Cocaine

Wall Street Journal, 21 Feb 2012 - Agency Says CVS and Cardinal Health Knew of Hefty Painkiller Orders The federal government alleges Cardinal Health Inc. and CVS Caremark Corp. were aware of high-volume orders of prescription painkiller oxycodone shipped to two pharmacies in Florida, in a closely watched case probing how much responsibility companies bear for a growing drug-abuse problem.

Daily Nebraskan, 20 Feb 2012 - Marijuana Policy Project Refutes Claims of Study, Says It Doesn't Account for All Factors Smoking marijuana just a few hours before driving nearly doubles a person's risk of getting into a car accident, a recent study found.

Rapid City Journal, 19 Feb 2012 - The media have no clue how to cover the death of Whitney Houston. That's because she was slowly dying for years and many in the press simply averted their eyes. It was ultra-disturbing that a beautiful woman blessed with an extraordinary singing voice chose a self-destructive path in full view of the world. I mean, here is a person who signed a $100 million recording contract, actually sold 170 million albums and commanded high six figures to deliver a 90-minute concert. Houston was a genuine international star, and yet she often was seen in public disheveled and confused, her substance addiction apparent. The media simply did not know what to say.

The Daily Times, 19 Feb 2012 - The media have no bleepin' clue how to cover the death of Whitney Houston. That's because she was slowly dying for years and many in the press simply averted their eyes. It was ultra-disturbing that a beautiful woman blessed with an extraordinary singing voice chose a self-destructive path in full view of the world. I mean, here is a person who signed a $100 million recording contract, actually sold 170 million albums and commanded high six figures to deliver a 90-minute concert. Houston was a genuine international star, and yet she often was seen in public disheveled and confused, her substance addiction apparent. The media did not know what to say.

Commercial Appeal, 19 Feb 2012 - It didn't surprise former U.S. Customs investigator Jamie Haase that a drug trafficker testified in federal court about cocaine sent from Mexico into the U.S. via FedEx. Haase said the FedEx Express world hub in Memphis, which handles about 1.5 million packages on a typical night, just doesn't have enough people, drug dogs and detection gear to catch everything.

South Whidbey Record, 18 Feb 2012 - LANGLEY - The plans for a medical marijuana "access point" in the Village by the Sea got a warm but wary welcome from city officials at a special council workshop this week. Lucas Jushinski, a 35-year-old Freeland resident, Iraq War veteran and combat medic, has applied for a business license with hopes to set up Island Alternative Medicine behind the All Washed-Up Laundromat on Second Street.

Morning Sentinel, 18 Feb 2012 - It seemed strange that aging crooner Tony Bennett's first comment about the death of Whitney Houston was a plea for the legalization of now-outlawed drugs. His point deserves some consideration, however, in spite of the fact that no illegal drugs appear to have been involved in Houston's death.

Issaquah Reporter, 17 Feb 2012 - By a vote of 6-1 Tuesday night, the Sammamish city council supported a motion by former mayor Don Gerend, to authorize mayor Tom O'Dell to sign the Association of Washington Cities Mayor's letter in support of reclassification of marijuana. Ironically, O'Dell cast the one dissenting vote.

Cowichan News Leader, 17 Feb 2012 - Opposition forces seem poised to make a push for reform in Canada's marijuana laws. But no one's expecting the federal government to respond any time soon. The federal Liberals recently adopted cannabis legalization as an official party policy, while that, or decriminalization, has the support of most federal NDP leadership candidates.

Columbia Daily Tribune, 17 Feb 2012 - The media have no bleepin' clue how to cover the death of Whitney Houston. That's because she was slowly dying for years and many in the media simply averted their eyes. It was ultra-disturbing that a beautiful woman blessed with an extraordinary singing voice chose a self-destructive path in full view of the world. I mean, here is a person who signed a $100 million recording contract, actually sold 170 million albums and commanded high six figures to deliver a 90-minute concert. Houston was a genuine international star, and yet she often was seen in public disheveled and confused, her substance addiction apparent. The media simply did not know what to say.

Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, 16 Feb 2012 - The media have no bleepin' clue how to cover the death of Whitney Houston. That's because she was slowly dying for years and many in the press simply averted their eyes. It was ultra-disturbing that a beautiful woman blessed with an extraordinary singing voice chose a self-destructive path in full view of the world. I mean, here is a person who signed a $100 million recording contract, actually sold 170 million albums and commanded high six figures to deliver a 90-minute concert. Houston was a genuine international star, and yet she often was seen in public disheveled and confused, her substance addiction apparent. The media simply did not know what to say.

Culpeper Star-Exponent, 15 Feb 2012 - A recent national survey conducted among 8th-10th grade public school students indicated that kids within that age group are smoking marijuana more but consuming alcohol less. I was a bit skeptical of the findings, due perhaps not so much to the results, but because I questioned the need to survey children that young to begin with. Seemed a little superfluous to me. So I conducted a small survey of my own recently among kids I know and much to my disappointed surprise it turns out I was wrong and the survey was right: Apparently even seventh-graders are smoking pot in abundance these days. That's 12-year olds getting their hands on either imported or home-grown bud and toking it up like it's no big deal.

Toronto Star, 15 Feb 2012 - A building superintendent says she was astounded by the mess Toronto drug squad officers made when they searched a tenant's apartment, allegedly before a warrant was issued. "I could not believe my eyes," Ann Barnes, 73, testified Wednesday at a police corruption trial. "I was mesmerized by the mess."

The Record, 13 Feb 2012 - WATERLOO - Five months ago a night of booze, drugs and partying changed Jesse Heubner's life forever. School was about to start, and Heubner wanted to celebrate "the best summer of his life." He bought himself a gram of cocaine, snorted a couple rails and met up with a few friends. They'd brought along a few hits of ecstasy and Heubner downed those too.

Drayton Valley Western Review, 13 Feb 2012 - Two people were arrested Feb. 8 in Calgary after a covert operation uncovered ecstasy which tested positive for paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), the chemical responsible for 14 deaths in Alberta and B.C. With eight of the deaths occurring in Calgary and one in Red Deer, other regions of the province have not yet showed any incidences related to this case. Despite this fact local authorities are warning residents of the dangers that come along with any drug.

The Register-Guard, 13 Feb 2012 - The Liberalizing of State Marijuana Laws Continues Sixteen U.S. states, including Oregon, and the District of Columbia now allow the cultivation and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes, which some view as a foot in the door to eventual legalization of pot for recreational use. Some states are headed in that direction, and Oregon is likely to follow.

Packet & Times, 11 Feb 2012 - ORILLIA - Orillia students are calling for more mental health supports to help them reach their goals and avoid the pitfalls of drug abuse. Drinking and drug use by youth in the area is among the highest in the province, and a recent study of Simcoe County students points to a lack of mental health resources as the No. 1 reason.

The University Times, 11 Feb 2012 - On New Year's day, six bodies were found in different parts of Mexico, a relatively peaceful day, if Mexican newspaper La Reforma's usually more metronomic 'Ejecutometro' (execution meter) is considered. Revered Mexican author Carlos Fuentes, a man noted for coy narrative ('to be interpreted by the reader with no endorsement from the teller', according to the New York Times), recently addressed the issue of drugs. He was, for once, quite forward. 'Sometimes we win, sometimes they win', stated the former diplomat. While there have been slight improvements in infamous areas such as Ciudad Juarez, the corpses hanging from bridges, a cartel signature, are spreading into other areas. Areas near Mexico City, once thought to be an oasis for diplomats, corporations and the wealthy, such as Acapulco and Cuernavaca, have suffered recently. A burned out vehicle containing two decapitated bodies was discovered at the entrance to an expensive Mexico City shopping centre.

Globe and Mail, 10 Feb 2012 - A group of Peel Regional police officers "essentially colluded and then committed perjury en masse," in their handling of a drug case that began more than two years ago, a judge has found. Tan-Hung Dinh, now 28, was arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking after a 2009 sting operation at a Mississauga motel. Police said they found nearly a kilo of cocaine in Mr. Dinh's car and another two kilos when they searched his house.

Toronto Star, 10 Feb 2012 - Peel Region Police say they are conducting an internal investigation after a judge's damning words about the "reprehensible" conduct of members of their drug squad. But critics are skeptical anything will be done. "The police lied under oath in order to cover up (an) illegal search and persisted in their lying when confronted with the most damning of evidence. All these misdeeds were calculated, deliberate and utterly avoidable," Superior Court Justice Deena Baltman said Friday in a Brampton courtroom, reading out her reasons for sparing a baby-faced cocaine dealer a prison sentence.