News stories tagged with "drugs"

(04/02/12) New York State has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana products. Marketed as "herbal incense" and sold under names like Spice and K2, the fake pot has been popular with people across the North Country, including Fort Drum soldiers. The post near Watertown recently announced it would ban soldiers from spending money at any businesses that sell synthetic pot. But as Joanna Richards reports, it now seems that won't be necessary. more

(12/29/11) "Spiraling out of control." And, "Almost an epidemic." That's how police, prosecutors, doctors, pharmacists and drug counselors describe the rise of prescription drug abuse in communities across the North Country.

While increased narcotic drug trafficking across the border with Canada is partly to blame, the relative ease of getting these drugs from doctor's offices and emergency rooms is also part of the problem. As Chris Knight reports, experts say solving the problem won't be simple, and the key is heightened vigilance of both law enforcement and the medical community. more

(11/02/11) Federal judges are beginning to review changes in sentencing guidelines that will shorten the sentences of thousands of men and women jailed on crack cocaine charges. The shift could affect inmates at the Federal prison in Ray Brook.

As Brian Mann reports, drug sentencing laws have been changing, based on concerns that crack laws unfairly targeted African Americans. more

(12/27/10) Congressman Bill Owens is one of a group of lawmakers working on a law designed to slow drug trafficking from Canada into the U.S.
A bill passed by both houses of Congress calls on the Office of National Drug Control Policy to craft a multi-agency and international strategy to tighten up on drug smugglers without hurting tourism and other commercial traffic across the northern border.
Martha Foley has more. more

(10/21/10) Ruben Garcia is a human rights advocate who lives on the U.S.-Mexico border. For more than 30 years, he has run Annunciation House, an emergency shelter for migrants and the homeless in El Paso, Texas. Garcia will speak to students and the public at St. Lawrence University in Canton today. The issue of border security, illegal drugs and immigration is complex along the southern border. He'll give a presentation, titled "The Border as a Prophet: Voices Calling us to Justice", in St. Lawrence's Carnegie 10 at 7 pm. Garcia joined Todd Moe in the studio this morning for a first person account on the effects of beefed-up military patrols, the drugs wars, human rights and life along the southern border.

(08/23/10) Last year the New York State Legislature voted to give drug addicts a second chance, by doing away with the last remnants of the Rockefeller drug laws. Some considered the old laws draconian and reformers praised the change saying it could stop the addiction cycle by diverting addicts bound for prison and instead send them to treatment. For the last couple months, reporter Charles Lane has been investigating how this judicial diversion has been implemented so far across the state. And he finds that the impact of the reforms largely depends on which county the addict is convicted in. Photos and timeline courtesy of WSHU. more

(08/23/10) Earlier this morning, we heard about drug sentences handed down under the newly-reformed Rockefeller drug laws. The reforms lifted the Rockefeller laws' sentencing mandates, giving judges in New York's 62 counties discretion in sentencing. In his story, Charles Lane introduced us to two people...one was sentenced by a Long island judge to a rehab program, though she was convicted for drug sales. The other was sentenced in Saratoga County to do time at Bare Hill Correctional facility in Malone, not rehab, though he was an addict looking for treatment.

(04/05/10) The Vermont Senate is expected to take a final vote this week on a bill that would phase out the chemical bisphenol-A in some types of packaging. The bill would ban use of the chemical in reusable food and beverage containers, as well as infant formula and baby food containers. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says BPA has been linked to a high number of health problems, including infertility, miscarriage, and breast and prostate cancer. The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, maintains that it is safe and helps keep food safe by keeping it fresh.

There's been a rise in reports of behavioral disorders in kids over the past decade or so. Some researchers say genetics, lack of sleep, and chaotic households all contribute to things like ADHD. Now researchers say another cause could be personal care products. Julie Grant reports. more

(07/27/09) A new report tracks illegal drug use by looking at wastewater. Rebecca Williams has more.

(07/02/09) Police arrested eight people and seized more than $1.3 million in cash this week in connection with a large drug smuggling ring operating between the North Country and Ohio. Martha Foley has more.