CONCORD - A bill that imposes tougher penalties on people convicted of making the drug methamphetamine was approved by lawmakers Thursday and is headed to Gov. John Lynch. The bill sets a prison term of up to 30 years and a fine of up to $500,000, with even longer sentences for repeat offenders. It also allows the court to order restitution be paid when officials or property owners have to clean up the toxic chemicals involved in the drug's manufacture. [continues 69 words]
PORTSMOUTH - A Portsmouth High School student walked out of court Monday with a prison sentence and walked onto the baseball field later that day. Matthew Anderson, a 17-year-old junior, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell marijuana charges at Portsmouth District Court on Monday and will serve a week in jail this summer. Later that evening, he struck out four batters in two hitless innings, helping the Clippers close out a 6-3 season-opening win over Pinkerton Academy. This came four months after the School Board voted to cancel the high school swim team's season in the aftermath of a swim-a-thon fund-raiser when some of the 43 students on the team drank alcohol. [continues 385 words]
SEABROOK - It's not a question of if, but when, the meth epidemic will hit the state. So say Seabrook police, who on the border of Massachusetts await the next illegal drug influx like sailors looking toward a coming storm. "Heroin is traditionally cheap and available," said Seabrook Police Officer Jeffrey Stackpole. "This, unfortunately, is the drug of the future we're dealing with." Unlike heroin, which infected Seabrook as an "epidemic," according to the State Police Narcotics Unit, methamphetamines will require no clandestine trips to Lowell or Lawrence, Mass., to secure the drug. [continues 537 words]
Do candy cigarettes or tequila-flavored lollipops influence children's decisions later on in life? Police and health officials say they do, but some local stores say there is no reason to pull the products off the shelves. Kittery resident Priscilla Guy said she was outraged when she walked into the local 7-Eleven and saw tequila-flavored lollipops that include a real worm. What she found more outrageous was that the candy was accessible to children. The lollipops do not contain alcohol. [continues 1423 words]
News that Kittery police last month made the biggest drug bust in state history when they seized $200,000 worth of crack cocaine did not surprise local counselors and police. As stronger, deadlier drugs make their way into Maine, parents of teens and young adults need to be ever-vigilant and on the lookout for signs their children might be involved with illegal drug use, said both police and area counselors last week. Locally, marijuana remains the most popular and accessible drug among teen-agers, according to Sally Keck, a substance abuse counselor with York Hospital's Cottage Program, and York Police Detective Tom Cryan. But a growing number of deadlier drugs is making an impact. [continues 768 words]
