The Drug Update

Former Drug Cop Releases Surprising Video

2007-01-05T01:10:37Z

A former Texas drug cop, praised as one of the best in his field by his peers, is releasing a video titled "Never Get Busted Again." The aim of the video, says creator Barry Cooper, is to teach marijuana users and dealers how to avoid getting caught by the law. After coming to believe that his arrests, especially of marijuana offenders, were destroying families, he decided to make the video as a way to appease his conscience. The video will include how to fool drug-sniffing dogs, the best places to stash marijuana, and other helpful tips for the would-be arrestee.

OP-ED Responds to the MTF Survey

2007-01-03T04:39:03Z

The OP-ED section of the New York Times decided to offer its opinion on the recent publication of the Monitoring the Future Survey. In the article, Mike Males is highly critical of the utility of the survey along with the ONDCP's reaction to the survey.

Monitoring the Future Survey Released

2006-12-22T02:09:58Z

The 2006 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study surveys students (8th, 10th, and 12th graders) about lifetime, past year, and past month drug use. The results, released in a press conference today, showed a small decline in the annual prevalence of most illicit drugs and steady use of prescription drugs among the students. Of note also is that the declines were seen more in older students than younger.

Democrats Talk About Foreign Drug Policy Reform

2006-11-28T01:24:42Z

Democrats in the US Congress are considering changes to America's drug policy and trade agreements with the Latin American countries. A new strategy would cut the military spending to control the drug supply, and instead direct the money toward poverty alleviation, relocation of displaced Colombians, and incentives for coca farmers to grow alternative crops. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill explained the reasoning, "Six years and $4.7 billion later, the drug-control results are meager at best."

City Council Pursues Smoking Ban in Public

2006-11-24T04:52:48Z

The city council of Belmont, CA unamimously voted to draft legislation that would outlaw cigarette smoking everywhere in the city other than in private, single-family homes. The law, which was agreed upon in principle, but is awaiting a final draft to be voted on, would become the strictest smoking policy anywhere in the US. The news comes a month after Zogby International released a poll in which "45 percent of Americans polled would support a federal ban on cigarettes within the next five to ten years."

Recreational Use of Prescription Drugs Rising

2006-10-31T06:34:22Z

Today's CESAR FAX reported on the availability of different drugs to undergraduate students at a large university. The top of the list: alcohol (100%), marijuana (95%), Adderall (89%), Ritalin (71%) thought the drugs were either "very easy" or "easy" to obtain. That study builds upon the new SAHMSA report on prescription drugs. There are now more people initiating prescription drug use every year (2.7 million) than are initiating marijuana use (2.1 million). This is partly due to the fact that marijuana has been popular much longer, and therefore has a much smaller pool of never-used people to draw from. Taken together, this data shows a trend of increasing use of prescription drugs, especially among young adults.

ONDCP to Use YouTube

2006-10-05T06:23:40Z

The Office of National Drug Control Policy recently announced that it will start using the free video hosting website YouTube.com to post successful anti-drug advertising. ONDCP has been using non-traditional media as a means of targeting the young generation which relies increasingly on the newer media formats. Two years ago, ONDCP became the first blog for a Cabinet level agency, and they have also added podcasting.

Portugal to Start Safe-Injection Sites

2006-09-09T03:55:42Z

Portugal, following the lead of Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, and Vancouver, announced last week that it would begin setting up supervised sites for heroin addicts to inject. The new legislation also increases the availability of methadone treatment for opiate addicts and for prisons to start needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of disease. This is an expansion of Portugal's liberal drug policies, which included decriminalizing drug use in 2000.

Teens Worry About Drugs More than Parents Know

2006-09-09T03:41:49Z

This week's CESAR FAX showed another discrepancy between parents and teens when it comes to drugs. In an open-ended question, 27% (a plurality) of teens aged 12-17 said that drugs were the number one concern for people of their age. However, 58% of parents (of kids in the age range) questioned thought that social pressures were the number one concern of teens whereas only 12% thought it was drugs. The results supplement the CESAR FAX from August 7th which found that parents also underestimate their kids' drug use.

DEA Arrests Somali Users of East African Stimulant

2006-08-22T20:19:01Z

The use of Khat, a stimulant wiith wide acceptance in Eastern Africa, has landed 14 Somali users with DEA charges after a Seattle-area sting. Khat's stimulant effects are attributed to Cathinone, which exhibits chemical similarities to amphetamine. One prominent Somali described the bust as a "classic cultural clash," complaining that the users were not even aware that they were breaking the law by ingesting a stimulant common in their homeland.

Afghan Opium Cultivation Hits Record High

2006-08-19T22:26:53Z

Estimates of opium cultivation hit an all-time high in Afghanistan this year. The area under cultivation increased drastically from 257,000 acres in 2005 to 370,650 acres this year. A report is due from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in September to determine the final figures as well as the amount yielded.

Parents Heavily Underestimate Kids' Substance Use

2006-08-19T22:11:56Z

Last week's CESAR FAX revealed a gap between children's drug use and parents' awareness of said use. For 6th graders, 21% report alcohol use in the apst year whereas only 5% of parents of 6th graders believe their child had ever even tried alcohol. The gap shrinks with older children: for 12th graders, its 68% that use and 41% of parents that know about it. The trends are similar for other drugs.

Marijuana and Early Pregnancy Failures

2006-08-06T22:19:31Z

A study provides evidence for a link between marijuana use and early pregnancy failure. Cannabinoids interfere with the body's natural signaling system, which uses cannabinoid-like signaling molecules, and cause a failure of embryo transport from the ovary to the uterus.

US Cigarette Sales Hit 55-Year Low

2006-07-29T20:59:59Z

This week's CESAR FAX shows US cigarette sales at their lowest since 1951. Sales had followed a steady rise until they peaked in the early 1980's, at which point a generally steady decline has been maintained. The total for last year was 378 billion cigarettes.

Bolivian President Criticizes US Policy

2006-07-25T08:10:16Z

Bolivian President Evo Morales came out against the US drug policy for the Andean region. The US will likely end its trade agreement with Bolivia that is contingent on Bolivia's cooperation with US drug policy of crop eradication and military enforcement. Morales said that the US is punishing his country for its ties to Cuba and Venezuela in a move that Morales equated to "blackmail".