"Felix Mitchell is the biggest drug dealer ever here. He made history in Oakland, Calif.," Owen said. "He's a hero..." He is accused of masterminding the distribution of millions of dollars in heroin and ordering the deaths of five rivals during Oakland's 1980 drug war. But to Owen and scores of kids growing up, as Mitchell did, in East Oakland's bleak 69th Avenue housing projects, Felix Mitche...

Internationally, illegal drug use remains a major public health problem. In response, many countries have begun to shift their illegal drug policies away from enforcement and towards public health objectives. Recently, both the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Supreme Court of Canada have endorsed this change in direction, supporting empirically sound illegal drug policies that reduce c...

The clinical, radiological and analytical aspects, and the complications observed in 16 cases of swallowing or insertion into the rectum of illicit drugs ("body-packing") are described. The drugs detected were heroin (6 cases), cocaine (5 cases) and cannabis (5 cases). In 15 cases abdominal plain X-rays were useful in the detection of the drug packages, their position and progression in the gas...

The stigma associated with illegal drug use is nearly universal, but each drug is associated with its own specific level of stigma. This study examined level of stigmatization towards users of various illegal drugs and determined what variables explain such attitudes. A sample of emerging adults (age 18 to 25) was surveyed throughout New York City (N = 1021) and lifetime use, level of exposure ...

The number of illegal internet pharmacies selling prescription-only medicines without a prescription is increasing. Large quantities of drugs are dispensed, making drugs of abuse readily available, and further risks are posed by counterfeit medication. Urgent national and international action is required to stop further proliferation of illegal pharmacies.

Alcohol and tobacco are the two legally available recreational drugs that are commonly misused in the United Kingdom, and their adverse eVects on cardiovascular function have been extensively documented. In addition, many illegal recreational drugs are freely available, and their use has reached epidemic proportions in British society. Almost one in four people have used illegal drugs at some t...

INTRODUCTION Data on emergency interventions in poisonings are scarce. Objective To determine the effectiveness of antidote therapy in acute poisoning-related emergency medical services (EMS) interventions. METHODS A prospective observational study included all poisoning-related intervention cases over 3 years (1999-2001) in the Celje region, Slovenia, covering 125,000 inhabitants. Data were ...