Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Still true

Australian customs officers have discovered nearly 300 grams of ecstasy tablets hidden inside a Mr. Potato Head toy sent to Australia from Ireland.

Find the full story here.

In a related story, customs officers in the Netherlands discovered cocaine stashed in the backs of more than 100 large, dead bugs sent from Peru to the Netherlands.

“We see a lot of things, but this was a first for us,” customs spokesman Kees Nanninga said Thursday.

“It looked like they were cut open, the drugs hidden in their backs and then they were glued back together again,” he said.

The insects held only about 10 ounces of cocaine, worth about $11,000, Nanninga said.

Read more here.

Drugs, alcohol and sex: why the Jesuits like Tom Waits

At last the Vatican has found a rock oddball who embodies the softer side of Christianity. Even if Tom Waits’s songs, which include Dragging a Dead Priest, are sung in a rasping voice that seems to have been soaked in a whisky barrel, he has won over friends in the Jesuit order.

Barely a week after Pope Benedict XVI disclosed his dislike for the “prophets of pop” and Bob Dylan in particular, the Jesuits in Rome have embraced Waits as a Christian role model.

The (London) Times reports.

Toxic herbs

Heavy metals and cocaine have been found in Korean herb medicine in markets.  The Korea Times reports.

Hitler on Drugs (Video)

High Hitler (A & E Television Network video, distributed by New Video, 2004).  How much was Hitler affected by his drug dependency?

Milosevic received drugs, booze in cell

Slobodan Milosevic had regular access to drugs and alcohol smuggled into his prison cell, yet the U.N. war-crimes tribunal failed to take action despite warnings, tribunal officials said Tuesday.

The Seattle Times reports.

Press 1 to report a drug crime, press 2 to report...

Drug dealing will be among the crimes handled by a new single non-emergency number in the UK.

The 101 number, designed to take pressure off the 999 system, will also cover intimidation and harassment, vandalism, graffiti and other criminal damage, the Home Office said.

People concerned about "drug-related anti-social behaviour" will be told to dial 101 the announcement said, but an internal Home Office website said this would include drug dealers. Each call will cost 10p in a bid to deter time-wasters.

The Independent reports.

Father 'drugged child tennis rivals'

A retired soldier has gone on trial in south-west France for allegedly drugging his children's tennis rivals to worsen their game, leading to the death of one player.

The Independent reports.

'Party pills'

The Drug Foundation yesterday called for a halt to all advertising of party pills, claiming advertising social drugs contributed to an increase in New Zealand's drug-related problems.

The New Zealand Herald reports.

'I won’t make a record out of this one'

And you gotta have faith that he means it this time. 

George Michael, the former Wham star was arrested at Hyde Park Corner in London early yesterday morning, slumped at the wheel of a car parked at what one witness described as a "crazy angle". Officers arrested after finding Class C drugs in the car, before bailing him to return to a police station next month.

The Times of London reports.

Troops fail spot drug test

In the past six months, more than 60 soldiers have tested positive for narcotics abuse or have been found in possession at the Green Howards’ Beachley Barracks near Chepstow, Monmouthshire.

The 317-year-old infantry regiment will have lost an entire platoon to drugs abuse since last summer. It deploys to Bosnia on a six-month tour in a few weeks.

The Sun Online reports.

Appears that music and passion are still very much in fashion at the Copa, Copacabana

The Rolling Stones treated 1 million delirious fans to a rock 'n' roll spectacle with a free show on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Saturday night in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever.

Fearing widespread theft, trouble with ruling drug gangs, and drunkenness, the city deployed between 6,000 - 10,000 police officers.  In the end, though, officials said only about 250 people were treated for exhaustion, drunkenness and other problems. 

The Washington Post reports.

School 'trip'

The principal of Half Hollow Hills West High School, in a letter sent to parents, expressed extreme concern about alcohol and drug use that he said occurred during a non-school-sanctioned trip to Vermont last weekend.

In a lengthy letter to parents of the 1,286-student Dix Hills school dated Thursday...Principal James J. LoFrese wrote that photographs show students appearing to drink alcoholic beverages and use drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, in rooms while on the trip.

His letter said several students were arrested and one student was hospitalized for drug poisoning.

Read more.

Portugal makes 'record' drug haul

Portuguese police have made what they say is the largest ever single seizure of cocaine in Europe.

Eight-thousand kilograms (17,600 lbs) of unadulterated cocaine, split into more than 300 separate bundles, was discovered.

Most of the drug was at a warehouse in the southern Algarve region but some was in a lorry that was already transporting it north. Seven Spanish citizens - six men and one woman - have been detained.

The BBC reports.

Research gives reason to sweat drug tests

Drug detection as easy as taking a swipe of someone's sweat could someday be in the hands of law enforcement, thanks to research conducted at the Arkansas Biosciences Institute at Arkansas State University.

Read more.

Child drinkers could face rehab clinics

The Guardian reports that so many Scottish children are addicted to drink and drugs that medical experts are calling for special drying-out clinics for youngsters.

More than 500 children in Scotland, some as young as 12, received counselling for alcohol addiction last year according to figures from the country's health boards. Glasgow and the Forth Valley emerged as the worst blackspots, with 159 and 119 children being treated. But addiction experts say the problem has become so serious that addicted children must be removed to dedicated centres, away from the drinking culture of family and friends.

Sugar (Book)

Michelle Harrison, King Sugar: Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the World Sugar Industry (New York University Press, 2001).  Should sugar be classified as a drug  for ADHS purposes?

In more uplifting substance abuse news, alcohol shown to speed up suicide

Ninety three per cent of drunken suicide attempts are decided after less than 10 minutes' thought.

Most suicides are unplanned, with a survey by University of Western Sydney researcher Marianne Wyder finding that 75percent of people who attempt suicide take less than an hour to make the decision. Twenty-five per cent think for less than five minutes before attempting suicide and a further 24percent take less than 10 minutes. Just 7 percent think for more than 24 hours.

But the urge to commit suicide passes just as quickly, with suicidal feelings leaving within 12 hours in 80 per cent of cases. Alcohol and drug use could exacerbate feelings of anger, loss, anxiety, hurt, depression and stress, said Dr Wyder, who interviewed 90 people after they attempted suicide.

The Australian reports.

B.Y.O.P: How to cheat on a urine test

The Edmonton Journal reports (11 June 2005) that with workplace drug testing becoming more common in Alberta, there is a brisk business in products to help drug users pass a urine test. Beverages promising to mask or cleanse illegal drugs like marijuana from the system have been available since the 1990s, but more recently products such as synthetic urine or vials of real, dried urine have come on to the market. Find the full story here.

Swiss court checks envoy drugs claim

BBC News reported in July 2002 that Switzerland's highest court  investigated claims that the Swiss ambassador to Luxembourg may have handled drugs money. Find the full story here.

Drug Gang Members Get Life Terms

The Las Vegas Sun reports (9 March 2005) that six members of a drug gang dubbed "Murder Inc." blamed for dozens of killings in the nation's capital were sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mystery Surrounds Mexico Drug Lord's $5 Million Reward

Reteurs reports (2 March 2005) from Monterrey, Mexico that a mysterious blitz of wanted posters offering a $5 million reward for the capture of Mexico's top drug lord has raised suspicions that the publicity drive could be a dirty tricks campaign by rival narco gangs. Puzzled security officials said they had no idea who put up the posters. Find the full story here.

To his surprise, adult drug user fails to blend into the crowd on bus filled with schoolchildren

PilotOnline.com reports (2 March 2005) that police arrested an Elizabeth City, North Carolina man on drug charges after a brief foot chase that ended on a school bus outside Elizabeth City Middle School. A caller told the Elizabeth City Police Department that two men were using drugs in a car on Queen Street. When police arrived, one man ran away. He ran south and tried to hide on a school bus that was loading children at the end of the school day outside the middle school.

Reality TV badly in need of an intervention

Reuters reports from Hollywood (2 March 2005) that the latest contender in the still never-ending reality show craze is "Intervention," a new series from A&E that features men and women who are hooked on drugs and who are confronted by family and friends as a way to get them to stop. Find the full report here.

Battling drug gangs in Chicago

For The Joplin Globe, George Will reports (24 February 2005) on the epidemic of violence between rival drug gangs in Chicago. Gang membership, now an estimated 65,000 strong, used to be a rite of passage for young men. Now it is increasingly a career choice for men turning the gangs into business organizations selling drugs and investing the proceeds in, among other things, real estate. One-third of the drug customers are suburbanites. Find the full story here.

Colombia Drug Cartel Head to Be Extradited

South Florida's Sun Sentinel reports (23 February 2005) from Bogota that Colombia's Supreme Court authorized the extradition to the United States of Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, who, along with his brother Gilberto, helped found the Cali drug cartel. The extradition approval for Rodriguez Orejuela comes less than three months after brother Gilberto was flown to Miami, becoming the most powerful Colombian trafficker ever extradited to face U.S. justice. It's now up to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to decide when he will be sent to the United States. Find the full story here.

Drug smuggler killed in Laos border clash

MCOT.org reports (23 February 2005) that Thai troops shot dead an armed drug smuggler during a clash with a gang trying to cross the Mekong River from neighbouring Laos, a military official said Wednesday. Find the full story here.

Boom in Yoghurt Drinks as Hangover Cure

For The Guardian, James Meikle explains (12 February 2005) that Britons' addiction to curries and booze is helping to create another sales boom - in "healthy" dairy drinks. Probiotics advertised as putting vim into everyday life are being used by consumers after a heavy night out as an alternative, or in addition, to traditional stomach-settling fizzy tablets or aspirin. Find the full story here.

Gambling is Similar to Drug Addiction

An article at NewKerala.com reports on findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience that "serious gamblers demonstrate a similar pattern of brain activity to people who are addicted to drugs."  The full article can be found here. 

Glue Sniffing

A 1972 article on glue sniffing and other inhalants can be found here.

This is part of the Shaffer Library of Drug Policy.