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"But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day".
The teen movie icon from the 80's, Corey Haim, may have finally succumbed to his addiction. Haim battled drug and alcohol addiction over the years going in and out of drug treatment facilities, as well as dealing with a number of medical issues. No one is entirely sure the exact cause of his death, but everyone has their suspicions. In 2007, Haim is reported saying to Larry King in an interview on "Larry King Live", that he would be a "chronic relapser for the rest of my life". While the actor was filming "The Lost Boys" he started doing drugs, this was the beginning of the end for the star who would never have another hit movie staying out of the spotlight for the most part over the last 20 years.
"I was working on 'Lost Boy's when I smoked my first joint," he told the British tabloid, The Sun, in a 2004 interview, "I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack". Haim stated in the interview that while in rehab for the first time he was exposed to prescription medications like Valium and other strong sedatives. It did not come as a big surprise when four (4) different prescription medication bottles were found in the actor's apartment which he shared with his mother. The contents of the bottles have not been released as of yet, but, it is more than likely that what was in those bottles played a part in the actor's death. "I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck", The Sun reported. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day."
In the last few years Haim was trying to make a big comeback in Hollywood, letting people know that he was hungry for work. In 2007, Haim and teen star friend Corey Feldman, costarred in an A&E reality show called "The Two Coreys". It was cancelled after two seasons but it was a good start for the actor who has been out of the business for many years. In 2009, he appeared with Jason Statham in "Crank: High Voltage" and he had movies in line for 2010.
LA County Coroner's Office Assistant Chief said to reporters that Haim stumbled out of bed around 1am this morning and collapsed right in front of his mother. She called 911 and an ambulance rushed Corey to the hospital - Haim was pronounced dead at 2:15am.
Red Bull is commonly mixed with Vodka or Jagermeister
The dangers of mixing two different types of drugs are paramount! The power of stimulants, like cocaine, alongside debilitating central nervous center depressants (CNSD's), like Alcohol, is extremely dangerous. When someone introduces stimulants into the blood stream when they are already intoxicated from alcohol the effect is opposite what one might think. Stimulants give the drinker the feeling that they are not that intoxicated, not only can they drink more but they could also negotiate driving home; this common misconception is a deadly one to have, in no way does the addition of stimulants into one's body make you less drunk - only more awake.
What about stimulants like caffeine, could it have a similar perception altering affect? A study appeared in the journal of Addictive Behaviors this month which had some interesting data worth sharing on alcohol mixed with energy drinks. The study was conducted by the University of Florida and consisted of 800 young drinkers at bars between the hours of 10pm and 3am. The study observed that people who drank alcohol mixed with caffeine appeared to be more intoxicated than those who consumed pure alcohol. Furthermore, they found that people who were mixing were also much more likely to say they intended to drive home. According to the study: "Patrons who had consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks were at a three-fold increased risk of leaving a bar highly intoxicated...As well as a four-fold increased risk of intending to drive on leaving the bar district, compared to other drinking patrons who did not consume alcoholic beverages mixed with energy drinks".
It seems like since the advent of drinks like Red Bull and Rockstar energy drinks people have been concerned: Besides being terribly unhealthy, for some reason they tend to confuse an intoxicated person into thinking they are sharp as a tack - nothing could be further from the truth. It is possible that at some point the mixing of alcohol and caffeine will be outlawed, there are some bars which have made a preemptive strike and no longer allow the mixing of energy drinks with alcohol. Alcohol mixed with energy drinks can be a fatal cocktail and should be avoided.
A new drug trend appears to be sweeping across part of Canada. Reports of Ketamine use, a fast-acting and powerful anesthetic and painkiller used in veterinary and human surgery have become far more frequent. In Hamilton, which is just across the border from Buffalo, New York, Ketamine may be replacing Cocaine as the street drug of choice according to authorities. Not only does Ketamine provide different effects than cocaine, it also has a smaller price tag at $10 to $20 a vile compared to Cocaine at $50 a gram. Younger people with limited financial resources may be swayed to buy Ketamine based on price alone. Another concern is that kids taking the drug may be under the opinion that they are doing Cocaine, failure to dose the drug properly could end tragically.
The price of Cocaine has skyrocketed in the past ten years, in the last three years the price of a kilogram of coke went up $30,000. At $59,000 a "key" it is not surprising that drug dealers have decided to sell a drug that they can acquire for cheaper and sell just as much. Ecstasy, like Ketamine or "K" as it has been dubbed, is another popular designer drug that has become very popular in the wake of inflated Cocaine prices. A pill of Ecstasy cost $5 now, high school students looking to do drugs are more inclined to buy cheaper drugs that at the end of the day are far more dangerous than Cocaine. Cocaine is and will always be more popular than designer drugs, it was the original club drug and will stay that way; however, there should be some concern when kids are messing with new drugs that they have really no way of knowing the actual contents.
According to statistics, Ketamine still ranks low in popularity amongst high school students, only about 2.2 percent report having used it. More than likely the percentage is higher than that, probably not much though; exposure to Ketamine has always been limited to raves and clubs, it generally has not been a "corner drug". Hopefully, this trend does not start to spread outside of Hamilton; Ketamine is a completely different drug than Cocaine. A person on Ketamine can be summed up in one word, "helpless"! You are not in charge of your body anymore, which if you are not at home taking the drug it can be quite dangerous because you cannot walk, talk, or take care yourself. "The effects begin about 30 seconds after an intravenous injection, 2 to 4 minutes after an intra-muscular injection, 5 to 10 minutes after snorting or intra nasal use and about 20 minutes after an oral dose on an empty stomach", stated Drug Text. Overdose can easily happen when people take the drug and think that it is not working and take more; what's worse, they get behind the wheel and think that they will drive somewhere only for the drug to take effect on the road. The drug acts very fast, it acts faster than most drugs that you can swallow.
Shocking news at NASA's hangers in Cape Canaveral, Florida at the Kennedy Space Center! If you can imagine just about anything, you can probably guess that it has been thought of before at NASA. Millions of instruments, thousands of people, and billions of ideas all floating around one place. One thing you may not think could be found at NASA would be illegal drugs; unfortunately, drugs were recently found in the hanger that houses the Space Shuttle Discovery. With a mission planned for March of this year, you have to wonder what is going on around NASA. Is it possible that there are people high on Cocaine working on the space shuttles?
The cocaine was found by a worker in a secure part of the hangar that is accessible by about 200 NASA employees and contractors, said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel. The bag contained a tiny amount of the illegal substance cocaine. “We do not tolerate the use of illegal substances for people who work on the orbiter,” said Robert Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center. That is comforting, but, you still have to wonder how cocaine could find its way into probably one of the most secure facilities in the world. NASA has and is drug testing and interviewing workers, as well as using drug-sniffing dogs to make sure that there are no other drugs that were "misplaced" by an employee. "Mr. Beutel said there was no problem with any of the Discovery’s hardware, nor was there any indication that any employees were under the influence while working in the facility", reported the Telegraph.
It is a fact of life that illegal drugs end up traveling with addicts to many jobs around the planet. Unfortunately, work is no deterrent when you are in the grips of your addiction; addicts have to get high on the job if they're going to make it through the work day without getting sick. When NASA identifies the source of the cocaine, I am confident that they NASA will suggest that the person(s) seek help and enter into treatment.
The world is beginning to look at drugs in a new way; we rest at the precipice of a revolution in drug legislation. More countries than ever are in agreement that the war on drugs has been a total failure creating an unstoppable monster. There is no question as to whether or not drugs play a huge role in the destruction of lives; the way in which drug offenders are policed and treated like second class citizens plays an even more devastating part. The best defense against drug addiction is education and the best defense against traffickers is less demand. Heavy fines and imprisonment only throw fuel on an already out of control fire. The argument that drugs are bad for you and that punishment is the only solution is not holding as much water as it once did. Countries around the world are focusing less on policing drug use; more emphasis is being placed on regulation and education.
Basically, it works like this: the illegal nature of drugs has caused the price of drugs to increase to the point where an addict needs to be rich to afford their addiction, addicts are forced to commit criminal acts like robbery and prostitution in order to compensate for their lack of inheritance, addicts break the law while getting high and they break the law while acquiring the money to afford the high. It's a vicious circle that usually ends tragically; the war on drugs has created a vacuum that traps addicts into a life where the only option is death or jail. I read an interesting article by Chris Middendorp who writes for the Sydney Morning Herald. Dealing with the subject, he made a good point: this is not about morals or laws, but, the overall welfare of human beings that should be the focus. "In several Latin American countries and in mainland Europe, legislators have already brought about significant reforms in drug policy in recent times. This has not involved an open-slather legalisation of drugs, but the decriminalisation of personal possession and use. Most famously, in 2001 Portugal decriminalised all drugs - from heroin to cocaine - and, to many people's surprise, overall drug use actually fell. In Switzerland, giving addicts free heroin in supervised clinics has been deemed a success, with begging, prostitution, homelessness and burglary all dropping dramatically. A national referendum in 2008 voted overwhelmingly to retain the program, which began as a trial in 1994".
America is on the verge of joining the mindset that the drugs are not the problem - we are. If money that was spent on policing drugs was diverted towards regulation and education it would be a big step forward. Not to mention that that is the only way we will ever deal a severe blow upon the drug cartels. Obama realizes that the war on drugs has been a failure and that we need to handle this differently; this could change everything, for years the USA has set many trends worldwide as far as a zero tolerance on drugs goes. If the United States takes a different route than many other countries would follow.
Teen methamphetamine use is on the decline while marijuana use holds its position and prescription drug abuse remains high reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse in their 2009 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. The NIDA, using researchers from the University of Michigan who were given a grant, covered eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the Monitoring the Future survey. Only 1.2 percent of high school seniors report having had used meth in the last year, methamphetamine was added to the survey in 1999 when it was at 4.7 percent. There has been a 5 percent drop amongst 10th graders, 14 percent of 10th graders used meth in 2009; the drop in percentages can only be attributed to better education about the dangers of meth, it confirms that campaigns against the drug are working. National Institute of Health Director Francis S. Collins M.D., Ph.D said, "we are encouraged by the reduction of methamphetamine use, but we know that each new generation of teens brings unique prevention and education challenges. What makes the Monitoring the Future survey such a valuable public health tool is that it not only helps us identify where our prevention efforts have been successful, it also helps us identify new trends in drug use and attitudes that need more attention".
Reduction in marijuana use amongst teens was dropping steady over the years, but, this year's survey shows that the decline has come to a stop. Not very surprising considering the buzz surrounding the drug/medicine, it is hard to imagine marijuana use dropping among teens when it can be prescribed to them now in certain states. What was surprising is that marijuana abuse by teens is significantly less than it was in the 1990's from its peak in the mid-late 1990's. The amount of teens using marijuana is exactly the same as it was five years ago; at least medical marijuana is not causing a surge in abuse of the drug, a major concern for those against medical marijuana programs. However, the survey did show that the amount of teens who think that marijuana can be harmful is down. The marijuana use numbers for 2009 are, "32.8 percent of 12th graders, 26.7 percent of 10th graders, and 11.8 percent of eighth graders", reports the National Institute of Health (NIH). Use of cocaine decreased to 3.4 percent from 4.4 percent in 2008 among 12th graders, and past year use of hallucinogens also fell among high school seniors to 4.7 percent, down from last year’s 5.9 percent rate and significantly lower than its 2001 peak of 9.1 percent.
The NIH reports that, "perceived harmfulness of LSD, amphetamines, sedatives/barbiturates, heroin and cocaine have all increased among 12th graders, and the perceived availability of many illicit drugs has dropped considerably. For example, 33.9 percent of 12th graders reported this year that it is easy to get powder cocaine, down from 38.9 percent just a year ago. Similarly, 35.1 percent of 12th graders said ecstasy is easy to obtain, compared to 41.9 percent last year". These numbers are, overall, pretty good and there are definitely less teens using certain drugs and they perceive them as harmful. What is concerning is prescription drug use and abuse, such drugs as amphetamines and opiates very easily find their way into the hands of high school students. "Nearly 1 in 10 high school seniors reported past year non-medical use of Vicodin, and 1 in 20 reported abusing Oxycontin, also a powerful opioid painkiller. Non-medical use of these painkillers has increased among 10th graders in the past five years. For the first time this year the survey measured the non-medical use of Adderall, a stimulant commonly prescribed to treat ADHD. The survey reported that more than 5 percent of 10th and 12th graders reported non-medical use of the drug in the past year", according to the NIH.
The numbers for 2009 are certainly interesting and we have to be concerned about certain trends for sure. It does appear that there are reductions in certain drug use that shows that increased drug education is paying off in certain areas. The battle wages on and we only hope to see fewer people's lives adversely affected by drugs. Let us know what you think of the Monitoring the Future survey and this year's findings, we are interested to hear what you have to say about it.
Some police officers, after seeing the lucrative business that the criminals they go after are in, decide that they deserve a piece of the pie; using their connections and authority to bypass the law and have an edge. Officials said Friday that a New York City police officer is being accused of using his badge and police car in a cocaine conspiracy. According to the New York Times, Officer Juan Acosta used the powers of the law to, "help a friend run a cocaine-distribution operation, providing tips on which streets were lightly patrolled by officers and stealing cash from a rival drug courier in the guise of a police seizure, officials said Friday."
Acosta, who joined the police force in 2000, had been helping his friend Yorick Rafael Corneil-Perez, along with others to distribute large quantities of cocaine. According to the United States Attorney's office in Manhattan, this group of individuals was responsible for "multiple kilograms of cocaine" in and around the city. The New York Times reports "The men, both 34 and from the Bronx, have been charged with participating in a cocaine-distribution conspiracy and with conspiring to commit extortion in connection with Officer Acosta’s improper use of his authority".
Officer Acosta helped secure the transportation of drugs throughout the city, he knew which areas were less heavily patrolled thus giving him the upper hand. The two men had agreed to help a drug trafficker from Columbia protect a shipment from Long Island to the Bronx when they were caught. The Colombian was an undercover confidential government informant. This was a big bust for the police and without a doubt helped keep some cocaine of the streets. Acosta was held without bail after pleading not guilty at his arraignment on Friday before Magistrate Judge Kevin N. Fox. Corneil-Perez was held without bail after his arraignment on Thursday.
A shift is happening in the drug trade and new regions are being affected. The United States and Mexico have been working to seal the border in an attempt to keep drugs out. The cartels have begun looking for new markets to harness. South American cocaine is now moving towards West Africa for distribution in Europe and other growing markets. The use of cocaine in the U.S. is dropping but new regions are going to be dramatically effected. "But U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said the shift does not mean the United States can claim a triumph, as the drug trade reaches into and threatens to destabilize new regions", according to Reuters. Kerlikowske does believe that this is not a good thing necessarily; the war is just moving to a new battle ground, the problem still exists.
West Africa has been known for corrupt governments and weak infrastructure. Drugs pouring into these countries are being trafficked through out Europe. The point of Origin for cocaine in the world is South America primarily in Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia. In the last 9 years the United States has given billions of dollars in aid to help stop the flow of cocaine. "We have not stopped the flow we have merely diverted it and the rest of the world is going to suffer. Latin America's drug wars are largely fueled by U.S. demand and Kerlikowske, a former Seattle police chief, is promising a balanced approach with increased emphasis on drug addiction prevention and treatment programs" states Reuters.
As we follow the news on the larger picture of drug trafficking, the drug cartels, and our continuing war on drugs, it is important to stay alert to our own families and friends. Be aware of the signs of drug addiction and alcoholism. The real story is unfolding in front of our eyes.
A new law was passed on Thursday, August, 20, 2009, decriminalizing small amounts of drugs for personal use in Mexico. The drugs that fall under this new act include: marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and even LSD; the only requirement is that the amounts be under a certain weight that has been agreed upon by the Mexican government. According to the Associated Press "Mexican authorities said the change only recognized the longstanding practice here of not prosecuting people caught with small amounts of drugs". If a person is caught with drug amounts falling under the set limit they will be encouraged by authorities to seek treatment; however if caught a third time treatment will then be mandatory even though Mexico has not stated any penalties for noncompliance. Mexico legalizing drug possession raises some very serious questions considering that they are currently in the grips of a serious drug war as we speak. If the government is supposedly trying to stop the cartels from producing and distributing drugs, it seems counterproductive that they would legalize the cartels main source of income.
The new drug law went into effect on Friday, August 21, 2009, and will set "the maximum amount of marijuana considered to be for “personal use” under the new law at 5 grams — the equivalent of about four marijuana cigarettes. Other limits are half a gram of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams for methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams of LSD". It took several months before before President Felipe Calderón would approve this new law. What kind of message is he trying to send to the world by doing this? A mixed message certainly, and one that can only have a devastating effect on Mexicans as well as Americans who travel to Mexico. If they could not enforce laws before they became legal how do they propose to do it after the fact? There is no way that this new law that sets limits on the amount one can be caught with will have any sway on the mind of a drug addict.
President Obama pledged in his campaign to abolish the disparity between penalties for powder and crack cocaine. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress now agree that crack sentencing rules need to be altered; and this may be the year that ball starts rolling in Congress. The idea that powder cocaine is safer than crack cocaine is a simply wrong, since 1986 the "100-to-1" drug ratio rule has been in place. This rule has been responsible for judges dealing extreme sentences for over 20 years, no second chances or opportunities for those convicted of selling or possession of crack. Unfair is the only word that can be used for the disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Naturally, drug dealers should serve time for their actions, but, the 100-to-1 rule is unjust and needs to be reformed as soon as possible.
According to Time.com "the mechanism is known as the "100-to-1 drug ratio," which gives crack cocaine 100 times the weight of powder cocaine. Under the ratio, a person convicted of selling five grams of crack — about the weight of a teaspoon of salt — triggers the same five-year mandatory minimum sentence as a person convicted of selling 500 grams of powder cocaine, roughly the weight of a loaf of bread. Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer believes that something needs to be done about the unfairness in the Judicial system. "The criminal-justice system must be fair, and it must be perceived as being fair," Breuer says. "The 100-to-1 ratio between crack and powder is perhaps the single worst symbol of unfairness in the system. There really is no longer any basis for it." Reforming punishment is something that has been long overdue and it is great that people are wising up to the fact that there should not be discrepancies in punishment between cocaine powder and crack cocaine.
There is another aspect of this story that needs to be addressed regarding the Department of Justice not taking a position on retroactivity, but, Breuer says the issue is "being looked at hard". Doing away with the "100-to-1" rule would be a great move in making a fairer justice system; however, if the retroactive sentencing is not granted it would leave a lot of people already serving lengthy sentences in the same position. Mary Price, vice president and general counsel of Families Against Mandatory Minimums said "it would be cruelly ironic not to make that change available to the very people whose cases led our lawmakers to make this decision".
If old laws are smashed and new laws are formed, those new laws should trickle down to everyone regardless of when they were sentenced. The "100-to-1" rule was not fair to begin with and getting rid of it would lose its value if retroactivity is not a concern when passing new laws. If the justice system is only fair for some people then it is not fair for anyone and that is unacceptable; exceptions and exclusions should not have a place in the Judicial system with regard to people that were punished for the same crime but given different sentences. Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based reform group, asks: "If we've been doing something that's unfair for 23 years now, don't we have an obligation to address that unfairness?"
Literally, "Red Bull Gives You Wings"! Officials at the Center for Food Safety said a laboratory analysis found tiny amounts of the illegal drug Cocaine in samples of "Red Bull Cola", "Red Bull Sugar-free" and "Red Bull Energy Drink", a spokesman said. The traces were between 0.1 and 0.3 micrograms of the illegal drug per liter.
Energy drinks have always raised a lot of controversy in the Drug and Alcohol recovery field. People attempting to better their lives and recover from years of addiction have been cautioned by doctors about drinking energy drinks for some time now. Red Bull, whose advertising slogan is "Red Bull gives you wings", was founded by an Austrian toothpaste salesman Dietrich Mateschitz in the 1980s. Energy drinks affect many of the same receptors in the brain as cocaine and methamphetamine. It makes sense for people in recovery to stay as far away from things like energy drinks that have the ability to trick your brain into thinking it is getting high.
Hong Kong Officials found traces of cocaine in cans of Red Bull, a few days after Taiwanese authorities confiscated close to 18,000 cases of the popular energy drink. The drink has now been taken off the shelves of major supermarkets, the spokesman said in a statement issued late Monday. He added the amount of cocaine found in the drinks posed little health danger. This may not matter to people who have never struggled with addiction, but to those who have, this should raise a lot of concerns and should be all you need to know; just because Red Bull does not contain enough cocaine to get you high, doesn't mean that it will not stimulate your brain in negative ways. The question then, is drinking Red Bull or energy drinks of any kind worth it?
