“There has been a massive increase in younger users,” said Ohlms, medical director of chemical dependency services at CenterPointe Hospital in St. Charles. “It’s very scary because they are just such dangerous drugs and so easy to overdose on. We are already having a lot of young people dying from overdoses.” http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_012d8eff-4586-5550-a97f-d3a4d74a76b7.html

The bank, now a unit of Wells Fargo, leads a list of firms that have moved dirty money for Mexico’s narcotics cartels–helping a $39 billion trade that has killed more than 22,000 people since 2006. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-07/wachovia-s-drug-habit.html

Los Angeles County’s top public health officer questioned why minors should be allowed to attend raves – massive dance parties featuring electronic music that have been closely associated with use of Ecstasy, an illegal drug. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/top-la-health-official-questions-why-parents-allow-children-to-attend-raves.html

For the NFL, that means a measure of concern because the case regarding the former Oakland Raiders quarterback is not the first involving codeine and allegations regarding a current or past player. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2010-07-06-jamarcus-russell-codeine-purple-drank_N.htm

According to reliable sources at the U.S. Border Patrol, a new threat has been issued by the Mexican drug cartels to kill an agent along the southern border sometime over the 4th of July weekend. The killing would be in retaliation for the shooting of an alleged teenage human smuggler at the Texas border in…

During the event, more than 226 people were injured and 114 were actually taken to hospital for their injuries. Most of the injuries were due to drug intoxication and now police are investigating the death of the 15 year old girl at the rave. http://apexnewsnetwork.com/23983/teen-girl-dies-at-rave-sasha-rodriguez-dead-at-15/

The last remaining fugitive capo of Colombia’s Norte del Valle drug cartel has been captured in Venezuela and will be extradited to the United States, President Hugo Chavez announced Tuesday. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hVXR3_gMIvhQev7MsRgEcOfXKOIgD9GPUGCG0

Chicago has the highest number of heroin-related emergency-room visits in major metropolitan areas, followed by New York City, Boston, and Detroit, according to a study out this week. The Roosevelt University researchers who conducted the research say medical care for heroin overdoses could be improved by “good Samaritan” laws, which currently exist in only two…

Since 2006, when Congress passed an anti-methamphetamine measure, the number of meth lab cleanups nationwide “has decreased significantly,” auditors found. Investigators attribute the decline to the law that made it harder to buy key chemicals used in illicit drug production. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/06/1718152/anti-meth-law-has-reduced-number.html#ixzz0t0PlimoW