Richard Mitchell Shrum, a 24-year-old University of Montevallo student, struggled for years with emotional problems and drug addiction, relatives say. But last fall, he moved in with his mother and grandmother in Grand Bay to seek treatment at a methadone clinic. He was going, he said, to kick his painkiller habit once and for all. Try Our Classifieds Three days after starting the treatments, Shrum came home, went to bed and never woke up. He died from what an autopsy report termed "methadone intoxication." [continues 1313 words]
USA's Burn Center has seen spike in number of cases linked to volatile chemicals used in manufacture of illegal drug For years, the number of burn victims receiving life-saving medical treatment in Mobile has held steady at about 400 per year. But in the last several months, the number of one type of patient has spiked up sharply, presenting new challenges for doctors and law-enforcement officials alike. This year alone, the University of South Alabama's Burn Center, the only specialized burn unit in the area, has treated six patients who were scorched when highly volatile chemicals exploded or caught fire in homemade methamphetamine labs, USA burn specialists said. [continues 1045 words]
Patients Suffering? The reaction to OxyContin abuse also has many physicians worried about the effects on legitimate patients who suffer from pain every day. The medical community nationwide finally is beginning to understand that pain has been undertreated in many patients, pain specialists say. Now, some physicians are treating pain more aggressively, even as a disease unto itself, and new drugs such as OxyContin are making a normal life possible again for thousands of people, some doctors say. But because of law enforcement's concern over abuse of OxyContin, some physicians and pharmacies are shying away from it, said Dr. Dennis Doherty, a pain specialist. [continues 907 words]
A stowaway on a ship from Colombia who attempted to smuggle 210 pounds of cocaine through the Port of Mobile made headlines this week when he and another Colombian man were caught in the act. But authorities say running drugs through the port aboard cargo ships is nothing unusual, and, in fact, is on the rise as trade with Latin America grows. "It happens a lot, and it's impossible to detect it a lot of times because there are all kinds of ways to hide drugs on a big ship," said U.S. Attorney Don Foster of Mobile. [continues 841 words]
Testing hair for evidence of drug use, which two local private schools are now considering, doesn't provide a fail-safe means of detection and may give false positives disproportionately to blacks, scientific studies suggest. On the other hand, it's very difficult for students to falsify hair samples, unlike urine samples, which can be doctored with Mountain Dew or someone else's "clean" urine, says the principal of one New Orleans school that relies on hair testing. "It's worked tremendously well for us," said Reginald Delicia, principal at St. Augustine, an all-male, all-black private high school. [continues 831 words]
The resignation of a highly praised principal after his arrest for marijuana possession has saddened some colleagues and parents, though others say school anti-drug efforts are meaningless if adults don't hold to a higher standard. Alvin D. Greene, 49, abruptly retired in May after five years as principal at Brazier Elementary School in north Mobile. His departure came two weeks before school was out and one day after he was arrested near his home in Daphne on charges of driving under the influence and possession of a small amount of marijuana. Greene pleaded guilty to the DUI, and prosecutors earlier this week put the marijuana charge on hold for a year, a common plea-bargain practice, said D. Robert "Rob" Stankoski Jr., assistant Baldwin County district attorney. It will be dropped if he stays out of trouble, Stankoski said. Greene was a first-time offender, according to court records. [continues 689 words]
