On-the-road impairment is rising, and Pennsylvania offers a program for police. As deadly crashes involving drivers under the influence of illegal drugs become more common, law enforcement officials say there is a growing need for specialized drug recognition training, particularly among municipal police officers. In Luzerne County, four fatal crashes involved drugged drivers in 2007 - - compared to one in the previous year - according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The statistics also show 49 crashes countywide last year involved drug-impaired drivers on roadways. Over five years, 246 crashes, 13 of them fatal, involved illegal drugs or medication. Alcohol also was identified in 106 of those crashes. [continues 650 words]
Clinic In Plains Twp. Friend To Heroin Addicts PLAINS TWP. - Christy, 23, is a single, working mother raising a 3-year-old daughter. Maria, 35, is married, balancing a full-time job and a family. Both are recovering heroin addicts who are undergoing treatment at the region's only methadone clinic in Plains Township. And both have remained off drugs since they've been put on methadone - a synthetic drug used to block withdrawal and eliminate opiate prescription painkiller and heroin dependency. [continues 1704 words]
A prominent national registered student organization is seeking student-plaintiffs for a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union last week. Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), in partnership with the ACLU, is challenging a federal law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. CMU has yet to be affected by the federal law, said Mike Owens, associate dean of students and interim director of Scholarships and Financial Aid. He said the university has not had a single case in which a student lost eligibility with the consequence of the drug penalty law. [continues 369 words]
Even the smallest amount of drugs won't get past Officer K-9 Lizzy. The drug dog is a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, imported from the Netherlands, said her partner-in-crime Sgt. Leo Mioduszewski of CMU Police. "Nothing can mask the smell of drugs," Mioduszewski said. "You're not going to fool our dog." Lizzy responds only to Dutch commands. She is trained in drug detection and tracking. "So when I got partnered up with her I had to learn eight or nine different Dutch terms so I could communicate with her," he said. [continues 519 words]
