Amid Recession, Meth Menace Evolves

“In Elkhart, meth is not the only illegal drug, but it is the one that has dealt the hardest blow to its working-class gut, bringing down many men and women who staff the area’s RV factories. Over the course of the recession, at least one aspect of the problem has worsened: By mid-November of this … Read more

Why Can’t Some People Give Up Cocaine?

Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new study shows that, in the case of cocaine, a high score on the so-called ‘scale of craving’, an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse … Read more

Heroin Is New, Dangerous Drug Of Choice

“The drug scene in Van Wert County has taken a dangerous turn. Where last year, the majority of drug cases involved prescription drugs or marijuana, Van Wert Police are now having to deal with a comeback from heroin. Heroin is the most powerful of the opiates and is also the most addictive. But greater availability … Read more

Managing Your Pain: How to Use Prescription Drugs Without Becoming Addicted

By January W. Payne “Michael Jackson’s death has brought renewed attention to prescription drug abuse, which has long been a problem for everyday Americans as well as pill-popping celebrities. About 48 million people, or 20 percent of Americans over age 12, have taken prescription medications—often, the painkillers called opioids—for nonmedical reasons, according to the National … Read more

FDA Panel Recommends Approval of New Oxycodone Formulation

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend approval of a new formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin) that is more difficult to crush or dissolve, and which may deter drug abuse. By a 14-4 margin, with one abstention, the panel recommended that the FDA approve Purdue Pharma’s application … Read more

Harvested To Make Ecstasy, Cambodia’s Trees Are Felled One By One

International drug trade drives illicit safrole-oil factories deep in the Cardamom mountains. By Sam Campbell — Special to GlobalPost “Clandestine factories deep in the Cardamom Mountains of western Cambodia are producing safrole oil — also known as sassafras oil — the main ingredient in the party drug Ecstasy. The recreational drug produces a euphoria its … Read more

Hit by Recession, Cocaine Dealers Resort to Cold-calling

“Before condos in Williamsburg started selling at a loss and weekend flights to L.A. dropped to under $200, New York’s cocaine dealers were supplying good times to people who indulged like the party wouldn’t end.” https://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/08/hit_by_recession_cocaine_deale.html

Prescription Drug Abuse is Our New Epidemic

ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB MCKENNA – THE BELLINGHAM HERALD “In Washington state, there are more deaths annually from prescription drug abuse than from meth, cocaine, and heroin combined. Due to the abundance of prescription medications, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in our state. That means you or a loved one are … Read more

Driver in Deadly Texas Bus Crash Had Used Cocaine

By DANNY ROBBINS (AP) “DALLAS — A drug test conducted on the driver involved in the Texas charter bus crash that killed 17 passengers last year showed evidence of recent cocaine use, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. The National Transportation Safety Board found evidence of cocaine in a urine sample from Barrett … Read more