Heroin treatment also works on cocaine: study

Methadone, a drug used for many years to treat heroin addiction, appears to work well in cocaine addiction, too, a new Canadian study suggests.

Psychologist Francesco Leri of the University of Guelph has been making rats addicted to cocaine, and then treating them with methadone.

Most of the rats responded well, he says. They lost their powerful urge for cocaine, and in addition, their brains "re-set" themselves into the same pattern that existed before they first used cocaine.

"It can be done tomorrow with humans, and should be done tomorrow," he said.

That's because methadone -- unlike a new drug -- already exists as a tested drug, with clear prescription rules and clinical staff trained in giving it out.

"There is an entire system that is already in place for the employment of methadone," that could be used for cocaine addicts.

Mr. Leri said the U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse is looking into the use of methadone -- or a similar drug such as buprenorphine -- in a clinical setting.

The idea came up because in real life, people mix drugs.

There's no such thing as a "pure heroin addict," he said. "The norm is people who are addicted to opiates, so heroin or prescription opiates, and they co-abuse cocaine at the same time."

Researchers have wondered what happens to their cocaine problem when they start taking methadone for the heroin addiction.

But it's hard to tease apart the two addictions in humans. In his Guelph lab, Mr. Leri worked on rats with a cocaine addiction, but no exposure to heroin.

The cocaine-addicted rats in his lab didn't get a cocaine high on methadone, he said. Instead, "the methadone may be able to curb the desire that they have for that drug (cocaine)."

In addition, methadone actually reversed changes in the rats' brains that are caused by cocaine, and are known to play a key role in addictive behaviour.

"What's interesting is that, among the rats given cocaine and then methadone, these regions of the brain looked similar to how they appeared in the rats that were never exposed to cocaine.

"We feel we may have the hope of re-setting the brains of some individuals to a type of normality," he said. "I think it should be tried and I guarantee you there will be some individuals -- not everybody -- who will do better on methadone, who will be stabilized on methadone."

The study means a person who is motivated to stop taking cocaine may benefit from methadone as one tool to help, the psychologist says.

"You cannot give methadone left and right and hope that it is going to work. You need to work with individuals who in addiction to social support, in addition to cognitive therapy, will need something to curb their desire" for cocaine.

His study is published in European Neuropsychopharmacology, a research journal.
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source: The Ottawa Citizen

Cocaine usage continues to rise, report finds

One in 20 Irish people and almost one in 10 young people has taken cocaine, a major all-Ireland study of the use of the drug has established.

Men are twice as likely to use cocaine as women and regular and even daily use of the drug is increasing, according to the drug prevalence study carried out for the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD).

North Dublin, where almost 16 per cent of young people reported use of the drug, emerges as the country’s cocaine blackspot, but prevalence rates are rising steeply throughout the country.

Use of the drug by 15-34-year-olds has risen five-fold in the north-eastern counties over the past five years, and more than three-fold in the midlands and the west.

The vast majority of cocaine users start taking their drug in their early twenties and the most popular means of obtaining it is from friends and family, the study finds.

One in four people said they knew someone who took cocaine, compared to 14 per cent in the last all-Ireland survey carried out in 2002/03.

The study reveals that cocaine users are taking the drug more often, with one-in-four users snorting the drug once a week and 7 per cent reporting daily use. No-one reported daily use in the earlier survey.

Overall lifetime use now stands at 5.3 per cent, up from 3 per cent in the last survey. Some 1.7 per cent of respondents reported using the drug in the previous year, up from 1.1 per cent, and 0.5 per cent said they had taken cocaine in the previous month, up from 0.3 per cent.

“While these figures are of concern, we should not lose sight of the fact that they are reasonably low and that any perception that ‘everyone is at it’ is far from the true situation,” commented Minister of State with responsibility for drugs strategy, John Curran.

The survey also shows that cocaine use varies greatly between different regions, with the highest rates recorded in the more densely populated areas in the east of the country, roughly from Louth to Cork. “The challenge is to ensure that the lower rates are kept at such levels while the problem is tackled comprehensively in the areas of higher use.

Mr Curran said the risks attached to cocaine use were often ignored or underestimated by users. “Cocaine use is linked to heart conditions, strokes and to various other physical complaints that vary depending on the route of administration of the drug. Frequent (or long-term) use of cocaine can also have a powerful effect on the user’s mental health, through depression, anxiety, agitation, compulsive behaviour and paranoia.”

He defended the efforts being made to tackle drug misuse, pointing out that the over €61 million was allocated to the area in last week’s Estimates. The Government is spending over €200 million on measures aimed directly at problem drug use, he said.

Almost 7,000 people were surveyed north and south for the study, which was carried out between October 2006 and May 2007.
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source: © 2008 irishtimes.com

NIDA Study Sheds Light on why Addiction is a Chronic Disease

Drug addiction dramatically shifts a person's attention, priorities, and behaviors towards a focus almost entirely on seeking out and taking drugs. Now, an animal study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified some of the specific long-term adaptations in the brain's reward system that may contribute to this shift. These long-lasting brain changes may underlie the maladaptive learning that contributes to addiction and to the propensity for relapse, even after years of abstinence from the drug. The study was published in Neuron on July 30, 2008.

Investigators from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) using an animal model of addiction, were able to distinguish brain changes in rats trained to self-administer cocaine, versus those animals that were trained to self-administer natural rewards such as food, or sucrose for several weeks. The investigators also were able to look at how much the "expectation" of receiving the drug influenced those brain changes by comparing rats trained to self-administer the drug versus animals who received the same amount of cocaine, but received it passively, i.e. they could not control their own drug taking by self-administration.

It has been hypothesized that persistent drug seeking alters the brain's natural reward and motivational system. The current study focuses on how drug seeking alters the communication between brain cells in this critical circuitry. In the normal processes of learning and memory formation there is a well documented strengthening of communication between brain cells, this process is known as "long-term potentiation" (LTP). The new study reports that LTP was similar in the rats that had learned to self administer cocaine, food or sucrose, but with a critical distinction. The increase in LTP due to cocaine persisted for up to three months of abstinence, but the increase in response to natural rewards dissipated after only three weeks. Importantly, the nature of the cocaine experience had a strong effect on the outcome, since rats exposed to cocaine when they did not expect it (passive infusions) displayed no LTP, neither transient nor long lasting. Finally, the study showed that LTP in rats that self-administered cocaine persisted after they were trained to stop drug self-administration behaviors. This indicates that, once established, it is very difficult to reverse the "memory trace" associated with drug reward.

"This research provides a better characterization of the variables, at the cellular, circuit, and behavioral level that contribute to the persistent nature of addictive disorders," said Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH director.

"The researchers were able to illuminate why drug related memories are so stable," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. "Their persistence is highly refractory to new learning, which makes our jobs that much tougher, and reminds us that treatment must recognize and address the high propensity for relapse almost anywhere down the road."

"These results indicate that the LTP induced by self administered cocaine is more persistent than that produced by natural rewards, such as food; and that the LTP is not just a result of exposure to cocaine, but also is linked to the drug's effects and the animal's learning to obtain the drug," said Dr. Billy Chen, postdoctoral fellow at UCSF's Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center and lead author of the study. "These are important distinctions that will help us better understand how addiction develops, and why drugs can overshadow other natural rewards and become the mainstay of an addicted person's life."

In 2006, six million Americans age 12 and older had abused cocaine in any form. There are currently no medications for cocaine addiction, therefore standard treatments typically rely on behavioral interventions. However, relapse after treatment for cocaine addiction is common.
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and further information on NIDA research can be found on the NIDA web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov
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source: NIDA

Success of drug program is celebrated

Inmates hear encouraging words about beating addiction

At 19, Jacoby Smith was sentenced to 55 years because of his cocaine addiction.

He robbed people making late-night bank deposits so he could feed his habit.

"I had a weapon sometimes," Smith, 41, said. "My intentions were never anything more than to [get] money to support my habit."

He finished his prison term in 2006 and now supports four generations of family, from grandmother to grandkids, by working at the Wilmington docks while on probation.

And he thanks the Key Program, a substance abuse program at Young Correctional Institution that celebrated its 20th anniversary Monday.

"I'm proud. I'm proud now of who I am," said Smith, who's been clean for seven years.

Without drug treatment, recidivism rates can top 70 percent, according to the Delaware Department of Correction. While state officials couldn't immediately provide numbers for the Key Program, a similar program in New Jersey boasts of cutting male recidivism by a third and female recidivism by half, said William Palatucci, senior vice president of Community Education Centers, which sponsors the Key Program.

Smith knew he would be at Monday's celebration. He needed to show the success that's possible for those in the program.

"It was heartfelt, just to be in the atmosphere [of Key] and rekindle a lot of experiences that happened here," he said.

The program relies on group and individual therapy to break self-destructive cycles. Participants gradually take on more responsibilities during the program's roughly 18-month regimen. Toward the end of his term, Smith counseled younger inmates.

The prisoners in Key are separated from the general population. They referred to each other as family during the celebration, and a group of them put on a play about life for family members on the outside.

For Smith, it was the one-on-one therapy with a counselor that changed him. He said the one-hour sessions were never enough time to talk. He wrote a lot of essays about self-destructive tendencies and would talk them over regularly.

One realization he had was that using his ability to rile people up and get their attention could be put to better use than getting friends together to cause trouble.

With his long purple T-shirt standing out in the ocean of white prison garb, Smith spoke to the crowd of about 200 inmates currently in the program. He told them of his life of crime and drugs. He gave them encouraging words and drew a standing ovation.

"I was overwhelmed," Smith said. "To receive that response when I'm not being an active participant, that was rewarding."

One of the program's strengths is that it teaches the inmates responsibility, said Smith and Dohn Price, an inmate currently in the program. Their problems are their own and they can't blame circumstances or other people for crimes they commit.

"It's good to come to prison and do more than just jail time and work on yourself," said Price, who is serving a 16-month term.

It's also a tough program, he said. Inmates work seven days a week on their problems, regardless of bad days. That system also keeps out the unmotivated, Price said.

"The process is made to weed out those that aren't ready," he said.
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source: Delaware Online, http://www.delawareonline.com

Who lives in a park? Who lives in a cage?

Thanks to blogs of David and others from Wired In, I am slowly getting familiar with the current situation in drug policy and services in UK and I read the debates around its expected transformation with a lot of concern. As I understand it (and correct me if I am wrong…), the situation has reached the point when methadone treatment is applied as a number 1 choice for heroin users who may then stay on the substitution for a long time without any (or only small) additional support.


In Czech Republic, we experience a different situation, partly because of the fact that heroin is not as popular here as in UK and partly because of the fact that not many practitioners or psychiatrists are actually willing to prescribe any kind of substitute drug. But it seems that the general direction goes towards more methadone and Subuxone prescriptions. I do not think it is bad but it needs to be followed by efficient and improving ways of recovery. Apparently, the problem starts when these approaches are seen as binary oppositions. Then, this „treatment“ x „recovery“ controversy would remind me of similar contradiction between a cage and a park.


The famous experiments with rats in a cage with access to unlimited source of heroin or cocaine are well known. A surgically implanted catheter was hooked up to a drug supply that the animal self-administered by pressing a lever. Their increasing consumption of the drug was used as an explanation for the assumption that the drug is causing the addiction which is progressive and leads to death.


Professor Bruce Alexander, a Canadian psychologist from Simon Fraser University, tried similar experiment, but with an alteration. He did not place the rats into a cage, but into an „Eden“ for rats: it was a place 200 times larger than the cage, there were cedar shavings, boxes, tin cans for hiding and nesting, poles for climbing, and plenty of food. Also, because rats live in colonies, the „Rat Park“ housed sixteen to twenty animals of both sexes. Bruce Alexander put there two bottles: in the first one, there was plain water, in the second one, there was a morphine-laced water.


The results were very clear: unlike rats in cage, the rats in park preferred the plain water to the morphine. The modification of this experiment was that the rats had access only to the morphine water for some time.After several months, a bottle with plain water was added and the rats in the park were more likely to switch to the water! „Addiction“ did not seem progressive, chronic and untreatable any more. More importantly, it seemed that it is not the drug that induces the addiction.


People do not live in cages. But we do not even live in parks. However, in some conditions, life can look like a cage, the same as life can look like a park. Since drugs, as heroin or cocaine, may be the only possibility how to cope with life in a cage, in a park, it is one of the many options. And what needs to be said: people are not at the same distance between cage and park. But even if some are caught in a cage, many of them find their way to the park.

Obviously, we want to help people who are in a cage. As I see it, methadone makes the life in cage less stressful. Recovery is a way from the cage.
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source: http://pavelwiredin.blogspot.com

US House passes drugs fight bill

The US House of Representatives has approved a three-year plan to tackle drug trafficking from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The bill authorises spending of $1.6bn (£800m) to support anti-drug programmes - much of it to be used in Mexico.

The US Senate still has to approve its version of the bill. Mexican opposition to provisions in it tying aid to human rights measures could be an obstacle.

Conflict between rival drugs gangs and Mexican police has escalated this year.

The violence has left well over 1,000 people dead so far this year.

Sovereignty fear

The legislation passed by the House, by 311 votes to 106, stems from the so-called Merida Initiative proposed by US President George W Bush in October last year.

Under the aid plan, the US funds would be used to help train and equip security forces and strengthen justice systems in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

If the Senate approves its version of the legislation, a reconciled version of the two bills will go to Mr Bush to be signed into law.

However, Mexico's President Felipe Calderon and the nation's lawmakers are deeply opposed to conditions within the Senate version which link the funding to performance on human rights, arguing that they violate their country's sovereignty.

Other provisions would allow the US to monitor the use of equipment and training by the other nations and look into allegations of abuse by security forces.

A visiting delegation of US politicians met their Mexican counterparts in the city of Monterrey at the weekend to talk about the objections raised by Mexico.

The bill approved in the House on Tuesday authorised the spending of $1.1bn for anti-drug programmes in Mexico between 2008 and 2010 and $405m for Central American and Caribbean countries.

A further $74m would go to the US Justice Department to aid its efforts to stem the flow of US guns into Mexico.

Supporters of the legislation praised Mr Calderon for his efforts to crack down on Mexico's violent drugs cartels.

However, two Texas congressman opposed the legislation, saying the US border with Mexico needed to be secured first.
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source: BBC News

Just one more to calm the nerves ...

Classical musicians are not paragons of virtue - but are recent tales of drink and drug abuse in the pit realistic, asks oboeist Blair Tindall

Professional classical musicians are a glamorous, vulnerable and largely voiceless population. They sweep on stage in black tie and gowns, then quietly go home; often, we know almost nothing about their lives outside their performance. But this week a lesser known aspect of those seemingly decorous lives has come to light, after a horn player for Simon Rattle's Berlin Philharmonic admitted to drinking before performances to calm his nerves. "You go for tranquilisers or beer," Klaus Wallendorf told a documentary film-maker. "With me it was beer. Then you drink two beers and it goes smoothly so you think you should do it all the time." The revelation has prompted further admissions, and German tenor Roland Wagenführer expressed concerns about drug abuse in the opera world. So does classical music have a drink-and-drugs problem?

Let's start with full disclosure. I am a professional musician - an oboeist - and have performed with four major orchestras in the US, including the New York Philharmonic. Like many people my age (I'm 48), I've tried marijuana and Valium in the past. Today, I drink alcohol on a social basis, as well as beta blockers, which are prescribed by my doctor, and which I take for performance anxiety once or twice a year.

That's not so shocking, is it? Despite my musical accomplishments, I am a normal person who addresses various challenges like anyone else. Yet some would label me a troubled substance abuser, and say that classical musicians are trying to one-up Amy Winehouse.

First, let's dissect the effect of various drugs, and consider why classical musicians would want to take them. Alcohol, tranquilisers, marijuana, and beta blockers have dramatically different applications and effects, many of which are undesirable for musicians. Musicians are not exempt from alcoholism, and it affects performance in a negative way. Classical musicians rely on minute technique and quick response time; alcohol only dampens these skills, and although initially it might ameliorate stage fright, once on stage, drunkenness only amplifies terror. The violinist Nigel Kennedy may have a reputation as a hellraiser, but even he says he would only smoke or drink after a concert - never before. "Performing under the influence of alcohol or dope would be cheating the audience," he told Focus magazine in Germany last month. I have seen, on rare occasions, musicians drinking pre-concert, and it never works out well.

Cocaine is a drug only the most successful musicians use - because it's expensive. (Newsflash: working-class musicians don't earn big.) In small amounts, cocaine does seem to enhance confidence, which, depending on how much preparation you've put in, could be a good thing - or highly embarrassing when it comes to reading the reviews the next morning. I do know musicians who use it while performing, but they are a tiny minority.

Tranquilisers like Valium have similar consequences to alcohol: they compromise technique and response time. Still, some people are prescribed these drugs for medical reasons, so it's difficult to separate the "abusers" from the legitimate patients.

Few people use marijuana these days. In general, musicians want and need to be mentally acute. Pot doesn't fit the bill. Furthermore, one of the drug's main symptoms is paranoia, which doesn't go well with stage fright.

Finally we come to beta blockers, a class of heart medications that treat blood pressure, angina and migranes. Since a 1965 Lancet article explored their use for stage fright, they've also been widely prescribed for musicians, public speakers, and even surgeons who must steady their hands.

Beta blockers are not recreational drugs. They do not affect cognitive abilities, but instead block adrenaline-like chemicals in the human system. For a violinist, this means performance can feel like practice, with no bouncing bow or slippery fingers.

An article in the Times yesterday reported that there is a "black market" for beta blockers among classical musicians. But these are legal drugs - taken for medical reasons by as many as 10% of the world's (and therefore any orchestra's) population; they are routinely prescribed for stage fright.

As a teenager, I suffered debilitating stage fright. When I went to college, I asked the conducting staff to assign me to pit orchestras, instead of onstage groups. And so I asked my doctor for a prescription for beta blockers.

On the subway in New York in 1986, I took my first dose of Inderal, a beta blocker, some 45 minutes before an audition. It seemed miraculous. Although I still felt nervous, my hands didn't shake as usual, I wasn't gasping for air and my mind remained clear. I played exactly as I had meticulously prepared to do. I won the job, and went on to play a Carnegie Hall debut recital, record a Grammy-nominated CD, and hold a solo position with four major Broadway productions.

Beta blockers are not a class of drug that's subject to abuse. No one would want to overdose: I once took too much (which I later learned was only a quarter of my elderly mother's daily prescription) and the boring performance that ensued made me commit to smaller doses from then on.

It always seems surprising to audiences that classical musicians are like any other cross section of society - subject to the same joys, sorrows, and misbehaviour. Yes, some musicians are alcoholics. Some are stoners, who stumble through life on pot, middling about on the worst possible gigs, ones that barely support them. Some lose everything in the wake of cocaine and crack abuse.

I knew a beautiful blonde cellist in New York in the 1980s, who was married, owned a gorgeous apartment overlooking Central Park, and landed a chair in Phantom of the Opera, which is playing two decades later. Yet she surrendered to cocaine, and then crack. She died three years ago after battling Aids for a decade, leaving behind a young son. She was a stellar musician, but also an ordinary human being with demons like anyone else.

Three years ago, I published a book about drugs and classical music, Mozart in the Jungle. On my book tour, a journalist asked me to clarify why "musicians are more noble than other people". Where did he get such an idea? Although most of us don't end up in dire circumstances, we, like anyone else, are just people. We're tempted. We say yes or no to drugs. But, because of our discipline, we most often say no: drugs and impairment are not worth risking a lifetime of practice.
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source: guardian.co.uk

Ex-addicts happy to be clean and sober

At the height of his cocaine use, Gérald was spending up to $300 a day on his habit.

Doing two to three grams a day "at about $100 a gram, you need a lot of money, and sometimes the way to make that money was not totally legit," the 49-year-old former user said Friday.

"I abused alcohol, cocaine and pot. That will keep you stupid for many years."

Fifteen years ago, Gérald attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with his girlfriend at the time to offer his support for her drinking problem.

"I ended up finding out I had a problem, too," he said.

But thanks to Cocaine Anonymous Quebec, Gérald has been clean and sober for 14 years.

Gérald is attending CA Quebec's 21st annual convention, which began last night and ends Sunday at the Delta Hotel.

As the group's name implies, members shield their identity, so Gérald does not want his last name published.

CA Quebec has been a presence in Montreal since its first meeting, in August 1986, drew 16 people. There now are 45 meetings a week in Greater Montreal, 10 in English and the rest in French.

The convention is normally held in the fall, but CA Quebec decided to schedule its 2007 event event now, right after the holiday period. This is a time when many users have difficulty dealing with the ubiquitous parties and with the New Year's resolutions to give up drugs, which can be difficult to achieve.

The bilingual convention features workshops on the 12-step program and sessions about medications, conjugal violence, spirituality and sexuality.

It's also a party, albeit without mind-altering substances.

"This is an event to rejoice in being clean and an opportunity for everyone to meet," Gérald said.

Organizers expect between 500 and 700 people to attend the three day convention. Tonight's main event is a large banquet with music and dancing.

Attendance at the weekend workshops costs $30 for two days. The banquet costs $70 and is nearly sold out.

"Just like the meetings, our policy is: Those who can pay, do," Gérald said of the workshops.

"We really want to reach out to newcomers. Anyone can come for free."

. The Cocaine Anonymous help line is 514-527-9999. The CA Quebec convention is being held at the Delta Hotel, 475 President Kennedy Ave., through Sunday. Participants can register at the door.

source: The Montreal Gazette

'Sometimes after a hard week in court I still think, God, I'd love a drink'

Australians' relationship with alcohol has never been under more scrutiny than now. It is one of life's pleasures, a social lubricant - but it is also a major cause of violence and misery. In the first of a series on the role alcohol plays in our lives, Julie Szego meets a prominent reformed alcoholic.

PETER Faris, QC, once chairman of the National Crime Authority, frequent media commentator and constant flame-thrower, recently published an anecdote on his blog that takes the piss out of his pissed colleagues. He tells of hearing a "strident call" while walking down the street one day: "Faris, you're a c---!"

"Turning quickly I recognised the species, 'barrister inebriatus', commonly known as the 'fuzzy-eyed advocate'," Mr Faris writes. "I think that, when his time comes, the (Victorian) bar should bury him in a tomb in the foyer of Owen Dixon Chambers with an eternal flame, fuelled by whisky … the Tomb of the Unknown Barrister."

The vitriolic tone of both the incident and blog entry make sense when you remember that Mr Faris is the silk who claimed in May that cocaine had almost replaced alcohol as the drug of choice in some legal circles. Note, for present purposes, the word "almost".

Barristers, especially those who practise in the high-stakes world of criminal law, are famously heavy drinkers. Mr Faris, 67, used to put it away with the best of them before going dry more than 30 years ago. For this maverick lawyer, his status as a teetotaller helps underscore his disposition as a loner.

He blames his predicament partly on genes. His father, a bank clerk, was an alcoholic, "never violent, but often cruel". His affliction made life chaotic and unsettling. "No money, nothing. The bailiff at the door — my father spent the money on the grog. Usual story, " Mr Faris says.

"Alcohol was never on display at home — there were no bottles in the fridge or freezer. But it was always underneath, it was this massive undercurrent." Only once he turned 16 did he realise that grog was responsible for his old man's choppy moods.

Mr Faris was initiated into drink while doing his articles, a kind of apprenticeship year for young lawyers. For 14 years, from age 22 to 36, every week night was spent cultivating the next day's hangover.

"You'd go to, say, (Carlton bar) Jimmy Watson's with a bottle of red and then you'd go to the pub and drink beers till it shut, and then you'd go to a party or something, and then drive home.

"I didn't like the taste of it — it's not like chocolate or camembert. But what I did like was the hit I got; that warm feeling with the first couple of glasses of wine when all of a sudden your worries are gone."

Each night he set out to the pub with good intentions: three drinks, maximum. "So then I had three drinks and thought 'f--- it, I'll have 30'." The booze was controlling him, not vice versa. As this knowledge sunk in, so did depression.

Then one night his mate had offered to drive a girl home and, being drunk, ended up killing her. Summoned to the police station in the dead of night, it fell to Mr Faris, who knew the girl, to tell her family of the tragedy.

But even as he waded through alcohol's wreckage, he delayed putting the brakes on his own drinking. What made him change? It's hard to say. He took up jogging and hiking. His mother died. "I'm not sure about the relationship between the two things. Maybe you can work it out." Maybe the thought of years dissolving in a drunken haze was starting to terrify him.

Mr Faris resolved to go cold turkey: "On 30th June, 1976. Midnight." Out of loyalty to his mates, he returned to the pub on his first grog-free day to sip lemon squash. But the camaraderie he had once felt so intensely now soured into disdain.

"I realised all the people I had thought of as so witty, intelligent and fun to be with were the most boring, second-rate people, and we were supposed to stand around this hotel, with its carpet covered in glass and vomit, having ebullient conversations.

"I lost all my friends in one go."

They speak highly of him too, of course. Matters of personality and even ideology (Mr Faris tends to be alone among his colleagues in supporting tough anti-terror laws) explain his shortage of friends in the legal fraternity. He is now taking briefs independently from the bar and the bar's ethics committee is in turn investigating whether his comments about cocaine brought the profession into disrepute. But Mr Faris believes his non-drinking helps reinforce a perception of him as aloof and unfriendly.

"And, look, sometimes after a hard week in court I still think, 'God, I'd love a drink'. But I know I would lose so much self-respect."

His reward for abstinence comes in the form of more time for his wife and children and more clarity for intellectual pursuits. And more emotional fortitude, you could say, although inner-strength does have its downsides.

"I suppose the way I see it is that life is pretty hard — there's no soft edges. You don't get to have a couple of drinks and soften the edges.

"And that's difficult, but to use the cliche, it's character-building. I feel that I've lived every day at a time, rather than escaped."

source: http://www.theage.com.au/

Social theory leads to trial of possible anti-cocaine tool

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Cocaine users often chase away the taste in their throat or level off the high with beer or liquor, so researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences thought small doses of a drug that targets alcoholics might help.

It didn't.

"We actually found the lower doses ... will exacerbate cocaine use," said Dr. Alison Oliveto, head of the study. "It will make cocaine use worse."

Oliveto and researchers are conducting a second study to examine the drug disulfiram's effect on cocaine and habitual opiate users, convinced by prior studies that something about the 1940s alcohol treatment may work at a metabolic level. But it was cultural experience, rather than empirical research, that first led doctors to think it might work.

Disulfiram, known as Antabuse in its brand-name form, has been used to help treat chronic alcoholics since its discovery. The drug requires patients to remain utterly abstinent from alcohol, even in its common forms.

"If you ingest alcohol in any form, we're even talking about wearing perfume, it can set up a pretty nasty reaction," Oliveto said. "We're talking about vomiting, flushing, increases in blood pressure, nausea — just really kind of nasty. Obviously, it's sort of a negative reinforcement approach."

It wasn't until 50 years after the drug's discovery that doctors began looking at disulfiram as a means to wean cocaine users from their habit. Instead of attacking cocaine use itself, a doctor looked at what users did on the periphery of their cocaine use.

Oliveto said doctors determined that many drank liquor to accompany the drug, to smooth out their high while cutting back on the drug's harsh aftertaste.

"It was very indirect and really very behavioral," she said. "It's very novel."

Previous studies suggested that disulfiram, coupled with therapy, helped wean cocaine users away from the drug by increasing the unpleasant effects of the drug, including anxiety. Armed with that information, Oliveto began a clinical trial that used half or less of the drug's maximum dose on chronic cocaine and opiate abusers. Researchers drew blood from test participants, wanting to see how disulfiram affected patients' dopamine levels.

Cocaine interferes with the absorption of dopamine, building up the neurotransmitters in the brain to cause the drug's high. The idea, Oliveto said, was that maybe the disulfiram was stopping that buildup.

"It's not that we're making it up, it's sort of like we're putting the cart before the horse," she said. "Now we're trying to explain the mechanism."

But in the weakened dose, men, those with a certain lowered dopamine level and those who haven't abused alcohol in the past did more cocaine during the study, Oliveto said. She cited the fact the study included those who also abused opiates, more often than not prescription pain pills like Percodan or Hydrocodone. When she began the study in Connecticut while at Yale, most of the patients she ran into used heroin, while those in Arkansas used the pain pills.

Oliveto said a second study under way will include higher doses of the drug, as well as the potential of having just cocaine users take part. The tests will include genome typing as well to see if the different users have a genetic makeup making them more likely to respond to the disulfiram.

Despite the study's findings so far, Oliveto remains certain that disulfiram could provide chronic cocaine users a means to escape the habit.

"I think part of the issue is people seem to be very afraid of (disulfiram). I'm not sure I understand why and I'm genuinely perplexed. It's been around for 60 years," Oliveto said.

JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press Writer
source: http://www.thecabin.net/

Britain is cocaine capital of developed world, with more abuse than U.S. for first time

Britons have now overtaken Americans as the biggest cocaine users in the developed world, European drug analysts said today.

Nearly one in 20 took the drug last year as cocaine replaced cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamine as the most fashionable choice among the young.

The boom in cocaine brought a fierce warning from the analysts that the drug may now be starting to have "a major impact on public health".

The report by the Lisbon-based European drugs monitoring agency signals a new landmark in the rising level of abuse of cocaine.

For decades Americans have been the chief users of the drug, which has been cheaply and easily available in US cities. Until the last decade, cocaine was usually seen in Britain as the preserve of pop stars, City traders, and the wealthy.

Now low prices, increasing supply and the unpopularity of other drugs has meant that Britain - together with Spain - has the highest levels of consumption among the young.

Figures collected by the analysts show that 4.9 per cent of men and women aged between 15 and 34 used the drug in Britain last year - around 800,000 young people.

In America, the percentage of young people that used cocaine over the same period was 4.8 per cent.

British cocaine consumption among the young was at more than twice the European average of 2.4 per cent.

The most alarming figures on cocaine in Britain showed high levels of cocaine abuse among 15 and 16-year-olds: six per cent of teenagers at or below school-leaving age have tried the drug.

The report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction said: "Cocaine is now, after cannabis, the second most commonly used illicit drug."

It added that "socially integrated" cocaine users - those who hold down jobs and live respectable lives as opposed to the criminals and prostitutes who often take the drug in the form of crack - are at high risk.

"The drug is usually snorted," the report said. "Many users are also using other substances including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and stimulants other than cocaine.

"This kind of polydrug consumption can lead to elevated health risks."

The report added that there was evidence that cocaine has "out-stripped ecstasy among club-goers as the most commonly used stimulant, with the drug gaining increased acceptability among some groups".

Evidence from surveys taken in dance clubs suggested "a replacement of other stimulants by cocaine could have taken place".

It said that cocaine use had appeared to be levelling off but "the general picture of a stabilising situation is called into question by new European data which point to an overall increase in use".

The report found that Denmark and Italy has shown the greatest increases in cocaine use over a year, but levels in the highest consumption countries, Spain and Britain, were still going up.

Prevalence of cocaine was similar in Britain and Spain, but Spain is the chief gateway country into Europe for cocaine imported from Latin America, the report said.

The findings come at a time when ministers have been congratulating themselves over a decline in levels of use of cannabis among young people in Britain, a fall that has come despite the confusion and controversy over Labour's decision to downgrade the criminal status of cannabis.

However the report said that cannabis - still smoked by 21.4 per cent of people under 24 in Britain last year - is increasingly intensively used by some. This, it added, is causing "health concerns".

Mary Brett of the campaign group Europe Against Drugs said: "Older teens are turning to cocaine instead of cannabis.

"Cocaine is cool, it's getting cheap, and cannabis is out of fashion. A lot of teenagers understand now that cannabis causes psychosis.

"It used to be people in their 20s that used cocaine, but now it is teenagers. Young people need proper drug education in schools that is about prevention, not about harm reduction for those that choose to use drugs. We need to tell them about the harm that drugs do."

Tories promised tougher punishments for drug offenders, new programmes to encourage drug users to stop, and a border police force to cut imports of drugs.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "Drugs destroy lives, wreck communities and fuel many other crimes. Labour has failed to get a grip on the drug culture in this country because their approach has been designed to ignore the issue if possible and do the very least if forced to.

"Pushers are 'punished' with warnings or fines and, instead of helping addicts beat addiction, they spend half a billion pounds pursuing a policy of managing addiction. It is a strategy of keeping people on drugs."

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker promised a new Government drugs strategy next year.

He said: "Drug use in the UK is stabilising. Drug related crime has fallen by a fifth since 2003, reducing harm to communities, while drug use is at its lowest level in 11 years.

"However, I have always recognised that tackling the harm caused by drugs is one of the most formidable challenges we face."

source: The Daily Mail

Crack Users Do More Time Than People Convicted of Manslaughter

When crack cocaine possession means 24 years in prison and manslaughter means only 3, you know something is seriously wrong with the U.S. criminal justice system.

By Jessica Pupovac, AlterNet. Posted October 17, 2007.

The death of Alva Mae Groves on Aug. 9 of this year went largely unnoticed outside of her family and fellow inmates at the Tallahassee Federal Corrections Institution, where she lived out the last 13 years of her life. She never went to high school, lived her entire life dirt-poor and raised her nine children for the most part without the help of her abusive husband.

In 1994 Alva Mae "Granny" Groves was locked up for conspiring to trade crack cocaine for food stamps. It was largely her son, whose trailer home she lived in, who ran an operation that her family and neighbors contested, but some customers testified that Alva Mae would sell them small bags when he wasn't around.

"The only money I received came from SSI (Supplementary Security Income) and what money I could earn selling eggs from my laying hens (I had about 100 chickens)," Alva Mae wrote shortly before her death in a letter asking for a pardon so that she could die near her family. "I also cleaned houses when I was able, and sold candy bars and soft drinks to the kids coming from school in the afternoons."

Because she refused to testify against her son, and because of the money she had saved in the bank, which was weighed against her for its value in crack, and most of all because of the current sentencing system for crack cocaine offenders, Groves was condemned to 24 years in jail at the age of 72.

In 1986, Congress passed a law that established an unprecedented five-year mandatory minimum sentence for anyone found in possession of two sugar packets worth of crack, regardless of whether or not that person had a criminal record. Beyond the minimum, additional "sentencing guidelines" tack on extra months or even years for obstruction of justice (which, in some cases, means refusing to admit guilt), whether or not there was a weapon on the premises and prior convictions.

Crack cocaine is treated more harshly than any other drug on the streets right now, mostly because of the "tough on crime" response that was en vogue at the time of its introduction. Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a D.C.-based advocacy group that works for fairness in sentencing, explained that Congress attributed the sentencing tiers at the time to a desire to "protect the black community."

Ron Hampton, a retired D.C. police officer and executive director of the National Black Police Association, takes issue with that rationale. "It's hard for me to believe that you are going to have legislation that severely cripples and victimizes members of our community in order to do something good for us," he said.

Nonetheless, 20 years later, the sentencing structure still stands, and it is precisely the black community that is suffering the most.

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), a division of the judicial branch that monitors and advises Congress on sentencing policy, in 2006, more than four-fifths of crack cocaine offenders in federal courts were black.

The 1986 drug laws have had a devastating effect on the U.S. criminal justice system. Drug offenders in prisons and jails have increased 1100 percent since 1980, from 41,000 people to nearly 500,000.

Nearly 6 out of 10 people in state prison for a drug offense have no history of violence or high-level drug-selling activity but are often receiving harsher sentences than people who do. People caught with the drug in 2004, the last year for which data is available, served an average of ten years in federal penitentiaries, while the average convict served 2.9 years for manslaughter, 3.1 years for assault and 5.4 years for sexual abuse.

Many legislators, police officers and even federal judges have been vocal critics of the sentences being handed to crack cocaine offenders.

In 2002, Roger Williams University Law Professor David Zlotnick conducted a series of interviews with Republican-appointed federal judges to survey their views of various sentencing tiers. He found the majority of them saw crack cocaine sentencing as "completely unacceptable," "a grave injustice" and a "discrepancy that has no basis in fact."

However, says Monica Pratt, spokesperson for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, "Because crack cocaine mandatory minimums have applied mostly to people of color and poor people, there has been a lack of political will to do something about it."

Until now. The massive mobilizations in Jena, La., last month shined a much-needed spotlight on continuing disparity in the U.S. justice system. With a Supreme Court case addressing the issue starting on Oct. 2, a promising reform bill currently in the Senate and proposed USSC amendments just weeks away from taking effect (pending congressional opposition), a confluence of forces just might create the perfect storm that advocates for sentencing reform have been hoping for.

Said Mauer, "We have more momentum now than we have seen at any time since the laws were passed in 1986."

The main rallying point for many critics is the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine, two drugs that are pharmacologically identical. The main difference, they contend, is who does them and in what neighborhoods.

A drug abuser whose drug of choice is powder cocaine would have to be found with more than two cups of it (500 grams) before receiving the same sentence as a person caught with two sugar packets worth (5 grams) of crack. All along the sentencing tier, 100 times more powder cocaine is required to trigger the same mandatory minimum penalty as crack. It is a system referred to as the "100-to-1" drug quantity ratio.

Since crack is made by cooking powder cocaine with baking soda or another base when it reaches the street retail level, the 100-to-1 ratio has served to exact harsher punishments on low-level dealers than the kingpins supplying the raw material. According to USSC data, low-level crack sellers are punished 300 times more severely than high-level, international cocaine traffickers on an imprisonment-per-gram basis.

There are two different types of sentences given to drug offenders: the mandatory minimums established by Congress and the sentencing guidelines tacked onto those minimums by federal prosecutors and accepted or denied by federal judges.

"The congressional wheel in many ways is the most important right now, because without congressional action, the mandatory sentences are still going to stand, whether the USSC changes the guidelines or the Supreme Court changes the way the judges administer them," says Pratt.

There are three bills currently introduced in Congress that attempt to address the 100:1 disparity, but only one that would eliminate it. The Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007 ( S.1711), introduced by Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., would bring the penalties for possessing crack cocaine in line with those for cocaine in its powder form. It offers, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, a "long-awaited fix to discriminatory federal drug sentencing" that will take place only with increased pressure.

The sentencing guidelines are also slated to change, unless Congress moves to block them. The USSC sets the guidelines, barring congressional objections, and has proposed amendments to crack penalties in the past, which have been shot down. They forged ahead this year, however, bringing crack cocaine guidelines in line with powder guidelines in a list of amendments introduced last spring. They will go into effect on Nov. 1 unless somebody notices and tries to stop them. If implemented, the commission predicts the change would shorten 69.7 percent of incoming crack cocaine sentences, resulting in an average reduction of nearly 13 months.

In a highly unusual move, the USSC is also considering making the amendments retroactive and are seeking public comment on the issue. FAMM has been mobilizing its base, consisting predominantly of people incarcerated on drug charges and their families, to get involved in the political process and voice their opinions. "The public information officer for the USSC told our president, Mary Price, that they have received 10,000 letters on this issue already," Pratt said. The USSC predicts that retroactivity would reduce the sentences of approximately 19,500 current inmates.

Then there is Kimbrough v. United States, a crack-related case that just got under way in the Supreme Court. The case challenges a judge's discretion in sentencing a crack cocaine convict below federal sentencing guidelines and centers around the sentencing hearing for Derrick Kimbrough, a Desert Storm veteran in Norfolk, Va., who pled guilty in 2005 to possession with intent to distribute 56 grams of crack. Although he had no previous felony convictions, his mandatory minimum and federal sentencing formula recommended he be sentenced to 19 to 22 years. However, Federal District Judge Raymond A. Jackson called the guideline "ridiculous" and instead handed Kimbrough a 15-year sentence, a move that an appeals court later challenged his authority to make.

However, according to retired D.C. Officer Hampton, the crack problem that plagues many low-income communities across America won't go anywhere without a more "holistic" approach that considers responses that are more than punitive. "If they wanted to help, one of the best things they could do is treat people who use crack cocaine much like they do for powder cocaine," Hampton suggested. "They need to look it as a disease. That's another problem embedded in the disparity, not just the sentences, but the amount of treatment that is available to them."

Indeed, a "significant number" of dealers are also addicts, who might not find themselves in the courthouse without their addictions, according to Zlotnick's research.

"But more than that," says Howard, "we need to develop some strategy that focuses on the systemic issues that cause people to look for it in the first place. I think a lot of the problem is the despair in our community, because of lack of housing, lack of jobs, a poor educational system -- they all have a lot to do with why people do it. If we were to address those problems in our society, we'd probably see a lot less people doing crack."

But, for the meantime, he says, the laws are as good a place as any to start.
____
Jessica Pupovac is an adult educator and independent journalist living in Chicago.

Cocaine Use Declines Among U.S. Workforce

Recent intelligence reports of cocaine supply shortages reflected in unprecedented reductions in employee drug test positives

(Washington, DC)—New data from workplace drug tests conducted by Quest Diagnostics indicate an unprecedented reduction in cocaine use among the U.S. workforce. According to "The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index�: Cocaine Use Among America's Workers—A Special 2007 Mid-Year Report," there was a 15.9 percent decline in the number of drug test positives for cocaine among the combined U.S. workforce during the first six months of 2007 compared to 2006 (.58% January - June 2007 v. .69% in CY2006). The combined U.S. workforce is comprised of general workers and federally mandated, safety sensitive workers.

According to the latest data from Quest Diagnostics, cocaine drug-test positives showed double-digit declines in all but one division of the nation, with the highest declines occurring in the New England area (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont). The division with the second-highest declines in cocaine drug test positives was the West South Central division (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.)

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, said, "These data are encouraging. Cocaine has destroyed thousands of lives in the U.S. and brought lawlessness and misery to our neighbors. But in recent years, we have had unprecedented cooperation with leaders in Colombia and Mexico. Now is the time to build on this progress."

"Not only did the positivity rate fall to its lowest level since Quest Diagnostics began reporting on cocaine rates a decade ago, but also the decline was truly across the board, falling by double-digits in all but one of nine regions of the country," said Barry Sample, Ph.D., director of Science and Technology for the Employer Solutions division of Quest Diagnostics. "While it is too soon to point to a trend, the significant decline in positivity rates in different workforce categories and across regions may suggest that our nation's workers are choosing not to use cocaine or that they lack access to the drug."

In July, separate findings from Federal intelligence and law enforcement sources noted reports of cocaine shortages in 37 U.S. cities during the first 6 months of 2007. Several of the cities noted by Federal sources are also reporting increases in the price of cocaine - and in some instances a rapid doubling of prices - suggesting that the U.S. market for cocaine may be under strain. These findings are consistent with the Quest Diagnostics data reflecting a decline in cocaine positivity rates among U.S. workers during the first half of 2007.

About the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index
The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index is published as a public service for government, media and industry, and has been considered a benchmark for national trends since its inception in 1988. It examines positivity rates, which represent the proportion of positive results for a drug to all such drug tests performed, among three major testing populations: federally mandated, safety-sensitive workers; the general workforce; and the combined U.S. workforce. Federally mandated, safety-sensitive workers include pilots, bus and truck drivers, and workers in nuclear power plants, for whom routine drug testing is mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Drug Testing Index is released as a full-year and mid-year report. "The Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index: Cocaine Use Among America's Workers—A Special 2007 Mid-Year Report" describes positivity rates for cocaine only and does not assess positivity rates for other drugs among U.S. workers.

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its national network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative new diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at: www.questdiagnostics.com.

For more information, please visit www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov or www.questdiagnostics.com.

source: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov..... LMAO

Crack pipe program not proven to reduce HIV, hep C: councillor

There's not enough evidence that an Ottawa program that provides free crack pipes to drug users has directly resulted in lower rates of HIV and hepatitis C infection, says the Ottawa councillor who initiated the program's cancellation.

"We need to have very solid evidence before council endorses any kind of program that sends that kind of mixed message," said Coun. Rick Chiarelli in an interview Tuesday, adding that residents have complained that it encourages illegal drug use.

Councillors voted in favour of Chiarelli's motion in July to end the program at the end of the month.

Chiarelli said the program's cancellation came amid requests from advocates for $500,000 to study how effective the program was at reducing the spread of disease, "which means there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other," he said.

He argued the controversy over the program erodes support for the city's overall strategy to fight drug addiction and accompanying social problems.

Program reduces risk: doctor

Meanwhile, advocates of the program said there is plenty of evidence that distributing free crack pipes reduces the risk of disease transmission, even if transmission rates haven't been measured in relation to the program.

"We know that when folks share drug paraphernalia, that's when they are at risk of transmitting those diseases," said Dr. Dona Bowers, a family physician at the Somerset West Community Health Centre at a news conference held by a group of community agencies Tuesday.

The 10 agencies were announcing their intention to continue the program until the end of the year using their own funding.

Bowers said the program reduces the sharing of homemade crack pipes, which can cause cuts or burns.

She also cited a University of Ottawa study by epidemiology professor Lynne Leonard that showed the program resulted in drug users switching from riskier injection drug use to smoking crack.

"We know that among the IV drug users in our community, there are enormous rates of disease," she said, adding that a fifth of IV drug users are infected with HIV and more than 75 per cent are infected with hepatitis C.

Finally, she added, the program helps drug users develop a relationship with the health and social workers who distribute the crack pipes.

In January, the city's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Salisbury, told reporters that that the city's HIV infection rate fell from 39 cases in a year to 12 after the program was introduced in 2005.

source: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

A new take on Canada-U.S. free trade

BRAMPTON, ONT. -- Call it free trade in the underworld: Marijuana and ecstasy pills pour south, swapped for guns and cocaine that are shipped north. It's a pattern long familiar to police seeking to intercept contraband flowing back and forth across the porous Canadian-U.S. border.

And the quality of the marijuana and the guns, it seems, just keeps getting better.

On one side of a table at Peel Regional Police headquarters yesterday, guarded by two seriously armed policemen, lay a dozen shiny new handguns and a gleaming, Chinese-made Uzi. On the other were fat plastic bags of ecstasy tablets and clumps of marijuana so potent the aroma was detectable from several metres away.

"It's a common trafficking pattern that we have seen for years," agent Regina Lombardo of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told a news conference outlining an unusually large clutch of arrests and charges, the result of an investigation dubbed Project Rebel.

"And we tackle it the same way we have for years. It's a collaborative effort."

Posted on a display board were photographs of car-door panels in which the goods were stashed and concealed by the "mules" who did much of the driving.

After simultaneous raids Wednesday in Greater Toronto, Florida and Alabama, around 20 people now face charges for their roles in what police say was a sophisticated network that exported marijuana and ecstasy and exchanged the drugs for guns, ammunition and sometimes cocaine.

In Southern Ontario, 10 people - including five women - were picked up, and face a total of 134 drug and weapons charges. Five others had already been arrested in Sudbury as part of the same investigation.

Wednesday's raids in Toronto, Peel and Halton regions also yielded 29 handguns, 10,000 ecstasy tablets, 515 grams of cocaine, several kilos of Canadian-grown marijuana and quantities of methamphetamine.

And while the 10 GTA residents do not appear to be gang members, the weapons they were bringing into Canada could have found a ready market in gangland and caused "devastation," said Detective Inspector Steve Clegg of the Ontario Provincial Police's weapons enforcement unit.

In this instance, he said, the guns were bought legally at U.S. gun shops by "a straw purchaser" who resold them to network members, who in turn sent them north in the same cars that smuggled the marijuana and ecstasy south.

Little cash appears to have been involved, Ms. Lombardo said. Rather, the two commodities were essentially being bartered, in a two-way trade rooted in supply and demand.

In much of the United States, the penalties for cultivating marijuana or manufacturing MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, are often Draconian. In Canada, much less so.

Handguns, on the other hand, are so easily obtainable south of the border that they offer an inviting profit when retailed on the streets of Canadian cities. "And right now there does seem to be a demand on our streets for guns," Det. Insp. Clegg said.

source: The Globe and Mail

Britain's cocaine use hits new high

More than 750,000 people take cocaine at least once a year as its price falls and ecstasy loses its popularity among clubbers, according to a wide-ranging study of drug abuse in Britain.

Official attempts to stem the use of illegal substances have failed, with cocaine soaring in popularity and addiction to heroin remaining stubbornly high.

The report delivers the bleak warning that Britain has the worst levels of drug abuse in Europe and the continent's second highest rate of drug-related deaths.

Cocaine use among young people has tripled since the late 1990s to more than 750,000 in 2005-2006, the study for the new UK Drug Policy Commission says.

Nearly 5 per cent of people entering drug rehabilitation programmes say their main problem is with cocaine. The average street price has dropped from £69 ($187) to £49 a gram over the past six years.

"From being an exclusive drug, used only by the wealthy and some dependent drug users, it has now become part of the menu of psychoactive substances that young people use to enhance their leisure time. It may have come into fashion among these people as ecstasy reduced in perceived quality," the report says.

It said one in four people aged 26 to 30 have tried a class A drug, such as heroin, cocaine or ecstasy, at least once.

The number of heroin users has risen from 5000 in 1975 to an estimated 281,000 in England and 50,000 in Scotland. It has now stabilised at "levels that are very high by international standards".

With around 20 per cent of people arrested dependent on heroin, the cost of drug-related crime in England and Wales is estimated at more than £13 billion.

Drug use is now of common experience for people born since 1970, although most try cannabis only a few times with a small minority going on to be problematic users of harder drugs.

source: Nigel Morris, New Zealand Herald