Category Archives: Drugs

PARAMEDICS should carry clot-busting drugs to counteract life-threatening treatment delays for rural patients suffering serious heart attacks, experts say. MonashHeart emeritus director of cardiology Richard Harper said the drugs were important for rural Victorians who were a long distance from major hospitals and needed urgent treatment. Professor Harper said three-quarters of Victorians had access to hospitals that provided around-the-clock emergency angioplasty and stenting to re-open blocked arteries. But rural Victorians were a long way from such treatment, putting them at increased risk of death or long-term disability. Advertisement Professor Harper said Victoria should follow the lead of other states, including Queensland and New South Wales, where paramedics were trained to administer clot-busting drugs to rural and regional patients who faced delays accessing the preferred treatment in hospital. In such cases, he said, paramedics took an electrocardiogram to confirm the patient was experiencing the most serious type of heart attack in which the coronary artery was completely blocked, known as an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) They then administered the drugs en route to hospital, greatly improving outcomes for patients. The Heart Foundation, which backed the call, said about 10,000 Australians died each year from a STEMI heart attack. An audit … Continue reading →

Aug. 27, 2012, 10:16 a.m. DRUGS and guns were seized by Ballarat police in a raid on a Sebastopol property at the weekend. Police say a shotgun, air rifle and a quantity of drugs were seized when a search warrant was executed at the address yesterday. A 36 year old Sebastopol man was charged with a range of offences, including possessing a drug of dependence, making threats to kill and firearm offences. Detectives say the arrest occurred after enquiries were made following an earlier drug-related arrest at the weekend. Police arrested a 21 year old Buninyong man on Saturday night, where he was charged with use and possess a drug of dependence. He was also charged with trafficking a drug of dependence, a charge which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment for non-commercial quantities and life in jail for commercial quantities. Both men have been bailed to appear at the Ballarat Magistrates Court at a later date. See the original post: Drugs, guns seized in Sebastopol raid … Continue reading →

September is on our doorstep, and football is the air wait, those two are filled with drugs. Yes, a former corrections officer was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for allegedly throwing footballs filled with drugs over a fence into the Richland Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio. Even Tim Tebow had a better day on Sunday than Janine A. Fulton, 43, of Bucyrus. Tebow only had one interception. Fulton had two. Janine A. Fulton, 43, of Bucyrus, was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of illegal conveyance of drugs or other prohibited items onto grounds of a detention facility or institution. METRICH Commander Lt. Ken Coontz said Fulton had prescription drugs and marijuana and could face more charges. I was surprised at the amount of contraband and drugs that can be put in a football, Coontz said, adding the two inmates in question also may face charges. In her resume, unearthed by Busted Coverage, Fulton says she is an inflexible, dependable person who has a certificate in marijuana testing and is experienced in Microsoft Windows. See more here: Woman tries to throw football filled with drugs into prison … Continue reading →

More than half the drivers taken to hospital after causing a crash were found to have drugs in their system, a study has found. The Ministry of Transport study used blood samples taken from 453 drivers who caused crashes. Drugs were detected in the systems of 258 drivers, analysis by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) found. Of that group, 156 were found to be on drugs not administered by a medical professional Ninety people sent to hospital had both cannabis and alcohol in their system. Yesterday, the Automobile Association renewed its calls for random roadside saliva tests to be used to target drug drivers. Such saliva screening devices can detect only three drugs - cannabis, methamphetamine and Ecstasy - and are used in every Australian state. Police can only drug-test people if they believe they are under the influence. A blood test is carried out if the driver fails an impairment test. "We think the majority of drivers driving with illicit drugs are pretty safe from detection, unfortunately," said the AA's Mike Noon. "They may be caught. But the roadside saliva testing really sends a clear message that if you drug and drive, you could be randomly … Continue reading →

Tests on drivers who caused crashes reveal more than half had drugs in their system and more than a quarter had taken drugs not prescribed by their doctor. The Ministry of Transport tested 453 drivers who caused crashes and found 258 had drugs in their system and of that group 156 had taken drugs not administered by a medical professional, the New Zealand Herald reports. About 90 of those sent to hospital had taken cannabis and drunk alcohol. Drivers with more than the legal limit of alcohol in their system made up just over half of those analysed. The Automobile Association (AA) says the Government should bring in random roadside saliva tests to target drug drivers. But Associate Transport Minister Simon Bridges told NZ Herald the Government would wait for saliva testing technology to improve before targeting drug drivers through random tests. A review of the technology, revealed earlier this year, found it was not fast enough, was unlikely to detect half of cannabis users and results are not reliable enough for criminal prosecution. Currently police can test drivers if they believe they are under the influence of drugs and this is followed up with a blood test. Radio New … Continue reading →

Bryn Lennon / Getty Images Lance Armstrong in action on stage 18 of the 2009 Tour de Franc in Annecy, France, July 23, 2009. Enough is enough. With those loaded words, seven-time Tour de France winner, cancer survivor, and patient advocate Lance Armstrong put an end to the accusations of doping that have dogged him for years. Faced with a deadline for responding to allegations by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that he both used and distributed performance enhancing drugs during his competitive cycling career, Armstrong decided on Thursday to avoid arbitration with USADA and accept the agencys punishment. USADA swiftly revoked all seven of Armstrongs Tour titles and banned him for life from the sport of cycling. The international cycling federation, Union Cycliste Internationale, has yet to take action, demanding an explanation from USADA for the agencys censure. Armstrong has been a controversial figure in a sport buffeted by doping scandals; as the only cyclist to win the grueling Tour de France seven times, he became a lightning rod for rumors and accusations of cheating through doping. Armstrong won the first of his consecutive Tour titles three years after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. USADA says it has evidence … Continue reading →

There were so many loopholes and escape plans for the makers of synthetic drugs that the Illinois attorney generals office was having trouble crack-ing down on them. But by changing tactics, the office has been able to get about $700,000 worth of drugs referred to as synthetic marijuana and bath salts since December. The drugs can be bought over the counter, but investigators were alarmed by the harmful effects they could have such as neurological problems and suicidal thoughts. Retailers selling the drugs can now face a Class 2 felony that can land a $125,000 fine for a first conviction and $250,000 for a second conviction. Cara Smith, deputy chief of staff in Attorney General Lisa Madigans office, said the importance of the issue came to their attention from Tom McNamara, special projects coordinator for the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, at the methamphetamine conference at John A. Logan College. McNamara said the products referred to as bath salts, which are not the products used in the bathtub, are made from cathinone, which he said can have some of the same effects as metham-phetamines but can also add hallucinations. He said the synthetic cannibinoids used to make synthetic marijuana have no … Continue reading →

Rodney King's struggles with addiction thrust him into public consciousness more than two decades ago, as a drunk driver bludgeoned by Los Angeles police. In June the same affliction led to his death, medical examiners have concluded. King, an avid swimmer, drowned in the pool of his Rialto home in the early morning of June 17 after slipping into a "state of drug and alcohol-induced delirium," according to a San Bernardino County coroner's report released Thursday. His death was deemed accidental. Coroner's officials said drugs and alcohol, combined with his enlarged heart, likely triggered an irregular heartbeat that incapacitated him after he fell or jumped into his backyard pool. Along with alcohol, toxicology tests found traces of marijuana, PCP and cocaine. Before his death at 47, King described himself as a recovering addict, but he had not stopped drinking and had secured a doctor's clearance to use medical marijuana. Last year he appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab," trying to tackle his fight with alcoholism. "People who combat chemical abuse, they go backward from time to time," Ontresicia Averette, one of King's closest cousins, said Thursday. Averette said one of the saddest aspects of King's death was that he was unable … Continue reading →

24 August 2012 Last updated at 06:10 ET The conviction of a drugs gang has put "a considerable dent" in the trade in Gloucestershire, police said. Racing driver Laurence Kilby, 40, of Cheltenham, was jailed with 11 other drug smugglers. Bristol Crown Court heard he ran a gang moving drugs from Eastern Europe to London, west England and south Wales. "In terms of Mr Kilby's operation as a drugs supplier in the South West, I think we can safely say that that no longer exists," said Det Insp Bean. Kilby was heavily in debt and turned to crime to maintain his lifestyle of fast cars and high living, the court was told. He was jailed in June but his conviction, and those of the rest of the gang, can now be reported following the conclusion of another trial. Kilby and Vladan Vujovic, 43, of Grange Road, London were found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Both were jailed for 18 years. Det Insp Bean, from Gloucestershire Police, who led the investigation, said it had put a "considerable dent" in the county's drugs trade. "Obviously the six-and-a-half kilos that we seized, that is now destroyed, so any activity we … Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS The California man who supplied a St. Louis area doctor and others with adulterated chemotherapy drugs was sentenced in federal court here Thursday to two years in prison. James Newcomb, of La Jolla, owned Ban Dune Marketing Inc., and supplied unapproved foreign chemotherapy drugs to dozens of U.S. doctors from 2008 to May 18, 2011, court documents show. Some of the drugs had specific storage and handling requirements, but Newcomb and others failed to ensure that those needs were met, officials said earlier this year. Newcomb pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of conspiring to distribute adulterated prescription drugs. In addition to the prison time, Newcomb will forfeit $1.4 million and a Land Rover seized during the investigation, prosecutors said. Dr. Abid Nisar, 60, who has offices in Florissant, East St. Louis and Granite City, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of introducing misbranded prescription drugs into interstate commerce and admitted buying $352,504 worth of drugs from Newcomb and co-defendant Sandra L. Behe, 44, also of La Jolla. Nisar was sentenced to two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine. He also agreed to pay back more than $1 million for … Continue reading →