After a scathing report in 1971 by Congressmen Robert Steele (R-CT) and Morgan Murphy (D-IL) highlighting a heroin epidemic among servicemen in Vietnam, the U.S. military announced that it would begin urinalysis testing of all returning servicemen (known as Operation Golden Flow). During this program, 4.5 percent of the returning servicemen tested positive for heroin…
The FMCSA announces, pursuant to 49 CFR 382.305, that it is reducing the minimum annual percentage rate for random controlled substances testing for drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL) from the current rate of 50 percent of the average number of driver positions to 25 percent of the average…
WASHINGTON – Michael Botticelli, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told a Congressional panel Wednesday that overdoses from heroin and prescription opioids is the most urgent concern facing his agency. “There is no more pressing issue,” said Botticelli, who testified at a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing on the nation’s…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – As attitudes and laws in the U.S. have become more tolerant of marijuana, the proportion of adults using and abusing the substance at least doubled between 2001 and 2013, according to a new study. Although marijuana dependence and abuse was found to be on the rise, that is largely due…
The Washington Post Each tiny heroin bag was hand-stamped “Breaking Bad.” The name, a nod to the TV show about a teacher turned meth cook, was a colorful marketing ploy. And customers asked for it specifically. Demanded it, really. That tan powder was potent. Better than anything else on the streets. One Breaking Bad dealer…
Washington, D.C. – Today, Michael Botticelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy, announced $13.4 million in funding for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA). Of that, $5 million will be directed to a broad range of efforts that will reduce the trafficking, distribution, and use of heroin – a drug that has emerged as a…
