Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Celebrities and Civil Rights Leaders Ask Obama to Change Drug Laws
More than 100 entertainers, civil rights leaders and other
notable citizens have signed a letter to President Obama, asking him to
change the nation’s drug laws. The group is urging him to replace jail
sentences with intervention and rehabilitation for non-violent drug
offenders, the Associated Press reports.
They asked the president to form a panel to deal with clemency
requests, and to support a measure to let judges waive mandatory minimum
sentences.
“The greatest victims of the prison industrial complex are our nation’s children,” the letter
states. “Hundreds of thousands of children have lost a parent to long
prison sentences for non-violent drug offenses, leaving these children
to fend for themselves. Many of these children end up in the criminal
justice system, which comes as no surprise as studies have shown the
link between incarceration and broken families, juvenile delinquency,
violence and poverty.”
Celebrities who signed the letter include Scarlett Johansson, Kim
Kardashian, Will Smith, Jennifer Hudson, Nicki Minaj and Susan Sarandon.
The letter was also signed by civil rights leaders and advocates such
as Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond, Dr. Benjamin Chavis and Rev. Jesse
Jackson. Hip-hop magnate Russell Simmons helped assemble the group, the
AP notes. Some religious leaders, politicians, music industry
executives, academics, business leaders and athletes also added their
names.
Majority of Americans Say Doctors Should Have Limits on Pain Medication Prescribing
A new poll finds 52 percent of Americans say doctors should
have limits on the amount and dosage of pain medication they are
allowed to prescribe. Almost half of those surveyed said prescription
drug addiction is a major U.S. health problem.
The poll
was commissioned by the advocacy group Research!America, which is using
the results to encourage better research on chronic pain, The Hill reports.
“We need to better understand addiction,” Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley said in a statement.
“We shouldn’t shy away from research on new pain treatments based on
fears of abuse. The suffering is simply too great. More robust
investment in research and the engagement and support of policy makers
and health care providers are essential to developing effective
strategies to reduce the prevalence of addiction.”
The group found 18 percent of respondents believe chronic pain is a
major health problem, but 63 percent know someone who has taken
prescription medication for severe pain.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Party Drug Called “Benzo Fury” Presents Dangers, Rat Study Suggests
A party drug known as “Benzo Fury” can have dangerous
consequences, a new study of rodents suggests. It has both stimulant and
hallucinogenic effects, Reuters reports. The drug is a synthetic, laboratory-designed substance.
Benzo Fury can be purchased online, and is popular in Britain and the
United States, the article notes. Researchers at Britain’s University
of Roehampton found the drug produced an effect on the brains of rats
that was similar to hallucinogenic, addictive drugs such as cocaine or
amphetamines. It may lead to high blood pressure by constricting blood
vessels, the researchers said.
“It’s in the combination of these stimulant and hallucinogenic
properties that the greatest danger lies,” said lead researcher Jolanta
Opacka-Juffry. She presented her findings at the British Neuroscience
Association conference in London. She added, “It’s possible that the
reason these drugs are so popular is because they are seen as safer than
their illegal counterparts,” so it is “important to challenge such
assumptions.”
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