Drug Facts

Common Club Drugs: Fun or Dangerous?

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Raising Healthy Kids on April 21st, 2011

When teens and young adults want to have fun, clubbing and all-night dance parties are usually the top choice. Yet aside from all the fun and excitement, danger looms in the form of “club drugs” or what many also refer to as “fun drugs”. The question that most parents have is how safe these club drugs are.

club drugsThere are notions that these substances are harmless, but research shows that they could very well bring about disturbing effects to their users. When taken with alcoholic beverages, they become even more potent and could have damaging effects to the body. Some common effects of these drugs include paranoia, hallucinations, amnesia, and in extreme cases, even death. There’s no sure way to find out how a person may react to these drugs as each case varies.

Some club drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless. For these reasons, they can be easily mixed into drinks and have become notorious date rape drugs.

Here are some examples of “club drugs” that both parents and children should be aware of.

a. Ecstasy – also known as “X,” “MDMA,” or “Adam.” It is a kind of stimulant and a hallucinogen in one. Kids usually use it to boost their energy while dancing and to give them the high they need to enjoy the activity. When an individual is under the influence, the brain’s function for memory, sleep, pain, and emotions are hampered.

b. LSD – called “Acid,” Lysergic Acid Diethylamide’s effects depends on the amount taken by the user, the user’s personality, and how the drug is used. Some dangerous effects are numbness, increased heart rate, sleeplessness, and nausea.

c. Methamphetamine – common terms for this drug are “Meth,” “Chalk,” “Speed,” and “Ice.” This drug can be manufactured in home laboratories and produces alarming health issues when taken into the body. Kids can become aggressive, violent, with psychotic behavior, and have heart problems in taking “Meth.”

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IRS Targets Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in California

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Tobacco Abuse on March 19th, 2011

Medical marijuana dispensaries are facing a serious threat — not only from federal agencies, but also from the IRS. Could this spell the death of medical marijuana in the country?

medical marijuanaAt least 12 medical marijuana dispensaries in California are reportedly under audit by the IRS, insisting that past business deductions are invalid because of a clause in the federal tax code that prohibits any business to claim tax deductions for “trafficking” in Schedule I or II drugs. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug. IRS has declared in the past that some dispensaries owe the government millions in back taxes as a result of Section 280E of the U.S. Tax Code.

  • No deduction or credit shall be allowed for any amount paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any trade or business if such trade or business (or the activities which comprise such trade or business) consists of trafficking in controlled substances (within the meaning of schedule I and II of the Controlled Substances Act) which is prohibited by Federal law or the law of any State in which such trade or business is conducted.

The IRS has earlier attempted to use this clause to go after medical marijuana dispensaries, as it declared in 2007 that the dispensary Californians Helping to Alleviate Medical Problems (CHAMP) owed nearly half a million dollars in back taxes. CHARM brought its case to U.S. Tax Court. It was successful in cutting its payments from $426,000 to $4,905.

Three dispensaries have gone public with their audits –  Harborside Health Center in Oakland, The Farmacy in Los Angeles and Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax. The final determination handed down by the IRS to MAMM indicates that the dispensary owes nearly $800,000 in back taxes from 2009 alone, resulting from businesses deductions now considered invalid.

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“Next Steps” Conference in Hollywood for Cannabis Supporters

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Tobacco Abuse on March 18th, 2011

Cannabis supporters will gather tomorrow, March 19, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre,1615 Vine St., Hollywood for the “Next Steps for Marijuana Reform in California” conference.

marijuanaThe conference is presented by California NORML, Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Safe Access, and VibeNation MultiMedia. Leaders of the Proposition 19 campaign and other ballot initiative proponents, Latino Voters League, California NAACP, United Food and Commercial Workers, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and California Church Impact, as well as political consultants, attorneys, medical marijuana advocates, and public officials will also be participating.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $20. Admission is waived for members of the press.

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Medical Marijuana Growers Face Trafficking Charges

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Tobacco Abuse on March 17th, 2011

Federal prosecutors said that the state of Montana has become a large-scale drug trafficking site, due mainly to its medical marijuana law implemented across the state, according to the report they released after raids were pursued when 18 months of investigation showed something just isn’t in place in these areas. Seizures also were carried out at three Montana financial institutions allegedly safekeeping $4 million worth of drug money.

medical marijuanaMarijuana is still considered illegal in some areas in the US, but there are already 15 states who have adopted legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. The present administration has said that they will not be filing cases against patients under cannabis therapy as well as the dispensaries and plantations that cater to them, provided that their respective states set up a clear set of by-laws regarding pot use for medication.

The recent raids are being questioned by medical marijuana supporters as they accuse the government of going after legal planters and distributors. Authorities are quick to claim that there are strong evidences to prove that large-scale drug trade is happening within these institutions and that criminals have infiltrated them abusing the legal status that has been granted by the state for their operation.

Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler defended the actions of authorities in Montana. She stated that they “are not going to look the other way while significant drug trafficking organizations try and shield their illegal efforts” by pretending they are dispensaries legally operating.

In Montana, only 6 plants are allowed to be grown for each patient. In the latest seizure operations, an astounding 1,700 plants were collected in just one facility. Although owners claim that they have around 300 patients in their area, police still plan to press charges as soon as the case is formed against the involved facilities.

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Woman Carries Condoms with Cocaine in Her Stomach!

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts on February 9th, 2011

21-year-old Luisa Gill of Union City, N.J. faces trafficking charges as she reportedly swallowed 50 latex condoms filled with cocaine and boarded a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic.

Luisa GillEven before Gill arrived at Logan International Airport at 8 p.m., authorities were already alerted due to her same-day flight reservation and her point of origin, the Dominican Republic. As soon as she landed, she was asked by State Police for questioning. She admitted swallowing the pellets of pressed coke before her flight.

The cocaine she carried weighed around a pound and has an estimated street value of $50,000. Gill said she was paid $2,000.

Police later found that waiting for Gill inside Terminal E was Daniel Rivera Valasquez, who admitted he was paid $500 to pick her up. He was to take her to a man named “Ramon.” Valasquez is now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gill was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital as her case is not really without danger. Just last month, a man who carried drug packs in his stomach to Malaysia died when one of the packs burst. Doctors used laxatives on Gill to expedite the removal of the pellets from her system.

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Senator Proposes Bill to Protect Medical Pot Users in California

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts on February 4th, 2011

In many instances, we have heard cases of patients whose jobs have been jeopardized by their medical marijuana use, mainly due to a positive drug test. A feature in the San Francisco Chronicle shared a bill that aims to provide job security to those who use pot for medical purposes.

Mark LenoBill SB129 was introduced by state Senator Mark Leno (D – San Francisco). If passed, it will make the consideration of a worker’s status as a registered patient or a positive drug test in hiring and termination decisions by an employer illegal. It does not, however, change prevailing laws that prohibit employees – even registered patients – from using medical marijuana at work.

The bill, however, does not apply to all employees; its scope depends on the nature of work of the employee concerned. Health care providers, bus drivers, and operators of heavy equipment – those roles that are collectively called “safety-sensitive positions” – are not protected by the proposed bill.

Sen. Leno said: “The bill simply establishes a medical cannabis patient’s right to work… [it is] a completely reasonable piece of legislation. It astounds me that there would be any controversy around it.”

Sen. Leno had already proposed a similar bill in 2007, according to the report. That bill was passed by Legislature but was vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said that he was “concerned with the interference in employment decisions as they relate to marijuana use.” In addition, the former governor indicated that employment protection was not among the goals of Prop. 215, which allowed the use of medical marijuana after its passage in 1996.

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