http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/drugs/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:10:00 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417684/posts Most cocaine coming into the United States has been diluted with a veterinary drug that is used to deworm horses and other animals but can cause severe illness and death in humans, public health experts say. So far, eight cases of illness caused by the drug levamisole have been identified in San Francisco, one of a handful of cities in the country where pockets of sickness caused by the drug have been found. All of the cases in San Francisco involved women who used either crack or powder cocaine. At San Francisco General Hospital, where the first cases of the... SF Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417684/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:10:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416291/posts CHICAGO (Reuters) - A study of internal company documents suggests Pfizer Inc altered or omitted unfavorable study findings to expand its epilepsy drug Neurontin's market, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday, offering a look at how drugmakers influence scientific research. ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416291/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:55:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416244/posts A Border Patrol agent was shot in the ankle Sunday evening south of Tucson, officials said. The shooting happened at about 5:30 p.m. near Rio Rico in the Ramanote Canyon area, said Omar Candelaria, a Border Patrol spokesman. The agent suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by helicopter to University Medical Center in Tucson. The agent's condition was not immediately known. Arizona Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416244/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:50:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415875/posts If you research the lifestyle of a great percentage of the Yemenize people, you will see promptly a normal activity is go chew "qat" (cat) every afternoon enmasse. This has an aphetamine type effect on the chewer and it is known to have a variety of disabling diseases, such as heart disease. Some drink alcohol with it. It's perfectly legal in their country. That may be why the first "terrorist" was so unemotional during the flight. As long as these people have easy access to all kinds of drugs and use them repeatedly, how can we expect to bring any... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415875/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:14:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413365/posts MEXICO CITY – Assailants on Tuesday gunned down the mother, aunt and siblings of a marine killed in a raid that took out one of Mexico's most powerful cartel leaders — sending a chilling message to troops battling the drug war: You go after us, we wipe out your families. The brazen pre-dawn slayings came just hours after the navy honored Melquisedet Angulo as a national hero at a memorial service. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413365/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:22:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412528/posts LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles coroners will perform an autopsy on Monday on actress Brittany Murphy as speculation mounted that anorexia may have played a part in her sudden death one day earlier at age 32. Police and coroner's officials said no foul play is suspected in the actress's cardiac arrest Sunday morning in the bathroom of her Hollywood Hills home. Assistant Coroner Ed Winter said initial reports showed the "Clueless" actress's death may have resulted from heart-related causes but said the autopsy would include toxicology tests. Results will not be known for six to eight weeks. Celebrity website... Reuters via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412528/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:31:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411618/posts For the first time, three Al-Qaeda operatives have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking as a means of raising funds to support their terrorist activities. The international terror group has increasingly been turning to this form of activity, although its spread to Africa is a new twist in the pattern, according to evidence gathered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The agency has long been concerned about the group’s ties to the heroin trade in Afghanistan – but according to DEA director Michele Leonhart, the current case reveals a “direct link” between the terror group and drug traffickers... Israel National News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2411618/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:12:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411507/posts LET me start by saying I’m a fan of generic drugs. They save Americans billions of dollars each year and give us access to wonderful drugs at affordable prices. I’ve recommended generics in this column many times and use them myself when possible. But there is a gnawing concern among some doctors and researchers that certain prescription generic drugs may not work as well as their brand-name counterparts. The problem is not pervasive, but it’s something consumers should be aware of — especially now that more insurers insist that patients take generic medications when they are available. Let me also...... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411507/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:12:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410539/posts Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed narcotics and terrorism charges on Friday against three West Africans they identified as associates of Al Qaeda and a related terrorist group. While the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has long maintained that Al Qaeda has been involved in drug trafficking, officials at the agency said the case represented the first time such charges had been brought against people linked with the group. The three men — identified as Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman — were arrested on Wednesday in Ghana and flown to the United States on Thursday night, law enforcement officials... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410539/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:50:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410145/posts [L]aw enforcement officials [are] worried that Mexican traffickers — facing beefed-up security on the border that now includes miles of new fencing, floodlights, drones, motion sensors and cameras — have stepped up their efforts to corrupt the border police. They research potential targets, anticorruption investigators said, exploiting the cross-border clans and relationships that define the region, offering money, sex, whatever it takes. But, with the border police in the midst of a hiring boom, law enforcement officers believe that traffickers are pulling out the stops, even soliciting some of their own operatives to apply for jobs. “In some ways,” said... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410145/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:05:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409126/posts A medical marijuana dispensary at 3005 W. Gill Place was robbed at 10:06 a.m. today by two armed men - one of more than two dozen such robberies or burglaries in the past five months, according to Denver police.The suspects entered the dispensary and held the owner and an employee at gunpoint, said Officer Joe Ramirez, spokesman for the Denver Police Department. Subsequently, the suspects and the employees got into a fight and multiple shots were fired, said Ramirez. Denver police said that since July, there have been a total of 25 medical-marijuana related robberies or burglaries. Thirteen of those... Denver Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409126/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:39:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408768/posts One more item added to what candidate Obama said on the campaign trail about prescription drugs (see bolded paragraph) and what President Obama who cut a deal with drug companies has to say. No wonder Obama's poll numbers are falling so rapidly as he continues to do a 180 from what he said on the campaign trail. When we first heard about Obama's ties to radicals like Communist Frank Davis who was his mentor, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Louis Farrakhan, and others we suspected he would lurch to the left if he was elected. That said, his lurch to the... Democrats for sale,/ Washington post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2408768/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408715/posts WASHINGTON -- A Canadian doctor who has treated golfer Tiger Woods and many other pro athletes is under a joint U.S.-Canadian investigation for possibly providing performance-enhancing drugs, according to a U.S. official familiar with the probe. WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408715/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:07:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408706/posts WASHINGTON – The Senate rejected a plan Tuesday to allow Americans to import low-cost prescriptions from abroad, handing drug makers a victory that may help secure passage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408706/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:58:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407929/posts For days now, the health care legislation in the Senate has been stalled. Democrats are divided over a proposed amendment that would let consumers buy pharmaceuticals from abroad. During the presidential campaign, Obama promised to allow such purchases. But earlier this year he announced his opposition in return for pharmaceutical companies promising to spend at least $150 million, and possibly as much as $200 million, to push his health care legislation. President Obama obviously faces a dilemma: either he keeps the campaign promise he made to voters or he keep his later promise to drug companies. Passing the proposed drug... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407929/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:19:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407768/posts The government announced that it will begin implementing a new series of social programs in Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua state) that will help the police and army battle narcotics cartels. If it sounds a bit like a classic Counter-insurgency (COIN) “political and social warfare” (where social and economic programs integrate with security operations), well, it is. One of the programs will be directed at impoverished Juarez teenagers. The narcotics gangs throw around money and have bought support in several neighborhoods. Some of the kids eventually “move up” and join the gang. The government intends to attack this “recruitment” process. There will... The Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407768/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:41:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407443/posts For days now, the health care legislation in the Senate has been stalled. Democrats are divided over a proposed amendment that would let consumers buy pharmaceuticals from abroad. During the presidential campaign, Obama promised to allow such purchases. But earlier this year he announced his opposition in return for pharmaceutical companies promising to spend at least $150 million, and possibly as much as $200 million, to push his health care legislation. President Obama obviously faces a dilemma: either he keeps the campaign promise he made to voters or he keep his later promise to drug companies. Passing the proposed drug... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407443/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:05:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406677/posts Not exactly sure what to make of this. The Guardian (via Yves Smith): Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said he has seen evidence that the proceeds of organised crime were "the only liquid investment capital" available to some banks on the brink of collapse last year. He said that a majority of the $352bn (£216bn) of drugs profits was absorbed into the economic system as a result. This will raise questions about crime's influence on the economic system at times of crisis. It will also prompt further examination of the banking sector as... The Business Insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406677/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:38:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405078/posts A deal between the White House and the pharmaceutical industry is holding up a bipartisan amendment to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from abroad, according to a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. The Senate has been debating the amendment, sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), since Tuesday but has not held a vote, which is contributing to a stall in the floor action on healthcare reform. Dorgan’s measure, which would permit bulk exports of medicines from countries such as Canada, enjoys broad and bipartisan support and likely has the backing of more than 60 senators, which would... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405078/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:07:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404300/posts PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and JOHN P. GILBRIDE, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Field Division ("DEA"), announced that YUSEF SHABAZZ, of Middletown, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison for his involvement in a years-long conspiracy to distribute OxyContin in the New York City area. SHABAZZ, 69, pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy, the first count of the Indictment against him, in February 2009. Judge LEWIS... Department of Justice http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404300/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:53:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403803/posts Shepard BarbashHelping Mexico Help Itself A more prosperous, democratic southern neighbor would reduce crime and illegal immigration. Autumn 2009 Two crises have deepened America’s anxieties over immigration since Congress tried to reform the law two years ago: the global recession and an outburst of murder and mayhem in northern Mexico. The recession has aroused antipathy for foreigners who compete for jobs. The violence along the border, which stems from a high-stakes campaign by Mexican president Felipe Calderón to bust apart several large drug cartels, has inflamed fears that our borders aren’t secure. Americans differ on what to do about... City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403803/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:00:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403325/posts A proposal to enable the importation of cheaper prescription drugs could endanger the U.S. medicine supply and would be difficult to implement, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday These criticisms from Margaret Hamburg, President Barack Obama’s FDA commissioner, could prove damaging to an effort by a broad coalition to enact the longstanding goal of easing consumers’ access to prescription drugs from countries such as Canada, where the prices are generally lower than in the United States. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) introduced his amendment to the healthcare bill on Tuesday with the support of 19 other senators, including four Republicans,... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403325/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:08:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400613/posts STERLING, Va. - A close inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles International Airport turned up something unexpected. Inside a fully-cooked chicken they found cocaine with an estimated street value of $4,300. The 60.4 grams (2.3 ounces) of coke was found inside two small, clear plastic bags inside the chicken's cavity. Officers discovered the white powdery substance during a secondary inspection after a flight from El Salvador arrived shortly after midnight Saturday. It tested positive for cocaine. "CBP officers have seen many unique narcotics concealment methods, and they all present the same challenges to discover them. Our officers'... WTOP.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400613/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 23:53:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400414/posts PALMVIEW, Texas (CBS/AP) President Barack Obama's approval rating may be hovering in the 50 percent range, but that doesn't mean America's Commander-in-Chief isn’t catching on with new constituents There is now a line of Ecstasy pills made in the image of the 44th president of the United States, according to Texas police who have snatched a batch off the streets. Ecstasy is known for a sense of elation, diminished feelings of fear and anxiety, and ability to induce a sense of intimacy with others. Perhaps a good Election Day strategy to get out the vote? A stash of the brightly... Crimesider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400414/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 19:37:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400236/posts What a difference a week can make. Last Friday reports were just starting to surface of Tiger Woods automobile accident. Since that time at least three women have come forward saying they were Woods' mistresses. Also rumors of domestic violence causing the car accident are running rampant. Tiger's life has definitely changed. Rachel Uchitel, the first woman who was romantically linked in the Tiger Woods affair scandal was reportedley paid off to keep quiet about the situation. Now RadarOnline is reporting that Uchitel told friends that she and Tiger would do drugs before having sex. Whether it is a coincidence... Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400236/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:03:53 GMT