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.