After he stopped laughing, York County drug czar Bill Graff got on the phone with the Pennsylvania State Police crime lab.

"You can lick all the toads you want," had been Graff's initial response. "I don't think it's a crime. There's nothing in the (state) crimes code banning the licking of toads."

Graff didn't believe it, but the question of toad licking came up after a man was arrested in November in Missouri, accused of possession of a Colorado River toad with the intent to lick it to get high.

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A recent report issued by the National Drug Intelligence Center indicates an alarming trend in the number of methadone-related deaths - -- estimated to be about a 400 percent increase since 1999.

And while some local experts agree that the NDIC's figure mirrors that of local trends, they say the increase is not a result of methadone clinics, commonly frequented by drug addicts to treat heroin addiction.

According to the report, methadone-related deaths increased from 786 in 1999 to almost 4,000 in 2004, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Dr. Bertha K. Madras, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, held a summit to discuss random student drug testing.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that it is legal for public schools to test those who are in extra curricular activities, such as sports. Random drug testing makes sense for school students. If a student has a drug a problem, it needs to come to light for the parents to address the problem.

Another reason for drug testing is fairness among athletes. Students who aren't subject to testing may try dangerous drugs such as steroids to gain a competitive edge.

We believe it's important for parents and schools to make sure high school students are not on a dangerous path by abusing drugs. Random drug testing is one way to help young people stay healthy and keep activities fair for all athletes.

[end]

The Issue: A federally funded survey shows that although use of illicit drugs among teenagers has declined, misuse of prescription drugs has increased.

Our Opinion: The full message apparently still is not getting through: The improper use of any drug can be dangerous, even lethal.

The 33rd annual survey by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research on teenage drug use has been completed, and there is good news and bad news.

The good news is that the use of illicit drugs in down. The bad news is that the misuse of prescription drugs has increased. That has cuased many experts to be concerned.

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Kids Ask Questions On Drugs, Sex And Alcohol

RENOVO - A bull session - minus the bull - was held between public officials and students at the Bucktail Area High School Monday.

The meeting, sparked by reports of at least six drug overdoses in the Renovo area in recent months, was sponsored by a new community group that calls itself "A Time To Stand Together."

Students from grade school, middle school and high school gathered in the auditorium to listen to a panel of experts answer their questions about sex, drugs and alcohol.

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Mandatory minimum prison sentences have done little other than give the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. The deterrent value of tough drug laws is grossly overrated. During the crack epidemic of the eighties, New York City chose the zero tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible.

Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously.

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Tactics in Suburban Policing

Pennsylvania Jails Have Been Strip-Searching Thousands of People Detained on Minor Charges, Often Without Legal Justification. It Could Cost Taxpayers Millions.

Second of Three Parts

Tameka Flythe was arrested by Darby police as she walked home from a pickup basketball game in Philadelphia. Strip-searched on an officer's suspicion that she might have drugs, she was released without any charges being filed. No drugs were found. "It was almost like being raped," she said.

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In Area Towns, Nuisance Laws Result In A Disproportionate Number Of Arrests Of African Americans, Often By Nearly All-White Police Forces.

The Rev. Reggie Brooks, pastor of a storefront church in the toughest part of Pottstown, once counted himself as a strong supporter of a police crackdown on the pushers and hoodlums who tormented his neighborhood.

That ended on the day his 14-year-old nephew and a friend were hauled out of a neighborhood barbershop last year as suspected drug dealers.

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The U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Sentencing Commission struck blows for fairness this week.

Monday, the Supreme Court restored to federal judges the power to judge.

That is, it gave judges the power to deviate from sentencing guidelines in order to better make punishment fit the particular crime.

That largely had been eliminated through mandatory and sometimes draconian sentencing standards established by Congress.

Meanwhile, the issue before the Sentencing Commission was mandatory sentence disparities for possession of crack or powder cocaine. Under federal law, possession of 50 grams of crack cocaine carries the same mandatory 10-year-sentence as possession of 5,000 grams of powder cocaine.

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Authorities Say Gangs, Drug Activity Push Up Homicide Numbers.

An increase in suspected drug-or gang-related killings is driving up Allentown's homicide rate, with the city nearing its record of 21 slayings set two years ago.

Through Friday, there have been 20 homicides in the city. Police believe 15 may have connections to drugs, gangs or both, said Ron Manescu, assistant police chief.

That puts 75 percent of the slayings into that category, up from 67 percent last year and 48 percent two years ago.

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Regardless of what Gov. Rendell tries to stuff down the legislators' throats, the murder problems in Philadelphia and other cities are not because of guns. The problem is drugs!

Look what happened when we had prohibition. Much money was made by selling and making illegal alcohol, and shootings were rampant. Criminals fought over their turf just as drug pushers fight over control of theirs. Addicts steal and rob for money to buy expensive drugs. We have to get control of the drug business to stop the murders.

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SOMERSET -- While more than 17 percent of surveyed Somerset County students had engaged in binge drinking in a 30-day period -- a significantly higher percentage than elsewhere in the state -- county officials said newly released results show notable signs of improvement.

The study, which tracks drug abuse and abuse factors among students in sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades countywide, also was conducted in 2003 and 2005, using a federal Drug Free Communities grant.

"In my opinion, there is good news in Somerset County," said Rick Esterly of Esterly Consulting Associates in the Reading area.

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The North Schuylkill Spartan Task Force was formed in December of 2006 as a proactive group working toward making our educational community a safer environment.

This committee is comprised of administrators, staff, community agencies, emergency personnel, law enforcement, parents and students from not only the North Schuylkill School District, but other areas of Schuylkill County who share our concerns. The group was implemented because we, as professionals, felt we could make a positive difference and create a safer atmosphere at our school.

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Charles M. Byra Jr. accused of possessing gun stolen from Dupont Police evidence locker, crack cocaine.

A former police officer who was charged with stealing evidence from the Dupont Police Department has agreed to plead guilty to federal firearm and drug charges, according to court records and his attorney.

Charles M. Byra Jr. of Winter Street, Pittston Township, is scheduled to enter the plea on Jan. 15 to possession of a stolen firearm and possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, both felonies, said Gerard Grealish, a federal public defender. Prosecutors have agreed to drop five additional counts, Grealish said.

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They got the beer bong, the aerosol air freshener, the angry snowman T-shirt and the pacifiers.

But when Clarence Watson held up the tube of lipstick parents had missed while searching a teen's bedroom for signs of drug use, their reaction made it obvious they hadn't gotten that.

"This is actually a marijuana pipe," said Watson, demonstrating how the tube could transition from cosmetic aid to illicit paraphernalia.

An audible "Oh dang" emanated from the audience, followed soon by an "Oh man" as Watson deftly revealed a similar pipe inside a fluorescent yellow highlighter.

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FOUNTAIN SPRINGS -- The North Schuylkill student drug testing policy was implemented Saturday as 22 of the 400 students in grades 7 through 12 attending the winter formal dance were tested based on randomly selected ticket numbers.

"All tests were negative," Principal Sharon Snyder said Monday.

As the students entered the building, their ticket numbers were called and those on the preselected random list were taken to another area in the school for testing. A swab of the cheek taken by staff of Saint Catherine Medical Center Fountain Springs took only a few moments and the students were then able to rejoin their friends on the dance floor. Snyder said the tests were divided equally between high school and junior high students.

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Drug dealers are targeting kids with an expanding arsenal of products, including strawberry- and coconut-flavored methamphetamine, narcotics experts said Sunday during a disaster planning conference Downtown.

"We've come a long way since the old days, but so have the crooks," said Bob Gallardo, a retired special agent supervisor for the California Department of Justice. "They're marketing to kids."

Gallardo and Mick Mollica, also a retired Justice investigator, spoke yesterday to about 15 regional hazmat and fire officials about clandestine labs, including how to spot and clean them up.

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In Wake of Major Pot Bust, Local Hospitals Say They Haven't Seen the So-Called Marijuana "Overdoses."

When police seized more than $1.4 million in drugs from a City Avenue penthouse last week, they boasted about the 16 pounds of a potent marijuana strain known as "AK47" that, according to Narcotics Chief Inspector William Blackburn, put people in the emergency room with overdoses.

There were two reactions to the claim, which was regurgitated with little apparent scrutiny by the local media. From nonsmokers: It's great that police got such a large amount of a dangerous drug off our streets, big step for the war on drugs. From pot smokers: Hold on man, overdoses? On weed? Did they eat too many Cheetos or something?

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FAMILY COURT Judge Lori Dumas Brooks wanted to make sure she wasn't overreacting.

So she held the small blue packet of powdered substance in her palm and showed it around at work yesterday.

Everyone asked the same thing:

What was she doing with crack cocaine?

"I thought she confiscated it in the courtroom," said Administrative Judge Kevin Dougherty.

No one could believe what the tiny pouch actually was: a new breath mint made by - get this - Hershey's. Ice Breakers Pacs, which hit the stores this month, are dissolvable pouches in blue or orange that look uncannily like tiny heat-sealed bags of cocaine, crack, heroin or any other powdered drug.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. -- New mint packets being sold by The Hershey Co. look nearly identical to the tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell illegal powdered drugs like crack, heroin and cocaine and glorify the drug trade, a Philadelphia police official said.

Ice Breakers Pacs, nickel-sized dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside, hit store shelves in November. The packets, which come in blue and orange plastic slide-up cases, are similar enough to drug packets that a child familiar with the candy could mistakenly swallow a heat-sealed bag of drugs, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn told the Philadelphia Daily News for an article published Friday.

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