amphetamines

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The World Has a New 'Narcostate'
Syria's Biggest Export
May Surprise You
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Syria's Biggest Export May Surprise You

'New York Times' alleges that Syria is a 'narcostate' pumping out amphetamine captagon

(Newser) - Last week, Syrian authorities trumpeted the seizure of a large cache of illegal amphetamine pills known as captagon and said an investigation was underway to figure out where the pills came from, notes the AP . Now, an investigation by the New York Times may provide the answer: The Syrian government...

Rep: TobyMac's Son Died of Accidental Overdose

Truett Foster McKeehan ODed on amphetamines, fentanyl

(Newser) - In October, the 21-year-old son of Christian rapper TobyMac (real name: Kevin McKeehan) died suddenly at his Tennessee home. Now, the cause of Truett Foster McKeehan's death has come to light. A rep for TobyMac tells People that the younger McKeehan accidentally overdosed on a mix of fentanyl and...

Paris Attackers May Have Been Fueled by This Drug

Captagon suppresses the need to eat, sleep

(Newser) - How does one massacre scores of people? Drugs may help. French media are reporting that the Paris attackers may have taken Captagon, a synthetic drug that suppresses hunger and reduces the need for sleep. Also known as the "jihadist's drug," it's a favorite of ISIS fighters,...

Japan Cops Jail American for Having Adderall

Carrie Russell was planning to teach English there

(Newser) - Carrie Russell apparently thought little of shipping her Adderall to Japan before moving there to teach English. But Japanese police saw it differently, arresting the 26-year-old American last month for allegedly smuggling illegal amphetamines into Japan, the Oregonian reports. "We're left in a state of disbelief," says...

Royals' Tejada Suspended 105 Games for Drugs

Tested positive twice for Adderall

(Newser) - Kansas City Royals infielder and six-time All Star Miguel Tejada has been suspended for a whopping 105 games after twice testing positive for an amphetamine. It's not quite the 211-game ban A-Rod is facing , but it's still the third-highest non-lifetime ban in MLB history, reports ESPN . Why so...

High IQ Children Grow Up to Be... High

Kids who score well on IQ tests more likely to score drugs as adults

(Newser) - Smartypants kids are much more likely to use all sorts of illegal drugs as teenagers and adults, according to a new study of 8,000 Brits born in 1970. Five-year-olds who scored high IQ scores were more likely to have tried marijuana by age 16, reports the LA Times , and...

Addictive Leaf May Rob Yemen of Water

Khat consumes water, drains family resources, detractors say

(Newser) - It's no secret that Yemen loves khat—a leaf chewed to produce a mild, amphetamine-like effect. Nearly 90% of men and 25% of women indulge, and most families actually spend more on khat than food. The ramifications have been long chronicled, but Time points out a less obvious one emerging...

Is Drug Testing Responsible for Wave of Injuries?

(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...

MLB Players Still Popping Pills for ADHD

(Newser) - Major Leaguers are still taking amphetamines for attention deficit disorder despite new rules designed under pressure from Congress, the New York Times reports. In fact, such exemptions grew slightly last season until nearly 8% of players were on ADHD drugs, the AP reports. "This is incredible," said...

Over-Testing of Rodriguez Raises Questions

Yankees' slugger may have implicated self with defense of drug policy

(Newser) - "Last year, I got tested 9 to 10 times," Alex Rodriguez told reporters yesterday. The high number of tests raises questions, according to the New York Times. MLB mandates two tests a year per player, plus 600 random tests, for which "There is no limit on the...

Number of Baseball Players Taking ADD Drugs Spikes

Ban on amphetamines seen as obvious factor

(Newser) - Since baseball's 2006 ban on amphetamines, the number of players claiming to have Attention Deficit Disorder and obtaining prescriptions for stimulant drugs has nearly quadrupled from 28 to 103, reports the Associated Press. The MLB anti-performance enhancing policy gives the players exemptions on certain drugs, including Ritalin and Adderall, if...

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