One of New Zealand's biggest nitrous oxide importers will stop the flow of hundreds of thousands of canisters a month after the ruling it is illegal to buy or sell the substance to inhale. Southern Hospitality Purchasing officer Paul Gell said 90 per cent of the company's market for nitrous oxide - or nos - was being used for non-catering purposes, and it would stop importing "for demand" after the Crown Law ruling this week. A Government review of existing laws, initiated as a way to curb nitrous oxide use, found it was illegal to sell and buy nitrous oxide to inhale. [continues 496 words]
Cops want more cash to take on grow ops, but with a tiny closet and a few gizmos - no mould, no stolen electricity, no neglected kids - we can topple the drug czars, save policing cash and keep ourselves blissfully buzzed. Location, Location, Location Make sure to situate your grow op in an out-of-the-way place like a closet. You don't want the furnace repair man smelling out your stash. Forgo the tin-foil lining on the walls. It actually reflects tiny beams of light that can burn your plants. A coat of flat white paint works best. [continues 540 words]
Three-Day Session On Strategies To Tackle Abuse POLACCA --Youth on the Hopi Reservation have a drug and alcohol problem, and every entity needs to come together to help address the problem. Those were the two key points that continually arose during the Hopi Tribe's drug and alcohol summit held at Hopi Jr/Sr High School April 4-6. More than 200 attended the first two days and more than 150 attended the final day. Hopi Chief Justice Gary LaRance, co-chairman of the summit, said community leaders will come together after the summit to come up with strategies to address the drug and alcohol problem. [continues 1279 words]
Bacterium Is Transmitted Through Saliva Sharing isn't always a good thing. In fact, sometimes it can be deadly. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is urging people not to share marijuana joints after this practice was linked to several cases of meningococcal disease--including two that resulted in death. VCH has recorded five cases of meningococcal disease since November 2004. Four of the five people regularly smoked and shared marijuana, and two died as a result of their infection. "Sharing joints, which has been reported in other clusters of meningococcal cases, exposes users to saliva that may contain the meningococcal bacteria," said Dr. Patricia Daly, director of communicable disease control for VCH. "Those who smoke and share marijuana on a regular basis are urged to either change their behaviour or get vaccinated." [continues 286 words]
SUPPORTERS of accused drug trafficker Schapelle Corby are trying to raise a $1 million reward for anyone with information which would clear the Australian in a Bali court. Corby will learn today if she will face the death penalty if found guilty of the charge. Prosecutors will tell the Denpasar District Court what punishment the 27-year-old former Gold Coast beauty student should receive if convicted. Corby was caught with 4.1 kg of marijuana in her unlocked bodyboard bag at Denpasar airport in October, but she says she is innocent and the drugs were planted, probably by a baggage handler involved in an Australian drug ring. [continues 314 words]
Confusion surrounds the sale of nitrous oxide after the Government said it had determined that the so-called laughing gas was illegal to sell or buy to inhale. Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said nitrous oxide was a prescription medicine and its unrestricted sale was illegal under the Medicines Act. But retailers, including operators of "nos bars" in Christchurch, are preparing to sidestep the law and it is likely to be tested in court. Retailers claim the law does not apply to food-grade nitrous oxide, which is commonly taken by recreational users in the form of cream-whipper canisters sold for about $13 for a box of 10. [continues 295 words]
A former Nelson man became a paid police informer in the Nelson methamphetamine or P scene because the drug was so destructive it "disgusted" him, the High Court at Nelson has heard. The 29-year-old informer, who has name suppression, gave evidence against Michael Glen Bal, flanked by two plain clothed security guards on Wednesday. Bal, nicknamed "Jesus" by his associates in Nelson, has pleaded not guilty to seven drug-related charges. The charges include manufacturing methamphetamine or P, supplying the Class A drug, possessing substances used to manufacture P and supplying cannabis to people under 18 years of age. [continues 443 words]
A party pill retailer believes she can still sell nitrous oxide legally provided it's not to people who inhale the gas. Cheryl, who declined to give her surname, runs Go Legal in Palmerston North, which sells canisters of the gas, charging $12.50 for a carton of 10. She said following the publicity over the gas, she rang the Ministry of Health in Wellington for information. Based on this call, she has put a sign up in her store advising the gas is only intended for whipping cream, and not inhaling. [continues 352 words]
An interesting discussion is under way in southern Berkshire County concerning the mandatory minimum sentences required for drug sales within 1,000 feet of a school under the state's "drug-free school zone" legislation. The catalyst was a series of drug busts in the fall in the Great Barrington area that followed a lengthy police investigation. In all, 19 young people were arrested on a variety of drug charges in September, the Berkshire Eagle reported, and a number of the charges involve a drug-free school zone allegation and, therefore, a two-year jail term if there is a conviction. But now a group has formed called the Concerned Citizens for Appropriate Justice, and a petition that collected 400 signatures was submitted to Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless. [continues 364 words]
NEW YORK - A U.S. Air National Guard pilot and a crew member have been arrested for using official military missions to smuggle millions of dollars worth Ecstasy into the United States, federal authorities said on Wednesday. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Christopher Giovino, who heads the New York organized drug enforcement strike force, said the arrests were part of a long-term, ongoing investigation. He described the men as transporters in a bigger conspiracy but said he could not provide any other details. [continues 338 words]
