Along with a fifth student who did not ingest the drug, all were sent to the Children’s National Medical Center for examination as a precaution. The Center found that all students are fine, aside from sore throats.

The student who brought the drug to school and shared it with classmates was charged with possession of a controlled substance. The case is  referred to the D.C. attorney general’s office, which handles juvenile crime.

The names and ages of the students have not been released, but the school runs from preschool to fifth grade. The student with the cocaine was believed to be a fourth-grader.

Principal Albert DuPont made several phone calls to parents informing them about the incident. School officials also sent letters for parents — in English, Spanish and Chinese, given the diversity of its students. Principal DuPont assured that the incident would be treated “very seriously” and asked parents to advise their children never to accept food or other substances from another child.

Last week, Banton won the Grammy for best reggae album for his work entitled “Before the Dawn.” He was found guilty of at least three charges, and may be facing at least 15 years in prison. The federal jury deliberated on his case for 11 hours in two days, and finally came up with the decision.

Buju Banton was born Mark Myrie and is a 37-year-old native from Jamaica. When his verdict was read, the singer didn’t react and he stood and hugged his lawyers, blew kisses to his supporters and was then led away by marshals.

Prosecutors confirmed that Banton did not put any money in the drug deal nor did he profit from it. But much of the case was based on the meetings and phone calls that were video- and audiotaped by the informant who worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration and made $50,000 commission after the bust.

In one video, Banton could be seen in a Sarasota warehouse on December 8, 2009 tasting cocaine, but was not present in the actual drug deal the next day which led to the arrest of two men who pleaded guilty.

In court, Banton testified that he met the informant in a trans-Atlantic flight in July 2009 and was insisting to meet up with him for a cocaine purchase. The singer said he was uninterested after meeting the same informant twice. He did not answer phone calls from the same man for months.

Banton’s conviction marks “the saddest day for reggae and dancehall,” says rapper Michael “Power Man” Davy, adding he was “sad as a Rastaman and a Jamaican.”

The main reason the UN is against the coca leaf is that the said plant has been listed alongside cocaine and opium as a dangerous controlled substance. The UN’s International Narcotics Control Board has suggested “to abolish and prohibit coca leaf chewing and the manufacture of coca tea” in Peru and in Bolivia in 2008. Peruvian Congresswoman Maria Sumire said, “The United Nations lacks respect for the indigenous people…who have used the coca leaf since forever…For indigenous people, coca is a sacred leaf that is part of their cultural identity.”

There are reports recently presented that the coca leaf and cocaine are not the same. Cocaine is to coca plant as paper is to pine tree; both are products created by humans through chemical processing. The difference between the coca leaf and processed cocaine comes in when humans “abuse the gifts that the plant has to offer.”

The coca leaf is therefore a plant in its natural form, and not the drug that most cartels and criminals produce. The leaf has medicinal properties and grows naturally. Like cannabis and other medicinal plants, it seems that the coca plant is being demonized by the West to promote dependence on drugs produced by big pharmaceutical companies.

A news release on PR Newswire warns against these products, which are reportedly resulting in abusers winding up in emergency rooms across the country. Mark Ryan, director of the Louisiana Poison Center, said: “We are incredibly concerned about the extreme paranoia being reported by people who are taking these drugs.”

The products have the ability to mimic the effects of methamphetamine abuse, according to the release. They are thought to contain a chemical called Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MPDV), which does not have approval for medical use in the United States. Initially, these products were only being sold on the Internet; now, however, abusers are able to find them at gas stations and head shops as well. These “legal” cocaine-wannabes go by several aliases: “Red Dove,” “Blue Silk,” “Zoom,” “Bloom,” “Cloud Nine,” “Ocean Snow,” “Lunar Wave,” “Vanilla Sky,” “Ivory Wave,” “White Lightning,” “Scarface” and “Hurricane Charlie.”

Alvin C. Bronstein, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center and the acting director of toxicosurveillance for the American Association of Poison Control Centers, shared that his office has observed a “definite increase” in reports about these substances, so much so that it has become  a health threat “that needs to be taken seriously.”

An article on Testcountry shared information regarding the management of amphetamine dependency, as written by Malcolm Bruce, consultant psychiatrist in Addiction at the Community Drug Problem Service, at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Bruce shared that management protocols are classified as follows: assessment, management of dependence, and relapse.

The treatment of amphetamine addiction fundamentally starts with assessment. At this level, the objective is to identify the experimental or recreational users of the drug. Once the level of amphetamine use is determined, psychiatrists are able to dispense appropriate advice.

There are three factors that are considered in the management of amphetamine dependence: the drug, the environment of the patient, and the patient himself or herself. If, for instance, the patient is still unable to stop using amphetamines completely, then management of dependence can be geared towards reducing the harmful effects of using the drugs. Concurrent to these efforts, though, is providing education regarding the dangers associated with amphetamine use, and what options are available for overcoming the habit.

At the relapse stage, treatment consists of raising awareness about what causes relapse, development of skills to anticipate, avoid and cope with high-risk situations that may lead to relapse, and changing one’s lifestyle.

Treatment of cocaine addiction, on the other hand, focuses on reducing cravings and managing depression. Lois White, in the book Foundations of Nursing, wrote that cocaine users experience an intense craving for the drug, and is in denial regarding its being addictive. Some patients who need to be treated for cocaine dependency may require in-patient care, while others can receive out-patient treatment.

Joel M. Alicea and Alejandro Nunez Perez, both 28, were driving a Jeep Cherokee on Saturday afternoon, in the eastbound lane of Interstate 290. Trooper Dana Oliver noticed that they were going 15 mph over the speed limit in the area, and they were consequently pulled over.

According to a news release, “when Trooper Oliver walked up to the Jeep, he was met by an overwhelming odor of chemical air fresheners. Upon questioning, the two men inside seemed hesitant or unable to say who owned the Jeep until looking at the registration, and then were vague about from where they were coming.”

One of the things that Trooper Oliver noticed was the unusual number of air fresheners in the vehicle. There were reportedly 12 air fresheners; some were clip-on fresheners on the vents, while others were scented trees. There were also urinal deodorant pucks located under the seats.

State Trooper Matthew Moran and Trooper Raymond Jones also responded to the incident. Jones had with him state police dog Dakar.

Dakar sniffed out the air bag area, and when troopers opened the compartment, they discovered a block of cocaine, estimated to weigh about half a kilo. There were also 20 small bags of cocaine, and another bag that police thought contained crack cocaine. More than $33,000 in cash was found in the vehicle as well.

Both Alicea and Perez have been charged with cocaine trafficking, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The underlying vulnerability is masked by the toughness and the burden of responsibilities and constant stress make them internally vulnerable and a physical or emotional disturbance might cause a turmoil triggering drug abuse leading to drug dependency.

Women drug abusers face serious challenges to their well-being during their lives. Researches show that a large number of them present a history of physical and sexual abuse. The condition worsens when such women get into flesh trade just to earn the money to sustain their drug taking habit. The result is obvious – sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS.

Often it is found the initiation of the habit is through her male counterpart – spouse or boyfriend- who is also an addict. In such cases it becomes very difficult for the women to abstain from drugs since the lifestyle of the partner supports it.

Research indicates that women become more easily dependent on certain drugs like cocaine even after experimental or casual use. Thus by the time she seeks treatment she may be severely addicted.

A problem with female addicts is that most of the time they do not seek treatment due to fear of rejection from their family members, community. But treatment is an absolute necessity for them. A comprehensive treatment approach that takes care of the special needs of women together with support and encouragement from the family and community is essential to help them in refraining from addiction.

Let us explore today some blogsites that I found to be informative and interesting. Hope our readers will like them too.

The first I found is Drug Addiction Support (http://www.drug-addiction-support.org/drug-addiction-blog.html). The site discusses common issues related to drug addiction, drug addiction syndromes, most common causes behind drug addiction, effects of drug addiction, and treatment modalities.

You will find nice, information rich articles that are easy to read and understand. It has a section on various drugs like cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, suboxone, marijuana, etc.

Next I found Narconon of Georgia (http://narcononofga.wordpress.com/alcohol-awareness/) quite interesting. Nice topics and good, authoritative content may help you if you are seeking information on drug and alcohol addiction. The site has added some videos which you may find to be very appealing.

You may also see Recovery Connection (http://www.recoveryconnection.org/) website that focuses on drug, alcohol, and substance abuse recovery and treatment plans. It has published a state-wise database of addiction treatment centers and information on the types of treatments offered in specific centers. You will find lots of information on Addiction Treatment Programs and Drug and alcohol Rehab Programs, Drug/alcohol Detox Programs, Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs, Eating Disorder Programs, GLBT Addiction/rehab/detox Treatment and Detox Programs, etc.

Drug Rehabs.Org (http://www.drug-rehabs.org/) is dedicated toward rehab programs. You can have specific information if you are searching rehab programs for yourself, friend, family, spouse, children and you can search their database depending on the age of the person. The site has option of searching on the basis of the type of drug as well.

See Alcohol/Drug Help Line (http://www.adhl.org/) is an exclusive help line–based service provider. They run their service during Sunday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (previously it was 24-hrs helpline). The site presents some useful links if you wish to be a part of the rehab services or volunteer for some counseling.

We request our readers to write to us if you find some interesting sites/resources. This would help us in fighting the menace more comprehensively.

This startling information is a confirmation of the findings of previous studies on the issue. In 1985 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration study showed that a third to a half of all the randomly tested currency in a Federal District Bank had traces of cocaine. In another study, more than 135 bills were tested in seven cities of the country and all except four, were contaminated. Cocaine binds in the green dye in the bill.

Zuo said that the contamination was 100% in cities like Detroit, Boston, Orlando and Los Angeles, 85% in Toronto, 77% in Salt Lake City, Utah, 75% in Brasilia and 20% in Tokyo and Beijing. He also found that $5, $10, $20 and $50 had greater chances of contamination. 

The quantity of contamination could vary between a nanogram (one-billionth of a gram) to milligram. Thus it actually does not pose any health risk. But those who have to handle an extremely large number of bills everyday – in bank tellers or soft rooms of casinos- repeatedly inhale cocaine involuntarily and has a chance of being positive on a drug test report.

Money gets contaminated if a cocaine user snorts with it and also during drug deals. But not all money gets infected that way. In powdered form cocaine is extremely fine. So when a dirty bill is processed or sorted through the machines, traces of the drug are easily passed on to the other bills in the same batch. Thus bills also get infected through ATMs, counting machines in banks and casinos. Whatever be it, the fact remains that the initial contamination was through the drug users and dealers.

Is cigarette a drug? The obvious answer is “NO”. But cigarette smoking has a direct influence on alcohol and other drug use. Can you ever think of a marijuana or a heroin user who has never smoked cigarette? Drug abuse and alcoholism has been a source of major concern for ages. Today young people are being exposed to drugs at a very tender age. Most of us are concerned with addiction to marijuana, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs and others. But why do we overlook nicotine? It is high time that we deal teenage and adolescent smoking professionally. Since nicotine exposure at an early age increases the vulnerability of other drug use.

Tobacco has often been termed as a “GATEWAY DRUG” since it is the first substance consumed by the teenagers.

Studies conducted to find the origins of alcoholism and addiction to other drugs have indicated that smoking facilitates drug abuse. According to National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), nicotine makes adolescents vulnerable to alcohol and drug addiction by affecting the structural and chemical changes in the brain. As compared to teenagers who do not smoke, smokers are 9 times more likely to meet the medical criteria for past year drug alcohol abuse and 13 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug abuse. In a press release, the Jr. Chairman and President of CASA said, “Smoking by teens may well signal the fire of alcohol and other drug abuse and mental illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders”. One of the studies found that those who started smoking before 12 years of age were 3 times more vulnerable than non-smokers to binge drink, 13 times more likely to smoke marijuana and 7 times more prone to use heroin, cocaine.

Spread the message. Reach out to children. Talk to them about the ill-effects of smoking. Help them in making healthy choices.