arrested Tara L. Reynolds, 26, 716 1/2 W. Main St.

arrested Tara L. Reynolds, 26, 716 1/2 W. Main St., Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of disorderly conduct. She was taken to the jail and placed in a cell with another inmate.Jail staff reported they found heroin in the cell, suspecting it belonged to Reynolds. The sheriff's office called in Tri-County Drug Enforcement and Narcotics Team agents who questioned Reynolds. Agents said Reynolds said she had the heroin concealed on her body when she was brought to the jail the day before and could have destroyed it since, but did not do so.Reynolds was charged with bringing contraband into a penal institution and possession of heroin, both of which can be punished with probation or prison.Reynolds was formerly known as Tara L. Garrow. Under that name, she was convicted April 5, 2004, in Cook County of possession of heroin. She also been arrested in connection with retail theft and driving under the influence.
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Ian Bullen and Andrew Parker were back at the higher echelons of drug trading within a year of release from long prison sentences for dealing.

Parker, 36, was jailed for 10 years as the principal player in the "sophisticated" drugs conspiracy. Bullen, 45, was jailed for eight years at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. They used the home of alcoholic Keith Coxford to store more than half a kilo Thousand (10 to the 3rd power). Abbreviated "K." For technical specifications, it refers to the precise value 1,024 since computer specifications are based on binary numbers. For example, 64K means 65,536 bytes when referring to memory or storage (64x1024), but a 64K salary means $64,000. of heroin worth about pounds 50,000.
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Beijing will execute as early as Monday a Japanese man convicted last year of drug trafficking

Beijing will execute as early as Monday a Japanese man convicted last year of drug trafficking, it was learned Tuesday. If the execution is carried out, it would be the first time a Japanese is put to death in China after the diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored in 1972. In September 2006, Mitsunobu Akano was arrested at Dalian Airport in Liaoning Province for attempting with another Japanese to smuggle about 2.5 kilograms of stimulant drugs to Japan. The accomplice was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In June 2008, the Dalian Intermediate People's Court handed down a death sentence on the man. He appealed, but the sentence was finalized after the Liaoning Province High People's Court upheld it. China's intermediate courts and high courts are equivalent to Japan's district courts and high courts, respectively. Four Japanese, including the man, have been given death sentences for drug trafficking. The Chinese government has shown little leniency over the smuggling of stimulant drugs and other narcotics. The Chinese criminal code stipulates that people caught smuggling 50 grams of stimulant drugs or more will be subject to imprisonment of 15 years, life imprisonment or death. However, drug smuggling attempts by Japanese have shown no significant signs of decline in China. In March, a 28-year-old Japanese from Tokyo was arrested at an airport in Shenyang by the public security authority for attempting to smuggle about 1 kilogram of stimulants to Japan. In July 2009, three Japanese men were arrested at Dalian Airport for drug trafficking.
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Jose Antonio Medina was captured by Mexican police in the western state of Michoacan,


Jose Antonio Medina was captured by Mexican police in the western state of Michoacan, where he allegedly operated a trafficking network that smuggled 440 pounds of heroin a month across the border into Southern California, federal police said.Medina, 36, was sought on a warrant issued last year for extradition to the U.S. on charges of drug trafficking and sales north of the border. Mexican officials said his smugglers hid small loads of heroin in secret compartments of vehicles that were sent across the border at Tijuana and then to Los Angeles.Mexican police said that since 2007, the Medina group has sold about $12 million worth of heroin a month.
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Teens with a history of crack or cocaine are at an increased risk for HIV than youth who have never used these drugs, claims a new study.

Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center boffins report that teens in psychiatric care who used crack and/or cocaine at least once were six times more likely to use condoms inconsistently, which was defined as "sometimes," "never" or "rarely." The findings suggest that crack cocaine appears to have more of an influence on risky teen behaviors than other factors, like alcohol and marijuana use, which are more routinely incorporated into adolescent HIV prevention interventions."Unprotected sex is the most common way that HIV is transmitted among teens, so if we can develop a clearer picture of why some kids engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, we will be better prepared to educate them about safe sex," says lead author Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD, of the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. "Our findings suggest that future HIV prevention interventions should include content specific to crack and cocaine use, just as they do with drugs that are more commonly used by teens, like alcohol and marijuana."

Overall, nearly 280 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 from therapeutic psychiatric day programs took part in the study.


Participants exhibited a range of psychiatric diagnoses, including mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and disruptive behavior disorders. More than half of all adolescents were male, and more than three-quarters were Caucasian. Approximately 13% of teens in the study reported trying crack or cocaine at least once.After controlling for known adolescent HIV risk factors, such as gender, race, age and psychiatric status, researchers found that only 47% of teens with a history of crack and/or cocaine use said they used condoms "always or almost always." In addition, 15% of these adolescents have a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), nearly three-quarters reported using alcohol at least once and more than half indicated prior marijuana use.In comparison, 71% of teens who never used crack or cocaine reported using condoms consistently.
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dode or doda, an opium-derived drug popular in Canada’s South-Asian community, is easily available and can be bought cheaply by anyone


dode or doda, an opium-derived drug popular in Canada’s South-Asian community, is easily available and can be bought cheaply by anyone—including minors—in many retail stores. “Anybody could walk in any day of the week and purchase it no matter how old they are, and then they take it just like any other type of drug,” he said. “It's been a very big problem and it's a growing problem.”The drug, also known as “poor man’s heroin,” is popular among taxi drivers, construction workers, and truck drivers who say it gives them energy and helps them stay awake for long stretches.But it can also impair one’s ability, and Bains believes it could be the cause of any number of work-related accidents.“They drive taxis, they drive trucks, they go on construction sites or whatever else they're doing. They put themselves and the people around them in quite an unsafe situation.”Although doda produces a quick high followed by feelings of relaxation and calm, it can also cause loss of concentration, slurred speech, drowsiness, impotence, constipation, and mood swings, according to police. And as with other derivatives of the poppy plant, it is addictive.

“It is no different than opium—it is highly addictive,” says Bains. “Because it has lower concentrations of [opium] it takes more time to get hooked, but once you're on you're on it.” Imported from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India where it has been used for decades, doda appeared in Canada only within the last 10 or 15 years, largely in Indo-Canadian communities.“It started out originally in back east in the Toronto area and started to spread quickly to the west,” Bains said.Made from ground poppy pods, doda comes in the form of a greyish powder and is usually prepared as a tea. The drug can also be used as a kind of meat seasoning, and doda users most commonly obtain the powder from South Asian meat shops.
Dr. David Mowat, Medical Officer of Health for Ontario’s Peel region, said he has been hearing of increasingly more cases of doda addiction from physicians who specialize in addiction. “They say they're seeing a lot of people who are having problems with this drug—problems with work, sleeping, withdrawal symptoms, and family problems," he told CTV News.“There's a concern that people don't really know what they are consuming. People don't know that this is a morphine derivative.” Doda is illegal in Canada and anyone found selling or using it can be charged, with penalties ranging from fines to jail. However, because it can contain very small amounts of opium, the legality in some cases remains unclear.A letter Bains received from the office of B.C.’s solicitor-general said that some samples of doda seized in the Toronto area “did not contain enough opium to rate a positive test. Consequently, some of the seized product did not merit the laying of charges on the seller.”On March 15, Peel Regional Police raided three addresses in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, seizing more than 1,200 kilos of doda worth about $2.5 million.Doda seizures have also taken place in Calgary and Edmonton. The first large-scale seizure of the drug in B.C. occurred in Surrey last November when Surrey RCMP confiscated hundreds of kilos of poppy pods and finished product along with crushing and grinding equipment.The seized product has been forwarded to a Health Canada lab to confirm the presence of drugs that are prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“I think police all across Canada are much more aware of this, the communities are much more aware of this, and they're starting to treat this issue seriously and they're starting to pay attention that this is no different than any other drug,” says Bains.NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton, Bains has been working to raise awareness of the prevalence of the drug in response to concerns raised by his constituents. A big part of his motivation, he says, is the fear doda will end up finding its way into schools.“I think what they need to do is treat this substance just like any other illegal drug and act accordingly for the sale, for the possession, and the importation of this. That's how you can nip it in the bud—no pun intended.”
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Oscar Arriola Marquez has pleaded not guilty to charges that include money laundering and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance

Oscar Arriola Marquez has pleaded not guilty to charges that include money laundering and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Authorities say Arriola Marquez used a remote ranch in Peyton, Colo., to help ship 440 pounds of cocaine a week for distribution to Chicago and New York City. Arriola Marquez was in federal court Tuesday in Denver for a detention hearing. A tentative trial date has been set for May.He faces 10 year to life in prison if convicted. He was arrested in Mexico in 2006 and extradited to Colorado this month.
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Canadian researchers have discovered the genes responsible for crucial steps in the manufacture of morphine by poppies

Canadian researchers have discovered the genes responsible for crucial steps in the manufacture of morphine by poppies, raising the possibility of plants that produce medically-useful codine but cannot be used for heroin.

Jillian Hagel and Peter Facchini, of the University of Calgary, report in Nature Chemical Biology that they have identified the enzymes responsible for two of the three chemical steps that convert the amino acid tyrosine to morphine. They also identified the genes that produce these enzymes.

“The enzymes encoded by these two genes have eluded plant biochemists for a half-century,” says Facchini (press release). “In finding not only the enzymes but also the genes, we've made a major step forward. It’s equivalent in finding a gene involved in cancer or other genetic disorders.”

Shutting down the production of morphine at the right point could mean that plants produced only codine – a widely used painkiller – and not morphine, which is used to make heroin. As Facchini and Hagel note in their paper, cultivation of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) is the sole commercial source for codine and derivatives such as oxycodone.

A poppy which could produce codine but not heroin would be useful in places like Afghanistan, where production for illicit use is prevalent and attempts to encourage cultivation for medical purposes are often stymied by concerns about heroin production
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Mathew Stokes will face the Geelong Magistrates' Court today on cocaine trafficking and possession charges.

The 25-year-old Cats star, who played in the team's 2007 premiership-winning side, was charged along with five other men in a police operation in Geelong last month.
He allegedly told police at the time that he bought one gram of cocaine for $500 from a nightclub bouncer for a friend visiting from Darwin.If convicted of trafficking, Stokes faces a lifetime ban from football under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, to which the AFL is a signatory.There is no allegation that Stokes took the cocaine himself, police said.Stokes was charged after raids on several Geelong homes in which police seized more than $3,000 in cash and drugs worth an estimated value of $50,000.Stokes' name came up in telephone intercepts during the operation, detectives said at the time.He will appear for a committal mention hearing, along with co-accused Wassam Solieman, 34, of Hamlyn Heights, in the Geelong Magistrates' Court.
Stokes began playing for Geelong in 2006. He has played 71 games and kicked 108 goals.The club has announced a range of in-house penalties for Stokes.It has suspended him until round eight of the AFL season, fined him $5,000 and demanded he finds full-time work until round four of the season.
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Natalie Mejia, a member of pop group Girlicious, was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb on Tuesday night after police reportedly found more than a dozen


Natalie Mejia, a member of pop group Girlicious, was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb on Tuesday night after police reportedly found more than a dozen plastic bags of cocaine in her Gucci purse. KTLA reports that Mejia was stopped by police for speeding. After searching the car, police arrested and booked the singer on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale. According to jail records, she spent the night in jail and was released on $30,000 bail.Her driver, Peter Asencio, was also arrested, and it was later discovered that Asencio was driving with a suspended license.
Mejia is scheduled to appear in court on April 15.Girlicious was founded by Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin, who featured the group on the CW's reality competition 'Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.' Their songs include 'Stupid S***' and 'Baby Doll,' both released from their 2008 self-titled album.
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Lawyers for Michael Douglas' son Cameron urged a judge to hand their client bail on Thursday by insisting he was pushed into a life of drugs

Lawyers for Michael Douglas' son Cameron urged a judge to hand their client bail on Thursday by insisting he was pushed into a life of drugs because of his father's fame.Cameron Douglas was arrested August 2009 following a drugs raid on his room at the Hotel Gansevoort in New York City.He was initially put under house arrest at his mother's Manhattan address after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of heroin.
However, the 31 year old was thrown back behind bars after he allegedly asked girlfriend Kelly Sott to smuggle heroin to him in an electric toothbrush.And during a request for bail on Thursday, the 31 year old's defense lawyers claimed Douglas' troubles stemmed from his "difficult upbringing" with his Oscar-winning father.Defense attorney Dan Gitner said, "(Douglas') serious heroin addiction (stems from) notoriety that is not due to any acts of his own but by dint of birth and a difficult upbringing."While fellow defense lawyer Nicholas DeFeis added, "He didn't benefit from his celebrity. He was hurt by it in a variety of ways, including ways in this case."At an earlier hearing on February 11, the star's psychiatrist Dr. Robert Millman made similar claims, describing how Douglas' privileged background made him "reckless."
He told the court, "He has been sort of a reckless person since he was really young, endangering himself constantly.
"Not violent, just screwing up in every way - car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tattoos. I think a lot of it had to do with who his parents are."
The judge refused to grant bail over fears Douglas would relapse while awaiting his trial in April.
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Police have arrested Tarkan, Turkey’s most famous pop music star

Police have arrested Tarkan, Turkey’s most famous pop music star, in a narcotics raid, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian Agency reported Friday.
According to Anatolian, Tarkan was detained along with several other individuals who are "important figures from the art and magazine world."
CNN reports that Tarkan rose to international prominence in the late 1990s for singing playful hit songs like "Simarik" (Spoiled). The heartthrob has been described by some as a Turkish Ricky Martin, referring to the Latin pop singer from Puerto Rico who achieved popularity worldwide.
German-born Tarkan, who uses only one name, has also made pop charts around the world. In recent years, it was reported, he has been living in New York City. The arrest was carried out in Istanbul.
Turkey is a key stop on a drug smuggling transit route between Asia and Europe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, it is a major hub for the trafficking of illegal heroin and opium from Afghanistan en route to European markets.
Drug operations involving Turkish celebrities, including artists and models, are often carried out in Istanbul.
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Michael Douglas' son Cameron will be stuck behind bars until he's sentenced for drug charges

Michael Douglas' son Cameron will be stuck behind bars until he's sentenced for drug charges, after a judge shot down his bid for momentary freedom today in court.
Cameron has been locked up since last year, when his girlfriend smuggled him heroin while he was under house arrest awaiting trial. Douglas has since pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of heroin.Today in Federal Court in Manhattan, Cameron asked the judge to let him bail out so he could be transferred to a rehabilitation center.
The judge ruled Cameron was more likely to relapse if he was let out, and denied his bail.Cameron is due back in court on April 14.
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CHARLIE Sheen is in rehab over his alleged problems with cocaine and alcohol.

The Two and a Half Men actor - who entered an undisclosed treatment centre yesterday - was reportedly admitted for professional help after his drink and Class A drug use escalated.Gossip website Radar Online reported: “Charlie has relapsed into using both booze and cocaine and simply couldn’t put off entering rehab any longer.”The 44-year-old actor - who is currently facing charges following allegations he attacked his spouse Brooke Mueller on Christmas Day - was urged to make the move by friends and family for the sake of their 11-month-old twin sons Bob and Max.
A source told the website: “He loves his children and ultimately that’s what convinced him to get help.”Real estate investor Mueller is also in a rehabilitation centre over substance abuse problems.It has been claimed the couple have had marital problems for months, but remained together because of their mutual love of partying.
A source added: “The one thing they share is that they both love to party.”
When Sheen was first admitted to rehab, it was claimed his stay was purely a “preventative measure”.His spokesperson said: “As a preventative measure, Charlie Sheen has entered a rehabilitation facility.“He will take some time off his series Two and a Half Men. He has asked that his privacy be honoured. No further statements are planned.”
Filming of his show Two and a Half Men will be “temporarily suspended” and CBS - the network who produce the comedy - wish Sheen “nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter”.This news comes days after it was revealed Sheen had been visited by child protection services last week.The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) dropped by the family home he shares with Mueller to check up on the twins following his December arrest.The actor was arrested over domestic violence allegations, and was charged with a felony and two misdemeanours. He is expected to plead not guilty when he returns to a Colorado court next month.
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Lindsay Lohan laid bare the extent of her drug addiction Monday


Lindsay Lohan laid bare the extent of her drug addiction Monday, confessing that she came close to killing herself through a heady mix of alcohol and cocaine.
The bisexual actress, 23, who visited rehab three times and was jailed after being caught with cocaine, revealed she hit rock bottom and risked blowing her entire career via drug abuse.She said her problems got worse when her father Michael, a former drug addict who beat up her mother Dina, started talking about his daughter to the press in 2007."When my father was going public, that's when I hit rock bottom," Lohan told The Sun."I tried to mask my problems with alcohol, cocaine and mind-altering substances. I ran myself down and lost track of who I was."Referring to her May 2007 arrest for DUI (driving under the influence) and possession of cocaine, Lohan said: "I just thank God everyone was okay. But it was scary. I had three drinks, at most. I've been stupid and childish and I wasn't thinking."The former child actress, who starred in The Parent Trap and Mean Girls, was ordered to attend alcohol education classes and insists she is now clean of her addictions."I've made some dreadful mistakes but learned from them - that has probably saved my life," she said."Mind-altering drugs are so dangerous. I'm allowed to drink now but I know my limits. Partying so hard isn't worth it."
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Students at one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Oxford University in England, have been warned against dealing in heroin.

Students at one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Oxford University in England, have been warned against dealing in heroin.
It was Oxford University's independent student newspaper Cherwell which first reported that an anonymous letter had been sent to authorities at one of Oxford's largest colleges, Christ Church.
The letter had warned the authorities at what is one of 38 colleges and six Permanent Private Halls at Oxford that a "considerable drugs culture" can be found among the students at Christ Church.
According to the Telegraph those students number 426.
And as a consequence of the anonymous letter, junior Censor Ian Watson, described by the Daily Mail as the person "in charge of discipline" at Christ Church, has sent an email to his college's students with the subject line "Urgent warning concerning drugs".
Explaining to the students that "The law applies just as rigorously within college as elsewhere" and that he and his colleagues cannot and will not protect anyone who breaks the law Mr Watson said:
Last week the censors received an anonymous letter alleging the existence in Christ Church of a considerable drugs culture, including the supplying of class A drugs such as heroin. The letter named one individual.
The police, whom the censors consulted in the person of the community liaison officer who deals with the university, have advised that this letter does not in itself constitute usable evidence with which to start an investigation.
All junior members should, however, recall that the use, and especially the supplying, of prohibited drugs constitutes a serious criminal offence
While students interviewed by Cherwell acknowledged that drugs could be found at Christ Church, and one student is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying "On the surface Christ Church appears to be full of hardworking, bookish students. In reality, drug use and supply is widespread", the consensus seems to be that heroin is not being widely used by those attending the college.
With Ian Watson dubbed by one female student "an over-enthusiastic Censor being over-dramatic", another unnamed student opined:
It looks like some nutter coming in, seeing a few people looking rough, and saying they're all smack-heads. It's palpably false - there is no Heroin in Christ Church
However Christ Church has been at the center of a controversy involving the use of heroin on a previous occasion.
In 1986 Olivia Channon, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Paul Channon, Conservative Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry during the 1980s, died at a party on campus from the effects of the alcohol she had consumed and the heroin she had taken.
The party attended by Ms Channon had taken place in the room of Count Gottfried von Bismarck, who was to eventually die in 2007 at the age of 44 after what the Daily Mail said at the time and the Telegraph said this weekend was "a two-day binge on cocaine and heroin".
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anthrax-infected heroin health scare which has seen seven people die in Scotland so far with another 14 hospitalised

health scare which has seen seven people die in Scotland so far with another 14 hospitalised, yet there is no panic in the streets, few headlines and little fearful talk in homes or in offices.The reason for the silence? The victims are all drug addicts, a faceless heroin-injecting underclass, who few care about. In the last month, anthrax-infected heroin has killed four people in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, two in Tayside and one in the Forth Valley.Although it’s likely that the heroin was infected with anthrax somewhere en route from the poppy fields of Afghanistan, there is no way that police and medics can rule out that the drug was deliberately infected once it arrived in the UK.The big problem facing police and doctors struggling to deal with the anthrax scare is that they just don’t know how, where, when, why or at whose hands the heroin became contaminatedWas it as a result of the heroin accidentally coming into contact with infected farm material while being stored or in transit from the Middle East to Britain? Was it because a middle man unwittingly used a contaminated bulking agent? Was it done maliciously? And if so, by whom? A callous dealer? Someone targeting Glasgow’s junkies? Even the most far-fetched theories can’t be ruled out.
Users are concerned, but not concerned enough to stop using Patricia Tracey
The country’s leading microbiologist, Professor Hugh Pennington, points to the distinct possibility of the anthrax coming into contact with the heroin in the country of origin, yet he also believes that it is possible that the
anthrax could have been maliciously added to the heroin inside Britain.

“In the UK there used to be problem with anthrax-infected imports, particularly wool from areas east of Turkey,” he said. “It is no great surprise that it would be prevalent around the areas in Afghanistan where heroin is processed. You can’t completely rule out maliciousness as theoretically – people would be able to get hold of anthrax in the UK, although you’d need a specialist microbiological knowledge to do so.”Police are investigating the labyrinthine heroin supply chain, hoping that if they identify the source of the infection, they will be able to stop further deaths. Find the supplier, the theory goes, and you find and therefore save the customers. But the shadowy drug routes from Afghanistan to Scotland are difficult to trace and health officials are braced for more anthrax cases.
Some of the main theories about how anthrax spores came to contaminate the heroin, include the possibility that bonemeal, which is sometimes used to cut – ie, bulk up – heroin batches came from diseased animals. Another theory suggests that the equipment used to manufacture the drug was contaminated. Some peasant producers mix raw opium with water and chemicals in an oil barrel before heating the mixture over a large fire. These barrels may have previously been used to carry diseased meat, cattle feed or even manure.Professor Graeme Pearson is a former director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), the country’s leading crime-fighting unit, and is now with Glasgow University’s Unit for the Study of Serious Organised Crime. He has investigated the heroin production process and says he is surprised infections are so rare.
He said: “I’ve seen videos of heroin production and it’s a horrible and unhygienic process. It’s surprising that this doesn’t happen more often.”Anthrax exists as small, hardy spores that can lay dormant for up to 100 years. If these spores are breathed in, eaten or come into contact with skin, they cause an infection.
Dr Colin Ramsay, consultant eEpidemiologist at Health Protection Scotland, has been following the anthrax infections ever since the first victim was identified.
He said:
“The current hypothesis remains that the anthrax cases are linked to contamination of either heroin or a cutting agent.”

While the police and medics remain temporarily at a loss, it may be thought that Scotland’s addicts themselves might be doing something to save themselves from infection. Sadly, that is far from the case.Heroin addicts, experts warn, are too in thrall to their next fix to heed the risks of shooting up with anthrax-infected heroin.Patricia Tracey, from Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre, claimed that it was “unrealistic” to expect addicts to listen to public health warnings. “Users are concerned, but not concerned enough to stop using,” she warned.The recent deaths have exposed the flaws in the Scottish Government’s drugs policy, Jolene Crawford, the head of pressure group Transform Drug Policy Foundation Scotland, claimed.She said: “If it was contaminated beer that was killing these people there would be uproar. But there is no outrage.“It is accepted that some heroin will be lethal because by prohibiting it we gift control to criminals. Were opium and heroin to be legally available via regulated pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries, we would not have to see our children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters die unnecessarily in this way.”
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SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport views the admission of guilt of Bulls and Springbok rugby player, Pedrie Wannenburg, to the use and abuse of cocaine

"The SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport views the admission of guilt of Bulls and Springbok rugby player, Pedrie Wannenburg, to the use and abuse of cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol as a serious substance abuse and addiction issue rather than a performance enhancing issue. "We trust the strategy employed by the Bulls management as one of compassion where they sought to address Pedrie Wannenburg’s drug problem with counselling and empathy. "Mr Wannenburg admitted to the abuse of alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy while partying. Although alcohol is not banned in rugby, cocaine and ecstasy are banned during competition under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2010 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods in Sport. "Generally stimulants such as cocaine and ecstasy stay in the body for a few hours before it is completely metabolised and excreted. "Hence, although Pedrie Wannenburg was tested after a rugby match by the Institute for Drug-Free Sport in February and May of 2009, he tested negative for these substances on both occasions. "The selection of Mr Wannenburg for drug testing after these matches was based on a random “blind” selection by the respective team managers. "Many lessons have been learnt during this saga and Drug-Free Sport would like to further encourage sports bodies to work with us in not only combating doping in sport but also in addressing the growing trend of substance abuse and addiction among sports participants.

"
Our top athletes are not immune to the negative influences of recreational drug use.

"We view with alarm the increasing prevalence of drug abuse with drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine (tik) among young people and athletes.

"The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport is the custodian of ensuring a drug-free sport environment in the country. Our anti-doping education programs focus on the dangers of drugs and developing decision-making skills among young people and athletes to make the correct choices."
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new study published in the journal Science offers new insight into the mechanism behind cocaine’s addictiveness.

new study published in the journal Science offers new insight into the mechanism behind cocaine’s addictiveness. The research, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), points to an epigenetic mechanism of the brain to explain cocaine's addictive effect. Epigenetics is a fairly new avenue of scientific research which looks at changes to gene expression. Such changes are believed to be triggered by environmental factors, such as diet, drugs and toxins.

In the study, researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine gave a group of mice repeated doses of cocaine. Another group receieved saline doses with a final dose of cocaine. The intent was to see how the effects of repeated exposure to cocaine differs from one-time exposure. The researchers found that cocaine alters pleasure circuits in the brain by repressing the G9A enzyme, an important regulator of epigenetic control of gene expression. When the researchers reversed the effect, they were able to block the changes in gene expression and prevent the urge for cocaine.

Researchers hope the discovery may lead to more effective cures for cocaine addiction and perhaps even other substances.
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Cocaine was responsible for more than 3 percent of all sudden deaths

Cocaine was responsible for more than 3 percent of all sudden deaths in a Spanish study signaling that no amount of the recreational drug, however small, is safe.
Researchers performed forensic autopsies on 668 people who died suddenly between November 2003 and June 2006 in Seville. Cocaine was detected in 21 of the corpses, all of which were male age 21 years to 45 years, according to the report published today in the European Heart Journal. Most died from heart attacks or other cardiovascular complications.The results can be extrapolated to other parts of Europe, where cocaine consumption is a growing public health problem, said the researchers led by Joaquin Lucena, who is the head of forensic pathology at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville. The number of Europeans abusing cocaine has increased to 12 million in the past two decades, making it the second-most widely used drug after marijuana, the researchers said.“Our findings show that cocaine use causes adverse changes to the heart and arteries that then lead to sudden death,” particularly when combined with smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, Lucena said. “The combination of cocaine with either or both of these habits can be considered as a lethal cocktail that promotes the development of premature heart disease.”More than half of the cocaine-related deaths occurred during the weekend, suggesting the men were recreational rather than chronic users of the drug, said Richard Lange and David Hillis, from the University of Texas Health Science Center. A wide range of cocaine levels were found in the men’s bodies, indicating it can be dangerous even at low doses.“The notion that recreational cocaine use is ‘safe’ should be dispelled, since even small amounts may have catastrophic consequences, including sudden death,” Lange and Hillis wrote in an editorial that accompanied the study.
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