Bill sponsor and author Rep. Jimmie Smith (R-Lecanto) says he is not against drug testing lawmakers, but that letting an elected official go through the process of collecting urine samples in cups for the test is a clear violation of their constitutional rights. The representative continued that being elected is very much different from being hired by the state as an employee thus his bill exempts state officials.

As expected, Democratic counterparts voiced out their opinion seeing Rep. Smith’s bill could result to double standards which will trigger confusion among their constituents.

This is not the first time Florida has encountered provisions for drug testing of state workers. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott initiated an order for selected state agencies to drug test their employees and agreed for the same test to be done on welfare recipients. So far, numerous lawsuits have prevented the directives from being implemented in the state.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Florida Chapter is one of the many groups opposed to drug testing policies for state workers and beneficiaries. ACLU spokesman Derek Newton said that as soon as Gov. Scott’s bill passes the House of Representatives, the state should expect moves to challenge the law.

“We have gone to court twice in the last year to challenge suspicionless drug testing,” Newton said, “and if the state continues to enact policies to require people to be subject to government search and seizure without suspicion, I would not be surprised at all if that’s something we continue to oppose.”

Rep. Smith reiterates he is not against testing lawmakers but he believes the Supreme Court has already determined the unconstitutional points of having such a law, and thus he’s not going to be the one to challenge the highest court in the land.

An investigation regarding drug sales at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, resulted in the charging of two students, and the recovery of less than 20 grams of marijuana.

The investigation uncovered text messages from students’ cell phones, which showed that marijuana transactions were being arranged during the school day. The actual transactions, however – when marijuana really exchanged hands – happened outside the school premises.

Barrington Police Chief Jerry Libit shared: “That kind of thing probably goes on in every high school in America… We’ve certainly had our share of kids using pot or buying pot or selling pot. It’s a horrible situation when it happens in the high school. That’s why they have enhanced penalties for it and everything.”

Steve Williams, principal of Barrington High School, concurred that when drugs invade the school environment, it is a serious matter: “We will go to whatever degree the law will allow to address transactions on school property… I know that it’s happened, but it doesn’t happen very often. (Drugs have) been an issue at high schools since high schools were opened. We just have to help educate students to make good decisions.”

Police and school officials agree that education is a useful tool in the fight against drug abuse among teens, and that efforts towards making teens aware of the risks of marijuana and other drugs should be continued.

According to McMillin, his democratic colleagues in the Indiana General Assembly revised the original bill on welfare recipients’ drug testing to include provisions which extend the said drug testing to lawmakers.

McMillin added that unlike other bills of the same subject, his own creation has been carefully put together to pass even the complications brought about by Constitutional provisions.

Last year, Republican lawmakers have tried to have drug testing policies for those who receive assistance from the government in over 30 states. Some bills even include those who claim for unemployment insurance and food stamps as candidates for drug testing.

However, some of McMillin’s colleagues said that his withdrawal is not a good move. “After it passed, Rep. McMillin got pretty upset and pulled his bill,” Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D- South Bend) said. “If anything, I think it points out some of the hypocrisy. … If we’re going to impose standards on drug testing, then it should apply to everybody who receives government money.”

Dvorak added that testing of lawmakers is not unconstitutional, as how MCMillin perceives it, since the Georgia rule which McMillin cited, is against drug testing only to candidates and not those who are already elected and holding office.

“I would think legislators that are here who are responsible for the people who voted them in, they should be more than happy to consent,” Dvorak said. “Give me the cup right now and I will be happy to take the test.”

Complicating things further is the fact that most traditional drug tests are unable to detect these substances. A community forum conducted on Wednesday in Howell, Michigan, reveal the disheartening fact that a number of parents have watched their children suffer from debilitating and life-threatening health conditions brought about by using these products, which have been labeled as “not for human consumption.”

Stephanie VanDerKooi, health educator for the Ottawa County Health Department, shared: “This is going to consistently become a problem. We’re always a step behind.”

The community forum was led by Ms. VanDerKooi, and featured a panel consisting of local health, law enforcement, and courts officials. A video that showed personal accounts of teenage use of synthetic marijuana products, outside of Ottawa County, was shown. In addition to the personal accounts, the video also showed the physical ailments associated with using these incense-type products, as well as the products that are currently being sold legally in stores and online.

Substance abuse experts have declared that synthetic marijuana products, which are being marketed as incense, prove to be more dangerous than pot itself, when smoked.

In addition to synthetic marijuana products, the forum also touched on prescription drug abuse among teenagers.

The elder Winehouse admitted in an interview that he went as far as “getting physical” – engaging in fistfights – with the dealers who supplied his daughter with drugs. “I spent my time fighting with drug dealers, and I mean proper fighting… and I’m a middle-aged man, who is overweight, having fistfights with people.”

He also admitted that, despite his daughter’s public battles with substance abuse, he was initially “naïve” about her use of drugs, and shared that the realization of the extent of Amy’s problems only dawned on him around four months before she decided to quit. This decision was influenced in part by the fact that Amy realized how much hurt she was bringing to her family.

Mitch Winehouse shared further: “She witnessed all this stuff going on, of how her family and her friends were fighting gangsters and she decided she didn’t want to put her family in that position anymore.”

Winehouse has been giving interviews and even TV shows, in the days leading up to the launch of The Amy Winehouse foundation in the United States. Joining him at some of these appearances are Amy’s mother, Janis; his current wife, Jane; and Amy’s last boyfriend, Reg Traviss.

The launch of The Amy Winehouse Foundation, scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, coincides with what would have been the late soul singer’s 28th birthday.

They say genetics plays a role in the development of alcohol and drug problems of individuals. It can be observed that most addicted teens have family histories of substance abuse. Another risk factor is one’s personality and temperament, such as the attitude of being rebellious or not having solid personal relationships which could easily lead a teen to turn to drugs and alcohol, until they eventually become addicted.

At times, medical conditions contribute to a teen’s downfall. Some cases of anxiety disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when left untreated could drive a kid to develop dangerous habits. The younger these kids get a taste of alcohol or drugs, the bigger the chances that they will get into problems with these substances.

There are also family factors that could promote addiction. When kids see their parents play around with drugs and alcohol, they will think that doing so is just normal and so they also follow. Most of the time, teens in families who live in violence and conflict see drugs and alcohol as their only escape to get away from problems. Parents that do not get involved in the growth and development of their children also open the door of opportunity for substance abuse.

Finally, the community also puts children at risk from substance abuse if illegal substances are made accessible to them especially at homes and in schools. The continuous promotion of cigarette smoking in the different forms of media invites kids to try it themselves. This could lead to the wrong impression that it’s cool to be doing alcohol and drugs.

The commotion was caused by a Broadway actor named James (Jimmy) Whittemore, 22, from Harlem. Initial reports show that the young man was so drunk he kicked the front doors of the theater and went through the box-office and lobby of the Ed Sullivan theater where the David Letterman’s “Late Show” tapes. Fortunately, he was not able to reach the set and stage of the ‘Letterman’ show.

A Charlie Sheen fan, Whittemore was often found quoting the troubled actor on his Twitter. On April 9, he posted: “I have one gear. Go go go.”

Whittemore is a singer-actor and has appeared in theater shows such as the “Celebration of the Sixties” held at the Tropicana Resort in Atlantic City, and in “We Got the Beat” in Springfield, Massachusetts. His roommate Charles McGowan says that Jimmy is not a bad person; “he’s the life of the party in a good way,” he adds.

According to a feature on the NY Daily News, Whittemore was charged with burglary and criminal mischief, causing $2000 worth of damages. He was brought to a hospital for a cut on his forehead that required stitching.

CBS and Worlwide Pants have released a joint statement with regards to the incident. “We were notified that NYPD apprehended an intruder who gained access and vandalized the lobby of the Ed Sullivan Theater this morning. The Late Show’s set was not accessed, however, and the show will be taping as usual tomorrow. We are grateful for the NYPD’s quick and effective response.”

CBS has been using the theater for the Letterman show since 1993.

Professor John Huffman, originally an organic chemist from the Clemson University who created the JWH 018 – the stimulant that has the same effects as the active ingredient in cannabis called THC – says that products containing “fake pot” are dangerous. They can cause psychological problems which may all be irreversible.

“Do not use these products,” says Professor Huffman who resides in South California, according to a feature on NZ Herald. Though he is the inventor of the popular substance, he only has one advice to people who are fond of using it, and that is to stop now before everything is too late.

In the US, products such as K2 and Spice have become a lucrative business for producers who are into large scale manufacturing of the substances. They have been warned about the dangers of their merchandise, yet they do not listen at all for as long as they are making a lot of money at the expense of cannabis users.

A toxicologist from the Dunedin-based National Poisons Center, Dr. Leo Schep, supports Professor Huffman’s warnings, and says if there is anyone in the world who knows fake pot best, it’s Huffman.

In most emergency cases related to cannabinoids, immediate symptoms of patients include anxiety, increased blood pressure levels and heart rates, and even seizures. Long-term effects are currently being established, but as early as now, they are pointing towards the road to self-destruction.

Kalamazoo County Substance Abuse Task Force Steering Committee coordinator Sarah Baker says that kids have the notion that prescription medicines are much safer than other drugs. They are, after all, prescribed by doctors and readily available in medicine cabinets at home.

They go for Oxycontin and codeine; these two substances are at the top of the list in the survey results. These painkillers are very accessible especially when grandparents and even parents use them as advised by their doctors.

In a feature at mlive,com, it was reported that 7% of seventh-graders of Kalamazoo have used drugs like Xanax, Adderal, and Ritalin without doctor’s recommendation. Less than 5% reported alcohol abuse.

During Monday’s Task Force Steering Committee meeting, Rep. Fred Upton and other participants discussed possible control measures on the rising epidemic. Rep. Upton blames the cuts on education funds for prevention programs that may have informed parents and kids about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

The Task Force was alarmed as supporting data show an increasing trend on painkiller abuse among the youth. Jodi Pierman, a member of the committee tells the audience why kids are favoring these medicines. “Pills are easier to conceal and make excuses for if you get caught. They’re all just sitting there in the cabinet and you can resource with your friends.”

The community is working hand in hand with authorities in controlling the problem. It was suggested that unused meds should be surrendered to health care officials for proper disposal. They have already started the initiative and in six events in different areas, a total of more than a million pills have been collected.