Add a new name to the list of mind-altering drugs readily available in Maine. Salvia divinorum, a potent hallucinogen closely related to an ornamental plant commonly grown in Maine herb and flower gardens, is for sale at smoke shops throughout the state. It's not illegal, but Maine lawmakers in the coming session will take up a proposal to ban or regulate it. A bill proposed by Rep. Chris Barstow, D-Gorham, seeks control over the use, sale or possession of the plant. [continues 670 words]
Emergency ban gives city time to deal with complex issue You can't sell marijuana in Taft now, even if it's for medicinal purposes. The Taft City Council passed an emergency ordinance last week to ban the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries for the next 45 days. Chief of Police Bert Pumphrey requested the emergency ordinance, which went into effect immediately and required a four-fifths vote of the council. The ordinance prohibits the current businesses from providing the drug as well as the opening of a business for the purpose of dispensing marijuana. [continues 313 words]
Dispensary: The City Says It Violates Land-Use Ordinances; the Owners Plan to Fight the Ruling. NORCO - Owners of a medical marijuana collective have vowed to keep the dispensary open despite a legal challenge from the city. Collective Solution opened Dec. 1 on a stretch of Sixth Street known for veterinary clinics and animal feed stores. Owner Ken Andersen said he and his partners opened the dispensary after a 45-day moratorium on the businesses ended. "When the moratorium expired, we rented this building, applied for a business license and started signing up patients," Andersen said. [continues 279 words]
'Bup' Offers Great Potential in the Fight Against the Deadly Drug Heroin abuse plagues many of our communities, bringing drug-related crime and violence and tearing families apart. Roughly 1 million people in the United States are addicted to heroin, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. There are no easy or quick solutions to this epidemic, but effective treatment programs can and must play an integral role as we fight back. In recent years, a new anti-addiction medicine called buprenorphine has revolutionized the way we treat heroin addiction, and Congress recently acted to make it more widely available. [continues 500 words]
Re your Wednesday editorial, "Violence": The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has finally determined that there is gang violence in Palm Beach County. And, lo and behold, it's in Boynton Beach. Oh, wait, what about the rest of the county? There were 92 homicides this year in Palm Beach County, of which 14 were teens. In the past three years, West Palm Beach has seen at least 24 young African- American men being shot. What happened at the Boynton Beach Mall on Christmas Eve was a tragedy. But to say that gang violence is out of control in Boynton Beach is to show a narrow-sighted view of the problem. If gang violence is out of control, it is not just in Boynton Beach. What about the shootings throughout the rest of South Florida? [continues 162 words]
As the article by Christopher Lee outlined, we need to do more to protect our kids from cough-medicine abuse ["Teens Turn to Medicine Cabinets to Get High," Friday]. The Monitoring the Future survey Lee referenced found that that 4.2 percent of eighth-graders, 5.3 percent of 10th-graders and 6.9 percent of 12th-graders have abused cough medicine in some form over the past year. It's time to teach kids - and their parents, who may be unaware of their teen's activities - about the dangers of abusing these otherwise safe medicines. [continues 264 words]
Recent articles and letters about a proposal to further raise Wisconsin's cigarette tax got me thinking. Despite almost 70 years of marijuana prohibition and nearly 800,000 arrests per year, most for simple possession, the cannabis market continues to grow. The report concluded cannabis should be taxed and regulated, like we do now with tobacco and alcohol. This is not a new idea, and coincidentally, the report comes just days after the death of former Pennsylvania Gov. Raymond Shafer. A conservative Republican, Shafer had chaired President Richard Nixon's commission on marijuana. The commission concluded marijuana users "are essentially indistinguishable from their nonmarijuana using peers by any fundamental criterion other than their marijuana use." [continues 178 words]
Re: the Dec. 25 article "Tucson man gets 25 years on drug-trafficking charges." It looks like the taxpayers of Arizona are going to be paying for the room and board and education on how to become a "real" criminal for Mark Anthony Simmons. This will cost the taxpayers of Arizona at least $500,000 (at $20,000 per year for 25 years). Simmons provided a desired product to willing buyers. He harmed nobody. Marijuana is a natural herb that has never been documented to kill anybody in the 5,000-year history of its use. It seems to me that our jail and prison space should be reserved for those who harm others against their will, not marijuana entrepreneurs. Kirk Muse, Mesa [end]
The recent bust of a marijuana and psilocybin growing operation in Blacksburg by the New River Regional Drug Task Force implies success to many people. "Another dealer in dangerous drugs off the street," some will say. But there are others, even those within the law enforcement community, who dissent and say that this low-level bust has really accomplished nothing and is but another insignificant bump in the perpetual war on drugs. Former President Richard Nixon declared a war on marijuana in 1971. [continues 622 words]
Some Artists Glorify The Cash Made Selling The Street Drug, While Ignoring Its Grotesque Social Effects Drugs have always played a role in popular music, from '60s acid rock and the ganja-slowed rhythms of reggae to grunge's heroin-wracked self-loathing. But none of these narcotics have influenced a genre as intensely as crack cocaine has hip-hop. For the past year, the subgenre known as crack-rap -- AKA cocaine rap or, more poetically, trap-hop -- has dominated the charts. Nearly every major hip-hop album has sniffed around the subject, but rather than describing their own habits, these rappers have been boasting about drug-dealing day-jobs. [continues 949 words]
As 2006 draws to a close, drug-enforcement officials in Washington say they have destroyed more than 130,000 marijuana plants this year as part of a joint state and federal eradication effort. That's nearly the same as last year, when a record 135,000 plants were destroyed under the Washington Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration said in a news release. This year's seizures have led to more than 340 arrests and 190 weapons seizures. [continues 94 words]
Tough on crime. Who could possibly argue with that? Everyone hates crime. A fair amount of criminals hate crime, hate what crime has done to their lives and hate that they can't seem to get away from a life of crime. The tough-on-crime political platform of the '80s has become an unbeatable ticket into office for scores of candidates. Tough-on-crime must be effective, since nobody has questioned the approach. More criminals are in prison for longer periods of time. Judges no longer have the power of discretion. Inmates are no longer eligible for parole, nor can they enjoy unlimited access to the courts. As a result, inmates are warehoused in violent institutions patiently learning their lessons and feeling the deterrent effect of the tough-on-crime monster. [continues 183 words]
ST. CHARLES - After a young St. Charles man was found dead on a park bench on June 16, two of his friends were charged with leaving him there to die of a drug overdose. Clinton Eash, 30, and Joseph Estok, 29, each face drug-induced homicide charges in 27-year-old Matthew Thies' death. Both have pleaded not guilty and remain in Kane County Jail. Three children found Thies on a bench behind Fox Ridge Elementary School in St. Charles. He was alive when he was placed on the bench, but died soon after from a cocaine and heroin overdose, prosecutors said. It is only the second time the charge has been filed in Kane County. [end]
As the nation ponders its lost cause in Iraq, it's past time to reconsider yet another misbegotten crusade: America's 35-year-old "War on Drugs." Conceived by President Richard Nixon in 1971 partly as an attack on the anti-Vietnam war "counterculture," like most governmental efforts to abolish sin and folly, it's a complete failure. For different reasons, Democrats and Republicans alike refuse to acknowledge reality. I yield to none in my contempt for the romance of narcotics. Like alcoholism, illegal drugs have brought misery, sorrow and death to millions. Few American families are untouched. Prohibition and criminalization, however, have proven a miserable failure, making traffic in illicit substances infinitely more profitable, enriching organized crime, corrupting governments and police and turning drug addiction into a contemporary plague. The United States now has a higher percentage of jailed citizens than all but a few police states. Yet heroin, cocaine and crystal meth are cheaper and more ubiquitous than ever. [continues 554 words]
Smoking Might Benefit Small Number of Patients There's a lot of talk lately about giving Michiganders the right to take a toke. A state House bill legalizing medical marijuana is going nowhere this month, but already there is a petition drive out of Eaton Rapids and talk of a second to allow Michigan voters to legally light up. It's fascinating politics, but is it good medicine? Yes and no. There is strong evidence that marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient has a place in the modern arsenal of medicines. Smoking it, though, hardly appears to be the best way to administer that drug, experts say. [continues 689 words]
On Christmas Eve morning, Pastor Robert Mays sat alone in front of his church's piano and played a battle hymn. Although he didn't know it was a battle hymn at the time, he knew he was at war. "This church is in what I call a spiritual war zone," he said. "There are drugs, drug dealers and drug abusers all around me." Mays was ready to take another step in his plan to win back his community. [continues 673 words]
Ranks Fifth in Seizures Under State Eradication Program The devious mountain landscape almost masked a big mystery from a random hiker who stumbled upon 1,500 marijuana plants one day in July. While it was a significant find, sheriff's deputies familiar with the rugged terrain ventured farther into the Angelus Oaks woods and found about 53,000 more plants, one of the largest busts in county history. It's been a good year for San Bernardino County law enforcement in terms of marijuana plant seizures. The Sheriff's Department found and removed more than 97,000 plants, the most since 1991. And the county ranked fifth in the state for plants seized with the assistance of a state eradication group. [continues 652 words]
San Francisco joined other cities such as Oakland, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, and Seattle that have passed similar legislation to make marijuana arrests a low priority in a quite move on December 1, World AIDS Day. The bill was overwhelmingly supported by the Board of Supervisors by an 8-3 vote on November 21 and passed a second vote 7-3 on November 28 before being sent to Mayor Gavin Newsom. "I feel really good about it. It's a policy that's endorsed by a majority of San Franciscans, reflecting what they feel about the issue," said Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the legislation. [continues 346 words]
WASHINGTON - After a year of escalating Afghan heroin production, calls are mounting for a shift in U.S. policy aimed at turning Afghanistan's poppy into an economic asset by using it to produce medicinal painkillers. Backers of the proposal include several leading scientists and economists, as well as some in Congress. The Bush administration is skeptical. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, plans to use his recently acquired seat on the House International Relations Committee to bring up the matter when lawmakers convene next month. [continues 1089 words]
Says Founders Lack A 'Sincere' Religious Belief A federal judge has ruled against the founders of a Southeastern Arizona church that deifies marijuana and uses it as a sacrament, saying they don't have a "sincere" religious belief. In her refusal to dismiss charges against Dan and Mary Quaintance, U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera in Albuquerque wrote that evidence indicates the pair "adopted their 'religious' belief in cannabis as a sacrament and deity in order to justify their lifestyle choice to use marijuana." [continues 647 words]
Seizure Is Large Even For A City With An Image As A Narcotics Hub Authorities charged a truck driver with narcotics trafficking Thursday after seizing more than 7 tons of marijuana, highlighting what experts described as Harris County's leading role as a distribution center for illicit drugs. An anonymous tip led drug agents to the drab warehouse in northwest Harris County late Wednesday, where they said they found one of the largest marijuana stashes they've seen in recent memory. [continues 1055 words]
Gilroy - Redemption is a faraway thing for many Gilroy teens. South County's deliquents face long drives or even longer bus rides to San Jose programs that wean them from drugs and help dim their rage, programs they can't find closer to home. To twist the old adage, South County has its pound of teen crime, but barely an ounce of prevention. "Young people in Gilroy who are trying to correct the problems in their lives have to go 30 miles north to San Jose or 30 miles south to Salinas, in order to overcome their problems. Problems they experienced in Gilroy," said Timoteo Vasquez, a youth organizer working with Communities United in Prevention, a grassroots coalition in Gilroy. [continues 739 words]
Recovery Programs Crucial To Winning Drug War Think about the families fractured this holiday because of drug abuse. Some missing family members are in prison; some are dead. Some may be around the house, but not really present. No one thinks drug abuse is OK. The question is how best to fight it. There are signs that the answer is shifting toward fighting drug abuse one person at a time, helping users recover, preventing others from getting hooked. It's slow, it's personal, it's expensive. But without it, history and economics say, we are doomed to failure. [continues 601 words]
Lots of people knew James Wilson Jr., whether they knew him as Jimmy Wilson, Urbana's three-sport star; Rasta James, the reggae promoter; H. Rap Wilson, the radical; or Chef Ra, the High Times food columnist. "If you're from Urbana and you don't know him, you don't get out much," said Maarten De Witte, an old friend who usually called him Jim. Mr. Wilson brought reggae to Champaign-Urbana, set a high jump record that lasted for years, was known internationally for his cannabis-infused recipes and ran for president on a legalize-marijuana platform. [continues 588 words]
The shooting death of a 23-year-old Lake Worth man at the Boynton Beach Mall on Christmas Eve is a grim reminder that gang violence isn't a problem only for certain neighborhoods and communities. Dozens of shoppers who ran for their lives as the bullets flew know that well-armed young criminals are prepared to settle scores most anywhere and any time - including upscale department stores during the holidays. Boynton Beach police believe a gang feud led Jesse Cesar, 21, to gun down Berno Charlemond. On Tuesday, Cesar, a reputed member of the San Castle Soldiers, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder of a police officer; Fregens Daniel, 21, of Boynton Beach also was charged as an accessory. [continues 450 words]
Sheriff Rick Davis has wisely decided to continue the popular DARE Camp. Campers and counselers get credit for bringing the importance of the anti-drug effort to the attention of the new sheriff. During the fall campaign, Davis, a former sheriff's captain and the Republican sheriff nominee, ruffled feathers when he indicated the Drug Abuse Resistance Education summer camp might be cut. Davis was looking for ways to streamline and reorganize projects such as DARE. The program's main focus -- bringing law officers into the schools to befriend youngsters, give them positive law enforcement role models and teach about dangers of drugs -- was never in question. But some residents worried the camp, during which kids enjoy outdoor and team-building activities, might be on the chopping block when annual fundraising didn't take place [continues 358 words]
Meth Deaths on the Rise, 2006 Statistics Show Humboldt County is poised to tie a grim statistic: the record set in 2003 for drug overdose deaths. That year, there were 50 deaths, 18 times the national average of 2.2 per 100,000 population. With a few days left in 2006, there are 46 confirmed drug overdose deaths in the county this year, said Humboldt County Coroner Frank Jager on Wednesday. "But that's not the whole story," he said. Another three or four possible overdoses are still awaiting toxicology screening, he said. So the total could be around 49. [continues 127 words]
A Group of Kings Beach Teens Will Become Movie Producers, Actors and Camera Operators This January -- All in an Effort to Educate the Community About the Dangers of Methamphetamine. In November, Placer County handed out six grants totaling $10,781 for production of a DVD for the county's campaign "It's a Fact: Meth is our Problem." Sierra High School in Truckee received one of the grants, while Kings Beach-based Creciendo Unidos, which focuses on providing alcohol- and drug-free activities for Latino youth, received another. [continues 650 words]
What is wrong with our criminal justice system? The Dec. 19 news item "Drug bust at house" is a perfect example. These convicted felons still prowl our streets instead of being in prison -- three convicted felons arrested again. One was arrested 20 times since 1999 for various serious crimes. Two days prior to his arrest in North Port, he was arrested for resisting an officer. Another felon was arrested 11 times since 1992, including robbery and gun possession violations. The third felon was arrested three times on drug and gun charges with two of the cases still pending in court. A stolen gun was recovered in this raid. Possession of a firearm by a felon is a violation of federal law. Why are these felons roaming our streets instead of doing prison time for their crimes? Our justice system needs a total review to deal with these career criminals. Our civilized society should demand nothing better. Art Grams, Nokomis [end]
But Treatments Centers Report Rising Admissions for Those Using The Drug CHARLESTON - New state and federal laws targeting methamphetamine makers and users might be contributing to a decline in the number of labs in South Carolina, but officials warn that the drug is still affecting many people. The top Drug Enforcement Administration agent in South Carolina said officers are seeing fewer meth labs nationwide. "We're seeing the same results that other states have seen, that the meth lab numbers are going down," John Ozaluk said. But "that doesn't mean that our meth problem has gone away." [continues 227 words]
How much will the Dustin Pool murder trial cost taxpayers? My guess would be several hundred thousand dollars. Add to that the price of incarceration for these offenders and we're up to a few million when it's all said and done. The grand total, plus the waste of human life and suffering, should weigh heavy on our hearts. It did not need to happen. We all can share the blame. It seems to me we would have been light years ahead if our community had intervened before things got so out of hand. [continues 86 words]
WEST WARWICK - The group of West Warwick High School students sat around drinking, laughing and talking. The SADD truth is that they were drinking Gatorade, eating cupcakes and enjoying one another's company. The group of about 20 students is trying to get the word out that drugs and alcohol aren't needed for teens to have a good time and they said that is one of many reasons they revived the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization. One of the founding members, junior Chelsea Carlson, said the students wanted to revive the group because they needed to get the message out there and they needed someone their fellow students could relate to. [continues 601 words]
Boynton Beach's out-of-control gang violence became a national spectacle this weekend. That's what will happen when a known member of a notorious gang pulls out a gun at a crowded shopping mall, on Christmas Eve no less, and shoots a man dead in front of thousands of holiday shoppers. Not the way an up-and-coming city with grand downtown revival plans wants to raise its profile. No matter how great its revitalization turns out, Boynton Beach will never be the shopping and entertainment destination it aspires to be unless it clamps down on the gang activity it has yet to take seriously enough. The Boynton Beach Mall shooting, reported on national network news, should be the wake-up call the city's leadership needs to get its act together. [continues 246 words]
Number Drops From 37 in 2005 to 16 in 2006 Putnam County Sheriff Mark Smith believes law enforcement officials have turned a corner in the fight against the methamphetamine drug trade. In 2006, 16 labs were uncovered in Putnam County -- fewer than half the 37 labs found in 2005. This year's drop also comes just two years after authorities discovered 50 drug labs at Putnam County sites. Only seven of the 2006 labs were actually being operated when deputies found them. [continues 360 words]
It's Now Clear That Pot Doesn't Lead to Hard-Core Drug Use Two recent studies should be the final nails in the coffin of the lie that has propelled some of this nation's most misguided policies: the claim that smoking marijuana somehow causes people to use hard drugs, often called the "gateway theory." Such claims have been a staple of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under present drug czar John Walters. Typical is a 2004 New Mexico speech in which, according to the Albuquerque Journal, "Walters emphasized that marijuana is a 'gateway drug' that can lead to other chemical dependencies." [continues 597 words]
As Deadly Year Nears the End, a Look at 2 of the Hundreds of Teens Who Sell Dope DRESSED IN A black Dickies suit and black Timberlands, the chubby-faced 17-year-old crack dealer paced around the desolate lot working another graveyard shift. In the darkness, a steady stream of addicts ambled toward him to make a buy. Then he saw a familiar face: his close friend's mom. "I need a nick," she mumbled to him. Without hesitation, he sold her a nickel bag - $5 worth of crack. [continues 2595 words]
Texas Leaders Hope Cartels Will Be Targets DALLAS Mexican President Felipe Calderon talks tough on law and order, and he acted tough in arresting the leaders of a violent protest in the southern state of Oaxaca. Texas leaders hope that the tough-on-crime policies extend to lawlessness along Mexico's northern border, where warring drug cartels battling for trafficking routes into the United States -- through Texas -- have killed hundreds. In his inaugural speech this month, Calderon promised to strictly enforce the rule of law in Mexico, with no tolerance for violence, whether the result of feuding drug cartels or political opposition. [continues 500 words]
PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union sued General Treasurer Paul J. Tavares yesterday, challenging new regulations that allow his office to deny or reduce compensation to crime victims who have been convicted of unrelated drunken-driving or drug-dealing offenses. The treasurer administers the state's Crime Victim Compensation Program, which pays claims to crime victims, under certain conditions. Over the past two years, Tavares has adopted regulations that authorize him to deny or reduce compensation if, in the preceding five years, crime victims have been convicted on charges of driving while intoxicated, selling or delivering drugs, or possessing drugs with the intent to sell or deliver them. [continues 876 words]
CLARKSVILLE -- A desire to take a more proactive approach to illegal drug activity has prompted the Red River County Sheriff's Department to form a K-9 Unit. The unit consists of three dogs handled by Deputies Mike Kelley and Brian Hamric. "With the problem that everyone is having with drugs -- particularly methamphetamine -- we felt a K-9 unit was among the necessary tools that we didn't have," Sheriff Terry Reed said. "It would be a more effective approach in getting drugs and narcotics off the street." [continues 487 words]
TAMPA - When thinking of Florida's agribusiness, oranges and strawberries probably come to mind. How about pot? Marijuana is the state's No. 3 cash crop - behind vegetables and citrus - according to estimates released last week by a pro-legalization analyst. While legal crops benefit from the Sunshine State's climate, marijuana cultivation in Florida thrives indoors in the temperature-controlled confines of houses with blacked-out windows, according to the report prepared by analyst Jon Gettman. Police and federal authorities have targeted, and stumbled upon, several major grow houses in the Tampa Bay area this year, including a bust last week. [continues 643 words]
These Soldiers Aren't Portrayed in Movies, but Their Role Is Key They work behind the scenes in the state's war against illegal drugs, analyzing data, testing money for narcotics residue and helping prosecutors build cases against traffickers. They don't go out on raids with the police, don't kick in doors or roust dealers on street corners, but much of what they do helps law enforcement agencies do just that. And when they aren't doing that, they are in schools and working with community organizations in an effort to reduce the demand for illegal drugs in Delaware. [continues 733 words]
People In Mercer County Are Concerned Over The Possibility Of A Methadone Clinic PRINCETON -- A recent drug sweep in Mercer County has people second-guessing the need for a methadone clinic in their county. Residents are worried about the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs being at these clinics. During the sweep, police found prescriptions of liquid methadone. They believe people are taking the liquid methadone from local treatment centers and using it for sale on the streets. Police caution that mixing liquid methadone with other illegal substances can be fatal and several overdoses have been reported this year. [continues 84 words]
A LIGHT WIND whips through Hunting Park on a blustery morning, tossing leaves and cigarette butts from one deserted street corner to another. Jim Coolen Jr. settles into the cramped rear of a dilapidated van that he will call home for the next eight to 12 hours. The musty vehicle creaks and groans every time Coolen moves. Most days, it has all the warmth and comfort of an igloo. But the van is the perfect cover for Coolen, a veteran undercover narcotics cop, allowing him to watch a notorious local drug kingpin and his henchmen blatantly conduct their trade on the street. It's all part of a choreographed surveillance operation run by Coolen and other cops in Narcotics Field Unit 2. [continues 1749 words]
'Tis the season for the state Department of Agriculture to crank out press releases reminding us that Pennsylvania is a national leader in Christmas tree production. The latest yearly numbers -- 1.7 million pine trees worth nearly $14 million in sales to their growers -- sure sound impressive. But $14 million is chicken feed next to what some Keystone State "farmers" are pulling in each year by growing America's No. 1 cash crop -- marijuana. The state Ag Department's press corps doesn't send out releases on annual pot sales. [continues 497 words]
New Congress to Examine Minimum Mandates; Crack Requirements Will Get First Test WASHINGTON -- With Democrats poised to take control of Congress, law-enforcement officials are preparing to defend two decades of federal sentencing policies that mandated harsh prison terms on a variety of crimes and led to a boom in the prison population. Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Robert Scott (D., Va.) have already said they plan hearings early in the term to look at how nonviolent drug offenders are punished under mandatory minimum laws. [continues 814 words]
How Much Does a Neighborhood Affect the Poor? Government Test Tracks Families Who Moved; Girls Flourish, Not Boys Ms. Grayson's One-Way Ride JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A decade ago, Lydia Grayson got as far away from her drug-addled, East Harlem housing project as she could. At the time, she was a 28-year-old mother of three, and, she says, a drug user. She took a federal housing voucher and packed her family on a Greyhound bus with one-way tickets to North Carolina. [continues 2233 words]
CLATSKANIE - Oregon State Police, following up on a tip from the Washington State Patrol, seized approximately 105 marijuana plants Friday afternoon from a Clatskanie-area residence. No arrests were made but the case is being referred to the Columbia County District Attorney's Office for review. According to a news release from OSP, on Friday WSP troopers stopped a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Darrel R. Lundeen, 58, of Clatskanie, for speeding on Interstate 205 southbound near milepost 35. During the stop, WSP troopers arrested Lundeen after finding individual packages of marijuana totaling 175 grams, as well as drug paraphernalia, in Lundeen's vehicle, the news release said [continues 217 words]
The number of Americans killed while fighting in the Middle East has now topped the number of Americans killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. We're fast approaching 3,000 killed in Iraq. In her weekly column, Ann Coulter recently wrote that if we stayed in Iraq 10 years and lost another 3,000, that would be an acceptable loss if we don't have another terrorist attack on American soil. I disagree. Not just because I think she has the worst legs in America (which would have been unleashed at Abu Ghraib if not in direct violation of the Geneva Accords), but also because I think that Ann (at this point, if I were Ann, I'd insert something like, "Ann, which is short for Hassann"--she does that all the time when referring to Democrats and thinks it's funny) epitomizes the face of false and deceptive bravado that is a hallmark of the far right of American politics. [continues 815 words]
One of the largest national surveys of youth shows a 23 percent drop in drug use since 2001 and local officials say they also expect to see a drop in a survey of area students due out soon. A recently released study by the University of Michigan showed the decline, among eightth, 10th and 12th graders. It translates into about 840,000 fewer youth using drugs in 2006 than 2001. The study also shows a 25 percent drop in marijuana use, although it remains the most common drug used by teens. [continues 580 words]
The World's Purest Form Can Kill More Addicts, As Seen In L.A. County. Supplies of highly potent Afghan heroin in the United States are growing so fast that the pure white powder is rapidly overtaking lower-quality Mexican heroin, prompting fears of increased addiction and overdoses. Heroin-related deaths in Los Angeles County soared from 137 in 2002 to 239 in 2005, a jump of nearly 75% in three years, a period when other factors contributing to overdose deaths remained unchanged, experts said. The jump in deaths was especially prevalent among users older than 40, who lack the resilience to recover from an overdose of unexpectedly strong heroin, according to a study by the county's Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology. [continues 1016 words]
Inside United States
