It is hard to believe such power rests in such a little pill. But the small size of OxyContin, a prescription narcotic pain medicine related to morphine, belies its potential to either help those who use it, or hurt those who abuse it. Doctors say OxyContin can be a mighty, life-enriching weapon against crippling pain for patients who have conditions such as cancer, arthritis, or chronic back pain when the drug is used correctly. However, once this pill is crushed and snorted or injected, it unleashes a demon of addiction that can wreck lives, destroy health or even cause death. [continues 1163 words]
After two months at the helm of South Carolina's embattled prison system, director Gary D. Maynard is certain of one thing: The recent series of sex and drug scandals has shattered the credibility of the Department of Corrections. Restoring public faith in the integrity of its prison system may be the new director's most daunting task. Maynard took over in May. Gov. Jim Hodges fired veteran director William "Doug" Catoe after it was discovered that convicted murderer Susan Smith had sex with two guards and that inmates on work detail at the governor's mansion were having sex. Restoring public faith requires a renewed focus on the basics, such as fiscal responsibility, effectiveness, safety and efficiency, Maynard said. But the question on a lot of minds is: How do you keep inmates and corrections officers from having sex? It's a issue of employee training and oversight, Maynard said. Maynard's job history includes working at entry-level positions, so he knows the pitfalls. [continues 706 words]
Drug-Detection Method Not Integral To Job, Area Law Enforcement Officials Say The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling this week that limited how police can use thermal imaging devices to root out marijuana growers will affect some local law enforcement agencies, but won't stifle their efforts. The court ruled that officers must get a search warrant before using the devices to detect excess heat from houses where marijuana might be growing under high-powered sunlamps. Until the court's 5-4 ruling that using the thermal imaging device violated the constitutional right to privacy, police used the heat detection patterns as evidence of probable cause to get search warrants to enter the homes. The court said police were using a "device that is not in general public use to explore details of a private home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion." Drug Enforcement Administration agents have used thermal imaging in Charleston and across South Carolina for several years, acting special agent Jim Matthews said. "It's a great tool, a great final nail in the coffin for confirming what we usually already suspect is going on," he said. In the past, agents trained the devices on houses where they had other reasons to suspect that someone was growing marijuana, Matthews said. DEA agents here did not cruise around with the thermal imaging devices to detect random high readings, he said. "It's more like we know that someone has a $900 power bill or are stealing power, and we have other reasons to suspect that's what's going on, then we point the imaging device at the house, and it just lights up and confirms what we thought," he said. The ruling just means another step in the investigations, law enforcement officials said. "Defense lawyers know it's a pain to get a search warrant already. [continues 242 words]
