Drug News You Can Use
Jamaica attacks, like Mexico’s drug war, reveal a brave stand against drug lords
Yes, a tourist might be approached to buy pot. But on the beaches or in the markets, it’s usually fun, fun, fun, and then fly or cruise away.
But this week tourists would have seen something very different in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, similar to what has been happening in parts of Mexico since 2006.
With unusual bravery, the leaders of both countries have decided to confront the most powerful drug lords with guns and the rule of law.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Editorial-Board-Blog/2010/0525/Jamaica-attacks-like-Mexico-s-drug-war-reveal-a-brave-stand-against-drug-lords
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: The world’s most dangerous place?
The light is falling, the heat is letting up and gunmen have arrived at the modest house with the concrete front yard where there is a birthday party going on. With quiet efficiency they approach the painted wrought iron gates and begin spraying the adults with bullets. Three men crumple to the ground, dead. Two others succumb later in hospital.
The evening has begun with a massacre, but it’s still early.
A couple hours later, a man will be lying in a semi-fetal position, dumped at the side of the road opposite a used car lot, his blank eyes still open, his head in a pool of blood. Just down the road, another man will be shot dead inside a convenience store.
By the end of the night, there will be 10 killings in Juárez. The next day, 13. The day after that, 22.
Targeting brain circuits for addiction, relapse
WASHINGTON — Could a once-a-month alcoholism shot keep some of the highest-risk heroin addicts from relapse? A drug that wakes up narcoleptics treat cocaine addiction? An old antidepressant fight methamphetamine?
This is the next frontier in substance abuse: Better understanding of how addiction overlaps with other brain diseases is sparking a hunt to see if a treatment for one might also help another.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ia2wRWvX0AqwPc2iD0CIpNB175xAD9FTD1EG0
Deadly, ultra-pure heroin arrives in US
WINFIELD, Mo. — Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly peddling a form of ultra-potent heroin that sells for as little as $10 a bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly, sometimes before they even remove the syringe from their veins.
An Associated Press review of drug overdose data shows that so-called “black tar” heroin – named for its dark, gooey consistency – and other forms of the drug are contributing to a spike in overdose deaths across the nation and attracting a new generation of users who are caught off guard by its potency.
“We found people who snorted it lying face-down with the straw lying next to them,” said Patrick O’Neil, coroner in suburban Chicago’s Will County, where annual heroin deaths have nearly tripled – from 10 to 29 – since 2006. “It’s so potent that we occasionally find the needle in the arm at the death scene.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jN7RPNccYLoZCrXM8cKX2uRXi25gD9FTBP2O0
A cautionary tale: Smart people and addiction
Rationalization and denial are key concepts in addiction treatment. To recover, addicts admit they have rationalized their habit (“I use so much less than my friends.”) and denied they have a problem (“I can handle it. It’s not affecting my job.”) Here’s another barrier to recovery from addiction: “I’m too smart for this to become a problem.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/05/addiction-drug-use-doctors.html
