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June 28, 2002
The San Diego Union
Tribune San Diego, California Big cut in
anti-smoking efforts because of budget crunch The
state plans to hack $61 million from anti-smoking
efforts and the first parts to go will be regional
centers set up to work with cities, schools and other
groups a move advocates say can only hurt the
children of California. Many of the anti-tobacco programs
were doomed when California came up $23.6 billion short.
ID#
5555
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July 2, 2002
Local 8 News San
Diego, California Marines,
Sailors Guilty in Drug Case
Authorities in North Carolina have seized $1.4 million
worth of narcotics and have convicted more than 80
Marines and sailors of using or distributing designer
drugs, officials said Tuesday. A two-year investigation,
code-named Operation Xterminator, was conducted by the
Naval Criminal InvestigativeService office at Camp
Lejeune, N.C., outside of Jacksonville, along with state
and local authorities. ID#
5554
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June 30, 2002
The Washington Post
Washington, D.C. Tobacco Tempts States in Financial
Need
In state
capitols across the country, tobacco is derided as a
scourge on society, addicting and killing the young and
ill-informed and forcing nonsmokers to pay
smoking-related doctor bills. But as states confront
their worst budget crises in a decade, tobacco often has
been a savior. Eleven states this year have raised their
cigarette taxes, and more than a dozen others are
considering doing the same. ID#
5551
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Letter
to the Editor June 27, 2002 The
Alamogordo Daily News Alamogordo, New Mexico What
will follow proposed ban on smoking?
This letter is in reference to the proposed ban on
smoking in public places. First, let us applaud the four
commissioners who opposed the ban and supported the
right of business owners to establish policies regarding
their businesses. When the commissioners and individuals
who supported the ban start paying the building
costs/rent, sign the pay checks, pay the federal, state
and local taxes for these establishments, then and only
then, do they have any right to be a part of the policy
making process. ID#
5550
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June 28, 2002
The Brownsville Herald
Brownsville, Texas City considers rezoning to
allow alcohol on side street Locals looking for
a place to have a drink could soon find they have more
options. At the City Commissions regular meeting, 6
p.m. today in Market Square/City Hall, the commission
will consider approving zoning ordinances that would
allow bars and restaurants on Hudson Boulevard from FM
802 to Resaca Calmada to serve alcohol. . . . Planning
department staff does not recommend allowing bars on
side streets but said it did not object to opening
"wet" restaurants on Hudson Boulevard,
according to the agenda request form. Wet restaurants
serve alcohol. ID#
5548
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June 28, 2002 Yahoo
News CDC: Teenagers
Using More Cocaine
Injury and violence-related behaviors among
teenagers have fallen, but more teens are using cocaine
and regularly smoking and drinking, according to a
recent survey. . . . The number of teenagers who said
they had tried cocaine in their lifetime rose to 9.4
percent, up from 5.9 percent in 1991. About 4.2 percent
of students said they had used cocaine in the past 30
days, up from 1.7 percent in 1991. ID# 5546
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June
28, 2002 The
New York Times New York, New York Risky Sex,
Tobacco Use Falls in High Schoolers U.S.
health officials reported on Thursday that high school
students were engaging less frequently in risky sex and
other unhealthy behaviors than in the 1990s, in part due
to public health campaigns that have stressed the perils
of smoking, drug use and unprotected sex. . . . Tobacco
and marijuana use were two areas where progress appeared
mixed. Twenty-nine percent of students smoked cigarettes
in 2001, down from 36 percent in 1997 but still higher
than the 28 percent who did so in 1991.
ID# 5547
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June 27, 2002 Yahoo
News Court OKs Random
Drug Tests in Schools
The Supreme Court approved random drug tests for
many public high school students Thursday, ruling that
schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs
outweighs an individual's right to privacy. The 5-4
decision would allow the broadest drug testing the court
has yet permitted for young people whom authorities have
no particular reason to suspect of wrongdoing. It
applies to students who join competitive after-school
activities or teams, a category that includes many if
not most middle-school and high-school students. ID#
5539
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June 27, 2002 The
Brownsville Herald Brownsville, Texas
As seizures mount, experts say illegal drugs
altering a way of life
For an estimated 30
million Americans, illegal drugs are worth the money and
the risk. But experts say the mind-altering substances
also have the ability to alter the behavior and way of
life of entire populations. . . . The Gulf Cartel has
been able to dominate drug traffic into the United
States, making the Rio Grande Valley one of the main
points of entry in the country, according to information
provided by the PGR and senior U.S. Border Patrol
officials.
ID# 5536
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June 27, 2002 The
Brownsville Herald Brownsville, Texas
Poll: Texans support cigarette tax to pay health
care costs
Seven out of
10 Texas voters support a $1-per-pack increase in the
states cigarette tax, according to the findings of a
new opinion poll released Monday. The tax proposal,
first announced two weeks ago by South Texas state Sen.
Judith Zaffirini, would generate an estimated $1.5
billion over the 2004-05 biennium for health care
spending. "Tobacco kills more people than alcohol,
AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides
combined" ID#
5537
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Editorial June 26, 2002
The Independent Florida Alligator Tallahassee,
Florida Ecstasy linked
to traffic deaths
Fatal car accidents and multiple drug overdoses
are increasingly being linked to the effects of mixing
the euphoric drug Ecstasy with other sedatives or
stimulants, according to a UF forensic toxicology
study.UF associate professor Bruce Goldberger said the
reports on Ecstasy deaths in the past few years are
associated with multi-drug use and fatal accidents
involving these drugs. ID# 5528
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Editorial
June 25, 2002 The Mexico Daily
Are we a city 'under the
influence'?
Yes, Says John McBride a community worker with
Divert, a group that tackles underage drinking in Derry.
This is a difficult question to answer, and not because
I cannot find examples of alcohol problems to
demonstrate the extent of it. The reason is that in
general our attitude to alcohol stinks. Our society
loves alcohol, we respect those who sell it, we
affectionately describe people as having "a wee
drink problem". ID# 5527
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June 24, 2002
Reuters Health US
Anti-Drug Programs Need Younger Focus: Study
Children who
take up smoking cigarettes, using marijuana or start
drinking alcohol in elementary school are considerably
more likely than other children to use such substances
in middle school, researchers say. Therefore, prevention
programs should begin in elementary school rather than
in middle school, as the majority in the US now do,
according to lead author Dr. Nance Wilson of the
University of California School of Public Health in
Berkeley. ID# 5524
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June
20, 2002 The
Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Smoking
Goes From Bad to Worse, New Research Finds
Tobacco smoke is a much deadlier carcinogen and triggers
a broader variety of cancers than researchers had
previously believed, according to the most comprehensive
study of smoking ever undertaken. The new study also
provides the first definitive evidence that secondhand
smoke causes lung cancer, increasing the risk to those
people exposed by about 20%.
ID# 5521
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June
20, 2002 The
New York Times New York, New York Pa. Latest
Tobacco Law Battleground Frustrated with
tough local restrictions on tobacco sale and use, the
tobacco industry is turning to state legislatures to
enact weaker rules and render city and county laws
invalid, anti-smoking advocates claim. Pennsylvania is
the latest in a series of states considering legislation
that would create uniform restrictions on tobacco sales
-- a move encouraged by the tobacco industry, according
to an American Medical Association report on the
industry's lobbying methods.
ID# 5520
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June
19, 2002 The
Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois Methamphetamine
abuse rises among U.S. women . . .
Breuklander is among a growing number of women who have
abused meth, a highly addictive stimulant that produces
a euphoria similar to cocaine, but lasts longer and is
made from common household ingredients. Experts and
users say meth appeals to women because it's relatively
inexpensive and easy to obtain, and it gives them energy
to take care of their children or feel more efficient in
everything they do.
ID# 5515
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June 18, 2002
Reuters Health
Workplace Smoking Bans in U.S. Having an Effect
Although on-the-job exposure to secondhand smoke has
been greatly reduced due to various bans and
restrictions on smoking, blue-collar or service workers
seem to remain at greater risk of passive smoking than
their white-collar peers, study findings show. . . .
Wortley and her colleagues used data from a 1988 to 1994
national health and nutrition survey to investigate
exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace. . . Among
the seven job categories evaluated, workers in farming,
forestry and fishing had the lowest levels of cotinine
in their urine, the investigators report in the June
issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine. ID# 5517
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June
19, 2002 The
Indianapolis Star Indianapolis, Indiana
Organizers aim to make concerts drug-free zones
His eyes bloodshot-red and beer suds spilling down his
right forearm, Chris Schneider stumbled through the
crowd of heavy-metal fanatics, seemingly oblivious to --
or perhaps spiritually in tune with -- his surroundings.
. . . The two are just the type of fans whom concert
promoters and security officials in Indiana -- and
nationwide -- say they're cracking down on. No longer,
they say, are those caught at rock shows with illegal
drugs let off with a wink and a nod.
ID# 5516
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June 18, 2002
Yahoo News Twentysomethings
line up for free smokes, thanks to big tobacco
It's 9:30 at the Back Door Lounge and the line on
this Tuesday night is already 10 deep. But these people
aren't waiting for the bar's famous bourbon and Cokes.
The line is for the cigarettes: They're free.
Representatives of R.J. Reynolds maker of Camel,
Winston and Salem brands show up twice a week to
hand out two free packs to anyone willing to show ID,
answer a couple of consumer questions and sign a waiver
promising not to sue. ID# 5507
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June 18, 2002 The
Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
State
tobacco-sale bill riles activists
A bill making its way through the Pennsylvania
General Assembly would crack down on tobacco sales to
minors, but prohibit municipalities from passing their
own antismoking laws. And that has antitobacco forces
fuming. "Every time we succeed at the local level,
the tobacco industry goes to Harrisburg to wipe out the
progress," said Bill Godshall, executive director
of SmokeFree Pennsylvania, an antitobacco group.
ID# 5506
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June
17, 2002 The
Daily Herald Chicago, Illinois State hopes new
IDs will end illegal tobacco sales The
life of a convenience store clerk can be harried, with
the constant buzzing from people wanting the go-ahead to
pump gas, asking for directions or buying snacks,
cigarettes and beer. In the midst of all that quick
commerce, clerks occasionally don't take the time to do
the math when a would-be underage smoker presents his
driver's license. Those clerks soon will be able to put
those calculators away. A measure awaiting Gov. George
Ryan's signature would require teenage driver's licenses
to include a line that gives the exact date a person
turns 18 - the legal age to buy a pack of cigarettes in
Illinois. ID#
5505
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June
15, 2002 The
Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California Support
grows for woman's campaign against tobacco on campus
On July 1, campus bookstores at the University of
California, Davis, will stop selling cigarettes -- a
move that's dividing some students and staff as the
spring quarter ends. Is this a sensible, long-overdue
move by the university? Or is it an unwarranted
intrusion on those who choose to use a legal product?
ID# 5501
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June 14, 2002
Reuters Health Lawmakers Reset Fight Over FDA
Tobacco Regulation group of US Senators on
Friday introduced legislation designed to give the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to strictly
regulate tobacco, setting up a replay of a similar
attempt that was narrowly defeated in 1998. The new bill
would grant FDA the explicit authority to control
tobacco products, including jurisdiction over all
cigarette packaging and advertising. It would also give
the agency authority over the contents of tobacco
products, allowing it to remove or modify ingredients it
deems harmful to public health. ID# 5502 (go
to article)
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Editorial June
14, 2002 The
Post Gazette Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Where
there's smoke
Allegheny County's ordinance penalizing tobacco
sales to minors was hard-won. Chief Executive Jim Roddey
vetoed the measure last December with a sympathetic note
that urged its supporters to overcome the legal problem
identified by the county solicitor. That was done by
April, with a vote of the Board of Health followed by
support from County Council. Yet here we are in June and
the ordinance is about to disappear. . . . As
pre-emption of local ordinances is known to be a goal of
the tobacco industry -- as discovered during lawsuits --
this development invites a cynical reading.
ID# 5495
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June 13, 2002
Yahoo News Study:
Teen Alcohol, Drug Abuse More Common Than Thought
Parents might not be surprised to hear that their
teenager has experimented with alcohol or even other
drugs. But now a new study shows the problem is much
greater than even the experts thought. . . . when
Duxbury High School junior Ames Whitney wanted to forget
his problems he would drink. That happened a lot. . . .
Heavy substance abuse is not unusual according to new
research from Children's Hospital. In a survey of more
than 500 teens, more than half said
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June
13, 2002 The
Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California Federal
injunction halts pot buyers clubs
Three cannabis buyers clubs that are still functioning
must immediately halt the distribution of marijuana
under a permanent injunction issued by U.S. District
Judge Charles R. Breyer. The order, dated and filed
Monday in San Francisco, is expected to further
disenfranchise California's medical marijuana patients,
some of whom depend on pot cooperatives for their
medicine. . . . U.S. law bars the cultivation,
distribution or possession of marijuana by anyone, and
federal authorities have been using every tactic
available to them to stop the gains made by California's
pro-pot brigade. ID# 5484
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June 12, 2002 The
Post Gazette Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Panel
rejects county tobacco law
In a setback for anti-smoking groups, a state Senate
committee yesterday voted to kill Allegheny County's
tough new law that cracks down on stores that illegally
sell tobacco to minors. Instead, the committee favored a
new statewide law that punishes youngsters who buy
tobacco illegally and the clerks who sell it. "I
expected this," said Bill Godshall of Pittsburgh,
executive director of the anti-tobacco group SmokeFree
Pennsylvania. "I knew this was going to be a bad
day. This is all about shifting liability away from the
tobacco industry and onto the minimum-wage clerks and
the kids" who buy tobacco.
ID# 5483
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June 11, 2002 Reuters
Health Cigarette
Campaigns Hook Youth with Lifestyle Ads
When it comes to creating anti-smoking campaigns,
public health officials should take a page from
cigarette advertisers' book, researchers suggest. Their
analysis of roughly 100 previously secret marketing
reports, memos and strategic planning documents from
tobacco companies revealed that cigarette advertising is
largely focused on the consumer attitudes and lifestyles
of young adults, who are on the brink of becoming fully
addicted smokers or deciding not to smoke.
ID# 5485
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June
11, 2002 The
Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California Laws
to limit teen smoking need parental support to do any
good
I'm not dissing the idea behind Assemblyman Paul
Koretz's teen smoking bill, really. I have no idea
whether raising the legal age on smoking to 21 might
result in fewer teens becoming addicted to this
unhealthful and disgusting habit. Maybe it will. And
maybe it won't. Look at the number of teens who smoke,
and it appears that the current age limit of 18 fails
too many of them. One of the arguments of the bill, AB
1453, is that too many teens pass for 18, meaning they
have virtually no problem getting cigarettes. Proponents
hope raising the smoking age will result in more
merchants asking for identification on tobacco
purchases. ID# 5470
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June
11, 2002 Crosswalk.com
Cigarette
Taxes Ignite Smuggling Industry, Critics Charge
A number of states have raised cigarette taxes this year
in an effort to fix their recession-wracked budgets. But
higher cigarette taxes, critics say, have made smuggling
more attractive, encouraging individuals to buy
cigarettes in low-tax states and take them across the
border for sale in high-tax states. . . . Proponents of
tax hikes, like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK)
and the AARP, argue that higher cigarette taxes
discourage adults and teens from smoking. A ten percent
tax increase reduces youth smoking by seven percent and
adult smoking by three to five percent, according to the
CTFK. ID#
5473
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June
10, 2002 The
Post Gazette Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Reports
say Big Tobacco out to block tough local regulation
A bill that is moving through the Pennsylvania General
Assembly would advance the tobacco industry's top
legislative goal: Prevent local governments from
enacting tough tobacco control laws. The state Senate's
Public Health and Welfare Committee could vote by
tomorrow on House Bill 1501, which contains a
pre-emption clause mandating that only the state may
enact tobacco control legislation."Pre-emption is
the tobacco industry's top legislative goal," said
an American Medical Association report,
"Pre-emption: Taking the Local out of Tobacco
Control."
ID# 5467
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June
10, 2002 The
Las Cruces Sun Las Cruces, New Mexico City
bans Well here we go again. It seems this
cities "illustrious" council, along with our
"benevolent" mayor have found something else
to ban. Apparently the counties ban on smoking and the
cities ban do not coincide with one another, therefore
the city wants to ban smoking in all public venues. I
can understand the ban in government buildings and
federally funded entities. I cannot understand how our
government can dictate what is done on private property
with a legal substance by business owners who generate
the income for this cities government to operate. As for
banning smoking in parks and public sidewalks, I believe
the public is in more danger from smog generated from El
Paso, Juarez and locally that hangs over this city more
than second hand smoke.
ID# 5472
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June 10, 2002 The
Las Cruces Sun Las Cruces, New Mexico Smoking
and choice The Tobacco Free Las Cruces
Coalition wants to safeguard the health of our children
and protect all Las Crucens from the dangers of
second-hand smoke. But to accomplish this goal, the
Coalition would place more government regulations on the
backs of small business owners. And, they would further
restrict the rights of adults who have chosen to smoke.
The city already has an ordinance that bans smoking in
most public places. Smoking is only allowed in bars,
truck stops and outdoor areas. Those few exceptions
endanger the public health of the entire city, according
to Lawrence Banegas, a Coalition member who lobbied the
City Council to pass a tougher ordinance similar to the
one enacted by the county.
ID# 5471
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June 9, 2002 The
North County Times San Marcos, California SM
billboard moratorium under fire A business that
wants to erect a billboard in San Marcos has hinted it
will take the city to court over a 19-month-old
moratorium on the signs, City Manager Rick Gittings said
Thursday. . . . The City Council first passed a
billboard moratorium in November 2000 and later passed
two extensions to give city officials a chance to
determine whether San Marcos can legally ban billboards
and restrict billboards advertising alcohol or tobacco
near schools.
ID# 5468
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June 5, 2002 Reuters
Health Opportunity may be behind 'gateway
drug' effect
Researchers have long speculated about whether using
so-called "soft" drugs like marijuana will
lead to the use of "harder," more physically
addictive drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Now, new
research suggests a reason why this progression in drug
use might occur: opportunity. Based on a survey of US
households, Dr. James C. Anthony and a colleague from
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland,
determined that tobacco and alcohol users are more
likely to encounter opportunities to try illegal drugs
like marijuana. Furthermore, once faced with the
opportunity, users of tobacco and alcohol are more
likely to accept marijuana.
ID# 5474
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June 8, 2002
Yahoo News George
Pataki releases proposed changes to Rockefeller-era drug
laws While Pataki portrayed the proposals as a
compromise designed to meet legislative objections to
earlier plans, the initiative was immediately panned by
critics who said the Republican governor is still not
going far enough to ease the drug laws. Pataki said his
plan would allow more people into drug treatment by
expanding the categories of drug offenders eligible for
such referrals. Eligible defendants, though, cannot have
a violent record. ID# 5458
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June 6, 2002
Local 8 News ONline San Diego, California
Tobacco Company Fined $20 Million for ADS judge
fined R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. $20 million Thursday,
ruling that the maker of Winston and Camel cigarettes
violated terms of the 1998 tobacco settlement by running
magazine ads aimed at teenagers. The California attorney
general's office had sued the nation's No. 2 tobacco
company last year, demanding it be punished. The $206
billion settlement between the industry and 46 states
does not specifically mention magazine advertising but
bars tobacco companies from taking "any action,
directly or indirectly, to target youth." ID#
5455
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June 2, 2002
The San Diego Union
Tribune San Diego, California Tobacco giant's
anti-smoking ads found to encourage lighting up A
study commissioned by an anti-smoking foundation says
tobacco giant Philip Morris' campaign to discourage
teen-agers from smoking is having the opposite effect.
"Philip Morris should pull its ads
off the air at once," American Legacy Foundation
President and chief executive officer Cheryl Healton
said Wednesday. "
ID# 5451
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June 2, 2002
Yahoo News
Evidence-Based Programs Keep Kids Away From Drugs and
Alcohol Scientifically designed
programs based on evidence of what's most effective at
prevention are more successful at keeping children from
using tobacco, alcohol and drugs than other programs,
says a new study presented this weekend at the annual
meeting of the Society for Prevention Research.
ID# 5448
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June 3, 2002
The New York Times
New York Grad Parties Getting Supervision
Like many seniors, the
class of 2002 at St. Pius High School celebrated
graduation with a party that went past dawn. But instead
of kegs of beer, this party featured students' parents
-- and a priest. There's nothing new about
school-sponsored graduation parties, which parents and
educators organize to steer seniors away from drugs and
alcohol. But the bashes are getting more elaborate than
ever, and seniors -- who long shunned them as uncool --
are actually showing up. ID# 5447
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June 3, 2002
Reuters Health
Information Access laws do not lower rates of teen
smoking Laws that prohibit merchants from selling
cigarettes to minors have not helped to reduce rates of
teenage smoking in the US and should therefore be
abandoned, researchers conclude. Their study found no
association between laws that make it difficult for
teenagers to buy cigarettes and the prevalence of
smoking. ID# 5445
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Editorial
June 2, 2002 The
Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California A sober
step in the right direction A city should have
the right to monitor such things as sober-living homes,
to ensure those living near these facilities peppered
throughout residential neighborhoods will be safe and
secure. Yet, that is not the case. State law forbids
cities from regulating facilities that have six or fewer
residents and that do not offer medical treatment. ID#
5443
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June 1, 2002
Los Angeles Times Los
Angeles, California Planning Commission adopts
certification program The city has one more
weapon in its limited arsenal against problematic
sober-living homes after planning commissioners
unanimously approved on Tuesday a county certification
program designed to monitor the clean-living
environments. The county certification program -- four
years in the making -- was developed by a
multi-jurisdictional task force in the hopes that it
will help officials more closely monitor sober-living
facilities. ID# 5442
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May 31, 2002
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California Assembly clears Internet
tobacco bill; DECK A bill by Assemblyman Dario
Frommer (D-Glendale) that would require age verification
for tobacco purchases made over the Internet has been
passed by the Assembly with a 52-17 vote. Frommer
introduced the bill after his staff successfully
purchased tobacco over the Internet using the name of a
2-year-old girl. No age verification was required,
Frommer said. ID# 5440
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May 28, 2002
Alamogordo Daily
Alamogordo, Texas A Scientific Evaluation of the
Anti-smoking Ordinance First, most
facilities are now relatively smoke-free and/or highly
ventilated anyway. Second, the original smoke-free
ordinance ignores many other substances that also
contribute to respiratory and other disease. Dust
storms, dust mites, fungi, other microbes
(microbe-produced chemicals), as well as non-smoking
indoor pollution are more relevant than smoking to
asthmatics. ID# 5439
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May 30, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Tax hike could cut into teen
smoking If legislators approve the 50-cent
increase in cigarette taxes Gov. George Ryan has
proposed, anti-smoking activists say one of the benefits
will be a dramatic reduction in youth smoking--even if
the youths themselves have their doubts. According to
research released by the Illinois Coalition Against
Tobacco, the price jump would discourage some 65,000
Illinois youths from becoming smokers, with overall
cigarette consumption reduced statewide by 47 million
pcks. ID# 5437
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May 28, 2002
Reuters Health
Substance abuse up in NYC after Sept 11 attacks
The use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana intensified
in Manhattan in the wake of the September 11 attacks on
the World Trade Center, according to a recent survey.
Nearly 29% of adults interviewed said they had increased
their use of at least one of these three substances in
the 5 to 8 weeks following the attacks, with the
majority drinking more alcohol than they had previously
consumed, according to the random telephone survey of
nearly 1,000 Manhattan households. ID# 5435
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May 28, 2002
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California Attias Trial Points Up Dorm
Life's Wild Side Of dorm life in
the two 10-story towers, Nino Boles-King, 19, offered a
mixed review. "The food [is bad], but it's really
easy to get [messed] up" on drugs and alcohol, he
said. That's not the kind of endorsement managers of the
massive student housing complex next to UC Santa Barbara
would like to receive. ID# 5432
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May 28, 2002
The Brownsville Herald
Brownsville, Texas As seizures mount, experts
say illegal drugs altering a way of life But
according to officials from the Mexico Attorney Generals
Office (PGR) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, it wasnt until the early 1980s that
drug trafficking became a hugely profitable illicit
industry. The promise of "easy money"
captivated people on both sides of the border, bringing
to power the drug cartels, criminal groups that with
violence and money have changed the landscape of entire
regions. ID# 5431
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May 23, 2002
The Chicago Union
Tribune Sheriff targets school drug cliques
Zaruba said
Wednesday his agency's Operation Omega, aimed at illegal
drug operations dealing with DuPage students, has
notched its 100th arrest."This effort was aimed at
schools and students," Zaruba said. "The
countywide undercover drug operation aims for major
suppliers, and local departments are concerned about
drugs involved in street crime. ID# 5425
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May 22, 2002
Yahoo News Mexican
court blocks extradition of alleged drug king to United
States In a ruling that could help the cases of
other criminals sought by the United States, a Mexican
federal court blocked the extradition of an alleged drug
trafficker wanted in California, a Mexico City newspaper
reported Wednesday. U.S. prosecutors describe Jesus
Amezcua as the "king" of methamphetamines, and
for years they have sought his extradition on charges of
money laundering and drug manufacturing and
distributing. ID# 5423
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May 20, 2002
Yahoo News Drug,
alcohol courts could be shut down Mecklenburg
County's drug treatment courts, the first of their kind
in North Carolina, are in jeopardy of being shut
down.The state's budget woes are threatening to do away
with Mecklenburg's drug treatment court, as well as
similar courts operating in nine judicial districts
across the state. "These drug treatment courts
work," Howerton said in an interview. "If you
stop it, it stops working. It's as simple as that."
ID# 5421
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May 16, 2002
The Washington Post
Washington, DC Groups weigh Drug-Law
Initiatives Two national groups that favor more
liberal drug policies are considering separate ballot
initiatives in the District to legalize medical use of
marijuana and offer treatment for those convicted of
drug possession. The medical marijuana initiative is a
repeat of 1998, when city voters backed a similar ballot
question by a wide margin but congressional Republicans
blocked implementation. Advocates said shifting
sentiments on Capitol Hill make the time right for
another try. The second initiative is new and would
offer substance-abuse treatment to nonviolent drug
offenders but not reduce criminal sanctions against
possessing illegal drugs.
ID# 5419
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May 15, 2002
Reuters Health
Information Small ecstasy doses impair rats'
memory, function Rats who receive low doses of
the drug ecstasy show impairment in their ability to
navigate a maze, as well as memory problems, Italian
researchers report. "I would say to someone who
takes ecstasy that a very little dose of ecstasy is not
devoid of risk," study author Dr. Mariaelvina Sala
of the University of Milan told Reuters Health.
"The consequence is spatial disorientation which
could endanger your life, for example when you
drive," she added. ID# 5415
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May 14, 2002
MSNBC News Anti-drug
ad campaigns a flop "THIS
CAMPAIGN ISNT reducing drug use," said Mr.
Walters, who became head of the U.S. Office of National
Drug Control Policy earlier this year. Mr. Walters was
openly critical of the ads even before taking office,
and argued that the advertising effort was in dire need
of an overhaul. Now, he said, he is armed with survey
data that support his suspicions that the campaign hasnt
worked. ID# 5412
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May 12, 2002
Yahoo News Giving
addicts chance to change Some
judges and lawyers believe the drug court concept
violates legal rights and is labor intensive, lenient
and too costly, particularly at a time when state
government faces budget cuts and officials are
considering early release for thousands of prisoners.
Others say it makes the traditional court system more of
a treatment provider than it should be. ID# 5411
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May 13, 2002
The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento, California Bill targets drug use at rave
parties The
high-energy dance events, with laser light shows,
pulsating beats and tons of teens, have earned a
reputation as being havens for rampant drug use.
Supporters of legislation that would make promoters of
large rave parties put in writing a pledge not to ignore
drug use say raves have earned their dubious reputation
for good reason. ID# 5410
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May 13, 2002
Reuters Health
Information Heavy pot smoking linked to short-term
IQ dip Heavy
marijuana use can dull a young person's IQ, but the
effects may not be long-lasting, a small study suggests.
Canadian researchers found that young adults who
currently smoked five or more joints a week showed it on
IQ tests. However, the same effects were not seen in
those who used to smoke heavily but had quit, according
to findings published in a recent issue of the Canadian
Medical Association Journal. ID# 5409
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May 10, 2002
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California Retailers recruited
in Meth War The sales clerk, on the lookout for
customers buying ingredients that could be used to make
meth, urged a Wal-Mart security guard to follow
Calloway. "Without their help, you can't hardly do
anything about the meth problem, at the rate it's
increasing," said Trooper Mark Applin of the
Kentucky State Police. ID# 5408
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May 10, 2002
The Washington Post
Washington, DC U.S. Delays Some Aid for
Colombia The
United States has suspended a portion of its aid for
Colombia's war on drugs after a "significant amount
of money" earmarked for the counter-narcotics
police disappeared, a U.S. Embassy official said today.
Gen. Gustavo Socha, chief of the counter-narcotics
police force, confirmed that an investigation was
underway and said he had fired six officers. Socha said
he did not know how much money was missing but denied
news reports that it was $2 million. ID# 5407
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May 9, 2002
Yahoo news War- of
Words- on drug dealing Calling
it phase two of Operation Safe Streets, scores of
community activists yesterday announced the creation of
a grassroots organization to sway young men away from
the illegal drug trade in Philadelphia. Men United for a
Better Philadelphia will go to the city's street corners
"not [to] confront young men, but talk to young
men," said Bilal Qayyum, executive of the Father's
Day Rally Committee, at a news conference in front of
the Hank Gathers Memorial Recreation Center at 25th and
Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia. ID# 5406
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May 9, 2002
The New York Times
New York, New York Pataki Proposes Changes to
Rockefeller Drug Laws It
is the governor's third attempt in the last year and a
half to reach an agreement with the Assembly on the
issue. The penalties for drug crimes, enacted in the
1970's, rankle many black and Latino voters, groups the
governor has been trying to please as part of his
re-election campaign. Nine of 10 people serving time for
drug offenses are black or Hispanic. ID#
5405
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May 9, 2002
The Chicago Union
Tribune Chicago, Illinois Sheriff starts
parent-notification program llinois
law declares a person to be an adult upon reaching a
17th birthday, but to DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba
a 17-year-old still is someone's son or daughter.
Starting this month, his Sheriff's Department will call
parents of such youths who are charged with a crime that
brings them to the County Jail or are in the company of
someone arrested on a drug or alcohol charge. ID#
5404
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May 8, 2002
Yahoo news Sadly,
Drug Laws Stay I'm
not usually big on anniversary stories, but this one is
just too awful, too expensive, too pointless to ignore.
Sadly, another year has passed without a repeal of the
mindlessly harsh and provably ineffective Rockefeller
drug laws. It's a shame ol' Nelson can't drop by and say
hello at noon today, when a big crowd of decent New
Yorkers will gather on Third Avenue outside the office
of his latest successor, George Pataki. ID# 5403
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May 8, 2002
The Miami Herald
Miami, Florida Students say drugs easy but used less
Miami-Dade County middle
and high school students say most drugs, in particular
prescribed pills and LSD, were easier to find in 2001
than in years past, but they also report using fewer
drugs in a survey to be released today by The Miami
Coalition, an antidrug umbrella group. The survey of
2,478 public and parochial students in grades 7 to 12 --
taken in May 2001 -- showed the lowest use of alcohol,
cigarettes and marijuana since the survey started in
1995. ID# 5402
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May 8, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Lisle event offers anti-drug
advice
More than
two dozen high school students, their parents and many
community leaders met late last month in the village's
Meadows Center to promote drug-free lifestyles.
Workshops, small group discussions and parent sessions
kept everyone busy for nearly 10 hours. "The idea
of getting kids to realize they have control over their
decision-making and their choices is a big aspect of
[Operation Snowball], that those decisions don't have to
be driven by other kids, you can stand on your own and
be an individual," he said. ID# 5401
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May 6, 2002
Yahoo news Ecstasy use on the rise
Civil liberties activists
on Monday called on U.S. lawmakers to repeal a law that
bans convicted drug offenders from receiving federal
student aid. In a letter to the House of Representatives
Education Committee, a coalition of 41 groups including
the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites)
said the 4-year-old measure hurts young offenders as
well as society by blocking access to education, a
proven rehabilitation tool. ID# 5398
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May 2, 2002
The Daily Cardinal
Madison, Wisconsin Ecstasy use on the rise
Despite a recent major bust
of an alleged Ecstasy trafficking ring that involved
three UW-Madison students and several arrests made at an
organized rave at the Alliant Energy Center last
weekend, the popularity of Ecstasy may still be on the
rise, according to local authorities. "We've
noticed an increase, both in the amount that is
available on the streets and what has been taken by the
police in the past years," said Madison Police Lt.
Brian Ackeret, director of the Dane County Narcotics and
Gang Task Force. "It's an increase that is
happening both in Dane County and nationally, and
because of that we are making it a top priority, and
these recent arrests are examples of that." ID#
5392
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May 1, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Car Seizure law passes
House The
Illinois House passed legislation Tuesday allowing
police to seize vehicles from people driving with a
license that was suspended or revoked on drug or alcohol
charges. "We will have, if not the toughest law,
one of the toughest laws in the country," said Sen.
Kathleen Parker (R-Northbrook), the bill's Senate
sponsor and chair of the Senate's Transportation
Committee. ID# 5389
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April 29, 2002
Yahoo News Supreme
Court Rejects Cincinnati's Drug Ban AppealThe
U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) dealt a setback on
Monday to Cincinnati's attempt to create
"drug-exclusions zones" that ban anyone
arrested or convicted of certain drug offenses from a
high-crime neighborhood. The justices let stand an Ohio
Supreme Court ruling that declared the 1996 law violated
an individual's constitutional right to travel. ID#
5387
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April 28, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Tijuana drug sting taints
cops--and Fox The
police chief of this notorious border town, Carlos Otal
Namur, swears that he is just a simple street cop, and
an honest one at that. The work of his 1,300 officers is
keeping order outside the strip joints along Avenida
Revolucion, making sure drunken American tourists don't
get into fights, solving car thefts, responding to the
occasional gunfight. Sometimes they bust drug dealers on
the street, he said, but they never investigate or have
dealings with the major drug cartels. ID#
5386
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April 25, 2002
Yahoo News Anti-drug
law backfires When
Congress passed a law four years ago taking federal
financial aid away from college students who had been
convicted of drug crimes, it was hailed as a miracle
cure. ''The best thing we can do for education is to get
somebody clean and then get them back into school,''
said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., the law's chief sponsor.
Not a bad goal. But the supposed benefits haven't
materialized. ID# 5384
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April 23, 2002
Yahoo News Gov't
Implements Laundering Law Banks,
credit card firms and many other financial companies
will have to adopt comprehensive programs to combat
money laundering as part of the Bush administration's
fight against drug dealers and terrorists. The
requirement announced Tuesday by the Treasury Department
(news - web sites) implements part of a law enacted last
year that aims to thwart terrorism and crack down on
money laundering. The rules cover not only banks and
credit card companies, but also securities firms, mutual
funds, wire-transfer businesses, check cashers and
commodities dealers. ID# 5380
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April 23, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Aurora joins federal anti-drug
program Aurora
will join seven other Illinois municipalities in the
federal Weed and Seed program aimed at revitalizing
high-crime neighborhoods, officials announced last week.
The U.S. Department of Justice has designated Aurora's
near east side and adjacent parts of unincorporated
Aurora Township as a Weed and Seed site. That could
bring the area up to $925,000 in federal grants over the
next five years, said Kane County Assistant State's
Atty. ID# 5376
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April 22, 2002
The Review Newark,
Delaware Ecstasy found as No. 1 drug used in date
rapes Ecstasy
doesn't decrease inhibition, it eliminates
inhibition," rape counselor Ellen Bloom said in a
speech titled "Date Rape and Designer Drugs,"
delivered Monday in the Trabant University Center
Multipurpose Room. While not as dangerous as other date
rape drugs, it is the number one drug abused on campus
right now, she said, as the screen behind her flashed
with hundreds of different colors and shapes of ecstasy
tablets. ID# 5375
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April 17, 2002
Yahoo News Drug
Tunnel Found Under U.S. Customs Lot
Puzzled
federal agents tried Tuesday to discover who dug an
85-foot- (26-meter) long tunnel that started in Mexico,
ran directly underneath a U.S. Customs Service parking
lot in Southern Arizona, and was believed used at least
once to smuggle drugs into the United States.This is the
ninth drug tunnel found in Nogales since 1995, including
two that spanned the U.S.-Mexico border. In December,
authorities discovered a more elaborate tunnel that
opened into a vacant house in Nogales and had the
makings of a rail system to carry drugs through it. It
was linked to a several area drug seizures. ID#
5365
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EditorialApril
14, 2002 The
Washington Post Washington, DCYes
to a Law That Gets Rid of Dangerous Tenants
As the property manager of
500 federally subsidized apartments in Southeast
Washington for 14 years, I agree with the recent Supreme
Court ruling that residents of public and assisted
housing can face eviction if a family member or guest
conducts illegal drug activity within the residence or
if a household member is arrested on drug charges away
from the housing unit [news story, March 27]. Some
residents of assisted housing and their advocates
maintain that this ruling is unfair because residents
aren't always aware of drug activity. Elderly residents,
for example, can be subject to eviction if their
visiting grandchildren are arrested for smoking
marijuana on the playground of the housing complex, and
whole families can face eviction if one member is
arrested on drug charges miles away from the family's
residence. ID# 5354
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April 14, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois Yale OKs
policy on aid lost to drug law
Yale has approved a new
policy to reimburse students who have lost their federal
financial aid because of convictions for drug
possession. Because no Yale student has lost eligibility
for federal aid under the four-year-old drug-free
provision of the Higher Education Act, the new policy is
largely a public statement by Yale, university spokesman
Thomas Conroy said. ID# 5353
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April 15, 2002
The New York Times Colombia's
Chief Wants More US Help
Colombia's coca production
climbs and efforts to cultivate substitute crops fail.
New planes for drug spraying are not delivered. European
contributions have been much less than expected. The
South American country's commitment to human rights is
in question. Members of Congress are looking at what has
been done with the $1.7 billion in aid they've given to
Colombia over the last two years. They don't like what
they see. ID# 5351
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April 12, 2002
The Chicago Tribune
Drug sting in Mexico targets cops
MEXICO CITY -- Summoned to
a police academy for an evaluation of their public
service, Tijuana police commander Carlos Otal and 200
fellow officers had no idea their grades had already
been decided by an army anti-corruption unit sent by
President Vicente Fox.In an unprecedented raid against
Mexican police accused of protecting drug traffickers,
the heavily armed soldiers stormed the assembly of local
police Wednesday near Tijuana, the corrupt and dangerous
border town across the border from San Diego. ID#
5344
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April 12, 2002
ABC News Drug Deal
Under federal law, college
students with drug convictions are denied financial aid
bankrolled by taxpayers. But Yale University students
who run on the wrong side of the drug laws will now get
a helping hand. Yale is the fourth and most prestigious
college so far to announce it will provide its own
assistance for students who lose federal financial aid
because of drug-related offenses. Hampshire College,
Swarthmore College and Western Washington University
have already adopted similar guidelines. ID# 5346
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April 11, 2002
USA Today Smugglers
refine tricks to pass security Smugglers
are finding new ways to get cocaine, heroin and Ecstasy
into the United States, even as increased security at
U.S. borders and airports is leading to record drug
busts, authorities say. In recent months, U.S. officials
have been surprised by the ingenuity of South American,
Mexican and European drug-smuggling rings, whose
operations virtually shut down just after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks because of dramatically increased
security at U.S. borders. When the rings tried to
re-establish smuggling routes later in the fall, border
agents began seizing unprecedented amounts of drugs.
ID# 5343
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