Nicolas Peruyero was 8 years old, blind and unable to walk or talk when his mother saw a documentary about the benefits of medical marijuana and its promise to reduce seizures. For a few moments, Nancy Peruyero imagined what Nicolas' life might be like without the relentless myoclonic seizures every day. And for the first time, she allowed herself to hope, an emotion she had rarely felt since that August afternoon in 2009 when her youngest son was diagnosed with Batten disease, an unusual neurological disorder marked by seizures, loss of motor skills and mental impairment. His life expectancy with the disease is no more than 12 years. He turned 9 on Oct.2. [continues 2118 words]
Stay or go: That's the choice Florida families with sick children may face as voters decide whether to allow expanded use of medical marijuana. Even with approval, no one is sure how quickly the strains would be available to the public. Nicolas Peruyero was 8 years old, blind and unable to walk or talk when his mother saw a documentary about the benefits of medical marijuana and its promise to reduce seizures. For a few moments, Nancy Peruyero imagined what Nicolas' life might be like without the relentless myoclonic seizures every day. And for the first time, she allowed herself to hope, an emotion she had rarely felt since that August afternoon in 2009 when her youngest son was diagnosed with Batten disease, an unusual neurological disorder marked by seizures, loss of motor skills and mental impairment. His life expectancy with the disease is no more than 12 years. He turned 9 on Oct. 2. [continues 600 words]
There Are Signs That Heroin Is Returning As a Cheap Alternative to Prescription Pills, the By-Product of Florida's Successful Crackdown on Pill Mills. Kevin Foley stood before a judge in Broward County's drug court - fellow abusers sitting behind in him in the pews - talking about the fitful life of a recovering addict, the random drug tests, the counseling and what he hoped was his next, clean chapter. Foley, 21, has been hooked on heroin for nearly two years. Before that, he was popping oxycodone and other prescription pills snapped up as Florida become a bustling marketplace of illegal pill mills. He turned to heroin after his drug of choice became too expensive. "I was chasing the next high," says Foley, who landed in drug court after a heroin possession arrest in December. "I wanted to try it all." [continues 1624 words]
