Drug News

By Jane Velez-Mitchell “Addiction in America has a new face: prescription drugs. Last year, prescription drugs replaced heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of deadly overdoses. And celebrities are showing us that mixing prescription pills — the pills you may have in your home right now — could be just as deadly as shooting…

“Reports say the driver removed the needle and identified herself as 36-year-old Teresa Fowler-Platkin of Windermere, a certified registered anesthetist who works for Kissimmee Surgical Center. Reports say Platkin explained that she had taken the medication from her place of employment.” http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/osceola_news/091109_Police_say_Nurse_arrested

“SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Several employees of American Airlines are among those under arrest in a U.S. raid targeting a drug-smuggling ring based out of Puerto Rico’s largest airport.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWNum1qgRe10CvqNVCF0QXmg_b7QD9ANPEIG0

From Nic RobertsonCNN Senior International Correspondent “KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Afghanistan’s reputation as the world’s leading narcotics supplier is well-known, but in a squalid ruin in Kabul, the country hides a darker secret — a huge home grown drug addiction problem now on the brink of fueling an HIV/AIDS epidemic.” http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/28/afghan.opium.den/

“SAN DIEGO – San Diego State has expelled one of its fraternities after illegal drugs and evidence of drug sales were found in Sigma Alpha Mu’s properties over the spring and summer. “ http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Sigma-Alpha-Mu-SDSU-drug-arrests-expelled/K1nHR0vu60SD1Cngs02DEQ.cspx

Mexico’s decriminalization is an admission that things aren’t getting better. “By decriminalizing consumption, Mexico is admitting that things are not getting better. It says its hope is to concentrate limited resources in going after producers, traffickers and retail distributors. According to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, another goal is to end the corruption that comes…

By FREESIA SINGNAM “He chalks this up to the fact that heroin is highly addictive, and it’s cheap and accessible. He said a dose of heroin can cost between $5 and $10. In the past, people would get addicted to heroin by experimenting. Lately, they’ve been getting accidentally addicted to prescription painkillers and turning to…

“A decline in the quality of drugs is encouraging takers to use a wider range of substances, a report suggests. With drug prices stable or in decline, the 2009 edition of DrugScope’s annual Street Drug Trends Survey says this may be accelerating a longer-term trend of people taking a variety of substances together or separately.”…

By Renee Nadeau “A retail worker was arrested yesterday for allegedly selling drugs out of a clothing store fitting room, Boston police said.” http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20090911clothing_store_employee_busted_for_alleged_drug_deals/srvc=home&position=recent

By Jason Beaubien “In Ciudad Juarez, on the front lines of Mexico’s drug war, drug rehabilitation centers are under attack. Last week, masked gunmen with AK-47s stormed into a rehab center just blocks from the U.S. border in this Mexican city, ordered people to line up against a wall and opened fire, killing at least…