Topic: Psychoactive Drugs

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Osama bin Laden papers: top 5 revelations

A new trove of letters seized during the Osama bin Laden raid paint an intimate picture of the inner workings and struggles of Al Qaeda, from its dabbling in the stock market to practices that would make any Mafia don proud.
Sixth Summit of the Americas: 8 things to watch

Yes, the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena will debate drug policy and Cuba. Here are eight other topics to be discussed at the Summit.
Banned Books Week 2011: Top 10 most challenged books of 2010

The 10 books most banned or challenged by communities throughout the US in 2010, according to the American Library Association.
Election 101: Who is Gary Johnson?

Gary Johnson, who has already scaled Mt. Everest, has chosen the presidency as his next summit.
In Pictures: Top Dominican-born baseball players

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President Obama smoked pot in high school. Why is he against legalizing marijuana?

A new biography details Barack Obama's use of marijuana in high school and college, not unusual for a young man at that time. As president, Obama has taken a tougher line on drug use, including marijuana for medical reasons.
Poll shows strong support for legal marijuana: Is it inevitable?

A national Rasmussen Reports poll found that 56 percent of Americans back legal marijuana regulated like tobacco or alcohol. Trends show support on the upswing.
Osama bin Laden papers: top 5 revelations

A new trove of letters seized during the Osama bin Laden raid paint an intimate picture of the inner workings and struggles of Al Qaeda, from its dabbling in the stock market to practices that would make any Mafia don proud.
Painkiller addiction becoming more common in infants, study shows

Painkiller addiction is becoming more and more common in infants, according to a recently released study that shows that the number of US babies born with opiate drug withdrawal has tripled in the past decade.
TSA officers charged in drug smuggling conspiracy

The screeners were accepting large cash payments to look the other way as drug couriers smuggled cocaine through security at LAX.
US must focus on Afghanistan heroin trade

With so many Americans trying heroin each year, Congress and Obama must fund long-term efforts to curb poppy growing and the opium trade in Afghanistan, even after the US ends its combat role. This will also curb opium profits funding the Taliban.
420 marijuana rally: Can University of Colorado stop it?

420 rally: Smelly fish-based fertilizer was spread at the University of Colorado where the annual 420 marijuana rally is held. Will that stop the 'Reefer madness'?
Synthetic marijuana on the rise: looks like pot, but 'far worse'

Synthetic marijuana is marketed as a cheap way to get a legal marijuana-like high. But health experts say it is 'way more' than marijuana and is 'very dangerous.'
Latin America Monitor
What are Rio's security crackdowns accomplishing?

How effective is Rio's 2008 public safety policy, if it pushes crime out of one neighborhood and into another, asks guest blogger Julia Michaels.
Bigger scandal in Latin America than US secret service: US drug hunger

The secret service prostitution scandal overshadows renewed calls at the Summit of the Americas for the US to stanch its drug consumption. A viral 'Drug Violence 2012' video (think 'Kony 2012') would help young Americans connect US drug use to violence in Central and South America.
Drug policy and Cuba headline Summit of the Americas (+video)

The Sixth Summit of the Americas saw what Mexico's Calderón called a 'radical' change: candid conversation about differences over drug policy and Cuba.
Feds bulk up for retrial of Roger Clemens over steroids

The Justice Department, embarrassed by an error that caused a mistrial of Roger Clemens last year, has added more prosecutors as it seeks to convict the famed pitcher of lying to Congress when he said he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Secret Service Colombia scandal: Agents working too hard, or not hard enough?

Twelve US Secret Service agents were sent back to the US from Cartagena, Colombia, after allegedly drinking heavily and consorting with prostitutes. Is the long-veiled agency struggling with an increasingly complex mission?
Sixth Summit of the Americas: 8 things to watch

Yes, the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena will debate drug policy and Cuba. Here are eight other topics to be discussed at the Summit.
Modesto cop killing highlights spike in violence against police

The number of cops killed on the beat had been declining since the 1970s and was bound to end, say experts. But the killing of cops in Modesto, Calif., and Greenland, N.H., Thursday could point to other trends.
Latin America Monitor
Summit of the Americas mum on drug policy

Drug policy isn't on the agenda for this weekends Summit of the Americas in Colombia, but it's a topic on everyone's mind, writes guest blogger Steven Dudley.
Setback for legal marijuana? Pot raid rattles top cannabis crusader.

A federal raid on the marijuana businesses of Richard Lee has convinced the legal-marijuana leader to take a step back. It could mark an important moment for the movement.
Obama health reform law: clues to how the justices might behave

The four justices who make up the US Supreme Court's liberal wing are expected to uphold the constitutionality of the Obama health reform law. How the other five will see it is less certain.
Cocaine a factor in Whitney Houston drowning, says LA coroner

Whitney Houston drowned but heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors, according to the Los Angeles Coroner's Office. The exact amount of cocaine in Whitney Houston's body will be revealed in two weeks.
Pat Robertson backs legal marijuana. Will other conservatives follow?

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has called for legal marijuana, saying the US incarceration rate is taking a social toll. Advocates call it an important moment, but critics dismiss it.
Marijuana legalization: Obama opposition too selective

When Latin America talks of legalizing drugs, Obama officials speak up. What about ballot measures in Colorado and Washington Sate to approve marijuana legalization?
Biden in Honduras: US drug policy under scrutiny

Even staunch US allies in the Americas are urging a debate on drug policy – including legalization – amid spiraling violence in their countries.
Being Flynn: movie review

The film, in which Robert De Niro comes across as a Method caricature, is a mix of genuinely touching and hokey moments.
GOP candidates need to debate legalizing marijuana

As GOP candidates debate values, I have not heard them address legalizing marijuana. The words of a narcotics agent ring in my ears: 'I can’t say every pot smoker goes on to get hooked on the hard stuff. But I can say every addict I know on the hard stuff got started on pot.'
New voice in drug-war debate: businessmen who are feeling the pinch

The drug trade has had a negative impact on the business climate in Central America, and the private sector is starting to speak out in favor of new approaches to the war on drugs.