The numbers, each one representing a precious American life, tell the story of the growing danger of prescription drug abuse. In 2011, the Los Angeles Times ran a story which reported that in 2009, the number of Americans who died as a result of prescription drug abuse exceeded the number of those killed in vehicular accidents. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the number of Americans whose deaths are related to prescription drug abuse has doubled in just the past decade. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that 2.7 percent of the U.S. population, or nearly 7 million Americans, currently use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.

The prescription medications most often abused are prescription painkillers. Prescription pain relievers are implicated in 73 percent of all instances of prescription drug abuse. Drugs like OxyContin and Roxicodone along with the hydrocodone-based medications Vicodin and Norco are among those most often being misused. These drugs must be picked up at the pharmacy, and the abuse of these medications has brought violent crime in its wake and into the local drugstore. The rise in crimes occurring at the neighborhood pharmacy is alarming.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the number of armed robberies occurring in pharmacies rose by a frightening 81 percent between the years 2006 and 2010 (from 385 to 698). Robberies involving a gun in 2010 numbered around 700 and there have been more than 2,800 such robberies since the year 2006. It is usually a small, locally owned pharmacy which gets targeted when such crimes are committed. A few recent cases highlight the cause for concern:

• In South Carolina, a man carrying a gun demanded that the pharmacist load his bag with Oxycodone
• In New York, two men were killed by a gunman while the robber demanded money and prescription pain relievers
• Also in New York, four people, including the pharmacist were shot and killed by a robber who demanded prescription drugs including 10,000 pain pills
• Recent pharmacy robberies have been attempted in North Carolina, Arizona and Massachusetts

Experts have suggested that pharmacies take precautions to protect themselves and their customers. A few of those suggestions:

1. Place dangerous prescription medications like OxyContin into a locked safe
2. Place a measuring tape in or along the frame of the main doorway so that surveillance cameras will record a robber’s exact height
3. Place the pharmacy aisles and counters in such a way as to ensure an uncluttered view of the store entrance
4. Place a bell on the door which rings each time a customer enters
5. Make sure that the pharmacist and all behind-the-counter employees look and take note of all entering customers

The abuse of prescription drugs is of concern for several reasons. It is reaching epidemic proportions, it is involving criminal elements, it is killing our citizens and it is making a necessary trip to the pharmacy a potential danger.

Prescription Drug Abuse Leads to Increased Pharmacy Crimes is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Those who work the pharmacy counters are a bit more cautious lately and officials believe it to be the rise in addictions to prescription drugs such as Vicodin that is leading to the increase in robberies. Technicians who normally love their job say they are becoming increasingly concerned about the dangers of being a pharmacy technician. While they used to worry about people coming into the store and stealing Valium, now they are concerned about people coming in with guns.

The DEA reports that there is an increase nationwide in the amount of these types of robberies. Some places such as Walgreen’s have begun to store security locked cabinets that makes it more difficult to get to the popular drugs such as Oxycontin. Police say they are staying busy trying to handle these types of threats but unfortunately, our society is becoming more and more addicted to prescription pain medications according to Volunteer TV.

James Berrong, with the Sheriff’s Office in Blount County, says people who used to get their pill fix at pain clinics are now resorting to these desperate attempts to get their pills and breaking the law to do so. Berrong says people are becoming more and more desperate because of their addictions and are resorting to desperate measures such as committing serious crimes simply because their supplies have been cut off.

Armed Robberies on the Rise at Pharmacies Nationwide is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The police officer was standing near the front passenger side of the cop car when Glover asked if he could step out of his car to smoke a cigarette. The officer agreed; as Glover opened the door and started to exit the vehicle, two syringes dropped to the ground. One of the syringes contained a clear liquid and the other contained a reddish liquid.

The officer approached Glover and asked him if he was diabetic; Glover replied in the negative. He did, however, tell the cop that he “messed up” and that both syringes contained meth. The officer immediately arrested Glover, read him his Miranda rights, and called for backup. At the time of his arrest, defendant did not exhibit any signs of being under the influence of methamphetamine. When backup arrived, Glover told the cop that a lady friend shot him up with meth earlier that morning but, because she did not use the entire amount, some of the reddish liquid remained in the syringe. He admitted that he was saving it for future use.

At trial, Glover testified that he found the syringes in the armrest of his car just moments before being pulled over and denied knowing that there were syringes filled with meth in his car. He also denied having been shot up with meth earlier that morning. Instead, Glover claimed that a woman who had access to his vehicle came to his house and must have stolen the syringes from his diabetic roommate, filled them with meth, and put them in his car.

The jury found Glover guilty of felony transportation of a controlled substance (California Health & Safety Code, section 11379(a)), felony possession of a controlled substance (Health & Safety Code, section 11377(a)), and misdemeanor unlawful possession of a hypodermic needle and syringe (Business and Professional Code, section 4140). The trial court granted defendant probation under Proposition 36, which will allow Glover to attend a drug treatment program instead of serving time in jail. Drug treatment probation is typically available to those convicted of nonviolent drug possession offenses.

On appeal, Glover complains that the only evidence to implicate him was circumstantial evidence concerning his state of mind; evidence that syringes containing meth fell from his lap automatically meant (at least in the mind of the jury) that he knew they were filled with meth. Although the officer’s testimony was direct evidence that Glover knew of syringes containing methamphetamine, only circumstantial evidence showed that Glover knew those syringes were in the vehicle. Since the trial judge failed to instruct the jury on how to evaluate circumstantial evidence, failure to do so violated his constitutional rights to a fair trial by jury and due process.

The Court of Appeal rejected Glover’s argument, declaring that the conviction was not predicated on circumstantial evidence. The Court declared that Glover’s statements to the officer were direct evidence that he knew syringes containing meth were in his car.

Even if the trial court should have instructed the jury on how to evaluate circumstantial evidence, failure to do so was simply harmless error and does not require Glover’s conviction to be overturned. There was overwhelming evidence that Glover was guilty; two of syringes of meth fell to the ground at the moment Glover exited his car, he told the officer that he “messed up” and that both syringes contained meth, he admitted using meth from one of those syringes earlier that morning and to saving the rest of the reddish liquid for later use and, finally, declared that he knew he should not have had meth on his person. Thus, any error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
 

Case Study: Meth Addict Loses Appeal; Sentence to Drug Treatment Program Probation under Prop 36 is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Recently, however, Monterrey has suffered through intense drug violence the likes of which it has never experienced. For instance, a college student was recently killed by a bullet to his head during open gunfire at a popular downtown mall; other bystanders suffered serious injuries.

Because Monterrey is Mexico’s wealthiest city, it was inevitable that the fighting would find its way there and into the lives of its four million residents. Two rival gangs, the Gulfs and Zetas, have laid claim to Monterrey and are openly warring with each other for control. Commentators observe that the fighting came to Monterrey almost without warning about four years ago, with inadequate law enforcement and drug lord corruption providing for easy access. About half of the police force have been fired due to links to the drug war. There has been an increase in civilian casualties, as well as an increase in killings of politicians and journalists.  In response to the invasion at Monterrey, the government of Mexico has (belatedly) ordered an increase in military presence and federal police in the region.

Most residents of Monterrey now live in fear of being carjacked or caught in the crossfire of the two gangs, a far cry from the days when industrial leaders were able to freely move about the city in luxury vehicles to visit trendy and expensive restaurants and shops. In 2010, over five hundred people have been killed due to the drug trade, a ten-fold increase from 2009.

What started as collateral damage, however, has turned personal. In an effort to supplement proceeds of the drug trade, Monterrey’s legitimate business community leaders have become targets of extortion and kidnapping schemes concocted by area drug lords. The head of the city’s commerce, retail and tourism chamber estimates that over sixty percent of business owners received extortion threats in 2010.  He also estimates that companies are spending as much as five percent of cash flow on security, which has benefited companies that sell alarms, locks and cameras.

The US Government has responded to the increase in violence in Monterrey by ordering all US diplomats to relocate their families from the area; a recent shooting outside the prestigious American Foundation School has rattled American parents. Citing security concerns, the Jonas brothers cancelled a concert in Monterrey this past October.
 

Monterrey Mexico Succumbs to Drug Violence is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

US District Judge Jack T. Camp, Jr., a long-time Atlanta, Georgia jurist, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and charged with purchasing and possessing Roxycodone (a narcotic pain reliever), pot and cocaine from a stripper who had been working with law enforcement officials. He will also face federal weapons charges.

The stripper in question worked at another area club and alternated between buying drugs with the judge and selling them to him. However, drugs weren’t the only things on the menu. Officials allege that Judge Camp also paid for private dances and sexual favors from the stripper. She was also known to have used drugs with the judge and, in fact, some say the couple had begun a romantic relationship in the months leading up to Camp’s arrest. Evidence suggests that Judge Camp promised the stripper that he would help sort out issues surrounding her police record.

According to the FBI complaint, during their drug sessions the pair would snort both cocaine and Roxycodone and then smoke pot. In order to make preparations easier on the stripper, Judge Camp provided her with a pill crusher for her to use when preparing the Roxycodone for ingestion. At some point authorities got in contact with the stripper and elicited her help in snaring the judge. With the stripper’s approval, FBI agents were able to secretly record conversations between Camp and the stripper; the results of these private conversations were used to help build a case against the judge.

Eventually, the FBI arranged for the stripper to ensnare Camp in a drug-buying sting. The sixty-seven year old judge was arrested on the first of October in the parking lot of the Velvet Room, a strip club in Sandy Springs, about fifteen miles north of Atlanta. In a search coinciding with the arrest, officers discovered blue pills and a white powder in a plastic bag; the judge had also been driving around with two guns in his car.

Camp was recently arraigned before a magistrate from Alabama and was then released on a $50,000 bond. The unidentified stripper has a federal rap sheet and has a history of prostitution and drug possession charges. In return for her help in catching Judge Camp, the stripper has been granted immunity from any criminal charges that may arise as a result of her participation in the early stages of the couple’s drug-filled meetings.

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Camp was nominated by President Regan in 1988 and has been a judge for over twenty years. He was, by all accounts, a very respected member of the Atlanta judicial community. Camp’s lawyer tried to downplay the public corruption aspects of the case by claiming the issues surround Camp’s marriage and infidelity are most important. The chief judge for the Northern District of Georgia has recused the entire Court from any involvement in Camp’s criminal case.
 

Atlanta Judge Arrested for Buying Drugs from Stripper is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

About 50 college students from Central Washington University had attended a party at the Ellensburg home located 30 minutes from campus after a music event nearby that had featured 20 bands at three venues, according to the Associated Press. When concerned friends removed a female student from the party and drove off to a nearby shopping center, they feared the friend may have been overdosing on an unknown substance and called 911. While investigating the cause of the girl’s overdose, police located the home where the party was taking place and were required to break down the front door after no one responded to their requests. Despite the loud party scene heard by neighbors earlier in the night, police found the house filled with unconscious and semi-unconscious college students both inside and out. Party-goers, mostly college students between the ages of 18 and 21, later reported having only drank an average of 1–2 drinks, yet were found to be highly intoxicated. Some students were passed out, incoherent, or extremely sick, and vomit was found all over the house and lawn. Police reported multiple drug overdoses from an unknown substance—believed to be Rohypnol—that witnesses suspect may have been unwittingly mixed with a bottle of vodka which several party-goers had been sharing. Eleven female students and one male student were transported to the nearby hospital after having overdosed on the substance.

Rohypnol, or ‘roofies,’ is a tasteless, odorless, soluble drug commonly used in sexual assaults and has become known as the ‘date-rape drug.’ Witnesses at the party said that a bottle of vodka was used to make many mixed drinks for the students—mostly female—who became quickly sick after consuming small amounts of alcohol. Many of the female party-goers suddenly become faint or ill, and several began falling about or vomiting around the same time. The students reported that they never intended on becoming that intoxicated, unconscious, or overdosing, and police believed they were victims of a large scheme to render them all defenseless by use of the unknown substance. Party-goers who had brought their own alcoholic beverages or who were not consuming alcohol were unaffected. After treating the victims and locating the host of the party (a CWU freshman), an additional 35 other students were also interviewed by police.

Toxicology tests were done on the twelve patients who experienced overdose; after receiving medical treatment over the weekend, all twelve students were released from the hospital by Sunday. Police have requested an expedited toxicology report from the Washington State Patrol Laboratory; the person(s) responsible for spiking the beverages are still unknown at this time. After conducting a four-hour search of the residence, police were unable to find any illicit substances at the scene. Police later helped transport 27 students back to their dormitories on campus.

One man was found having sex with a semi-unconscious female and was apprehended by police. The woman was later identified as the man’s girlfriend after being treated for overdose at the nearby hospital. The police described the incident as a possible sexual assault that will continue to be investigated, but released the man without any charges at this time.

During the incident, some sober party-goers had attempted to help those who were injured by laying them down on sofas or mattresses, yet no one present had called 911.

CWU officials have issued a statement expressing their grief over the incident, but report that the victims of the crime are now safe. The campus urges all students to protect themselves while partying, such as traveling in groups and refusing open beverages. Campus officials have stated that state law and university policies regarding illegal activities will be enforced on those students responsible. Students involved in the criminal incident will be required to attend a conduct hearing. After official investigation of their actions, CWU may mandate intensive drug and alcohol educational courses, suspension, or expulsion if needed.

Sources: CNN, Women Targeted in Party Overdoses, October 10, 2010

The Associated Press, No Drugs Found at House Where 12 Fell Ill, October 10, 2010

12 Students Were Victims of Drug Assault at College Party is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A recent Associated Press report highlighted that some nurses fear the abuse may get worse if budget crunches result in a reduction of treatment programs. Such programs help those with substance abuse problems, as well as individuals who are dealing with psychotic issues.

For one emergency room nurse, fighting to remove a psychotic patient’s jaws from the hand of a doctor resulted in bruises, scratches and a chipped tooth. In another incident, she was groped by a drunken patient after she helped him into his hospital gown.

As the number of patients coming to emergency rooms with a drug addiction, alcohol problem or psychiatric issues increases, the violence against nurses and other medical professionals is also intensifying.

In fact, visits to the ER by individuals as a result of drug- or alcohol-related incidents reached 2 million in 2008, up from 1.6 million in 2005, according to statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The number of visits that resulted in violence rose to 21,406 in 2008 from 16,277 in 2006.

Those in the medical field claim the problem is only getting worse due to the downturn in the economy. Fewer jobs available impacts the people, leading them to substances they would normally avoid. At the same time, states are closing hospitals, cutting mental health jobs and eliminating addiction programs.
 

Drug-Related Assaults in the ER Increasing is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Oklahoma law enforcement is cracking down on the growth in meth labs, seizing nearly 300 by the end of May. To date, the state is on track to surpass the 743 labs indentified and dismantled in 2009.

Darrell Weaver, executive director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, noted that the majority of the labs being seized by law enforcement are one-pot labs. This process is not meant to support a major drug operation, but instead to feed an addiction.

The growth in one-pot labs is due in large part to the ease in which a lab is created. Common materials are used to create the drug and recipes are easily found online, along with step-by-step instructions.

In the state so far this year, there have been 26 deaths associated with meth. The causes of these fatalities range anywhere from overdoses to accidents that occurred while cooking the drug. In 2009, 68 deaths were identified.

For the majority of these one-pot shops, money isn’t the intention. A good number of these “cooks” will make arrangements with their clients to trade meth for pseudoephedrine.

It is a circle of addiction that is difficult to stop, especially given the ease in which it starts. The consequence, unfortunately, is that too many “cooks” are dying as a result of their activities – deaths that are completely preventable.
 

One-Pot Meth Labs Increasing in Oklahoma is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Most of these state drug dealer laws were developed using the Model Drug Dealer Liability Act (DDLA), which was intended to protect, among others, those injured by a driver under the influence of drugs and families whose children overdose on drugs. California is one of the states that have adopted the model law.

In 1995, the first lawsuit under a state DDLA was brought in Michigan for damages resulting from the birth of a baby born addicted to drugs and for expenses paid by the city of Detroit for treating drug addicts in Detroit jails. In the baby case, two Detroit dealers were ordered to compensate the siblings because the baby was born addicted to cocaine; the baby was later bludgeoned to death by its mother who was high on drugs.

In Utah, the wife of a long-term drug addict filed suit against his drug dealer of six years; the dealer settled out of court prior to trial. In South Dakota a man was killed in an auto accident with another man who was high on drugs. The dead man’s wife sued the drug dealer of the other driver and was awarded over $250 million in damages.

In some DDLA cases, the plaintiff need not prove that the defendant was the particular dealer who supplied the actual drugs that were directly involved in the injury. Instead, liability attaches in a “stream of commerce” type fashion with the plaintiff only needing to prove that the dealer was distributing illegal drugs in the user’s community, that the dealer was distributing the type of drug used by the addict, and that the dealer was actively dealing during the time the addict bought drugs.

Common plaintiffs in DDLA cases include guardians of drug-addicted babies, victims of drugged drivers, parents of teen drug users, and employers, insurers, and governments that must pay for treatment once the users become addicted.

Although the defendants in DDLA cases are typically those who operate in the black market illegal drug trade and plaintiffs are typically third-party victims who did not engage in any wrongful activity, one woman in California recently sought to expand the pool of those who can be held liable for the sale of illegal drugs by suing the pharmacy employers of the man who sold her the prescription drugs that he stole on the job.

A June 22, 2010 opinion from the California Court of Appeals has been certified for partial publication. The case involves the Drug Dealer Liability Act (California Health & Safety Code, §§ 11700 et seq.), which authorizes a user of an illegal controlled substance to recover damages resulting from its use from those who knowingly market the substance. It covers substances that require a prescription. In this case, the court was asked to decide whether a pharmacy is liable under the Drug Dealer Liability Act for conduct of an employee who furnished stolen prescription drugs to a plaintiff.

Plaintiff Melody Whittemore developed a severe infection in the fall of 2005 and was treated by a physician. When she was no longer able to obtain prescriptions for pain medication from her doctor, she sought the medication from other sources. She began buying black market prescription drugs, such as OxyContin, for about one dollar a pill from Steven Correa, an employee of Owens Pharmacy. Whittemore also purchased Norco and hydrocodone from Correa. It is estimated that she paid almost $350,000 for the pills over an eighteen month period.

The drugs were pain medications and were classified as Schedule II controlled substances; as such, they required a prescription before they could be legally dispensed. Whittemore took the drugs for over a year and, not surprisingly became addicted – both physically and emotionally. She eventually had to be hospitalized for her addiction and, thereafter, helped law enforcement build a case and arrest Correa – he had stolen the drugs from the pharmacies for which he worked.

Whittemore discovered that Correa’s employers had a duty to monitor their supply of prescription drugs and to file a report with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) if any of the drugs ever went missing. Whittemore and her husband sued both Correa and the pharmacies from which Correa obtained his drugs. Whittemore contends that the pharmacies owed her a legal duty to properly monitor and account for their drug supplies, identify drug theft and report it to the appropriate authorities so that it could be investigated. Whittemore contends that this failure to properly safeguard the drugs was, in essence, a reckless disregard for her welfare that resulted in her being able to purchase the stolen drugs and develop a dangerous prescription drug addiction.
She attempted to hold the pharmacies liable as suppliers in Correa’s black market operation.

Whittemore’s husband contended that he was also harmed by the prescription drug dealing in that he suffered severe emotional distress by seeing his wife on drugs. The couple also sued for unfair business practices, loss of consortium, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery, arguing that Melody’s addiction made her unable to consent to ingesting the medications. The lawsuit sought compensation for the amount of money spent on the drugs, medical expenses for addiction treatment and punitive damages.

The pharmacies filed a demurrer, arguing that Whittemore could not sue them as she had “unclean hands” — Whittemore’s buying and taking medications without a prescription and with the knowledge that they were stolen is illegal. The lower court sustained the demurrer and dismissed the case. Whittemore appealed the decision, arguing that the Drug Dealer Liability Act created a statutory exception to “unclean hands” as it specifically allowed users of illegal drugs to recover damages.

The Appeals Court largely avoided the “unclean hands” issue and held that the Act applies only to those who knowingly participate in the marketing of illegal drugs. In finding for the pharmacy, the Court determined that it did not “knowingly” participate.

In addition to the “unclean hands” argument, the defendants also argued that they were not responsible for their employee’s conduct based on respondeat superior – Correa was not acting within the scope and course of his employment when he stole the prescription drugs and sold them on the black market. Plaintiffs responded that it was defendants’ failure to supervise their employee and keep track of their drug supplies that caused the injury. Even if this were true, however, the DDLA covers only those who knowingly engage in the illegal drug trade.

Failing to control inventory and supervise employees was likely not what the California legislature intended when targeting those activities that directly contribute to the illegal drug trade. Such behavior typically rises only to the level of negligence or gross negligence, a far cry from the strict liability imposed by the DDLA. However, due to the doctrine of “unclean hands”, a suit brought by Whittemore based on negligence would likely also fail due to her own contributory negligence in ingesting the substances.

Millie Anne Cavanaugh, Esq. is licensed to practice law in California and Massachusetts. The information contained herein is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as a solicitation for your business or as legal advice on any subject matter. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of this information without seeking independent legal advice.

California Court Finds No Liability for Pharmacy under Drug Dealer Liability Act is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“We will not solve the world drugs problem if we simply push addiction from cocaine and heroin to other addictive substances – and there are unlimited amounts of them, produced in mafia labs at trivial costs,” warned UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa.

The report makes it clear to any reader that demand must be lowered through effective drug addiction treatment or many of these states could become narco-states controlled by organized crime.

The UN news release on the report noted that it’s hard to track amphetamines because they are often made from legal, easily obtained ingredients, and if one becomes hard to produce, manufacturers market a new drug. Mephedrone, a synthetic drug based on compounds found in the khat plant, is an example of one of the more recent synthetic drugs.

Mr. Costa noted the synthetic drugs are doubly difficult to stop because new ones are developed so quickly, law enforcement can’t keep up. He also noted that the manufacturers are savvy marketers of their drugs.

Marijuana still remains the most popular illegal drug. The report states that 130 to 190 million people use marijuana at least once a year. However, marijuana use is declining in North America and Europe, which indicates a change in which drugs are being abused.

Mr. Costa also highlighted the report’s findings on the availability of drug treatment. Although wealthy countries such as the United States have many treatment options, poor countries do not. The report estimates that only one-fifth of drug abusers got any form of treatment in 2009. Costa believes access to quality drug treatment that respects human rights will be critical in developing nations.

The UN report also examples how drug trafficking can have a destabilizing influence on “transit countries.” They give examples such as Venezuela and Africa, major transit points for the global drug trade. The UN agrees with past studies that have examined the security implications of large-scale drug trafficking organizations. The profits are so enormous they often rival gross domestic product, and the trade undermines the stability of the State through violence and diminished economic growth. They also recognize that drug trafficking often funds terrorist groups.

High-level corruption in States where drug production is a major source of income, particularly risky in countries with vulnerable governments, undermines legitimate economic development and leads to lawlessness in remote regions of the country.

Cocaine and heroin are the drugs most often associated with poor countries. They export the drugs to the richest countries. Countries that produce these drugs almost all have had destabilization issues and insurgency problems that often lead to entrenched civil conflicts. For example, in Afghanistan, which produces 90% of the world’s opium, the drugs come from those provinces where rebel groups are the strongest. The Taliban also profit from the opium trade to the tune of about $125 million a year, most of it through direct taxation of farmers and traffickers.

The report states that “the ideal case for traffickers is an authoritarian state where the authority is in their pocket.”

Drug traffickers are a nasty bunch, using violence to reap their profits. They often target law enforcement and judges, journalists and activists. Corrupted officials are sometimes used to target competitors in the drug market – the government becoming a tool to destroy rival drug traffickers.

“A clear sign that crime has become a national security threat comes when exceptional legal and security measures are taken, including calling on the military to help re-establish the government’s authority,” the report states.

The impact of this destabilization can be challenging to reverse, especially because violence tends to increase when the government cracks down on traffickers.

Murder rates in transit countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador, have increased dramatically in the past few years, particularly in areas bordering Columbia. In 1990, statistics for Venezuela reported a little over 2000 murders a year. By 2008 that number had climbed to 16,000 murders a year.

The threat drug traffickers pose to the rule of law and to peace and prosperity most alarms the UN researchers because it can, in effect, influence the course of political events. When drug traffickers become the rudder of the ship, the State destabilizes and violence becomes the norm.

To read the complete UN report download the PDF at http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2010/3.0_Destabilizing_influence_of_drug_trafficking_Case_of_cocaine.pdf
 

United Nations World Drug Report 2010 Shows the Devastating Impact of the Drug Trade on Transit Countries is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment