"liquid heroin" and "cheese".
There was a recent news article about the death of a 17 year old girl in Texas who overdosed on "cheese", which is a street name for heroin. Cheese is more specifically heroin that has been cut with tylenol. It is usually found in a powder from and typically snorted. Because this drug is cut with tylenol and may be snorted instead of injected many users think it is not as dangerous or as addictive, some are not even aware that it is a form of heroin. But, it IS heroin and heroin is very dangerous and very addictive whether you are injecting it or snorting it, and you can die from it either way. Heroin is a tolerance drug, meaning your body builds up a tolerance requiring you to use more and more each time in order to achieve the same high.
The second trend is "liquid heroin". Many agencies and hospitals are reporting an increase in arrests and hospitalizations of high school and college students who have been using liquid heroin. Liquid heroin is a watered down version of heroin. Students keep the heroin in an eyedropper or a 1 inch tall glass containers with a dropper(about the width of a marker). Even though kids may view using this as less harmful it is still using drugs. The symptoms of someone who is using liquid heroin are very similar to other forms of heroin (constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, slow speech, slow reflexes, facial itching, dry mouth and lower blood pressure). Liquid heroin is also addictive and the body will grow more tolerant requiring the user to use more of the drug and possibly more often in order to get the same effect. Because it is addictive that means there are also withdrawal symptoms. Many of these students do not even recognize that they are becoming addicted or experiencing withdrawal symptoms because they did not view liquid heroin as addictive. They feel their muscles getting sore and their body aching. They knew when they took more liquid heroin it made it feel better but did not associate that as addiction or withdrawals. Heroin IS heroin, no matter how it is disguised. Because heroin is so addictive and because the withdrawal process can be so severe most people who struggle with heroin addiction have to enter a drug rehab in order to overcome this addiction.
29-year-old man who died yesterday was the latest victim of the country’s heroin epidemic. In the past month, a total of five drug addicts have died either from heroin overdoses or suicide; four out of the five addicts received treatment at Himmafushi rehabilitation centre run by the department of rehabilitation services (DRS).
The family of the 29-year old said he had been struggling with addiction for four years.They added he had been acting strangely in the early hours of Saturday morning and was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties.Doctors at IGMH informed the family he had died of a heroin overdose.On 20 March, Abdullah Shiham, 33, an inmate at Maafushi jail serving a 25-year sentence for drug possession, was found dead in his cell.Police have since confirmed he died of a benzodiazepine overdose.A forensic examination of drugs seized recently revealed that heroin sold on the streets was laced with benzodiazepine, a class of psychoactive drugs, according to police.
The combination of benzodiazepine with opiates is known to lead to coma and even death.A week after Shiham’s death, a 33-year old woman hanged herself in Male’. According to her family, she had been in the local rehabilitation centre some years ago and had been sent abroad for treatment on many different occasions. She committed suicide two months after police caught her with a small amount of heroin and was subsequently fired from her job.
The night before, on 24 March, police rescued a drug addict in Male’ as he attempted to hang himself.Earlier this month, another drug addict, a 29-year old woman, was found hanged at her house. She was reportedly denied the chance of rehabilitation by the authorities.Two other drug addicts have died in the past month of heroin overdoses.But, a DRS official told Minivan News today they do not provide any information to the press.
Following the deaths, the health ministry called a meeting this afternoon with three local NGOs – Journey, Fanas and Society of Woman Against Drugs – organised by the president’s office.After extensive discussions where the NGOs presented policy papers, the ministry decided to hold a forum with all relevant government bodies and other stakeholders to take immediate measures as well as draw up long-term plans to tackle the problem. Speaking to Minivan News today, deputy home minister Dr Abdullah Waheed said most young people were caught between extremes of radical Islam and the drug culture, which contributed to growing social and cultural tensions.“There are no acceptable forms of entertainment available to youth.”Conservative estimates put the number of drug addicts in the country at 10,000, Dr Waheed said, but existing facilities could only provide treatment for 200 addicts every year.The government was currently in the process of drawing up broader and more inclusive rehabilitation programmes as well as revising the penal code and drug laws. But, local NGO, Journey, has criticised the government for not producing any results since coming to power.
The new government has not reviewed the programme or the model used by DRS for the past 11 years, said Mohamed Arif, chairperson of Journey.Despite the good quality of infrastructure and facilities at the rehabilitation centre, the programme does not offer adequate aftercare services.“We need a comprehensive programme to deal with all the underlying problems.”95 per cent of addicts who seek rehabilitation in the country relapse into drug use, Arif said. According to the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party manifesto, there are an estimated 30,000 drug addicts in Maldives.
Rapper Coolio Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. (real name) was arrested a couple of hours ago at LAX as a screening to get him to his Southwest Airlines plane revealed he had crack cocaine on his person, as TMZ reports.According to the celebrity gossip website / paparazzi agency, the rapper was on his way to Tulsa, Okla., where he was scheduled to play a show at the Flytrap Music Hall, with co-headliners Tone Loc and Shock G of The Digital Underground. A simple screening revealed that he had a certain amount of the drug on his person, which prompted airport personnel to call reinforcements. It is at this point, sources say, that Coolio became agitated and even “got physical with the screener at some point during the incident.” Police took him to headquarters, booked him and set bail at $10,000. The rapper posted bail almost immediately and was later released. No further details pertaining to the case have yet been made public, and an arraignment date is still pending as of now.
Just recently, Coolio made headlines again when he took part in the “Celebrity Big Brother” UK reality show. However, this time, it wasn’t as much for what he did that he made it into the papers, but for what he said, as he told one of his fellow “mates” that he believed computers came from aliens and that Hollywood films could actually predict the future – if one only knew how to look at them right.
“All this technology. You think it came from this planet? [expletive] I don’t think men are that smart. I think it came from somewhere else. Movies are made twenty years before they happen. Look at ‘Face Off’ with John Travolta. Nobody thought that [expletive] would happen, but it has. The movie ‘Independence Day’ – that’s gonna happen. Microbiotics, computer science, jet planes – they came from a different planet.” the 45-year-old rapper said while being a member of the Big Brother house.
Death of 15-year-old Maddie Kiefer by what Whitefish Bay police say is a drug overdose death has not only caused grief and sorrow in the community she called home.It's caused a sobering reminder for any parent around the area who has heard this story and wondered about the danger their own children may face.David Spakowitz, head of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Narcotics Bureau, had a frank and eye-opening conversation about the subjects of teenage drug use on 620WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News."Spakowitz gave some shocking facts about how teenage drug users are more quickly advancing to the most dangerous of drugs, including heroin, the drug of choice of one of the suspects accused of giving Maddie the substances that apparently killed her."It used to be where you'd start out drinking, go into alcohol, experiment in cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, then eventually go onto heroin, the top of the heap," said Spakowitz."We've seen an alarming rate of younger kids starting out with marijuana and going right to heroin."Boyfriends and girlfriends, because it's an injectable substance, sometimes they're afraid of needles so their friends will shoot them up."There's not that leap. It used to take years to progress to a high level of an opiate addiction. Now, it's done, sometimes within a year."Heroin Much Easier To Use Spakowitz detailed that heroin is more used by teenagers because it's simply not as hard to use as it was a generation ago."The heroin, from when I was growing up, the only way to use heroin, because of the low purity, was to inject it.
"From about the mid-90's, there's been such an increase in the quality of heroin that makes it snortable. There's not the stigma associated with needles."With an opiate, it's a central nervous system depressant. It slows everything down. It slows down your heart rate, your respiration, so it's not an aggressive type of high. You don't have a care in the world."Once you're on heroin or an opiate, everything is fine, and I think these kids are using it as an escape.""You can snort one $10 bag of heroin and have a two-to-four hour high, and maybe that's the appealing thing because there's not the stigma of crack cocaine or using needles."Before Heroin, It's The Stuff You Have In Your Medicine CabinetThe drugs Spakowitz says teenagers sometimes use before reaching heroin can often be found inside your own cabinet.It's often the drugs you may get from your doctor for pain medication, sometimes oxycontin or vicodin, the drug former Packers quarterback Brett Favre became addicted to during the mid-1990's."They start out abusing an opiate, oxycontin, vicodin.."We have studies that say that 2/3rds of kids, young adults that get their drugs get it from their parents' medicine cabinet."We need parents out there or family members (to know), once you're done with a prescription, get rid of it."Another suggestion Spakowitz gave is to have a locked medicine cabinet.Often, it may not be your own children rummaging through your medicine cabinet for such prescription drugs.It might be your child's friends who could be raiding it, and your child might not even know it."I've had a number of cases where (we ask), 'Where are you getting all this stuff?' and (suspects) say, 'When I go over to a friend's house, the first thing I do is go through the medicine cabinet.Then, the need becomes worst than just going for what's your doctor gave you."Unfortunately with what happens, when they no longer can get it from their friend's medicine cabinet, or their parent's prescriptions lapse, so they can't take it any longer, it becomes to expensive to use oxycontin or vicodin, so they're moving on to heroin."Heroin More Available in Wisconsin The supply chain of heroin delivery to the Midwest has made it much easier to find the deadly drug in Wisconsin."We've seen a shift," explained Spakowitz. "We used to see the majority of our heroin users that come from Chicago or South American heroin coming from the southwest border."In the last three or four years, all of our heroin comes from Chicago. What used to come out of the southwest border or New York City now is only 90 miles away.
"That's how it's getting to Milwaukee."And how it's getting across the entire state."It's not a Southeastern Wisconsin problem. I talked to law enforcement officers all across the state. There's a huge prescription diversion problem across the state, not only in the Madison area, but the Fox River Valley, Central Wisconsin, Northwestern Wisconsin.""One of the most alarming and dangerous things that I'm seeing is that the users will pool their money. They'll get four or five of their friends, pool in $40, $50, $60, have the one person that will drive to Milwaukee to the heroin supplier (and) pick up the heroin."A lot of times, they'll shoot up right around the block, the gas station restroom, and then they'll drive it back to the county where they came from and distribute it out there."We're having a number of these kids that are under the influence of heroin operating on our roadways. Very, very dangerous.""As such, the Attorney General has identified this as an emerging problem and has specifically trained agents in each one of our field offices for opiate investigations similar to what we did with the methamphetamine problem Wisconsin experienced five, six, seven years ago in Northwestern Wisconsin."Sometimes, Surviving Overdoses Doesn't Stop Addictions One of the suspects accused of supplying drugs to Kiefer twice overdosed from mixing heroin with other drugs.Still, that didn't stop him from continuing his habits, and allegedly, supplying others like Kiefer with drugs."When we see these kids and young adults that use controlled substances, especially heroin, it's almost like a badge of honor, the number of times they've overdosed," said Spakowitz."All of a sudden they're back at it. They're playing Russian roulette with this drug, because they don't know the quality."One week, it might be 20% heroin that they're using, the next week, it might be 50%, and they can overdose."The way dealers give higher level narcotics can also get users to unknowingly overdose."The new drug dealer wants to get more customers, so to try to get you to be my customer and try to get you away from (another drug dealer), I'm going to give you higher quality dope because it will be better dope, and you'll say 'I'll come back to you.'"But if you have an established tolerance level of maybe two bags at 30% (heroin), and I give you 60% heroin, and you do the same, all of a sudden, it becomes like shooting four bags. There's a strong, strong potential for overdose."The mixing of drugs, which one of the suspects in the Kiefer case did in both of his overdose cases, also has become more prevalent."A group of young people will take whatever medications they come to the party with, throw them in a big bowl, mix with alcohol, and they just start grabbing out anything and ingesting those."Talk about a potential lethal dose."How To Tell Your Child May Be Using Drugs?What are the warning signs to watch for? Spakowitz gives some good tips in terms of the child's behavior.
"The first basic thing is that you have to know your kid," explains Spakowitz."You have to understand their behaviors and what they're doing, the friends they're associating with."With any kind of substance abuse, and we've seen it unfortunately more so with opiate abuse which is your oxycontin, vicodin, and subsequently heroin, is the changes in behavior."If your son or daughter is strong in athletics, or academically very strong or has other interests, very strong in the family, and all of a sudden starts shying away from their normal group of friends and start hanging out with other people, changes in personal appearance, lack of money, or all of a sudden they have a lot of money, more secretive (behaviors), those are some of the indicators that we've identified that they may be involved in controlled substances.One thing parents must caution themselves about, too, is their own willingness to ask the tough questions, knowing they may feel a sense of failure if they see their own child using drugs.
"A lot of parents are in denial, especially if they come from a more affluent family, or a family-orientated group," said Spakowitz. "You don't want to admit that maybe your son or daughter is involved in something like this."
"It's shock at first, because they think they've done everything right, and then all of a sudden, there's some embarrassment involved. 'How could I have done this?' They've given everything. 'I've provided for them,' and then all of a sudden, 'What happens here?' "Spakowitz tells parents who discover their children's use to remain steadfast in fighting for their children's lives and getting them off the drugs - and away from the sources of those drugs.
"You have to stick with it. It has to be a family endeavor. They have to break that cycle. They have to get them away from their friends. With opiate addicts, with heroin, with 'oxy,' they all sort of stick together because, 'I need it, and I know where to go.'
"I've talked to too many parents from very good families. Their son and daughter have been in and out of treatment, and once in a while, you just throw up your hands and say 'I've tried my best.' "
But it's up to the drug user to finally say no more."The user has to want to quit. They have to be committed to it.""The good kid from a suburban high school can get a felony drug record that can stick with them for the rest of their lives, and it's difficult to explain that to these kids, 'your choices now will affect the rest of your lives.' "Or end a life, as reported to be the case with Maddie Kiefer.
Popular smoking cessation drug dramatically reduced the amount a heavy drinker will consume, a new Yale School of Medicine study has found. Heavy-drinking smokers in a laboratory setting were much less likely to drink after taking the drug varenicline compared to those taking a placebo, according to a study published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry.The group taking varenicline, sold as a stop-smoking aid under the name Chantix, reported feeling fewer cravings for alcohol and less intoxicated when they did drink. They were also much more likely to remain abstinent after being offered drinks than those who received a placebo, the study found.Additionally, there were no adverse effects associated with combining varenicline with alcohol in the doses studied. When combined with low doses of alcohol, varenicline did not change blood pressure or heart rate, nor did it seem to induce nausea or dizziness."We anticipate that the results of this preliminary study will trigger clinical trials of varenicline as a primary treatment for alcohol use disorders, and as a potential dual treatment for alcohol and tobacco use disorders," said Sherry McKee, associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study.Smokers are more likely to drink alcohol and to consume greater quantities of alcohol, and they are four times more likely to meet criteria for alcohol use disorders. Diseases related to tobacco use are the leading causes of death in alcoholics."A medication such as varenicline, which may target shared biological systems in alcohol and nicotine use, holds promise as a treatment for individuals with both disorders" according to McKee.McKee said that 80% of participants receiving varenicline did not take a drink at all, compared to 30% of the placebo group. The findings suggest that varenicline has the potential to be at least as effective in reducing drinking as naltrexone, another drug found to reduce alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. Unlike naltrexone, varenicline is not metabolized by the liver and may be safe to use by those with impaired liver function, a frequent consequence of heavy alcohol use, McKee said
Drug addicted men admit to have consumed drugs to be able to have sexual relations and most of them (58%) choose cocaine to this purpose, the narcotic which increases the most sexual incapacitation. On the other hand, only 37.50% drug addict women consume drugs to this purpose, and when they do, they resort to cocaine (37%), speed ball (25%) and alcohol (25%). Those are the conclusions of a study carried out by Professors of the department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, where they have analysed the connection between drug consumption and sexual performance. They took a poll of 120 characters (104 male and 16 female drug addicts), aged between 17 and 23 years old and with an average age of 32.25, who were administered a poll together with the Addictive Behaviour Questionnaire, a test which assesses consumption seriousness. Another conclusion of the work carried out at the UGR is that 50.98% of men use drugs to have sexual relations, as against 43.75% of women. This category also shows the differences by sexes, as men who consume drugs to lose their inhibition use alcohol and cocaine almost in the same proportion (43 and 37%, respectively), whereas in the case of women it is alcohol, with 72%, the most common substance. The research work has been carried out by Professors Pablo Vallejo Medina, Miguel Pérez García and Juan Carlos Sierra, who insist that, in the light of the results obtained, men present a paradoxical fact, "as cocaine, which is the most commonly used drug as an enhancer factor of sexuality, is also the most incapacitating drug at a sexual level". According to researchers, this fact could be due to that drug addicts use cocaine in order to increase their sexual power and performance which, as has been proved by authors such as Cregel and Mark, only happens when consumed in low doses and in the short term. Such conditions would be difficult to keep, as consumers, due to the habit and the dependence would tend to increase both the doses and the consumption time, seriously harming the sexual function.
Growing drug use in the city following a massive rise in the number of discarded needles.Figures obtained by the Echo reveal that 893 syringes were found in public places last year — almost 500 more than the previous year.
The needles were most commonly discarded in public toilets, including those in Blackboy Road, Exeter bus station and King William Street.
Mount Pleasant Road was also singled out as a hotspot.
Ten of the city's public toilets have been fitted with blue lighting, which is designed to make it hard for drug users to find veins in order to inject heroin.
Karen Histed-Todd, of Devon Drug and Alcohol Action Team, said up to 400 people a year accessed drug treatment in the Exeter area through Devon Primary Care Trust.
She said: "Heroin is the main injected drug of choice in Exeter. Amphetamine is also injected, though not in the numbers of heroin."There are more people coming into drug treatment year-on-year and the majority obtain the help they need (usually methadone or bupernorphine) within three weeks of making contact."
She added: "The quality of treatment is improving year on year with more and more people successfully coming off drugs and getting back to a more normal life."
Sgt Morris Elphick, who is responsible for policing the west of the city, said: "Drug use is a modern curse. We had a very successful operation last week when 35 properties were raided and more than 20 people were arrested.
"The majority of drug users do dispose of their needles responsibly but they do have chaotic lifestyles.
"Unfortunately, asking them to do something simple like disposing of needles responsibly can be difficult for them."
Exeter mum Janet Dowle, 55, of Beacon Heath, pricked her finger on a syringe left in the public toilets in Guinea Street last August.
After a worrying six months, she was given the all-clear from infections such as hepatitis B.
But she had to have three months of injections and still has to go back 12 months after the initial injury for a booster shot.
Mrs Dowle thinks the council should provide sharps boxes in public toilets. She said: "I think they should try this to see how it goes."
Richard Branston, city councillor for Newtown, is to raise the issue with police.
He said: "This problem is a great concern for a number of local residents and we need to take urgent action on this."
Yolonda Henson, city councillor for Polsloe, said: "There is no point in pretending this problem is not there."It should not be too much to ask that those using drugs to dispose of needles responsibly."Exeter City Council has said that some of the increase can be put down to better recording of needles found.
Councillor Kevin Mitchell, lead member for environment and leisure, said: "While the number of discarded needles found in public areas is a cause of concern, the situation in Exeter is relatively low when compared to other cities in the UK.
Mike Trim, head of Exeter's cleansing services, said: "We might be revisiting the idea of putting sharps boxes into public toilets.
"The trouble is, if we do that then we could be accused of encouraging drug use in the toilets."We have made inquiries and have not been able to find a sharps box which is totally secure and if these are tampered with we would have a bigger problem because they can contain so many needles."
Hospitals are admitting more than 100 retired patients a day for alcohol abuse.
Serious drink-addiction has nearly doubled among the over-65 age group. Former company directors living in affluent areas of London are among those ending up in A & E or on surgical wards for drink-related problems.A total of 36,805 pensioners a year - "silver sozzlers"- are hospitalised for drink-related health problems. This compares with 20,735 in 2002. Experts predict the figures for liver disease and alcohol poisoning will continue to rise unless addiction treatment is made more available on the NHS.They also say drinking at home is one reason why binge drinking has soared among the elderly.The figures will increase pressure on ministers to take action against the drinks industry which has been blamed for encouraging binge drinking with cut-price promotions and incentives.Anti-addiction charities and medical experts called on the Government to follow Scotland and bring in a minimum price for drink. It is the first country in Europe to fix alcohol prices. The Liberal Democrats, who uncovered the figures, said the dangers of excessive drinking among retired people was a hidden problem and solutions needed to be properly targeted. Lib-Dem MP Tom Brake said: 'While newspaper headlines have focused on binge-drinking teenagers, the number of elderly people being hospitalised due to alcohol has been soaring unnoticed. "These figures are deeply worrying and ministers must take action to tackle this new and disturbing trend. The Government has massively under-funded alcohol treatment services, while this problem has been allowed to escalate."The Royal College of Physicians, which is calling for higher taxes on alcohol, said drinking at home was partly to blame. RCP president Professor Ian Gilmore told the Standard: 'These figures underline that the UK's worrying relationship with alcohol is not just about teenage binge drinking. "The biggest increase in drinking is at home, fuelled by massive supermarket discounting. The over-65s, particularly vulnerable to illness, are clearly part of this rising tide of health harm."Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond and Kingston are among those boroughs with ageing alcoholics. More than 2,000 over-65s a year in these areas alone need hospital treatment for drink-related health problems
In a bid to wage a chemical jihad on Britain, the Taliban has planned to flood the UK streets with heroin. And to carry their terrifying mission forward, they are using hate-filled Muslim gangs as heroin dealers. Pakistan and Afghanistan based Al-Qaida and Taliban warlords have directed their dealers a task to sell a six billion pounds of heroin to non-Muslims. The Talibans two-faced chemical attack is not only aimed at killing many with heroin, but also to collect massive sums to sponsor future terror attacks. The Daily Star quoted a senior security source, as saying, the Afghan poppy fields are probably the biggest financial contributor to al-Qaida and the Taliban. The UKs heroin trade is increasing at an alarming rate and most of the cash helps arm terrorists with bombs and guns. Already, the US has been targeted by the Taliban in a similar evil scheme, which mirrors a terror plot in the new James Bond novel Devil May Care. Taliban linked drug peddler Haji Baz Mohammed generated 17 billion pounds by pouring heroin into North America between 1990 and 2005. He told a US court, Selling heroin was a jihad because they were taking Americans money and the heroin was killing them. With a whopping thirty tonnes of heroin smuggled into Britain every year, the UK undoubtedly is the top target of the fanatics. Heroin is grown in the Afghan badlands and bought for 1,500 pounds per kilo in Pakistan. Its finally sold on Britains streets between 30 to 50 pounds per gram. Often, the Asian gangs operating in South London, Luton, Preston, Manchester, Leeds, Oldham, Birmingham and Bradford sell heroin in the backs of cabs or over kebab shop counters. One such cabdriver revealed a lot about the spreading heroin attack in the UK. Poppy fields between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The big bosses have Taliban and al-Qaida connections and were often told only to deal it to non-Muslims. They call it chemical jihad and hope to ruin lives while getting massive payouts at the same time. The drug gangs have already spread misery in thousands of lives. Greg Yates is one of 280,000 addicts in the UK. Huddled up and shaking on a bridge near Luton rail station, the 42-year-old former mechanic told us his 80 pounds-a-day habit had destroyed his life. I cant function without the hits. Ive lost my job, my home and my family. Heroin has killed me, he sobbed
Health professionals in the Forth Valley area have been issued with a warning to be vigilant after two cocaine users in Glasgow were treated for a rare and life-threatening condition associated with the use of the drug.
Steven Adler former Guns N’ Roses star has found himself arrested on a misdemeanour drug charge. The arrest comes just six weeks after the rocker was court-ordered to rehab to keep him out of prison.Adler was taken into police custody on 26 January and charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance. However, it is believed that Steven was released the same day at 10.50am on $50,527 bail.
Adler was court-ordered to rehab in Pasadena, California in December following his arrest in July for possession of narcotics, being under the influence and for an outstanding warrant.The rocker pleaded no contest to a charge of heroin possession at Los Angeles Superior Court to escape a jail term for the earlier arrest, and remained on probation while attempting to complete the state program.A court date had not yet been set as we went to press
white heroin is making a comeback on Britain's streets, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has warned.Heroin hydrochloride was widespread during the 1970s but was replaced by more well-known "brown" heroin.Easy to snort and inject because it is water-soluble, white heroin's dangers were made clear in Quentin Tarantino's cult film Pulp Fiction, in which Uma Thurman's character snorts the powder, thinking it is cocaine, and then collapses.Soca has warned of a resurgence in the drug in the UK, manufactured and shipped in from Afghanistan.Deputy director Steve Coates said there had been a few seizures of small amounts of white heroin in the past year but the return of the drug was noticeable.
He said there had been seizures overseas in Afghanistan and Turkey, as well as a huge haul last year of £5.5 million worth of heroin, including white heroin, in straws sewn into the weave of Afghan rugs.Mr Coates, who has been involved in investigating the heroin trade for more than 20 years, said law enforcement agencies had seen a "seismic change" in the supply to the UK.Overseas seizures in Afghanistan and Turkey suggest large-scale producers have started to manufacture white heroin and export it to the UK.Mr Coates said Soca is working with partners in the UK and Afghanistan and Turkey to stop the lethal drug reaching the UK.Soca's aim is to warn police, drugs charities and users of the return of white heroin and its dangers, he said.
The Wizard of O: My Life With Oprah in which he alleges that Oprah got him addicted to crack cocaine, which fueled their wild nights together. The National Enquirer talks about the book and its own investigation into the lawsuit Cook filed against Oprah in 1997. Oprah smoked crack cocaine during a sexually charged affair, according to her dying ex-love ... and the shocking relapse came years after her first flirtation with drugs. Oprah confessed to her audience she briefly used cocaine in the 1970s. At the time she blamed it on her desperate obsession with a man who was a drug user. But in his blockbuster sex-and-drug tell-all The Wizard of O: My Life With Oprah, her ex-lover, Chicago businessman Randolph Cook, makes the stunning disclosure that the talk queen resumed her cocaine habit during their secret affair which began in 1984. Cook, 51, also claims the media mogul taught him how to smoke crack cocaine, and the two "freebased" the drug regularly during their passionate six-month romance and the talk show titan "was still under the influence while doing her show." Cook recently has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and with only two years to live he blames Oprah for his problems and wants his story told. And court papers back up Cook's shocking drug allegations about Oprah! During an ENQUIRER investigation in 2007, reporters unearthed a secret 17-page court document in store rooms at Chicago's National Archives and Records Administration that support Cook's shocking drug claims. The document, titled "Defendant Oprah Winfrey's Answer to Plaintiff's Amended Complaint At Law," reveals: "Defendant admits that she and Cook had sexual relations." And it also says: "Defendant admits that Cook used cocaine in her presence and that she used cocaine while Cook was present."
First of all, Oprah admitted to her audience years ago that she had smoked crack cocaine when she was involved with a drug addict. She admitted her shame and humiliation over the secret she had been keeping all these years, and said she was addicted to the man, not the drug. So this is hardly new news.
But Cook says his affair with Oprah happened long after the affair she discussed on TV, which she said happened while she was still a news anchor. Cook says he and Oprah would smoke crack in her limo just before she taped The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Coolio has revealed that he was caught sneaking cannabis past customs on his first trip to the UK. He admitted that he was rumbled when police dogs latched onto the scent of the drugs. He said: "The first time I came to England I was a dumb ass.
"I just rolled the weed up in a sandwich bag and the dog came up to me. "I never came back to England like that again."
Dominic Reardon (38), who is a well-known comic on the club circuit in the north of England and can command a fee of £1,200 a night, was caught in August along with one of his friends from the UK, Michael Seabury (33), who was also jailed for nine months.Another of his friends who arranged the pair’s visit, Thomas McKibbon, of Jersey, admitted possessing a separate batch of cocaine on the same day. He was jailed for 18 months for possession with intent to supply the drug.The men, who were all described as having a relaxed attitude to what they thought was a social drug, had shared lines of cocaine in a hotel room just before they were arrested in August last year
Beyonce has become the latest celebrity to do her bit for charity in 2009 by donating her entire salary from her latest movie to a drug treatment centre in America.The If I Were A Boy songstress plays soul singer Etta James in upcoming movie Cadillac Records about the legendary singer's life. Whilst James found unbridled success in her singing career, the star was continuously in out of drug rehabilitation centres during the early 70s for her heroin addiction, leading to several arrests for forgery and drug possession. The star was even sentenced to drug treatment, evading a jail term.Beyoncé wracked up a healthy pay cheque for playing the role and has donated the entire $4million salary from the movie to the Phoenix House, a drug treatment centre where the star spent weeks preparing for the role.
The rehab facility runs 98 residential and outpatient rehab programmes throughout the U.S. and treats over 5,000 addicts a day.
'Without fanfare or publicity of any kind she has quietly given away millions to causes that move her. I don’t think she's ever before given away such a large amount to one organization but she clearly believes that many people, possibly thousands, would die without their help.
Actor Sam Shepard was arrested early on Saturday in central Illinois and charged with speeding and drunken driving, police said.Shepard, 65, told police in Normal, Illinois, he was passing through town and stopped at a tavern before heading to his hotel.His blood alcohol was twice the legal limit and he was going 16 mph over the 30 mph speed limit while passing through town, the Bloomington, Illinois, Pantagraph reported.He told police he was traveling to his home in Kentucky, according to the newspaper.His long-time partner is actress Jessica Lange, with whom he has two children.Shepard received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of test pilot Chuck Yeager in the film "The Right Stuff." He also appeared in "The Notebook," "Blackhawk Down" and other films. His plays include "Buried Child," for which he won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for drama, "True West" and "A Lie of the Mind."
publicist says Tara Reid has checked herself into rehab. Jack Ketsoyan said Friday that the "American Pie" star went to the Promises Treatment Center. He did not specify what she was being treated for or when she entered the facility.
"We appreciate your respect to her and her family's privacy at this time," he said in a statement.Reid, 33, earned a reputation as a drunken partier after famously being photographed on a red carpet with her breast exposed, apparently unaware that the strap of her dress had fallen off.Her film credits include "Van Wilder" and "The Big Lebowski." She also hosted the short-lived, half-hour show "Taradise" on E!
Mexican outlaws knew they'd reached a special level of notoriety when countrymen penned ballads bragging of their exploits.Now, they get MySpace pages.A new breed of crime fan is turning to the Web to humanize drug capos and glorify their deeds.
MySpace is home to the most extravagant tributes, but lower-profile pages have also been created on the rival Facebook. In most cases, profiles are written as though the drug boss himself is the profile creator.Facebook officials said they don't allow profiles that endorse criminal activity, but see pages as forums for discussion.MySpace declined to comment. Tributes posted there include music, photos, videos and messages support, even wishes for a happy holiday season.There are also blunt threats, as well as advertisements for Texas criminal-defense attorneys.
Often straightforward language offers a Sopranos-like look at gangsters who are a blend of Al Capone and Robin Hood.They are despised by many Mexicans, but also respected by some for defying authority and climbing out of poverty.
Joaquin Guzman, the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel — the most powerful syndicate in Mexico — notes the Drug Enforcement Administration is on his trail, but that he is keeping a positive attitude.
Known as "El Chapo," which means shorty, Guzman also says he is a Capricorn, a proud parent and that his sexual orientation is straight. His interests include going for walks, reading the Bible, sharing a meal with loyal friends and killing.Another page notes how much he pays the people around him, how he is always on the move and constantly changing cell phones to avoid detection.Although some of the information matches his FBI wanted poster, it is highly unlikely Guzman, who is perhaps the most hunted man in Mexico, established the page.Experts contend pages are more likely concocted by a Web-savvy younger generation, perhaps teenagers, trying to gain entrance into the lowest echelons of the gangs."Some Mexicans, especially poor, young Mexican men actually admire the wealth, machismo and success of these capos — dead or alive or in jail — no matter how bloody their hands may be," said Bruce Bagley, chairman of the Department of International Studies at the University of Miami."Money, power, violence and mayhem always attracts attention," Bagley said. "These guys are lauding the Robin Hood image; it is in a way what norteño music did in a previous era: it creates an aura around them."
Guzman's reputed cartel rival, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, who was handed over to the United States by Mexico nearly two years ago and faces a coming trial in Houston, also has a few MySpace pages in his honor."Hi, I am Osiel Cardenas Guillen, head of the Gulf Cartel of Mexico," reads an introduction. "Before I was a mechanic and also was a policeman, but, well, things change," it continues.Another profile notes that he likes ranchera music, watches the news to keep up with what is happening with his cartel, and that he hopes to one day kill Guzman and meet former Mexican President Vicente Fox.Being Cardenas' Web friend might be sticky as he is also known by a nickname that translates as friend killer.DEA spokesman David Ausiello said the agency has taken notice of online tributes and monitors the Web."It is difficult to find out who is putting this information on the Internet," he said. "Are they people with intimate knowledge of the organizations or people who are just interested and watching from afar?"Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said after the Houston Chronicle pointed out the drug boss profiles to him that the company would look into some and would likely disable any that are fake."If the users want to create a page or a group that celebrates these individuals, that would probably be allowed as long as the pages didn't show or promote drug use or violence," he said.An 18-year-old from California is among several people who posting messages on the sites."What a drag dude," he writes in a message in Spanish to Cardenas. "Hold on, you'll be out soon."
Ottawa police officer who stole crack cocaine is fighting to get his job back--and his lawyer says the case raises an important issue around the responsibility of police to accommodate officers who suffer from the "disability of drug addiction."
Lawyer Kenneth Jull, who is representing former con-stable Kevin Hall, has formally filed notice of motion for leave to appeal a recent court ruling that struck down the officer's attempt to be reinstated.
The notice says that Mr. Hall's case calls for "important judicial interpretation" regarding the duty of a police force to accommodate officers who suffer from the "disability of drug addiction."
The notice states that "judicial consideration and interpretation of the duty to accommodate is a matter of significance in the areas of employment law, labour relations and human rights throughout the province and the country."
Mr. Hall, 45, has been suspended with pay since December, 2005.He was ordered dismissed in December, 2006, following a police disciplinary hearing. He admitted to taking crack cocaine from motorists he stopped as well as from the evidence locker.
After his dismissal was ordered, Mr. Hall filed an appeal with the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, which upheld the original ruling a year ago.
The officer then filed an appeal with the divisional court, which handles appeals of decisions made by administrative hearings and tribunals.The divisional court ruled on Dec. 10 that the tribunal's decision was reasonable.During an interview this week, Mr. Jull said people might have had a different opinion toward the officer if he had been addicted to alcohol."If you're dealing with something like cocaine or marijuana or anything that's illegal, you've got to be careful, I say, to not let the punishment paradigm transcend the rehabilitative paradigm of getting the guy back," he said.
Drugs counsellor turned to crime and carried out six armed raids in two months.The High Court in Glasgow was told Paul Campbell, 32, terrified staff at five bookmakers and a store during his crimewave in the city.Campbell, a former heroin addict who had rebuilt his life to become a drugs counsellor, first struck in Ladbrokes in Sauchiehall Street on July 6.He threatened staff with what appeared to be a handgun and made off with £460.In August, Campbell struck four times at William Hill Bookmakers in Byres Road, Kelvingrove Street, Cathcart Road and St Enoch Square.
On each occasion he brandished what appeared to be a gun and demanded cash.His final robbery was at Farmfoods in Byres Road, Glasgow, on September 3 when he threatened staff with a knife and escaped with £200.The court heard at four of the raids Campbell left behind items from which forensic experts were able to obtain his DNA.
Simon Collins, prosecuting, said: "Over the course of two months the accused carried out six very similar robberies."The total amount taken by the accused was £2770. None of the money was recovered."At the time of the offences the accused was unemployed and in receipt of benefits."Campbell, of Cleveland Street, Charing Cross, admitted carrying out five armed raids on bookmakers by presenting a handgun or imitation handgun to staff.He also pleaded guilty to presenting a knife at a member of staff in Farmfoods and robbing her.His lawyer Tony Graham told the court: "Mr Campbell is a reformed heroin addict who became a drugs counsellor."Judge Lord Brailsford deferred sentence on Campbell until January 19 at the High Court in Paisley.He called for a background report and an assessment of the danger Campbell poses to the public.
Crack cocaine use hastens HIV disease progression, investigators report in the January 1st 2009 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research, which was conducted amongst drug users in Miami, found that crack cocaine users had poorer adherence to antiretroviral. But this was only a partial explanation as the investigators found that crack cocaine users who were had taking anti-HIV drugs experienced more rapid falls in their CD4 cell count and increases in their viral load."
Most well-known for co-penning Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino and directing an adaptation of The Rules of Attraction, Avary has been slammed with gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated for the Ventura County drunk driving crash that killed one passenger and severely injured Avary’s wife in January.
Drug overdose deaths on Teesside are caused by "lethal cocktails", an investigation has found. In 2007, 18 people died from drug abuse - many of whom were in treatment programmes - and Cleveland Police ordered an investigation. It found that Teesside did not have a worse problem than other areas but more needed to be done to help victims. Experts recommended better education on the dangers of taking mixtures of drugs or "cocktails", even small quantities. They also recommended addicts who dropped out of treatment be more rigorously followed up. The report found that those most at risk of becoming drug addicts were white, single, jobless men aged between 30 and 40, and living alone. The inquiry was carried out by police and health professionals. Professor Peter Kelly, executive director for public health on Teesside, said: "Every drug-related death is a tragedy for all involved. "This work highlights the risks associated with substance abuse and makes recommendations to improve the already very good local services further."
Prompted by a surge in heroin use on Long Island, county legislators have proposed laws to notify school districts and other groups about arrests for heroin possession and sales.The Nassau-Suffolk County School Boards Association opposed the initial drafts of the legislation, arguing that they overstepped the counties’ authority to impose legislation on school districts and put too much burden and liability on the schools.The Suffolk bill has been revised as a result and would now result in monthly notification on a Web site while also mapping where heroin arrests take place. But in Nassau, Legislator David L. Mejias of Farmingdale is pushing ahead with his bill, which would immediately notify school districts and selected other groups of heroin-related arrests.The bills — to be called the Natalie Ciappa Law in Nassau and Natalie’s Law in Suffolk — were named after an 18-year-old Massapequa resident who died of a heroin overdose in June at a party in Seaford. The Nassau Legislature will vote on its measure Dec. 15; the Suffolk Legislature, on Dec. 18.
Nassau’s bill would require law enforcement officials to notify the school district, synagogues, churches, PTAs, civic and community organizations in an area where any arrest for possession or sale of heroin takes place. If a student is arrested for possession or sale in a different town from his or her own, both the home school district and the district where the arrest is made would be notified.
Suffolk County introduced a similar measure, sponsored by Legislator Wayne R. Horsley of Babylon.After the bills were introduced, the school boards association voiced concerns and eventually met with Suffolk legislators. Among other things, the association asked that notification be made quarterly by the counties’ police commissioners.Lorraine Deller, the executive director of the association, said, “We are concerned that the proposals immunized from liability any official, employee or agency of the county and their police departments, but made no effort to provide immunization of liability for schools.”She also pushed for notification beyond only school districts, as the bills initially required. Both were amended to do that.
The Suffolk legislation was also amended to make notification monthly and on a county Web site. But Mr. Mejias said he had the support of educational groups that include superintendents and PTAs and that while he had altered the bill to broaden those who would receive the information, he would not amend it further.
Mr. Mejias said he was “shocked and dismayed” that the school boards association “would rather not know vital information that could save children’s lives.”“Parents expect their kids to experiment with alcohol, but never with heroin,” he said. “We want schools and parents to know if there is someone in the community who is involved or has been arrested so they can be on the lookout.”
Lawrence W. Mulvey, the Nassau police commissioner, said he supports the legislation. “In my experience, the schools have been in denial over how serious the heroin problem is,” he said. “Parents are in the dark, and it’s going on right before their eyes.”November this year, there were 198 arrests for heroin sale or possession in Nassau, up from 152 in all of 2007, the county police said. In Suffolk, there were 766 heroin-related arrests through November this year, up from 597 in all of 2007, the police said. Doreen and Victor Ciappa, Natalie’s parents, have publicly supported the legislation, which they say could help prevent tragedies similar to their daughter’s.“Natalie was everybody’s dream child,” Mrs. Ciappa said. “She was in the honor society, a cheerleader and sang the national anthem at school events. We knew that she went to parties, and I was concerned that she was experimenting with pills and cocaine, but I never once considered heroin. If I had known, I believe that things would have been different. Heroin took away her life.”
BC health officials are warning of contaminated cocaine which has led to serious illness in at least 10 Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland cases.The patients suffered from bone marrow suppression and an abnormally low number of a type of white blood cell, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport said.
Health authorities began seeing the cases a few months ago, with the most recent one reported this month, the spokeswoman said.Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said the people who came down with the conditions used powdered cocaine believed to be from the same batch sold in the province."The drug that is contaminating the cocaine is something called levamisole, … which suppresses the white cell count and makes them vulnerable to infections," Kendall said.
He said levamisole is an antibiotic used to rid animals of worms.People who used powdered cocaine and became ill should see a doctor or street nurse, he said.
Symptoms include persistent fever and chills, swollen glands, sores in the mouth or around the anus, skin infections and pneumonia.
Death of a 25-year-old Puerto Rican woman inside a New Hampshire motel room nine days ago has sparked several arrests, including that of a fugitive living in Lawrence who allegedly used the woman and her twin sister as "drug mules" to smuggle cocaine from the Dominican Republic.On Nov. 27, police in Salem, N.H., received a 911 call from the Park View Inn, a local motel. Inside a room there, police found Mally Cruz-Rodriguez dead. Her twin sister, Nelly, was also in the room, but police said she was not forthcoming about the circumstances of her sister's condition.But from the moment they entered the room, authorities suspected Mally Cruz-Rodriguez was a victim of drug intoxication."Due to the evidence in the room, the situation, and the fact that the women had just come into the country the night prior from the Dominican Republic, the medical staff that responded knew that [drug intoxication] was a definite possibility," Captain Shawn Patten of the Salem Police Department said yesterday by phone.Patten would not disclose what type of evidence was found in the room.Preliminary autopsy results later revealed that Cruz-Rodriguez probably died of acute cocaine intoxication after ingesting a significant quantity of the drug wrapped in rubber bags, Patten said. She and her sister, both of Puerto Rico, had flown from the Dominican Republic to Miami and then to Logan Airport. From Logan, they headed to Salem.The surviving sister was questioned but not held by authorities. Once police determined the cause of her sister's death, they "went on a very active search" for Nelly Cruz-Rodriguez, believing that she had also ingested cocaine. Police found her at a local mall, and determined that she had ingested cocaine wrapped in rubber bags. The sister was rushed to a hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to remove the drugs.Investigators were led to Angel Baez-Gil, 48, as the man who allegedly enlisted the twins as drug mules. Salem police notified the Lawrence Police Department, and Baez-Gil was picked up three days ago on a fugitive warrant. Baez-Gil used aliases, was a fugitive wanted in Wisconsin on cocaine trafficking charges, and was living in the country illegally, Patten said.
Baez-Gil waived extradition to New Hampshire and was arraigned yesterday on charges of conspiracy possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was held without bail and on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.Nelly Cruz-Rodriguez was also arraigned yesterday and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Escolastico Suero, 45, of Lawrence, was arrested on the same charges in connection with the case. The suspects were each held on $100,000 cash bail.Patten said he is not certain about the size and reach of the drug operation, but he said there will probably be additional arrests in the case. Prosecutors will also consider whether to issue homicide charges against any of the defendants.Last Thursday, in an unrelated case, police in Salem arrested three Lawrence men on charges of distributing, selling, and possession of crack cocaine, after authorities conducted a drug sting at a hotel in Salem.
Rap star DMX is in hot water again, after skipping a court hearing where he was to face drug charges. His attornies claim that DMX is currently in rehab.Rapper DMX has another warrant out for his arrest - the third one this year - after he failed to show up in court on Friday (December 5).The troubled star was due to appear in Maricopa County court to face 13 felonies, including animal cruelty, identity theft and drug possession, however, his attorney revealed DMX is in an undisclosed rehabilitation facility as the reason for his no-show.Charles Kozelka told MTV News that his client had been “in and out” of several rehab facilities recently, but Judge Michael Kemp wouldn’t accept this as a reason, raising his bond to $120,000 cash.
Swiss voters passed the plan with support from 68 percent of voters, as part of a series of national referendums on illegal drug policy. Swiss voters recently rejected another referendum to decriminalize cannabis, despite widespread police tolerance for moderate use of the drug.The program, which began in Zurich more than a decade ago, is described by The New York Times as “the world’s most comprehensive legalized heroin program.” It allows about 1,300 addicts to visit specialized clinics at 23 government-approved centers across the country to inject legally the drug up to twice a day, as a last resort. The clinics also provide treatment for other medical or mental health issues.Supporters say that the program, which began in Zurich more than a decade ago, has been effective in booting addicts out of the country’s infamous “needle parks” and lowering drug-related crime. But opponents, such as the United States and the UN narcotics board, say that it aids drug abusers, and sends the wrong message to youth. Switzerland’s heroin program is now being emulated by governments around the world, while some have already been involved in similar efforts, but on a smaller scale. Australia and Canada have started their own programs, and the Netherlands in 2006 began a small program with 15 treatment centers that serve about 600 patients.Some countries are giving Swiss-style heroin injection programs a trial run, such as Belgium, Germany, Spain and Canada, which embarked on a three-year pilot project endorsed by the Canadian Institutes of Health. Britain has allowed licensed doctors to prescribe heroin since the 1920s, and Denmark approved a two-year trial of prescription heroin last February.
Although more countries seem to be giving legalized heroin treatment the green light, global drug laws are not necessarily becoming more relaxed.The 63-percent bloc of Swiss citizens who voted against decriminalizing marijuana and growing the plant for personal use may have learned a lesson from Britain’s attempt at loosening legal punishment for using cannabis last year, which largely backfired as marijuana use increased, drug-related crime rose despite a drop in marijuana arrests, and research suggested serious psychological effects. Recent research suggests that long-term marijuana use may be more harmful than previously thought, according to the BBC.
Additionally, more countries have been moving toward limiting what is now a widely legal drug: tobacco. Earlier this year, India became the latest country, joining Turkey, the Netherlands, France and the UK in passing laws to limit smoking in public places.In an unexpected turn of events, the Netherlands’ decision to ban smoking tobacco at its iconic cafes over the summer may have had the surprising effect of forcing customers to resort to smoking pure cannabis, which is not regulated by the new law.
Meth, which can be taken in pills, snorted or injected, is cheaper than cocaine or heroin and has a long-lasting high. But the drug is highly addictive and is very difficult to treat.Meth use in Mexico has quadrupled in six years, according to a survey by the health ministry. The study, to be released in the coming weeks, shows 0.5 percent of the Mexican population has tried meth, more than double the 0.2 percent of the U.S. population who have used it.One 23-year-old who gave her name as Violeta started using hard drugs like crack-cocaine as a teenager working in a Mexico City strip club. She tried meth for the first time when dozens of pills were passed around on a tray at a party.She once stopped breathing after a bad hit of the drug, which accelerates the heart rate."The last thing I remember is having a great time dancing. Then I woke up in the hospital. Apparently I was convulsing in the bathroom," she said.As U.S. authorities cracked down in recent years on the sale of the drug's ingredients, busting "mom and pop" labs in blue collar garages and bathrooms, Mexican gangs that already smuggled huge quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States moved in to meet the demand for meth.
They are now churning out tons of meth in "super labs".The trade is a part of a bitter fight in Mexico which has pitted rival drug gangs against each other and the security forces. The conflict has worsened this year with a record number of murders.
Last year, Mexican police found $206 million. a world record drug cash haul, in the mansion of Chinese-born "meth king" Zhenli Ye Gon. He made his fortune importing meth's ingredients from Asia.In Mexico City's historical center, meth labs are hidden in the basements of normal-looking houses. Dealers take the drug, sometimes banana flavored, to schools to sell.Addicts shooting up in the dry ravines in the shadow of the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana were the first wave of meth users. Many were deported immigrants who got their first taste of the drug in the United States.
"It's really easy to find. First they give it to you for free but later you have to buy it," said one slight 10-year-old who called himself Gilberto at a drug treatment center in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.
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