Mexican Cartels Are Not Playing Around and They Will Stop At Nothin

Mexican cartels have been ravaging the pristine forests that cover the vast state of California. Unlike anything that has ever been seen, the size of the cartels marijuana fields dwarf any fields planted by the residents of California. As the medical marijuana movement sweeps across the country the cartels have found a way to exploit the relaxed marijuana laws. Plant numbers are of no concern to the cartels who smuggle illegal immigrants into the country to tend 70,000 plant crops on public lands, which end up yielding 35 to 75,000 pounds of marijuana in one harvest. At the end of the day it makes financial sense for the cartels to grow marijuana in the United States, having the product already on this side of the border saves millions in transportation costs. When the marijuana is harvested the cartels can easily move the drug to every major city in the United States. California is finding that it simply does not have the manpower to police these activities.

Brent Wood, a supervisor for the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, said to the AP; "just like the Mexicans took over the methamphetamine trade, they've gone to mega, monster gardens". Methamphetamine production shifted across the border into Mexico a few years back when the United States cracked down on the availability of Pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in Meth. The meth labs created in Mexico were larger than any ever attempted before, reminiscent of the scale of the guerrilla marijuana operations taking place in the States. The cartels are not playing around and they will stop at nothing to get what they desire - billions of dollars.

On top of trashing public lands, the cartels have been holding people hostage on the farms to work the land. The cartels find out where their workers' families are back in Mexico and use their loved ones as leverage to keep them working. "Many of the plots are encircled with crude explosives and are patrolled by guards armed with AK-47s who survey the perimeter from the ground and from perches high in the trees", according to an AP report. How are local authorities supposed to combat this growing threat?

Heroin Drug Abuse Among Teens and Young Adults

Heroin has been sweeping through the suburbs of New York City and is becoming a fast growing trend throughout the northeast. Despite the introduction of cutting agents, chemicals that dilute the strength of the drug providing a bigger yield, toady's heroin happens to be stronger and cheaper than it once was. People are struggling to figure the cause of this new wave of heroin drug abuse among teens and young adults, heroin is commonly thought of only being used by the "low of the low"; this misconception has allowed teen drug habits to progress unchecked, heroin is just such an unbelievable drug for teens to be experimenting with.

Bags of heroin for street purchase are usually marked with a skull and cross bones or words like "Kiss of Death" and "R.I.P". "A bag of heroin can sell for $5 to $25 and induce a six- to eight-hour high, according to officials and former users. Cocaine, by comparison, can cost $40 to $60 for a 30-minute high, while prescription painkillers like Vicodin or OxyContin sell for upward of $40 a pill on the street. The heroin available in the Northeast these days is purer than the kind that ravaged New York City in the 1970s, experts say, and almost certainly as lethal, if not more", according to the New York Times. It is thought that the lethality of the drug plays a large role in teenagers' attraction to it; the idea of cheating death and a sense of invisibility among teens draws many to the drug. According to Bridget G. Brennan, New York City's special narcotics prosecutor, "recent drug raids of so-called heroin mills have yielded hundreds of thousands of bags at a time, up from several hundred bags a year ago".

People are overdosing and dying all over the northeast, many times before anyone even knew they was an addiction problem occurring. In Nassau County, Long Island 25 people died of overdoses just in the first 6 months of 2009; it appears that the number of heroin related overdoses has been doubling every year, making clear the heroin should be a major concern amongst parents, even those in upper-middle class suburbs. Once the hand of heroin addiction grabs a hold of someone, it unfortunately takes repeated pain and suffering before the addict will even consider the remote possibility of seeking out recovery. Very few people have ever managed to "kick" heroin on their own, treatment is usually the only route to freedom with such a powerful drug; often heroin addicts end up checking into treatment multiple times in their life before sobriety sticks to them.

Bolivia Coca Leaf Soft Drink "Coca Colla"

There was a time when Coca Cola contained the drug cocaine as one of the two main ingredients. Invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton it was sold as a medicine before it was a soft drink. When launched, Coca-Cola's two key ingredients were cocaine (benzoylmethyl ecgonine) and caffeine. The cocaine was derived from the coca leaf and the caffeine from kola nut, leading to the name Coca-Cola (the "K" in Kola was replaced with a "C" for marketing purposes). Pemberton made the claim that his creation cured many diseases, including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence; the original recipe called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup. In 1903 coca leaves containing cocaine were removed from the ingredients, but, interestingly enough in order to retain the flavor cocaine-free coca leaves are used.

The days of soft drinks with cocaine in them are not gone yet, in Bolivia plans to release a coca leaf soft drink called "Coca Colla" is under way and will have a can that resembles the classic Coca Cola logo. With the first indigenous president in office, Evo Morales (known for chewing coca leaves at UN meetings), coca growers from the Morales stronghold of Chapare in central Bolivia submitted a plan to the government last week to boost coca production with the soft drink. La Paz wants to expand Cocaine production, a market which rose 6% in 2008 and no doubt climbed even higher last year; achieving this goal will not be hard considering the strong support of high officials. The Independent reports that Bolivia, "the world's third largest producer after Colombia and Peru, yielded a coca crop of some 30,500 hectares (75,370 acres) in 2008, an increase of six percent over the previous year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime".

Right now, Bolivian law permits the use of up to 12,000 hectares (29,650 acres) to grow coca in the Yungas stretch of forest in the Andes Mountains "only" for traditional uses such as tea, chewing and religious rituals by the Aymara ethnic group. No matter what, a large portion of what is being grown is trafficked and sold, never seeing the inside of a toothpaste tube or a tea bag. If the drugs are not being grown for the international drug market, then why would the The Morales government kick out DEA agents in 2008? Cocaine is extremely addictive, it has the power to destroy lives; 10 million people in the Andes chew raw coca leaves daily to get through the abusively long work days. In this country and around the world the same leaves that people are chewing are also being used to produce cocaine.

"You Cannot Separate The Mind And The Body"

"You cannot separate the mind and the body", said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. People in need of mental health care may finally get the help they need. Insurance companies have always provided the least amount of coverage for mental health and substance abuse patients. Countless people have been denied coverage for mental health related problems, to the point where people have come to accept that that is the way it is. With the help of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., politicians were able to get the parity bill on to the Wall Street bailout package in September 2008. While the entire nation was preoccupied with the presidential election and the economy, the bill was passed without anyone even noticing. Starting Jan. 1, 2010 large group health insurance plans that provide mental health coverage must provide the same level of coverage at the same price as physical and surgical coverage; the new law only applies to group health plans which cover 50 or more. This is the beginning of a very significant change in the way health care is provided. "This is a major piece of civil right's health care legislation," the younger Kennedy told an audience honoring him and Ramstad at Mar-a-Lago last year according to the Palm Beach Post.

Just as with any new bill, there is still a lot that hasn't been worked out, such as the guideline for how the new law will be implemented. Companies that offer mental heath care with their package may choose to drop mental health coverage all together rather then be burdened with the new law. Nobody knows if student health care plans and employee assistance plans fall under the umbrella of this bill or not. Naturally, if insurance companies have to provide equal coverage, the cost of coverage will increase; heightened costs may be unaffordable for a significant amount of employers, forcing them to drop coverage all together.

Despite the kinks that still need to be worked out this is a big step and providing patients what they need and deserve. Routinely, those in need of drug and alcohol treatment have been denied coverage by the health care provider. For too long mental health patients have slipped through the cracks - not any more!

Maine has Turned to California for Help Setting up a Medical Marijuana Program

Maine has turned to California for help setting up a medical marijuana program; the hope is that they will be able to implement what has worked well in the past. With over 10 years of experience in California they have had plenty of time to make mistakes and to have hopefully learned from them; considering that we are on the edge of what appears to be full on legalization in the next five years. Maine proceeds cautiously into this new territory, hopes to figure out a system that addresses both public safety and the needs of those recommended patients for marijuana. Maine is trying to avoid the craziness that exists out west, dispensaries opening and closing daily and it doesn't seem like any one really understands what is happening - in short the west has become a mess. A task force has been set up, "figuring out how many medical marijuana patients there are in Maine and how many distribution clinics or dispensaries are needed to serve them. At least one member of the panel said he's not sure if the state needs one, 10 or 50", according to ABC News. The task force is composed of 14 members, they will determine rules effective within 120 days; the task force hopes to be able to take every factor into account in order to give the voters exactly what they voted for. Becky DeKeuster, of the Berkeley Patients Group said, "This should not have a negative connotation. This is a medicine. This is essentially a pharmacy with a community center component in our model".

If marijuana is going to be considered a medicine then it needs to be held to the same standards as every other pharmaceutical, the same laws and restrictions should apply to weed as they do to Vicodin. There is no other way to make this a legitimate program, therein lies a huge problem with the legality of marijuana; some are trying to have a medicine and others are trying to have a recreational drug, like alcohol. The same people who are helping Maine set up a medical marijuana program are also trying to have full on legalization voted on in the next year in California. It is noteworthy that Maine is taking the time to create a successful program, but it seems like all of this is a slippery slope and no matter what, all the factors present cannot be addressed. "This task force is not going to be able to accomplish the dotting of every 'I' and the crossing of every 'T', but addressing the issues ahead of time is crucial so that you don't end up with a wild-west situation", DeKeuster said.

Lesniak Cunningham Bill Amending The Drug Free School Zone Law

New Jersey made a huge move yesterday with the LESNIAK-CUNNINGHAM bill amending the New Jersey's drug-free school zone law, allowing judges more discretion when sentencing non-violent drug offenders. In a country with too many prisons housing primarily people with non-violent drug charges this is an amazing step towards more treatments and less prisons. New Jersey calculates that $48,000 is spent per person each year on imprisoning people that clearly would be better served in a drug treatment facility. The fact is that drug offenders who serve their time in prison, rather than treatment, have a much greater chance of winding up behind bars again. Unfortunately, New Jersey is not alone, the majority of all jails and prisons in the United States have more inmates convicted with drug related crimes than anything else.

It's pretty clear by now that America's approach on the drug war is failing, so much time and money is being spent imprisoning when we should be treating. The original drug-free school zone law is not doing what it was intended to do, as a result many people are being unfairly punished. The Star Ledger Reports, "The idea, hatched in the Legislature many years ago, was to protect children from drug dealers. But Hoffman's commission found that almost none of those charged under this law were on school grounds luring students. They were in nearby neighborhoods. And 96 percent of them were African-American or Latino". Inner-city kids are much more likely to get caught up with the law because just about everywhere you go in the city it is within a 1,000 feet of a school - in New Jersey and everywhere else in the country. Senator Cunningham believes that, "New Jersey needs to do a better job in getting violent offenders off the streets, whether it's drug offenses or criminal street gangs", according to the Politicker NJ. "However, we cannot and should not continue to turn a blind eye to the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing on nonviolent offenders, many of whom enter prison and are recruited into gangs or other violent criminal enterprises. Mandatory minimum sentencing has created more violence on our streets and a hamstrung judiciary, unable to direct nonviolent offenders to drug treatment programs".

We can only hope that other States will follow New Jerseys lead, just recently New York repealed the Rockefeller drug laws regarding cocaine which is another major step forward in the United States quest towards reducing prison populations as well as costs. I will be following these stories to see if these reforms are as successful as I hope they are. We encourage you to send us your thoughts on the subject.

Champion Tennis Player Andre Agassi Revealed that he used Crystal Methamphetamine

Champion tennis player Andre Agassi revealed that he used crystal methamphetamine in 1997 while facing emotional strain. His new autobiography revealed some things that many are finding hard to believe. Agassi, nervous about marrying Brooke Shields, began taking the drug when his assistant poured out a small pile of powder on the coffee table. In an excerpt of his book Agassi recounted, "There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful -- and I've never felt such energy". Agassi would later fail an ATP drug test, which started a chain of events where he created a web of lies to keep from ending his career. After concocting a story for the ATP, the case was dropped; Agassi would go on to win the French Open.

Agassi wrote a letter to the ATP after failing the drug test, according to Agassi, "It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth. I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it", reports CNN. Whether the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) let Agassi off because they believed his elaborate story or they did not want one of the all time tennis greats to smear the ATP's good name has not been revealed, the ATP has not commented yet on Agassi's unexpected confession.

The eight-time grand slam champion Andre Agassi retired from tennis in 2006, but, not before winning the French Open in 1998 and the U.S. Open in 1999. It seems like Agassi has not taken the drug since 1997, which is the good part of this story. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that ruins countless lives on a daily basis, it affects movie stars, athletes, and average people all the same. There is a good chance that the ATP will take some sort of action regarding Agassi's lies and then going on to win the French Open. It appears that Agassi's intention was to come clean about something that was clearly eating away at him, it is hard to argue with honesty.


See here: Part 1 Andre Agassi talks candidly to Katie Couric about his life, his strong dislike of tennis at a young age, and the depression that led him to use meth.


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More Young Teens are Using Alcohol and Marijuana

The California Healthy Kids Survey was released on Monday showing that more young teens are using alcohol and marijuana in Santa Cruz County. More young people believe that alcohol is harmful but that is not deterring them from drinking; teens are smoking more pot believing that it is not harmful, how could it be - it's medicine. The laws in California and fourteen other sates allowing the use of medical marijuana have created an ideology that marijuana is in no way harmful. There is evidence that there are medical benefits to weed, there needs to be a way to produce and distribute the drug without sending out the wrong message to the young and impressionable. "Bill Manov, the director of Alcohol and Drug Services for the county's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, thinks it's good news that more teens are perceiving alcohol as dangerous because it could lead to a decrease in future drinking habits. And although he said there's a pretty widespread acceptance of marijuana in Santa Cruz, he said he is still alarmed at the upward trend of use among children", reports San Jose Mercury News. Here are the reported statistics:

• Thirty-six percent of high school freshmen countywide who were surveyed in February say they've been very drunk or sick from alcohol, up from 29 percent in 2005. Sixteen percent of seventh-grade students report binge drinking, up from 10 percent in 2005.

• More freshmen report thinking that alcohol is harmful or extremely harmful, which is up seven percent from 2005.

• Twenty-six percent of freshmen who took the survey report having used marijuana in the last 30 days, as opposed to 18 percent in 2005. Half of juniors say they've tried the drug.

• Cigarette use increased three or four percentage points for high school students since 2007.

• Six percent more said they think frequent use of cigarettes is harmful.

• About a third of seventh grade students are overweight or at-risk, though those numbers drop to 29 percent in ninth grade and 23 percent in 11th grade.

• More than 75 percent of seventh- and ninth-grade students still break a sweat for 20 minutes three times a week.

Fewer teenagers are exercising and more of them are partying. Habits in all different forms are popping up at alarming rates; young people are not as healthy as they were in the past for a number of reasons. About two hours of every young person's day is spent in front of the television. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop", the message is being sent that it is alright to get high and drink. Alcohol and marijuana may be sitting next to each other at the store one day very soon. America needs to tread lightly in figuring out the best way to implement medical marijuana.

Michael Jackson Death Has Been Ruled A Homicide

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office report on the death of Michael Jackson has finally been released. Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide as a result of the findings. The fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson was indeed a drug addict for many years with ample opportunity to receive help; time and time again he refused help and continued to abuse prescription medication with the help of his doctors and particularly Dr. Conrad Murray who is now most likely facing homicide charges. "I'm a little bit surprised," Jane Brackley of London told MTV News in Times Square. "Then again, you knew he was taking quite a few prescription drugs, and somebody had to give them to him." However, we have to ask ourselves whether or not we charge drug dealers with homicide, let alone attempted homicide, when people overdose and die from the drugs they were sold. Michael Jackson, despite being highly intoxicated, was well aware of the choices he was making and was urged to check into treatment; but, the choice to go to treatment has to be the patients and his doctor (whose salary was $150,000 per month) was not just going stop prescribing Jackson drugs that he was addicted to.

"According to the affidavits lodged with the search warrants, Jackson had a roster of half a dozen doctors who prescribed him drugs, excluding two in Germany who had allegedly introduced him to propofol." reports the Australian On-Line Newspaper. Do we punish all of those doctors or just the one who gave him the medications that Jackson already had a dependency for? While being interviewed by detectives, again according to the Australian: allegedly Dr. Murray said Jackson "was very familiar with the drug (propofol) and referred to it as his 'milk'". Sedatives and pain killers can be extremely dangerous drugs if not properly managed by a doctor who specializes in that field, so it is not all that surprising that something like this happened. Dr. Murray claims that after realizing Jackson's dependence to Propofol he attempted to get him off it. The Australian reports: "He became concerned about the possibility of addiction to propofol and decided to wean Jackson off the drug. For two nights before the death, he administered a different drug cocktail and Jackson was able to sleep. But the night before his death, Dr. Murray gave Jackson Valium at 1am and stayed beside him all night, trying different drugs to induce sleep. Finally, at 10:40am, he relented and gave Jackson propofol." After Jackson stopped breathing it took 82 minutes before an ambulance was called, which clearly shows that Murray knew that he was in trouble and tried everything he could to fix the problem on his own.

One thing seems very clear, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle of Jackson's death and there is not just one responsible party. It is easy to agree with the idea that Murray is liable for the pop star's death, but, to say that one doctor should be charged with homicide for the death of a person who had a lot of help along the way by multiple doctors and even "friends" seems absurd. There is no question in my mind regarding the negligence of Dr. Murray on that fatal night; however, he was given a patient to fix who had already been broken by several other doctors over the years. Michael Jackson's drug addiction was facilitated by many family, friends, and doctors for over twenty years and it was only a matter of time before his disease got the best of him. The question that remains now, is whether we punish the doctors or change the legislation regarding the ability for private doctors to prescribe certain drugs?

Baby Boomers Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol

The rate of illicit drug use is going up in the 50-59 age group; this group includes America's Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964. The Baby Boomers' abuse of drugs(both legal and illegal) and alcohol has been increasing in the United States. This becomes more apparent as people in this age bracket need to see doctors for other ailments and request pain medication. Woodstock may have ended 40 years ago but the party has stayed the same for many who were young adults at that time. "The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported Wednesday that rates of illegal drug use by the older generation have doubled in recent years." Statistics are showing that people age 50 to 59 who admit to using illicit drugs in the past year nearly doubled from 5.1% in 2002 to 9.4% in 2007 while rates among all other age groups are the same or decreasing. The use of drugs and alcohol by people at that age will no doubt add to increased hospitalization in the coming years. "These findings show that many in the Woodstock generation continue to use illicit drugs as they age," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick. "This continued use poses medical risks to these individuals and is likely to put further strains on the nation's health care system, highlighting the value of preventing drug use from ever starting."

The information used in the study came from various surveys including 16,656 men and women participating in the 2002 through 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. On top of illegal drugs there are many who use pharmaceuticals as well; the CDC states that "of 2.4 billion drugs mentioned in patients' medical records in 2005, 118 million were antidepressants. High blood pressure drugs followed, with 113 million and arthritis or headache drugs were mentioned in 110 million." I find those numbers to be staggering and a good indication that there are just as many Baby Boomers addicted to legal drugs as illegal - if not more! There are some serious issues that need to be addressed regarding this with respect to the solution. How to go about stopping a generation of people who have been using drugs in one way or another for over 40 years is not an answer that we can come to easily.

I will say that many Baby Boomers do end up recognizing the problem and check themselves into drug an alcohol treatment facilities. But drug and alcohol treatment programs typically need to be fine tuned to deal with the additional health problems that can affect the Baby Boomers age group. These problems might include hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and chronic lung problems. I am curious how you feel about this study.

People tend to start having health problems in the age group and there is no telling what effects the use of illegal drugs will have. I encourage you to watch a video called Woodstock Generation Still Getting High.

Baby Boomers and the Elderly have been Binge Drinking

Binge drinking has always been considered a problem with teenagers and young adults, but, studies now show that this phenomena may not always be limited to the younger age groups. Researchers are finding that more and more baby boomers and even the elderly have been binge drinking. This trend goes relatively unnoticed because many people in those age groups do not tell anyone how much alcohol they are consuming; even doctors are misled by patients about the amount they drink and the way in which it is consumed. Duke University scientists, who researched and analyzed data of nearly 11,000 middle-aged and elderly adults from the 2005 and 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, report in the American Journal of Psychiatry that:

* 14% of men and 3% of women 65 or older admit to binge drinking -- defined as quaffing five or more alcoholic beverages on a single occasion within the past 30 days.

* Among 50-64-year-olds, 23% of men and 9% of women admitted to binge drinking

* Bingeing and at-risk alcohol use was more common among people 50 to 64 than those in the older group.

* Among males, binge drinking was associated with higher income, being separated, divorced, or widowed while being unemployed.

* Among women, non-medical use of prescription drugs was associated with bingeing.

* Bingeing also was associated among all those studied with the use of tobacco and illicit drugs.

* Men in both groups are more likely than women to binge drink.

This trend indicates that as time goes on more baby boomers and elderly people will begin binge drinking, according to researchers studying problem drinking. Moreover, studies show that those who binge drink are 14 times more likely to get behind the wheel, as reported about Diane Schuler a mother who drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway killing herself and seven others. Her husband swears that Diane was not an alcoholic and that he never saw her drunk. But, when a mother of two gets in a car, drinks the equivalent of ten drinks and apparently smokes marijuana with her kids and her three nieces in the car, there must be a problem. Binge drinking is a clear sign that a person is in the grips of addiction and more times then not, help is necessary if this problem is to stop. There is no age restriction on being an alcoholic; the disease affects children as well as grandparents.

I encourage you to watch a short video that ABC did about this same problem, called Binge Drinking in Middle Age. It makes some interesting points and is worth watching. Please send me your thoughts on the subject.