Nov 15 Drug Headlines

GENERAL - UK
Drug abuse: Children of 10 and 11 are involved - Telegraph
Heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis blight huge swaths of Britain's inner cities and sink housing estates. Drug abuse has become a crucial driver of the family breakdown and under-achievement of a generation of young working-class white boys.

COCAINE - US
Research Report: Cocaine Comeback - University of Florida News
A new study shows cocaine is making a major comeback as a killer of college-age students and people with a lot of disposable income. New data from the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows that cocaine is increasingly cited as the cause of death in coroner’s reports.

PRESCRIPTION - US
Deadly Drug Grows in Popularity - WJAC News
Officials say fentanyl is known as the new oxycontin. It's 80 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

GENERAL - US
Pot, Meth a Growing Problem in SCV - Santa Clarify Valley The Signal
Since Sgt. Phil Morris arrived at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station narcotics unit in June, he has helped seize five marijuana crops. Marijuana is not the only problem in the Santa Clarita Valley. Methamphetamine use has got narcotics investigators scrambling to deal with a drug that is still not considered a narcotic, Morris said.

MARIJUANA - US
San Francisco Supervisors Vote to Deprioritize Adult Marijuana Offenses - Drug Policy Alliance
Pending the formality of a second reading next Tuesday, San Francisco has joined several cities, most recently Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara, all in California, as well as Missoula, Montana, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in making marijuana the lowest local law enforcement priority. The ordinance was approved 8-3, with only one neighborhood group in opposition.

HEROIN - US
Heroin bust proves drug's use is growing in SWFL - NBC
After a 17 month investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 11 suspected heroin dealers. Some say it is proof the drug’s use is growing in our area.

GENERAL - US
Meth, Ecstacy, heroin readily available
Larger amounts of drugs are coming into the United States from Mexico, Columbia and Asia, the National Drug Intelligence Center said. In its 2007 drug threat assessment, the center said organizations producing ice methamphetamine in Mexico have expanded their presence throughout the United States. The center, which is part of the Department of Justice, said the presence of Mexican traffickers in U.S. drug markets has allowed the introduction of Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin into Southeastern and Midwestern states.