Illegal Drugs : NPR

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Ultimate Crack Down: We Know Not What We Do

June 25, 2012 • Mandatory sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine disproportionately affected black people. Why? Caryn Devins and Stuart Kauffman argue that simple laws introduced into complex networks, such as our legal system, produce unintended consequences.

'Bath Salts' Drug Suspected In Miami Face-Eating Attack

An undated booking mug made available by the Miami-Dade Police Dept., showing Rudy Eugene. He was shot and killed by Miami-Dade Police after he refused to stop eating another man's face. AP hide caption

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AP

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'Bath Salts' Drug Suspected In Miami Face-Eating Attack

May 30, 2012 • The drug has been linked to other crimes in which the suspect becomes irrational and violent. In some ways, they're a "walking dead person," according to the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.

Kids Exposed To Meth In Womb Can Struggle With Behavior Problems

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Shots - Health News

Kids Exposed To Meth In Womb Can Struggle With Behavior Problems

March 19, 2012 • Meth-exposed children are more anxious and depressed at age 3, a new study found. And they tended to be more disruptive at age 5. But researchers say those problems are manageable if children and parents get help early on.

Your Brain On Psilocybin Might Be Less Depressed

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Baxterclaus/Flickr

Shots - Health News

Your Brain On Psilocybin Might Be Less Depressed

January 24, 2012 • Magic mushrooms remain popular at music festivals. But scientists say their mind-altering effects might help people with depression. Happy memories are stronger in people tripping on psilocybin, a new study finds, while brain areas overactive in depression are reined in.

Shots - Health News

Woman Injects 'Bath Salts,' Loses Arm To Flesh-Eating Bacteria

January 13, 2012 • A woman injected the illicit drug bath salts to get a party high, only to be attacked by flesh-eating bacteria. Her right arm and shoulder were amputated to save her life. It's the first case of serious infection reported from this increasingly popular stimulant.

When Smugglers Try To Transport Drugs In Cheese

Seven pounds of methamphetamine hidden into nacho cheese and jalapeno containers were seized by customs officials at the border crossing in San Ysidro, Calif. this week. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection hide caption

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Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The Salt

When Smugglers Try To Transport Drugs In Cheese

December 9, 2011 • From nacho cheese to watermelons to macaroni, drug smugglers sometimes turn to food to get their illicit cargo across the U.S. border.

Cocaine Worth $492 Million Found In Luxury Yacht

A 65-foot yacht was seized and found to be carrying more than a ton of high-purity cocaine. Britain's Home Office hide caption

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Britain's Home Office

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Cocaine Worth $492 Million Found In Luxury Yacht

August 3, 2011 • British border police have broken up what might be called the Dutch Connection, seizing 1.2 tons of high-purity cocaine that was on its way to Europe. The cargo was carefully hidden aboard a 65-foot luxury yacht, the Louise.

In El Salvador: Gang Leaders Who Say They're Social Workers

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In El Salvador: Gang Leaders Who Say They're Social Workers

June 1, 2011 • A behind-the-scenes conversation with NPR's Jason Beaubien about his series on drug trafficking.

On 'Blue'

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Justice Dept. Takes Execution Drugs From Ky., Tenn.

April 1, 2011 • Kentucky and Tennessee have become the second and third states to turn over their supplies of an increasingly rare lethal-injection drug to the Justice Department.

Despite the "not for consumption warning," the DEA has banned the sale of products like K2, which contain herbs and spices sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Kelley McCall/AP hide caption

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Kelley McCall/AP

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DEA Bans 'Fake Pot' Products

March 1, 2011 • The Drug Enforcement Agency has banned "fake pot" substances, which use chemicals that replicate the effects of marijuana. Those substances had been in a legal limbo, with many states lacking laws to deal with them. The DEA says the chemicals pose a threat to public health and safety.

The Two-Way

Supreme Court: No Automatic Deportation For Minor Drug Offenses

June 14, 2010 • Supreme Court: No Automatic Deportation For Minor Drug Offenses.