“A statewide report on drug-related deaths shows that the number of fatalities from prescription drugs continues to eclipse those caused by illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine.” http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-prescription-drugs-report-20091201,0,7344805.story

“A school bus driver, allegedly high on drugs, has been suspended after witnesses saw her swerving along Route 20 in Auburn Tuesday morning.” http://wbztv.com/local/auburn.bus.driver.2.1344097.html

“Sunny is one of many unscrupulous individuals who are profiting from the huge surge in the popularity of mephedrone, a white powder more commonly known as “meow meow”. The drug is cheap and gives a high similar to that of Ecstasy and amphetamines. It can be bought by anyone with access to the internet and…

“In Elkhart, meth is not the only illegal drug, but it is the one that has dealt the hardest blow to its working class gut, bringing down many men and women who staff the area’s RV factories. Over the course of the recession, at least one aspect of the problem has worsened: By mid-November of…

“Palmview police found a drug buffet during a traffic stop–black tar heroin, cocaine, pot, the prescription drug Xanax, but what was most alarming to investigators–a pile of 200 pills in all shapes and colors. It’s ecstasy in the shape of Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, pills shaped like Smurfs, and even one resembling our President, Barack…

By NADA SHAMAH “The Bridgeview Police Department launched an event this week that is the first of its kind. They teamed up with the Drug Enforcement Administration to bring attention to a problem that has grown so much over the past year: the abuse of prescription drugs.” http://www.swnewsherald.com/news_frontpage/2009/12/120309olbv_abuse.php

“TIJUANA, Mexico — Traditionally, crossing the Mexican border has been a quick and easy journey for U.S. drivers, but this could change soon. New technology in place at Mexican entry ports, intended to stop the flow of ammunition for drug cartels, could mean longer wait times to enter the country. The government is reacting to…

“BOULDER – More than a dozen students were on board a school bus Monday morning when the driver drove over a curb. Police say the driver had taken Ambien, a sleep aid, the night before the accident.” http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=127932&catid=339

By Paul Davenport, Associated Press Writer “PHOENIX — Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Scott Schoeneweis’ wife died from an overdose of cocaine and an anesthetic, lidocaine, an appellate court disclosed in a ruling released Tuesday.The ruling also said an investigation revealed evidence that Gabrielle Schoeneweis’ cocaine use “may have caused harm to another person.” That person…

“Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new study shows that, in the case of cocaine, a high score on the so-called ‘scale of craving’, an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse…