Narco Non Victims » Drug Policy

Tips to Protect yourself When Buying From an Online Drug Store

maureen — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:08:28 +0000

You will want to protect yourself when ordering from an online drug store. The reason? There have been plenty of reports in the past several years of pharmacies not giving consumers the correct medications, giving placebos or outdated medication and even giving them dosages that far exceed what their prescriptions are written for. When traced back, many of these pharmacies online were not legitimate or where overseas where no proper tracking and accountability exists.

Here in the United States there are governing entities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) which create and regulate the quality of service as well as standards the online drug store must adhere to. To protect yourself from receiving medications that are harmful to you from pharmacies online, you should follow these two ideas:

1. Thoroughly investigate the online drug store to check and ensure they require a valid (and legal) prescription from a licensed doctor or practitioner that has the authority to do so. A real prescription is your proof that you do require the medication for a specific illness or health condition. If an online entity only requires you to provide a method of payment and answer a few questions, the red flags should be flying in your head.

2. Check to see whether or not the online drug store you plan to use is certified to dispense and deliver medications in your home state. This can be accomplished by visiting the website for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). They implement standards for pharmacies – both brick and mortar and now online – to ensure they are adhering to proper standards. They even sponsor a voluntary program for certification called VIPPS or Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites. Every online pharmacy that goes through this certification is physically met by a team from VIPPS to ensure all protocol of standards and safety are followed.

There are other things you can do besides checking with NABP as to the legitimacy and safety of an online drug store. As mentioned before, do not purchase medications from a website that does not require proof of a prescription. That should be a major red flag. Another flag raiser is the inability to see where the company is registered, as in, are they a company in the United States. Remember, as an American, you are protected by the governing FDA as they have stringent policies in place regarding prescription medications whereas foreign pharmacies do not. You may not know exactly what you receive when purchasing drugs from a foreign online drug store.

When seeking a legitimate pharmacy online, you want to ensure they have proper customer service support in the form of access to a pharmacist with proper credentials. You want advice from someone knowledgeable in the medications and pharmacists are the best ones to handle those queries. If there is any question of side effects of a medication or even the proper way to administer it, you will want to know the advice you receive is sound. Before placing your prescription order with an online drug store, test the customer service department and access to the pharmacist.

The services of an online drug store can be well worth it but it is important to protect your health an interests before convenience and price sake. Take the time to ensure the online entity you are debating on is worth it by investigating them through one of the governing pharmacy bodies mentioned earlier. Visit the websites of these governing entities and give them a call if you cannot find out the information you need.

Information holds power so if you are yourself with it, you will be fine. Therefore, if you think you have found the online drug store for you, go ahead and place your first order. However, do not take your first dosage of medication right away. Look to the internet and find the drug manufacturer’s website so you can check what your medication should look like. Compare the two to ensure they match. Most drugs have the milligram dosage as well as drug name inscribed on it and therefore it is easy to tell. If you have the slightest hesitation, visit your neighborhood pharmacist and ask them. Your life is more important than the convenience and price of an online drug store.

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Why we need Policy Manuals

maureen — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:09:50 +0000

“A policy is written to protect a company from those who break
the rules, not from those who follow them.”
- Bryce’s Law

INTRODUCTION

In today’s litigious society, a Policy Manual (sometimes referred to as an
Employee Handbook) is a wise investment for any company, large or small.
Let me give you an example, back when we were developing products for
the mainframe, our staff blossomed to 25 employees, a small company no
matter how you look at it. Like any startup company, our interests
in the early days were on product development, marketing, and servicing
our customers. As our company grew, we began to take on additional
consultants, developers and clerical personnel. We then began to notice
people taking advantage of our work environment, e.g., sick days, excessive
doctor visits, people began to dress sloppily, they were spending too much
time attending to personal affairs at the office, etc. It finally became obvious
to us that we needed a well written policy manual to bring conformity to
our operations and protect the company from abuse. We thereby devised
a formal Policy Manual, and had all of our employees read it and sign a
statement they understood its contents.

Policy Manuals may be common practice in large corporations but it
is also a shrewd investment for small companies. I am still amazed that
a small business such as ours needed to develop a Policy Manual but
I am certainly glad we implemented it for it has saved us on more than
one occasion from frivolous lawsuits brought on by former employees.

From the outset, understand this, a policy is written to protect a company
from those who break the rules, not from those who follow them. In
our early days, when there were just a handful of employees, it was easy
to monitor what everyone was doing and communicate our corporate
position to them. But as the company grew, it added a new level of
complexity to our communications making it harder to assure consistency
in the conformance of our rules. An employer would like to believe its
employees will maintain the best interests of the company. Regrettably,
this is a naive concept as employees normally put their own personal
interests before the company’s. If it was true, there would not be a need
for a Policy Manual. A Policy Manual, therefore, is needed for those people
who break the rules; for those who do not, it is a trivial concern.

WHAT SHOULD A POLICY MANUAL CONTAIN?

The manual should provide tightly worded descriptions of corporate positions.
The following is a sampling of sections that should be included. Additional
sections may be required due to the nature of your business.

Introduction:

Introductory comments from a senior officer (e.g., President) specifying the purpose
and organization of the manual.

Code of Employer-Employee Relations – specifying the basic rights of both
the employee and the employer.

Optional – organization charts, business function charts, a definition of the
corporate culture.

Employment:

Pay Practices:

Reimbursement of Employee Expenses

Employee Benefits:

Company Premises and Work Areas:

Absence from Work:

Personal Conduct:

Miscellaneous:

It is not uncommon to structure the policies in accordance with a numbering
scheme somewhat similar to a financial chart of accounts. Further, the
Policy Manual should be prefaced with a Table of Contents which reference
the section numbers. An index is also helpful.

When writing policies, keep the language simple, clear, and to the point. Your
objective is to write policies in such a way as they may not be misinterpreted or
leave anything to someone’s imagination. After policies have been written,
they should be carefully reviewed by management and modified accordingly.

It is important to recognize that the policy manual is a legal document and
ultimately represents a contract with your employees. As such, it should be
reviewed by your corporate attorney.

IMPLEMENTATION

Policy Manuals are normally printed and bound and distributed to managers
to review with employees. It is not unusual for companies not to allow such
manuals off of corporate premises. Further, manuals are often numbered
and assigned to individuals. The reasons for this are twofold: to control the
whereabouts of the manuals and to assure employees have reviewed it.

Regardless of how the manuals are distributed, it is important to obtain a
signed statement from each employee that they have reviewed and
understood the policies contained in the manual. This statement should
then be filed in the employee’s employment jacket for maintenance. In the
event of modifications or additions to the policy manual, updates should be
issued and employees acknowledge they have read it as well.

Although companies will typically print Policy Manuals, there is a movement
underfoot whereby the Policy Manual is made available to employees via
a secure corporate intranet. In this instance, there should be concern over
unauthorized printing and distribution of the policies.

For more information on developing a Policy Manual, see:

http://www.managementhelp.org/policies/handbook/handbook.htm

Kits are also available at office supply stores or on the Internet; for
a sampling see:

http://www.mrhvac.com/products/books/employmentpolicymanual_kit.htm

http://www.easystreetinc.com/products/pages/POLICY.asp

http://www.templatezone.com/employee-handbook/office-policy-manual.asp

http://www.connectsus.com/products/clearsite.htm

CONCLUSION

If you are going to the trouble of writing a Policy Manual, make sure
that it is effectively implemented and enforced. There is little point in
enacting legislation if you are not going to enforce it.

I have always found the necessity of a Policy Manual to be interesting.
There are those employees who can conceptualize, take initiative,
and lead moral and ethical lives. But there are also those who need to
be told what to do. It is for this latter group that Policy Manuals were devised,
not the former.

Today, the younger generation needs such structure. They have grown up
under a rigorous set of rules and regulations and cannot image life without
such formality. Let me give you an example, as a child, I lived and breathed
baseball. In addition to playing little league, we would have pickup games
before school, after school, and during recess. We probably played more
baseball on our own as opposed to under the rules of the little league. But
today’s kids are not like this anymore. Having coached for ten years I have
observed that kids rarely, if ever, have pickup games. Instead, they feel more
comfortable operating under the rules of a league. I knew of a large group of
kids who wanted to play recreational slow-pitch softball during the summer. The
fields were available for such play, but this never happened. It wasn’t until I
devised a local league with teams, uniforms, and rules that they all signed up
to play. This taught me how structured our younger people have to be; they
actually prefer being told what to do as opposed to exercising personal
initiative. I find this very odd and somewhat disturbing. Nonetheless,
these are the people who are now entering the workforce.

So, if you are a small company, should you develop a Policy Manual?
If you find your employees require structure in their lives or if there
is a possibility the company might be sued by an employee, the answer,
sadly, is Yes. I cannot imagine operating a company in today’s
litigious world without one.

Commercial Bus Companies Smuggling Drugs Through Out the Americas

maureen — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:06:59 +0000

Indicted for drug trafficking are the owners/operators of commercial bus companies operating from Mexico into the Rio Grande Valley to numerous U.S. cities and their drivers, have been indicted for transporting large loads of marijuana and cocaine in specially modified commercial buses and using money laundering techniques.

According to the U.S. government the indictment, recently unsealed, describes the use of specially modified commercial buses by alleged drug traffickers interested in smuggling contraband into the United States from Monterrey, Mexico, or transporting contraband from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston and Dallas, Texas; Allentown, Pa.; Joliet, Ill. and elsewhere. The indictment alleges the owners or managers of the Transtar, Neptune Tours, Los Primos, USA-MEX and Ameri-Mex commercial bus companies, with offices and terminals in Monterrey, Mexico and Rio Grande City, Roma, San Antonio and Houston, Texas, used their various companies as a front for their drug transport services, and hired drivers and loaders to transport the illegal cargo in hidden compartments built into the bus or in areas not accessible to the public. In exchange for the services, the indictment alleges the owners/managers of the bus companies received thousands of dollars in kickbacks from the proceeds of the drug loads from which they drew their share and paid the drivers and loaders. According to the indictment, this drug transport service has been in operation since at least November 2001 and is responsible for transporting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, thousands of pounds of marijuana from the border to points north and millions of dollars in drug proceeds south to Mexico. OCEDTF Operation Road King II targeted this organization beginning in 2001 and through the use of tried and true investigative techniques, communication, coordination and cooperation, ultimately established a more sophisticated undercover operation. Through that undercover operation, more than 570 kilograms of cocaine, 3,000 plus pounds of marijuana and the thousands of dollars in cash have been seized. Additionally, this multi-agency investigative effort has lead to arrests in and the seizure of 200 kilograms of cocaine in Allentown and 1,100 pounds of marijuana in Joliet. Information gathered through the investigation was shared with law enforcement agencies in other U.S. cities including New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Maryland.

The indictment is the result of a long-term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation Road King II.

John P. Walters, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy commented that the positive impact the coordinated and cooperative effort federal, state and local law enforcement action has had on reducing the supply of drugs and the concomitant reduction in demand is impressive.

Special Agent in Charge Andrew Bland of FBI Houston, together with Special Agent in Charge Zoran B. Yankovich of DEA Houston, recognized their law enforcement colleagues in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) which, in this case, included the Houston Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for their long-standing commitment and outstanding contributions to this OCDETF investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service, also a member of HIDTA, was recognized for its extraordinary efforts during the arrest process.

The U.S. Justice Department indictments identifies Abel Trevino Jr., 43, of Houston; Oscar Jaime Garcia Prado, 42, a resident alien residing in Brookshire, Texas; Miguel Montemayor, 39, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas; Victor Hinojosa, 41, a resident alien residing in Houston; and Eduardo Trevino, 40, of Linares, Mexico, as the owners/managers of the various commercial bus companies operating as fronts for transporting cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to various locations in the U.S. in exchange for cash payments. The indictment goes on to say that the amount of the payment often depended upon the kind of drug, the size of the load and its ultimate destination. For example, the indictment alleges the defendants charge from $500 per kilogram of cocaine bound for the U.S. side of the border to $7,000 per kilogram of cocaine bound for New York. The buses were specially equipped with hidden compartments to conceal loads of contraband from detection. According to allegations in the indictment, the owner/managers discussed ways to operate their buses to protect themselves from detection by law enforcement including changing the names of the bus companies as loads of cocaine and marijuana were seized to claiming the buses were leased to others. Abel Trevino, Montemayor and Hinojosa were arrested today in Houston. A warrant remains outstanding for the arrest of Prado and Eduardo Trevino.

Leticia Enedina Fournier, 58; Guadalupe Karr Cortez, 47, an illegal alien, Jesse Trevino, 48, a resident alien, and Alejandro Carmargo-Guerra, 59, a resident alien, all of Houston; Victor Rocha, 39, a resident alien residing in Dickinson, Texas, and Enrique Alvaro Saldana, 53, a resident alien residing in Roma, Texas, are alleged co-conspirators hired by the owner/managers as bus drivers and loaders who were paid by the owners/managers to transport and deliver the drug loads hidden aboard the commercial buses as directed by the owners/managers. This morning, investigating agents arrested Trevino and Rocha in Houston, Carmargo-Guerra in Waco, Texas, and Cortez in Lake Charles, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Fournier and Saldana.

Guadalupe Castaneda, 46, of Roma, Texas; Eduardo Cirilo, 42, of Pharr, Texas; Eduardo Salinas, 29, of Mission, Texas; Jose Armando Muniz, 33, of Weslaco, Texas; Rafael Armando Ramirez, 32, an illegal alien residing in the Houston area; Luis Larios, 36, and Robert Salazar Rivera, 48, both of Monterrey, Mexico, are accused of utilizing and paying for the services of the bus companies to transport loads of cocaine and marijuana to various locations in the United States. Eduardo Salinas was arrested this morning in McAllen, Texas, while Cirilo was arrested today in Baton Rouge, La. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrest of Castaneda, Muniz, Ramirez, Larios and Rivera.

According to the FBI all 18 defendants are charged in the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana and face no less than 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted. Most of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds and face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment if convicted. The remaining 14 counts of the indictment charge various defendants with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute varying amounts of either cocaine for marijuana and face punishment ranges upon conviction from a maximum of five years imprisonment to life imprisonment and millions of dollars in fines.

The indictment also serves notice on the defendants of the intent of the United States to forfeit their interests in a number of real properties located in east Houston, Texas, which were allegedly used to facilitate or obtained with proceeds from the crimes alleged in the indictment.

This case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Rodriguez.

How To Set About Drug Intervention

maureen — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:11:25 +0000

Forensic Saliva Drug Tests or Oral Fluid Drug Tests

maureen — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 03:11:08 +0000

Saliva or Oral Fluid is gaining popularity as the test media of choice due to itâs 1:1 ratio of blood drug concentrations. This is possible for saliva is termed as a refined version of plasma that has the capability to bear trace amounts of drugs and their resulting metabolites that can be easily tested through immunoassaying. Results can be obtainable in as little as 5 to 15 minutes allowing fast results and thus interpretation.Saliva or Oral Fluid drug testing kitscome in many forms and shapes, the most common come in kits that the individual being tested places in the mouth and saliva is obtained through a membrane that allows it to wet strips of media with indicator antigen-dyeâs. Positive results would show color bands for each of the specific drugs in question. They are convenient and mostly used as pre-employment drug testing which allows no-fuss and immediate results. Adulteration is very hard if not totally impossible and come in multi-drug or drug specific test kits and is more un-invasive than other methods of drug testing.

Products from Medimpex United Inc.Like Multi Screen Saliva drug Test screen 5 are convenient and low-cost allowing pre-employment screening in a short period as opposed to laboratory testing that consumes time and resources. It can detect the âGolden Ruleâ drugs that are also called NIDA-5 or the five substances that are covered by mandatory screening for both federal and private corporations. These substances are Opiates/Morphine, Cannabinoids (marijuana), Cocaine (crack), Methamphetamine and Phencyclidines. Being low cost (under $12.00) it is perfect for use in immediate cases where testing is required such as accident investigation where the effects of drugs are suspected to be the cause, pre-employment, and employee monitoring.

Another product,Saliva Multi Drug Screen Test kit is an expanded version of the first one and is capable of detecting 6 drugs that uses one step chromatograph immunoassaying that can detect Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites or drug by-products in saliva. It is also affordable and has a low footprint making disposal easier as opposed to urine test kits which tend to be bulkier and tend to be more delicate to deal with.

OraLert,another of their products is also capable of detecting Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites or drug by-products in saliva with lower sensitivity to THC the active ingredient of Marijuana. Being the most abused drug in America accounting for 30% of total drugs abused in the country making it a necessary choice in testing for THC. Being priced higher at $13.50 it is still quite cheap compared with other competing products on the market.

They also carry Oral Fluid 6 Multi Drug Screen Test kits for laboratory examination on samples that produce non-negative results. They include instructions on how to handle and send the sample to a laboratory for further analysis. A test cap that is secured with a provided security seal and a chain of custody form that is essential for total accountability of the test sample as it is sent for testing. They are all then inserted into a padded mailer bag that is then sent to the laboratory for further screening more detailed metabolite identification.

The last test kit is similar to the second kit that can detect Amphetamines, Opiates, Phencyclidine, THC, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other metabolites. Pricing starts at almost $13.00 which when ordered in bulk, has the price dropping by increments. Saliva drug testing has benefits of on-site collection within plain view of the subject. There is minimal risk of adulteration, totally non-invasive and samples can be collected anywhere(the field, office, etc.)

Compared with most products on-line which are priced higher at $15.00 or more for the rapid test types the products mentioned above are quite similar and even better than some. Disadvantages include less sensitivity to marijuana and that being part of the bodyâs metabolism mechanism, drugs donât stay in the system for long with only a 10 to 24 hour effective sampling time. Unlike hair drug tests which can produce historical information not only with they types of drugs but the quantity and frequency as well. For hair as it grows at a predictable rate metabolites become trapped within the follicles allowing accurate detection.

The drugs are then expelled by the body through urine with minute residue or metabolites to give an accurate reading. Several measures to defeat the tests have been observed such as eating foods that would alter the production of saliva and smoking which tends to mask the needed metabolites for detection. In these cases, urine is used for testing which tends to be more plentiful and copious quantities can be obtained through induced bladder excretion. Other specialist test kits are available for detecting Marijuana which tends to be weak in multi-panel test kits. But the cost for testing for a single substance rather than multiple-testing would be detrimental but could be essential and unavoidable. Although gaining popularity within the private sector, these types of tests are not generally accepted as a valid test tool for urine is their media of choice. With urine,mostly dip type multi panel test kits are used which tend to cost a lot more than saliva test kits we have mentioned above.

Federal Drug testing is more rigorous and tends to be more tedious but private sector companies should be aware that although unregulated they are still covered by laws concerning privacy and discrimination issues. These tests cannot be demanded without probable cause and can be banned altogether by unions who target these detection measures in their Collective Bargaining Agreements. The Mandatory clause is for federal agencies only and does not cover companies that are not under government management. Companies are also to follow rules that apply to these tests as listed under the Department of Laborâs codes. If used in the home, training might be required by law for application in the school environment, though non-invasive consent is required for those below 18 years of age. And the proper representatives are required along with the necessary confidentiality policies.

Drug Testing in Schools

maureen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:09:37 +0000

Drug Testing Programs in Schools are measures that teachers and administrators of a school put into place in order to discourage drug use by students. School districts saw widespread implementation of comprehensive Drug and Alcohol policies starting in the mid-1980s. Although small town school districts have generally been slower to adopt these measures, teenage drug use has not spared rural and suburban schools either.

There are many pros and cons in the school drug testing programs. Some say that the main purpose of school drug testing is not to catch kids using drugs, but to prevent them from ever using drugs, illegal or not. Once teenagers are using drugs it is much harder for them to break their addiction. If by testing the athletes or other school leaders, we can get them to say no to drugs, it will be easier for other kids to say no.

Reasons for Student Drug Testing:

· Testing gives students a chance to say “No to Drugs” when approached to use drugs.

· Student drug testing is important because children become addicted more rapidly than adults and their recovery is less likely.

· Students have a right to safe and drug-free learning environments. School administrators need reasonable tools to stop drug users and drug dealers from ruining school for everyone.

· Testing gives parents an opportunity for intervention and treatment. Parents have the right to send their kids to drug-free schools. The thought of sending their kids to a school where drugs are rampant scares parents. Drug testing helps keep our kids safe.

· The intent of this program is not to punish students. The goal is for the drug user to straighten his or her life out. The schools use drug testing as a tool to deter drug use and help students to get drug education and/or counseling. The results are not turned over to law enforcement.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 (in Vernonia v. Acton) that schools could randomly test student athletes who are not suspected of drug use. The Court also stated that as school athletes routinely face mandatory physicals and other similar invasions of privacy, they have lower expectations of privacy than the average student. The Court specified that its decision should not be seen as a justification for further expansion of drug testing programs. In 2002 (the Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls) it was ruled in Supreme Court that all students who participate in voluntary activities, like cheerleading, band, or debate, could be subjected to random tests as well.

It’s not a trust issue it’s a health and safety issue. We are talking about kids here. Schools that have drug-testing programs makes atmosphere become more positive. In addition, drug test results are used for counseling purposes and are not turned over to law enforcement.

Hair Drug Testing in the News

maureen — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:07:11 +0000

Hair drug testing has been catching the news wires lately as it touches Celebrity rumours, family issues, and concern in the workplace and public service. Let us take a quick look of some interesting news articles that has hit the hair wires on drug testing.

Fire-fighters in Drug Trouble

In the Boston fire department, forty fire fighters who are suspected of drug abuse have been tested this year, resulting in three officers quitting. These tests followed the probe of a fire battle incident when two fire fighters were impaired following a fire call. Fire fighter readiness continues to be the most critical skill that they must possess.

Police policy on their personnel does not allow mandatory drug testing. However, drug testing can be ordered to a police or a fire fighter if he is under “reasonable suspicion.” With hair drug testing becoming a critical issue in contract negotiations between the government and labour unions in the police department, the new police contract requires that any person that fails a hair drug test is subject for random urinalysis for the remainder of his career.Hair drug testing is important to detect drug use in a wide time range. However, the police rely on urine drug tests to confirm their suspicions. For some, hair drug testing is used to give the authorities an idea which can even pass evidence in some courts. Hair drug testing has been a relevant method in catching the good public servant from the bad public servant.

Parents Differ Opinions on Drug Testing

With hair testing kits being developed to be more accessible to consumers, many parents are finding these drug tests useful in discovering what their teenagers are up to. Zeynep Ilgaz, president and CEO of Confirm BioSciences has stated that their HairConfirm kit detects drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, ecstasy, heroine, and codeine. Ilgaz said that they specifically developed HairConfirm because of the rising concern of parents on teenage drug use problem. This hair drug tests show quantitative and accurate results.

Most parents realize the usefulness of these hair drug tests. For one, parents can test for drug use without the knowledge of their children. All they need is a hair sample that can be taken from their children’s hair brush. This method prevents the confrontation that usually happens when a parent “passes a cup” to his children so that they can have urine drug tests. If the drug test comes out positive then parents agree that they can engage a conversation in an advantage since they have certainty of their children’s drug issue.

While this can breach trust issues, hair drug testing is seen as a new parenting tool as some parents pointed out. There is always an ethics involved in drug issues from the workplace and at home.

Mexican Drug Cartel Related Violence is Terrorizing America

maureen — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:07:08 +0000

MICHAEL WEBSTER: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER. Sunday Oct 19, 2008 at 2:30 PM PDT

Drug trafficking and terror has become a way of life in Mexico. U.S. Mexican border cities from Brownsville Texas to San Diego California continue to be most affected by cartel-related violence; other U.S. cities are also being targeted with drug trafficking violence and related terror. Mexican drug cartel gangs and their surrogate’s terror is reaching deep into the states.

The recent home invitation robbery and kidnapping of a young 6 year old American boy in Las Vegas Nevada is a in our face example of what is happening right here in our own neighborhoods.

The Las Vegas recovered ( lucky to be alive) kidnapped boy’s Grandfather is a known drug dealer and is believed by authorities to be involved with Mexican drug cartels and other underworld figures in a drug trafficking operation that covers the entire Southwestern United States.

Just recently in El Paso Texas just across the border from Juarez Mexico one of the most dangerous and deadly places on earth several law enforcement agencies led by ATF and the FBI are investigating a “possible car bomb” that injured a woman on Friday morning and rocked a middle-class neighborhood in West El Paso.

Shelby County Alabama in a Birmingham suburb, authorities released few details in the case of five men who were found slain in an apartment. They say the men appear to have been bound with duct tape and their throats were slashed. Very similar to known tactic’s used by Mexican drug cartel gangs and their American gang surrogates. These ruthless drug gangs according to DEA operative who wants to remain anonymous says, “investigators close to the Shelby county murders of five Mexican males was carried out by Mexican drug gangs or their surrogates and is very likely related to drugs and cash.

” DEA agents say that the cartels’ incursions into the United States are spurring more secondary crimes, such as shootings, kidnapping, and murders. These terrorist type assassinations are demonstrating the dangerous reach of the Mexican drug cartels and how it now goes very deep into Middle America and are reported to be killing, robbing, torturing, kidnapping, and threatening Americans and others at an alarming rate.

These gang members are known to be attacking Americans all over the U.S. Recently it came to light that a gang operation of this type was uncovered operating on the east coast from New York to Florida robbing known drug dealers of both their drugs and cash. These attacks were pulled off all up and down the East Coast, federal investigators said. Investigators said the suspects used terrorist tactics of simulated drowning techniques (water bordering) as well as pliers applied to the male victim’s genitals to learn where and when millions in cash and drugs shipments were being made.

Police say this type of crime is happening on both sides of the U.S Mexican border. Mexican drug cartels through their segregate organizations control the lucrative methamphetamine trade, as the arrival of purer Mexican ice methamphetamine has replaced locally produced powder meth, according to the US Department of Justice.

In Florida a horrifying story describes a little girl who, after being taken to the Florida panhandle from Mexico, resisted while being raped, and was subsequently made an example of, by being beheaded in front of other girls who were being held to be raped. The girls then were made to watch by being left in the room with the little girl’s headless body for several hours.

Atlanta has become the latest battleground for Mexican drug cartels. “Their idea is to control the whole economic process of production and distribution,” said Georgina Sanchez, an independent security consultant in Mexico and executive director of a public safety policy institute. In many areas of the United States the cartels have entered into partnerships with local gangs, in others they have directly assumed control of local drug distribution, analysts say.

Gwinnett County, Georgia, where Atlanta is located is over 1,000 miles from our U.S. – Mexico border. They have already had nine drug-related kidnappings this year. DEA agents raided a home and charged three men, all illegal aliens, with kidnapping and conspiracy to distribute cocaine after finding that they had bound and chained the victim to a wall in a basement in the town of Lilburn and beat him for nearly a week in an effort to collect $300,000 in drug debt.

The biggest worry for U.S. citizens and the big concern for local law enforcement groups is that the cartels bring with them violent methods honed during furious cartel wars in Mexico that have left thousands dead already this year. In recent years, Mexican drug violence has reached new heights, with beheadings, videotaped executions broadcast on the Internet, and the targeting and killings of top Mexican law enforcement officials.

We’re seeing younger individuals being deployed by Mexican cartel leadership up into the United States to work for these cartels. Google or click on: Mexican drug cartels infiltrating colleges and high school campuses in America.

Gwinnett D.A. said this is not a blip. This is significant in what’s going on here. U.S. Attorney for the northern part of Georgia said, we are about to see the extreme violence that is happening south of the border happen here in America. It’s more violent there than it is in Baghdad or Afghanistan. They’re beheading people said Benson.

Mexican cartel Los Zetas paramilitary surrogates allegedly attacked and slaughtered an American in Phoenix Ariz. Police say the attackers were dressed in black military like combat uniforms very similar to known Mexican cartel paramilitary gangs.

Phoenix papers reported that 6 Mexicans killed a Phoenix man who was found dead by police in a local neighborhood home riddled with more than 100 bullets. Google or click on: They’re known as “Los Zetas

“We have seen an increasing amount of these types of violent crimes in the past five months,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Joel Tranter said. “We want the public to realize that these types of crimes will not be tolerated in Phoenix.” These men each wore tactical clothing and Kevlar helmets and other weapons were found in the vehicle. Police believe the hit was drug-related and are looking for three more suspects in the case.

Federal, State and Local law enforcement officers believe there are many more violent crimes being committed here in the states by drug related Mexican drug cartels and their surrogates and Americans are only hearing about a very few. But as a DEA official said recently, “I feel this is but the beginning and that the dangers of the menus [SEC] of the Mexican drug organizations is something America will be dealing with for a long time to come.”

For More related articles go to or Google www.lagunajournal.com

What Can be Done to Prevent Drug Abuse

maureen — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:07:24 +0000

Drug abuse is the use of illicit drugs, or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The abuse of legitimate drugs can be done by using the drugs in a manner or in quantities other than directed, or for purposes other than legitimate purposes.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Drug abuse and it’s Dangers:

· Drug abuse is harmful, but it relieves you of stress: Drug Abuse affects your brain in the same way stress does. Long-term usage of drugs makes users more prone to everyday stress compared to Non-users.

· As soon as a person feels normal, drug is out of the body: Long after effects of the drug stop are felt, the drug can still be in the body. For example, cocaine can be found in the body up to one week and marijuana up to four weeks after a single use.

· One can stop using drugs any time: Withdrawal sickness, believing you must have drugs, and being around people who use can make stopping drug use difficult. But there are people and programs that can help.

· You will have to use drugs for a long time before it really hurts you: Drugs can cause the brain to send the wrong signals to the body. This can happen the first time a drug is used.

Education and outreach are becoming major parts of establishing a more effective program for preventing drug abuse at schools, workplaces or at your home. Drug abuse has been associated with a wide range of adverse side effects ranging from some that are physically unattractive, Most are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drugs, but some are permanent. Presenting the risks of Drug use is more effective in convincing adolescents about its negative effects, apparently because the people find a balanced approach more credible and less biased. A good way to begin dealing with a drug abuse problem is to give employees the resources to control their environment and claim ownership of the policy on no drug abuse. A good way to deal with a drug abuse problem is to give people the resources to control their environment.

Drug abuse also damages America’s competitive position worldwide. Our nation’s businesses are competing overseas where the competition has a much lower incidence of drug abuse. The United States has only six percent of the world’s population, but consumes 60 percent of the world’s illegal drug supply is moving into the home.

Issues Regarding Drug Testing

maureen — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:09:52 +0000

The argument that drug testing actually causes more harm to society rather than helping it as professed has been gaining ground in the last few years. Although drug testing was conceptualized and implemented with the purpose of reducing the damage that is being done to society by drugs, the reality of the effects of drug testing seems to be quite different.

Drug testing has advanced into schools, the military and the workplace in a steady pace. The whole purpose is to promote a healthy environment free of drugs and promote the zero tolerance policy on drug abuse. But is the entire drug testing campaign actually reducing the drug abuse rate or is it really compounding the problem by driving the guilty party to the wall.

When a person is screened and found to be guilty of drug abuse, he is not always subjected to rehabilitation and assisted recovery as we may tend to believe. A person found to be abusing drugs may have to undergo imprisonment, may lose his job and even lose the custody of his children. The point of concern is that a person detected during drug testing could possibly undergo punishment that would actually reduce his ties with society and decrease the chances of his return to a normal life.

It is not just the workplace that is under the shadow of drug testing. Earlier drug testing in schools fell in the grey area of the law and was avoided for a while. But the US Supreme courts have now approved drug testing in students of public schools who participate in extracurricular activities like sports, and there is general consensus that this will expand to include all students in the future. A student who is tested and found to have used drugs can be expelled for this reason alone. Instead of rehabilitating the drug abuser into regular social life, what a drug test actually succeeds in doing is really denying the student a proper education pushing him farther into dependence on drugs.

Another perspective to this whole issue is the opinion that it is not really the treatment after a positive drug test that deters the person from further drug abuse; it is rather the threat of incarceration and punishment. Once drug testing has identified a drug abuser, the treatment given to release him from addiction is opined to be superfluous by a lobby that argues that it is the possibility of punishment and loss of employment that actually motivates the people to actually stop abusing drugs. This perspective emphasizes that after drug testing, punishment or the threat of it is necessary and in a way constructive in cleaning up the society of drug abusers.

It is to be noted the usual urine drug testing does not differentiate between a regular drug abuser and a one-time experimenter. When the drug testing results come back as positive, it does not contain information on when the person used the drug, nor does it contain info on how often he uses it.

What results from this is that both of these types of drug users are clumped together and people who just experimented with a recreational drug just once in their life time are labeled as drug abusers too.