the drugs wilderness.

"After another night of bad decisions, I'd lie down with my heart speeding inside my chest like it was about to burst through my skin. My thinking was clouded, and my talent was one day closer to being totally wasted.

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REPORT: TEEN BIRTHS DROP, MIDDLE-SCHOOL DRUG USE UP

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 9, 2011 | No Comments

By: Amanda Chan

Teen births decreased from 2008 to 2009, but middle-school age drug use increased from 2009 to 2010, according to a new government report of the most recent data.

The report, compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, also showed that there were fewer teen injury deaths and fewer high school seniors who participated in binge drinking in 2009 than 2008.

There was also a drop in the number of preterm births between 2008 and 2009, marking the third year in a row that there's been a decrease in preterm births, according to the report.

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3 CHARGED FOR GIVING ALCOHOL TO TEENS

Article from: kxan.com

Jul 9, 2011 | No Comments

BRADY, Texas (KXAN) - Charges have been filed against three persons who allegedly provided alcohol to teens at a high school graduation party held on June 4 at Bernal's Dance Hall at 1105 E. 6th St.

Criminal charges were filed against Rosario Botello, Silvia Campos and Felipe Bernal, Jr. Warrants were obtained and all three voluntarily turned themselves in to the McCulloch County Sheriff's Department on July 5. They are charged with furnishing or making alcoholic beverages avilable to minors.

Campos serves as the McCulloch County Tax Assessor and Collector, while Bernal is a sheriff's deputy with the Concho County Sheriff's Department.

The Texas Rangers were contacted because of the allegations against these public officials.

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TIMBERWOLVES' BEASLEY TICKETED FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

Article from: usatoday.com

Jul 9, 2011 | No Comments

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Michael Beasley's first season in Minnesota was quiet off the court, an encouraging sign for the Timberwolves as they hoped to see him mature and emerge as a go-to player for a franchise that desperately needs one.

Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka last week, police said on Wednesday.

Capt. Scott Boerboom said that an officer stopped Beasley around 3 a.m. on June 26 on Interstate 394 after clocking him going 84 mph in a 65 mph zone. He said the officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car.

The officer allegedly found 16.2 grams of the drug in a plastic bag under the front passenger seat of Beasley's car. Beasley told police the marijuana was not his, but belonged to a friend whom he had just dropped off. According to the report, Beasley cursed when an officer pulled out the bag.

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FORMER FIRST LADY BETTY FORD DIES AT THE AGE OF 93

Article from: cnn.com

Jul 8, 2011 | No Comments

(CNN) -- Betty Ford, the widow of late President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California, has died at the age of 93, according to the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Ford died Friday evening with family at her bedside, according to a family member.

Elaine Didier, the director of the Grand Rapids, Michigan, museum, confirmed Ford's death to CNN.

No other details were immediately available.

Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago, she grew up in Grand Rapids. At the age of 21, she moved to New York City to work as a dancer and model before heading back to the Midwest two years later.

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VIVITROL SLOWLY MAKES ITS WAY INTO OPIOID DEPENDENCE TREATMENT

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 8, 2011 | No Comments

By: Celia Vilmont

A monthly injection to treat opioid dependence, approved in October 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has gotten off to a slow start but is proving useful in helping certain patients, say doctors familiar with the drug, extended-release naltrexone (Vivitrol).

The approval of Vivitrol gives substance abuse treatment providers an alternative to daily methadone or buprenorphine, which has been the standard of care for addiction to heroin or prescription pain medications. Both drugs suppress withdrawal and cravings, but many patients find it difficult to stick with daily treatment, and missing doses of those medications can lead patients to relapse. And because buprenorphine is taken at home, it can be diverted to street sales.

Vivitrol, initially approved by the FDA in 2006 for treating alcohol dependence, is known as an opiate antagonist, meaning it blocks the effects of opiates by occupying the opiate receptor sites in the brain. In contrast, methadone and buprenorphine are agonists, which work by mimicking opiates in the brain.

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ARIZONA BORDER DRUG WAR: PREVENTION, SUBSTANCE-ABUSE SERVICES LATEST STRAGETIES

Article from: azcentral.com

Jul 8, 2011 | No Comments

By: Michelle Ye Hee Lee

NOGALES, Ariz. - Senior Obama administration officials Thursday declared success in their efforts to secure the southwestern border and reduce drug crime in the region and said the government planned to expand its counternarcotics strategy to focus on curbing drug use in border communities.

Federal officials said border security has "increased dramatically" on the U.S. side, largely as a result of putting more federal agents and resources along the Mexican frontier.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said although violence continues on the south side of the border, "great progress" has been made through joint operations with the Mexican government in sending a message that bringing violence north will result in "immediate repercussions."

In a semiannual status update, required by Congress, of a counternarcotics strategy first announced by the administration in June 2009 to combat Mexican drug cartels, Napolitano said it was producing results. She credited ongoing efforts to expand the use of new technology to prevent and interdict drug smuggling.

"The numbers that need to go up are going up, the numbers that need to go down are really going down. And the president is committed to sustaining that effort" in Arizona and borderwide, she said during a news conference at the U.S. Border Patrol offices in Nogales.

Federal officials also unveiled the updated Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, which will continue to focus on trying to stop drug and gun smuggling but also focus on curbing drug consumption on both sides of the border.

The emphasis on preventing drug use and treating drug users is a key part of the administration's larger national policy on drug control, said Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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NEW DEAL WILL OFFER ADDICTS TREATMENT

Article from: canada.com

Jul 8, 2011 | No Comments

By: Darrell Bellaart

Low-income, difficult-to-treat drug addicts and alcoholics get access to longer term treatment in Nanaimo this fall under a service agreement announced today.

Nanaimo Regional John Howard Society will take over treatment of recovering addicts at Surfside Recovery House on Rosstown Road.

Nanaimo and District Surfside Society approached John Howard after seeing the results of the highly successful Guthrie Therapeutic Community program it has operated at Nanaimo Correctional Centre since 2007.

Under the new Vancouver Island Therapeutic Community partnership, treatment duration will more than double to three months from 42 days, allowing addicts more time in recovery to develop skills to cope with sobriety. The number of beds, 20, remains unchanged at Surfside.

Despite impressive early results from its therapeutic community program, John Howard was having difficulty finding a location to continue treatment once addicts left jail into the community. A five-bed facility operating in central Nanaimo helps, but it is not enough.

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MORE HELP FOR YOUNG ADDICTS

Article from: thetelegram.com

Jul 8, 2011 | No Comments

By: Ashley Fitzpatrick

Their kids need help and they're not going to wait for it anymore.

On May 28, The Telegram published a story titled "New drugs hit schools," describing issues around illegal drug use at the junior high and high school level. It was focused on the Northeast Avalon, but prompted response from parents and community group leaders in other parts of the province.

They said youth in their areas are not immune to addictions. The difference outside the Northeast Avalon, they said, is the same level of addictions services are not available to them.

The province has provided funding for staffing increases and service development in this year's budget.

Even so, on the Burin Peninsula, Ruby Hoskins has spearheaded a movement to address what she sees as a lack of readily available addictions services for young people. The former head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils, she has arranged meetings over the last two months in Burin and Marystown, with parents, town officials, representatives for MHA Clyde Jackman and MP Judy Foote, Eastern Health and the RCMP, to talk about options for new clinical supports and educational initiatives.

Hoskins told The Telegram she and several parents, who have come on board following her presentations, are now advocating for at least one bed in the Burin Peninsula health care facility be dedicated to addictions crisis intervention and treatment, for all ages.

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DRIVERS HIGH ON MARIJUANA ARE AN UNRECOGNIZED CRISIS, EXPERTS SAY

Article from: drugfree.org

Jul 7, 2011 | No Comments

By: The Join Together Staff

Drivers high on marijuana represent an unrecognized crisis, experts tell the Los Angeles Times. A 2009 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), based on blood, breath and saliva tests collected on weekends from drivers in 300 locations nationally, found that 16.3 percent of drivers at night were impaired from legal or illegal drugs, including 9 percent of drivers who had detectable traces of marijuana in their system.

The article notes that in California, almost 1,000 deaths and injuries annually are due to drugged drivers. Law enforcement officials point to the increased use of medical marijuana as part of the problem. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the newspaper, "Marijuana is a significant and important contributing factor in a growing number of fatal accidents. There is no question, not only from the data but from what I have heard in my career as a law enforcement officer."

There is no national standard on how much marijuana drivers should be allowed to have in their blood, the article notes. Thirteen states have zero-tolerance laws, while 35 states do not have a formal standard. These states instead rely on police to determine if a driver is impaired.

Jeffrey P. Michael, the NHTSA's Director of the Office of Impaired Driving, acknowledged that it is not known what level of marijuana causes impairment in drivers.

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WARNING OVER LEGAL RUSSIAN DRUG PHENAZEPAM

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 7, 2011 | No Comments

Russian epilepsy medication is being increasingly used in the UK as a substitute for illegal drugs, scientists have warned.

Phenazepam is a psychoactive also used to treat conditions like insomnia and alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

But researchers at Dundee University said they had detected a "trend of misuse".

The drug is not controlled in the UK, most of Europe or the US - so can be purchased legally over the internet.

Phenazepam is available on prescription in Russia and many other CIS states. Reports from Sweden, Finland, and the US suggest it is being used illicitly in place of similar drugs like diazepam.

The Dundee team said they had found nine cases since January 2011 where postmortem blood samples had contained phenazepam.
Addictive

Dr Peter Maskell, a lecturer in forensic toxicology at Dundee, said the discovery suggested use of the drug was on the increase in the UK, but stressed that it could not be directly identified as the cause of death in any of the circumstances.

He said: "It would seem it is increasingly being used as a replacement for other drugs, most notably diazepam, because we are seeing more instances of its use.

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EXPERTS CALL FOR END TO CHEAP BOOZE

Article from: yahoo.com

Jul 7, 2011 | No Comments

By: Michael Coggan

As the Government pushes for plain packaging of cigarettes, a group of public health experts has visited Canberra to convince politicians to take action to end the sale of cheap alcohol.

Fifty organisations have come together to form the National Alcohol Action Alliance to work against national alcohol-related harm.

Among them is Alice Springs-based Dr John Boffa, who is trying to turn around the the Northern Territory's hard drinking reputation.

"The very strong message I'm getting here today in Parliament House from politicians of all political parties is the nation has got an ever growing problem among young people nationally," he said.

"Young people are getting drunk more often and more severely than they've ever done in the past.

"There's widespread concern in the electorates, there are many parents out there that are very worried about that nationwide and they want action."

Dr Boffa is advocating the introduction of price-based controls to cut down the amount of cheap alcohol available to problem drinkers.

"Cheap alcohol is the product of choice for the heaviest drinkers and we know that heavy drinkers are disproportionately committing a large amount of interpersonal violence and heavy drinkers who are parents are disproportionately unable to care appropriately for their children," he said.

"That has enormous impacts on their development and their ability to do well at school.

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SPORTS DOCTOR PLEADS GUILTY IN DRUG CASE

Article from: reuters.com

Jul 7, 2011 | No Comments

By: Neale Gulley

Toronto sports doctor Anthony Galea, who has treated such athletes as golfer Tiger Woods, admitted on Wednesday to illegally bringing human growth hormones and performance-enhancing drugs into the United States.

Galea faces a likely sentence of 18 to 24 months in prison, but no more than three years behind bars, for his role in transporting the drugs from Canada from early 2007 to September 2009.

Galea collected a total of about $800,000 from patients during that time, according to the plea agreement.

The 51-year-old Canadian physician had been charged in a five-count indictment with smuggling, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison if he were convicted.

Under his agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to the less serious offense of introducing misbranded drugs into the country, and the harsher charges he faced were dismissed.

Galea was accused of smuggling such substances as human growth hormones, which is used to aid in muscular and joint recovery time; energy-boosting ATP, which is used in training; and actovegin, a performance-enhancing drug. Human growth hormones are banned by professional sports, and actovegin is not approved for use in the United States.

The case came to light when Galea's assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, was arrested in September 2009 carrying drugs as she crossed the Peace Bridge into Buffalo from Ontario, Canada.

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THE BIOLOGY BEHIND ALCOHOL-INDUCED BLACKOUTS

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 7, 2011 | No Comments

A person who drinks too much alcohol may be able to perform complicated tasks, such as dancing, carrying on a conversation or even driving a car, but later have no memory of those escapades. These periods of amnesia, commonly known as "blackouts," can last from a few minutes to several hours.

Now, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, neuroscientists have identified the brain cells involved in blackouts and the molecular mechanism that appears to underlie them. They report July 6, 2011, in The Journal of Neuroscience, that exposure to large amounts of alcohol does not necessarily kill brain cells as once was thought. Rather, alcohol interferes with key receptors in the brain, which in turn manufacture steroids that inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP), a process that strengthens the connections between neurons and is crucial to learning and memory.

Better understanding of what occurs when memory formation is inhibited by alcohol exposure could lead to strategies to improve memory.

"The mechanism involves NMDA receptors that transmit glutamate, which carries signals between neurons," says Yukitoshi Izumi, MD, PhD, research professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "An NMDA receptor is like a double-edged sword because too much activity and too little can be toxic. We've found that exposure to alcohol inhibits some receptors and later activates others, causing neurons to manufacture steroids that inhibit LTP and memory formation."

Izumi says the various receptors involved in the cascade interfere with synaptic plasticity in the brain's hippocampus, which is known to be important in cognitive function.

Continue Reading: medicalnewstoday.com

MIKA MYLLYLA, OLYMPIC SKIER IN DOPING SCANDAL, DIES AT 41

Article from: nytimes.com

Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments

By: Dennis Hevesi

Mika Myllyla, a Finnish Olympic gold medalist and winner of three world championships in cross-country skiing whose career crashed after he was caught up in a doping scandal in 2001, was found dead on Tuesday in his apartment in Kokkola, Finland. He was 41.

Police officials did not provide details but said no crime was involved, the Finnish national broadcasting company, YLE, reported.

In a country where cross-country skiing is the major sport, Myllyla was a national hero. He won six Olympic medals, including a gold medal in the 30-kilometer cross-country race at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He won a silver medal in the 50-kilometer race at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, and shared four bronze medals during those Olympics. Myllyla was also a four-time medal winner -- three gold medals and a silver -- at the 1999 world championships in Ramsau, Austria.

It was at the world championships in Lahti, Finland, in February 2001 that Myllyla's career came to a halt. He and five other members of the Finnish team were forced to admit, after testing, that they had taken drugs used to boost endurance or to mask the effects of other performance-enhancing drugs. All six were barred from competing for two years, and although Myllyla tried to make a comeback, he failed to make the team in 2005 and quit the sport.

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HAUNTING REALITY OF ALCOHOL CONFRONTS COMMUNITY

Article from: abc.net

Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments

By: Clare Rawlinson

Alcohol related deaths have become commonplace in many Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, but for the people of Binjari, the problem has reached a critical point and elders have resorted to a desperate and confronting measure to try and curb the deaths.

In a central space in Binjari, 15 kilometers from Katherine, symbolic grave sites have been put on display to represent 10 people who died through alcohol related causes over the past eight years.

With a painted banner behind reading "Grog Finished Ten", and bodies made out of used beer cans resting on top of each, the graves were intended to highlight the sobering reality of the consequences of alcoholism.

"Day time it's alright but night time it all change - you got drunks walking round everywhere screaming fighting, all the night till four or five in the morning, kids don't get to sleep, few kids miss school," local man Lachlan Raymond said.

Health worker Alex Jackson helped the community take this bold step, with hopes the imagery sent a clear message to the drinkers.

"I think a visual reminder of what alcohol and drugs does to a community is sometimes needed, even though it is confronting and there are obviously cultural sensitivities around that," she said.

The graves represent people who still have family living in the community and community chairwoman Barbara is aware this makes it all the more confronting. Even so, she believes the message needs to be loud and clear.

"They might end up coming back and having a go at us and telling us that we're mocking our own people that passed away during this time - I think we might have a bit of a problem with the alcohol ones," she said.

Continue Reading: abc.net

ZETA DRUG CARTEL LEADER, SUSPECTED OF KILLING U.S. CUSTOMS AGENT, CAPTURED

Article from: foxnews.com

Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments

The alleged drug cartel leader suspected of killing a U.S. customs agent has been nabbed.

Mexican authorities said Monday they have arrested a co-founder of the Zetas drug cartel, Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar. He is believed to be the third in command of the criminal organization founded by former elite soldiers.

Over the course of a decade, it went from being the military arm of the Gulf Cartel to its own drug-trafficking organization.

Rejón was one of Mexico's most-wanted men and the U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

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ALCOHOL ADVERTISING BAN 'NO MATTER WHAT'

Article from: timeslive.co.za

Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments

By: Chandrew Prince & Charl du Plessis

According to a preliminary study by Chris Moerdyk, an independent marketing analyst, a total ban on the advertising of alcoholic beverages could cost media companies revenue of as much as R1.8-billion a year.

About R800-million would be lost to sports sponsorships and development grants, and forfeited marketing expenditure.

The study, based on interviews by Moerdyk with media houses, found that:

The ban would cost the SABC about R400-million;
DStv and e.tv would lose R500-million;
Radio, lifestyle magazines and newspapers would lose R900-million;
A "conservative" estimate was that about 2500 jobs would be lost, depriving about 30000 people of an income;
Loss in VAT of about R280-million;
The ban would lead to a short-term drop in branded liquor consumption of 5% to 8%

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DANIEL RADCLIFFE: I WAS "RELIANT" ON ALCOHOL

Article from: cbs.com

Jul 5, 2011 | No Comments

(CBS/AP) "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he battled with a secret alcohol problem and is no longer drinking.

The 21-year-old actor tells GQ U.K. that he began to drink too much while filming "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," the sixth movie in the "Potter" film franchise, in 2009.

"I became so reliant on (alcohol) to enjoy stuff," he told the magazine "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."

"As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time - that doesn't work for me. I do that very unsuccessfully," he said about his decision to cut out drinking altogether, instead of simply cutting down.

"I'd just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh."

Radcliffe adds that sobriety has also helped him become a better boyfriend.

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WINE STRENGTHS BY COUNTRY : WHICH IS THE HIGHEST AND WHICH TELLS THE TRUTH?

Article from: guardian.com

Jul 5, 2011 | No Comments

How much alcohol is really in that glass of wine? New data shows which countries have the highest alcohol by volume - and which get it wrong

Not all governments check the alcohol level of wine they import, but Ontario in Canada does and that is how academics from the American Association of Wine Economists were able to analyse data taken from 129,123 bottled samples from 1992 to 2009.

As part of its import controls, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario - which strictly controls sale of alcohol in the province - tested 80,421 reds and 46,985 whites over the 17-year period from all the major wine producing regions of the world, providing a cross-section of consumption. The academics excluded German wines, which typically have high residual sugar and sweet desert wines.

Taken together and averaged, the results show that every country tends to understate the alcohol levels of the wines with Argentina, Chile and the United States tending to do so most and Portugal and New Zealand the least.

Overall, 57.1% of the samples understated alcohol content and the average alcohol content was 13.6% and the average reported alcohol content was 13.1%.

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TV ALCOHOL ADS ENTICE TEENS

Article from: indystar.com

Jul 5, 2011 | No Comments

By: Bill Stanczykiewicz

It's summer and your kids are home watching more television. Do you know what ads they are seeing?

According to a national study, teens are being exposed to an increasing number of television commercials promoting alcohol, especially hard liquor. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth based at Johns Hopkins University reviewed 2.7 million advertisements between 2001 and 2009. CAMY reports that the number of alcohol TV ads viewed by youth increased by 71 percent during that time period.

CAMY's research found that youth are seeing, on average, at least one alcohol television commercial per day.

"Exposure (to alcohol TV ads) has a strong likelihood of a negative impact," said Dr. David Jernigan, director of CAMY. "The more ads kids see, the more likely they are to drink."

Jernigan said most of the increased advertising is on cable television, especially Comedy Central, BET, E!, FX and Spike. Jernigan explained that the four national broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC -- have voluntary bans on hard liquor ads. While local affiliates might air those commercials, Jernigan said, "National distribution is more efficient. So the alcohol companies wanting national exposure go to cable, and on cable the audience skews younger."

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States disputes the CAMY research and points to a Federal Trade Commission finding that alcohol advertisements target adults.

"The distilled spirits industry is committed to responsible advertising directed to adults," said Lisa Hawkins, vice president of public affairs for DISCUS. "The Distilled Spirits Council and its member companies are totally opposed to underage drinking and believe that early and persistent education supported by tough laws and strong enforcement are the key factors in (preventing underage drinking)."

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FAST FOOD CHAINS IN U.S. BEGIN SERVING ALCOHOL

Article from: independent.com

Jul 5, 2011 | No Comments

Fast-food chains like Burger King and Sonic have added new menu items that are creating quite a buzz in the US: beer and wine.

Sonic, which sells burgers, corn dogs and hot dogs, will be selling bottled and draft beer along with 10 varieties of wine to customers who eat on the outdoor patio at their Miami location this summer, reports USA Today. They will also sell alcohol at their Fort Lauderdale location.

Though uncommon in the US, fast-food chains in Europe have been selling beer since the 1970s. The first McDonald's in Munich, Germany, for instance, opened in 1971 and was the first to sell beer.

Burger King also opened a Whopper Bar in Miami's South Beach last February, where they sell beer in special aluminum bottles for $4.25 (€2.93).In total, there are three Whopper Bars which serve alcohol in the US, as well as locations in Singapore, Venezuela and Spain, the paper reports.

Continue Reading: independent.com

RECOVERING N.J. ALCOHOLICS KILLED BY SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER IN PENNSYLVANIA

Article from: nj.com

Jul 5, 2011 | No Comments

By: Dan Goldberg

BANGOR, Pa. -- Keith Michaelson and Michael Zadoyko met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting nearly 20 years ago. They were fast friends. Michaelson became Zadoyko's sponsor and encouraged him to join the Last Chance Motorcycle Club, a group of riders who have overcome alcohol and drug addictions.

The two men, after conquering their own demons, worked to help others, speaking at events, counseling, sharing their stories.

Whatever it took, wherever it took them.

On Friday afternoon, Michaelson was leading seven club members to a buddy's funeral in Pennsylvania when a suspected drunk driver hit the group head on, killing Michaelson and Zadoyko.

"The whole irony is my brother spent 25 years helping anybody who needed help with drug and alcohol rehab," said Kevin Michaelson, Keith's younger brother. "He's been to prisons, juvenile centers, he has taken anybody under his wing, and to be taken out by a drunk driver likes this is absolutely senseless. What this guy has taken from us is irreplaceable."

Michaelson, 52, of West Milford, hadn't had a drink in 25 years. Zadoyko, 47, of Pompton Lakes, had been sober for 18.

The pack was traveling on Route 512 in Bangor, Pa., when a pickup truck made too wide a turn, crossing over into the wrong lane.

"(It) struck my brother Keith Michaelson so hard he exploded on impact," said George Courtis, of Totowa, who was riding at the back of the pack. "Every time I shut my eyes my head is in video loop right now."

Police identified the driver of the pickup truck as John P. Heaney III, 49, of Lopatcong.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli suggested Heaney had been drinking and alcohol played a role in the crash.

Continue Reading: nj.com

TEXAS WARNS US TOURISTS OF MEXICO ZETA CARTEL THREAT

Article from: bbc.co.uk

Jul 4, 2011 | No Comments

The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement that it has "credible intelligence" that the Zetas cartel is specifically planning to target US citizens in Nuevo Laredo.

The threats, it said, ranged from robberies to extortion and car-theft.

"Multiple sources" had tipped it off.

"We urge US citizens to avoid travel to Nuevo Laredo this weekend if it can be avoided," said the department's director, Steven McCraw.

The department also said the sheriff's office from Webb County, on the other side of the border from Nuevo Laredo, had received similar intelligence.

It did not provide any information as to why it believed the Zetas might specifically target US citizens.

Continue Reading: bbc.co.uk

DENTISTS' ROLE IN PAINKILLER ABUSE EXAMINED

Article from: medicalnewstoday.com

Jul 4, 2011 | No Comments

In the cover article of this month's Journal of the American Dental Association, a group of nine dentists, pharmacists, and addiction experts provides new research and recommendations to help dentists combat, rather than contribute to, abuse of addictive painkillers.

The Obama administration turned a bright spotlight on prescription painkiller abuse in April when the Office of National Drug Control Policy released a national action plan and a statement from Vice President Joe Biden. With a cover article in the July edition of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), dentists focus that spotlight on themselves both as major sources of opioid drugs and as professionals with largely untapped power to recognize and reduce abuse.

"Many dentists really haven't even perceived there to be a problem," said George Kenna, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, an addiction psychologist at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, and the corresponding author of the article. "Dentists write the third-most prescriptions for immediate release opioids in the United States, but they often don't know the appropriate number of doses to prescribe, how many doses a patient uses, or most importantly what patients do with the leftover tablets they have.

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FLORIDA'S DEBATED WELFARE DRUG-SCREEN MEASURE KICKS IN

Article from: cnn.com

Jul 4, 2011 | No Comments

A controversial law requiring adults applying for welfare assistance to undergo drug screening has gone into effect in Florida.

Saying it is "unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction," Gov. Rick Scott signed the legislation in June.

"It's the right thing for taxpayers," Scott said after signing the measure. "It's the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don't want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs."

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80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN JAILED FOR DRUG SMUGGLING IN AUSTRIA

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 3, 2011 | No Comments

INNSBRUCK, Austria -- An 80-year old woman has been found guilty of smuggling drugs for her addicted son and sentenced to two years in prison.

The woman was arrested in February with narcotics worth around euro8,000 ($11,600) in her possession. The indictment accused her of smuggling 1.5 kilograms of heroin and 500 grams of cocaine from the Netherlands into Austria between 2008 and this year.

Her 46-year-old son broke down in tears before Friday's verdict and sentencing and asked the court for leniency. "Mommy made no profit, she did it out of love for me," the Austria Press Agency cited him as saying.

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ALCOHOLISM CAUSES PHYSICAL & MENTAL DAMAGE TO BOTH SUFFERERS & THEIR FAMILIES

Article from: thestar.com

Jul 3, 2011 | No Comments

By: Jo Jo Struys

I woke up with a jolt when my girlfriend called me up wailing on the phone, "Oh my God! I can't do this anymore!"

She had spent the whole night worried sick about her boyfriend, not realising he had collapsed outside her front door from drinking too much. By day, he was a totally different person. I found him sharply intelligent, well spoken and a really likable guy.

Once, she heard him crying in the shower and banging his fist against the wall because he was so horrified by the bruises he saw on her arms. Bruises he had inflicted but had no memory of the incident.

She threatened to break up with him many times but what held her back was the remorse he felt from drinking too much. She held a heart-wrenching belief that he could change.

She didn't want to believe what she read in the 'Big Book' from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It states in no uncertain terms that once a person is an alcoholic, they are always an alcoholic, which is why the only "cure" is to go sober.

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ANOTHER PINAY SENTENCED TO DIE FOR DRUGS IN CHINA

Article from: abs-cbnnews.com

Jul 3, 2011 | No Comments

MANILA, Philippines - Chinese authorities have slapped the death penalty on a Filipina teacher found guilty of drug smuggling, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday. The death sentence, which was issued by a Municipal Intermediate People's Court last week, has a 2-year reprieve, the DFA said in a press statement, citing the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou.

Her case will be elevated to the Guangdong High People's Court for automatic review, the department added.The Filipina was arrested for drug smuggling in October 2010 at the international airport in Guangzhou for carrying 1,996 grams of heroin hidden under her suitcase, according to court records.

The woman had been working in China since 2006 and has a legitimate alien employment permit, the DFA said.

"The Filipina's case discloses another case of 'could-be' drug mules indicating that even professionals are lured into said criminal activity due to the temptation of 'easy money,'" the DFA added.

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ATTORNEY SAYS MEDICAL MARIJUANA COLLECTIVE NOT GUILTY OF DRUG CHARGES

Article from: patch.com

Jul 3, 2011 | No Comments

By: Nika Megino

Although charges against two owners of a medical marijuana collective in Newark have yet to be formally filed, their attorney said Thursday that they are not guilty of any crime.

Bob Uwanawich, 39, of Fremont and Teddy Miller, 47, of Salinas were not arraigned at the Fremont Hall of Justice today and whether any charges will actually be filed against them has yet to be determined, said the pair's attorney, Kirk W. Elliott, managing partner of Roberts & Elliott, LLP.

The two were arrested June 28 after officers with the South Alameda Task Force and Newark Police Department raided NBD Cannabis Collective at 7180 Thornton Ave. in Newark as well as three businesses, two in Fremont and one in Salinas, that offer psychic services.

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BLACKOUTS LEAD TO MORE DRINKING PROBLEMS

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 3, 2011 | No Comments

One or two blackouts from drinking make it much more likely a student will suffer an alcohol related injury in the future, according to a new study.

Blacking out is relatively common. According to the report, more than half of the 800 students surveyed had experience a blackout sometime in the last 12 months. 7% had more than six black outs.

The overall prevalence of alcohol-related injuries was just over 25 percent, and the risk was the same for women and men.

The more alcohol-related blackouts a student experienced, the greater the risk of accidental injury. One to two memory blackouts increased the risk by 57 percent, and those with at least six blackouts were nearly three times as likely to suffer an injury.

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CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY SAFELY

Article from: thenewsstar.com

Jul 2, 2011 | No Comments

By: Zack Southwell

Organizations throughout the state would like area residents to enjoy themselves this Fourth of July weekend and celebrate the holiday safely.

In an effort to keep things safe, law enforcement will be out in droves this weekend to ensure the roadways are safe and clear of impaired drivers.

Highway safety officials announced Monday that more than 87 law enforcement agencies from across Louisiana will be participating in this year's Fourth of July Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest campaign designed to save lives by keeping impaired drivers off the road. The campaign is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"We've seen the number of Fourth of July highway deaths drop significantly over the past few years," said Lt. Col. John LeBlanc, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. "These declines have coincided with the stepped-up enforcement and public outreach campaigns coordinated by the LHSC with state police and scores of local law enforcement agencies."

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PANEL URGES ACCESS TO CRIMINAL RECORDS AT GROUP HOMES

Article from: boston.com

Jul 2, 2011 | No Comments

By: Travis Andersen

An advisory panel, formed after a group-home resident in Revere allegedly killed his counselor in January, recommended yesterday that workers at such facilities should have access to client's criminal records in some cases.

The recommendation was one of 17 put forward by the group, which included mental health professionals and advocates and was started after the death of Stephanie Moulton of Peabody, 25. The panel was formed to evaluate safeguards for residents and staff at mental health centers operated by, or under contract with, the state.

Moulton, who was working as a counselor at a group home run by the North Suffolk Mental Health Association, was allegedly killed inside the facility by then-resident Deshawn James Chappell, 27, who has been charged with murder.

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SUSPECTED DRUG KINGPIN ARRESTED IN LOG ANGELES

Article from: cnn.com

Jul 2, 2011 | No Comments

A suspected drug kingpin on the "15 Most Wanted" fugitives list has been arrested in Los Angeles, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Thursday.

Keith Hasson, 45, was arrested without incident Wednesday at an apartment northwest of downtown Los Angeles, between Burbank and Thousand Oaks, according to a statement from the Marshals Service. He is reputed to have been the leader of a nationwide cocaine and marijuana trafficking ring that operated from 1999 to 2005 and generated more than $20 million in cash and assets, the statement said.

Hasson was wanted on a 2005 open indictment from the U.S. District Court in New Mexico for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to launder money, according to the statement.

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NEW POT SHOPS KEEP POPPING UP DESPITE CITY BAN

Article from: patch.com

Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

By: Craig Clough

Despite a ban on any new marijuana dispensaries and efforts by the city attorney to close many that are currently open, at least three new ones have opened up recently in the North Hollywood and Studio City area.

Back in April, Patch set out to identify how many marijuana dispensaries were located in the area and what their status was with the city attorney's office.

Aside from finding dozens of shops in April that were open despite the city attorney having sent them letters ordering them to close, Patch also discovered 15 shops in North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Toluca Lake the city did not send letters to because the city did not seem to know they existed, calling into question if the city attorney's office has the power, resources and support to shut down over 200 shops, let alone prevent new ones from opening.

Some shops, new and old, choose out-of-the-way places and try to not call too much attention to themselves. Other shops are located in plain view on main boulevards with shiny green neon marijuana signs.

And then there is the third option, to hide in plain site and appear at glance to be something family-friendly, like a yogurt shop, which is what YourTree (formerly YogurTree) has done. In early spring, the self-serve yogurt shop YogurTree closed at 11048 Ventura Blvd., and in its place in April came YourTree (aka YourTreeProviders), a shop that with just a slight change of the signage became a marijuana dispensary. The signage is so similar that anyone familiar with the store and neighborhood could drive or even walk right past it without ever noticing the change (see attached photos).

Exotic Garden, located at 12032 Vose Street in North Hollywood, opened its doors for business in June, advertising online that it was the "best new dispensary in the valley." The owner, who asked not to be identified, told Patch he had not been contacted by the city at all and currently was not afraid of being shut down.

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CRACK OFFENDERS ELIGIBLE FOR EARLY RELEASE

Article from: cbs.com

Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

WASHINGTON - Thousands of federal prisoners locked up for offenses involving crack cocaine will be eligible for early release after a vote Thursday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Congress passed a law last year substantially lowering recommended sentences for people convicted of crack cocaine crimes, ranging from possession to trafficking. The idea was to fix a longstanding disparity in punishments for crack and powder cocaine crimes, but the new, lower recommended sentences didn't automatically apply to offenders already in prison. On Thursday the six-member sentencing commission unanimously decided that offenders locked up for crack offenses before the new law took effect should also benefit.

"I believe that the commission has no choice but to make this right," said Ketanji Brown Jackson, a vice chair of the commission. "I say justice demands this result."

The commission's decision is final unless Congress decides to intervene by the end of October, though that is considered unlikely.

According to the commission's own research, approximately 12,000 of the roughly 200,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons nationwide will be eligible to have their sentences reduced because of Thursday's vote. The average sentence reduction is expected to be approximately three years, though a judge will have to approve any lower sentence. Individuals convicted under state law and in state prisons will not be affected. The Bureau of Prisons estimates that over the first five years the change will save $200 million.

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U.S. GOLFER: I SMOKED POT DURING TOURNAMENTS

Article from: cbs.com

Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

By: Stephen Smith

Robert Garrigus, who finished tied for third earlier this month at the U.S. Open, admitted that he used to smoke pot during golf tournaments, Golf Digest reported.

Garrigus, who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse earlier in his career, said that he - and other golfers - would sneak off the course mid-round on the Nationwide tour (the PGA's development tour) in the early 2000s.

"Oh yeah, there were plenty of guys on the Nationwide Tour who smoked in the middle of the round," Garrigus said. "We always talked about it. You could go in the Porta John and take your drags."

According to Golf Digest, Garrigus became mired in drugs and alcohol while at college in Arizona.

"The smoking got to be habitual: five, 10, maybe 20 times a day," he said. "I didn't keep track of how much. I constantly needed to be high. And I took it to the max. Every single day. Mostly just smoking, smoking, smoking."

Garrigus credits a 45-day rehab in 2003 for turning his life around. It also seemed to resurrect his golf game. He won his first PGA Tour title last year at the Children's Miracle Network Classic and this year, on one of golf's biggest stages, he shot four consecutive subpar rounds to finish tied for third at the U.S. Open.

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DIARY OF AN ALCOHOLIC HOUSEWIFE (video)

Article from: huffingtonpost.com

Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

Brenda Wilhelmson -- accomplished writer, wife and mother of two sons -- appeared on "The Today Show" this morning to talk about a secret she kept hidden for years. Though appearing to "have it all," in actuality Wilhelmson was struggling with alcoholism as she transitioned from having an active social to living a life at home with her child.

"As much as I loved being a mother, and I loved being home with my baby, I felt very isolated," she said on the show. "I was one of the first of my friends to have a child, so everybody else's life was going on as before -everybody was going out and having a good time -- and I was at home."

And she's not alone: according to the segment, more than 5.2 million women in America abuse or are dependent on alcohol. Wilhelmson, who has now been sober for eight years, chronicles her difficult journey to sobriety in her new book "Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife."

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DRUG ADDICTS IN LONDON GET HEROIN PRESCRIBED BY NHS

Article from: bbc.com

Jul 1, 2011 | No Comments

By: Ed Davey

Drug addicts are being prescribed heroin on the NHS across London, a BBC investigation has revealed.

There has been a long-running public debate about whether addicts should be widely offered the drug.

Supporters say prescribing diamorphine - pure heroin - stops them committing crime to feed their habit.

They argue a regular supply of pure heroin means addicts can build a stable life and find employment.

In January, Health Minister Anne Milton told Parliament: "The Drugs Strategy sets out the coalition government's commitment to continue to examine the role of diamorphine prescribing for the small number who may benefit.

"We will set out plans in due course."

But the BBC has used Freedom of Information requests to all of London's primary care trusts to establish that heroin is already being prescribed across the city - and not just in medical trials.

In exceptional cases, doctors can already gain special approval from the Home Office to issue heroin to addicts.

In the past three years almost 120 addicts have been provided with heroin in this way in London and it was prescribed in 10 of the city's 32 boroughs.

The BBC has learned doctors even have the power to prescribe cocaine, although this is rare.

Some people said they were disappointed with the news.

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