Makers of Whizzinator Plead Guilty

(NEWSER) - Major League Baseball is in the midst of an injury epidemic, the New York Times reports, and hurting teams want to know why. Injuries are up 26% from 2006—the Mets alone have lost nearly a quarter of their opening day roster. One potential reason: 2006 is when the league began testing for amphetamines, which players had used for decades to mask pain and fatigue. More»

Cowboys star missed test in midst of contract negotiations

(NEWSER) - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens has been put on the NFL's "reasonable cause" group for drug screening after failing to make himself available for a random test, ESPN reports. Owens' "plausible" excuse for not returning the league's calls on that day has saved him from disciplinary action, though not from future scrutiny. More»

Governor Rick Scott's directive called unconstitutional

(NEWSER) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott's plan to give random drug tests to state workers just ran into a big problem: the Fourth Amendment. A federal judge ruled that Scott's directive to have the state's 85,000 employees submit to surprise tests violates the Constitution's protection against unreasonable search and seizure, reports the Palm Beach Post . The ruling did not address whether new hires can be tested. More»

And didn't uncover all that many drug users, either: new data

(NEWSER) - Remember that controversial Florida law requiring welfare seekers to submit to drug tests ? Turns out it didn't save taxpayers any money, didn't affect the number of applications, and didn't even ferret out very many drug users, the New York Times reports. During the four months the tests were given, just 2.6% of applicants failed, mostly for marijuana use. Everyone who passed was reimbursed for the cost of the test—which totaled $118,140, or more than the state would have paid in benefits to those who failed, according to an ACLU director. That means the program actually cost the government $45,780. More»

'Farmer's Market' storefront matched buyers, sellers

(NEWSER) - Eight people have been arrested and a "Drug Dealing 2.0" operation has been shut down after a global sting operation, reports the LA Times . Prosecutors say the "Farmer's Market" operation sold more than $1 million in LSD, marijuana, and other drugs over three years to buyers in 35 countries, using the TOR anonymizing network to keep the identities of buyers and sellers secure, Wired reports. More»