FORT PIERCE -- A Weed & Seed operation last week netted 19 arrests and could be a model for how the task force aims to tackle drug activity in the city. Police raided an Avenue G apartment on Dec. 3 that was suspected of housing drug dealers. They then turned around and sold drugs undercover in the parking lot, catching people suspected of coming to the home to buy narcotics. "If you look at it as economics, it's basically supply and demand," said Sgt. Don Christman, head of the Fort Pierce Police's crime suppression unit. "A lot of what we do is monitor the drug areas and try to shut down the specific drug spots." [continues 447 words]
VALRICO - Anne Koss, the 42-year-old mother of three found dead in the bathroom of her River Hills home Oct. 18, died of an overdose of alcohol, phentanol and cocaine, according to associate medical examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz. Phentanol is a potent narcotic pain medication often used as a surgical anesthetic. "Anybody can get it with a prescription," said Spitz. He ruled Koss' death accidental, but sheriff's officials said this week that the investigation of her death is "active." [continues 140 words]
Rush Limbaugh, the 20th century's version of the old-time snake-oil salesman, is still managing to rope in not only the country's local yokels but also some well-educated albeit not so well-read upper-middle-class "ditto heads." Recently, a local physician, Robert E. King, took it upon himself to castigate the Herald's editorial board for pointing out the glaring hypocrisy of Limbaugh's past callous "throw the drug pushers and abusers in jail and throw away the key" attitude. [continues 188 words]
Operation Sandshaker Nets More Than 30 Some 40 people face drug-related federal and state charges in connection with a major cocaine trafficking operation that agents have been investigating for three years. At least 32 people had been taken into custody Tuesday afternoon, and more arrests were expected as authorities worked to locate additional suspects. Federal authorities had search warrants for 12 locations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and filed paperwork to seize the popular Sandshaker Lounge & Package Store, two Pensacola Beach condominiums and a house on Gonzalez Street. [continues 1013 words]
State officials, conceding that fraud and abuse plague Medicaid's system for dispensing narcotics and other dangerous drugs to the poor, want new powers to kick out doctors, pharmacists and patients who cheat the tax-supported care program. Tougher penalties are among a host of proposals state government officials and legislators have offered in response to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel series "Drugging the Poor." The four-part series, published this week, found that less than three percent of the state's medical professionals prescribed more than two- thirds of the narcotics and other dangerous drugs dispensed to Medicaid patients in the past three years. These drugs cost taxpayers more than $346 million, helped feed a booming black market and added to a torrent of fatal overdoses. [continues 616 words]
Hate him all you want, disagree with him all you want. But Rush Limbaugh's situation points out how little privacy we actually have. I have had it up to here with privacy statements and the need to sign a paper that I have received a privacy statement from whomever. Actually, the more privacy being declared, the less privacy we have. The seizure of Rush Limbaugh's medical records because of his drug addiction brought on by extreme pain illustrates how "un-private" our personal affairs have become. Having had two wives and a very close friend suffer the pain associated with terminal cancer, I find it difficult to condemn anyone who resorts to any means to relieve pain. When "legal" medical procedures do not bring relief, you do what you must. And to make such a search for relief a felony? Inhumane. Ted Haberkorn, Winter Park [end]
It is rare for the U.S. Supreme Court to reach a unanimous decision, but its 9-0 ruling on forced entries during police raids sends a clear message and maintains for law enforcement a valuable tool in the ongoing effort to rid our communities of illegal drugs. The case before the court involved the serving of a search warrant by police officers and the FBI on the home of a suspected drug dealer in north Las Vegas in 1998. They knocked on the door of his apartment but, after waiting 15 to 20 seconds and hearing no response, broke down the front door with a battering ram. Inside they found the suspect outside his shower, still dripping wet. They also found crack cocaine, $6,000, a scale and several firearms. [continues 206 words]
Now it's my turn. I know where I was that day, Nov. 22, 1963. This letter is not about your politics or mine. Rather, I take exception to a phrase, " .. his physical pain, his addiction to painkillers," your comment on the dark side of President Kennedy. Some time before President John Kennedy was assassinated in Texas, perhaps 50 or 60 years ago, he was diagnosed with Addison's disease, which is sort of a silent, stealthy condition like high blood pressure and diabetes except for the pain. There are other serious symptoms, which unnerved me, in addition to the intractable pain. Addison's disease is life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated. [continues 338 words]
With a slow exhale, a plume of smoke escapes from his marijuana cigarette. Dressed in a gray business suit, Irv Rosenfeld is the most unlikely person you'd expect to be lighting up during a quick lunch from his job as a high profile stockbroker. But Rosenfeld, who handles accounts in Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale, is not your stereotypical pothead. Diagnosed with a rare bone disorder at the age of 10, he is one of seven people in the United States who receives medical marijuana from the government. The "compassionate use" program, which began in 1978, was cancelled in 1982, but Rosenfeld was "grandfathered in." [continues 507 words]
State health officials declared Dr. Mark Kantzler unfit to practice medicine because of drug abuse and, fearing for his patients' safety, suspended his license by emergency order in July 1991. Today, the family practitioner runs a St. Petersburg area pain clinic . He is among Florida's top prescribers of narcotics to low-income people -- $419,751 worth in the past three years. During that time, eight of his patients have died of drug overdoses. A South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation found dozens of doctors allowed to continue freely prescribing dangerous drugs at state expense, even after multiple patients have died of an overdose, and even in extreme cases where they have been charged with drug crimes or serious misconduct. The state has no system that monitors, sounds an alarm or stops doctors who abuse the system. [continues 2365 words]
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)-- Rush Limbaugh's attorney accused a prosecutor Friday of having political motives for investigating whether the conservative radio commentator bought painkillers illegally. In search warrants released Thursday, investigators alleged that Limbaugh engaged in illegal drug use and went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. Investigators said they were looking for medical, insurance and appointment records for Limbaugh as well as cash receipts and prescription forms during raids of two doctor's offices Nov. 25. The warrants say Limbaugh "alternated physicians to obtain overlapping prescriptions" and failed to tell each doctor that he was seeing others." [continues 543 words]
WEST PALM BEACH - Rush Limbaugh on Friday poked fun at the investigation into whether he bought painkillers illegally, hours after his attorney accused investigators of political motives. The conservative radio host compared search warrants for his medical records to calls for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean to release political records from his years as Vermont governor. "I bet you what, if I had been treated by Dr. Dean, I bet you Democrats in certain parts of this country would be demanding his records," Limbaugh said from his South Florida studio. [continues 182 words]
When evangelist Thaddeus Holliday talks to juveniles at the Duval County jail, they aren't listening to the voice of perfection. They're listening to the voice of redemption. Holliday kicked a crack cocaine habit that addled his senses for more than a decade -- and fed a temper so volatile that he wound up fatally shooting his brother, LaVan, in 1988, during an argument that occurred at a family gathering to mourn their father's death. "We got into a fight, and I grabbed a gun," Holliday, now 44, recalled. "I intended to shoot him in the shoulder, but I wound up killing him. [continues 426 words]
State And Federal Lawmakers Are Right To Set Up Hearings On Painkiller's Abuse It's good to see both state and federal officials taking OxyContin's problems seriously. Congress has scheduled hearings into the abuses of the powerful painkiller. Florida lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush are calling for state action. A recent series in the Orlando Sentinel showed that the drug is too easy to abuse, often leads to addiction and has been linked with at least 200 deaths. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported on a small number of doctors who have prescribed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the drug. [continues 155 words]
Thank you for publishing the outstanding recent letter headlined "Libertarians right on drug laws." I'd like to add that it seems to me adult citizens of a so-called free country should be able to smoke, swallow, snort or inject any substance they want. And be personally responsible for the consequences. Every justification for the criminalization for certain politically selected drugs, can also be made for the criminalization of a long list of potentially unhealthy foods. Do we want our police arresting and jailing us for eating cheeseburgers, hot dogs or corn dogs? Hopefully not. Do we want our police arresting and jailing each other for eating doughnuts? Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Our position: A proposal to increase funding to fight Hepatitis C deserves a congressional OK. More than one in a hundred Americans has Hepatitis C, yet funding is embarrassingly low for fighting the disease that will eventually kill more people than AIDS. It is estimated that the disease, which destroys the liver, has infected 4 million Americans and hundreds of millions more around the globe. Most of them don't even know they have the disease. About 60 percent got it from using contaminated needles, yet a half- million Americans were unlucky enough to get it from tainted transfusions before doctors began screening the blood supply. Yet in 2003, federal spending on education, research and prevention of the disease totaled just $23 million. A proposal in Congress increases that to $90 million. Even in a tight budget year, that's reasonable. Not acting will cost a lot more down the road. [end]
A small group of Florida's physicians are bilking Medicaid for millions of dollars. Some pharmacists and patients as well are lining their pockets because of lax oversight of drug prescriptions paid for by Medicaid. The abuse of the system also contributes to the burgeoning black market of prescription drugs and results in fatal drug overdoses by people seeking a quick high or fast relief from powerful medications. In the meantime, state lawmakers continue to scramble to find ways to cut Medicaid's costs and core health services while criminals reap benefits and wreak havoc in the Medicaid system. [continues 472 words]
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Investigators who raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh's doctors said in search warrants filed Thursday that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. The warrants - which name four doctors and several prescription drugs - show investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire when they raided the offices Nov. 25. "Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to doctor shopping, stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney's office anti-money laundering task force. Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally. [continues 381 words]
Warrants: He Broke Drug Laws West Palm Beach, Fla. - A Palm Beach County law enforcement task force investigating whether Rush Limbaugh illegally obtained prescription painkillers seized the talk show host's medical records from three doctors, according to search warrants made public yesterday. Authorities are looking into whether the conservative commentator violated the state's "doctor shopping" law by getting doctors to write him overlapping narcotic prescriptions and failing to tell them about each other. Records from one pharmacy near Limbaugh's Palm Beach mansion show that during a six-month period in 2003, he picked up hundreds of addictive painkiller pills prescribed by four local doctors, court documents state. [continues 215 words]
Crime Is Up Murders are up, rapes are up, assaults are up, burglaries are up. The rate of people hurting other people and stealing from other people has escalated in Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. Of the three, Charlotte County's increases were the most numbing -- a 22 percent increase overall with the numbers up in every category -- from rape and murder to larceny and assault. DeSoto's overall increase was greater, 27.6 percent, but some categories, such as robberies and motor vehicle thefts, were down. Sarasota, which has by far the highest numbers, and the greatest population, saw its numbers jump only 8.6 percent. [continues 327 words]
As commitments of more money and new medicine offered hope Monday to families and friends marking World AIDS Day, more than 8,000 people died of the disease. Another 8,000 died Tuesday, 8,000 more on Wednesday, and 8,000 more will die today. To understand how fast AIDS kills so many people, consider the entire city of West Palm Beach empty by next weekend, wiped out in just 11 days. Imagine Martin County being emptied by Christmas week, and St. Lucie County by New Year's. By the time sea turtles start lumbering ashore next spring to lay eggs, 1 million people -- nearly the population of Palm Beach County - -- will be dead of the disease. [continues 374 words]
About the article "Rush back, reborn" (Nov. 18), regarding the return of Rush "Oxy" Limbaugh: His five weeks of "treatment" were a waste of time and money based on my interpretation of his statements in the article. Alcohol-related programs are normally 28 days in length, and drug- related programs run 42 days. That has nothing to do with the difficulty of treatment -- it's just the time limit of payment by insurance companies. Mr. Limbaugh had five weeks but seems to fall into the category of "dry drunk." [continues 75 words]
WEST PALM BEACH - Rush Limbaugh told listeners on his radio show Thursday that prosecutors in Palm Beach County investigating possible illegal drug transactions have seized medical records of four doctors who treated him for serious medical conditions. Limbaugh, reading from a statement prepared by his attorney Roy Black, denied any wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of going on a ``fishing expedition.'' The conservative radio commentator was absent from his show for five weeks recently while spending time at a drug rehabilitation program because of his addiction to prescription painkillers. [continues 401 words]
One inescapable fact of Rush Limbaugh's situation that neither he nor Bill Bennett can deal with, is that jailing Rush in a cage with violent felons would have proven counterproductive. There is no place for the criminal law and subsequent sanctions in dealing with problematic drug use. These are human beings, not mules to be manipulated with sticks and carrots. The relapse rate for Rush's problems after treatment is above 80 percent, and Rush should be thankful he is receiving special treatment and compassion from drug warriors. The rest of us middle-class folk would go to jail. [continues 180 words]
Wyatt Henderson's Wife Solicits Funds A former Charlotte County Sheriff's narcotics detective accused of pistol-whipping a teenage drug suspect stands trial today in Fort Myers. Former sheriff's Cpl. Wyatt Henderson faces three federal charges, including that he used "unreasonable force" in the arrest of then-17- year-old Christopher Grant, according to a grand jury indictment. Henderson also lied to his sergeant and the FBI about the incident, the indictment claims. U.S. Judge Anne Conway is set to open the trial at 9 a.m. today with jury selection. [continues 404 words]
TALLAHASSEE . The head of the Florida Senate's health committee said Tuesday he is requesting a legislative investigation into doctors who overprescribe the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin. Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, said he was prompted to act by a series of articles about prescription drug abuse in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel. "It's not only very damaging to the public but costly to the state, so there's every reason to do this," he said. [continues 405 words]
Bass Family Members Among Those Arrested ENGLEWOOD -- People who live along David Place expected a good night's sleep Tuesday night after months of suspected drug activity came to a sudden end when Charlotte County Sheriff's officials stormed a home there earlier that morning. Neighbor George Campbell said he was reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee on his front porch as Charlotte County SWAT members arrived. He cheered as officials delivered the search warrant about 8:30 a.m. to the residents at 1601 David Place. [continues 664 words]
Limited 'Demobilization' Is Risky But Worth The Effort The demobilization of hundreds of right-wing fighters in Colombia represents a worthwhile, albeit risky, venture by the administration of President Alvaro Uribe. For years, Colombia's embattled governments have been engaged in a bloody game of both ends against the middle, with soldiers pitted against leftist insurgents and lawless right-wing commandos who, in the name of anti-communism, have committed some of the worst atrocities. After 40 years of unceasing civil conflict, it should be clear that a political solution of some type is required. Mr. Uribe's goodwill proffer is a careful step in that direction. [continues 359 words]
It's far too simple to order narcotics and other drugs over the Internet. The (Newark, N.J) Star-Ledger reports that it attempted to order six prescription drugs online, including OxyContin, morphine and hydrocodone. Of the six inquires, only the one for morphine was denied. Five other drugs were delivered to a rented post-office box. There was no contact with a doctor, except for an online questionnaire. Four of the drugs came from addresses in California and Florida - some within a matter of days. [continues 81 words]
It's far too simple to order narcotics and other drugs over the Internet. The (Newark, N.J) Star-Ledger reported this weekend that it attempted to order six prescription drugs online, including OxyContin, morphine and hydrocodone. Of the six inquires, only the one for morphine was denied. Five other drugs were delivered to a rented post-office box. There was no contact with a doctor, except for an online questionnaire. Four of the drugs came from addresses in California and Florida -- some within a matter of days. [continues 81 words]
The victim's skin was cold and had a bluish tinge when Titusville Police Officer Margaret Vess arrived on May 9, 2001. Geri Futch, 39, was dead of an overdose of cocaine, diazepam, a sedative, and morphine, a painkiller. Supplying narcotics that kill someone can be murder under state law, but Titusville police never found out where the drugs that killed Futch came from. Vess found three empty diazepam vials and two other pill bottles in the house and tossed them, police records show. [continues 2701 words]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A small group of Florida doctors are drugging the poor at taxpayer expense and exploiting the Medicaid system by prescribing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of dangerous drugs, a newspaper reported Sunday. Regulators have largely failed to curb excesses in billing as pain-relief patches, sleeping pills, tranquilizers and other highly abused drugs have poured out of pharmacies over the past three years, feeding a booming black market and adding to a torrent of fatal overdoses. "This is a crime in plain sight," said David Moye, director of economic crimes and health care fraud for the Florida Attorney General's Office. [continues 747 words]
Re: Police unit pushes back against drugs, Nov. 22. The headline was misleading. "Drugs" will never be pushed back as long as they remain illegal. As Capt. Marion Lewis of Tampa's Quad Squad aptly notes, "Drug dealing is a very lucrative business. As long as there is money to be made and a demand, they're going to be out there selling it." In other words, drug prohibition laws ensure that the problem will be never-ending. Criminal prohibition is the exact opposite of how we deal with the two most dangerous and commonly abused drugs - alcohol and tobacco. These two drugs are legally distributed to adults who choose to use them responsibly while other laws protect the public from those who behave irresponsibly, i.e., driving while impaired or allowing minors' access to the drugs. [continues 209 words]
The Suspect, Who Is Alleged to Have Robbed Eight Banks, Has Been Identified From Bank Surveillance Cameras. Detectives say Roger R. Serio is on a crack cocaine binge and is robbing banks to fund it. Police suspect that he has held up eight banks in the last month, most recently Wednesday morning at the Gulfport AmSouth, 5728 Gulfport Blvd. Investigators suspect him of robbing banks in Largo, Palm Harbor, New Port Richey, Lakeland and Sarasota. Detectives say Serio, 32, has made no effort to disguise himself during the holdups. Surveillance cameras have shot clear photos of him. Witnesses also have jotted down the license plate number of the car he is driving, which is registered to his mother. [continues 378 words]
Responding to your editorial titled "Basher's back," this letter isn't defending or supporting Rush Limbaugh. It's questioning accuracy, ethics and reasons behind the editorial staff's comments. We are all entitled to our opinions, but should they include sarcasm, innuendoes, name-calling, uncharitable, false statements? I think not, so: 1. You sarcastically say you must have missed Mr. Limbaugh's honesty in the past. Is that regarding his personal life or including his political views? What examples do you have that he never has been honest? Would you have written the article if his political views agreed with yours? [continues 225 words]
In a speech before the American Bar Association in August, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy decried current federal sentencing practices as too harsh. "Our resources are misspent, our punishments too severe, our sentences too long," he said. "The federal sentencing guidelines should be revised downward." But Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, was spitting in the wind. The Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress have been moving things in precisely the opposite direction, stiffening penalties for federal offenses and making it more difficult for judges to offer any leniency. Attorney General John Ashcroft, with the help of Congress, has been on a crusade to eliminate independent judicial judgment on sentencing. The names of judges who have the temerity to depart downward from the federal sentencing guidelines wind up on a Justice Department watch list. [continues 389 words]
Thank you for recently publishing letters suggesting serious changes to our drug policies, especially the recent letter headlined "Cannabis gets unfair reputation." I've been watching the war on drugs for about seven years and think drug laws exist because certain people are making money from their sale, with prices boosted by their illegality. America's drug policies should be completely overhauled to be based on science and medicine, not fear and illegal profit. Please ask your representative in Congress to consider legalization. [continues 128 words]
TALLAHASSEE -- After years of seeing the state approve tougher penalties and mandatory sentences for criminals, top Florida prosecutors and law-enforcement officials say the laws are tough enough. What they want from state lawmakers, they say, is enough money to vigorously enforce the sentencing laws already on the books. "We've got all the laws we need for going after the really bad people, the big-time drug dealers, the people who commit crimes against kids," said veteran prosecutor Bruce Colton, who heads legislative planning for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association. "We've got good laws and laws that provide enough prison time." [continues 734 words]
Student senators preliminarily granted UF's chapter of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws $3,031 Tuesday night to bring a speaker to campus this Spring. Senators again will have to agree on the money during their meeting next week for it to be allotted. NORML founder Josh Manning told senators that the group is planning to bring one of seven federally approved medicinal marijuana users to campus. Manning would not, however, comment on which user the members plan to invite. [continues 248 words]
Would it not be wonderful if our governor, who bravely inserted the feeding tube in the Schiavo case, would use his power and influence with his "hip pocket" Legislature and create a level playing field for all Florida citizens? Since his daughter, Noelle, and the Republican mouthpiece Rush Limbaugh have escaped punishment under our drug laws, why not grant amnesty for all the inmates in our jails and prisons who are there for violating those same laws? At a cost of over $50 per person, per day, think of the tax savings by releasing one-third of our prison population. A much better deal than the lottery for the schools. A good deal for rehab. William R. Davenport, Pensacola [end]
Federal Officials Seeking Forfeiture Of Property Three more people charged in connection with a cocaine-trafficking operation were taken into custody Wednesday, one day after federal and state authorities announced more than 30 arrests and seized 31 vehicles. A Miami-area woman, Denise Killerlane Winkler, 43, has been arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms - approximately 11 pounds - of cocaine. She is among 11 people under federal indictment in the wake of a three-year investigation that culminated this week with the release of a 41- page affidavit detailing cocaine buys witnessed and recorded by drug agents. [continues 1173 words]
I was amazed to read in the Nov. 20 edition of the Sentinel that people were protesting the maker of Oxycontin because loved ones had overdosed on it. Well, duh! If the person taking the Oxycontin was following doctor's orders, maybe he or she wouldn't have OD'd. Drugs for medicinal purposes are prescribed by a physician in the correct amount for each individual. When taken as prescribed, then all should be fine. My wife suffers from a multitude of conditions, and she takes Oxycontin as prescribed by our doctor. It is a godsend for her; it helps her get through the day. [continues 53 words]
Isn't it interesting that liberals, those self-proclaimed champions of tolerance, are so intolerant of conservatives? When Rush Limbaugh recognized that he had become dependent on prescription drugs and got help for his addiction, he was castigated by the left-wingers. And when he dared to tell his audience that there is hope and help available for those whose lives and families are being destroyed by chemical dependency, he was vilified in the press for hypocrisy and demagoguery. When I ask my liberal friends and family (yes, I do have some) for examples of Rush's erroneous logic, they can't be specific, but they just say they can't stand the fact conservative commentators are so successful and liberal ones soon fail. It seems to never occur to them that liberal ideology cannot stand up to logic, debate and historical evidence. [continues 70 words]
The 12-Member Squad Has Arrested Or Cited 138 People Since Being Formed About A Month Ago ST. PETERSBURG - Devin Holmes ran away when police rolled up to the house in the Twinbrooks neighborhood. A Street Crimes Unit officer caught the 19-year-old, patted his front pockets and found 38 pieces of crack cocaine in an M&Ms container. For a street dealer, that's a big inventory. "What that tells me is we're out there getting the people drawing the buyers to St. Pete," said Lt. Melanie Bevan, commander of the city's newly formed Street Crimes Unit. [continues 632 words]
Plan To Videotape Use Of Chemical Irritants Makes Sense Whether or not there's any substance to a federal lawsuit accusing some Florida corrections officers of torturing inmates with pepper spray and tear gas, a recent proposal by the state Department of Corrections to "tighten" procedures for using chemical irritants is wise. The proposal would require most uses of chemicals on prisoners to be videotaped. The policy proposal, which would take effect after a public-hearing period, is in response to the lawsuit, DOC Secretary James V. Crosby Jr. told Herald-Tribune reporter Michael A. Scarcella. [continues 293 words]
To the writer of the Nov. 9 letter "Spare Limbaugh hateful columns? He asked for it": Stop picking on Rush. The poor man got hooked on painkillers after an operation. He's admitted it. And he's taken responsibility for it. Give the guy a break. People love Rush like we love all sinners. But while we love honest sinners, we can't help but ridicule humbugs. What we fault the man for is not his drugs, nor hiding the fact from his audience -- it was none of their business. It is the confession that we find pathetic and fraudulent. Mr. Limbaugh says he does not consider himself a "victim." Yet describing his drug-taking as an "addiction" and asking for listeners' prayers makes it sound as if he had been struck by polio. As I have heard him say many times, "people who take illegal drugs (taking prescription drugs without a prescription is taking an illegal drug) should be put in jail for a long time." I say no more. ERNEST W. BERGERON, Royal Palm Beach [end]
On Monday, Rush Limbaugh returned to his syndicated radio show, still feisty and unrepentant. Showing extraordinary compassion for his human frailty, most of Mr. Limbaugh's fans remain loyal. Over the past five weeks, two polls showed that "more than 90 percent" of his 20 million "dittoheads" have "no diminished regard" because of his "drug dependency." His stations and advertisers, without exception, have held fast. Mr. Limbaugh can consider himself blessed to have so many people continuing to trust in him and to invest in his talent. Those of us who have encountered addiction among family members and other loved ones do not disparage his good fortune. We only wish that it could be spread around to other addicts -- or drug dependents -- who desperately need salvaging. [continues 611 words]
A Zephyrhills Prison Worker Is Charged With Intent to Deliver Marijuana into the Facility ZEPHYRHILLS - A state corrections officer was arrested on drug charges after he accepted 4 ounces of marijuana from an undercover Pasco County sheriff's deputy with the intent to deliver it inside the prison, authorities say. James Orick, 28, of Lakeland, a corrections officer at the Zephyrhills Correctional Institution, also was charged with child neglect after he brought a 2-year-old girl along for the drug transaction, according to a sheriff's report. [continues 188 words]
ORLANDO, Fla. (KRT) -- If you want to learn about pain and addiction, study Tom Albright's brain. Albright is a cancer survivor who was hooked on the painkiller OxyContin. When he was born in Kissimmee, Fla., in 1951, his brain already was wired to deal with the many experiences he would face - law school, learning to fly a plane, starting a family and battling cancer and drug addiction. It also was wired for pain and pleasure - very powerful motivators. It's only natural that we move away from hurtful experiences toward ones we enjoy. Pain can force battle-hardened soldiers to cry like babies. Pleasure keeps the maternity wards full and the ice-cream case empty. [continues 1130 words]
ORLANDO, Fla. (KRT) -- Sylvia Cover remembers her husband telling the physician, "Just fix me up, Doc, so I can get back to work and take care of my family." Six months later, Gerry Cover was dead. Hooked on a powerful painkiller called OxyContin, the 39-year-old handyman and father of three died from an accidental overdose. The drug had been prescribed by his doctor for pain from a mild herniated disc. The Kissimmee, Fla., man's death in September 2000 was an individual family's tragedy. But a nine-month investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found a broader, more disturbing pattern: During 2001 and 2002, more than 200 deaths statewide have been linked to the highly potent painkiller that has been criticized as being aggressively marketed and eagerly prescribed with only routine oversight from government regulators. [continues 1348 words]
Inside Florida
