Drug News

If you get behind the wheel with traces of illegal drugs in your body, you potentially could face a prison sentence. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday handed down the opinion in People v. Martin, reinstating Aaron Martin’s original conviction of aggravated driving under the influence and a six-year prison sentence. Peoria County Circuit Court…

Maine, the New England state better known for its striking coastline and wilderness, has the country’s highest rate of residents in treatment to kick OxyContin, the brand name for oxycodone, and has suffered one of the nation’s biggest spikes in pharmacy robberies. The highly addictive opiate has been blamed for a rash of drug store…

New research shows increasing numbers of seniors and the elderly are far from sober. It’s called a ‘silent addiction.’ By the year 2020, The National Institute on Drug Abuse says the number of seniors with alcohol or other drug problems to leap 150 percent. And the issue goes unnoticed. “We become more isolated to those…

The number of Hawaii workers and job applicants testing positive for marijuana soared 25 percent in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, according to a report released yesterday by Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc. Three percent of workers tested in the first three months of 2011 had used pot, up from…

South Carolina state Sen. Harvey Peeler was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in January when the human resources director of one of the area’s major employers, textile manufacturer Hamrick Mills, told him the company was having trouble hiring some people from the unemployment rolls. “They said they had potential employees that would come and…

Flagstaff police say drug sales at a fraternity house near the Northern Arizona University campus led to three firearms-related assaults, including a drive-by shooting. Investigators learned the recent activity involving aggravated assault and threats with the weapon at this location, reportedly stems from members of this residence being involved with the sales of illegal drugs.…

The governors of Florida and Kentucky urged Congress on Thursday to help states fight the rise of so-called “pill mills” and the abuse of prescription painkillers hurting their states’ communities. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear told lawmakers that the illegal distribution of prescription drugs has exploded in their states in recent…

According to a new study released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) medical emergencies relating to the illegal drug Ecstasy jumped 75% between 2004 and 2008. More than two-thirds of these ER patients were between 18 and 29 years old, but a sizable number, nearly 18 percent, were from 12 to…

Synthetic substances that mimic marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs are making users across the nation seriously ill, causing seizures and hallucinations and even killing some people. The products are often packaged as incense or bath salts and can be obtained for as little as $10 at many head shops. As more people experiment with…