Barb was only 14 years old the first time she smoked d-methamphetamine with friends in her rural home town. The euphoria was so intense her life soon revolved around getting high on the powerful and highly addictive drug that is sweeping into Alberta's small towns and cities. But soon the euphoria was replaced with delusions, hallucinations and paranoia. Eventually Barb (not her real name) became alienated from her family, left school and began questioning her sanity. ''I kind of knew right away that I was addicted to it. It made me really happy,'' said Barb, now 17, who eventually received psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation. [continues 355 words]
National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW) encompasses a lot of problem habits, but in Edson that focus will once again be on methamphetamine use in the community. Edson's meth problem is being addressed at an open information presentation, hosted by AADAC, on Nov. 19 at the Edson and District Healthcare Centre's education room as part of this week, which runs from Nov. 16-22. The presentation will deal with what meth is, how it is used and concerns from the public. Questions will be fielded by AADAC representative Edith Zuidhof-Knoop. [continues 157 words]
Missouri lawmakers intentionally passed one of the toughest laws in the nation restricting the retail sale of common cold remedies that provide a key ingredient for making methamphetamine. Led by a former assistant prosecutor from Kansas City, legislators crafted tight limits on the sale of drugs containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine to try to stem a burgeoning crime wave and disastrous social effects they see rooted in the abuse of the addictive, home-brewed stimulant. The law went into effect Aug. 28 and the state sent out notices to retail stores along with signs for the stores to post putting clerks and customers on notice about the restrictions, said Joplin police Detective Jim Wallace. [continues 1183 words]
In Holmes County, the devil's drug has taken hold, as it has in many overwhelmingly white, poor areas. It's easy to make, easy to hide, even easier to get hooked. And it devastates lives. BONIFAY - Crystal Gainey sat on the wooden steps of her mobile home, sobbing into her tiny hands. Her boyfriend sat shirtless in the back of a patrol car, handcuffed, facing drug charges. Gainey, 19, chain-smoked Marlboro Lights between bursts of tears and tried to convince the deputies she didn't use methamphetamine, that she knew nothing of her boyfriend's dealings, that the thin glass meth pipes, blackened and cracked by heat, belonged to him. [continues 3000 words]
Dear editor, Re: September 5 story "Police dogs make return...to schools" So we are going to get the police dogs back in our high schools to find drugs, guns and other weapons. Surely there must be a better way to combat this than turning our schools into something resembling an armed camp. Then there is the comment by Officer Nishan Duraiappah, who said "it will be interesting to see if the prevalence of what is termed 'soft drugs', like marijuana and hashish, or harder drugs, such as ecstasy, are on the rise among youths." [continues 155 words]
Cops Bust 100 Dealers A Day As Drug Crime Hits New High ... But Mr Bigs Escape The Net DRUG crime hit an all-time high last year as cheap cocaine flooded into Scotland. Shock figures obtained by the Sunday Mail reveal police made more than 100 drugs busts a day last year and arrested more than 40,000 users and dealers. But senior officers privately admit they are still failing to shut down the crime lords behind Scotland's multi-million-pound drugs trade. [continues 775 words]
But Reducing Possession Penalties Alone Wouldn't Uncrowd Prisons. Reducing sentences for some drug crimes wouldn't solve the problem of prison overcrowding, but it's worth investigating. The real answer lies in swallowing hard and paying the cost of the long sentences for more dangerous crimes to protect society. Easing up on penalties for drug possession is hardly a novel suggestion for reducing prison populations. What's different now is that the leaders of the Indiana Senate and the House of Representatives agree that the time has come for a new look at drug laws. [continues 658 words]
There was snow cover in the eastern hills, it was 40 degrees in downtown Hartford and the wind was blowing across Bushnell Park. The wind-chill factor made it feel like 35, but the atmosphere was hot as students from throughout the capital area congregated on the front steps of the State Capitol to celebrate "Red Ribbon" Day on Oct. 23. Kid Fresh from HOT 93.7, the local king of FM radio hip hop and R&B, was a popular choice for master of ceremonies, introducing state officials, students, and state leaders who brought the anti-drug message to the assembly, which was adorned with red ribbons. [continues 814 words]
Red Ribbon Week Festivities Are In Full Swing At Rector Elementary School This Week. On Monday, Oct. 27, the school was decorated with red ribbons on "Let's Color The School Red" Day. Ribbons were handed out to all students and staff members to wear during the week. Tuesday, Oct. 28, was "Put A Cap On Drugs" Day. Students and staff were asked to wear their favorite hat or cap. Days remaining in the week are as follows: - -- Wednesday, Oct. 29, is "Take A Stand For A Drug-Free Land" Day. Students and staff are asked to wear red, white, and blue to show pride for a drug-free country. [continues 210 words]
Two Thunder Bay provincial police officers have been cleared of discreditable conduct charges laid in connection with a drug raid at a South Gillies property nearly four years ago that turned up nothing. At a Police Services Act hearing yesterday, detective constables Randall Belluz and Mark Monker were found not guilty by adjudicator Terence Kelly. The officers were charged June 26, 2001 following complaints of an unlawful search by Andy Agarand, who owns the 70-acre property where tri-force drug unit officers attended on Dec. 21, 1999 with a search warrant. [continues 560 words]
Judge Rules Police Illegally Coerced The Rev. Clyde Maye Jr. Into Allowing Search Of His Vehicle A Mobile County judge ruled Friday that the Rev. Clyde Maye Jr.'s consent to have his vehicle searched during a traffic stop last spring -- a search that turned up nearly an ounce of marijuana and assorted pills -- was illegally coerced. Circuit Judge William McDermott ruled that the evidence police gathered could not be used against the 49-year-old pastor of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church and former Mobile water board member. [continues 397 words]
MANATEE - Six people overdosed on tainted heroin in the past three days, Manatee County Sheriff's Office and Bradenton police officials said Saturday. All of the overdoses appear to be from the same batch of tainted heroin, though officials said they are still testing the confiscated drugs. Sheriff Charlie Wells expressed concern and asked for help. "We're extremely concerned with what's taken place in the last couple of days," Wells said. "This is a very dangerous situation, and we need the public's help." [continues 104 words]
Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of Khun Thaksin, but drugs dealers are definitely not in my phone book. So what if Khun Thaksin set an impossible deadline to get rid of all drugs in Thailand? If the deadline is not met, he will probably come up with some lame excuse. However, I welcome whatever extra effort the police are using to achieve this target. Khun Thaksin should make sure that these efforts continue even after the three months are up. I for one will be standing up and applauding Khun Thaksin if he has the courage to admit that there was not enough time and extends the deadline, rather than just let the whole thing drop just like his promise to solve Bangkok's traffic jam. [continues 103 words]
Drug testing in the schools is not going too far, it is going in the wrong direction! When we want more money for education, the response is, "You can't solve problems just by throwing money at them." But when the subject is drugs, money is the first response. Drug testing in schools will be incredibly expensive. When the first test is positive, how will you know it is valid? All testing systems have false positives. When you hold that kid up to public ridicule as a drug user, you know there will be a lawsuit. A lot of lawsuits. [continues 158 words]
Buprenorphine May Be A Key For Abusers Of Heroin, Painkillers Odis Rivers was hooked on heroin for 20 years. He says he tried to stop a thousand times without success. Then he heard about a professor at Wayne State University who was offering addicts a new way to quit: taking a new medication called buprenorphine. Rivers signed up for the clinical trial in 1997. He hasn't used heroin since. In 1999, he tapered off of buprenorphine and says he has been drug-free for more than two years now. [continues 1106 words]
The mayor's plan to shut down Surrey's needle exchange before a viable alternative is explored is being blasted by local MLAs and several Surrey councillors. Mayor Doug McCallum told people in charge of the needle exchange last Monday that he wanted it shut down "immediately." Jim Bennett, who oversees the 135A St. facility, said the answer was an emphatic "no." Surrey-Whalley MLA Elayne Brenzinger is the lone local provincial representative who wants to see the needle exchange shut down in favour of a facility near the hospital. [continues 402 words]
If you're seen the NBC promos that glorify the network's violent, six-hour Mexican drug cartel series, "Kingpin" (10 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, Channel 2), you may be disappointed. The promos quote national news magazine and newspaper reviews that have "proclaimed" "Kingpin" must-see TV for the next three Sundays and Tuesdays. NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker has compared David Mills' script to Shakespeare; others have labeled it "The Latino Sopranos." Mills' mentor, Buffalo's David Milch, told him it was "ambitious." [continues 741 words]
Ad Featured Poor Logic, Avoidance Of Other Issues The Bush administration has a new message: Marijuana is the newest cause of teen pregnancy, joining the list of practically every other drug, notably alcohol. This is the simple message that the Office of National Drug Control Policy sent to Super Bowl viewers on Sunday. The ad showed a forty-something couple expecting the results from a pregnancy test and acting uncharacteristically distressed. As the subtitles read "they will be the youngest grandparents in town," the camera drifts to their teenage daughter, looking scared, upset and, of course, piously repentant. [continues 379 words]
'the Person I Loved Could Never Have Done That' The photo is stunning in its warmth. Standing with arms around each other, Joseph Cook and Richard Skipper look like buddies enjoying the Christmas cheer. Less than a month later, Mr. Cook apparently murdered the 20-year-old and Jennifer Schooler, 19, as the couple lay in bed in the home they all shared. Then, with guns firing, he led police on a 25-mile, crash-filled chase that ended in Mr. Cook's suicide. [continues 567 words]
Bike Thefts and Drug and Alcohol Violations Have Risen Steadily On Campus and Around the Community Thefts, drugs and alcohol -- that's what campus crimes are made of. According to the Department of Public Safety crime statistics for 1999 through 2001, the most prominent violations in the University community are bike theft and drug and liquor law offenses. DPS reported a steady rise in bike thefts, from 123 in 1999 to 184 in 2001, with total thefts climbing from 419 in 1999 to 485 in 2001. The Eugene Police Department reported 727 bike thefts citywide in 2001, 12 percent of which were in the West University neighborhood. Due to the "cyclical nature" of bike thefts, DPS Associate Director Tom Hicks said the present statistics demonstrate a peak in the crime rate and, with any luck, a decline soon to come. [continues 561 words]
