Cocaine production killing Colombia's rainforests

Cocaine production killing Colombia's rainforests: "Researchers have found that coca cultivation is associated with high rates of forest loss, at least in the southern forests of Colombia. According to a new paper just published in Environmental Science and Technology, areas near new coca plots are significantly more likely to suffer from forest loss. Politicians, environmental groups, and others have long attributed deforestation to coca production. But these researchers are the first to quantity the effect of coca cultivation while controlling for other factors."

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Dangerous, But Legal “Bath Salts” Are Like Cocaine and Methamphetamine

Dangerous, But Legal “Bath Salts” Are Like Cocaine and Methamphetamine | AccessRx.com Current Health News Blog Online: "There’s a new, disturbing trend among those who like to experiment with the latest, legal way to get high. Powders known as “bath salts” are causing hundreds of calls to Poison Control Centers across the U.S. The bath salts are said to be as powerful as abusing methamphetamine or cocaine.

Three weeks ago, the state of Louisiana outlawed, by emergency order, the main active components of bath salts – mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV. This act was performed by Gov. Bobby Jindal after Louisiana Poison Control Centers received 125 calls regarding the abuse of bath salts between October and December of 2010. Louisiana authorities linked two suicides to bath salts.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the ingredients of bath salts are not those that would commonly be used in baths. In fact, the substances are sold under various brand names, most of which sound anything like a relaxing soak, including White Lightning, Cloud 9 and Hurricane Charlie."

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DJK pleads guilty to marijuana possession -

DJK pleads guilty to marijuana possession - FoxNews.com: "Former Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and other drug charges against him have been dismissed.

Johnson-Koulianos was granted a deferred judgment Monday. He received a year's probation and was fined $315.

Johnson-Koulianos had also been charged with unlawful possession of cocaine and prescription drugs. If Johnson-Koulianos successfully completes his probation the charge will be expunged from his record."

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Lady Gaga Admits “Trauma” Due to Cocaine and... | Gather

Lady Gaga Admits “Trauma” Due to Cocaine and... | Gather: "Lady Gaga has admitted to author Neil Strauss that she suffered from “trauma” because when she was younger, she’d abused cocaine and alcohol. The eccentric singer was very straightforward with Neil about her past escapades during their interview together.

Strauss, though, should be the one truly credited with being able to draw the deep dark secrets out of celebrities. His book, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artist is a how-to for men to get women. Neil has stated before that he uses the very methods he writes about in his book to get major celebrities to open up to him.

What was Neil about to get Lady Gaga to say? Well, she stated, 'All of the trauma I caused to myself... There are some things that are so traumatic, I don't even fully remember them.'"

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Actor Keith Fleming took cocaine into music festival

Actor Keith Fleming took cocaine into music festival: "One of Scotland's leading actors has admitted smuggling cocaine into the T in the Park music festival last year.

Black Watch star Keith Fleming admitted buying a gram of the Class A drug from a stranger in an Edinburgh pub.

The 38-year-old actor was caught by a sniffer dog at the festival with the cocaine hidden inside a plastic bullet.

Fleming, from Glasgow, was fined £135 by Perth Sheriff Court. He could also be banned from giving acting workshops to children.

The court heard the government-backed Black Watch production had become a positive international advert for Scotland and that Fleming had shamed the nation.

Solicitor Marco Guarino, defending, said his client was 'one of Scotland's finest actors'."

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Iran confirms Bahrami death sentence

Iran confirms Bahrami death sentence | Radio Netherlands Worldwide: "The Iran government has confirmed that the Dutch-Iranian woman Zahra Bahrami has been sentenced to death. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry made an official announcement over the weekend. Insiders say it is unusual for the death penalty to be announced in advance.

Iranian Human rights activist Sadegh Naghaskar told Radio Netherlands Worldwide on Monday that the death sentence was referred to in an interview with the state news agency Irna. The Dutch Foreign Ministry has confirmed this to RNW.

Pressure
Naghaskar is concerned about the fate of the 45-year-old woman who was found guilty of possessing cocaine. 'In principle she could be executed any moment now, but it could just as easily be several months.' He says she has been transferred to an isolation wing of the prison known as 'Methadone'. This houses a number of political prisoners accused of possessing drugs.

Speaking from Tehran, Bahrami's daughter Banafsheh Najebpour told RNW of her fears about her mother. Her only hope is that the Dutch government is prepared to put pressure on Iran. Officially, an appeal against the conviction still has to be heard."

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Malaysian police detain Iranians, seize drugs they face the mandatory death sentence by hanging.

Malaysian police detain Iranians, seize drugs - Monsters and Critics: "Malaysian police arrested two Iranian men and seized almost 5 million dollars worth of drugs in the capital Kuala Lumpur, a media report said Tuesday.
Anti-narcotics police raided an apartment in the city on Monday, and discovered 60 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at 15 million ringgit (4.7 million dollars), the Star newspaper reported.
Two Iranian nationals in their 30s were arrested in the raid.
If found guilty of drug trafficking, they face the mandatory death sentence by hanging.
Malaysian police detained 138 Iranians last year on suspicion of drug trafficking, a sharp increase from 16 the year before.
Every year, authorities report an increasing number of drug smugglers using the country as a transit point."

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Heroin Rehab Takes A Look At The New OxyContin | Heroin Addiction | Heroin Rehab | Narconon Arrowhead

Heroin Rehab Takes A Look At The New OxyContin | Heroin Addiction | Heroin Rehab | Narconon Arrowhead: "While the new OxyContin pill may be more difficult to abuse, the change may lead to a spike in heroin abuse and an increased need for an effective opiate rehab, says one heroin rehab center.

In the past few years, the headlines have been filled with the latest actor, comedian, musician, or athlete who has overdosed on some sort of prescription medication. One of the most commonly abused of these drugs is the painkiller, OxyContin. The addictive quality of OxyContin has resulted in over 1,000 lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, the creator of the drug.

In May 2007 the company pled guilty to misleading the public and physicians about OxyContin’s risk of addiction, and agreed to pay $600 million.

Although OxyContin was designed to be ingested orally and digested over a 12 hour period, drug abusers learned that by crushing or liquefying the pill they could snort or inject the substance, giving them a euphoric high, similar to that of heroin.

As a result, Purdue Pharma LP has designed a new OxyContin pill which is harder to crush and more difficult to dissolve. In April 2010, The Food and Drug Administration approved the new OxyContin OP (OxyContin Purdue) pill and have discontinued the production and sale of the OxyContin OC (OxyContin Continuous) pill."

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HOUSTON BUSINESS OWNER SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING - TheCypressTimes

HOUSTON BUSINESS OWNER SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING - TheCypressTimes: "A Guatemalan man was sentenced on Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison without parole for trafficking heroin into the United States from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno, Southern District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle sentenced Linares-Soberanis to 360 months in federal prison for conspiracy to import 17.8 kilograms (39 pounds) of heroin into the United States from Mexico and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the heroin. Prior to trial, Linares-Sobernais also pleaded guilty to a third count alleged in the indictment: an alien in possessing a firearm. Judge Tagle ordered that each of the first two counts and 120 months on the third count will run concurrently in addition to a five-year-term of supervised released followed by his sentence. He will was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine."

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Millionaire among gang of six jailed over heroin plot

Millionaire among gang of six jailed over heroin plot - Herald Scotland | News | Home News: "A gang which included a millionaire businessman has been jailed for a total 26 years after a police operation uncovered a plan to flood the streets of a Scottish city with heroin.

Six men appeared for sent-encing yesterday after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last month.

They included Stephen Donald, 54, who has extensive business interests in property and publishing. He had no previous convictions.

The court had heard that Donald helped arrange a clandestine meeting in a lay-by where heroin worth £24,350 was passed between two other men, Andrew Sellars and convicted murderer George Brodie.

They were involved with three other men in obtaining large quantities of heroin from Glasgow for supply on the streets of Dundee, the court was told.

In total, police recovered 1.25 kilos of heroin with a street value of £118,000 and £19,000 in cash following Operation Archangel, in which the gang were kept under surveillance for five weeks"

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Killer Heroin Hits Vancouver: 2 Dead After Taking Deadly Heroin | NowPublic News Coverage

Killer Heroin Hits Vancouver: 2 Dead After Taking Deadly Heroin | NowPublic News Coverage: "The Vancouver Police department is warning Vancouver drug users about an apparent deadly strain of heroin in circulation, after two Vancouver drug users died.

A Vancouver police media release says, 'two people have already died from what police fear is potentially fatal heroin in circulation. Two women, one 19 years old and one 26 years old, both died of possible heroin overdoses. In a third case, a man had injected heroin, but it was cut with an unknown substance and caused very serious side-effects.'

Police are not releasing the names of the dead but say Vancouver drug users should be extra-cautious and use the needle exchange service, INSITE.

The VPD media release goes on to say,'In response to these recent incidents, the VPD has advised a number of local agencies, including INSITE, Vancouver Coastal Health, local police agencies, the B.C. Ambulance Service, and other community partners."

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Hong Kong seizes $39M in cocaine on ship container - World news - Asia-Pacific - China - msnbc.com

Hong Kong seizes $39M in cocaine on ship container - World news - Asia-Pacific - China - msnbc.com: "Hong Kong customs officials say they have seized $39 million worth of cocaine from a freight container that was being shipped to mainland China.
Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department said in a statement Wednesday the 290-kilogram (640 pounds) haul was hidden inside 88 wood planks.
The container was declared as containing 'wood working products.' The container was shipped from Chile but it wasn't known if the drugs were as well.
The stash was found by X-rays and sniffer dogs after the container was detained last month.
Customs officials are still investigating and have not made any arrests."

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Oz taxpayers’ money funding guide to snorting cocaine, other party drugs | World News

Oz taxpayers’ money funding guide to snorting cocaine, other party drugs | World News: "The Australian taxpayers’ money is being used to fund a guide on ways to inject, snort, and swallow cocaine and other party drugs.

The guide, however, is being released under the guise of AIDS prevention.

The guide titled ‘Routes of Administration’, is being published by the former AIDS Council of NSW, now known as ACON, which was set up to promote health and reduce HIV transmission in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, reports News.com.au.

The document, available at ACON’s offices and via the Internet, includes tips such as: finely chop powdered drugs before inhaling, alternate nostrils and rinse nostrils after snorting – using common house and office utensils.

Warning readers not to mix up their utensils with those of other people, the guide advises: “Using post-it notes with your name on is an easy way to keep track of your own equipment.”

What is the justification for such a guide you ask? They say Hepatitis C can be passed on from sharing equipment.

However, the guide doesn’t have many takers. Gay activist Gary Burns, most widely known as the man who sued radio broadcaster John Laws for vilification against homosexuals, believes that the guide is “dangerous”."

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Suspect likely to go free after police mistakenly burn huge stash of heroin | Anonymous | Dim Bulb | San Francisco Examiner

Suspect likely to go free after police mistakenly burn huge stash of heroin | Anonymous | Dim Bulb | San Francisco Examiner: "Federal drug charges against a Pittsburgh woman are close to being thrown out because local police mistakenly burned the evidence — more than 14,000 stamp bags of heroin. Pittsburgh law enforcement wrongly thought the case had been closed, while in fact it was taken over by federal prosecutors. The defense for Tiona Jones, 31, hinges on whether or not the search of her purse during a traffic stop was legal."

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Alexis Neiers Pleads Not Guilty after Heroin Arrest | TMZ.com

Alexis Neiers Pleads Not Guilty after Heroin Arrest | TMZ.com: "Former 'Pretty Wild' star Alexis Neiers just pled not guilty to two charges stemming from her arrest last December -- when cops searched her house and discovered black tar heroin."

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Cocaine vaccine offers hope to addicts - CTV News

CTV Edmonton - Cocaine vaccine offers hope to addicts - CTV News: "vaccine shown to block cocaine from entering the brains of drug-addicted mice could offer hope to human addicts struggling to kick their habit.

Addiction medicine specialists have long been limited in their ability to help cocaine addicts because there is no effective medication specifically created for cocaine dependency. Addicts are typically treated instead with behavioral therapies and 12-step programs.

This vaccine goes at the problem from a different perspective: by tapping into the body's own immune system.

The vaccine is combination of a common cold virus and particles of substance that mimics the molecular composition of cocaine.

In a study released this week, researchers found that mice given the vaccine appear to mount an effective antibody immune response that helps their bodies stop cocaine from actually reaching the brain.

If the vaccine works as well in people as it does in mice, it could become the first treatment of its kind to help cocaine addicts -- and perhaps one day, heroin, alcohol and even nicotine addicts as well."

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