Drug addiction is quite prevalent among the world’s prostitutes. For whatever reason, a huge percentage of them are drug users. Jamaica is having a terrible time right now.

As reported in the Jamaica Gleaner, simmering beneath the surface of Jamaica's illicit sex trade are melancholy tales of drug abuse as local sex workers have turned to ecstasy - the party drug - to cope with the physical and psychological rigors of their job.

A retired prostitute said many use the party drug known on the street as 'X' to alter their persona.

The use of ecstasy by prostitutes compounds Jamaica's 'new' drug problem as earlier this year it was revealed that a shortage of medication containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in many cold and flu medicines sold in Jamaica, is being linked to the illegal manufacturing and sale of methamphetamine (commonly called meth).

It is a powerful stimulant that alters the functions of the central nervous system, and pseudoephedrine, it is believed, is being used to 'cook' the hard drug meth.

Ecstasy is a cousin to methamphetamine, because both of them are from the amphetamine class and both drugs have pseudo ephedrine as a precursor.

Ecstasy usually takes the form of a small tablet but it packs a whack. It is a drug that makes you feel close to everybody and your guard comes down.

Other Jamaican prostitutes have resorted to strange concoctions that include energy drinks and other uppers just to make it through their nightly 'ordeal'.

Ecstasy use can produce psychedelic and stimulant side effects such as anxiety attacks, tachycardia, hypertension and hyperthermia. Addiction, high blood pressure, heat stroke and kidney failure are also linked to ecstasy use.

Drug addiction is a serious issue. I can only imagine what goes through the minds of the Jamaican prostitutes and can understand their need to transform themselves into something different. But ecstasy and other drugs are not the answer. As many of the women admit, they do the job because they have kids at home and they need to be fed. A good drug class would educate them on why not to use these substances.

If you needed one more reason not to start taking crystal meth how about this – it can increase your chances of suffering from schizophrenia.

According to psychcentral.com, researchers in Toronto, Canada have found evidence that heavy methamphetamine users might have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

This finding was based on a study comparing the risk among methamphetamine users not only to a group that did not use drugs, but also to heavy users of other drugs.

Methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most common type of illicit drug used worldwide.

People hospitalized for methamphetamine dependence that did not have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychotic symptoms at the start of our study period had an approximately 1.5 to 3.0-fold risk of subsequently being diagnosed with schizophrenia, compared with groups of patients who used cocaine, alcohol or opioid drugs. 

They also found that the increased risk of schizophrenia in methamphetamine users was similar to that of heavy users of cannabis (marijuana).

Researchers examined California hospital records of patients admitted between 1990 and 2000 with a diagnosis of dependence or abuse for several major drugs, including methamphetamine, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine or opioids. They also included a control group of patients with appendicitis and no drug use. The methamphetamine group had 42,412 cases, while cannabis had 23,335.

There has been a longstanding debate as to whether there is a connection between methamphetamine use and schizophrenia. In Japan, experts believe that methamphetamine might cause a schizophrenia-like illness, based on their observations of high rates of psychosis among methamphetamine users admitted to psychiatric hospitals.

Drugs are bad. Nothing good can come from the use of illicit drugs. If you or someone you care about has a drug problem, please seek help. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity, there are online drug classes too.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) provides an invaluable service. When a baby is born with drugs in its system and the moth tests positive as well, they are responsible for monitoring the situation.

In a report on a baby's death, an oversight agency last week found DHS workers left the girl with her mother even though both had illegal drugs in their systems when the child was born.

Tamberlynn Wheeler died in Oklahoma three months after her birth in December 2007, showing major signs of malnourishment according to NewsOK.

Tamberlynn's parents, Crystal Lynn Erb, 22, and Samuel Eugene Wheeler Jr., 29, both of Seminole, Florida, have been charged with child neglect. Tamberlynn, who was born prematurely, weighed less at the time of her death than she did when she was born. In just over three months, her weight had dropped from 4 pounds 11 ounces to 4 pounds 6 ounces.

In proof that the government is quick in its investigations, her parents this year were charged with child neglect.

The oversight agency said a DHS worker justified the decision to leave Tamberlynn and a 10-month-old sibling in the home — stating in one document that drug use by the infant's parents did not affect their abilities to parent Tamberlynn's sibling.

The severely malnourished baby dies in an apartment littered with unused government milk vouchers. The neglectful mother’s reasoning – she had lost the codes to use them. That is juts criminal!

Cocktail of Trouble

At the time of Tamberlynn's Dec. 31, 2007, birth, Erb tested positive for benzodiazepine, marijuana and an antidepressant. The baby tested positive for marijuana.

The father admitted to a history of methamphetamine and marijuana abuse, saying he had last used methamphetamine about two or three years earlier and had last used marijuana about a month earlier.

Tamberlynn's birth was not the first time DHS received a report of alleged child endangerment regarding Erb and Wheeler.

Six months before Tamberlynn was born, DHS received a complaint that her sibling had been exposed to domestic violence when Wheeler allegedly threw a knife at Erb after another man in the home had flirted with her. Wheeler is known to be a heavy drinker too.

This is a tragedy that could have been avoided had drugs and alcohol been taken out of the equation. No how bad and irresponsible people can be alcohol and drugs are always a negative factor.

When news of the split between Hollywood stars Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore broke, I am sure I am like many of you who believed Kutcher was probably to blame. It certainly did not help matters that rumors of his serial adultery were circulating everywhere.

Moore was rushed to the hospital after an ambulance was called to her Beverly Hills home. The actress is reportedly being treated for exhaustion.

While her rep’s maintain that Moore is being treated for “exhaustion,” other rumors are flying that the extremely thin Moore may be dealing with anorexia, as well as drug abuse problems. There are reports that Moore was in the midst of an epileptic seizure when the ambulance was called.

In the wake of her medical treatment, it has also been confirmed that Moore will be pulling out of her latest film project ‘Lovelace,’ which is a biopic about the pornstar Linda Lovelace. Moore was set to play feminist activist Gloria Steinem.

Moore made headlines back in November when she announced she would be separating from Kutcher, her husband of six. While the two have officially separated, divorce papers have yet to be filed.

Obviously not under extreme stress or exhaustion, Kutcher was spotted in Sao Paolo, Brazil during the week partying it up at a Bruno Mars concert. 

Another sad case of a celebrity most-likely addicted to chemical substances. I would hope counseling with a good drug class might help Moore get sober and stay that way.

If you are alive and paying any attention you know that prescription drug abuse is a major problem all around the world. The United States is no exception. Efforts to curb prescription medication abuse have proven quite difficult.

One great idea is prescription drug collection. Unwanted and unused prescription drugs need to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way. They do not belong in the water supply and they do not belong in the medicine cabinet or under the sink where they are vulnerable to children and others.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's recent initiative to collect expired or unwanted prescription drugs netted some good results.

The collection is intended to prevent the drugs from falling into the hands of the wrong people — drug dealers, addicts and curious teenagers.

In one Pennsylvania county, Chester County, local participating police departments collected nearly 600 pounds of prescription drugs. Despite the great collection effort, bad weather condition may have hampered the overall haul. Back in April, 2011, 1,254 pounds were collected in the county.

"As you can see, compared from last year, the weather had a big effect on the results," Cannon said. "Nonetheless, it was a big success, considering the snow and storms."

The DEA is starting National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The number of Americans who abuse prescription drugs is greater than the number of those who use cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.

The scariest statistic involves our children. It is estimated that one in every three new prescription drug abusers are age 12 to 17.

Are prescription drugs a gateway to crystal meth and heroin?

Experts say those who abuse prescription drugs often switch to common street drugs, such as heroin, because they are cheaper.

In May, the DEA collected 24,650 pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs at more than 400 collection sites.

Prescription drug collections are important both by taking drugs out of circulation and also not polluting the environment. I would like to see drug education classes targeting youth increase the emphasis on the dangers of prescription medications.

source: http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/collection-nets-600-lbs-of-prescription-drugs/cbcc322ed4534db7b68967db5fdffb92

Yes, you read that headline correctly – nicotine addicts need to take a drug class. Whether you smoke cigarettes, chew tobacco, use dip or smoke a pipe, nicotine is a powerfully-addictive chemical substance.

You have long heard that marijuana is evil because it is a gateway drug. Well, a new study using mice is seeking to prove that cigarettes are a gateway drug as well.

Is Nicotine a Gateway Drug?

A recent study reported in Psych Central, in mice identifies a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products could act as gateway drugs, increasing a person’s future likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well.

The study is the first to show that nicotine might prime the brain to enhance the behavioral effects of cocaine, according to the researchers who conducted it.

The gateway drug model is based upon epidemiological evidence that most illicit drug users report using tobacco or alcohol prior to illicit drug use. This model has generated significant controversy over the years, mostly relating to whether prior drug exposure to nicotine, alcohol or marijuana is causally related to later drug use.

Earlier studies have not been able to show a biological mechanism by which nicotine exposure could increase vulnerability to illicit drug use.

The mice were exposed to nicotine in their drinking water for at least seven days showed an increased response to cocaine.

The study found that the rate of cocaine dependence was higher among cocaine users who smoked prior to starting cocaine compared to those who tried cocaine prior to smoking.

These findings in mice suggest that if nicotine has similar effects in humans, effective smoking prevention efforts would not only prevent the negative health consequences associated with smoking, but could also decrease the risk of progression and addiction to cocaine and possibly other illicit drug use

Nicotine is also a highly-addictive drug that is legal. If through drug education classes we also could curb the number of adolescents who smoke cigarettes, we all would be a lot better off. 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which drugs teens abuse most. When I was a kid there was alcohol and weed, with alcohol holding a huge preference to weed and all other drugs combined.

No matter how hard we try to pound the evils of drugs and alcohol into the brains of our children, still substance use and abuse is a major issue. What is really scary is the drastic rise in the use of marijuana. And this isn’t just any cannabis, this stuff is extremely potent.

Pot has become the “in” drug among adolescents. Perhaps fewer respect how dangerous the drug as many states have legalized it for medicinal use.

According to a recent national study as reported by the Kansas City Star, teens believe marijuana is much less harmful than the adults advising them against its use portray.

In another study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that daily marijuana use among high school seniors hit a 30-year peak in 2011, even as the use of alcohol and cigarettes is falling off.

Further disturbing is that in 2011, twice as many 10th-graders reported smoking pot at some point during the month of the survey as did their counterparts 20 years ago: 17.6 percent versus 8.7 percent.

According to the Kansas City, MO newspaper, the good news is alcohol consumption is on the decline. In 2011, 27.2 percent in 2011 admitted to drinking beer, wine or spirits within a 30-day period — that’s two-thirds of what it was in 1991.

The bad news is marijuana use is skyrocketing faster than drinking is falling. Therefore, kids seem to be switching their choice of substances rather than opting to lead soberer lifestyles. What is needed are more online MIP classes.

In the war on drugs our canine friends are suiting up for battle. Drug and bomb sniffing dogs have been around for a long time, but recently their powerful noses have been creating some powerful questions.

One question that has recently arisen is does a dog’s nose constitute probable cause to search or enter. In other words, if a dog smells marijuana is that grounds to enter a locked, private residence. In Florida it has fallen to the states Supreme Court to decide.

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether police may use a drug-sniffing dog at the front door of a house or an apartment to detect marijuana, even if the officers have no evidence of criminal conduct.

This is just the latest test of the 4th Amendment's protection against "unreasonable searches" in drug cases says the LA Times.

In the past, the court has upheld the use of dogs to sniff luggage at airports and to sniff around cars that were stopped along the highway. The justices said that using trained dogs in public areas didn't violate anyone's right to privacy.

Also in the past, the Supreme Court was unwilling to permit "dog sniff tests … at the home of any citizen" unless the police had probable cause of criminal wrongdoing.

As marijuana use continues to skyrocket it will be interesting to see if courts start to move toward allowing the searches.

Let’s face it – drugs and alcohol are more pervasive in society today than ever. The number of designer drugs and ways people are finding to get high have never been greater.

How many people do you know who drink alcohol? How many of your acquaintances use marijuana or stronger drugs? Do you know anyone abusing prescription pain medication? I bet you do.

Life is a numbers game. The number of people abusing chemical substances is in an inflationary period that shows no signs of stagnation.

The Numbers

According to CBS News, between 149 million and 271 million people worldwide used an illicit drug at least once in 2009, according to a new review of studies attempting to estimate the extent of the problem. That translates to 1 in 20 people aged 15 to 64 taking an illegal drug.

There is no way this number can be accurate. It has to be deflated because there is a huge segment of users that will never admit to doing so on any survey, anonymous or not.

Even so, two Australian researchers reviewed studies from around the globe to determine the scope of illegal drug use in people aged 15 to 64 and understand its health effects on problem-users in these countries.

Marijuana and hashish (cannabis) use topped the list with between 125 million and 203 million users worldwide in 2009. The highest levels of use were seen in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

In North America, nearly 11% of the population aged 15 to 64 used cannabis that year. Between 14 million and 56 million people aged 15 to 64 worldwide used amphetamine-type stimulants, such as speed and crystal meth.

Cocaine use was highest in North America, and it had 14 million to 21 million users worldwide.

Opioid use, including heroin, had an estimated 12 million to 21 million users globally. The highest rates of use were in the Near and Middle East, where up to 1.4% of the population aged 15 to 64 had tried the drug at least once that year.

Drug abuse is a global epidemic. More drug and alcohol classes are needed. Stricter punishments need to be put in place. Drug addiction must be slowed if we are to save our planet.

Do you know what spice is? I was recently lecturing at a senior center regarding alcohol and drug abuse. As you might be aware, there is an alarming increase in alcohol and drug abuse among our nation’s senior citizens.

Seniors are an interesting group to speak to. In my most recent lecture at an assisted-living facility, my audience had nowhere better to go so I had a captive audience. One thing that seems to universally surprise seniors is the myriad of new drugs on the market.

In my lecture yesterday only one senior had ever heard of “Spice” and she had read something about in “Time or Newsweek, or maybe Cosmo.”

What is spice?

Spice is made up of exotic plants from Asia like Blue Lotus and Bay Bean. Their leaves are coated with chemicals that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, but are five to 200 times more potent.

More than 40 states have banned some of its chemicals, prompting sellers to turn to the Internet, where it is marketed as incense or potpourri. In some states, Spice is sold at bars, smoke shops and convenience stores.

Sellers based in the United States and Europe advertising the incense on the Internet did not respond to emails or calls seeking comment.

The packets often say the ingredients are not for human consumption and are for aromatherapy. They are described as "mood enhancing" and "long lasting." Some of the sellers' Web sites say they do not sell herbal mixes containing any illegal chemicals and say they are offering a "legal high."

Alarming Study

In a study of ten different cases of drug use - some smoked spice and also had smoked marijuana or drank alcohol, while others only smoked Spice.

Of the 10, nine had lost a sense of reality. Seven babbled incoherently. The symptoms for seven of them lasted four to eight days. Three others are believed to now be schizophrenic. The drug may have triggered the symptoms in people with that genetic disposition.

Scary drug in a scary world. Most of the seniors agree that drugs especially are more popular and pervasive than they were two generations ago. They also agree that we need more drug classes.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/30/synthetic-marijuana-use-us-troops_n_1176879.html