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War on Drugs

Started by D Lim; Last updated Feb 28, 08 10:13 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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War on Drugs

"If addiction is judged by how long a dumb animal will sit pressing a lever to get a 'fix' of something, to its own detriment, then I would conclude that netnews is far more addictive than cocaine." -Rob Stampfli

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 122

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August 2008
- Mexican Drug Lords' Guns Traced to US
  
  Los Angeles Times | Aug 10, 08 7:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of powerful automatic weapons used by drug cartels in Mexico have been traced back to US shops, and little is being done to curb the guns’ flow southward, the Los Angeles Times reports. More than 90% of guns taken at the border and picked up after clashes come from the US; last year, 2,455 traced weapons originated here. More »
- Mexican Cartels Growing Pot in US National Park
  
  CNN | Aug 9, 08 7:14 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mexican drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of marijuana in the thick of California’s Sequoia National Forest, CNN reports. Hours on foot from the nearest road, pot gardens flourish with as many as 10,000 plants, irrigation systems created by daming mountain creeks, and their own armed guards. Pot production has intensified in the area as border control has made it harder to smuggle marijuana into the country from Mexico, says a drug enforcement agent. More »
- 1.5 Tons of Pot Seized in Florida
  
  St. Petersburg Times | Aug 8, 08 10:12 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Police have seized a record 1.5 tons of marijuana in Florida's Hillsborough County, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The drugs carry an estimated street value of $13 million, making the bust the county's largest to date. Raids on area homes resulted in 62 arrests, and authorities say more will follow. More »
- Paper Money Often Has Traces of Cocaine
  
  LiveScience | Aug 5, 08 6:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Chances are, you're carrying cocaine in your wallet. Trace amounts of it, anyway. A new Spanish study finds that paper money around the world is often contaminated with cocaine, LiveScience reports. Though concentrations vary by year and city, US bills had an average of up to 28.8 micrograms of cocaine on them—with some bills topping 1,300 micrograms. In Europe, Spain’s money is the most contaminated, with an average of 155 micrograms. By contrast, it's virtually nonexistent in Ireland. More »
- Olsen Demands Immunity in Ledger Probe
  
  New York Post | Aug 4, 08 10:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mary-Kate Olsen, the first person phoned after a masseuse found Heath Ledger’s body, won't agree to be interviewed by federal investigators without a guarantee of immunity from prosecution, the New York Post reports. The feds have interviewed everyone else they consider connected to the case, including a “nice and cooperative” Michelle Williams—except the Olsen twin. More »
- Let's Legalize Drug Use: Argentine Prez
  
  CNN | Aug 3, 08 6:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Argentina's president is seeking to legalize drug use and a crack down on dealing and trafficking, CNN reports. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's plan follows similar moves by European and Latin American nations, where decriminalization has not increased drug use, one expert said. Mexico proposed such a law several years ago, but backed down when Washington reacted harshly. More »
- Turtle Assists in Pot Bust
  
  Washington Post | Aug 1, 08 1:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Agent 99, watch out: A 6-inch-long box turtle known as "No. 72” may want your job. Washington, DC, police recently got an assist from No. 72 in making a drug bust, the Washington Post reports. One of several turtles fitted with transmitters that allow National Park Service researchers to track them, No. 72 happened to receive a visit from a scientist while plodding amid some suspicious plants. "I could tell they were marijuana plants," said Ken Ferebee. More »
July 2008
- Overdose Deaths Spike
  
  MSNBC | Jul 29, 08 8:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The number of deaths caused by fatal combinations of prescription medications with alcohol or street drugs has exploded in recent years in part because patients are being released from hospitals early, according to researchers. Such deaths rocketed from 92 in 1983 to 3,792 in 2004, reports MSNBC. More »
- Drug Addiction Shoots Up in Mexico
  
  USA Today | Jul 23, 08 7:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Drug addiction is skyrocketing in Mexico, which used to be simply a transit point for illegal drugs rather than a major consumer market, reports USA Today . As increased border security foils smugglers along the American border, the drugs end up being sold to Mexicans. Crack cocaine use has risen sharply, and heroin and crystal meth are becoming a problem for the first time. More »
- On the Trail of Medical Marijuana
  
  New Yorker | Jul 21, 08 4:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - California's legalization of medical marijuana helped create a cultivation and distribution network that promises big money for those willing to work in legal gray areas. Guided by an old friend, Blue, who's a dealer in all but name, David Samuels of the New Yorker follows the trail of Tibetan prayer flags from boutique-style urban dispensaries to lush fields in virtually lawless rural areas. More »
- Colombia to Americans: Cocaine Kills Environment
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Jul 19, 08 5:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Colombia is adding a new tactic in its campaign to persuade Americans to stop buying cocaine: a plea for the environment. The government wants to spread the message to users—especially, say, wealthy professionals who dutifully recycle but also partake of the drug—that cocaine growers are running roughshod over the land, the Christian Science Monitor reports. They've cleared 5 million acres of forest in the last 20 years and are now moving into the Amazon. More »
- Mexico Seizes Homemade Drug Submarine
  
  Associated Press | Jul 17, 08 9:00 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Mexico's navy seized a homemade submarine carrying a drug shipment off the Pacific coast yesterday and arrested its four-man crew. The 30-foot makeshift vessel was detected heading north about 200 miles off the southern state of Oaxaca, and intercepted when it surfaced. The crew offered no resistance, and say drug lords forced them to make the journey. More »
- 'For Hire: Pro Hitman'—Mexico Investigates Killer Online Ads
  
  BBC | Jul 13, 08 10:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mexican authorities are investigating a slew of online ads offering the services of a professional killer. The ads may be fake, but police are taking no chances. A recent outbreak of hitmen amidst a raging drug war has contributed to the more than 1,400 murders in Mexico this year, including some 400 police officers and public officials. More »
- Where Does All That Seized Money Go?
  
  Economist | Jul 13, 08 5:42 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - What would you do with a few million in drug money? Last year, state and federal authorities seized about $2 billion from Mexican smugglers. The feds have to put any seized money into a dedicated fund, but the rules are looser for states. In Texas and Georgia, for example, sheriffs and district attorneys get to keep any seized loot for their departments. The Economist takes a look at the issue and the sometimes iffy purchases that result. More »
- Wills' Ship Busts Coke Runner
  
  Sun (UK) | Jul 2, 08 10:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Royal Navy warship Prince William is serving on busted a speedboat carrying $80 million worth of cocaine northeast of Barbados, the Sun reports. The Ministry of Defense said today that Wills was “part of the ship’s company” but would not specify his exact role when they intercepted the 50-foot boat, supposedly en route to Europe or West Africa. More »
June 2008
- Mexican Troops Accused in Drug War Deaths
  
  Time | Jun 29, 08 9:42 PM CDT