Addiction World

Communist officials who run Laos, the case of 20-year-old Briton Samantha Orobator - awaiting trial on heroin smuggling charges that could technically still bring her the death penalty - has become an embarrassment that this landlocked South-East Asian backwater could do without. What started out as a straightforward case of a young foreign woman acting with what appears to have been crass stupidity has instead brought the harsh light of international scrutiny on a controlling and secretive regime. The thing that has made Orobator's case a human rights issue is not the manner of her arrest or the conditions in which she is being held in Vientiane's notoriously tough Phonthong Prison. Rather, it is the fact that, eight months after her arrest, she is now five months pregnant. The Laos government refuses to say how she became pregnant but insists stubbornly it is 'impossible' that she might have been raped inside jail or made pregnant by a prison guard, still defying logic in some interviews to claim she has been pregnant since before her arrest. Orobator was made to sign a statement in prison declaring she had not been raped and that the father of her baby was not from Laos shortly after her pregnancy was confirmed in March. A hasty, behind-closed-doors trial now looks likely to take place, possibly within days, after which Laos is expected to hand Orobator over to British embassy officials so that she can be flown home to serve out a prison sentence in the United Kingldom. Little is known about what led Orobator, a Nigerian-born British citizen described by friends as extremely bright with ambitions to become a doctor, to fly to Thailand and then to Laos where she spent five days before her arrest at Wattaya Airport on August 5 last year. To the huge annoyance of government officials, however, far more attention has been devoted to the question of how she got pregnant in prison than why she may have tried to smuggle drugs out of Laos - and it is a question to which they are unwilling or unable to give a satisfactory answer. 'This case is not about babies - it is about heroin,' chief government spokesman Kenthong Nuanthasing said with a tone of rising annoyance. 'She signed a statement to say she was not raped. She did not have intercourse with any man in prison. There is no male close to her during her time in prison. All the prisoners are women and all the guards are female.' Asked who could have fathered the baby, he raised his eyes to the ceiling and said with an impatient laugh: 'Maybe it is a baby from the sky like [the Virgin] Mary.' So why was she made to sign a statement denying she was raped without explaining the truth of her pregnancy? Nuanthasing said: 'We don't want the outside world to blame us (for her pregnancy). That is why we asked her to write a letter to certify that she was not raped and the baby inside her is not a Lao baby.' Nuanthasing made it clear that in order to return home to the Britain, Orobator will be expected to confirm at her trial the statement she signed in prison. 'She will tell the court - otherwise she will stay here,' he said. 'Her court case will be dissolved.'Such a delay could mean Orobator's trial being delayed until after she gives birth and Nuanthasing stressed that the threat of a death sentence could still be invoked as she is only exempt from the death penalty while she is pregnant under Lao law. 'Nobody can guarantee she will not face the firing squad,' he said. The Laos government insists Orobator is being held in an all-female prison. In fact, Phonthong Prison on the outskirts of Vientiane holds male and female prisoners in separate blocks and has both male and female guards living in shabby quarters in the grounds outside. A French former inmate who spent five months in the same prison over a business dispute, said, 'As soon as I read about the case of Samantha Orobator, I knew it must have been a prison guard who got her pregnant. 'Female prisoners are fair game for the guards there. They weren't exactly raped but they were coerced into sex with promises. The guards would tell them they could get them off the death penalty or get them or shorter sentence, or make life inside more comfortable for them.' 'There is no humanity and no compassion in that place. It is a place where you are made to feel as if you are nothing. You are completely cut off from the outside world and you're left begging for the smallest sign of hope, the slightest promise of something better.' Orobator's mother Jane, who lives in Dublin, visited her daughter in the company of government officials and issued a statement afterwards to say her daughter had told her she was not raped and that the father is not a prison guard. That statement, while failing to resolve the nagging questions about Orobator's pregnancy, will have pleased the Vientiane government and may help speed up the process of her trial and deportation. Human rights lawyer Anna Morris, who spent a fortnight in Laos helping her government-appointed Lao lawyer prepare for the case, said: 'We will only know the truth about her pregnancy when she is home in Britain. Our priority is to get her home as soon as possible.'

56-year-old Merrylands woman will face Sydney Central Local Court today charged with importing an estimated $400,000 worth of heroin into Australia.Australian Customs and Border Protection officers at Sydney International Airport stopped the woman and searched her baggage after she arrived on a flight from Vietnam yesterday (Sunday, 24 May 2009).During the baggage examination, officers became suspicious that the woman might be carrying drugs on her person.A subsequent x-ray of the woman's sports shoes revealed anomalies in the base of the shoes.The soles of the shoes were pierced and a white powder was revealed. Presumptive testing of the powder indicated a positive result for heroin. The weight of the powder is approximately 1.4 kilograms. Further forensic testing will confirm the exact weight and purity of the substance.The woman was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and was charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug contrary to section 307.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.

Case involving rapper/ reality TV personality Coolio, in connection with his March 6 arrest at Los Angeles International Airport on crack possession charges, was extended until June 26 in a Los Angeles court Friday.At Friday's court session, which lasted about 20 minutes, the judge told the rapper he should strongly consider a plea bargain. The rapper did not wear his Sunday best for the proceeding, clad in a multi-colored sport coat, jeans and tennis shoes, with his trademark crazy hair. RadarOnline.com has learned he was accompanied by his girlfriend and six supporters.
The 45-year-old Gangster's Paradise singer, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was taken into custody after an incident with a Southwest Airlines official after crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found in his luggage. The legal troubles subsequently caused the artist to cancel an Australian tour this spring.
"My case is going to settle because I'm not on drugs," Coolio told RadarOnline.com exclusively earlier this month. "I've been drug free for a long time."

Air in Madrid and Barcelona is also laced with at least five drugs — most prominently cocaine.The Superior Council of Scientific Investigations, a government institute, said on its Web site Thursday that in addition to cocaine, they found trace amounts of amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid — a relative of LSD — in two air-quality control stations, one in each city.But it said there was no reason for alarm."Not even if we lived for a thousand years would we consume the equivalent of a dose of cocaine by breathing this air," scientist Miren Lopez de Alda said in a statement.The scientific group stressed that "in no case should these levels be considered representative of the air in the two cities." It said the tests were done in areas where drugs were likely to be consumed.In Madrid, the test site was close to a ruined building believed to be frequented by drug dealers. And in both Madrid and Barcelona, the studies were carried out close to universities.
The group said the study showed higher concentrations of the components on weekends, suggesting that drug consumption was up in these periods.The research found cocaine in concentrations ranging between 29 and 850 picogram per cubic meter of air. A picogram is one-trillionth of a gram.Mar Viana, another researcher who worked on the project, said the levels were far higher than those found in similar studies in Europe. She said one study in Rome and Taranto in 2007 revealed cocaine levels of 100 picograms per cubic meter.According to the U.S. State Department, Spain is Europe's largest consumer of cocaine and hashish. It is also a major transit point for narcotics shipments from South and Central America as well as Africa.The scientists detected the drug by placing quartz microfiber filters in the air-testing stations. They said the method was new and could help in measuring drug use in towns and cities in a fast and anonymous way.The group said the findings would be published in the U.S. journal Analytical Chemistry.

Tennis' world governing body has suspended French tennis player Richard Gasquet following a positive test for cocaine, pending a hearing.The International Tennis Federation says an anti-doping tribunal should be assembled within 60 days to hear the case.Gasquet says he is gathering evidence to prove his innocence, although both samples tested positive for cocaine.Traces of the drug were found in the 22-year-old Gasquet's urine sample at the Sony Ericsson Open, in Key Biscayne, Fla., in March.

Canada's proposed new drug laws, an 18-year-old who shares a joint with a 17-year-old friend could end up in jail.Small-time addicts, who are convicted of pushing drugs near schools, parks, malls or any other prospective youth hangouts, would be automatically imprisoned for two years. And growers caught selling even one plant to a friend would also be incarcerated. The Harper government's bill to impose Canada's first mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug crimes -- removing discretion for judges to sentence as they see fit -- has come under intense scrutiny in public hearings, which began last week.Several witnesses have warned the House of Commons justice committee the proposed legislation will fill jails with drug addicts rather than drug kingpins, who will continue to thrive while small-time dealers are knocked out of commission.
The all-party committee will likely get an earful again Monday when it hears from another half dozen opponents, including Ottawa drug policy analyst Eugene Oscapella."It's a wonderful gift to organized crime," said Oscapella, a lawyer who teaches at University of Ottawa."We're going to drive some of the smaller players out of the business and they'll be replaced by people who do not respond to law enforcement initiatives." The Conservative government proposes to automatically jail dealers and growers at a time when several American states, most recently New York, have retreated from mandatory minimum sentences, saying they are a glaring symbol of the failed U.S. war on drugs."We're going in exactly the opposite direction," said New Democrat Libby Davies, MPfor Vancouver East, whose party will vote against the bill. The Bloc Quebecois also opposes the legislation, which was originally introduced in late 2007, but died last September when the federal election was called.
The bill would pass in the minority Parliament if the official Opposition Liberals decide to support it -- and MP Brian Murphy cautioned that "the jury is still out"for his party."The aim of the bill is laudable, we have to crack down on organized crime and the cash cow for it seems to be drugs," said Murphy. The Liberals, at this stage, would probably push for amendments to narrow the bill's reach, rather than vote against it, he said.The United States experience in the last 25 years has shown that mandatory minimum sentences have flooded jails, with a disproportionate effect on drug addicts, the poor, the young, blacks and other minorities.
The U.S. surpasses every other country by far in incarceration rates and, meanwhile, the drug business has flourished.Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, who appeared at the justice committee to defend his bill, was unable to supply any evidence from other countries that mandatory minimum sentences have made any difference in reducing drug crime. Two studies prepared for the Justice Department, one in 2002 and the other in 2005, say that mandatory minimums do not work.But Nicholson asserted that the proposed legislation is a smart response to a public outcry to crack down on the growing "scourge"of drugs."I can tell you there is support for this bill from many ordinary Canadians who are quite concerned about drug abuse," said Nicholson, who called for expedited passage of the legislation.Davies has unsuccessfully challenged the government to supply estimates on how many more people would be incarcerated if the law passes, and the anticipated cost for provincial governments, who are responsible for jails housing offenders serving sentences of less than two years."It's going to clog up the prison system," she warned.Critics also contend the bill is poorly drafted because it is overly broad and unclear. For instance, the proposal to automatically imprison for at least two years anyone caught selling drugs "near a school"or "any other public place usually frequented by persons under the age of 18" could mean virtually anywhere in an urban area, says the Canadian Civil Liberties Association."Any place other than those where minors are not permitted could fall under that legislation and thus require a two-year minimum sentence be imposed," Graeme Norton, director of the group's public safety project, told the committee.
The proposed legislation would impose one-year mandatory jail time for marijuana dealing, when it is linked to organized crime or a weapon is involved.The sentence would be increased to two years for dealing drugs such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine to young people, or pushing drugs near a school or other places frequented by youths.The bill would mean minimum six-month sentences for growing one to 200 marijuana plants to sell, and two years for big-time growers of 500 plants or more. There are already more than two dozen minimum prison terms in the Criminal Code, mainly for murder and offences involving firearms.

British Woman Pregnant From Prison Rape Faces Execution in Laos for Drug Smuggling.Those caught with more than the 1.1lb normally face a mandatory death penalty.Orobator, who is five months pregnant, is detained in Phonthong Prison in Vientiane, a collection of shabby huts, behind walls of razor wire, and watch-towers.Former inmate Kay Danes said the jail is little more than a torture camp. Torture, which she says is both physical and mental, and involves putting prisoners in medieval stocks.No explanation has been given as to Orobator's pregnancy but she is understood to be denying previous reports by Reprieve, which suggested she may have been raped.She is not thought to have seen a lawyer since her arrest but has now received her seventh visit from British officials.There is no British embassy in Laos and the nearest is in neighbouring Thailand.

Prosecutors say Samantha Orobator, 20, of London, was in possession of 1.5lb (680g) of heroin when she was arrested at Wattay airport, Laos, last August. Her trial has been brought forward and is due to start this week. Legal charity Reprieve said its lawyer, Anna Morris, has been given permission to see Miss Orabator on Tuesday. Miss Orobator has been held at Phonthong prison in the east Asian country since last August.

She became pregnant in the prison in December and is due to give birth in September, it is claimed. Reprieve says authorities in Laos have brought the trial forward a year to avoid her having proper legal representation. The charity says the decision to reschedule the trial was only taken after arrangements were made for her to see a lawyer for the first time. Laotian government spokesman Khenthong Nuanthasing insisted that "the trial will be carried out fairly". He said it is expected to be held this week but was unable to confirm a date. Ms Morris flew into the country on Sunday after permission was granted to meet Miss Orobator on Tuesday. Ms Morris told the BBC: "Things are moving quickly. We found out only this morning that the trial wasn't going to take place today [Monday], but we still have no more information as to when it will take place. "We are of course concerned, given that the prison conditions are well documented, we are concerned for her welfare, and we are concerned for the sort of nutrition she's receiving, but we'll know more once we've seen her. She is five months pregnant, without ever having met a lawyer, facing a show trial for her life In Laos, anyone caught with more than 1lb (500g) of heroin faces a mandatory death sentence. At least 39 people have been sentenced to death in Laos since 2003. Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith said of the pregnant Briton: "There can hardly be a circumstance where scheduling a capital trial is less appropriate.
"She is five months pregnant, without ever having met a lawyer, facing a show trial for her life." The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said British Embassy officials, including the Ambassador, have visited Miss Orobator a total of six times since her arrest. Jane Orobator says she is scared about her daughter's situation British officials said these visits had been limited to a period of about 20 minutes once a month. There is no British Embassy in Laos and the nearest is in the Thai capital, Bangkok. The Foreign Office only learned of her arrest when Australian authorities passed on information from another prison inmate.
The FCO reiterated the government's opposition to the death penalty "in all circumstances". An FCO spokesman said: "In cases where a British national faces charges that carry the death penalty or has been sentenced to death, we make representations at whatever stage and level is deemed appropriate. "We take every opportunity to make representations to the Lao authorities about our opposition to the death penalty." Miss Orobator was born in Nigeria and lived in south London from the age of eight. Her father lives in Nigeria and her mother and three sisters live in the Irish Republic.
She had been on holiday in Thailand and the Netherlands before travelling to Laos. Her mother Jane Orobator said she was "so scared" about her daughter's situation. "I'm just appealing to the British government, to the Laos authorities, to just please release her. They should just bring her back to me." Mrs Orobator added that she has no idea why her daughter was in Laos. Mrs Orobator last heard from her daughter in July, when she was on holiday in Holland.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith said Friday he was "ashamed and humiliated" by an arrest on drug charges and that will fight to overcome his addiction.Smith was pulled over on a traffic stop and a Florida Highway Patrol officer said he smelled marijuana in the car. The officer searched the car and found crack cocaine, marijuana and a business card with powder cocaine residue in the car's center console, authorities said."I realize that I cannot be the husband, father, son and citizen I want to be until I overcome my addiction," Smith said in a statement released by Premier Sports & Entertainment. "It is my highest priority, and will be the toughest challenge of my life, but I am going to get the help that I need to achieve a complete recovery."The statement did not specify Smith's addiction and Amy Palcic of Premier Sports & Entertainment refused to discuss his treatment.Smith, who played 10 seasons for Jacksonville, was pulled over on Interstate 95 in Jacksonville for excessive window tint on his 2009 Mercedes Benz.
Smith was charged with possession of crack cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He is free on $11,500 bond. His arraignment is May 6."I am ashamed and humiliated by my actions and I apologize for the embarrassment I have caused my family, friends and everyone in the Jacksonville community who have supported me throughout my career," he said in the statement.Smith was arrested at a DUI checkpoint in August with an open beer and marijuana. He was charged with two misdemeanors and was in the process of trying to get those cases resolved before his latest arrest.The former Jackson State University star retired from the Jaguars in 2006 after playing from 1995 to 2005. He finished with 862 receptions and 12,287 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection.

Scott Storch talks Rehab & losing 30 million
by yardie4lifever2

Scott Storch has been focusing on rebuilding his life, because he did, in fact, hit rock bottom.Lost in a three-year cocaine-abusing haze, he lost more money than most people reading this story will see in five lifetimes: $30 million. Yes, he blew almost his entire fortune on coke, cars, houses, lavish trips, partying and a series of what he calls “poor judgment decisions.”But he has come out of his white-powder fog. The producer says he is in recovery, and, as people who love his music will be elated to hear, he’s back making music. On Wednesday night, MTV News caught up with the Grammy winner, who at one time could do no wrong in the studio as he supplied classic beats, not mere hits, for people like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Fat Joe and Beyoncé.“I’m taking it back to square one,” he said, sitting in a Miami studio. The boards in the factory displayed his name and his publishing company, Tuff Jew. “I found myself slipping a little bit,” he said with a very anxious look on his face. “I got involved in doing drugs. I had to get myself into recovery. Being in the life that I was living — very fast-moving, option to do anything you want, go anywhere you wanna go — it definitely takes its toll on you, and you lose your concept of reality. I had to get it under control. I had to take it back to the beginning and back to the Hit Factory, where I made a lot of my hits.”Storch is currently living in a three-quarter house, where he is supervised by a live-in counselor but allowed to go to work in the studio as long as he’s back by curfew.

Popular actor Joo Ji-hoon, of movies Antique Bakery and The Naked Kitchen. A representative from the Seoul police’s drug investigation department told reporters on April 26, “Joo Ji-hoon was investigated and admitted to drug use.” Joo reportedly bought the drugs — which include Ecstasy and Ketamine — from a fellow celebrity. Two non-celebrity individuals were booked for drug use along with Joo, but the three were not jailed. Police have filed for arrest warrants for the traffickers, movie actress Yoon Seol-hee and model Yeh Hak-young. According to the police, Yoon is suspected of having received approximately 100 million won ($75,000) from Yeh and others between August 2007 through December 2008. She allegedly traveled from Japan fourteen times to purchase, smuggle, and sell Ecstasy and Ketamine. (Yeh supposedly accompanied her several times.) The drugs had been smuggled into the country by concealing them in underclothes worn by Yoon.Two actors and an actress, including renowned movie icon Ju Ji-hun, 27, were booked for smuggling and taking illegal drugs Sunday.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency drug squad also requested arrest warrants for actress Yun Seol-hee, 28, and model-turned-actor Ye Hak-young, 26, who smuggled drugs from Japan. Ju admitted to taking narcotics on a couple of occasions around March, police said.
Ju and another two people were booked without physical detention for taking the drugs. Debuting in the hit 2006 drama ``Princess Hours,'' Ju recently starred in the movies ``Antique'' and ``The Naked Kitchen.''They are accused of having smuggled some 280 ecstasy tablets and 280 grams of ketamine on 14 occasions from August 2007, funded by 100 million won ($75,000) from Ye and others. Yun allegedly bought the narcotics from an acquaintance in Japan and smuggled them into the company in her undergarments.. Ye gave 3.2 million won to Yun to purchase the drugs and consumed them at clubs and in their residences.``It's the first time entertainers have funded and smuggled narcotics for their own use,'' a police official said. ``We're investigating and believe some 15 others have received drugs from Yun, and that seven or eight of them are entertainers.''Yun has appeared in several movies, including ``Tazza: The High Rollers,'' in supporting roles, and Ye is a model who has appeared in several music videos and commercials.Joo Ji-hoon is thought to have used the drugs on two occasions along with the other reported individuals, at a Kangnam club and at home. The 26-year-old Joo Ji-hoon shot to fame after acting the lead role of the prince in the incredibly popular teen drama Goong (Princess Hours) in 2006, which he followed with the dark thriller drama Devil in 2007. Most recently, he took the lead in the manga-adapted film Antique Bakery and the offbeat romance The Naked Kitchen.

Portugal, in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.The question is, does the new policy work? At the time, critics in the poor, socially conservative and largely Catholic nation said decriminalizing drug possession would open the country to "drug tourists" and exacerbate Portugal's drug problem; the country had some of the highest levels of hard-drug use in Europe. But the recently released results of a report commissioned by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, suggest otherwise.
The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.
"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."
Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

The Cato paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds fell from 2.5% to 1.8% (although there was a slight increase in marijuana use in that age group). New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half. In addition, the number of people on methadone and buprenorphine treatment for drug addiction rose to 14,877 from 6,040, after decriminalization, and money saved on enforcement allowed for increased funding of drug-free treatment as well.

Portugal's case study is of some interest to lawmakers in the U.S., confronted now with the violent overflow of escalating drug gang wars in Mexico. The U.S. has long championed a hard-line drug policy, supporting only international agreements that enforce drug prohibition and imposing on its citizens some of the world's harshest penalties for drug possession and sales. Yet America has the highest rates of cocaine and marijuana use in the world, and while most of the E.U. (including Holland) has more liberal drug laws than the U.S., it also has less drug use.

"I think we can learn that we should stop being reflexively opposed when someone else does [decriminalize] and should take seriously the possibility that anti-user enforcement isn't having much influence on our drug consumption," says Mark Kleiman, author of the forthcoming When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment and director of the drug policy analysis program at UCLA. Kleiman does not consider Portugal a realistic model for the U.S., however, because of differences in size and culture between the two countries.

But there is a movement afoot in the U.S., in the legislatures of New York State, California and Massachusetts, to reconsider our overly punitive drug laws. Recently, Senators Jim Webb and Arlen Specter proposed that Congress create a national commission, not unlike Portugal's, to deal with prison reform and overhaul drug-sentencing policy. As Webb noted, the U.S. is home to 5% of the global population but 25% of its prisoners.

At the Cato Institute in early April, Greenwald contended that a major problem with most American drug policy debate is that it's based on "speculation and fear mongering," rather than empirical evidence on the effects of more lenient drug policies. In Portugal, the effect was to neutralize what had become the country's number one public health problem, he says.

"The impact in the life of families and our society is much lower than it was before decriminalization," says Joao Castel-Branco Goulao, Portugual's "drug czar" and president of the Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction, adding that police are now able to re-focus on tracking much higher level dealers and larger quantities of drugs.

Peter Reuter, a professor of criminology and public policy at the University of Maryland, like Kleiman, is skeptical. He conceded in a presentation at the Cato Institute that "it's fair to say that decriminalization in Portugal has met its central goal. Drug use did not rise." However, he notes that Portugal is a small country and that the cyclical nature of drug epidemics — which tends to occur no matter what policies are in place — may account for the declines in heroin use and deaths.The Cato report's author, Greenwald, hews to the first point: that the data shows that decriminalization does not result in increased drug use. Since that is what concerns the public and policymakers most about decriminalization, he says, "that is the central concession that will transform the

The Cato paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds fell from 2.5% to 1.8% (although there was a slight increase in marijuana use in that age group). New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half. In addition, the number of people on methadone and buprenorphine treatment for drug addiction rose to 14,877 from 6,040, after decriminalization, and money saved on enforcement allowed for increased funding of drug-free treatment as well.

"The impact in the life of families and our society is much lower than it was before decriminalization," says Joao Castel-Branco Goulao, Portugual's "drug czar" and president of the Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction, adding that police are now able to re-focus on tracking much higher level dealers and larger quantities of drugs.

Dancing With The Stars contestant Steve-O has admitted that he used to be a "cocaine-addicted clown".The Jackass star, real name Stephen Glover, confesses about his struggles with drugs and alcohol in his new MTV special Steve-O: Demise And Rise.
According to People, the show will chronicle the star's life from his days with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College to his mainstream success with Jackass and Wildboyz.
It will apparently show Glover's "extreme substance abuse, including the marathon nitrous oxide sessions, terrorizing his next door neighbour, his ill-fated attempt at being a gangsta rapper and several infamous public displays of self-destructive behaviour". The show concludes with Glover's attempts "to stay clean and sober" and his first appearance on Dancing With The Stars.

Timothy Rutherford British expat was sentenced to life in jail Sunday by Kuwait's criminal court after he was caught smuggling hashish and alcohol into the oil-rich emirate from neighboring Iraq in the latest case of drug trafficking that suggests a surge in abuse of illicit stimulants in the Arab world at large.Timothy Rutherford who worked as a civil contractor with British forces in southern Iraq was arrested last September while crossing into Kuwait with 49 kilos (108 pounds) of hashish, liquor and cash.
As a trade free zone Dubai is perhaps the busiest drug gateway in the GulfAlthough Sunday's verdict is not final and can be appealed, it is standard in a country where penalties for possession, use, or trafficking illegal drugs in Kuwait are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

In February 2009 three Americans were caught allegedly peddling marijuana in Kuwait City's downtown after using the military postal service to smuggle marijuana into the country.

Three major drug raids in Dubai recently – all involving foreigners -- yielded a haul of 651,000 Captagon pills at the airport, and several kilograms of heroin intercepted by police and customs officers.In the rush to start a new life in the UAE, many expats from Western countries ignore local laws that could land them a heavy fine, or jail sentence. In the last 12 months, 64 British nationals have been arrested in the UAE for drugs offences.
British DJ Raymond Bingham, better known as Grooverider, was sentenced to four years in jail last year after officials found 2.16 grams of marijuana in his luggage. American music producer Dallas Austin, who has worked with Michael Jackson and Madonna, was given four years for possessing cocaine and other drugs.The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the U.N. organization that monitors anti-drug activities worldwide, warned that the Gulf has increasingly become a gateway for drug traffickers. It said heroin that has passed through the burgeoning network of free zones, ports and airports like those in the UAE has later been seized in destinations as far away as Hong Kong and Australia.World counter-narcotics chiefs have warned that drug traffickers are “increasingly exploiting the situation in Iraq” to smuggle drugs like heroin and cannabis resin from drug-producing regions to Jordan and then on to the Arabian Peninsula. Syria Jordan and Iraq are major smuggling hubs for bringing drugs into the wealthy Gulf region, according to a 2008 United Nations report. A 2006 poll of 1.4 million Arab youth suggests unemployment as main cause of drug useAlthough the Gulf area would not normally be considered an area of concern with regard to drug abuse because of "the strict hand of government with regard to alcohol and drugs that are proscribed by the Quran,” according to the U.N. report, drug gangs are on the rise because the UAE's free trade zones have become international transit points for heroine, hashish and other illicit drugs. Almost a third of global seizures of amphetamines happened in Saudi Arabia where over 60 million Captagon tablets, 17 tons of hashish, 939 tons of Qatt, and over 70 kg of heroin were seized in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, prompting the Directors of Anti-Drug Abuse Departments at the Gulf Cooperation Council to meet in Qatar last week to strengthen the level of coordination among member states for tackling drug smuggling.No accurate stats on the number of drug addicts in the Arab world exist, but INCB estimated that there are more than half a million heroin addicts alone.A 2006 poll of 1.4 million youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region conducted by ImagineNations and the website of famous Muslim preacher Amr Khaled suggested that unemployment and the absence of job opportunities were the main cause of disaffection among Arab youth that lead to crime and drug abuse. Of all the youth populations in the world, those in MENA have the lowest participation rate in the labor force; 40 percent of young people are employed compared to a worldwide average of 54 percent.
Regulations and strict laws would not be enough to eliminate drug trafficking and abuse according to INCB. Poor level of awareness and the lack of an de-addiction drive among Arab youth and anti-drug campaigns are factors that slow down governments' efforts to reduce consumption

Katie M. Luessenhop, 26, of 250 S. Edwards Blvd., No. 146, Lake Geneva, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony possession of heroin and one count of felony bail jumping.Two other felony bail jumping counts were dismissed along with one count of possession of cocaine stemming from an incident in the school parking lot Sept. 18.Luessenhop and Stephen M. Compton, 44, of 250 Van Bee Circle, Williams Bay, were arrested March 7 in Lake Geneva after Walworth County Drug Enforcement Unit deputies executed a search warrant on Luessenhop's apartment, according to the criminal complaint.The deputies, who were surveilling Compton and Luessenhop, executed the warrant after seeing them driving together in one of Compton's vehicles, a violation of Luessenhop's bond agreement, according to the complaint.They reported finding Luessenhop and Compton in her apartment and a bindle of heroin in Luessenhop's wallet.Luessenhop admitted numerous contacts with Compton while on bond and admitted snorting cocaine and heroin that night. She also admitted buying $3,000 worth of heroin using money given to her by Compton, according to the complaint.Compton was released from jail March 8 after posting $2,000 cash but was arrested three days later on a bail jumping charge. He has since been held in jail on a $100,000 cash bond.Luessenhop was bailed out the same day Compton was arrested.Compton is scheduled to appear in court April 29 for a bail/bond forfeiture hearing.Luessenhop is scheduled to be sentenced June 25.

Convicted drunk driver Andrew Gallo has been charged with three counts of murder in the Thursday crash that claimed the life of Angels rookie Nick Adenhart.The Orange County District Attorney filed formal charges against Gallo on Friday, including DUI, fleeing the scene of a traffic collision and the murder counts. He could receive 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges.No matter what, "he'll never escape the psychological prison of shame knowing his selfish actions killed three people," DA Tony Rackauckas told reporters.He estimated Gallo's blood alcohol was almost three times the legal limit.Gallo was denied bail and is due to be arraigned Monday, cops said.

Lavonia Underwood, 23, never showed for sentencing, scheduled for March 30, after making a plea agreement with prosecutors.Perth Amboy detectives arrested Underwood and other suspects on April 22, 2008, after a search of her home netted an array of narcotics and drug paraphernalia, which authorities say belonged to her.The drugs included crack cocaine, marijuana and heroin, with a total street value of about $1,650. Also found were empty bags used for packaging and digital scales, authorities said.As a result, Underwood was charged with possession, possession with intent to distribute and possession with intent within 1,000 feet of a school zone — with separate counts of each for cocaine and heroin. She was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.Underwood's bail was set at $150,000, with no 10-percent option, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office.On July 17, Underwood accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute controlled dangerous substances, a third-degree offense, authorities said.But she failed to appear for sentencing last Monday. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest for $60,000, with no 10-percent option.She is 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair, authorities said.Her last listed addresses are on the 300 block of Alpine Street and the 600 block of Charles Street, both in Perth Amboy.The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is asking anyone with information on the fugitive to call 732-745-3362 during weekdays and 732-745-3300 on nights and weekends. Authorities are urging anyone coming into contact with Underwood not to try to apprehend her.The Middlesex County Prosecutors Office is offering a reward for up to $500 for information leading to Underwood's arrest.

Redmond O'Neal, the 24-year-old son of Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal,behind bars today after police allegedly found him carrying narcotics at a jail in Castaic, Calif.Redmond and a friend were driving to visit a locked-up pal at the Pitchess Detention Center South when they were stopped at a routine security checkpoint and he admitted to having the drugs, according to authorities.He was arrested on two felony counts—suspicion of possession of narcotics and bringing narcotics into a jail—and is being held on $25,000 bail pending a Tuesday hearing.The arrest comes amid news that Fawcett has been hospitalized since Thursday in her three-year battle with cancer.In February, a Malibu court issued a bench warrant for Redmond after he missed an arraignment for the 2008 drug bust, in which he and his dad were arrested.

I’ve always been skeptical about these programs that claim to help any addict to live a clean life. For me, all of their claims are just for publicity to drum up their business. For once, I would like to hear the opinion of others regarding this issue. I’d like to get as many opinions as I can so I can fairly weigh the pros and cons of these detox programs.

Two men were arrested in Dublin this afternoon after heroin with an estimated street value of between €2 and €8 million was discovered in a car in the Bayside Crescent area of Sutton.The men, aged 43 and 23, are being detained at Raheny and Santry Garda stations under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act.The Garda National Drugs Unit, assisted by the Organised Crime Unit and local drugs units, stopped and searched the car shortly after 12pm today and recovered 10kg of heroin.The search was part of an ongoing operation into the activities of a group of organised criminals operating in the Dublin area.

Australian National Council on Drugs on Monday said that increased amounts of heroin entering the country from the Middle East and Asia could contribute to the spread of HIV among injection drug users, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The council's Asia-Pacific Committee reported that heroin trafficking has increased and that border detections of the drug were the highest on record in 2006 and 2007.According to committee chair Robert Ali, heroin use and overdose deaths in Australia have decreased since 2001, but overall global production has increased, creating new risks. He said that an increase in the availability of heroin could result in "recruitment of new drug users," adding, "It's recruiting a new group of users into injecting who think there is no HIV and don't know much about hepatitis C and just feeling that it's not risky. There's a perception that all of this has gone away, that it's no longer a problem." He added that there is "a real risk" of HIV and hepatitis C among IDUs. ANCD reports that heroin imported from Afghanistan also is being more heavily processed to allow for easier injection (Sydney Morning Herald, 3/17). Ali warned that authorities should not become complacent, according to the West Australian. He said, "When we look at the global drug problem, the threat that is causing the most concern is the risk of HIV, and there are now 128 countries that have detected HIV among drug users." He added that one-third of all HIV cases outside of Sub-Saharan Africa are transmitted through injection drug use (O'Leary, West Australian, 3/17). According to Ali, Australia should work with neighboring countries to address the issue. "We need to get ahead of the game, we need to work with our near-neighboring countries ... to help implement things that work because that will be in our long-term domestic security interest"

Police arrested a man after they say he was carrying 192 bags of heroin in his pockets.At 3:00 a.m. Saturday, police found 25 year-old Jonathan Kissel passed out on the 500 block of S. Pugh St. They said he had alcohol on his breath and a ziploc bag in his pocket. They say that bag had 182 bags of heroin inside of it. They also found another 10 bags of heroin on Kissel. He's in the Centre County Jail on $100,000 bail.

"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

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Share story

Pageviews from the past week

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Facebook

Labels

Advertising

COSTA CONFIDENTIAL

Stepping Stones

Addiction Research

ADDICTION ON LINE

LinkWithin

Categories

Column

Download

BTricks

Pages

van

Recommended Reading

Headlines

Pages

Subscribe via email

Page Popularity

Blog Archive

Search This Blog

FeedBurner FeedCount

CREDIT CARD