DRUG BUSTS
ECSTASY COULD AID THE TERMINALLY ILL
LINDA MARSA, LA TIMES - People dying of incurable diseases are often crippled by depression, fear and anxiety. But the drugs that offer relief for those problems can be overly sedating, making patients mentally foggy. Within the next few months, a group of late-stage cancer patients will be given an illicit party drug to see if it can help them come to terms with their situation. That chemical is MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. "There are so few palliative care options for the terminally ill," says Dr. John H. Halpern, a psychiatrist who will be conducting this research at Harvard University's McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "And there is anecdotal evidence that MDMA can help them resolve the anxieties they experience without doping them up on tranquilizers."
The study is part of a resurgence in research into the therapeutic uses of psychedelics for severe psychiatric ills that don't respond to traditional treatment. Because of the chemicals' profound ability to alter perception and mood, scientists hope they will melt the psychological barriers that prevent patients from getting better.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-lab11apr11,1,1341810.story
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MILITARY PLANES USED TO BRING IN DRUGS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4444285.stm
[As we pointed out in our coverage of the drug trade in Arkansas, the easiest way to bring drugs into this country is in a military plane. This is a rare case of someone being caught]
BBC - Two US military airmen are being held on charges of smuggling millions of dollars worth of Ecstasy into the country, federal officials have said. . . . Both men admitted during interviews to bringing the drugs from Germany on several occasions, the officials added. . . Around 290,000 Ecstasy pills in 28 large bags were found in the two men's luggage after their Air Force C-5A cargo aircraft arrived at the Stewart Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York State. . . Sgt Fong admitted bringing drugs on three previous flights and being paid $10,000 each time.
LINDA MARSA, LA TIMES - People dying of incurable diseases are often crippled by depression, fear and anxiety. But the drugs that offer relief for those problems can be overly sedating, making patients mentally foggy. Within the next few months, a group of late-stage cancer patients will be given an illicit party drug to see if it can help them come to terms with their situation. That chemical is MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. "There are so few palliative care options for the terminally ill," says Dr. John H. Halpern, a psychiatrist who will be conducting this research at Harvard University's McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "And there is anecdotal evidence that MDMA can help them resolve the anxieties they experience without doping them up on tranquilizers."
The study is part of a resurgence in research into the therapeutic uses of psychedelics for severe psychiatric ills that don't respond to traditional treatment. Because of the chemicals' profound ability to alter perception and mood, scientists hope they will melt the psychological barriers that prevent patients from getting better.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-lab11apr11,1,1341810.story
______________________________________________________________________________
MILITARY PLANES USED TO BRING IN DRUGS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4444285.stm
[As we pointed out in our coverage of the drug trade in Arkansas, the easiest way to bring drugs into this country is in a military plane. This is a rare case of someone being caught]
BBC - Two US military airmen are being held on charges of smuggling millions of dollars worth of Ecstasy into the country, federal officials have said. . . . Both men admitted during interviews to bringing the drugs from Germany on several occasions, the officials added. . . Around 290,000 Ecstasy pills in 28 large bags were found in the two men's luggage after their Air Force C-5A cargo aircraft arrived at the Stewart Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York State. . . Sgt Fong admitted bringing drugs on three previous flights and being paid $10,000 each time.
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 5:40 AM
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