Surprise Cocaine Addiction - Judiciary Committee Approves Cocaine Sentencing Bill

Surprise Cocaine Addiction - The House Judiciary Committee recently approved a bill that will balance the stiff penalties for crack cocaine with the much less harsh penalties for powder cocaine.

The bill, called the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act, was introduced by Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia. President Obama has repeatedly voiced his support of such a bill.

The bill will now be put to a vote in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would reduce the amount of powder cocaine necessary to warrant a five-year mandatory sentence.

"For 20 years, the disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentencing has been a blight on our justice system," a representative for the ACLU explained in a statement. "This historic legislation is long overdue."

Avondale Cocaine Addiction - Venezuela Cocaine Trafficking to U.S. Increasing

Avondale Cocaine Addiction - Governmental and military corruption in Venezuela are helping cocaine trafficking into the U.S. flourish according to a new United States congressional report.

The report indicated that the amount of cocaine imported from Venezuela quadrupled from 2004-2007. President Hugo Chavez dismissed the report as a "new lie" from the United States.

The corruption in Venezuelan government enables rebel groups to profit from exporting drugs over the country's borders. The U.S. is worried that cocaine will proliferate if Venezuelan cartels are not reined in.

Allegedly, members of the Venezuelan government are taking bribes to allow drug lords to export cocaine to the U.S. Drug enforcement agencies have had a tense relationship with Venezuela since Chavez accused them of spying several years ago.

Buckeye Cocaine Addiction - Tennis Player Beats Cocaine Charges with Kiss Defense

Buckeye Cocaine Addiction - Tennis player Richard Gasquet has beaten charges of cocaine use by claiming that he ingested trace amounts of the drug by kissing a woman in a bar.

An independent anti-doping tribunal convened to hear Gasquet's defense, argued by his three attorneys. The tribunal bought the story and lifted Gasquet's suspension that was issued in March.

According to Gasquet's lawyers, the tennis player kissed a woman who had done lines of cocaine in the bathroom prior to kissing him. They claim the drug entered his bloodstream through her saliva, which is why he tested positive the next day.

The woman he kissed, however, claims she did not do cocaine the night she saw Gasquet. She also alleges that she only gave him a kiss on the cheek that night.

Chandler Cocaine Addiction - Treating Cocaine Addicts Successfully

Chandler Cocaine Addiction - The end goal of any drug treatment is to help the addict abstain from using permanently. However, in the short run, the goals of treatment may be less lofty.

For example, the short-term goals of treatment may be to help the person reduce his/her use, function better socially and occupationally, and minimize the medical consequences of the drug use.

For cocaine addicts, there isn't just one effective treatment; the success of the treatment method will depend on the individual. Studies have shown everything from prescription medication to cognitive-behavioral therapy to be effective with cocaine addicts.

The secret to successful treatment, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is treating all of the individual's needs, not just the addiction. Additionally, the treatment must be flexible and change with the individual's evolving needs.

Scottsdale Cocaine Addiction - Paper Currency Usually Has Traces of Cocaine

Scottsdale Cocaine Addiction - Whether you know it or not, you're probably carrying around at least trace amounts of cocaine in your purse or wallet.

According to a new Spanish study, paper currency from around the world is often contaminated with the drug cocaine. Bills in the United States had an average of 28.8 micrograms of cocaine, while some country's bills had as much as 1,300 micrograms.

Of the European countries, Spain's money is the most cocaine-contaminated. Ireland had the least-contaminated currency in Europe.

"These findings should not be surprising, because cocaine and other drugs are traded using cash, which is handled by the same fingers that directly touch the drugs or wrappings," explained the author of the study.