Glendale Cocaine Addiction - Attorney General Continues Push for Cocaine Sentencing Reform

Glendale Cocaine Addiction - In keeping with President Obama's agenda, the Attorney General has continued his campaign for reform of cocaine sentencing disparities.

Attorney General Eric Holder asked for crack cocaine sentencing reform on Wednesday. Holder wishes to see more consistent sentences between the crack and powder forms of the drug.

Speaking at Harvard Law School, the Attorney General called the discrepancies in sentencing for different types of the drug unwarranted. He asked for the Department of Justice's cooperation in the matter.

Currently, sentences are much harsher on offenders caught using and selling crack rather than powder cocaine. Some social justice advocates claim that the sentencing disparity harms the African-American community.

Gilbert Cocaine Addiction - Border Patrol Seizes 37 Pounds of Cocaine

Gilbert Cocaine Addiction - Earlier this week during morning rush hour, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 37 lbs. of cocaine.

The cocaine was valued at $371,000. The drugs were hidden in the dashboard of a car in a secret compartment.

The vehicle was a 2008 Jeep Patriot. A 19-year-old man was driving the vehicle when the drugs were found on June 10.

Officers became suspicious when a drug-sniffing dog alerted to the car's dashboard. The officers later inspected the vehicle with a gamma ray scan and found irregularities in the car's firewall.

Mesa Cocaine Addiction - Cocaine Affects Brain Neurons

Mesa Cocaine Addiction - Studies that were presented at the annual meeting for the Society for Neuroscience suggested that neurons in all areas of the brain are affected by cocaine use.

Cocaine damaged the function of these neurons in multiple areas of the brain, but especially the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex helps with risk evaluation and controlling impulses.

The addicts in the study showed several deficits as a result of this neuron damage. Specifically, many addicts in the study could not assign values to various amounts of money.

The researchers hypothesized that these findings may explain why monetary consequences don't motivate addicts to change. Researchers also believe that some of the damage found in the study could persist after the user quits.

Tempe Cocaine Addiction - Heroin Addiction Treatment Also Works on Cocaine Addicts

A new Canadian study suggests that methadone, a pharmacological treatment for heroin addiction, may also work on cocaine addicts. The psychologist who authored the study performed experiments with cocaine and heroin on rats.

The researcher created rats addicted to cocaine and then treated the animals with methadone. The study indicates that the rats responded positively to the methadone treatment.

Reportedly, the methadone-treated rats lost their urge for cocaine. In essence, their brains had reprogrammed themselves to the point where they were before cocaine was introduced to them.

"It can be done tomorrow with humans, and should be done tomorrow," Francesco Leri, the study's author, said.