AP Mexicali: 'Marijuana cannon' used to fire drugs over US border seized in Mexico

Associated Press

Police in the border city of Mexicali say they have recovered a powerful improvised cannon used to hurl packets of marijuana across a border fence into California.

Police told the Televisa network that the device was made up of a plastic pipe and a crude metal tank that used compressed air from the engine of an old car.

The apparatus fired cylinders packed with drugs that weighed as much as 13 kilos, police said. It was confiscated last week after US officers told Mexican police that they had been confiscating a large number of drug packages that appeared to have been fired over the border. Mexican police on the border have recovered a series of similar devices in recent years.

Source:  www.guardian.uk

MSNBC: Marijuana, Crack Drug Dealer Dad's 4-Year Old Kills Himself with Dad's Stolen Gun, After Dad Passed Out and left Gun Unattended

Houston Police Department

By Berenice Garcia, NBC News

A 4-year-old Houston boy fatally shot himself with his father's stolen handgun Sunday morning, police say.

Marquiez Deshon Pratt, 21, was asleep on the couch when his son, Jaiden, picked up the gun and shot himself in the stomach, according to a report from the Houston Police Department.

The weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, was stolen during a burglary in 2011, according to the police report.

Jaiden was spending the weekend with his father when the incident occurred. The boy's mother dropped him off every Friday and was scheduled to pick him up Sunday at noon, according to the Houston Chronicle.

After the shooting, the elder Pratt ran out of his second-floor apartment with his son in his arms, yelling to his neighbors for help, according to the Houston Chronicle.

When officers arrived, Pratt handed his son over to them and ran back to his apartment.

While some officers pursued Pratt, others performed CPR on the young victim, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers who followed Pratt into his apartment discovered marijuana and crack cocaine along with weighing scales and other items used to sell drugs, according to the police report.

Pratt was arrested and charged with injury to a child by omission and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

"He's in mourning. He's in pain and feels a lot of self guilt," Sgt. Brian Harris, of the Houston PD's homicide department, told the Houston Chronicle. "He kept saying, 'I messed up. I messed up.'"

Source: www.usnews.msncb.com

Lets Hope we don't have to learn from Marijuana what we had to learn from Tobacco

We should always think of this film when recycling plastics. Failure to care about where our plastic ends up is destroying precious life on our planet.

When You Quit Smoking, Your Chances at Life get Better and Better

Reflection: Enjoy Your Life - Chris LeBlanc feat. Liz June

KevinMD.com: Why the American Problem with Opioids and Chronic Pain is Here to Stay

Image by:  Shutterstock

By Dr. Jennifer Gunter - America consumes 80% of the world opioid supply (99% of the world hydrocodone supply), but has about 5% of the world’s population. If you don’t think America has some kind of opioid problem, then move along because this rational, evidence-based, experience-laden way in which I’m going to discuss opioid use and misuse will not interest you.

To combat our opioidification the Food and Drug Administration has recommended prescribing restrictions on hydrocodone (remember, we consume 99% of the global hydrocodone supply). These obstacles do not appear derived from evidence-based guidelines and probably won’t do much to reduce the vast majority of inappropriate prescribing, although they may slightly curtail physicians that run pill mills and may also help with diversion (lying to get opioids to sell them on the street).

But I want you to consider these following pain scenarios, because this is how the majority of opioids are prescribed in the United States. In each scenario there is a patient with chronic low back pain who started taking a Norco (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) every day or two for her pain, but now four years later is taking 8 Norco a day.

• Patient A was never referred to physical therapy, never prescribed an adjuvant medication for chronic pain (adjuvant medications treat the way chronic pain is produced in the nervous system), never given a graduated exercise program, never had her anxiety or depression discussed never mind treated, and never given the option of a long-acting opioid. In short, she was only ever offered one therapy, the wrong one. Over time, her pain worsened (a natural consequence of untreated depression, anxiety, and immobility) and she needed more Norco a day.
• Patient B was offered all the above therapies and they were well-covered by her insurance, but she found reasons to cancel physical therapy at the last minute, was intolerant of every medication except the Norco, and refused to speak with a pain psychologist despite being profoundly depressed (PHQ-9 of 24) and suffering from an anxiety disorder. Over time her pain worsened and she needed more Norco a day.
• Patient C wants to go to physical therapy, but the co-pay is $80 so even twice a month isn’t possible (a month of Norco costs $5). She is dutifully doing her home exercises, but often does too much and pays for it in pain the next day because learning pacing from a pain psychologist isn’t a covered benefit. She is open to addressing her depression and anxiety, but don’t have mental health coverage. She tried nortriptyline (the only truly low-cost adjuvant medication for chronic pain, $4 a month via WalMart), but it was ineffective. Generic gabapentin, the next generic that is offered (because brand name drugs are prohibitively expensive under her health plan) is $1 a pill and that will be about $180 a month. She would love to do Tai-Chi or restorative Yoga to get moving, but can’t afford it. Over time her pain worsened and she now needs 8 Norco a day.
• Patient D had an MRI when she complained of back pain. A bulged disc was identified. After 2 epidurals that didn’t work (no PT or other multidisciplinary approach was offered), she had back surgery. When, after a brief 4 month post surgery respite, the pain worsened she had more epidurals and another surgery with a multi level fusion. And then another one. Over time her pain worsened (she now has failed back syndrome) and she takes 8 Norco a day

Despite the fact that opioid monotherapy is sub-optimal care, it happens all the time. I’m not sure how the FDA restrictions will help a doctor, who has less than 15 minutes and may not fully understand the multidisciplinary approach required to address chronic pain, delve into anxiety, depression, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, weight loss, pacing, adjuvant medications, nerve blocks, dietary modifications, and the appropriate use of opioids (just to name a few therapies).

Non-compliance is a challenge in all aspects of medicine, and chronic pain is no different. However, the availability of opioids as a potential therapy certainly confuses things. A beta-blocker for high blood pressure has no component of secondary gain. How do we approach non compliance in chronic pain when opioids are on the table? We know that exercise and physical therapy reduces both pain and work disability for many patients with back pain and are the standard of care, but what if a patient is less than compliant with physical therapy or flat-out refuses yet shows up on time for her opioid prescriptions? Non compliance isn’t limited to physical therapy or exercise either. How will the FDA restrictions guide clinicians in these scenarios?

In almost every single health plan in the United States it is easier to get an MRI and back surgery than it is to get physical therapy. FDA restrictions will not solve this problem.

In the United States there is a reluctance to accept that the mind-body connection is a huge part of the pain equation. The neurochemical changes of depression and anxiety increase pain, because the same chemicals released by an anxious or depressed nervous system are the very same chemicals that produce pain. Basically, depression and anxiety fuel the fire of pain. How will the FDA regulations fix this mind-body disconnect (among both patients and providers ), solve mental health parity, and break down the stigma of mental health?

What if the patient actually has access to and wants to go to a cognitive behavioral therapy program, but she works two jobs and can’t afford to take the time off to go? After all, most of these programs are offered during the day. How will the FDA restrictions help in this scenario?

There are only a few generics for the medications that can actually treat chronic pain, so most of these drugs are very expensive. Many opioids are as cheap as M & Ms. A few extra hoops for hydrocodone won’t solve this issue.

Some docs have admitted to essentially giving Vicodin goody bags to improve Press Ganey scores. Yes, you read that correctly. Check out that link at the peril of your sanity. There is a push to give the patient what they want, which may not always be the standard of care. And yes, many people want opioids. How will the FDA restrictions put the brakes on this trend?

And finally, we practice medicine in a world where some chronic pain conditions respond suboptimally to evidence-based therapies and appropriate, responsible opioid prescribing may be a necessary component.

I practice in chronic pain Nirvana. Everyone of my patients has access to skilled physical therapy, adjuvant medications, a pain psychologist, and a psychiatrist, although rising co-payments are eroding away at the way people can practically access these services. We have intensive cognitive behavioral therapy programs designed to get the immobile moving (immobility is the nemesis of chronic pain, a self-fulfilling prophecy). We even have Tai Chi and Feldenkrais. And yet, sometimes even when we harness all these treatments we still need opioids (although almost always we are able to lower the dose). And sometimes, patients decline all these therapies and only want opioids.

Proposing restrictions helps us think about opioid misuse and abuse, which is good.New York City’s decision to limit opioids prescriptions from the emergency room to a three-day supply is a more thoughtful approach, although not perfect. Chronic pain shouldn’t be managed in the emergency department, although what happens to the patient without insurance who goes to the emergency room for her pain because she knows she won’t be turned away? Should this patient be treated differently than the patient who is going to the emergency room to get Dilaudid (hydromorphone) hoping that her doctor, with whom she has a pain contract, won’t find out?

Requiring a new written prescription for hydrocodone every 30 days probably won’t change too much. Some doctors, to avoid the hassle, might refer a little sooner to pain programs (which will be good, if such a program is available) or to a surgeon (in general less good for chronic pain, but always available). Some doctors may refuse to start opioids (good for some patients and bad for others), but many doctors will probably just leave written prescriptions with their receptionists for their patients to pick up. In summary, the American problem with opioids and chronic pain will remain unchanged.

Jennifer Gunter is an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of The Preemie Primer. She blogs at her self-titled site, Dr. Jen Gunter.

Source:  www.KevinMD.com

CBS Denver: Sheriff In California Says Coloradans Will Regret Legalizing Marijuana

MENDOCINO, Calif. (CBS4) – The sheriff of Mendocino, Calif. is warning Colorado about the dangers of legalizing marijuana.

Sheriff Tom Allman says voters in Colorado will regret the decision to legalize marijuana because crime will also increase. Allman says he should know, because for the last 30 years, Mendocino County has been regarded as the marijuana capitol of the U.S.

Scenic Mendocino County is nestled in an area called the Emerald Triangle, three Northern California counties which are considered a safe haven for marijuana growers. But Allman says marijuana has ruined the area’s charm. He says marijuana has led to a spike in violent crime and growers aren’t the only victims.

“Thugs put on masks, they come to your house, they kick in your door. They point guns at you and say, ‘Give me your marijuana, give me your money,’ ” Allman said.

Mendocino County authorities have arrested suspects from 14 foreign countries. Allman says home values soared where drugs could be grown and dropped in surrounding areas.

“Without taking any quantum leaps we’ve said, ‘If you grow marijuana, you’re going to have large amounts of money, greed and violence,’ ” he said.

Marijuana grower Tim Blake says the majority of growers in Mendocino were self-described hippies who have grown pot since the 1960s. Blake let CBS4 onto his farm, but he requested its location stay secret. When he’s ready to harvest his farm looks more like the Wild West. Blake has armed guards and watch dogs to protect himself from an annual rush of drug runners looking to steal his crop.

“The response time for the sheriff is 45 minutes to an hour,” Blake said.

Blake says protecting himself is a necessity.

“It’s not going to take them that long to injure your wife, injure your kids, kill your stuff and be gone,” he said.

The culture of crime in Mendocino County overwhelmed law enforcement agencies who claim they are strapped for resources. Sheriff Allman says the same thing could happen in Colorado. He believes voters will regret legalized marijuana’s impact on the state.

“Mark my words,” Allman said. “Three years from now find out what they think of it. They’ll say, ‘Wait a minute?’ ”

Source:  www.denver.cbslocal.com

National Marijuana Summit 2013, Hosted by the Drug Free America Foundation's Executive Director Calvina Fay

I was deeply honored to stand alongside Paul SigEp Chabot, Founding Principal of the Coalition for a Drug Free California and bestow Assembly Member Chris Holden's certificate of recognition to Calvina Fay, Executive Director of the Drug Free America Foundation and Save Our Society From Drugs, our nation's leading drug policy expert. Assembly Member Chris Holden is the son of California State Senator and Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden who served 32 years in public office. This photo was taken at the 2013 National Marijuana Summit on February 18, 2013.— at The University of Tampa.

At this very important, national gathering, California's major problems with illegal marijuana cultivation in California's Central Valley was presented with the extended presentation below on Fresno County's out-of-control problem with marijuana cultivation interlaced in organic food crops.

CNN: Stoned Drivers Test Skills

Marijuana 101: 99 Plants = 179,784 Doses

News Flash: Obama's Own Drug Czar Is Now Publicly Criticizing Him for Not Responding to Legal Pot in Colorado and Washington

Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske—Obama's own drug czar—says his boss's administration "has not done a particularly good job of talking about...where we should be headed on our drug policy." 

Full Article: Reason.com

NADCP Releases Position Statement on Marijuana

Review of Research Leads to Stand Against Marijuana Legalization of the use of Smoked Marijuana as “Medicine”

 

Every dangerous and addictive drug was once believed to be safe and medicinal.  Cocaine, heroin and nicotine were once advertised as being good for you, or at least not harmful.  In every instance, we learned otherwise -- the hard way.  Marijuana is the newest “safe” and “medicinal” drug to reenact this tragic drama.  Just as scientific research is documenting the unequivocal public-health and public-safety dangers of marijuana, states are moving rapidly towards legalization or decriminalization.

 

Drug Courts serve seriously addicted individuals with long criminal records who have alienated nearly everyone they love.  In every case, they tell us it began with marijuana.  Convinced that marijuana was safe, they learned it is, in fact, addictive, causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory disease, triggers mental illness and addiction to more serious drugs, and alienates friends, family and coworkers.

 

NADCP has long been committed to guiding the Drug Court field and the broader criminal justice and treatment communities with science, not ideology.  After thoroughly reviewing the research regarding the safety of recreational marijuana use and the efficacy of “medical” marijuana, NADCP unequivocally stands against the legalization of marijuana and the use of smoked marijuana as “medicine.”  Our reasons for doing so are thoroughly explained and cited in the attached Position Statement.

 

Unfortunately, the public discourse concerning drug policy in the U.S. has degenerated into a false-choice between incarceration and legalization.  Both of these extreme positions are dangerous, costly and ineffective.  But research proves there is a middle ground.  It is possible to reduce the devastating consequences of addiction and treat those already affected without overreacting and wasting public tax dollars. 

 

Pick up any current issue of a scientific journal in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, counseling or criminology, and you will find studies documenting a new danger of marijuana.  But that same journal will also contain studies documenting the curative effects of Drug Courts and dozens of other treatment programs.  We can and must do better.  Science, not ideology, must be our guide to rational and informed public policy.

 

 

West Huddleston

CEO

National Association of Drug Court Professionals

- National Center for DWI Courts

- National Drug Court Institute

- Justice for Vets

AHA: Smoking Marijuana Associated with Higher Stroke Risk in Young Adults

February 06, 2013 

This news release is featured in a news conference at 7 a.m. HT, Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Study Highlights:

• Marijuana use may double the risk of stroke in young adults.
• The New Zealand findings are the first from a case-controlled study to indicate a potential link between marijuana and stroke.

HONOLULU, Feb. 6, 2013 —Marijuana, the most widely used illicit drug, may double stroke risk in young adults, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2013.

In a New Zealand study, ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients were 2.3 times more likely to have cannabis, also known as marijuana, detected in urine tests as other age and sex matched patients, researchers said.

“This is the first case-controlled study to show a possible link to the increased risk of stroke from cannabis,” said P. Alan Barber, Ph.D., M.D., study lead investigator and professor of clinical neurology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Cannabis has been thought by the public to be a relatively safe, although illegal substance. This study shows this might not be the case; it may lead to stroke.”

The study included 160 ischemic stroke/TIA patients 18-55 years old who had urine screens upon admission to the hospital. Among the patients, 150 had ischemic stroke and 10 had TIAs. Sixteen percent of patients had positive drug screens, mostly male who also smoked tobacco.

Only 8.1 percent of controls tested positive for cannabis in urine samples. Researchers found no differences in age, stroke mechanism or most vascular risk factors between marijuana users and non-users.

In previous case reports, ischemic stroke and TIAs developed hours after cannabis use, Barber said. “These patients usually had no other vascular risk factors apart from tobacco, alcohol and other drug usage.”

It’s challenging to perform prospective studies involving illegal substances such as cannabis because “questioning stroke and control patients about cannabis use is likely to obtain unreliable responses,” Barber said.

In the study, the regional ethics committee allowed researchers to use urine samples from other hospitalized patients. But researchers knew only the age, sex and ethnicity for matching due to a lack of consent.

The study provides the strongest evidence to date of an association between cannabis and stroke, Barber said. But the association is confounded because all but one of the stroke patients who were cannabis users also used tobacco regularly.

“We believe it is the cannabis and not tobacco,” said Barber, who hopes to conduct another study to determine whether there’s an association between cannabis and stroke independent of tobacco use. “This may prove difficult given the risks of bias and ethical strictures of studying the use of an illegal substance,” he said. “However, the high prevalence of cannabis use in this cohort of younger stroke patients makes this research imperative.”

Physicians should test young people who come in with stroke for cannabis use, Barber said.

“People need to think twice about using cannabis,” because it can affect brain development and result in emphysema, heart attack and now stroke, he said.

Co-authors are: Heidi Pridmore, M.D.; Venkatesh Krishnamurthy, M.D.; Sally Roberts, M.D.; David A. Spriggs, M.D.; Kristie Carter, Ph.D.; and Neil E. Anderson, M.D. Author disclosures and funding information are on the abstract.

Follow news from the ASA International Stroke Conference 2013 via Twitter @HeartNews; #ISC13.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Stroke Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position.  The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events.  The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content.  Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available atwww.heart.org/corporatefunding.

Attention Ladies: When Making Plans for Valentine's Day, Don't End Up with a Frog

ABC Recap of Jodi Arias Inconsistent Testimony Shows Shocking Evidence Against Her

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Dear Beyonce…You’re a Mom Now, Please Put Some Pants On

Photo shows Beyonce left 2004 Super Bowl, middle 2012 baby bump announcement, right 2013 Super Bowl   

Dear Beyonce, this is a Girl to Girl note.

I have always admired your amazing voice and have liked your music dating all the way back to Destiny’s Child.  You have come a long way and will go even farther but I do think it's time you considered "taming the flames of Sasha."  I want you to know that I wish you great success in all your future endeavors, but there is something I really want you to keep in mind, especially now that you’re a 31-year old mother.

I want to take you back in time for a moment and tell you about the time I was in my late teens and early twenties.  The great female pop-culture icon in my day was Madonna.  She had some of the greatest songs, wore the coolest clothes, did the craziest things and more than anything, she didn’t give a damn about what people really thought of her.  By the way, today, I don’t think that is such a great thing anymore, but back then I thought it was “cool.”

I absolutely loved Madonna and for me she was someone I idolized.  I began to dress like her, wearing corsets and leather jackets with crosses and pearls.  I smoked cigarettes like her, danced alone at clubs like she did in her videos, and made myself into this “untouchable sexual revolutionary” like Madonna was, and still is today. 

Madonna made marriage into a sport and having a daughter into a hobby.  Today, her daughter smokes just like she does, which brings me to my point.  

Your performance at the SuperBowl looked like you worked very hard.  The choreography was fabulous, you and your dancers and band mates looked amazing, but quite honestly; was it really necessary to flash your crotch at the audience and at the cameras?  Little children and senior citizens watch the Super Bowl and I’m pretty sure not everyone wanted to see you flash your coochie at the camera.  

I loved your outfit, but thought now that you’re a mom, shouldn’t you be wearing pants or maybe shorts?  I mean, you just had your baby and I remember how great you looked in that sequin jacket and the long pants when you first showed off you baby bump.  I thought that outfit showed you have class.

Personally, I like to see you doing things your way but I also think there’s a time and place for everything.  By the way, I no longer emulate Madonna today and I don’t look back at my behavior back then with fond memories of idolizing such a socially irresponsible woman.  As a matter of fact, I think I was rather foolish to think I had any of her qualities.  I think as one of the great female icons out there, you have an opportunity to guide young women who are watching very carefully what you do. 

They watch what you wear, how you do your hair, your nails, how you move, where you go and who you go with.  They watch who your husband is and how he treats you and they look at who he was before he married you and what he was about back then.  It is important that you realize you have the power to help him be a more classy icon as well, if you lead like a lady.  To your credit, at least since he's married you and now has a daughter, he has promised not to refer to women a "bitches and ho's" anymore in his music. I guess we can all thank God for that.

I do think if you keep on performing like you were twenty years old when in fact you are now a 31-year old mom, you might end up like Madonna.  Which isn’t bad, Madonna still rocks, but is that what you want?   I look back to the time you sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl of 2004.  When I think of your future, that is how I see you.  I hope you do too, for the sake of your daughter and all the young women out there who look to you for answers.

Sincerely,

Alexandra