Oct 1, 2013

Global war on drugs is failing, study finds

The global war on heroin, cocaine and cannabis is failing to stem supply, as prices of these drugs have tumbled while seizures of them have risen, according to a study published Monday. Researchers analyzed data from seven government-funded programs that tracked the illegal drug ...

Sep 25, 2013

Peru tops world in coca leaf production

Peru has displaced Colombia as the world’s leading producer of coca leaf, although it succeeded for the first time in seven years in cutting output of the illicit plant used to make cocaine, the United Nations said Tuesday. Peru cut its area under coca ...

Sep 19, 2013

Seizure of drugs on rise in first six months

The amount of stimulant drugs seized by police soared to 550.1 kg from January to June, about 3.4 times the amount seized in first half of 2012, the National Police Agency said Thursday. Even though that total was for only six months, it is ...

British Somalis brace for khat ban

Sep 9, 2013

British Somalis brace for khat ban

by Judith Evans

When Britain bans the herbal stimulant khat, Mohamod Ahmed Mohamed will lose his livelihood. But he fears most for his small Somali community without the leaf that fuels its social life. “I can switch to another business, but what about the youth, where are ...

Sep 4, 2013

Conflicts of interest in drug research

Oversight of pharmaceutical companies' corporate donations to universities, and the roles played by their employees in university drug research, must be strengthened to prevent conflicts of interests from tainting the results of clinical research.

Mexican drug cartel activity in U.S. 'exaggerated'

Sep 1, 2013

Mexican drug cartel activity in U.S. 'exaggerated'

When Sen. John McCain spoke during an Armed Services Committee hearing last year on security issues in the Western Hemisphere, he relayed a stark warning about the spread of Mexican drug cartels in the United States. “The cartels,” the Arizona Republican said, “now maintain ...

Justin Trudeau admits using pot in the past

Aug 23, 2013

Justin Trudeau admits using pot in the past

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Liberal Party leader and strong candidate for prime minister, admitted Thursday that he has smoked marijuana since being elected to parliament, after recently calling for legalizing its use. He told the Huffington Post that he smoked pot five or six times ...

U.S. to overhaul rigid mandatory sentences

Aug 12, 2013

U.S. to overhaul rigid mandatory sentences

Attorney General Eric Holder was to announce Monday that low-level, nonviolent drug offenders with no ties to gangs or large-scale drug organizations will no longer be charged with offenses that impose severe mandatory sentences. The new Justice Department policy is part of a comprehensive ...

Tourists to Mexico still drawn by peyote trips

Aug 3, 2013

Tourists to Mexico still drawn by peyote trips

Gisele Beker, a 26-year-old Argentine, trudged for hours in scorching sun to the sprawling Wirikuta desert craving peyote, the hallucinogenic cactus that Mexicans deem sacred. Joined by three Mexican friends, Beker was living her dream as part of a new wave of tourists taking ...

Jul 30, 2013

Global organized crime as big as a G-20 nation: Australia

Organized crime is so big globally that if it were a country, it would be part of the Group of 20 group of major economies, the Australian government said Tuesday. Releasing the Australian Crime Commission’s biennial report on the issue, Home Affairs Minister Jason ...