TAMPA The term "designer drug" was coined by a University of California at Davis pharmacologist in the '80s, used to describe man-made drugs more potent than ever. Ecstasy. PCP. GHB. LSD. As legislators outlawed these drugs, manufacturers simply tweaked the formulas to get new, legal versions. Authorities realized they were always behind. So federal lawmakers passed a bill to outlaw designer drugs in 1986. But it has been largely ineffective. Called the Federal Analog Act, the law states that any chemical "substantially similar" to a controlled substance will be treated as one, if intended for human consumption. It was the first time the government had tried to outlaw entire groups of drugs. And it should have stopped bath salts. Over the past century, synthetic drugs have been born in laboratories, usually for medical purposes. Bath salts are primarily derivatives of the drug cathinone. One of the original versions was first distributed as an antidepressant. But people started abusing these drugs. Authorities outlawed cathinone in 1993. See the original post here: Designer drugs slip past prosecution … Continue reading →

Sending drugs and weapons through the post might appeal to some criminals, but they won't necessarily reach their target. In the past 17 months, 75 items have been caught by New Zealand Post and opened as suspicious. Most of those items - including drugs, guns and a knife - were reported to police, detained or destroyed. There were 43 interceptions of cannabis. Ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, ritalin, valium and some unidentified pills and powders were also seized - as was some icing sugar that was mistaken for drugs. Nine weapons were also intercepted. The packages were revealed to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act. New Zealand Post spokeswoman Jaimee Burke said the postal service was responsible for scanning and identifying mail items transported domestically, and Customs dealt with international mail. "New Zealand Post takes security very seriously and assists Customs and the police in their investigations. Any suspected illegal items found in the post are passed to the police." Seized weapons included two shotguns, a .22-calibre rifle, a knife, two airguns, a replica antique pistol and an antique air rifle. Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said illegal items found in the mail by New Zealand Post had led to … Continue reading →

The Irish Times - Saturday, October 13, 2012 CONOR POPE, Consumer Affairs Correspondent THE PRICE of prescription drugs is likely to fall by more than 10 per cent within days after the Department of Health announces the outcome of negotiations with the pharmaceutical industrys representative group. However, while lower prices will be welcomed by consumers, they are leading to severe shortages of some drugs and the problem is only going to get worse, it has been warned. President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union Rory ODonnell told The Irish Times yesterday that certain medicines have been in short supply for quite some time. He said drugs which combat depression, erectile dysfunction and diabetes have been hardest hit. There is a public service obligation compelling manufacturers to maintain a certain supply of prescription medications for the Irish market but Mr ODonnell said the system was not particularly robust. Some medicines are subject to what is known as allocation. This means the manufacturer rations supply to wholesale and retail pharmacies, in an effort to prevent re-export to other EU markets where the price is higher. This often causes shortages and interruptions in treatment. The issue is likely to worsen as the price of … Continue reading →