COLUMBIA, S.C. - Sudafed and other cold medicines used to create the illegal drug methamphetamine would be placed behind the counter under a bill that received second reading Tuesday in the House. "They would be back there with cigarettes and lottery tickets," said Rep. Joan Brady, the bill's sponsor. The bill, introduced last year, passed 93-4 on Tuesday. The proposal affects about a dozen products that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth. People who go into stores and pharmacies to buy the cold medicine would need to sign a log that includes their name, address and how much of the product they purchased. [continues 81 words]
Advocates of drug legalization, citing the failure of Prohibition, argue that banning the use of mind-altering substances by consenting adults is not only an exercise in futility but an overreach of governmental authority in a free society. Some even call illegal drug use a "victimless crime" - at least beyond those who use the substance. Yet when the drug is methamphetamine, victims abound, and the risks imposed by its use aren't limited to those who take it. While enforcing drug laws has long been a dangerous task for the police, enforcing meth laws brings the added menace of exposure to hazardous materials. That threat hit home in Moncks Corner last week when two Berkeley County sheriff's deputies were hospitalized after participating in a raid that resulted in the arrests of four men on assorted charges, including the manufacture of methamphetamine. [continues 250 words]
Man Accused In Plot To Set Up Ex-Girlfriend MONCKS CORNER - Jerry Reynolds chafes at the suggestion that he might have committed a crime when he and former colleagues at the Moncks Corner Police Department discussed planting evidence in his ex-girlfriend's car. Reynolds, 58, was charged in the fall with official misconduct by a police officer. A warrant accuses him of approaching fellow officers with a plan to put illegal drugs or possibly a stolen gun in his ex-girlfriend's Jeep. Reynolds and the ex-girlfriend, Nichole Maynard Kelly, have a 23-month-old son together. She could not be reached for comment. [continues 776 words]
Is it the person sitting two rows over from you in church? Is it the nurse helping you at your doctor's office? What about your real estate agent or attorney? Maybe it's the clerk behind the counter at the dry cleaners? They are hard to spot. They lead normal and productive lives. But it didn't use to be that way for them. It is hard to tell just by looking at them, but they are different. They are "in recovery" from addiction to alcohol or other drugs. They are living proof that there are real solutions to addiction, but their stories of recovery are not celebrated. [continues 627 words]
South Carolina legislators soon will have an opportunity to curtail use of the fastest-growing illegal drug in the nation, methamphetamine, commonly referred to as "meth." U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently declared meth "the No. 1 drug problem facing society." Popularized in the West and Midwest, meth is quickly making its way across the country to South Carolina. This sudden migration has resulted in many Southeastern states passing or considering passage of laws that restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient used in meth production. [continues 498 words]
Use Of Methamphetamine, Pain Killers Grows Beaufort County teenagers may be lagging, even bucking, a trend in the illegal use of prescription drugs, but they still indulge in unhealthy lifestyles. The trend of more teens using illegally obtained prescription drugs was reported recently in the Monitoring the Future survey, which was conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan. Nearly 50,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 in 402 public and private schools were questioned about their use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Surprisingly, smoking among teens has decreased slightly, but the increased abuse of prescription drugs may have offset any gains. [continues 467 words]
The election of Evo Morales, a leftist extremist who began his political career as the leader of coca growers protesting against U.S. drug policy, to the presidency of Bolivia by a landslide vote is a foregone conclusion, although the official results are not yet in. What is not so certain is whether Mr. Morales, a close friend and ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and an admirer of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, will be, as he foretold, "a nightmare" for the United States. [continues 390 words]
CHARLESTON - Stratford High School students who were in a hallway two years ago when officers conducted a drug sweep with guns drawn would share a couple of million dollars under a tentative settlement agreement. But lawyers on both sides caution the deal is far from done. "Ultimately, the whole thing could fall apart," said Gregg Meyers, a lawyer for students who were in the hallway at the time. "This is a work in progress." [continues 418 words]
Angela Harley didn't think she had a problem with alcohol until a night on the town cost her custody of her two small children. In September 2004, the North Charleston woman was accused of leaving her 10-month-old daughter in the car while she drank for hours inside a Folly Beach bar. She stewed in jail for 45 days, her case splashed about in the local media, while her estranged husband Kevin cared for the infant and their young son. [continues 601 words]
Program Could Discourage Drug's Spread, Advocates Say COLUMBIA - A group of law enforcement agencies and public health and social services organizations suggest a statewide drug court to cut down on methamphetamine use in South Carolina. More than 450 representatives worked on the plan to fight the growing attraction of methamphetamine. The drug known as "meth" is an increasing problem. In 2003-04, the Lexington County Sheriff's Department broke up 28 methamphetamine facilities, made 60 arrests and seized about 17 pounds of the drug. [continues 279 words]
COLUMBIA - Starting a statewide drug court is one recommendation in a plan to battle methamphetamine use in South Carolina. More than 450 representatives of law enforcement, public health and social services groups statewide have put forward the plan before, as one official said, meth "becomes the next crack cocaine of drug use in South Carolina." The plan resulted from a statewide summit in Myrtle Beach at the end of November. It will be released in January. The drug, often referred to as meth, is a steadily growing problem in South Carolina. [continues 228 words]
A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions of three former doctors for their role in a drug fraud scheme carried out at a now-closed Myrtle Beach drug clinic several years ago. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, however, ruled Thursday that the punishment meted out to defendants Michael Jackson, Ricardo Alerre and Deborah Bordeaux was unfair and remanded it to the federal court in Florence for re-sentencing. The doctors were all convicted of multiple counts of drug distribution, drug conspiracy and money-laundering conspiracy while practicing at the Comprehensive Care and Pain Management Center. [continues 217 words]
The controversy over criminals being released on bond in Spartanburg County highlights the need to do something about overcrowding in the county jail. Officials and judges disagree about the extent to which overcrowding at the jail is a factor in decisions about setting bond for violent criminals. It's obviously a factor to the extent that if more defendants are kept locked up, the county will need more space. But others acknowledge that judges consider conditions at the jail when determining bond amounts. Law enforcement officials are unhappy with the number of criminals being released on bond only to commit new crimes. They should push the County Council to act on a plan to address overcrowding. [continues 235 words]
Meth Cookers Join Ranks Of Counterfeit Cash Producers When you start your holiday shopping, be wary of the person next to you. He could be a methamphetamine cooker. And a counterfeiter. At the same time. South Carolina's growing methamphetamine problem has spawned another crime that seems to peak around the holidays: passing counterfeit cash. And meth cookers are the newest entrants into the practice, authorities say. "More and more we're seeing counterfeit being mixed up with methamphetamine," said John Kenney, resident agent-in-charge with the U.S. Secret Service in Charleston. [continues 586 words]
When the towns of Lamar and Society Hill decided to form a narcotics unit with the larger Darlington Police Department, it wasn't just to give the smaller departments more manpower to knock out their towns' drug activity. "I see it as an opportunity to help them, but also to help us" when Darlington's narcotics unit needs help, Darlington Police Chief Jay Cox said. The six-member team targets street-corner drug dealing and works undercover informants, Cox said. And the team doesn't focus on just one place; it weaves itself throughout the three municipalities. [continues 314 words]
On Tuesday, Nov. 1, the residents of Denver passed The Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative. This initiative allows adults over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. This is the first law of its kind making general possession of marijuana legal, but it draws attention to a growing body of city and state laws that take a markedly different stance on marijuana than do federal laws. Denver is the first city to legalize possession of marijuana outright, but ten states, including Colorado, have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Also, several cities have passed laws making the possession of marijuana the lowest priority for law enforcement. While these developments appear to be a local backlash against federal marijuana laws, the federal anti-drug laws still take priority over state laws. This is why several cities have made marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority. These types of laws try to sidestep the federal statutes; they maintain the illegality of marijuana possession but simply do not enforce the law. [continues 633 words]
FLORENCE - As you entered the parking lot of St. Anthony Catholic School on Thursday, you could see red ribbons hanging from the trees and hear screaming and laughing children as they released red balloons into the sky, signaling the end of the school's observance of Red Ribbon Week. Students, who donned hats and wore T-shirts backward, hung red ribbons on the trees and the fence surrounding the school as part of their pledge to be drug-free. They also helped decorate the front of the school with pictures and banners showing how they are committed to staying away from drugs. [continues 244 words]
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Marc Emery differs in so many ways from most people accused of big-time drug dealing, it's hard to know where to start. Even though he faces the possibility of decades in a U.S. prison for selling marijuana seeds to Americans, Emery regularly welcomes a steady stream of journalists. That's an approach most people accused of drug dealing avoid instinctively, or on advice of their attorneys. Not Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party, who maintains that his legal troubles spring from the U.S. government's desire to muzzle him and the movement he claims to lead. [continues 1885 words]
Hethington Says He Threw Away Clean, 18-Year Career Ousted narcotics commander James Mackey's actions landed him in the sights of internal affairs investigators, but his lies about his misconduct are what cost him his job, Charleston Interim Police Chief Ned Hethington said Friday. Mackey might well still be working if he had explained to investigators why he had gone to bat for an accused drug dealer and directed an officer to mislead a judge about an arrest warrant, Hethington said. He said that instead of admitting to his mistakes, accepting punishment and moving on, Mackey chose a path of deceit. In the process, Mackey threw away a relatively blemish-free, 18-year career in which he had done "wonderful things," he said. [continues 870 words]
Tara Anderson made headlines 17 years ago as a law student who said a sitting judge had offered her cocaine at a party. Earlier this year, the now 44-year-old Tara Anderson Thompson is seeing her own legal career brought down by cocaine use. She was found guilty last month in federal court of conspiring to launder drug money. The federal conviction comes on top of her guilty plea to state drug charges. She said she couldn't point to a reason for her drug use, though she said she was depressed about the breakup of her second marriage. [continues 98 words]
Dorchester County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Miller was handing out fliers about an upcoming seminar on methamphetamine when an employee of a Summerville grocery store asked him why people were shoplifting lithium batteries. She didn't know lithium batteries are commonly used to make meth, but her lack of knowledge isn't unusual. Miller said too many people he's talked to on the street don't know much about the drug that shows no sign of slowing in popularity. Most of the meth labs found in the Charleston area have been in Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office has investigated at least 14 labs this year. Last year's total was 24. Berkeley County narcotics agents found 30 labs last year and have investigated 15 so far this year, Capt. Whilden Baggett said. [continues 227 words]
More Drug Cases Getting Reviewed The Beaufort County solicitor investigating whether Bluffton police officers interfered in a Sheriff's Office drug investigation broadened his inquiry this week. Deputy Solicitor Duffie Stone said Thursday he is examining Bluffton Police Department practices on every active narcotics case, a process he said could wrap up as soon as the middle of next week. Stone requested the case files from interim Chief Alex Ferguson on Wednesday and received them Thursday. He did not know the exact number of cases he will be reviewing. [continues 369 words]
State Law Enforcement Division agents are investigating a shooting that occurred while a Myrtle Beach police officer was trying to arrest one of three men involved in a suspected drug transaction. Police said an unidentified officer from an unnamed agency shot at a car Tuesday when its driver fled from officers trying to make a drug arrest. No one was injured. SLED agents are looking into the incident and will report their findings to the 15th Circuit solicitor's office, SLED Inspector Richard Hunton said. [continues 138 words]
The First In A Three-Part Series There are certain needs that everyone has that must be satisfied to survive, such as food, sleep or sex. The addict, says Billy Heckle of Orangeburg, has acquired another drive state. A registered pharmacist and certified addictions counselor at the William J. McCord Adolescent Treatment Facility in Orangeburg, Heckle says an addiction tells its victim to seek out that chemical - alcohol, marijuana, cocaine - there's not that much difference. When his or her brain is trained to respond to a chemical, he or she will use almost any kind of chemical to satisfy that need. If the alcoholic can't get a drink, he'll take a pill. If they don't have any pot to smoke, they might use cocaine. [continues 1521 words]
Jack McGoldrick's response to my July 20 letter "Legalizing drugs would cut costs, crime" with his letter Aug. 12, "Legalizing drugs would unleash problems," shows the apparent lack of knowledge of the actual magnitude of this nation's youthful illegal drug use. You may buy almost any illegal drug you want, at almost all the public middle and high schools in this country, and this has been the case ever since the very early 1970s. He ignored how most other civilized nations - Western Europe, especially - have lowered their illegal usage - through the decriminalization of drugs. [continues 73 words]
CONWAY - An Horry County grand jury indicted a 13-year Loris councilman Monday on 14 counts of criminal drug charges. Now the governor's office will consider whether he should remain on the council while he faces those charges. The grand jury issued the seven two-count indictments Monday against 57-year-old James Russell Herring related to the sale and possession of narcotics at his downtown business, according to court documents. Horry County police conducted a three-month investigation that culminated with Herring's arrest July 5. [continues 306 words]
South Carolina's methamphetamine labs are reminiscent of the exploding liquor stills that sprang up during Prohibition. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have created a youth-oriented black market. Drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only make drug trafficking more profitable. For addictive drugs like meth, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 126 words]
There are many questions as to why the University of South Carolina has changed its drug policy for student-athletes. Much debate has gone on over the prudence of such a change, but many of the facts behind the change have not been properly addressed. First and foremost, USC athletics is not required by the school, the Southeastern Conference or the NCAA to administer drug testing. The NCAA randomly tests, and often in connection with championship games. USC voluntarily has had in place one of the strictest drug policies of any school in the nation, and the change from two strikes to four does not alter its status as one of the strictest policies in Division I-A. [continues 694 words]
IT IS INTERESTING what a little digging beneath the surface often reveals. On the surface, South Carolina's recently released four-step drug-testing policy for athletes seems lenient and designed primarily to keep those athletes eligible for competition. A closer look reveals that the policy is geared toward educating athletes about the abuse of drugs, and the policy is perhaps as stringent as any in the country. Before we get into all the details of USC's policy, understand that athletes at most NCAA institutions are the only students who are tested for use of recreational drugs such as alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Of the 24,000 members of USC's student body, only the 450 or so scholarship athletes are forbidden from partaking in recreational drugs. [continues 717 words]
Tony Grasso has witnessed the aftermaths of six murders, a beating and two stabbings in his Russeldale community off Rivers Avenue near the Mark Clark Expressway. "Last Thanksgiving, a man was chasing a guy down the street shooting at him," Grasso said. "Drugs. That's our biggest thing -- drugs, drugs, drugs." The Russeldale Neighborhood Council hasn't met for years, and the semblance of a Crime Watch organization has fallen apart. A proposed U.S. Department of Justice target area for crime in North Charleston might not remove all of the violence in Russeldale and four other nearby neighborhoods. But it could provide $175,000 a year to start chipping away at the problem. [continues 479 words]
Legalizing Drugs Would Unleash Problems James E. Dunn [letter, July 20, "Legalizing drugs would cut costs, crime"] asked: "Is there really any good and realistic reason why we don't legalize these drugs, and then have the government sell them to anyone 21 and older?" The answer is yes, and I would be glad to list a few. Allowing anyone older than 21 to purchase these drugs would open up the drug trade to everyone. The suppliers today are mostly older than 21, and it would just make things easier for this scum of humanity who supply drugs to our children. [continues 332 words]
Police won't give details on former lieutenant's actions Charleston Police Department demoted a veteran narcotics unit supervisor Tuesday after an internal affairs investigation found he had violated the department's rules and procedures, authorities said. James Mackey was reduced in rank from lieutenant to private, a stinging, precipitous drop that all but erases the gains he made during an 18-year rise through the department. Though police officials say the action closes the case, state investigators have been asked to open a separate probe into Mackey's conduct. [continues 577 words]
Many Americans, through self-destructive choice, ruin their lives with illegal drug abuse. In contrast, the many children whose lives are ruined by such abuse have no choice in the matter. And the insidious spread of "meth" addiction through our community and state is victimizing a growing number of innocents, underscoring the growing need to counter this menace with sufficient law enforcement, public education, treatment and child welfare. As Jonathan Maze reported in Sunday's Post and Courier, the steep rise in methamphetamine manufacture and use in our state has been accompanied by a steep rise in child abuse, abandonment and neglect. Donny Brock, director of outpatient treatment services for Charleston County, told our reporter of the drug's negative impact on judgment: "That can explain why parents are cooking up meth and letting their infant go two or three days without eating." [continues 212 words]
Myrtle Beach Asks for Statewide Ban The drug's effect is described as dreamlike. One user said it made him feel like he was shrinking. Salvia divinorum may or may not be the new psychotropic scourge of the coast, and it comes from a variety of a gardeners' favorite plant -- the flowering salvia sage that drives hummingbirds mad. Put that pipe away, you won't find the herb at a garden center nearby. In July, Myrtle Beach City Council voted unanimously to ask for a statewide ban of the plant, whose leaves or extract can be smoked or chewed. The council said teens were buying it at shops on Ocean Boulevard, the heart of the popular tourist beach strip. [continues 676 words]
In recent years, number of Lowcountry labs has grown considerably It was a sticky June morning when Charleston County investigators swept down on the secluded slice of Yonge's Island. Their target: a methamphetamine "cook" brewing his latest batch of the highly addictive drug. In just a few minutes, detectives had slapped handcuffs on the suspect and placed him under arrest. But their real work was just beginning. Wearing protective suits, investigators carefully picked through the site for more than six hours, ever watchful for the danger posed by harmful vapors and volatile chemicals. [continues 1420 words]
Is kindergarten too early to start teaching kids about drugs and negative peer pressure? Veteran teacher Faye Bellamy of Richard Carroll Elementary School, Campus A in Bamberg says definitely not. As a K5- and first-grade teacher for 28 years, Bellamy knows what goes on the minds and lives of her young, impressionable charges. "In this fast-paced society of today, even very young children are being exposed to things through family members and peers," Bellamy said. "We can help them sort these things out." [continues 595 words]
Instead Of '2 Strikes' Rule, Players Can Test Positive 4 Times Before Dismissal USC's athletics department implemented a revised drug testing policy this week that gives athletes who test positive for recreational drugs, alcohol and anabolic steroids more chances to remain on their teams. The previous wellness program featured a "two strikes and out" penalty phase, calling for the automatic dismissal of athletes who tested positive for a banned substance a second time. The revised program, which took effect Monday, works on a "four strikes and out" basis. [continues 707 words]
Child welfare agencies struggle to provide care for young victims Berkeley County sheriff's deputies did not find an active methamphetamine lab when they searched Candace Darnell's mobile home in Summerville last year. Instead, police say they found one dismantled and packed away in boxes throughout the home. Police have charged the the 31-year-old Darnell with cleaning up to prepare for a meeting at the home the next day with welfare workers in hopes of regaining custody of her children. [continues 1818 words]
It is unusual but not unheard of that a seal is placed on an agreement to return to an owner property that has been tapped for seizure after a drug raid, a University of South Carolina law professor said. The 15th Circuit solicitor's office has reached such an agreement with James Russell Herring, a Loris City Councilman who was charged last month in a drug bust at his store, Russell's Super Service, which also is called Russell's Stop & Shop. [continues 246 words]
When Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe meets President Bush at his ranch in Crawford today, he will seek continued support for the hard-line policies he is applying in the South American nation to quell violence and eradicate narcotics. Mr. Uribe, who has shown enormous courage in taking the battle to the two powerful guerrilla armies that have controlled vast areas of Colombia for decades, deserves Washington's backing. But some strings should be attached to his request for funding to pay for a plan to demobilize a paramilitary army and reincorporate its 20,000 fighters into society. [continues 334 words]
The chance to fight an addiction to narcotic painkillers using a medication prescribed in medical offices generates frequent waiting lists at Regional Psychiatry. It is the only clinic in Spartanburg with doctors authorized to prescribe buprenorphine-containing medication to treat opiate addiction. Patients undergoing treatment with medicines called Suboxone or Subutex may only need to meet with their doctor once or twice a week, whereas other treatment such as programs at methadone clinics typically require daily visits. Thirty-five physicians are authorized to prescribe buprenorphine in South Carolina. Two are in Spartanburg at Regional Psychiatry -- Dr. Rupert McCormac and Dr. Amishi Y. Shah. [continues 449 words]
Buzz Bars and Ganja Pops claim to offer a different kind of trip to the candy shop, and some people think that the marijuana-flavored sweets need to be weeded out of stores. In a budding market, manufacturers such as the Mary Jane Candy Co. are using hemp essential oil to make Pot Suckers lollipops, Buzz Bar chocolates, Icky Sticky Nuggets, Chronic Candy and other products with a knowing wink and nudge to illegal drugs. Think "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" meets Cheech and Chong. [continues 404 words]
Drug Available On Ocean Boulevard Myrtle Beach City Council on Thursday discussed asking the S.C. General Assembly for a statewide ban on a hallucinogenic plant that's being sold on Ocean Boulevard. The herb Salvia divinorum is legally available in many Boulevard stores. It causes euphoria and disorientation through smoking or chewing the leaf, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration Web site. However, City Council members Thursday spoke of the plant's ill effects on teenagers who are looking for a legal high. [continues 376 words]
Since the federal government would be selling these drugs, the many violent crimes associated with drug dealing and pushing would go down dramatically. The Sun News had an informative and insightful article on its editorial page awhile back. It was with regard to our huge national illegal drug problem among our youth. The ultra-conservative columnist William F. Buckley Jr. wrote it. The illegal drug problem is of tremendous importance among our youngsters right here in Horry and Georgetown counties. In the column, Buckley implores this nation to now do what almost all the other civilized countries in the world have done regarding illegal drugs: Legalize all drugs for anyone who is 21 or older. He also recommended that anyone caught selling these illegal drugs to anyone younger than 21 be sent to prison for a very long time. [continues 359 words]
County, Cities Join Under Single Team Horry County law-enforcement officials say that, at a time when the drug trade is becoming increasingly more high tech and organized, a newly formed regional narcotics task force will help them go after drug dealers and their operations more efficiently. "We're going to remove the geographical advantages that drug dealers have," said 15th Circuit Solicitor Greg Hembree, the man largely credited with bringing together the six departments that make up what will be known as the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. [continues 837 words]
Herring Free On Bond, Still Serving On Loris Council CONWAY - A Loris City Councilman, described by some as a generous friend to his community, faces 14 charges related to the sale and possession of drugs at his business. A list of allegations against James Russell Herring, 57, was spelled out Wednesday during his bond hearing at J. Reuben Long Detention Center. He is charged with two counts each of distribution of marijuana and distribution of marijuana within a half-mile of a school, four counts each of distribution of schedule III narcotics and distribution of schedule III narcotics within a half-mile of a school, and one count each of illegal possession of schedule II narcotics and unlawful possession of prescription medications. [continues 645 words]
I applaud The Post and Courier's sensible stance regarding medical marijuana in the June 17 editorial "Mercy and medical marijuana." I have never used marijuana -- not even once. Nor am I the least bit interested in trying the drug if it were legalized for recreational use. But if I become afflicted with a serious illness and my doctor thinks marijuana might lessen my chronic pain or control my nausea, I hope he would be allowed to prescribe it as he would any other drug or treatment. Medical decisions should be left to trained physicians and not legislators or judges. Robert Westerfelhaus [end]
CHERAW - Criminal defendants with drug addictions in Chesterfield County soon will have the opportunity to get their legal and substance abuse problems resolved. The Chesterfield County Drug Court, established through state government funds, will be operated through the 4th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office. Authorities are calling the addition a watershed moment in the system's handling of nonviolent offenders. At a press conference in Cheraw on Wednesday, Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, said implementation of the program "truly marks a shift in the way that we fight the drug problem in this area." [continues 403 words]
Departments Use Their Share Of Cash Seized For Training, Gear The drug trade has been good to Ridgeland. It's not that the Jasper County town of 2,500 welcomes the flow of drug traffic along Interstate 95. But the town's 13-member Police Department has benefited through federal forfeiture laws that allow the agency to receive most of the drug proceeds seized in its jurisdiction. Since September 2002, the department has received $2.85 million in drug-seizure funds, Ridgeland Police Chief Richard Woods said. [continues 900 words]
Eddie Young felt like he didn't fit in. He felt like "an alien." He was lonely and afraid. Crack cocaine took all that away. "It takes away all the pain, all the fear," he said. "It became my best friend." It took away more than that, though, the 38-year-old heavy machinery operator said during an interview at the Phoenix Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Greenville. He blew his life's savings, $24,000, in a one-month binge before hitting bottom last month - again. [continues 1129 words]
Inside South Carolina
