Good..or NOT SO GOOD??

After watching CNN for a couple of hours I noticed there was alot of news concerning teens and young adults from ages 18 to 26 finding new ways to get drunk. So this encouraged me to go and investigate.

I first went to google and typed in new ways to get drunk and strikingly enough I found over a hundred thousand answers. But then I saw an article that narrowed it down for me and said 11 Cheapest Ways To Get Super, Super Drunk I figured this would be 'SUPER' interesting. Suprisingly enough it was very interesting it basically talked about the different liquors would be best to get you drunk and the name brands you should try. Now this information is good for a 21 year old or older person who is looking for a good time, BUT what happens when a 12 year old decides to type in the same and finds the same informations??

This put a whole new thought in my head... Is Google Really Doing Good? Or is this another device started for the good but has gotten into not so good hands?? It's really a question to think about because there are many sides to the story, you have the responsible single adult(over 21) who thinks it is a great tool, the child who cant ask their parents these questions so why not ask the next best thing, and then you have the parents of these children who hope the school has these web sites blocked.

Well for those parents of the children who can get on these sites and learn things way beyond their years there is just one solution!!! Keep your children away from the internet!!!....(and good luck with that)

Seeking Treatment in the Midlands

In Columbia, South Carolina, it is no longer new news that there is a ban on synthetic pot and synthetic cocaine as the WIS reported in this article. However, Blake Rabon says that there are still places to buy it in the local area.  Recently his 10-20 grams of synthetic pot has begun to cause problems in his life. These problems include being paranoid and having suicidal thoughts.

Recently, he has begun asking for help. And viewers of WIS also say the want to know where to go for help, for their addictions to synthetic drugs, because they believe it is unlike alcohol and traditional drugs.

However,  Rabon issue became serious when he sent his cousin Christina a message say "If no one wants to help me, I'll help myself, I'll go out with a bang." This text is what led Rabon's family to go get him checked into rehab. Before rehab, the family had taken Rabon to ER and had a failed attempt to get into a treatment center.

Leslie Wilson, VP of another treatment center says that they have developed a treatment plan for these drugs. They do not see synthetic drugs needing a different treatment track than other drugs. The main issue of synthetic drugs is that people are using the drugs in the first place.

Rabon's family in this situation did the right thing, by taking him to a treatment center.  Christina ended her interview with a message that she thinks every one should know: "If you need help, don't stop and if doors are shut, call WIS, get someone to listen because it's not worth your life."

The most important thing to take away from this new article is not that someone wanted to commit suicide due to synthetic drugs. Rather instead the most important thing to take away is that if you are seeking treatment, if one person is not willing to help you, keep trying because someone is willing to help. Another key point from the article is the major issue with all drugs is using the drug in the first place.

Think if you never try a substance then you are will never have to deal with the side effects and treatment. Remember prevention is key in substance abuse problems. However, if you know someone in need, do not brush the issue off, help them seek treatment! This is especially important for people who want help. If they want help there is a higher chance that treatment will be effective.

Make it your goal this week to help someone in need. This can be as easy as informing a younger brother, sister, friend, and so on of the consequence of trying a substance.

For treatment centers in Columbia, South Carolina visit this link.

Freon Huffing

In Augusta, Georgia, a dangerous new fad is springing up; teens are huffing on Freon out of air conditioners to get high. Georgia poison control warns that “all kids need is a screwdriver, they can actually suck the Freon out of the vents to get high, a high that can kill them”.

In the YouTube video on the news article, two teens walk up to an air conditioner and start puffing away. Later in the video, a college student hugging Freon from a plastic bag falls over and has a hard time keeping his composure but only seconds later, he asks for another Freon fix.

Dr. Mark Lopez from GHSU Pediatric Emergency says that, “Freon itself is a hydrocarbon so it’s going to cause brain damage and that the high is due to your not getting enough oxygen to your brain and therefore that’s what gives you the high, so the dangers of doing it over and over again is that you’re killing off brain cells”.

Dr. Lopez went on to say that, “even one time doing this can cause some changes in the heart response of reaction and you can die instantly from that”.

Signs of huffing include frostbite, whiteness around the nose and slurring of speech. Dr. Lopez says this is a real threat for teens and suggests that all parents talk to their children about huffing.

Parental Illegal Substance Abuse/Child Abuse

In an article/news story, by Child Welfare Information Gateway, from childwelfare.gov, the idea of parental substance abuse being considered child abuse is discussed in different manners. To start off, my own thoughts on this particular subject is that no matter if it is while the mother is pregnant or if it is a situation where the parent is using illegal substances around the child, in my eyes it is still considered substance abuse. This particular article discusses different state laws.

According to the article/news story,
“Approximately 47 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands have laws within their child protection
statutes that address the issue of substance abuse by parents.”

The First part discussed in the article/news story pertains to Prenatal Drug Exposure; within this part it discusses the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and Child Protective Services (CPS) and Substance-Exposed Newborns (SENs). As stated in the article/news story, within the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act it states that states are required to have some kind of rule/policy stating how they go about notifying Child Protective Services and Substance-Exposed Newborns.

As of 2009, when this article/news story was posted, there were approximately 16 states (along with the District of Columbia) who reported having specific procedures set up for reporting infants that they feel were either: “show evidence at birth of having been exposed to drugs, alcohol, or other controlled substances. To go along with this, there were also approximately 12 states during this time (along with the District of Columbia) who reported including prenatal exposure within their definitions of child abuse or neglect. States that required (at this time during the year 2009) that the State agency develops a plan for the infant to have safe care are: Hawaii and Maine. States that required that the agency completes an assessment of the infant’s and infant’s family’s needs and make a referral to the appropriate services are: California, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nevada, along with the District of Columbia. The States that required that mandated reporters report when they suspect that pregnant women are abusing illegal substances so that those women can be referred for proper treatment are: Illinois and Minnesota.

The Second part discussed in the article/news story pertains to Children Exposed to Illegal Drug Activity. According to this part of the article/news story, some examples of specific circumstances some states considered child abuse or neglect are: “manufacturing a controlled substance in the presence of a child or on premises occupied by a child”, “exposing a child to, or allowing a child to be present where, chemicals or equipment for the manufacture of controlled substances are used or stored”, “selling, distributing, or giving drugs or alcohol to a child”, “using a controlled substance that impairs the caregivers ability to adequately care for the child”, and “exposing a child to the criminal sale or distribution of drugs.”

According to the article/news story, when this was published in 2009, there were currently 25 states (and the U.S. Virgin Islands who address the issue of parents/guardians exposing children to illegal drug activity within their criminal statutes. In the year 2009, there were currently 14 states where either the manufacturing or possession of methamphetamine in the presence of a child is automatically considered a felony. Along with this information, it is also stated that as of 2009, there were four states where instead of just strictly methamphetamine, the manufacturing or possession of any controlled substance within a child’s presence results in a felony.

As of when this article/ news story was published in 2009, specific states that enhanced penalties for “any conviction for the manufacture of methamphetamine when a child was on the premises where the occurred” were: California, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington. To conclude my summary of the second part of the article/ news story, there are also the states during that time that currently considered the exposure of children to the manufacturing, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs/substances child endangerment. The states where the exposure of a child to drugs and or drug paraphernalia was considered a crime in these specific states: North Dakota, Utah, and the Virgin Islands. To conclude my summary of the second part of the article/ news story, along with those states, there were also: North Carolina and Wyoming who considered giving an illegal drug/substance to child by anyone a felony.

As I stated previously, this is a social problem where it isn’t necessarily children taking part in abusing illegal substances, but tying back to the views on issues such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that I presented my blog about a while back in the semester. It is clear that the social problem of parental illegal substance/drug abuse being considered child abuse is a very wide spread issue. Even though the article/ news story was written in 2009, it is still pretty recent statistics. Hopefully, I plan to look more into this particular social problems, the number of states has grown more and more. I have always had strong feelings against parental illegal substance/drug abuse and child abuse, and this article has definitely touched my heart and opened my eyes even more.

Be Skeptical of the Media

The media likes to make social issues out of instances that have happened once or twice. Sometimes these things aren't even mention until the media brings light to them. In an article by Jacob Sullum he shines like to the media's ridiculous claim that "vodka-soak tampons are 'everywhere.'" This statement was made CBS affiliate in the Phoenix area. A local school resource officer also stated that this no fad "is not isolated to any school, any city, any financial area." Apparently using a beer bong rectally is the same concept of soaking a tampon in vodka. Together both of these methods of getting alcohol to the blood stream quicker is referred to as "butt chugging."

However, the report fails to mention that a Nexis search of "butt chugging"shows that there has been no earlier mention of this term - not even on the show South Park. This is just one example of the media attempting to make fictional information into a social problem. There are many others related to alcohol consumptions through tampons, here are a few:

• March 1991: Anti-drinking groups states that Finnish girls are using vodka tampons so you can't smell the booze on their breath.
• May 2003: Vic Chestnutt mentions in his song remembering a girl with vodka soak tampon in his science class.
• September 2009: Border protection informs in a forum that tampons can be soaked and inserted rectally.
• March 2011: Patriot News mentions vodka soaked tampons, as well as, "pouring alcohol into eyes" and "brushing teeth until bloody then drinking"

These are just a few of the many stories where the media plays a significant role in displaying information in a way to gain popularity. However, all of these way can lead to very harmful situations, including death. By the media shining light on the situation, they are potentially only making it worst, because now individuals are curious and may attempt these forms of consumption. 

Before reading anything related to drugs and substance consumption, please take note on who is writing the article. By doing this you can figure out their objectives and what they have to gain from the article. Also, this will help you understand any bias in the article. 

Overall, your best bet is to STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES!

Michael Jackson's Life Long Battle

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the death of Michael Jackson and his addiction to pain medication and his unyielding need for sleep aides, which ultimately led to his death. Understanding how Michael Jackson got so deep into drugs that it would lead to his death is a very complicated but started very innocently.

The first publicly known time that Michael Jackson began his drug use can be traced back to the commercial shoot for Pepsi in which a pyrotechnic malfunction that caused MJ’s hair to catch fire, leading to an extended stay in the hospital. The severe burns caused Michael to be in extreme pain and often required medication to help subdue the pain. It was at this moment in his life where it is believed that he began his addiction to prescription medications.

Because he began to grow tolerant of the drugs, Michael had to rely on increasingly stronger medications to fight his immunity to them. Over time, his brain became reliant on the medications to relax and to sleep. Demerol is reported to have become the drug of choice for Michael over the years.

During the 90’s, Michael’s life became more complicated as allegations and charges of child molestation arose. After being acquitted of the charges, Michaels’s reputation was shattered in the eyes of a vast majority of the public, leading to a downfall of his music career.

After his shocking death due to illegal ingestion of the powerful sleep agent, Propofol, stories form his personal assistance and bodyguards began to surface. These stories began to paint a picture of Michael that showed the King of Pop requiring a progression from one drug to the next, more powerful one, to sleep, which eventually led to his use of Propofol.

This tragic demise of the pop sensation is a clear example that drug abuse and death can reach anyone and everyone.

Are Parents At Just As Much Fault For Underage Drinking?

The article/news story I chose to talk about my ninth blog was written by Frank Hamilton and was printed in the Beaufort Gazette. Obviously Beaufort, South Carolina is very “close to home”. Even though it is so close, it is obvious that this is a social problem that is happening all over. This particular piece is titled, “Parents, don’t delude yourselves about drinking”. The first sentence of the article/news story is very straight to the point and I would say it pretty much sums up what the article/news story is trying to say.

The first sentence states,

“Prom and graduation parties are coming soon with the continuing problem of participants drinking alcohol and using other drugs.”

The main purpose of the article/news story is to discuss the fact of parents being ok with their teenagers drinking underage. Even though parents might not exactly look at themselves as contributing to this social problem, it is obvious that they do. An issue such as this is definitely considered a social problem, and I personally (unfortunately) have heard and experienced these types of situations. When I was in 6th grade there was a story in my hometown of Charleston, SC where a group of teenagers were arrested at a party for underage drinking, along with the parents being there as well.

Thankfully, along with the parents who tend to “support underage drinking habits” there are also groups out there that help with the situation; MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is an example of one. The person who contributed to writing this, Franklin Hamilton, is actually the MADD Action Site Leader for Beaufort, SC. This particular article/news story actually discusses a situation in Beaufort, SC at Beaufort high school where there was a program called “Alive at 25”. This particular program was presented by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department. Along with MADD, other groups such as; Young Life, and the Beaufort YMCA also help with these presentations. When this article/news story was published in 2008: the three organizations held post-prom parties for the two local high schools: all three for Beaufort High school and only Young Life was involved with Battery Creek High school.

Even though there are statistics (on places such as the MADD website) showing the negative effects youth drinking can have on teenagers, parents to this day are still contributing to these habits. While this article was written back in 2008, there is still sufficient evidence to show this social problem is still very important and taking place. After reading this article, I do believe that if enough people expressed concern there could definitely be a significant turnaround. Along with just personal opinions and parents changing, there definitely should be as many presentations possible from organizations such as MADD. I honestly do believe that with the effort the number of incidences with underage drinking can definitely be lowered, I say lowered because it is definitely high probability that this social problem, like others, very well may never go away completely.

Welfare Drug Testing - Florida

In this article, a federal judge blocked Florida’s new law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug tests before receiving benefits. The block was placed because the law “may violate the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures”.

The judge, Mary Scriven, ruled this ban in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 35-year-old Navy veteran who is also a single father. The veteran, Luis Lebron, sought benefits while finishing his college degree, but refused to take the drug test.

The drug test can reveal a host of private medical facts about the individual, Scriven wrote, adding that she found it "troubling" that the drug tests are not kept confidential like medical records. The results can also be shared with law enforcement officers and a drug abuse hotline. "This potential interception of positive drug tests by law enforcement implicates a `far more substantial' invasion of privacy than in ordinary civil drug testing cases," said Scriven.

Lebron, the sole caretaker of his 4-year-old son, said he is "happy that the judge stood up for me and my rights and said the state can't act without a reason or suspicion”.

More than two-dozen states have also proposed drug-testing recipients of welfare or other government assistance, but Florida was the first state to enact such a law in more than a decade. Should any of those states pass a law and face a court challenge, Scriven's ultimate ruling would likely serve as a legal precedent.

Nearly 1,600 applicants have refused to take the test since testing began in mid-July, but they aren't required to say why. Thirty-two applicants failed the test and more than 7,000 have passed, according to the Department of Children and Families. The majority of positives were for marijuana.

Supporters argue that many applicants skip the test because they know they will test positive for drugs. Applicants must pay $25 to $35 for the test and are reimbursed by the state if they pass. Those who test positive for drugs are ineligible for the cash assistance for one year, though passing a drug course can cut that period in half. If they fail a second time, they are ineligible for three years.

Teens should be screened for substance abuse

Leading pediatricians say teens should be educated on substance abuse as well as screened for abuse at every doctor visit, stated in an article by the Los Angeles Times published on October 31st 2011.

"In a statement published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics, members of the American Academy of Pediatrics said doctors can use a variety of screening tools to inquire into a teen's use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs."


The pediatrician's agreed that though the experimentation with different forms of drugs are common among teenagers, doctors should educated teens on the consequences of those actions and not condone them.

This article, though published in Los Angeles, hold relevancy to teenagers across the country.  Substance abuse is a problem faced by teenagers across the country and it is important preventative measures are taken.

To read this article click here.

Alcohol is Suspected to be Cause of Clemson Student Death

Monday evening counselors are on hand for the death of a Clemson student, age 19. The student was found Saturday night "heavily intoxicated" as reported by the Sheriff's office. This is not the first death that alcohol is suspected to be the cause of death at the University. In 2007 a student died from attending a fraternity party.

However, because of these incidents and others the university had increased in alcohol awareness programs. The main group playing a role is Empower Clemson, which a educational program for the university students. Empower Clemson is responsible for having incoming freshmen complete an required alcohol survey. Even better they must also attend an awareness program taught by fellow students.

To remind students of consequence, especially the legal ones, the University is working closely with law enforcement. They currently have a "party registration," in which students can register their parties and are to have two "sober" monitors at the event. Then the police give them two "warnings" before showing up if complaints come in.

As far as the student's death from this weekend, we are still waiting on the toxicology results. For more information regarding this story please visit this link.

Alcohol and substance abuse, is a huge matter on several college campus, that is not taken light. Many students go into college believing everyone drinks, however that is far from the truth. However, college students do have more cases that the general population.

One thing, from the Empower Clemson, that could be used on all campuses is the peer group alcohol awareness programs. Students are more likely to listen when learning from their peers, however some worry about weather not knowledge is accurate. I am sure the students have to go through some form of training and  could offer real life experiences.

Being informed is a very important step in helping to prevent substance abuse problems. Don't be scared to ask for help or knowledge.

Drug Testing Your Teenager

The article/news story I chose to talk about for my eight blog was written by Lindsay Lyon of US News. This particular piece is titled, “5 Ways Teens Might Cheat on Drug Tests—and How to Catch them”. Along with this article/new story there are other stories regarding the same situation of teenagers and drug abuse, including, “7 Reasons Parents Should Not Test Kids for Drug Use”. All of these articles are obviously useful to parents when it comes to their children/teenagers/loved ones, etc.

As stated by the article/ news story,

“Google "beat drug test," and the search engine spits out page upon page of ploys and products that can make incriminating urine seem drug free. All it takes is a computer-savvy teen to access them.”

The main point of the article is obviously discussing the 5 main different ways children my cheat on drug test. The five main ways are; tampering, water-loading, switching drugs, popping vitamins, and swapping urine samples. In my eyes, it is just so sad that it has come to teenagers having to think and do these sorts of things to pass a drug test. Just from personal experience of course, as a teenager I could never imagine such things even going through my mind. It just goes to show you how big of a social problem this really is.

To add on this particular social problem discussed in the article/news story. Even though two of the sources they gathered information were from places such as Washington DC and Texas, this social problem is obviously something that exist all over our country as well. Also, it was written in 2008 but clearly still a social problem to this day. Some of examples of sources the article/ news story used were; president of the Institute for Behavior and Health Inc./former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Robert DuPont and a toxicologist of the University of Texas-Houston medical school, Amitava Dasgupta. A week before this article/ news story was published, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's annual meeting was held in Washington, D.C. Throughout the meeting they discussed how adults had all these different ways of cheating on their drug tests for work, and therefore it enabled teenagers even more to try and do the same things.

In conclusion, even though I was aware drug testing with teenagers was a significant social problem, this article helped me realize even more. To do our best to solve these issues, I think the first step would definitely have to be talking to our children/future children and drug related issues more and more. In my eyes, I feel is always best to have the parent/child relationship where the child feels safe talking to their mother/father about just about anything and everything. After reading this article and seeing even more the significance of this social problem, I definitely have made a pledge to myself to take any steps I can to help prevent these types of issues.

HIV and Drug Abuse

What are HIV and AIDS?

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a disease of the immune system that has no cure. It has treatment options that can make having AIDS easier to live with but at the present time, there is no known cure. HIV is a blood-borne virus which means it is spread by blood or bodily fluids of someone who is infected comes in contact with the blood, mucous membranes, or broken skin of an uninfected person. Sharing needles or other tools used for drug use or engaging in risky sexual behaviors are the two main ways HIV is spread. Mothers with HIV can pass it to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding.

HIV destroys certain cells (CD4+) in the immune system. Without these cells, the body cant fight of germs and diseases. Because of their weakened immune system, people with AIDS often develop infections of the lungs, brain, eyes, and other organs, and many suffer dangerous weight loss, diarrhea, and a type of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma.

How Are Drug Abuse and HIV Related?

Drug abuse and addiction have been closely linked with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. Although injection drug use is well known in this regard, the role that non-injection drug abuse plays more generally in the spread of HIV is less recognized.

Injection drug use. People typically associate drug abuse and HIV/AIDS with injection drug use and needle sharing. When injection drug users share “equipment” (needles, syringes), HIV can be transmitted between users. Other infections, such as hepatitis C, can also be spread this way. Hepatitis C can cause liver disease and permanent liver damage.

Poor judgment and risky behavior. Drug abuse by any method can put a person at risk for contracting HIV. Drug and alcohol intoxication affect the way a person makes decisions and can lead to unsafe sexual practices, which puts them at risk for getting HIV or transmitting it to someone else.

Biological effects of drugs. Drug abuse and addiction can worsen the progression of HIV and its consequences, especially in the brain. Research has shown that HIV causes more harm to nerve cells in the brain and greater cognitive damage among people who abuse methamphetamine than among people with HIV who do not abuse drugs. In animal studies, methamphetamine has been shown to increase the amount of HIV in brain cells.

How Many People Have HIV/AIDS?

Today’s estimates indicate that more than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV or AIDS. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that close to one-quarter of the people in the United States who are infected with HIV do not know they are infected.

You cannot tell by looking at them if someone is infected with HIV. A person can be infected with HIV for many years, and the virus may or may not progress to the disease of AIDS. A medical test is the only way to know if a person has HIV or has developed AIDS.

How Are Teens Affected?

Young people are at risk for contracting HIV and developing AIDS. According to CDC, more than 50,000 young people age 13 to 24 in the United States had been diagnosed with AIDS by the end of 2009.

How Can Teens Protect Themselves?

The best way to protect yourself is to stay healthy and think clearly. Choose not to use drugs. Know that drug use can change the way the brain functions, thereby affecting the way people make decisions and weigh risks. Another way to insure your safety and the safety of your partner is to always wear protection when you have sex.

What Do You Do and When?

One problem parents face once they think their child is abusing drugs is they dontknow how to approach their child. With the article I chose it helps the parents of addicted children once they see some signs.

A Guide to Action for Parents talks about the science of why children using drugs is harmful.to their still developing bodies. In one study done if a child that starts to drink before the age of fifteen they had a forty percent chance of alcoholism intheir adult future. one very strikingthing i read about the way adults may think today is even though their child may have tested with drugs such as marajuana some parents will say it's just experimentation because they once did it their selves. But in fact marajuana of today is much stronger than in the past and much more easy to get addicted to especially with the strong acceptance among teens of the drug.

There was also a very helpful sign and symptoms list on What parents should look for listed which were:
1.Negative changes in schoolwork or missing school and declining grades.
2.Increased secrecy about about possesions or activities.
3.Use of incense, room deodorant or perfume to hide smoke or chemical odors.
4.Subtle changes in conversations with friends (code words)
5.New friends
6.Clothing changes
7.Increase of borrowing money
8.Evidence of pipes or rolling papers.
9.Bottles of eye drops
10.New use of breath mints or mouthwash to cover up smell of alcohol.
11.Missing prescription drugs-especially narcotics and mood stabilizers

These are just a few of many more signs parents should look for in their children and when they do notice these signs parents should then know what to do and when. First things first for parents is to get as educated as possible on drug abuse and alcohol abuse. The next best thing you can do to help the child sit down and talk to them when all parties are calm and collected. The most important way to make sure you don't push your child away is to let them know you aren't angry but are there to help. Being the parent though you must make sure that the child knows there are rules in the house and they will be enforced if necessary. Always remember though that this is not a one time conversation but may need to have multiple attemps but make sure not to give up on your child.

Myrtle Beach Zoning Plans

WMBF News discusses the issue of zoning of nightclubs in local neighborhoods. In the article two nightclubs, Club Congo and Groove Ultra Lounge, to be "crime magnets" due to the loud music and drug deals. Both the loud music and drug deals have been known to be going on for years. Some, local neighbors, refer to Club Congo as the danger zone.

The reason that they refer to these two night clubs as the crime magnet is many incidents reports in the past few years. Within the past six years Club Congo has had 600 reported incidents, which include  15 drug and alcohol-related crimes. However, at Groove Ultra Lounge has had 200 incidents, 6 of which were drug and alcohol-related crimes.

One reason that it is important to rezone Club Congo is because it is located next to daycare. Also, these clubs are located near peoples homes, a place where a person should feel safe. However it is hard to feel safe when there are shootings happening often.

Both clubs are current vacant, however there is rumors that a new nightclub plans may come take their places. Everyone around the area means that the violence will come back as well. Currently there is a ordinance that is pending making it  illegal for a nightclub to be located in this local neighborhood.

The one good thing that the local authorities have done correctly is make a record of all calls and reports that have received. By doing this it adds backing to getting a ordinance for the neighborhood.

It is important to understand the correlation between drug and alcohol in relation to crime. That is not to say drugs and alcohol cause violence, however there is a positive relationship.

This article also make one wondering if zoning is the right thing to do or if it is even fair. However, as any social movement, the strength of getting the zoning ordinance passed is based on political power, its appeal to cultural values, and the strength of the opposition.

Drug Facts: Steroids

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

Anabolic refers to a steroid’s ability to help build muscle. Androgenic refers to their role in promoting the development of male sexual characteristics. Other types of steroids, like cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone do not build muscle, are not anabolic, and do not have the same harmful effects.

What Are They?

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are usually synthetic substances similar to testosterone. Doctors prescribe them to help people with certain kinds of anemia and men who don't produce enough testosterone on their own. Without a prescription from a doctor, anabolic steroids are illegal.

Common Street Names

Most just use the term steroids to refer to these but they could also be called roids or juice.

How Are They Used?

Some people who abuse steroids pop pills. Others use hypodermic needles to inject steroids directly into muscles.

What Are The Effects

A major health consequence from abusing anabolic steroids can include prematurely stunted growth through early skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that teens risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before they stop growing. Other effects include jaundice (yellowish coloring of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), decreases in HDL (good cholesterol), severe acne, trembling, and in very rare cases liver and kidney tumors. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:

• For guys—shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, and increased risk for prostate cancer

• For girls—growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, and a permanently deepened voice

Steroid abuse can also have an effect on behavior or mood, such as feelings of depression or irritability. Research shows that users may suffer from jealousy, paranoia, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

Can Steroid Abuse Be Fatal?

Yes. Steroids affect the heart just as it does other muscles. In some cases, steroid abuse can make the heart susceptible to heart attacks and strokes, which can be fatal. Steroids can also weaken the immune system and any form of drug that is injected runs the risk of spreading life-threatening viral infections such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis.

Protect Privacy or Save the Child?

The article/news story I chose to talk about for my seventh blog was written by Geraldine Sealey of ABC News. This particular piece is titled, “Drug Testing Pregnant Women Nixed”. A particular example they use to describe the social problem in more detail is, when women were being arrested in hospital beds at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC in Charleston, SC). The argument is that the process of drug testing pregnant women and then arresting her for it coming back positive is an unreasonable search.

As stated in the article,

“In a 6-3 ruling, the court said drug testing by a public hospital in Charleston, S.C., violated the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution — which bars unreasonable search and seizure — even though the hospital was trying to prevent women from harming their fetuses by using crack cocaine.”

According to the article/news story, is stated in the constitution that, “Under the Constitution, if women don't agree to the tests, a warrant is necessary, the court ruled. The justices asked a lower court to determine whether the patients actually consented to the tests.” To me, this is honestly what I believe should take place, with some different situations available. Obviously, this is my own personal opinion, but I do hope that many people would agree.

As stated by congressman Justice John Paul Steven, while writing for the court, “While the ultimate goal of the program may well have been to get the women in question into substance abuse treatment and off of drugs, the immediate objective of the searches was to generate evidence for law enforcement purposes in order to reach that goal." Along with this it was addressed within the article/news story that the hospitals have the obligation while collecting this evidence to make sure that women were made aware of their constitutional rights. The opinions of Justice Stevens’ were “backed up” by author officials such as; Justices Sandra Day O’Connor, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen G. Breyer. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the othe hand says that these drug tests were unconstitutional.

The issue of the women in South Carolina, like I said before, took place at MUSC (The Medical University of South Carolina located in Charleston, SC). The issue was about the policy they had where woman had been arrested (while in their hospital bed) for testing positive to drugs. They were given the choice to receive treatment or be arrested. This all is said to have been under the “states’ child –endangerment law”. The testing at MUSC in particular began taking place in the fall of 1989. In the year of 1993, 10 of the women who tested positive for cocaine filed suit within the U.S. District Court in attempt to claim that their rights to the Fourth Amendment had been violated. In the fall of 1989, MUSC began testing the urine of pregnant women suspected of cocaine use and, in some cases, reporting the results to law enforcement officials. Later, the policy was amended so those patients who tested positive were given a choice between being arrested and receiving drug treatment.

According to the article/news story, The Supreme Court in the past had allowed drug tests without a warrant or “individual suspicion” as long as the government could state and demonstrate a valid “special need”. This meaning that it had to be proven by the state that the policy was not established to help with law enforcement and that the people being searched have “a lower expectation of privacy”. According to today’s ruling though, even if drug testing of the woman is protect the unborn, if it is without the woman’s consent it can no longer be considered a “special need.” With this particular statement, it helps me realize even more how big of a social problem this is shaping out to be.

During the same day this article/news story was published, it was stated that there was a conference call that took place with one of the women who filed a claim against MUSC. She made the argument that she wasn’t aware of any other U.S. jurisdiction in where there are doctors who are, as stated by the article/news story; “working with police to obtain drug-abuse evidence on pregnant women.” The argument from city officials is that it was by no means meant to discriminate and/or violate in constitutional rights.

As I have stated before, I agree with the fact that drug-tests for pregnant women should be allowed, and that if the results come back positive they should have the options of: adoption, drug treatment, or jail. Even though the positive drug test results may help police case, like Scalia stated, I do believe it should always be primarily done for the well being of the mother and child. This is a social problem that has affected our world as a whole, even though this particular example took place in a hospital in South Carolina, it is clearly world-wide.

Pregnant and Addicted

I looked at multiple articles on this toppic and the two I chose to blog about are Pregnancy and Addiction and The Endowment for Human Development. These articles are very sad to read and even think about especially since the amount of mothers who are pregnant that are addicted to different substances have doubled in the last five years.

To think about these newborns who basically already have the first few years of life planned out in hospitals, due to the fact that they will have withdrawls or death when they are born into this world are unfortunate events that could be prevented. Mothers don't realize that their addictions pass on to their little ones in their wombs and some don't even care. Some women are so addicted to drugs that having a child is not even relevant to their life. I was reading in an article the other day of a judge who had taken away 14 children from the same woman because she was so addicted to drugs she had no care in the world she was reproducing. Stories like these are so heart breaking but happen every single day.

There are multiple drugs that affect a fetus duing pregnancy,

1.Cocaine- causes the placenta to prematurely detach, growth defects in the unborn baby, and abnormalities in the intestines.

2.Methamphetamine- causes painful withdrawal symptoms; such as, sleeping difficulties, tremors, and feeding difficulties

3.Heroin- can cause unborn baby to be stillborn, prematurely born, low birth weight, bleeding in the brain, low blood sugar, and may die from SIDS(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

4.Prescription Medications- even if prescribed by a doctor baby can still have growth problems in the womb and may receive less oxygen, or could speed the babies heart rate up or down.

5.Alcohol- can cause lifelong disabilities that will affect the baby’s behavior, learning capabilities, physical makeup, and FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).

These are just some of the affects babies can be born with while having addicted mothers. This was a very close topic to me because I currently have a good friend of mine who is actually getting help now because she is an addicted mother and only 3 months into the pregnancy. It is very sad to see something like this occur to women but very reoccuring. There has even been some states that women who are firm addicts be given government money to be sterilized, I don't believe that this is a good step forward because it feels as if it is taking away from a person's rights and just because they may be an addict now does not exactly say they will be one forever. So ask yourself would you want yourself or your loved ones to be forcibly sterilized?

Columbia moves to outlaw fake pot and bath salts: UPDATE

The controversial drugs K2 and bath salts are now illegal to sell or possess after a unanimous vote by the Department of Health and Environmental Control.  Earlier this month Richland and Columbia country began making moves to make the two drugs illegal.


K2, sometimes referred to as spice, is a synthetic forms of marijuana.  Bath salts are also chemically produced and mimic the affects of cocaine and were named bath salts in order to get it past law enforcements.


Counties began working to ban the drugs after users were experiencing serious side affects from the substances.  This past month a 17-year-old in Lexington County was hospitalized after becoming unresponsive from smoking K2.  Local emergency rooms also have reported treating patients on bath salts who are so agitated that they have to be restrained for 72 hours.

“Once the dhec board as expected makes its reclassification and designates these substances as schedule one controlled substances then state and local law enforcement agents around south carolina will be able to do the same, they'll be able to make arrests and issue charges related to these substances,” Adam Myrick from the Department of Health and Environmental Control said.

South Carolina is now the 38th state to ban K2 and bath salts.  To read more information about the banning of bath salts and or view a video of the report, click here.

Drunken Gummy Bears

The article I chose to talk about for my sixth blog was written by Clark Fouraker from “WLTX-Columbia, SC.” The piece is titled “Vodka Gummy Bears Haunting ParentsThis Halloween”. The title definitely has relevance to this time of year, along with the topic of children drug/substance abuse. This article also has the news clip video along with it. The particular news story is discussing how children have recently started to soak gummy bears in the vodka.

Through this news story/article, there were different experts speaking about the subject. They were brought up in the video clip along with the article. The first one mentioned was Jill Michel, an employee of Palmetto Poison Center.

Her statement consisted of,

“It's very concealable. You have it in a baggie, and it looks like a candy," and, "they're eating these, and they don't know how much alcohol they're ingesting until it's too late."

The other expert to discuss this particular topic was Dr. Diane Hardley from St. Johns University. With her statements, she put into even more detail the discussion of the way the children/teenagers will go the extent of soaking things such as gummy bears in liquor to just get away with it and hide it from authorities. Along with the statements of the experts, they also had a video attached to the article online. The video was a combination of the actual news cast and experts talking, along with having a video of the actual vodka filled gummy bears being made. With the video, it showed teenagers actually making the filled gummy bears step by step.

This is just a sad scenario/social problem and is affecting children and teens all around the world. Even though this might seem like a very simple thing and when looking at this news story/article, we tend to think, “How and why would they want to come up with things like this?” Even though we as a society might not be able to prevent things from having a part in our day to day lives, it is definitely something we can attempt to prevent by speaking to our children/teenagers about it. With awareness of this particular social problem, I do think we can at least attempt to do more to prevent issues like these with just simply bringing about awareness such as having news stories/ news articles such as this.

Drug Facts: Inhalants

What Are Inhalants?


Inhalants are chemical vapors that people inhale to get “high”. The vapors produce mind-altering effects and can be found in many products around the home. Examples of inhalants are some paints, glues, gasoline, and cleaning fluids.

Types of Inhalants


Inhalants usually fall into four main categories; volatile solvents, aerosols, gases and nitrites.

Volatile Solvents are liquids that vaporize at, or around, room temperature. These can be found in paint thinner, nail polish remover, gasoline, and office correction fluid (white-out).

Aerosols are sprats that contain propellants and solvents. These include spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, and fabric protector spray.

Gases can be found in household or commercial products and are often used as medical anesthetics. Gases include butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, and anesthesia.

Nitrites are a class of inhalants used primarily as sexual enhancers. Organic nitrites include amyl, butyl, and cyclohexyl nitrites. When marketed for illicit use, these nitrites are often sold in small brown bottles and labeled as "video head cleaner," "room odorizer," "leather cleaner," or "liquid aroma."

Common Street Names

Common slang for inhalants includes "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide), "snappers" (amyl nitrite), "poppers" (amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite), "whippets" (fluorinated hydrocarbons, found in whipped cream dispensers), "bold" (nitrites), and "rush" (nitrites).

How Are Inhalants Abused?

Inhalants are breathed in through the nose or mouth, usually by sniffing or snorting fumes from containers, spraying aerosols directly into the nose or mouth, “bagging” (sniffing/inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or placed into a paper bag), or “hugging” from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed into the mouth.

Because the intoxication, or “high,” lasts only a few minutes, people who abuse inhalants often try to make the feeling last longer by inhaling repeatedly over several hours.

What Are The Effects?

The lungs absorb inhaled chemicals into the bloodstream very quickly, sending them throughout the brain and body. Within minutes of inhalation, users feel "high." The effects are similar to those produced by alcohol and may include slurred speech, lack of coordination, euphoria, and dizziness. The high usually lasts only a few minutes.

Inhalants also can damage brain cells by preventing them from receiving enough oxygen. The effects of this condition, also known as brain hypoxia, depend on the area of the brain affected. This could affect memory, the ability to have a conversation, or even movement.

Regular abuse of inhalants can cause serious harm to vital organs besides the brain. Inhalants can cause heart damage, liver failure, and muscle weakness.

Specific Effects by Type of Inhalant

Depending on the type of inhalant abused, the harmful health effects will differ. This table lists a few examples.

Lethal Effects

Prolonged sniffing of the highly concentrated chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can cause irregular or rapid heart rhythms and can lead to heart failure and death within minutes. This "sudden sniffing death" is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols.

High concentrations of inhalants also can cause death from suffocation. This happens when the inhalant vapor takes the place of oxygen in the lungs and brain, causing breathing to stop. Deliberately inhaling from a paper or plastic bag or in a closed area, for example, greatly increases the chances of suffocation.

While high on inhalants, people also can die by choking on their own vomit or by fatal injury from accidents, including car crashes.

Genetics and Addiction

Gentics and Addiction would not have been two words I thought could go in the same sentence, but apparently they can. After surfing the internet I found a book called I Want To Change My Life: How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression and Addiction, where it stated children of addicted parents are eight times more likely to have an addiction to some type of substance than a child with no family addiction history.

This number was slightly alarming after doing a little research on my own, where I found out I had two alcoholics and three pain pill addictions that were lurking in my family. Although I have no addictions myself it makes me wonder if my younger days of exploring had anything to do with those addictions my family once faced. Considering that these addictions are fifty percent genetic predisposition and fifty percent bad coping skills it really makes me wonder which half I would have fallen under.

After further reading in the article it goes to talk about addiction being considered a disease and after reading some of the facts it seems quite obvious it is. The biggest thing that blew my mind was the fact of how a disease was labeled; a combination of genes and life style. Which makes perfect sense when you now think about genetics and addiction. After finding out that genes play fifty percent on whether or not you may become an addict the only other thing that can add on to that is life style.

This book seems to have so many key points it hits on and it is actually a recovery book for those who have either one or both odds against them, genetics or a poor lifestyle. If you read even further into the website for this book it goes into other things that can lead to anxiety or depression and how all three of these combine together to put a halt to someone's life.

Red Ribbon Week (in Lexington, South Carolina)

This week is national Red Ribbon Week, a week dedicated to teach students not to use drugs. Pleasant Hill Elementary made learning to say no to drugs fun. Each day of the week students got to dress up in fun way that related to preventing the use of drugs.  

"Monday was polka dots - to remind them to spot good choices. Tuesday, Glasses Day, to keep a look out for leaders. Wednesday, Crazy Sock Day, a reminder to sock it to drugs... On Thursday, the kids will wear red  to represent that they're strong in will power. On Friday, they all get to wear their favorite team jersey to "team up" against drugs."

The article from a local Lexington new station states how this week helps students to reach the career goals in the long run. By informing the students at a young age they hope help the kids make better decisions, by saying no drugs. 

However, the article claims that the first time that individuals try it, referring to drugs, is around the age of 11 or 12 or even younger. Is this a flawed statistic? Where has this data come from? Who was the sample?  It is important when reading articles about substances to understand who and why the statistics are stated. It is possible that this claim was made to make the prevention of drug use among youth seem like a bigger problem than it really is. By making it seem like a bigger problem it helps to justify the reason our tax money goes to support this week long celebration. It also gives parents and the community a sense of hope for the future of our kids. 

Red Ribbon Week as a whole is a great week to education the younger generation on the harms and consequences of drugs. The earlier we inform the more hope we have for the future. Take the time out of you day to have a discussion with your kids, little cousins, brother or sisters, because substance abuse effects everyone around the person who is abusing. Remember that you don't have to wait until Red Ribbon Week 2012 to talk about this issue

For more information on the Lexington county school Red Ribbon celebrations visit this link.

"Crank" It Up

The book/ book review I chose to talk about for my fifth blog is called, “Crank” and was written by Ellen Hopkins. I found this particular book review on commonsensemedia.org. “Crank” was the first book Ellen Hopkins wrote in this particular, what I like to call “Drug Awareness” series. This particular book, along with others in her series, comes partly come from the fact that her own daughter with through a drug abuse problem. Ellen Hopkins has also written other books such as, “ “Burned”, “Impulse”, “Identical”, “Glass”, “Tricks”, and “Fallout”. The books written by Ellen Hopkins are written in a poetry style, which I feel much easier to read. While I personally have only read “Crank” and “Glass”, I have been told that all books Ellen Hopkins are supposed to be, while sad at the same time, “good reads” and informational at the same time.

The book “Crank” is based on a teenage girl named Kristina. Kristina is the narrator in the story, Kristina has suffered from drug problems and her main addiction that is talked about is to the drug Methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is referred to “the monster” in the reading. Along with just the problem of Methamphetamine, she also is going through things such as; “she smokes cigarettes, does ecstasy, and smokes marijuana”, throughout the book, it also discussed how she went through being raped and an unplanned pregnancy. Along with these problems, there is also the everyday bad influence like her so-called “friend”, “Bree”. Through me reading the other book written by Ellen Hopkins, “Glass” I also read that Kristina had another child along with this that had to be taken away from her because of being “unfit” due primarily to her addictions.

Throughout the book review, it discusses the importance of parents being positive influences to prevent things such as drug addiction. It discusses “what parents should know”. This book very well could make no sense, along with being too much of a “mature read” for children, but if parents are able to sit down and read it, they can gain the importance of it and be able to pass valuable messages along to their children. There were a number of comments below the book review, and it was agreed that while it is a good book all in all, it is definitely something that should be monitored as far as who reads it. There are the situations such as sexual interactions, profanity, drug abuse, etc. that can be harmful for someone to read if they are not mentally “ready” for it. It was said that children should be taught about certain drug situations such as this before being told about or reading the book themselves at some point. The book review also specifically talks about the different characteristics of the book such as; educational value, positive messages, positive role models, violence, sex, language, consumerism, and drinking, drugs, & smoking. Along with these it also gives other links to where you can find out more information on the book.

In reference to the book: according to common sense media, “Crank” is “first in controversial verse poetry series about addiction.”

Even though this book didn’t necessarily take place in the South East region of the United States, is a very well known social problem all throughout the United States, along with other areas. I feel this particular book has benefited my blog because not only is it a book (series, etc.) that I am familiar with, but also gives even more knowledge and information pertaining to the social problem my group is focused on, drug abuse with children (meaning teenagers such as Kristina as well). This book is definitely one I suggest to anyone to read who is interested in this type of problem, again even in my own views should be restricted to people that are mature enough and able to take in the information properly.

Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

October 29th marks the third annual prescription drug take-back day hosted by the Drug Enforcement Administrations.  The day titled, National Drug Take-Back Day, is intended to allow people to turn in potentially dangerous, expired, misused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe destruction at thousands of sites nationwide.


The DEA started this event as a way to combat the growing trend of prescription drug abuse among teens. The source of prescription drugs are often the medicine cabinets in their home making it easily accessible to teens.


With thousands of drop areas in all 50 states, the DEA makes it easy for people to drop off their unwanted prescription drugs.  The event occurs from 10 am to 2 pm and the service is completely free and anonymous.   Drop areas are listed on the DEA's website with new sites added daily.




Source: Drugfree.org

Drug Facts: Stimulants

What Are Stimulants

Stimulants are a type of drugs that elevate mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness. Examples of stimulants are cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and ecstasy.

Prescription stimulants include Adderall and Ritalin. Both are used to help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Street Names

Cocaine is generally sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as “coke,” “C,“ “snow,” “flake,“ “blow,” “bump,“ “candy,“ “Charlie,” “rock,” and “toot.” “Crack,” the street name for the smoke-able form of cocaine, got its name from the crackling sound made when it’s smoked. A “speedball” is cocaine or crack combined with heroin, or crack and heroin smoked together.

Methamphetamine is commonly known as “speed,” “meth,” “chalk,” and “tina.” In its smoke-able form, it’s often called “ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” “glass,” “fire,” and “go fast.”

How Stimulants Are Used

Stimulants can be swallowed in pill form, snorted as a powder through the nostrils, injected, using a needle and syringe, or heated in crystal form and smoked.

Injecting, or smoking, a stimulant allows for a rapid high because the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. Snorting or swallowing the stimulant produces a high that is less intense but lasts longer.

Powder cocaine is usually snorted and crack cocaine is often smoked in a glass pipe. Many street dealers dilute cocaine with other substances, such as cornstarch or sugar.

Methamphetamine can be swallowed, snorted, injected, or smoked.

Short-Term Effects

Stimulants produce feelings of tremendous joy, can increase wakefulness, and decrease appetite. Negative effects of stimulants include increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, dilated pupils, nausea, blurred vision, muscle spasms, and confusion.

Long-Term Effects

Long-term effects of stimulant abuse can lead to paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, thinking problems, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and severe dental problems.
Repeated use of cocaine can result in a tolerance of its euphoric effects, causing the abuser to take greater amounts or use the drug more frequently to get the same effects. Repeated use can also cause violent behavior, mood disturbances, and psychosis which can include paranoia and delusions. These mental issues can result in homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

Sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Like other drugs, stimulants can be lethal when taken in large doses or when mixed with other substances. Overdoses can lead to heart problems, strokes, hyperthermia, and convulsions. If not treated immediately, these physical issues can result in death.

ROLEMODEL???

I chose an article dealing with a at one time very bright and beautiful actress that has not come to be known by her movies but by her drug addictions and alcohism. This article starts from the beginning of Lohan's career where she starred in The Parent Trap at 11 years old but soon there after she took a twirling downfall, which lead to one addiction after the other. Since her last couple years of drug addictions she's done a few shocking interviews like the ones by Access Hollywood, Celebritytv.com, and Extra Exclusive.

After two jail sentences and hours of rehab she is still not recovered, her latest court appearence was for a former sentence she failed to fulfill and did not finish her community service at the Downtown's Women Center and in her words was because of her 'busy work schedule' took it upon herself to instead do community service at the Red Cross Center. But Judge Stephanie Saunter would hear none of that saying "No one could change her sentence" and revoked her probation with a $100,000.00 bail. Which is very different from her previous sentences where she only completed 14 out of a 90 day stay where authorities said she did not need to stay the whole time, apparently she used her acting skills on them, since two jail terms later she is still in the same boat.

So once again we see another child movie star take a horrible turn and instead of having a great career ahead for their adult life they get caught up on addictions such as cocaine, pills(prescribed and non-prescribed), alcohol and abusing substances at a very early age. The sad thing about this is that so many other children are facing these exact same problems but most go un-noticed and with out any help and miss out on their entire childhoods. Lindsay Lohan is getting, well has gotten three more chances than any other child or adult for that matter has gotten and has not took advantage of one but instead is still denying all addictions and need for help. So the really important question to answer here is, How exactly does one individual help another individual with problems they do not notice themselves?

Unused Prescription Drugs Discarding

An article by WISTV, posted October 19, explains how the Drug Enforcement Agency would like to help South Carolina citizen to get rid of cabinets filled with unused prescription drugs. 

"The non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana as the most prevalent category of drug abuse in the United States," said William Douglas, DEA assistant special agent in charge.

The DEA is willing to take the drugs that you are no longer using and ones that are expired at one of the 70 collection locations in the state on National Drug Take Back Day. However, the 70 sites will only be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 29. DEA authorities are expecting a bigger turn out this time compared to the previous event held last spring. "In South Carolina alone, our citizens turned in over 1,250 pounds of unwanted or expired prescription drugs at over 43 collection sites," said Douglas.

It is important to get rid of prescription drugs in the household to help prevent substance abuse.  There are many people who may come in and out your house, therefore by participating in National Drug Take Back Day you are not only looking out for your safety but others as well. Remember taking drugs that are not prescribed to you is illegal.  So why not prevent harm by cleaning out your medicine cabinet.  It is one day and a small piece of your time that can make the world of change for you or loved ones. You will not be penalized for dropping off your prescriptions. 

Should Marijuana Be Legalized

According to the article, marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S. There are three main arguments that those who oppose the legalization of marijuana state. The first is that marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. and legalizing it would only make this worse. A study done in 2008 on people, aged 12 or older, who are classified with the dependence on, or with the abuse of, an illicit drug, showed that 4.2 million out of 7 million people used marijuana. This means that nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering from any substance disorder suffer from marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence.

Another factor that contributes to the anti-legalization of marijuana is that drug-impaired driving would increase dramatically. The article mentions that marijuana is a significant factor in highway crashes, injuries, and deaths. It goes on to say that in a recent national roadside survey of weekend nighttime drivers, 8.6 percent tested positive for marijuana use. This was nearly four times the percentage of drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL (2.2 percent), completed during the same survey.

The third and final argument suggested by the article is through the analogy of marijuana use to that of gambling. Sports gambling, most of which is still illegal, has had a significant increase in illegal gambling since other forms of gambling have been legalized. This precedent strongly suggests that illegal drug suppliers would sell more potent marijuana products outside the legal channels so that their wares are not taxed or restricted. As the article says, if marijuana were legalized, the only way to eliminate its illegal trade would be to sell marijuana untaxed and unregulated to any willing buyer.

So should marijuana be legalized? You decide.