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Cocaine
and methamphetamine use among young adults declined significantly last year as
supplies dried up, leading to higher prices and reduced purity, the government
reports. Overall use of illicit drugs showed little change. See
story from Associated Press
Teenagers
can get their hands on marijuana and prescription drugs more rapidly and easily
this year than last, according to a new study. However, greater drug
availability has not yet translated into greater drug abuse in the group –
marijuana use among teens continues to decline. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Drug cartels have turned to a new and effective vehicle to
smuggle their goods, using small, homemade "semi-submersibles" that
are hard to detect and yet effective at carrying millions of dollars worth of
cocaine and other illicit drugs that end up in the United States. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Congress is poised to approve a multibillion-dollar
antinarcotics-assistance program for Mexico – but with human rights conditions
attached that could ultimately lead the Mexican government to reject the whole
package. The brouhaha is conjuring up Mexico's long-held sensitivities over US
intervention and interference in what it considers its sovereign affairs. See story from Christian
Science Monitor
The arrest of 96 suspects on drug-related charges, including
75 students, after a six-month sting operation at San Diego State University is
shining a fresh spotlight on the issue of growing substance abuse at America's
colleges and universities. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Recreational drug use is becoming a global problem. Thailand
is cracking down again on methamphetamine peddler. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Federal judges have discretion to sentence individuals to
prison terms that substantially depart from the punishment range established in
the federal sentencing guidelines according to the Supreme Court. The court
was addressing judicial attempts to correct the disparity between sentencing
guidelines for crack cocaine and other drugs. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Mexico's attorney general said on Friday fewer drug-related
killings at home and rising narcotics prices in the United States showed his
government is winning the war against cartels. See
story from Reuters
Seizures of illegal drugs – from marijuana to heroin – are
on the rise along the US-Mexican border again this year, breaking the previous
record for major busts set just last year. The jump in drug seizures could be
a result of tighter borders – from more border patrol agents to new technology
at ports of entry – and newly established checkpoints within the United States.
But the increase could also mean that more drugs are being shipped across the
border – possibly because Mexico has had a good growing season, much as Afghanistan
did in producing record numbers of opium poppies this year. Or it could be
because two drug cartels apparently formed an alliance to thwart a crackdown by
Mexico's government and are now shipping more drugs to the north. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
The Mexican government has launched a major effort at
combating police corruption in drug trafficking. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Cocaine prices in the United States have dropped and the
drug's purity increased, despite years of effort and nearly $5 billion spent by
the U.S. government to combat Colombia's drug industry, the White House drug
czar acknowledged in a letter to a key senator. See story from
Associated Press
Authorities in Peru, the world's second-largest producer of
cocaine, say that the kind of carnage that makes headlines in Colombia and Mexico
is now finding its way to Peru, making the task of fighting organized crime and
corruption an increasingly risky business. In July, a judge overseeing a case
involving alleged members of a Mexican drug cartel was killed. Last month, a
radio reporter who covered local crime and corruption was murdered in front of
his wife and children. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
Mexico's President Calderón has launched a new initiative
against drug trafficking and associated violence but it will be an uphill
battle. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
The US War on Drugs was dealt a serious blow when an entire
elite US-trained Columbian narcotics force was assassinated. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Despite record crop destruction, cocaine continues to flow
to the US from Colombia. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Overall illicit drug use among teens is down for the third
year in a row, according to the largest and most comprehensive study of drug use
in the United States released today. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration's (SAMHSA) 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH) showed a significant decline in illicit drug use among 12-17 year olds
since 2002, particularly marijuana use. See story
from Medical News Today
Although immigration grabs the headlines, the drug trade is
flourishing in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. Use of illicit drugs,
once regarded as a US problem, is also becoming a domestic problem in Mexico as
well. See
story from San Jose Mercury News
The War on Drugs scored a significant victory with the
arrest of a major Mexican drug kingpin. See
story from Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Despite environmental concerns, Colombian authorities have
for the first time used U.S.-supplied planes to spray a pristine national park
where leftist rebels have grown coca – the raw ingredient for cocaine. See
story from Associated Press
The latest tactic in reducing the trafficking of cocaine - the manual eradication of cocoa plants - is in jeopardy after a series of rebel attacks have led two-thirds of the 900 workers to resign over fear for their safety. See story from Christian Science Monitor
Government figures show alcohol consumption is down about 20 percent nationwide since the early `80s, reflecting both tougher laws and tamer tastes. The decline also reflects an aging population that's drinking less. The clearest dividend is a 36 percent drop in traffic fatalities involving alcohol since 1982. For Americans under 30, the declines are even greater. See story from Knight Ridder
Heavy use of marijuana might increase the risk of schizophrenia in teenagers who are predisposed to the brain disorder according to series of studies comparing the brains of adolescent marijuana users, schizophrenic teenagers, and healthy teens who don't use the drug. See story from Voice of America
Cocaine use among young adults in Britain and Spain is almost as prevalent as in the United States and consumption of the drug is rising across Europe. About 9 million people in the European Union, 3 percent of all adults, have tried cocaine, while up to 3.5 million are likely to have to have used it in the last year and 1.5 million took the drug in the past month, the report found. See story from Deutsche Welle
Myanmar, the world's second-biggest grower of opium poppies after Afghanistan, will cut illicit production by 16 percent this year as it cultivates less land for the ingredient used to make heroin, the United Nations said. See story from Bloomberg
Denver, Colorado residents voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but the state attorney general said the vote was irrelevant because state law will still be enforced. See story from Denver Post
Feeling pressure from their grass roots, lawmakers in Congress are pushing the Bush administration to do more about the nation's fastest-growing drug problem: methamphetamine. Legislation already on the fast track focuses on punishment for meth makers and dealers, ways to stem the flow of the drug into the United States from Mexico and other countries, and stricter controls on cold remedies and other medicines containing chemicals used to make meth. See story from Christian Science Monitor
That six-year program, known as Plan Colombia, is set to expire at the end of this year. Although the Bush administration and Congress have signaled a willingness to continue funding at current levels for at least another year, some are questioning whether the money has been effective in stemming the tide of drugs to the United States. The Colombians point with pride to the hundreds of thousands of acres of coca and poppy fields they've destroyed and the tons of drugs seized at their airports and borders. Kidnappings and murders are down. But a report from the United Nations showed that while coca cultivation in Colombia is down, it has risen in neighboring Peru and Bolivia. And the efforts in Colombia seem to have had little measurable effect on the drug supply in the United States. The Justice Department's National Drug Threat Assessment for 2005 found that heroin and cocaine were still readily available throughout the United States. Data from the Drug Enforcement Administration shows that the purity of wholesale cocaine being smuggled in from South America has actually increased slightly. See story from Knight Ridder
In the largest reorganization since the 1980s Mexican cartels have leveraged the profits from their delivery routes to wrest control from the Colombian producers. The shift is also because of the success authorities have had in cracking down on Colombia's kingpins. As a result, Mexican drug lords are calling the shots in what the UN estimates is a $142 billion a year business in cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and illicit drugs on US streets. See story from Christian Science Monitor
Arizona battles top-of-the-chart crime rates as meth use increases. The factors behind its crime problem are complex, ranging from its proximity to the Mexican border to its exploding population. See story from Christian Science Monitor
In the latest sign of deteriorating relations with the United States, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has vowed to cut off all bilateral antidrug cooperation and expel the US Drug Enforcement Administration from a country whose porous borders make it a leading transshipment point for cocaine and heroin from neighboring Colombia into the United States and Europe. See story from Boston Globe
Around the country, law-enforcement officials say methamphetamine use has become an epidemic. Federal officials estimate there are 1.5 million regular meth users in the United States today. As of 2003, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 12.3 million Americans had tried methamphetamine at least once - up nearly 40 percent over 2000 and 156 percent over 1996, See story from Christian Science Monitor
In addition to decreased productivity, methamphetamines are associated with violent behavior with anxiety and paranoia, and workplace violence is a major concern for employers. See story from USA Today
Depending on whom you talk to, the split in labor - with two of the largest unions breaking off from the AFL-CIO and at least two more likely to follow - is either a deadly departure from solidarity at a time when workers most need it, or an exciting step that could bring new vigor and creativity to a declining movement. See story from Christian Science Monitor
The number of Americans who abuse controlled prescription drugs has nearly doubled from 7.8 million to 15.1 million from 1992 to 2003, according to a new report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. See Press Release
Methamphetamine is a bigger problem than cocaine, marijuana or heroin for most communities, according to a survey of law enforcement agencies in 500 counties in 45 states by the National Association of Counties. See story from USA Today
Global drug use is on the rise with cannabis leading the way, but synthetic narcotics such as amphetamines and ecstasy are declining, according to the 2005 UN World Drug Report. About 200 million people around the world - or five per cent of the global population between the ages of 15 and 64 - use drugs at least once a year. The number of drug users had increased by 15 million from last year's report. See story from Canadian Press
A decade after methamphetamines took hold in the Midwest, the inexpensive, highly addictive home-brewed stimulant is straining rural law enforcement resources to the breaking point. About two-thirds of the U.S. meth supply - including most of what's available in big cities - comes from superlabs run by organized crime. In the Midwest, most of the meth is homemade, a few ounces at a time, in informal labs heaped with toxic, highly flammable chemicals. Though the White House acknowledges that meth presents "a unique problem" for law enforcement, President Bush has proposed cutting the two main grant programs for rural narcotics teams - one by 56% and the other by 62%, according to John Horton, associate deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The administration plans to focus instead on the meth superlabs in Mexico and along the border. See story from Los Angeles Times
In the wake of the Supreme Court decision on medical marijuana, the House turned down an amendment that would have blocked the Justice Department from prosecuting people in the 10 states where the practice is legal. See story from CADCA See vote
Bush's plan for fiscal 2006 includes $12.4 billion for drug-control efforts, a 2.2% increase from this year. The plan favors efforts to reduce the drug supply - such as destroying opium crops in Afghanistan - and places less emphasis on programs aimed at reducing demand for drugs, such as anti-drug initiatives at schools. The plan also proposes cuts for grant programs that shift federal money to local law enforcement. See story from USA Today
The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the medical marijuana movement, ruling that the federal government can still ban possession of the drug in states that have eliminated sanctions for its use in treating symptoms of illness. See story from Washington Post
A new study suggests that the strategies needed to combat illicit drug use must be continually reappraised with respect to the particular drug involved and that there should be a regular and rigorous analysis of the costs and benefits of law enforcement, treatment and prevention interventions to establish a balance better designed to achieve reductions in the consequences of illicit drug use. See press release from Rand Corp .
Evidence is beginning to build that the approach to the war on drugs in the United States could be changing - by shifting attention away from small-time drug dealers and individual users toward major drug traffickers. See story from Christian Science Monitor
The marijuana industry is booming in Canada. Much of it is exported to the U.S. See story from Christian Science Monitor
Youth smoking and drug abuse declined again this year, according to a federal study that also found marked progress over the last decade in persuading teens to avoid cigarettes and illicit substances. The smoking rate among younger teens is half what it was in the mid-1990s, and drug use by that group is down by one-third. There were increases in the use of inhalants such as glue, aerosols and the pain-control narcotic OxyContin. Use of most other drugs declined or held steady. See story from Associated Press
Lately, the drug war has taken a back seat to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's still being fought, and statistically, at least, it's being won. Yet behind the numbers, the drug war is changing - into a terror war of its own. And the success of that fight is harder to quantify. See story from Christian Science Monitor
A California study has found that offenders in rehabilitation were 48 percent more likely to be arrested for a drug offense within a year of starting rehab than drug users who were on parole or probation. The study also indicates that residential programs are far more effective than outpatient programs. See story from Reuters
Boys who were repeatedly exposed to cocaine while in their mother's womb are more likely than girls or non-exposed children to be hyperactive or have other problem behaviors at six or seven years of age, new study findings show. See story from Reuters
People with serious drug and alcohol abuse problems are linked to about a quarter of all violent crimes but many could be avoided with better treatment. See story from Reuters
Poppy production has rebounded following the Taliban's departure, reconfirming Afghanistan as a leading center in the global trade in illicit narcotics. See story from Inter Press Service
The use of illicit drugs by America's teenagers has fallen significantly during the past two years, exceeding the federal government's goals, according to a new study. The 2003 Monitoring the Future study, a government-sponsored annual survey of the nation's 8th, 10th and 12th graders, found that current use of any illicit drug declined 11 percent this year compared to 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced. As a result, the agencies said, about 400,000 fewer youth are using illicit drugs this year than two years ago. See story from Washington Post
Millions of people already may be hooked on powerful prescription drugs obtained through a shadow market on the Internet, one that is growing in plain view of federal and state authorities. See story from from Newhouse News Services
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