Category Archives: Drugs

And the Governments leading adviser, Prof Les Iversen, has said that young people caught in possession of banned substances such as cannabis should be spared criminal prosecution to prevent their futures being blighted. Mr Clarke told the Home Affairs Select Committee, which is carrying out the first parliamentary investigation into drugs for almost a decade: I have not reached the stage of that blinding insight about exactly how we are going to improve our record, is the honest truth. We have been engaged in a war against drugs for 30 years. We're plainly losing it. We have not achieved very much progress. The same problems come round and round. But I do not despair - we keep trying every method we can to get on top of what's one of the worst social problems for the country and the biggest single cause of crime. I have frankly conceded that policy has not been working. We are all disappointed by the fact that far from making progress it could be argued we are going backwards at times. However he added: The Government has no intention whatever of changing the criminal law on drugs. My own purely personal view is that I … Continue reading →

3 July 2012 Last updated at 11:48 ET Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has told MPs that the UK is "plainly losing" the war on drugs. He said those working to reduce addiction were "disappointed" by a lack of progress over the last 30 years. However, government departments were working together better than ever before to fight the problem, he added. Mr Clarke told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that he was not convinced by arguments for decriminalising drugs. The committee is compiling a report on drugs use in the UK, focusing on the effectiveness or otherwise on the government's strategy, published in 2010. Mr Clarke, who served as home secretary, education secretary, health secretary and chancellor in the Conservative governments of the 1980s and 1990s, said: "I've not reached a stage of that blinding insight about exactly how we're going to improve our record, is the honest truth. "We've engaged in a war against drugs for 30 years. We're plainly losing it. We have not achieved very much progress. "The same problems come round and round but I do not despair. We keep trying every method we can to get on top of one of the worst social problems in … Continue reading →

POLICE found drugs, an air rifle and a knuckleduster when they searched a shed where Logan Thomas Herbert goes to "calm down". Police went to a home in Brock Crt, Darling Heights, where Herbert lives with his parents, as he was having a loud argument with his mother at 4pm on May 11. Herbert, 26, was agitated and said he suffered from anxiety. Prosecutor Sergeant Tony Costa said Herbert was asked how he usually dealt with his anxiety and he pointed to a shed he used to calm down. It had been converted into a recreation area with a lounge chair and TV. Sgt Costa said police searched the shed and found a homemade air rifle, 19.2 grams of marijuana, a knuckleduster, and items used to prepare and smoke drugs, including a bong, scissors and an electric grinder. Herbert appeared in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs, two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, and possessing utensils or pipes. The court heard Herbert made the air rifle in high school to shoot paintballs and was unaware he required a licence. He bought the hard plastic knuckleduster from a market and again did not … Continue reading →

2 July 2012 Last updated at 11:17 ET A murder accused has told a jury he remembered little of the night he was alleged to have killed his best friend after an all-day drink and drug binge. Derek Kinghorn, 44, said he only became aware of anything untoward when he felt blood on his face from a head wound. He remembered drinking 10 cans of beer and smoking several cannabis joints earlier in the day. Mr Kinghorn denies murdering Brian Mair and assaulting Amy Michaels in his Hawick home in November last year. He told the High Court in Livingston that he and Mr Mair had been playing Playstation games and drinking and taking drugs since 10:00 on the day in question. Just before 19:00 Mr Kinghorn phoned a dealer to have more drugs delivered. He claimed the large kitchen knife, identified as the murder weapon, would have been brought into the room to divide up a lump of cannabis resin although he could not remember this happening. Mr Kinghorn said he had no memory of going out drinking at The Imperial Bar in Hawick with Mr Mair after the drugs had been delivered to his house. He said he … Continue reading →

On June 27, the FDA approved the first new weight-loss drug in 13 years, Arenas lorcaserin (Belviq). The track record for anti-obesity drugs has not been very goodeach has been withdrawn from the market, after approval, due to safety concerns. Why was this drug approved? How long will this one last before being yanked for adverse events? Lets look at the background and track record of lorcaserins predecessors. Perspective on the need for weight loss drugs Why the brouhaha over Arenas new drug? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese, defined as having a Body-Mass Index (BMI) of > 35. In the U.S. alone, 78 million U.S. adults are obese; another 34% of adults are overweight > 30. So 70% of U.S. adults have a problem with weight. Worldwide, CDC estimates 500 million are currently affected. Overweight and obesity constitute the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking, resulting in an estimated 300,000 deaths per year. The number of obese is expected to rise to 42% by 2030, with an additional 11% prevalence of severe obesity (BMI >40, or ~80+ lbs overweight). In 2000, consumers spent … Continue reading →

Students were caught with drugs in 2173 incidents at school last year and the youngest child to be stood down was in year 3. But the figure is the lowest in three years, according to preliminary data. Last year, there were 1324 stand-downs and 849 suspensions in New Zealand schools for drug-related behaviour (including substance abuse), according to figures released to the Herald. The Ministry of Education said the data was still being updated by schools and so could not be compared with other years, but previous figures have quoted there being 2441 drug incidents in 2009 and 2690 in 2010. A year 3 student - aged between 7 and 8 - was stood down in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. The youngest to be suspended were two year 5 students - aged between 9 and 10 - in Gisborne and Wellington. Gisborne had the highest number of incidents per capita where students were caught with drugs, with a total of 77 suspensions and stand-downs from a roll of 9353. A stand-down is the removal of a learner for a period of up to five days, with the decision made by the principal. A suspension is the formal removal of a student … Continue reading →

GRAND FORKS - When Andrew Spofford was arrested by Grand Forks police last month, he told them he is a "hobby chemist." Police say the end result of his chemistry was a synthetic drug that appears to have killed two teens in the area and sent several others to the hospital with overdoses. Its a growing problem for law enforcement as investigators struggle to identify a myriad of new synthetic drugs. Knowledge of basic chemistry has allowed drug cooks to make small molecular changes to existing drugs, creating new substances and keeping the cooks a step ahead of investigators. We are seeing a continued influx of changing of chemical compounds that make up various drugs or substances being ingested throughout the state, said Drew Evans, senior special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. They are changing at the molecular level into something it wasnt before, but may have similar effects or different effects. His agency investigated the East Grand Forks, Minn., death of Elijah Stai, 17, of Park Rapids, on June 15. The agencys labs concluded Stai had ingested a psychedelic substance called 25iNBOMe, which law enforcement officials allege Spofford cooked. The same batch of drugs allegedly killed … Continue reading →

This week saw the release of a The War on Drugs and HIV/AIDS, a new report from the Global Commission on Drug Policy. The report's core finding is that the war on drugs has resulted in a spread of the HIV pandemic by driving drug users underground, and away from healthcare, and into high risk environments like prison. Perhaps most damningly, this has all happened without a noticeable affect on the drug trade itself. Illicit opiate production has grown 380% in recent decades, and in the US, drugs have become more cheaper and more potent since the drug war started despite the rising expenditure by the US government on the drug war. Here's how heroin purity and cost has changed during the drugs war (click to expand): And how cocaine price has changed during the drugs war (click to expand): Taken together, the studies authors conclude that "overall drug supply (as evidenced by various indicators of increasing production, declining prices and increasing potency) has been largely unimpeded by the multibillion dollar investments that have gone into trying to disrupt supply through costly policing, arrests and interdiction efforts." More From Business Insider See the rest here: The More America Spends On … Continue reading →

Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles are under threat should doping charges be upheld against him. Photo: AFP Bans on performance enhancers don't make elite competition fairer. THE 2012 Tour de France starts this weekend under yet another drugs cloud. The US Anti-Doping Agency's recent announcement of ''doping'' charges against Lance Armstrong and others is no small matter. If the case is proven, it will nullify Armstrong's record seven Tour de France wins between 1999 and 2005, and reverberate much more widely through international cycling. This being an Olympic year, it amplifies the relevance of this case for world sport generally. Advertisement: Story continues below It is a good time to reflect on our current thinking about performance enhancement in sport. Most people are against performance enhancing drugs in elite sport based on the fairness and equity ideal of a level playing field, and a belief that ''doping'' is unnatural and poses a health risk. But what is the truth of performance enhancement in elite competition? Let's take the level playing field idea first. These days, elite-level sportspeople have an increasing array of performance enhancing options and technologies available - from lighter, smoother, stronger, and more aerodynamic competition clothing … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/sxkx5m/injectable_drugs_m) has announced the addition of the "Injectable Drugs Market in the US 2011-2015" report to their offering. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases. The Injectable Drugs market in the US has also been witnessing the technological advancements in injecting devices. However, availability of counterfeit injectable drugs could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. Key vendors dominating this market space include Amgen Inc., Johnson and Johnson Services Inc., Roche Holding Ltd., and Sanofi S.A. Other vendors mentioned in the report: Abbott Laboratories Inc., AstraZeneca plc, Baxter International Inc., Biogen Idec, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Fresenius SE and Co. KGaA, Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc, Hospira Inc., Medtronic Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., Novartis AG, Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and Pfizer Inc. Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio's Healthcare said; Injectable drugs are administered into the body through the intravenous delivery method. Vendors are continuously upgrading their injecting devices to ensure safety and to reduce pain. Moreover, vendors are developing pre-filled syringes that provide greater accuracy in delivering the injectable drugs into the body. … Continue reading →