After the recent stream of disturbing news reports of people eating others' flesh, Hornaday Manufacturing has released bullets that promise to ‘make dead permanent.’

The ammunition, branded as Zombie Max offers Proven Z-Max bullets, is live ammunition, but is actually only intended for use on targets – not people.

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The Walking Dead: Hornady Manufacturing has started selling Zombie bullets, 'just in case'; it is live ammunition

Attacks: Carl Jacquneaux, left, who was arrested for allegedly biting another man's face and Brandon De Leon, right, who allegedly tried to bite two policemen while threatening to eat them

Hornaday spokesman Everett Deger told WWJ Newsradio 950 that the company’s president has a love of zombie culture – including popular shows like the Walking Dead – and was inspired to make the bullets in honour of the cultural phenomenon. 

ON CLOUD NINE: BATH SALTS BY ANOTHER NAME... WITH STRONG COMPULSIONS TO REDOSE

The 'bath salts' sold under the name Cloud Nine are likely to be stimulant drugs such MPDV or ephedrine. 

'Bath salts' does not refer to a single chemical, but instead to a range of synthetic drugs that can be sold legally in the U.S. as long as they are not marked for human consumption – hence the misleading name.

Drugs such as MPDV are highly potent stimulants, similar to some amphetamines, and in MPDV's case particularly, cause a strong compulsion to 'redose' with more of the drug. 

In high doses, such drugs can cause violent and unpredictable behaviour, and terrifying hallucinations – and the compulsion to take more of the drug continues, even once the 'high' has begun to make the user feel bad.

Various different compounds use the name 'Cloud Nine', and it's still not confirmed which exact chemical was in the drug reported to have caused these attacks, but some reports have pointed the finger at MPDV. 

The chemical is already illegal in Florida – although other 'bath salts' remain perfectly legal in the state.  

‘We decided just to have some fun with a marketing plan that would allow us to create some ammunition designed for that…fictional world,’ he told the radio station.

Mr Deger noted that the bullets are some of the ammunition company’s most popular products.

The news comes as two more cannibal attacks have been reported in the US as police warn of a dangerous new mind-altering drug called Cloud Nine.

Last week Rudy Eugene - who is believed to have taken the over-the-counter ecstasy-like drug - growled at officers as he chewed off most of a homeless man's face before being shot dead by Miami police.

Since then two further incidents have been linked to the substance, which is part of a new line of 'bath salts'.

The second occurred on Saturday when a snarling homeless man, identified as Brandon De Leon, threatened to eat two officers, echoing the Miami attack.

A third incident took place in Louisiana where Carl Jacquneaux, 43, bit off a chunk of his victim's face. Miami police have issued a warning about Cloud Nine and told their officers to exercise extreme caution when dealing with homeless men who appear to be acting unusually.

Police investigating the case of Rudy Eugene, who ate the face off a homeless man, say as well as being naked, he was carrying a bible.

Some pages had been ripped out of the book and were found close by, according to CBS Miami. A preliminary toxicology examination has also found that the 31-year-old had been smoked cannabis shortly before the incident.

They were forced to fit 21-year-old De Leon with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask after he was arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach. When put in a police cruiser De Leon slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted at officers, 'I'm going to eat you', NBC Miami reported. 

He then growled, gnashed his teeth and tried to bite the hand of an officer attempting to treat his head wounds.

'Brandon growled and opened and closed his jaw, slamming his teeth like an animal would,' the report said. Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs, including Cloud Nine. 

In a second case Carl Jacquneaux, 43, is accused of attacking Todd Credeur at his home in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after he became upset following a domestic issue.

Victim: Todd Credeur, though in shock, managed to spray his attacker in the face with wasp spray to stop him from eating any more of his face

Scene: Todd Creneur was attacked while working on the yard outside his home in Scott, Louisiana

It warned the De Leon case 'bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man's face'.

'Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.'

Police have suggested Eugene was under the influence of the synthetic stimulant usually sold in drug paraphanelia shops.

Cloud Nine is 'addictive and dangerous', the memo said, part of a 'disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products'.

The drug, which is also as Ivory Wave in the U.S., comes in harmless-looking packets, police said, adding that it is illegal in Britain and Australia.

Crazed attack: Cloud Nine, which is the same drug which is believed to have been taken by the 'Miami Cannibal' Rudy Eugene (left) when he savagely attacked 65-year-old Ronald Poppo (right)

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour.

The series of shocking incidents began on May 26 when a naked Eugene encountered his victim, 65-year-old Ronald Poppo, who was sleeping in the shade on elevated train tracks.

In surveillance footage from the nearby Miami Herald building, Eugene was seen struggling with the naked homeless man, throwing him to the ground and then tearing into his face with his teeth as cars and bicycles sped by.

About 18 minutes into the attack, an officer appeared on the scene and yelled at Eugene to stop, but the 31-year-old just growled at him and continued chewing Poppo’s face.

The officer then opened fire on Eugene, shooting him to death.

Enlarge 

Horrific attack: The spot on MacArthur Causeway when a man was killed after chewing the face off a stranger

Disfigured: Poppo, here on a stretcher, miraculously survived the attack, but was left without a nose, mouth or eyes

Poppo remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital with his nose, mouth and eyes torn off. He faces months of treatment to rebuild his features and psychological care.

Controversially this week the scene of the attack on Poppo has been Miami added to sites visited by a tourist tour's itinerary.

The famous Miami Mystery & Mayhem: Crime Tour tour led by Miami-Dade College professor Dr Paul George will stop on the road that connects downtown Miami to popular South Beach.

Dr Paul told the South Florida Business Journal: 'Horrible as it was, it is part of our history. Currently, our tour takes us over the causeway right past the site, so this fits well.'

In a completely separate case not involving the drug, Canadian Luka Rocco Magnotta has been sent back to his country from Germany after an international manhunt.

He is alleged to have killed his partner, Jun Lin, before eating parts of his body then chopping it to pieces that were then posted to different authorities. Mr Lun's head has not yet been found.

'ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE': RECENT CANNIBAL ATTACKS ACROSS AMERICA

Since Rudy Eugene attacked and ate the face of homeless man Ronald Poppo on May 26 in Miami, Florida, while allegedly high on 'bath salts' there has been a spate of similar attacks.

The 'Miami Cannibal' case shocked the nation after police had to shoot dead Eugene when he refused to stop eating his victim's face off. Poppo is now recovering in hospital with horrific injuries.

 

Brandon DeLeon, 21, was high on drugs and drunk on Four Loko on June 2 when he tried to bite off a police officer’s hand after he was arrested for disturbing customers in a Miami fast food restaurant.

The homeless man repeatedly banged his head against the patrol car’s Plexiglas and yelled, ‘I’m going to eat you.’

At the police station, De Leon tried to bite the officer who was taking his blood pressure and tending to his self-inflicted wounds. The police report noted that he 'growled and opened and closed his jaw slamming his teeth like an animal would.'

 

Carl Jacquneaux, 43, is accused of attacking Todd Credeur at his home in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after he became upset following a domestic issue.

Mr Credeur reportedly managed to spray Jacquneaux in the face with wasp spray to stop him from eating any more of his face.

A friend of the victim said she believes Jacquneaux was under the influence of Cloud Nine, which is the same drug which is believed to have been taken by the 'Miami Cannibal' Rudy Eugene.

 

Alex Kinyua, 21, a college student, used a knife to carve up Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, 37, before eating his heart out and parts of his brain.

He then took to his social networking site to boast about it to his friends saying: 'Are you strong enough to endure ritual HBCU mass human sacrifices around the country and still be able to function as human beings?'

He referred to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech and 'other past university killings around the country' and warned 'ethnic cleansing is the policy, strategy and tactics that will affect you, directly or indirectly in the coming months.'

 

Narcotic Cloud Nine was blamed for the attack when Rudy Eugene ate 75% of homeless man Ronald Poppo’s face in Miami last month.

Horrific images surfaced of the attack that only ended once police shot and killed 31-year-old Eugene.

Mr Poppo is still recovering from his injuries in hospital.

Police are now warning people to stay away from Cloud Nine – also known as ‘bath salts’ - after two similar attacks were reported.

The most recent prompted an internal memo to police warning officers the case “bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man’s face”.

The memo called the synthetic drug “addictive and dangerous” and said it was part of a “disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products”.

It added: “Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.”

Rudy Eugene, 31: Ate 75% of a man's face in Miami before being shot dead

Brandon De Leon, 21: Tried to bite two police officers after he was arrested in North Miami BeachCarl Jacquneaux, 43: Bit a man's face in Scott, Louisiania. Wasp spray was used to end the attackAlex Kinyua, 21: Accused of eating the heart and brain of friend in Maryland

Horror: Film cannibal Hannibal Lecter

During the latest attack homeless Brendon De Leon threatened to eat two Miami police officers and had to be fitted with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask to prevent him carrying his threats out.

He had been arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach while high on drugs and put in a police cruiser when he slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted: “I’m going to eat you” to officers before growling and baring his teeth.

Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs including Cloud Nine.

In another case, Carl Jacquneaux, 43, was accused of attacking Todd Credeur in his front garden in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after being upset over a domestic issue while under the influence of what is said to be bath salts.

Jacquneaux bit Mr Credeur before being sprayed in the face with wasp spray.

Scott Assistant Police Chief Kert Thomas said: “During the attack, the suspect bit a chunk of the victim’s face off.”

Jacquneaux was then said to have left the property and gone to another man’s home where he held him at knife-point and stole a handgun before being apprehended by police.

The drug, which is also known as Ivory Wave, was blamed for several deaths in Britain during 2010 before being banned. It is also illegal in Australia.

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour and is often sold in plain packaging with the contents purporting to be harmless.

The NYPD would stop making tens of thousands of misdemeanor marijuana possession arrests a year under legislation proposed by Gov. Cuomo and backed by Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. While relaxing the penal law must be approached with caution, Cuomo’s bill recognizes both that the statute was never intended to promote wide -scale pot busts and that the arrests have done little to deter marijuana use. As an added benefit, lightening up on pot may well ease some of the increasing, wrongheaded and dangerous opposition to the NYPD’s stop, question and sometimes frisk program. It would be a major plus for cops and communities alike. In 1977, New York decriminalized possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana. Th law made a distinction between pot held in a pocket or bag, which was treated as a violation subject to a ticket, and pot held out in the open, which, along with smoking in public, was a misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail. Never did the framers of that legislation envision a widespread crackdown on pot exposed in public. But arrests climbed, with cops observing sales and public smoking and busting customers as an anti-crime initiative begun under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and intensified under Bloomberg and Kelly. Kelly also directed cops to stop and question individuals when there was reasonable suspicion of criminality and to frisk them if a weapon was likely present. In the course of some stops, police ordered individuals to empty their pockets, thereby forcing some to bring marijuana into view, thereby creating a misdemeanor offense. Acknowledging the unfairness of trapping people that way — cops made 5,000 stop-and-frisk-related busts last year — Kelly in September ordered the practice stopped. Cuomo’s bill would codify that change and eliminate many thousands of remaining annual possession arrests — while leaving smoking openly a misdemeanor. The city’s district attorneys support the change as a way to focus prosecutorial time and energy on more serious issues. The aggressive arrest policy ran tens of thousands of New Yorkers through the criminal justice system — 30% of whom last year had no prior criminal record. Though federal numbers show similar marijuana use across all races and ethnicities, 86% of those busted have been black or Latino. The reason: Cops are appropriately most active in the city’s least safe areas, which also happen to be its minority neighborhoods. Cuomo, Bloomberg and Kelly have smartly come together with leaders of minority communities who have objected to the police tactics. Democratic Speaker Sheldon Silver says the Assembly is onboard. Republicans in the state Senate should get with the program.

In hip-hop circles, James Rosemond was like a prince at the royal court, whose ties to rap music’s biggest stars were known far and wide. But a jury in Federal District Court in Brooklyn found on Tuesday that his real job was as a drug trafficker. Mr. Rosemond was convicted of running a drug operation that sold millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine, often moving it across the country in cases designed for musical equipment, a federal prosecutor said in a statement. Mr. Rosemond, widely known as Jimmy Henchman, was also convicted of financial crimes, obstruction of justice and possessing and using firearms. “Rosemond built and ran this drug trafficking organization in order to personally enrich himself and his associates,” Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “And profit he did. The paydays are over for Jimmy Henchman.” Mr. Rosemond’s lawyer, Gerald L. Shargel, would not discuss the specifics of the conviction, which came after a three-week trial. Speaking by telephone, he said he was “disappointed” in the verdict and planned to appeal. Even before the drug charges, Mr. Rosemond, who was arrested last June, was notorious in the hip-hop community. He had spent years trying to shake accusations of involvement in a bitter feud that led to the murders of two rap music legends: Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. Both men were shot to death in the mid-1990s. Despite the accusations, Mr. Rosemond has never been charged in any killing, and he has maintained connections with hip-hop luminaries like Sean Combs, Wyclef Jean, Akon, the Game and 50 Cent. Federal prosecutors said in February that they were trying to gather evidence linking Mr. Rosemond, who ran an agency called Czar Entertainment, to a 2009 murder in the Bronx of an associate of 50 Cent, but Mr. Shargel said no charges had been filed. In its statement on Tuesday, the United States attorney’s office described Mr. Rosemond as the chief executive of a narcotics operation involved in shipping cocaine from Los Angeles for sale in the New York metropolitan area. It was often covered in mustard to prevent detection, and both money and drugs crisscrossed the country in musical-equipment boxes, the prosecutor said. In a sign of the sophistication of Mr. Rosemond’s enterprise, operatives often communicated using encrypted e-mail and telephone devices, prosecutors said. From 2008 to 2010, authorities in New York and California seized more than $2.8 million in drug proceeds from his organization, the statement said. As a result of the investigation into Mr. Rosemond’s activities, 19 people have been convicted on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges.

Experts are warning that the public dangerously underestimates the health risks linked to smoking cannabis. The British Lung Foundation carried out a survey of 1,000 adults and found a third wrongly believed cannabis did not harm health. And 88% incorrectly thought tobacco cigarettes were more harmful than cannabis ones - when the risk of lung cancer is actually 20 times higher. The BLF said the lack of awareness was "alarming". Widely used Latest figures show that 30% of 16-59 year-olds in England and Wales have used cannabis in their lifetimes. A new report from the BLF says there are established scientific links between smoking cannabis and tuberculosis, acute bronchitis and lung cancer. Part of the reason for this, say the experts, is that people smoking cannabis take deeper puffs and hold them for longer than when smoking tobacco cigarettes. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote This is not a niche problem” Dame Helena Shovelton British Lung Foundation This means that someone smoking a cannabis cigarette inhales four times as much tar as from a tobacco cigarette, and five times as much carbon monoxide, the BLF says. Its survey found that young people are particularly unaware of the risks. Some studies have also suggested cannabis increases the chances of developing mental health problems such as schizophrenia. Almost 40% of the under-35s surveyed - the age group most likely to have smoked it - thought cannabis was not harmful. However, regular cannabis smoking increases the chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes, the BLF warned. Its chief executive, Dame Helena Shovelton, said: "It is alarming that, while new research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis, there is still a dangerous lack of public awareness of quite how harmful this drug can be. "This is not a niche problem - cannabis is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the UK, with almost a third of the population having tried it. "We therefore need a serious public health campaign - of the kind that has helped raise awareness of the dangers of eating fatty foods or smoking tobacco - to finally dispel the myth that smoking cannabis is somehow a safe pastime." The BLF's report says there should be a public education programme to raise awareness of the impact of smoking cannabis and increased investment in research into the health consequences of its use.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Monday that he would support a proposal by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to significantly curb the number of people who could be arrested for marijuana possession as a result of police stops. Connect with NYTMetro Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for news and conversation. Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. Post a Comment » Read All Comments (283) » Mr. Cuomo plans to urge lawmakers to change state law to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view, an offense that critics say leads to unfair charges against thousands of people who are ordered to empty their pockets during police stops that have proliferated under the Bloomberg administration's stop-and-frisk practice. Mr. Bloomberg, whose administration had previously defended low-level marijuana arrests as a way to deter more serious crime, said in a statement that the governor’s proposal “strikes the right balance” in part because it would still allow the police to arrest people who were smoking marijuana in public. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, plans to hold a news conference at the Capitol on Monday to announce his plans to seek the change in state law. Administration officials said the governor would seek to downgrade the possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana in public view from a misdemeanor to a violation, with a maximum fine of $100 for first-time offenders. Mr. Bloomberg said his police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, would attend the governor’s news conference “to show our support for his proposal.” “We look forward to working with legislative leaders to help pass a bill before the end of session,” the mayor said, referring to this year’s legislative session in Albany, which is scheduled to conclude in three weeks. In his statement, the mayor noted that last September, Mr. Kelly issued a memorandum to officers clarifying that they were not to arrest people who take small amounts of marijuana out of their pockets after being stopped by the police. Mr. Bloomberg said that the governor’s proposal was “consistent with the commissioner’s directive.” “Thanks to the N.Y.P.D., our city has come a long way from the days when marijuana was routinely sold and smoked on our streets without repercussions,” the mayor said. Critics of the Police Department’s marijuana-arrest policies have complained that Mr. Kelly’s memorandum has had little effect, citing data that showed only a modest decrease in low-level marijuana arrests after it was issued.

 It's a drug with a harmless-sounding name, but a Nova Scotia man knows the horrors of bath salts first-hand. Bath salts are not Epsom salts and have nothing to do with the substances that people put in their bath tub. The drugs used in the concoction are legal in Canada. There is one controlled substance, but producers can get that online or at a pharmacy without a prescription. Bath salts are comparable to a mix of cocaine and amphetamine. It's a long-lasting street drug that produces extreme euphoria. When that feeling disappears, the user craves more. Taking them can result in serious consequences, including death. John's first big trip on bath salts was in February. He was strung out on the drug for eight days with virtually no sleep until he crashed. 'Felt like I wanted to kill me or kill somebody else' — John, bath salts user He says the feeling was scary even for an experienced drug user. "Felt like I wanted to kill me or kill somebody else. Horrible feeling of sketchiness, constantly looking over your shoulder or peeking out around your curtains or windows, hiding under the blankets." John is not his real name. He says he decided to talk to CBC because he felt he should warn people about the dangers of bath salts. John, who is in his mid-40s, got the drugs from a friend. He doesn't remember how many times he smoked them during that eight-day stretch. He was told he looked like a corpse. "A person actually walked into the room and told me that he thought I was almost dead." John spent a day and a half in hospital after that. "I come out of the hospital; I went home and never moved outside my house for another week." Weeks later, John went to the detox unit in Pictou County, where he experienced the same paranoia. Many dangers Doctors in northern Nova Scotia say they are seeing two to three people on bath salts a week. They warn of the dangers, including heart attacks, kidney failure, extreme aggression and death. "You basically take cocaine and multiply it by a factor of 10 and you have this," said Dr. Heidi-Marie Farinholt, a physician at Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow. Farinholt says when it comes to violence and drugs, bath salts are among the worst. She did her training in Baltimore, where she saw a lot of cases involving drugs and guns. "I have to say this drug scares me more than any of that ever did," she told CBC last week. Bath salts are banned in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and many other European countries. Canada is still considering what to do. In an email to CBC, Health Canada said it does not recommend the use of bath salts because of their potentially dangerous health effects and also because little is known about their potential long-term effects on the brain and body.

The naked man shot by police after being found eating another man's face may have been under the influence of an LSD-like drug called "bath salts," according to Armando Aguilar, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, reports CBS Miami.   police identify "face-eating" naked man The suspected cannibal has been identified by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's officer as 31-year-old Rudy Eugene. Eugene may have been homeless at the time of the attack. His last known address was in North Miami. Since news of the unthinkable attack first broke, the big question has been, why? Why did the man attack the other? Why were they naked? Why did the attacker turn into a cannibal on the causeway? "We noticed an increase [in 'bath salts' incidents] probably after Ultra Fest," said emergency room Dr. Paul Adams, at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Ultra Fest is a music festival that played in Miami in late March. In many of the cases, Dr. Adams said the person's temperature has risen to an extremely high level and they've become very aggressive. Some have used their jaws as a weapon during attacks. Dr. Adams said the patients were in a state of delirium. "Extremely strong, I took care of a 150 pound individual who you would have thought he was 250 pounds," Dr. Adams said. "It took six security officers to restrain the individual." Adams said the extreme strength and violence of patients on "bath salts" has become a significant threat to all those charged with the task of trying to help those high on the drug. "It's dangerous for the police," Adams said. "It's dangerous for the fire fighters. It's dangers for the hospital workers taking care of them because they come in, they have to be restrained both chemically and physically and you're asking for someone to get hurt." Aguilar said drug dealers aren't aware that the liability could fall back on them. "I have a message for whoever is selling it out there," said Aguilar. "You can be arrested for murder if you are selling this LSD to people, unsuspecting people on the street and somebody ends up dying as a result you will be charged with murder."

Sasha Jarvis, 19, was three times over the drink drive limit after binging on drink and drugs when she got behind the wheel at 6am. 

An inquest heard Miss Jarvis and her best friend Sian Davies, 21, had taken a cocktail of alcohol and cocaine at an all-night party.

Tragedy: Sasha Jarvis, left, and her best friend Sian Davies, 21, right, had taken a cocktail of alcohol and cocaine at an all-night party when Sasha got behind the wheel at 6am

They left before dawn to drive home to their village - but their silver Vauxhall Corsa crashed into a stone bridge at almost twice the speed limit.

Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said: 'The message here is that drugs kill.

'It is clear both people in the car had been drinking and consuming drugs and I am satisfied they were well and truly high.

The coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on Miss Davies, of Pentir, and accidental death for Miss Jarvis, of Llanberis (general file shot pictured)

'In recent years we are coming across drugs more and more often. In cases involving young people it’s a rarity for us not to find any drugs.

'And it’s a sad reflection that the use of drugs - especially cocaine - has become so common.'

The two friends had left the boozy party in the early hours of New Year’s Day to drive to their home in neighbouring villages in North Wales.

The inquest heard Miss Jarvis would have faced criminal proceedings if they had survived the crash.

North Wales Coroner Mr Pritchard said: 'The driver owes a duty of care to any passenger.

Concerned: Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said that it's a sad reflection that the use of drugs - especially cocaine - has become so common. This is a file picture of a pile of cocaine

'The level of drugs and alcohol leads me to the opinion there would have been evidence for a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.'

Miss Jarvis who was not wearing a seat belt at the time suffered fatal spine and head injuries.

Miss Davies, who died of head injuries, was under the drink drive limit but tests showed she had also taken cocaine.

The inquest in Caernarfon heard Miss Jarvis was 'snaking across the road' at between 50 and 60mph when it crashed in a 30mph zone.

The coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on Miss Davies, of Pentir, and accidental death for Miss Jarvis, of Llanberis.

Speaking after the inquest Miss Davies’s parents said: 'We are devastated and heartbroken by her death.

'We were blessed to have known Sian, she touched and enriched many lives, she will be forever in our hearts.'

The 38-year-old was collared after smashing her car into the pole in the City of Westminster in Orange County, California at 12.45am this morning.

She was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test carried out by officers on the scene.

Arrested: Jenna Jameson has been booked for drink driving after crashing in Orange County this morning

Officer Rachel Archambault said the pornography star, who is now retired, showed signs of intoxication at the scene, which is the reason the test was carried out.

The former stripper, who lives in the  Huntington Beach area, suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment.

According to TMZ she was in tears after the accident, telling people, 'I just want to go home.'

Infamous: She became so well known she even appeared in mainstream movies

In a 911 call made by a woman who claimed she witnessed her driving erratically before smashing her Range Rover into the lamppost.

She told the officer on the phone: 'I was actually getting ready to call you guys because she was drunk. Next thing I know she went into the pole.'

The caller asked Jenna if she needed paramedics, to which she replied, 'No, I just want to go.'

She is later be heard in the background saying, 'I'm Jenna Jameson.'

Three officers later attended the scene, where she was arrested after failing the sobriety test.

After her arrest she was booked at the Westminster City Jail and was later cited and released.

The infamous celebrity, who has two young sons with Ultimate Fighting champ Tito Ortiz, smiled for her mugshot, in which she is wearing heavy eye makeup.

Self-styled entrepreneur Jameson was dubbed 'the Queen of Porn’ in her 90s heyday and even appeared in mainstream Hollywood movies such as America's Got Talent judge Howard Stern's biopic Private Parts.

She was involved in another legal tussle two years ago when she claimed Ortiz pushed her into a bathtub and injured her arm during an argument at their home.

The 37-year-old denied abusing her and said she falsely accused him after he confronted her about a suspected Oxycontin addiction.

Jameson later recanted her story, and the couple got back together.

Unemployed people suspected of suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction will have their benefits cut if they refuse treatment for their condition, the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, will signal on Wednesday. In a sign of the government's new benefits regime, which lies at the heart of Duncan Smith's cost-cutting welfare changes, staff in Jobcentre Plus offices will be encouraged to cut the jobseeker's allowance of claimants who reject treatment for addiction. The new rules will come into place in October 2013 when the universal credit, which is designed to wrap benefits into one payment, is introduced. A new claimant contract lies at the heart of the universal credit reforms. Claimants will have to sign a contract in which they agree to look for work in exchange for an undertaking from the government to support them while they do so. Government sources said the contract would allow Jobcentre Plus staff to say that a suspected addict is in breach of their commitments if they refuse help for alcoholism or drug addiction. Duncan Smith will give a flavour of the new rules when he addresses an event in parliament organised by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He will say: "The outdated benefits system fails to get people off drugs and put their lives on track. We have started changing how addicts are supported, but we must go further to actively take on the devastation that drugs and alcohol can cause. "Under universal credit we want to do more to encourage and support claimants into rehabilitation for addiction and starting them on the road to recovery and eventually work. Getting people into work and encouraging independence is our ultimate goal. Universal credit will put people on a journey towards a sustainable recovery so they are better placed to look for work in future and we will be outlining our plans shortly." It is understood that the work and pensions secretary will not make a formal announcement on Wednesday of the powers that will be handed to Jobcentre Plus staff. Duncan Smith wants to use the event to focus on what he regards as the positive work AA does in helping to treat alcoholism. A government source said: "Iain wants to focus on the brilliant work Alcoholics Anonymous does in changing people's lives. He really wants to encourage people who have drink problems to go to AA for treatment. It will transform their lives and will help them into work." The source said Duncan Smith believes it is right to give jobcentre staff powers to cut benefits if an addict refuses treatment because they can detect signs of trouble. The source said: "The universal credit will allow staff in Jobcentre Plus offices to say: this person has been unemployed for some time. The staff know if people are addicted to alcohol. They know the people they are dealing with. "But we want this to be positive and to be about signposting people to superb organisations that can help them. This is about changing their lives. It is very important to support addicts into the workplace." But if claimants refuse they will have their benefits docked. "There will be sanctions," the source said, citing cuts to the jobseeker's allowance as an example. Ministers believe that one indicator Jobcentre Plus staff can use to see whether a claimant is an addict is the amount of times they apply for a crisis loan. "If you are applying for that up to 10 times a year then that is a sign of a chaotic life," one source said. Analysis by the Department of Work and Pensions shows that almost 40,000 people claim incapacity benefit with alcoholism declared as their "primary diagnosis". Of these, 13,500 have been claiming for a decade or more. There are about 160,000 "dependent drinkers" in England who receive one or more of the main benefits. There are 1m violent crimes a year that are related to alcoholism and 1.2m admissions to hospitals a year related to alcoholism. Universal credit is the most important element of Duncan Smith's welfare reforms, developed during his years in opposition through his Centre for Social Justice, which is designed to achieve his central goal of encouraging people into work. It will integrate tax credits and out-of-work benefits into one payment, with the aim of smoothing the transition to work. Labour has given the universal credit a cautious welcome, though it has taken issue with the scale of benefit cuts. Lord Low of Dalston, the vice-president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People who sits as a crossbencher, told peers this year: "Though it has some very sensible and progressive things at its core, in the shape of the universal credit, nevertheless it goes too far to most people's consciences in the way in which it takes vital support away from some of the most needy in our society."

Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals: Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make you stupid. See Also: Health & Medicine Brain Tumor Nutrition Mind & Brain Intelligence Brain Injury Plants & Animals Food Mice Reference High fructose corn syrup Blood sugar Carbohydrate Sugar substitute A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning -- and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology publishes the findings in its May 15 edition. "Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage." While earlier research has revealed how fructose harms the body through its role in diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, this study is the first to uncover how the sweetener influences the brain. The UCLA team zeroed in on high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid six times sweeter than cane sugar, that is commonly added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food. The average American consumes more than 40 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "We're not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants," explained Gomez-Pinilla, who is also a member of UCLA's Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center. "We're concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative." Gomez-Pinilla and study co-author Rahul Agrawal, a UCLA visiting postdoctoral fellow from India, studied two groups of rats that each consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks. The second group also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which protects against damage to the synapses -- the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning. "DHA is essential for synaptic function -- brain cells' ability to transmit signals to one another," Gomez-Pinilla said. "This is the mechanism that makes learning and memory possible. Our bodies can't produce enough DHA, so it must be supplemented through our diet." The animals were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twice daily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The UCLA team tested how well the rats were able to navigate the maze, which contained numerous holes but only one exit. The scientists placed visual landmarks in the maze to help the rats learn and remember the way. Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats' ability to recall the route and escape the maze. What they saw surprised them. "The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids," Gomez-Pinilla said. "The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier." The DHA-deprived rats also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synaptic function in the brain. A closer look at the rats' brain tissue suggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence the brain cells. "Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said. He suspects that fructose is the culprit behind the DHA-deficient rats' brain dysfunction. Eating too much fructose could block insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar for the energy required for processing thoughts and emotions. "Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," he said. "Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new." Gomez-Pinilla, a native of Chile and an exercise enthusiast who practices what he preaches, advises people to keep fructose intake to a minimum and swap sugary desserts for fresh berries and Greek yogurt, which he keeps within arm's reach in a small refrigerator in his office. An occasional bar of dark chocolate that hasn't been processed with a lot of extra sweetener is fine too, he said. Still planning to throw caution to the wind and indulge in a hot-fudge sundae? Then also eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, walnuts and flaxseeds, or take a daily DHA capsule. Gomez-Pinilla recommends one gram of DHA per day. "Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructose's harmful effects," said Gomez-Pinilla. "It's like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases."

If you want any evidence that drugs have won the drug war, you just need to read the scientific studies on legal highs. If you’re not keeping track of the ‘legal high’ scene it’s important to remember that the first examples, synthetic cannabinoids sold as ‘Spice’ and ‘K2′ incense, were only detected in 2009. Shortly after amphetamine-a-like stimulant drugs, largely based on variations on pipradrol and the cathinones appeared, and now ketamine-like drugs such as methoxetamine have become widespread. Since 1997, 150 new psychoactive substances were reported. Almost a third of those appeared in 2010. Last year, the US government banned several of these drugs although the effect has been minimal as the legal high laboratories have over-run the trenches of the drug warriors. A new study just published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology tracked the chemical composition of legal highs as the bans were introduced. A key question was whether the legal high firms would just try and use the same banned chemicals and sell them under a different name. The research team found that since the ban only 4.9% of the products contained any trace of the recently banned drugs. The remaining 95.1% of products contained drugs not covered by the law. The chemicals in legal highs have fundamentally changed since the 2011 ban and the labs have outrun the authorities in less than a year. Another new study has looked at legal highs derived from pipradrol – a drug developed in 1940s for treating obesity, depression, ADHD and narcolepsy. It was made illegal in made countries during the 70s due to its potential for abuse because it gives an amphetamine-like high. The study found that legal high labs have just been running through variations of the banned drug using simple modifications of the original molecule to make new unregulated versions. The following paragraph is from this study and even if you’re not a chemist, you can get an impression of how the drug is been tweaked in the most minor ways to create new legal versions. Modifications include: addition of halogen, alkyl or alkoxy groups on one or both of the phenyl rings or addition of alkyl, alkenyl, haloalkyl and hydroxyalkyl groups on the nitrogen atom. Other modifications that have been reported include the substitution of a piperidine ring with an azepane ring (7-membered ring), a morpholine ring or a pyridine ring or the fusion of a piperidine ring with a benzene ring. These molecules, producing amphetamine-like effects, increase the choice of new stimulants to be used as legal highs in the coming years. New, unknown and poorly understand psychoactive chemicals are appearing faster than they can be regulated. The market is being driven by a demand for drugs that have the same effects as existing legal highs but won’t get you thrown in prison. The drug war isn’t only being lost, it’s being made obsolete.

Scottish ministers have set the planned minimum price for alcohol in Scotland at 50p a unit in a move which will push a bottle of wine to £4.69 and four cans of basic lager to at least £3.52. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said radical action was needed to tackle the significant health and social costs of alcohol abuse in Scotland. It will be the first time minimum pricing has been tried in the European Union. "Cheap alcohol comes at a price and now is the time to tackle the toll that Scotland's unhealthy relationship with alcohol is taking on our society," she said. "Too many Scots are drinking themselves to death. The problem affects people of all walks of life." The minimum price is higher than all previous proposals, which started with 35p a unit in 2008, after experts at Sheffield University warned Sturgeon that the impact of a lower cost had been reduced by inflation and lower consumption recently. Sir Harry Burns, Scotland's chief medical officer, said: "I strongly support minimum pricing, as part of a wider framework of action, as the best chance we have of reducing Scotland's harmful levels of alcohol consumption. "Alcohol-related disease and violence are costing the NHS millions of pounds every year and this cannot be allowed to continue." The measure has been backed by health experts, doctors, the police and the pub trade following expert evidence it would reduce some hospital admissions and early deaths, alcohol-fuelled crimes and workplace absences. Recent studies published by the Scottish government said endemic alcohol abuse in some parts of Scotland led directly to the deaths of 3,000 Scots each year and cost the economy £3.5bn annually in hospital admissions and lost productivity. But retailers and the drinks industry, including the influential Scotch Whisky Association, have opposed it, warning that there is likely to be legal action to block it under European and global competition and free trade regulations. They insist it unfairly penalises the majority of responsible drinkers. The Scottish Labour party has also resisted the measure, arguing that it would immediately give the supermarkets and other retailers a £130m windfall in increased profits. They say the major flaw in a blanket minimum price is that, unlike a tax or duty, the extra revenues go directly to retailers and not the Treasury. Earlier this year both the Tories and Liberal Democrats dropped their opposition to the measure after it emerged that David Cameron was preparing to announce similar proposals for England and Wales. The UK government is expected to begin a consultation on a 40p minimum price but Sturgeon's announcement is likely to raise pressure on ministers to set it higher, or to match the Scottish proposal. Sir Liam Donaldson, then chief medical officer for the UK government and the BMA, backed the 50p level several years ago. The last Sheffield University study found clear evidence that the lower the basic price, the weaker its effects, and warned that the passage of time had greatly reduced the impact of a low minimum price. In January, researchers at the university's School of Health and Related Research said Sturgeon's previous proposed price of 45p would cut consumption by 3.5%, saving 36 lives in the first year and about 196 a year within a decade. But according to a similar study in 2010, a 45p price imposed then would save 50 lives in year one, and 225 lives annually within 10 years. In contrast, in January this year they found that a 50p basic price would cut consumption by 5.7%, and would most directly affect alcoholics, saving 60 lives in the first year and 318 a year within a decade. At 70p a unit, consumption would fall by 16.9%. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Dr John Holmes, a member of the Sheffield research team, said: "Harmful drinkers' consumption would fall by more than 10%, whereas moderate drinkers would see their consumption fall by just 2.5%. "In terms of how much extra spending that would mean, harmful drinkers would have to spend over £120 extra a year on their alcohol, whereas moderate drinkers would spend just £8 a year more." Sturgeon's officials released a detailed table setting out how the new policy, which will be introduced to the Scottish parliament for approval within days, will affect current prices. The cost of Tesco's basic own-brand vodka would jump from £8.72 to £13.13, a rise of £4.41, while Vladivar and Smirnoff would be unaffected; a standard bottle of Tesco's basic whisky would increase in price by £4.03 to £14.00; four cans of Tesco strong dry cider would more than double in price from £1.80 to £4.67, and Carlsberg Special Brew would now cost £7.92, a rise of £1.13.

I am fond of the definition of addiction which goes, “someone who does something over and over again expecting different results.” The alcoholic goes on a bender entirely convinced that this time will be different. He’ll be able to control his drinking, he won’t get into bar fights, he won’t drive drunk, he won’t cheat on his wife, he won’t do whatever insanely stupid thing he always does when he ingests alcohol. Left untreated, addiction is a progressive disease. If the drunk thinks that whatever trouble he got himself into last time won’t happen the next time he drinks, he’s actually right in the sense that not only will he do the same insanely stupid shit that he did last time but he will do stuff that is even more destructive to himself and the people he loves. Drunks and drug addicts don’t end up unemployed and homeless because they were born that way. It’s the addiction that did it to them. Once addiction is in full swing, nothing—and I mean nothing, not a job, a house, a car, a wife, kids, parents, friends—nothing is as important than getting a fix. That’s where the dishonesty comes in. Addicts lie because all they really want is the booze or the crack or the sex. They will sell their mother to get it. There’s a great scene in The Fighter where Dicky Eckland (played by Christian Bale) is in a crack house and his mother comes looking for him. He jumps out a second story window in a drug induced haze to try to keep his mother from seeing the truth. He lands in a huge pile of trash and he can’t avoid coming face to face with his Ma. But even that doesn’t get him sober. The final definition for addiction is when the thing you are addicted to is ruining your life. Some people can drink tons of booze or even take lots of coke and their life is honestly unaffected. It doesn’t send them into a downward spiral caused by the phenomenon of craving which blots out anything good in their life. A guy jumping out a window to avoid his mom is most likely an addict. But the addict’s mind tells the addict that they are not an addict no matter how complete the breakdown of normal life. That’s why most addicts end up in jail, dead or, despite all odds, getting the help they need to get and stay sober. There’s not a lot of gray in the trajectory of continued use. ♦◊♦ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M., is the standard by which mental illness is diagnosed and heath care is provided in the United States.  Health Insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, look to the D.S.M. to define standards of care and to establish medical reimbursement.  The New York Times reports that the newest D.S.M. will have a much broader definition of addiction than in prior versions. In what could prove to be one of their most far-reaching decisions, psychiatrists and other specialists who are rewriting the manual that serves as the nation’s arbiter of mental illness have agreed to revise the definition of addiction, which could result in millions more people being diagnosed as addicts and pose huge consequences for health insurers and taxpayers. Under the new definition the addictive use of drugs and alcohol will be broadened and the number of activities that can be considered addiction will also be broadened to include such things as gambling for the first time. Currently only 2 million of 22 million addicts, defined under the old D.S.M., get treatment at least in part because they don’t have health insurance. The new definition may increase the number classified as addicts by as much as an additional 20 million. Insurance companies, and many clinicians, are criticizing the expansion of the definition of addiction as costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kelly went on to reveal that her now-sober famous father, who has a staggering 40 years of drug and alcohol abuse under his own belt, blamed himself for his daughter's troubles. "My father, to a certain extent -- now not so much, but at the time -- blamed himself and that killed me."

After feeling the pain she caused her own parents, Osbourne offered up some advice for other parents whose kids are struggling with addiction. "Tough love if you're a parent ... With my mother she didn't wanna believe it, she didn't wanna accept that I wasn't perfect because you love your children, but unfortunately nothing's perfect and as much as it hurts you you have to do the best thing, and you have to send your child to rehab," she advised.

"It is the only way to fix things, to teach you the skills and the coping mechanisms that you need to have a normal life and get your life back again. But having said that, it takes you to do it."

This swampy township of garbage dumps and junk yards on the edge of Mexico City is hundreds of miles from the traditional drug-producing areas in the Sierra Madre mountains where trafficking gangs have long grown marijuana and opium. But when soldiers stormed a nondescript warehouse in April, they found that a drug cartel had moved into Chalco to churn out tons of their latest hot product, methamphetamine. Behind a sign saying it stocked cleaning goods, a row of huge cauldrons covered in domed glass cooked up barrel-loads of the synthetic white powder, known as crystal meth or ice. The warehouse was one of a record number of super-labs that Mexican authorities have busted in recent months, showing that despite President Felipe Caldron's five-year offensive against drug cartels, Mexican meth production is booming. The burgeoning industry is a major concern to police as it gives cartels a highly profitable product that can be made using legal ingredients in any town, spreading Mexico's brutal drug war to areas that had previously been free of violence. It has also set off alarm bells in the United States, where agents who have spent years battling the effects of the destructive drug fear there may be a sudden surge in supply. In the first quarter of 2012, Mexican soldiers raided 27 industrial meth labs like that in Chalco, twice the number they stormed in the same period of 2011 and their biggest ever total in any three-month period, the attorney general's office said. Their most spectacular meth seizure was in a ranch outside the western city of Guadalajara in February, when they nabbed 15 tons of processed crystal, one of the largest hauls of the drug ever made worldwide. If sold in small doses to U.S. users, known as "tweekers," that meth would have been worth about $1.2 billion. "This industrial production of methamphetamines is worrying as it shows a new phase in drug trafficking," said Jose Cuitlahuac Salinas, head of Mexico's organized crime unit. "Combating these laboratories is a top priority." BATHTUBS Meth used to be made mainly in the United States by biker gangs and others who cooked up the crystal in small makeshift labs, often in trailers or household bathtubs. However, the U.S. Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 made it harder to get hold of precursor chemicals needed to make the drug, including pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, which are used in commercial products such as flu medicine. While that law and a subsequent police offensive have hammered U.S. production, it has been a gift to Mexican cartels. "We are a victim of our own success," says Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Arizona. "When you look at domestic meth labs, those numbers have fallen off the table. But where have they gone? Mexico." The U.S. seizures confirm that increasing amounts of the crystal are being moved north into the United States over the nearly 2,000-mile-long (3,200-km) border it shares with Mexico. In fiscal 2011, U.S. agents brought in 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg) of meth on the southwest border, showing quantities have doubled since 2008, when agents confiscated 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg). Agents also note that U.S. street prices are either flat or down, a sign that supply is high. While Mexico has clamped down on sales of precursors from pharmacies, the cartels are importing their own shipments of chemicals on an industrial scale. In January, Mexican marines seized 32 tons of illegally imported precursors on a ship at the Pacific port of Manzanillo, one of many busts made on that coastline over the past year. The traffickers also use coasts further down into Central America, with Guatemalan authorities making major seizures of precursors linked to Mexican cartels this year. The chemicals in the Manzanillo raid had been manufactured by a company in China. Precursors bound for Mexico have also been manufactured as far afield as Iraq, India and the Central African Republic, according to the International Narcotics Control Board. The chemicals are often imported by seemingly legitimate front companies, making the search more difficult. In April, the U.S. Treasury blacklisted 12 companies in Mexico it accused of bringing in precursors to make meth. SPEED FREAKS Meth attracts users by giving them energy boosts to work or party for long periods without rest. It is also popular for boosting sexual appetite and stamina, former addicts say. But doctors say that meth is one of the most lethal drugs around, even more harmful to many than heroin or cocaine. "Crystal meth may make people feel good for a while but then it totally destroys folks," says Matthew Frances, an emergency room doctor in California, who regularly treats meth users. "People get agitated and paranoid and are screaming and shouting. They can stay up for days without eating and not take care of their kids. They often get in terrible car accidents." Long-term meth use can also lead to heart failure and produce chronic tooth decay, known as "meth mouth." It is unclear yet if the increase in Mexican production will lead to more use in the United States. The most recent U.S. government survey reflects 2010 data, when there were an estimated 357,000 regular meth users, about the same amount as 2007. However, agents believe it is at risk of growing. "I think that you are going to see an increase in meth abuse nationwide," said Doug Coleman, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Phoenix, Arizona. "With the amount that's coming across, it's definitely a concern." Mexican cartels may also be looking at other markets for their product. Meth has risen in popularity globally to become the second-most used type of drug after marijuana, according to a United Nations report on drugs and crime. Mexico itself also has a rising number of meth users given that more than 360,000 people have tried the drug at least once, according to the health ministry. In Chalco, residents complain of dealers selling meth in $3 doses on street corners and out of the barred windows of homes: just enough to get users high for an hour or so before they crave more. SPREADING POISON For decades, Mexico has been a major producer of heroin and marijuana and a trafficker of Colombian cocaine. The move into methamphetamine gives the cartels a product which they can produce anywhere, without having to share profits with their Colombian partners. At first, police bust meth labs in traditional drug-growing areas such as the western states of Michoacan and Sinaloa. But following heavy raids, cartels have shifted production to areas with no history of trafficking, including one massive lab discovered recently in the prosperous city of Queretaro. Mexican agents say the labs in Chalco belonged to La Familia cartel, which has been linked to major meth production since it first surfaced in Michoacan in 2006. Federal police captured a Familia leader in the township recently, sparking a battle in which the traffickers hurled fragmentation grenades and opened fire in broad daylight. La Familia gunmen are also blamed for carrying out execution-style killings and beheadings in Chalco, turning it into yet another flashpoint in Mexico's relentless drug war. All told, more than 50,000 people have been killed in drug related violence in Mexico since Calderon took office in December 2006 and launched a crackdown on traffickers. The incursion of drug gangs into Chalco has made locals worry about their safety, said Gerardo Vazquez, a 41-year old shop owner living close to the raided meth lab. "I just thought it was a normal warehouse and suddenly soldiers turned up," Vazquez said. "This is a big problem. You worry that your kids may get caught up in a shootout."

Few people wake up one morning suddenly addicted to prescription opiates. The process is typically more gradual, which means there are numerous opportunities for early intervention. Here are the earliest signs that your use of pain medication is beginning to cross the line into addiction:

#1 You’re starting to use your pain medication to feel better, not just to ease pain.

Most people who use prescription opiates have pain as a result of an accident, surgery, illness or other condition, and then take their medicine to relieve that pain. Those who become addicted have pain, take the medicine and find that they not only have less pain but they also feel better in other ways.

Perhaps it helps you sleep, energizes you, makes you feel more confident, or relieves stress or anxiety. When you take the medication, you may find that it numbs emotional pain, allows you to escape from difficult thoughts or feelings, or gives you a sense of pleasure.

A shift occurs where you’re no longer taking the medication because you’re in physical pain but because of the positive effects on your mood or outlook. You’re now taking the drug to get high.

#2 You’re thinking about increasing your dose even though your doctor has not recommended it.

Those who use prescription painkillers long-term for legitimate purposes may need to increase their dose over time because they have built a tolerance to the drug. In most cases, physical dependence can be managed by a prescribing physician with appropriate identification and treatment, but for those who have predisposing factors, tolerance can be a sign of addiction.

The problem starts when you begin venturing outside the recommendations of your physician by using a higher dose than prescribed, using the medication more often than prescribed or using it conjunction with other drugs to amplify the effects. For some, increased usage is intentional, while others may take the medication when they feel they need it and are surprised to find that they continually run out of medication weeks before a refill is due.

#3 You’re starting to take the medication automatically, even though your pain has subsided.

If your pain has largely subsided or your doctor no longer recommends using pain medication and you continue to do so, you may be taking it habitually without recognizing that you are taking the drug for something other than pain.

You may be afraid of the pain coming back, but in actuality, long-term use of opiates can result in what is known as “backlash” pain. You will be better off switching to a non-addictive anti-inflammatory pain reliever such as ibuprofen once the pain is not severe enough to warrant opiate medications.

#4 You’re spending more and more time thinking about and getting medication.

How much time do you spend worrying about refills, keeping track of prescriptions, and traveling to new doctors’ offices or pharmacies? If you’d rather spend time getting and using medication than doing the things you typically enjoy, such as spending time with family or friends, your medication has become your number one priority. In addition to being hard on your loved ones, this imbalance may be a sign of prescription drug addiction.

#5 You’ve lost interest in non-drug pain management options.

Even if your doctor suggests non-drug alternatives, such as acupuncture, massage, yoga or physical therapy, you refuse, preferring instead to take more medication. Skipping doctor’s appointments unless you’re going to get a new prescription is another red flag.

Every year, more than 200 million prescriptions are written for opioid painkillers. Less than 20 percent of Americans will use their medication for non-medical purposes, according to the National Institutes of Health. By staying alert to the indicators of dependency and talking to your doctor at the first warning signs, you increase the chances that you will benefit from the pain relief offered by prescription opiates without falling prey to addiction.

Drivers found to have taken drugs face a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to £5,000 under new legislation, ministers reveal on Monday. Plans to make driving while under the influence of drugs an offence will be included in a crime, communications and courts bill that will be in the Queen's speech on Wednesday. Offenders will also face an automatic driving ban. Police forces are to be supplied with devices that will allow them to test drivers for drugs, once the equipment receives approval from the Home Office this year. Under the law at present, the police can only prosecute drivers who have taken drugs if they can show that driving ability has been affected. David Cameron said the government had been encouraged to act by the campaign launched by the parents of Lillian Groves, a 14-year-old from Surrey killed by a speeding motorist who had been smoking cannabis. The driver pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was sentenced to eight months in prison but was released after just eight weeks. Cameron said: "I found meeting Lillian Groves's family in Downing Street late last year incredibly moving. As they said at the time, it simply can't be right that a schoolgirl … can lose her life and then we discover we don't have the laws or the technology to punish drug-drivers properly. We want to do for drug-driving what drink-driving laws have done for driving under the influence of alcohol. "That's why we're doing what we can to get drugalysers rolled out more quickly. And this week we'll publish a new drug-driving offence so that driving under the influence of drugs itself is a crime, just like it is for drink-driving." The new offence will cover drivers who have taken illegal drugs, but the exact drugs covered and the limits that apply will be determined by a panel of alcohol and drug experts. Mike Penning, the road safety minister, said: "The new offence sends out a clear message – that if you drive while under the influence of drugs you will not get away with it. "We have an enviable record on road safety in this country and I want to keep it that way. This measure will help to rid our roads of the irresponsible minority who would risk the lives of innocent motorists and pedestrians." In the past the Department for Transport has said that one in five drivers killed in road accidents might have had an impairing drug, legal or illegal, in their body. Those thought to be most at risk were young men aged 17 to 29. The government announced at the start of the year that it was assembling a panel of experts to look at introducing a law against taking drugs and driving, and to assess the means of testing and possible legal limits for motorists. The move follows a recommendation in a 2010 review of drink- and drug-driving law by the legal expert Sir Peter North – although his proposals to cut the drink-driving limit were rejected by the previous transport secretary, Philip Hammond. On Wednesday, the Queen's speech will set out the next legislative programme for the new session of parliament. Following the Conservatives' poor performance in the local elections last week, ministers are under pressure to highlight the populist measures in the legislative programme.

For 30 years, he lived a heroin addict's life, sleeping on streets, getting into trouble with the police and getting in and out of drug-treatment centres. Mr Feisal Fakharudin's habit made him an outcast until he found support from an unlikely source - the Ar Rahman mosque nestled in Kuala Lumpur. After performing his prayers, Mr Feisal slips upstairs away from his fellow worshippers to receive a dose of methadone at a drug-treatment clinic - the world's first to operate in a mosque, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Methadone is widely used in the treatment of drug addiction. "In the past, there was no one to help me," said Mr Feisal, who revealed that he used to feel like the "scum of society", Reuters reported. The treatment worked for Mr Feisal, who first tried heroin when he was 15. The 48-year-old father of four is now a street musician playing in Kuala Lumpur's popular tourist locations. The vicious circle he was trapped in only eased when he enrolled in a government methadone clinic six years ago and later was among 50 patients selected for the Ar Rahman mosque programme. He attributes the success of his treatment to the spiritual guidance he received from mosque clerics, as well as the methadone syrup dispensed twice a week by medical staff. Allowing the mosque to set up the methadone clinic, which started over two years ago, has raised eyebrows in a country that imposes the mandatory death penalty for drug traffickers. Mr Rusdi Abdul Rashid, the chief coordinator of the University of Malaya's Centre for Addiction Sciences (Umcas) that runs the clinic, had to work hard to convince mosque officials and religious authorities to allow the clinic to be set up. Islamic authorities in Malaysia eventually gave the green light for the treatment, deciding that methadone was not a banned substance under Islam. "Methadone is a God-gifted medication. It helps in the long-term treatment of drug addiction and prevents patients from relapsing," said Mr Rusdi, a lecturer and consultant psychiatrist who has been treating patients with methadone for 10 years. Umcas has plans to expand the programme to a third of the country's 6,000 mosques by 2015. Malaysia has an estimated 350,000 drug addicts, which could rise to half a million by 2015 partly because of a high relapse rate, according to Mr Rusdi. The Malaysian government's Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), which enforces Islamic laws, has also joined forces with the centre to combat drug addiction. 'Total treatment' Mr Ghaffar Surip, a Jakim official, believes mosques can be used for the "total treatment" of drug addicts. He said: "The use of methadone is only one part of treating drug addicts because we also have to look at the spiritual, psychological and psychosocial aspects of the patient." The patients are not always well-received; indeed, some who turn up at the Ar Rahman mosque face being stigmatised by the community and by the mosque officials themselves. Said Mr Ghaffar: "People always say that drug addicts are associated with crime and ask why the clinic is there. They think mosques are only for 'good' people." Mr Feisal said: "I prefer to come here (to the mosque) because I feel closer to God. I feel cleansed. It's different having treatment in the mosque compared to normal clinics. "Here, we can't lie, because God is watching."

For 30 years, he lived a heroin addict's life, sleeping on streets, getting into trouble with the police and getting in and out of drug-treatment centres. Mr Feisal Fakharudin's habit made him an outcast until he found support from an unlikely source - the Ar Rahman mosque nestled in Kuala Lumpur. After performing his prayers, Mr Feisal slips upstairs away from his fellow worshippers to receive a dose of methadone at a drug-treatment clinic - the world's first to operate in a mosque, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Methadone is widely used in the treatment of drug addiction. "In the past, there was no one to help me," said Mr Feisal, who revealed that he used to feel like the "scum of society", Reuters reported. The treatment worked for Mr Feisal, who first tried heroin when he was 15. The 48-year-old father of four is now a street musician playing in Kuala Lumpur's popular tourist locations. The vicious circle he was trapped in only eased when he enrolled in a government methadone clinic six years ago and later was among 50 patients selected for the Ar Rahman mosque programme. He attributes the success of his treatment to the spiritual guidance he received from mosque clerics, as well as the methadone syrup dispensed twice a week by medical staff. Allowing the mosque to set up the methadone clinic, which started over two years ago, has raised eyebrows in a country that imposes the mandatory death penalty for drug traffickers. Mr Rusdi Abdul Rashid, the chief coordinator of the University of Malaya's Centre for Addiction Sciences (Umcas) that runs the clinic, had to work hard to convince mosque officials and religious authorities to allow the clinic to be set up. Islamic authorities in Malaysia eventually gave the green light for the treatment, deciding that methadone was not a banned substance under Islam. "Methadone is a God-gifted medication. It helps in the long-term treatment of drug addiction and prevents patients from relapsing," said Mr Rusdi, a lecturer and consultant psychiatrist who has been treating patients with methadone for 10 years. Umcas has plans to expand the programme to a third of the country's 6,000 mosques by 2015. Malaysia has an estimated 350,000 drug addicts, which could rise to half a million by 2015 partly because of a high relapse rate, according to Mr Rusdi. The Malaysian government's Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), which enforces Islamic laws, has also joined forces with the centre to combat drug addiction. 'Total treatment' Mr Ghaffar Surip, a Jakim official, believes mosques can be used for the "total treatment" of drug addicts. He said: "The use of methadone is only one part of treating drug addicts because we also have to look at the spiritual, psychological and psychosocial aspects of the patient." The patients are not always well-received; indeed, some who turn up at the Ar Rahman mosque face being stigmatised by the community and by the mosque officials themselves. Said Mr Ghaffar: "People always say that drug addicts are associated with crime and ask why the clinic is there. They think mosques are only for 'good' people." Mr Feisal said: "I prefer to come here (to the mosque) because I feel closer to God. I feel cleansed. It's different having treatment in the mosque compared to normal clinics. "Here, we can't lie, because God is watching."

A predawn fire swept through a drug rehabilitation center in a town on Lima’s outskirts Saturday, killing 14 people in the second blaze in Peru this year to claim the lives of addicts trapped behind locked doors in a private treatment residence. The only known survivor of the blaze at the Sacred Heart of Jesus clinic escaped by jumping from the building’s second floor after the blaze broke out about 4 a.m., his brother said. 0 Comments Weigh InCorrections? Personal Post Local health director Pablo Cespedes said officials don’t yet know what caused the blaze. Thirteen bodies were found in bedrooms on the second floor and one on the first floor of the two-story home in Chosica, about 19 miles (32 kilometers) east of Lima, the coastal capital, he said. Rescue efforts were complicated by locked doors and barred windows, said fire chief Fernando Campos. “The doors were padlocked shut. We had to use tools to get in the front door. On the second floor, the windows have bars,” he told reporters at the scene. The apparent lone survivor, 39-year-old Luis Zevallos, jumped out of the building from a section of the second floor that lacks bars, his brother, Jose Zevallos, told The Associated Press. “His friends were afraid and didn’t.” “He’s got burns on his face but it’s not too serious,” Jose Zevallos said of his brother. “It’s a miracle he’s alive.” The aunt of an 18-year-old who died in the fire, Jennifer Rugel, told the AP that drug rehabilitation centers in Peru, as a rule, “seal their doors with locks because those interned want to escape and are there against their will.” She said by phone from the morgue where police took the 14 bodies that her nephew, Marco Cespedes, had to be interned because he was selling objects from his home in order by buy drugs. The local health director, Cespedes, said the Sacred Heart clinic was licensed but that a 2011 inspection recommended physical improvements to prevent overcrowding and said it needed professional health care workers. The owners of the clinic could not immediately be located for comment. After a Jan. 28 fire at a Lima rehab residents for addicts claimed 29 lives, government officials acknowledged that the state has limited capacity for treating drug addicts. “The state has 700 beds for 100,000 drug-dependent people. That’s the root of the problem,” the country’s drug czar, Carmen Masias, said in radio interview the following day. A 2010 study by the agency she runs, Devida, counted 222 private rehabilitation centers in Peru, 80 percent of them unlicensed and many lacking doctors and psychologists.