Police say that a kindergarten teacher in Brevard County, Florida has been operating a drug-trafficking and counterfeiting operation. Twenty-four-year old Ashley Webb is a teacher at Westside Elementary School. She and her boyfriend, Curtis Phillip Gallagher, face charges related to possession of controlled substances, counterfeiting, and trafficking controlled substances.

Authorities reported finding “trafficking amounts of Oxycodone, at least $220 in counterfeit bills, mostly twenties, instruments used to produce the counterfeit money including computers, printers and copiers along with other drug related paraphernalia” in the couple’s apartment on Pinewood Drive. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Gallagher has a long history of criminal activity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Drinking is considered a rite of passage for a large number of college students. Responsible drinking is a recreational past-time that’s widely accepted (although technically banned) at most colleges. The majority of parents acknowledge and accept that their little babies will be getting plastered on most weekends while away at school. It’s all part of that delicate time between, “I’m young and life is short so let’s have some fun!” and “No, I can’t go out this Friday. It was a rough week at the office and we can’t find a babysitter.” It’s both a social tool and a tension tamer (something greatly needed by all college students.)

Why is alcohol so readily accepted in our society, but the recreational use of other drugs is not? Alcohol is, after all, a drug, but society has deemed it as less harmful than others. Does alcohol deserve such a mild reputation when compared to its perception-altering cousins such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy? A recent British study says no, it does not. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Tyler is a famous American singer and songwriter. He is most famous for his band, Aerosmith. Tyler plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion for the band; however, he is best known for being the frontman and lead singer.

Tyler was born on March 26, 1948 in Scarsdale, New York. He is the youngest of two siblings; he has an older sister, Lynda. He attended Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, NY. However, he was expelled from Roosevelt High School for drug use. He later graduated from Leonard Quintano School for Young Professionals.

Tyler first met his future bandmates at a local rock show in 1969. Aerosmith’s first self-titled album was released in 1973. They released four albums between 1973 and 1977: “Get Your Wings,” “Toys in the Attic,” “Rocks,” and “Draw the Line.” Some of their most famous songs include “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Emotion.” Read the rest of this entry »

University of Texas at Brownsville

If you were planning a trip to Mexico anytime soon, you should probably rethink your plans.

There has been a war going on in Mexico since 2007, but most people are not talking about it. Although it’s not technically a war, more than 23,000 people have died due to this conflict between different drug cartels and the Mexican government, according to Yahoo.

One of the people who have lost their lives in Mexico recently was Jonathan William Torres, a freshman at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Torres was shot and killed on October 6, 2010 in Matamoros, Mexico. Officials do not yet know if his death was connected to the drug wars; however, the university is trying to get more information concerning his death. Read the rest of this entry »

Grades are important, but for some overly ambitious students, they are more important than their health.

Adderall is a prescription drug that is prescribed for kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now, the drug is being clandestinely used to improve grades on college campuses. Since the drug is known for its ability to promote concentration and focus, students desperate to get a winning edge in school are popping it in order to enhance their ability to retain knowledge, stay up later and work faster during study sessions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 23 percent of young people admitted to abusing prescription drugs, and Adderall was one of the most common. In fact, the drug is so common among college students that on campus it is commonly referred to as the “study drug.”

This medically-unsupervised method for taking this prescription medication has health and medical experts, as well as teachers and parents, extremely concerned over the pressure today’s students face while trying to succeed in school. Read the rest of this entry »

There will be no marijuana growing at Rutgers University, the largest university in New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie requested that Rutgers become the only grower of New Jersey’s medical marijuana crop.

The university declined the request and made a statement last Friday voicing concerns of marijuana’s status as an illegal drug. The university also fears that growing the medicinal plant could mean losing millions of dollars in federal funding. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you believe in the adage “the ends justify the means,” this story is sure to incite a variety of reactions in those who read it.

A resident of New Mexico, who was accused of ordering marijuana from California, was arrested late last week, but he wasn’t selling drugs for the usual reason. Andrew Vega claims he sells drugs to help pay for college.

Police traced a “controlled delivery” from California all the way to Louie Duran, a 34-year-old who lives in Albuquerque.

Officers arrived at Duran’s residence and saw him standing with Vega. An officer, dressed as a FedEx employee, approached Duran and Vega with the package.

Read the rest of this entry »

It is no secret that some college students experiment with drugs and alcohol. It’s part of the college experience of discovering who you are and what you are or are not interested in.

I’d like to say that most students over-indulge once or twice, then realize they do not want to do that again, and move on with their lives. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as evidenced by two deaths within two years at Reed College from heroine overdoses.

Now, Colin Diver, Reed’s president, has been ordered by local law enforcement authorities to get the drug abuse at Reed College under control. This could prove to be quite a problem, since Reed College has long been known as a hot-spot for drug use.

“When you say Reed, two words often come to mind,” Diver said. “One is brains. One is drugs.”

Read the rest of this entry »