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The Truth About Cocaine
This video explores and documents the dramatic effect that cocaine does in your body, mind and behaviour after long-term use.
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U.S. ranks #1 in consumption of pot, cocaine, smokes
Just in time for the Olympics, the U.S. takes the gold medal in several drug use categories, according to a recent WHO report.
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2 Miami-Dade Officers Charged in Cocaine Ring
Two Miami-Dade police officers were among 20 people arrested Wednesday, accused of operating a cocaine ring in Miami's Liberty City.
Officer Michael King, 42, is a 19-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department who worked as a patrolman in the county's northside district. Officer Antonio Roberts is a 27-year veteran of the department.
Federal prosecutors allege that King and Roberts conspired with a ring of drug dealers operating in Liberty City, using their positions and knowledge of police operations to help the ring sell and distribute powder and crack cocaine.
Another one of the men accused is Marvin Coney, a former Miami-Dade County jail guard.
Prosecutors name the ringleader as Ricardo Munoz.
They said between February and April, the officers would tip off members of the drug gang to warn them where and when police activity was planned.
During an incident April 2, prosecutors described how King warned Coney to shut down business because of an operation being conducted by the Miami-Dade Police Department's tactical narcotics team in the area.
"Officer King actually held up the phone to the police radio so defendant Coney could hear the dispatch calls related to the tactical narcotics team operations," said Alex Acosta, United States attorney for the southern district of Florida.
"In 27 years of policing, you essentially get to know almost everybody in the department," said Miami-Dade police Director Robert Parker, who personally knows both accused officers. "That's a conscious, deliberate thought and decision to turn on those individuals."
Some of the 19 people facing a 17-count federal indictment also face state charges including drug, gambling and organized crime offenses. Both police officers face federal and state charges.
According to arrest documents, agents used wiretapping to document King accepting bets on basketball games. They said he dispersed hundreds of dollars in winnings to his clients from inside his patrol car, working for Munoz. Two Miami-Dade police officers were among 20 people arrested Wednesday, accused of operating a cocaine ring in Miami's Liberty City. ... more -
26th Parallel: Video: Miami in the Early 80s
I received this interesting and very disturbing video below via e-mail several days. The 6+ minute video looks back at the crime wave which hit Miami in the late 70s and early 80s, right around the time of the infamous Time Magazine article "Paradise Lost". A central theme of the video is the supposed role played by Colombian drug traffickers and people who came to Miami via the Mariel boatlift of 1980 in the sharp increase in homicides during that era.
A little context: the video was posted by a group called Immigration Control Florida (ICF), whose opening paragraph on their website states:
ImmigrationControlFlorida.com / ICF requests that Americans join our group to support our stated goals to save America. Our group worked to stop the 125,000 Mariel Cuban refugees that illegally invaded Miami-Dade County that destroyed Miami with 50,000 murderers, psychopaths, criminals, criminally insane, hitmen, drug pushers, and enforcers making "Miami the murder capital of the world" with 615 murders in only 1 year with so many bodies that the Miami Medical Examiner had to rent a refrigerated truck to store the excess bodies at a cost of $150 million in 1 year making "Miami a 3rd World Country" ! (U.S.News & World Report -Jan.16, 1984 - page 29).
Let me make something totally clear: I am against illegal immigration, but ICF doesn't even try to conceal their disdain for any immigrant group, in particular Cubans from Mariel. Yes, there were criminals mixed in with regular folks who came over via Mariel. Yes, there was a strain on the services the Miami community could provide, but I don't know where and how ICF got the "50,000" number they use to slime an entire community. As we know, the collective group from Mariel has turned out to be yet another in the long tradition of Cuban-American success stories, despite the initial shock of Miami having to absorb 125,000 new arrivals in Miami in only a few short months.
In short, ICF sounds like nothing more than a bunch of bigots and racists who give reasonable folks' objections to illegal immigration a bad name (as well as provide unnecessary fodder to those who feel naturally inclined to bash anything resembling securing borders).
Some of the quotes in the video are quite over-the-top and no doubt representative of the ethnic conflict which gripped Miami during that time. Riots in Liberty City in 1980, Mariel a few months later, passing of "English Only" ordinances in Miami, huge law enforcement scandals. It was a pretty turbulent time. For those of you who weren't here during that time, it's worth your time to view the video below. For those of you who feel that Miami and South Florida are currently living through bad times never seen before, the video offers some much needed perspective.
H/T Rubio for the video.
(Note: make sure to identify the journalists in the video. It's a who's-who of local and national personalities). I received this interesting and very disturbing video below via e-mail several days. The 6+ minute video looks back at the crime wave ... more -
Company Needs 19 Cocaine Addicts
A local company testing a drug to help curb cocaine addicts' cravings hopes to wrap up the trial by the end of the year.
The company, Embera NeuroTherapeutics, still needs 19 cocaine addicts to undergo the six-week trial. Twenty-six are in the trial or have finished it. Participants get a placebo or a combination drug consisting of a tranquilizer and a stress hormone blocker. The drug, named EMB-001 by developer Dr. Nick Goeders, is based on his 25 years of research into addiction at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. Goeders founded Embera to try to bring EMB-001 to market.
A 2006 national drug use survey estimated that 1.7 million Americans could be classified as dependent on cocaine or abusers of the drug. Experts say there's an 80 percent relapse rate following 12-step programs.
Goeders also notes most substance abuse treatments mimic the effect of the substance — like methadone for heroin addicts — or make using the substance unpleasant, like antibuse prescribed for alcoholics.
He said EMB-001 aims to break the addiction cycle by allowing an addict to control the mechanism underlying relapses.
Ads and fliers about the drug trial yielded about 100 phone calls from people interested in participating.
Administrators conducting the study at LSU Health Sciences Center screened more than 40 people.
Some had multiple addictions and were ruled out. People already in a treatment program weren't eligible to participate, so researchers couldn't recruit from rehabilitation centers. Some addicts started participating but dropped out, said Stephanie Casso, an Embera spokesman.
"This is something new for this area. People know about clinical trials for cancer treatments, but I'm not sure they understand what this is about," Casso said.
Lab results from addicts already in the trial sit in a locked filing cabinet in Casso's office. The information goes to a statistician in Chicago, who will compile results once 45 people complete the trial.
"This has really been hard for me. I'm used to looking at lab results every day," Goeders said.
The trial is an exploratory study. If the results show that EMB-001 helps cocaine addicts control their cravings and avoid relapse, Embera is in a better position to seek money for other trials, Casso said.
Goeders wants to test the drug's effectiveness on cravings related to other forms of addiction. Although addictive substances and stress triggers vary, he said the body's response to stress-induced cravings is the same in any situation.
If the results don't support Goeder's theory, the company may change the proportion of drugs or other variables and conduct another trial, Casso said.
A local company testing a drug to help curb cocaine addicts' cravings hopes to wrap up the trial by the end of the year. ... more -
Defeating Addiction
The world is full of addicts. They're everywhere. The old way of dealing with addiction was to throw the addict in jail and forget about them. In the modern world it's time we consider the more peaceful alternative which is treatment. 30-60-90 days can change a lifetime of bad behavior. At a cost that is far less then housing non-violent drug users in jails for years.
When he was just 10 years old, Don L. Sutton lived in a rundown house on 17th and Felix. At that age, his mother walked out on his family and he was being sexually molested frequently by another family member. He would have his first drink of alcohol five years later. It would be 22 years before he kicked his many addictions that all started with that first drink.
In Mr. Sutton’s new book, “Understanding Meth: The Epidemic,” he writes about his life as first an alcoholic, then a drug addict and drug dealer. He also describes his first use of meth and how it stemmed from that first drink he took at 15 years old.
“My whole life of alcoholism and drug addiction, all I continually did was try to get that higher high,” Mr. Sutton explains. “I went from alcohol to marijuana, from marijuana to cocaine, cocaine to heroin, heroin to LSD, LSD to meth.”
As his chase for the “higher high” continued, his life spiralled out of control. Soon, his addictions were a detriment to his family as both of his children suffered abuse and developed their own drug addictions.
In 1985, the Sutton family moved from St. Joseph to Portland, Ore. It was in Portland that he failed at attempting suicide in August 1987. After this experience, Mr. Sutton realized how insignificant his life was as an addict and the impact he had on those he loved. He decided he needed help right then and there.
“I was really sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Mr. Sutton says.
He checked into treatment for 33 days and now he has been clean and sober for 21 years.
His troubled life inspired him to write his book which has been featured on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and is part of Oprah’s Book Club. He plans on touring the country this year and giving every governor of every state a copy of his book. “Understanding Meth: The Epidemic” is his way of trying to spare people from the life he had.
“This book may not stop this epidemic, but if it saves on life it will be worth my time and effort. I’m not out to save the world. I’m out to save one person,” Mr. Sutton says.
He will be signing copies of his book tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Grace Evangelical Church in St. Joseph. For more information on the signing, call 279-2090. For more on Mr. Sutton’s book, visit www.understandingmeth.com. For more on meth prevention, visit www.saynotometh.com.
Do you have any experiences with addiction, or a friend or family member who has been successfully treated for addiction. Please comment below and let others know your point of view The world is full of addicts. They're everywhere. The old way of dealing with addiction was to throw the addict in jail and forget abo... more -
Cocaine-packed homemade submarine seized in Mexico
Mexico's navy seized a homemade submarine carrying a drug shipment off the Pacific coast on Wednesday and arrested its four-man crew.
Similar vessels carrying cocaine have been discovered off Colombia and Central America, but navy spokesman Capt. Benjamin Mar said the seizure is a first for Mexico.
The 30-foot makeshift submarine was detected heading north about 200 miles off the southern state of Oaxaca, Mar said.
The green-topped, arrowhead-shaped vessel was intercepted when it surfaced hours later, and the crew was taken into custody without resistance.
The suspects were flown by helicopter to the city of Huatulco, where they told reporters they left the Colombian coastal town of Buenaventura a week ago.
The crew members said they were fishermen forced to make the journey by drug traffickers who threatened to harm their families.
Mexico's navy seized a homemade submarine carrying a drug shipment off the Pacific coast on Wednesday and arrested its four-man crew. ... more -
Barenaked Ladies Frontman Arrested For Cocain Possesion
Police in Syracuse, N.Y., said Page was arrested Friday along with two American women after police noticed something suspicious in an apartment in the village of Fayette.
"As [the officers] approached the apartment they saw people in the window sitting at a table and it looked like they were engaged in something. There was a white capsule and a white powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine." said Capt. Bill Bleyle with the Manlius Police Department in New York State.
Page, 38, is charged with possession of a controlled substance. Police said Page was released on $10,000 bail.
Bleyle said a further search of the apartment turned up more cocaine and some marijuana. However he said the charges in connection with Page only related to the cocaine.
Page's manager, Terry McBride, said he cannot comment while the matter is before the courts, but added he's confident his client will be cleared of all charges. Until then, said McBride, it's "business as usual for the Barenaked Ladies."
The band recently released the album Snacktime, its first collection of original children's songs.
Page is scheduled to appear in court July 17.
Police in Syracuse, N.Y., said Page was arrested Friday along with two American women after police noticed something suspicious in an ... more -
Drug stash found in US police car
An undercover officer in Dallas discovered nearly 50lb (22kg) of the drug as he was cleaning the car his squad had been using for two months.
Read more... An undercover officer in Dallas discovered nearly 50lb (22kg) of the drug as he was cleaning the car his squad had been using for two ... more -
Police find $400,000 of cocaine in cop car
DALLAS - Police didn't have to go far to find $400,000 worth of cocaine — it was in an undercover car they'd been driving for two months.
An officer cleaning the car at a patrol station Wednesday discovered the nearly 50 pounds of cocaine carefully hidden in hydraulically controlled compartments.
"These compartments have recently been more and more popular with drug operations," said Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, commander of the narcotics division.
DALLAS - Police didn't have to go far to find $400,000 worth of cocaine — it was in an undercover car they'd been driving for two mont... more -
World Health Organization documents failure of US drug policies
The release of this article is telling. Many of the United States news organizations are spinning the data in the report to say that drug use is up across the world. The truth that is revealed in the article is simple. Countries with the strictest drug laws are also the countries with the highest drug use. Those countries with more tolerant drug laws show astonishingly lower rates of drug use.
"The numbers are startling. In the United States, 42.4 percent admitted having used marijuana. The only other nation that came close was New Zealand, another bastion of get-tough policies, at 41.9 percent. No one else was even close. The results for cocaine use were similar, with the United States leading the world by a large margin."
Our government officials are trying to play the report off by discrediting the World Health Organization.
Bloomberg News reported:
"The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy tried to dismiss the study.
Trying to find a link between drug use and drug enforcement doesn't make sense, said Tom Riley, spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington. "The U.S. has high crime rates but we spend a lot on law enforcement and prison,'' Riley said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Should we spend less? We're just a different kind of country. We have higher drug use rates, a higher crime rate, many things that go with a highly free and mobile society."
It's about time Americans and the rest of the world wise up. Adults are smart. They can and should be allowed to pick and choose what they do with their lives and bodies. The things they consume and activities pursued in the privacy of the home are beyond the reach of law or government. The release of this article is telling. Many of the United States news organizations are spinning the data in the report to say that d... more -
WHO results on drug use internationally - surprising, non?
A few choices excerpts:
"This study is important because it's the first time a respected international group has surveyed drug use around the world, using the same questions and procedure everywhere.
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Some of the most striking numbers are from the Netherlands, where adults are permitted to possess a small of marijuana and purchase it from regulated businesses. Some U.S. officials have claimed that these Dutch policies have created some sort of decadent cesspool of drug abuse, but the new study demolishes such assertions: In the Netherlands, only 19.8 percent have used marijuana, less than half the U.S. figure.
Even more striking is what the researchers found when they asked young adults when they had started using marijuana. Again, the United States led the world, with 20.2 percent trying marijuana by age 15. No other country was even close, and in the Netherlands, just 7 percent used marijuana by 15 -- roughly one-third of the U.S. figure." A few choices excerpts: ... more -
Prince William's ship in £40m drugs raid
Prince William was involved in a drug raid yesterday when his ship, the Iron Duke, seized a large amount of cocaine in the Atlantic, north-east of Barbados.
He was flying in the frigate's Lynx helicopter, which was alerted by intelligence to look out for an ocean-going speedboat suspected of smuggling drugs to west Africa or Europe. US coastguard officers on board the British frigate boarded the speedboat and seized 900kg (about 2,000lb) of cocaine with a minimum street value of £40m, according to the Ministry of Defence. The boat, believed to have begun its voyage in the Caribbean, stopped when ordered to do so and its crew was detained by the coastguards.
The prince was one of six navy personnel on the Lynx when the boat was spotted, the MoD said. Other crew included a sniper and a pilot.
William, a future head of the armed forces, joined the Iron Duke on June 24 as part of a secondment to the navy. Though he joined the Household Cavalry, like Prince Harry, it was considered too great a risk to the heir to the throne - and fellow soldiers - to send him to Afghanistan. William was also awarded his "wings" after a four-month spell in the RAF.
The Iron Duke's mission includes intercepting drug smugglers and assisting with disaster relief in the event of a hurricane striking the Caribbean region.
The ship's commander, Mark Newland, said: "This is a fantastic start to HMS Iron Duke's north Atlantic deployment. To have had a direct impact on the flow of cocaine into Europe just four days after we arrived in theatre shows the benefit the Royal Navy can have in the area of maritime security and counter-drug operations."
Prince William was involved in a drug raid yesterday when his ship, the Iron Duke, seized a large amount of cocaine in the Atlantic, n... more -
Prince William helps bust $80 million worth of cocaine
Prince William serving in the Royal Navy helped the US Coast Guard bust a drug smuggling boat carrying nearly a ton of cocaine. It's reported he spotted the speed boat off the coast of Barbados. "Sub lieutenant Wales" (that's what they call him) is in the middle of a two-month stint with the navy as part of his continued experience with the military. Prince William serving in the Royal Navy helped the US Coast Guard bust a drug smuggling boat carrying nearly a ton of cocaine. It's r... more
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Americans are world's top drug users despite harsh drug laws
Americans are the world's top consumers of cannabis and cocaine despite punitive US drug laws, according to an international study published in the online scientific magazine PLoS Medicine.
The study, released Monday, revealed that 16.2 percent of Americans had tried cocaine at least once, and 42.4 percent had used marijuana.
In second-place New Zealand, just 4.3 percent of study participants had used cocaine, and 41.9 percent marijuana.
The research was conducted at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, based on World Health Organization data from 54,068 people in 17 countries.
Rates of participation differed from country to country, and researchers noted uncertainty over how honestly people report their own drug use.
"Nevertheless, the findings present comprehensive data on the patterns of drug use from national samples representing all regions of the world," a PLoS statement said.
A vast majority of survey participants from the United States, Europe, Japan and New Zealand had consumed alcohol, compared to smaller percentages from the Middle East, Africa and China.
The data also revealed socioeconomic patterns in drug use. Single young adult men with high income had the greatest tendency to regularly use drugs.
Drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy," the researchers wrote, "since countries with more stringent policies toward illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies."
In the Netherlands, where drug policy is more liberal than the United States, 1.9 percent of survey participants said they had used cocaine and 19.8 percent marijuana.
Twelve US 12 states including California permit medical use of marijuana, but possession and use remains prohibited under federal law.
And despite the US government's massive anti-drug efforts, the United States remains the world's top drug market, one amply supplied by South American cartels.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency has observed ever larger quantities of illegal drugs pouring into the country.
"We are seizing greater quantities of illegal drugs than ever before," said a DEA statement last week.
In 2007, agents seized 41 metric tons of cocaine in just two raids, and denied drug traffickers record-breaking revenue of 3.5 billion dollars for the year, it said.
Americans are the world's top consumers of cannabis and cocaine despite punitive US drug laws, according to an international study pub... more -
God accused of selling cocaine near Tampa church
(06-23) 18:30 PDT Tampa, Fla. (AP) --
Police say a man named God was arrested near a Tampa church for selling cocaine. Authorities began investigating God Lucky Howard in April, and he was arrested on Saturday. Police say he sold the cocaine to undercover detectives in his neighborhood. When officers searched his home, they reported finding another 22 grams of cocaine and a scale.
Jail records show Howard was charged with several counts drug possession and distribution, which include increased charges for being within 1,000 feet of a church, a school and public housing.
He was being held on a bond of $86,500.
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Information from: WFTS-TV, www.wfts.com/ (06-23) 18:30 PDT Tampa, Fla. (AP) -- ... more -
My Cocaine Nightmare
An observational documentary about Gavin whose social drinking and drug use has spiraled out of control and cost him his family. We follow him on his journey as he vows to get clean before his 31st birthday - but are his fun-loving friends going to get in the way if his recovery. An observational documentary about Gavin whose social drinking and drug use has spiraled out of control and cost him his family. We fo... more
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British woman caught smuggling 1kg of cocaine stashed under her wig
A British woman who allegedly hid cocaine under her wig has been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling in Norway.
An airport customs officer noticed the 32-year-old had 'a lot of hair'.
Closer examination revealed a one kilogram (2.2lb) bag of cocaine glued to her head under a hairpiece.
The Verdens Gang newspaper said the drug was glued so firmly to the woman's real hair that police had to take her to hospital to have it removed.
A spokesman for Norway's customs service said: 'During a conversation with the woman, a customs official noticed she had a lot of hair and thought she was wearing a wig.
'The woman and the drugs were later handed to police.'
A British woman who allegedly hid cocaine under her wig has been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling in Norway. ... more -
'I Love Blow' energy drink offensive to many
A new energy drink is causing a lot of controversy, and the name alone is sure to grab your attention.
It's called "I Love Blow," named after the well-known street name for cocaine. The obvious question here - is this something that should be banned, or is it simply something to laugh about? A new energy drink is causing a lot of controversy, and the name alone is sure to grab your attention. ... more
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