The same week that the White House likened legalized recreational marijuana to the opioid epidemic, and let it be known that the Justice Department will likely begin cracking down on non-medical pot, a Republican Congressman from Virginia introduced a law that, if passed, would put an end to the federal criminalization of marijuana. [More]
drugs
Airport Worker Accused Of Stealing Guns From Travelers, Trading Them For Pot
By 3.2.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Whenever you check your bag before a flight, you’re putting a high degree of trust in airport staff that they won’t help themselves to the things inside. Yet another baggage handler has been accused of violating that trust, allegedly stealing guns out of travelers’ bags to trade for drugs. [More]
Legislation Would Give FDA Mandatory Authority To Recall Drugs
By 2.17.17
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that it had found varying and elevated levels of a potentially deadly toxin in teething tablets sold under the Hyland’s brand. Despite the dangers posed by the tablets, the FDA couldn’t order a recall of the products — and the manufacturer refused to. But that could change in the future, as recently introduced legislation would give the agency the authority to order mandatory recalls of drugs and homeopathic products. [More]
Here’s How Colombia Is Trying To Keep Cocaine Out Of Your Valentine’s Day Flowers
By 2.14.17
When you stick your face into a fresh bouquet of Valentine’s Day flowers and take a deep whiff, you’re not expecting to inhale a bunch of cocaine. That would be a huge problem, and one that flower exporters in South America are working hard to prevent in order to protect their business (and your noses). [More]
Decades-Old Drug Approved By FDA, Gets 7,300% Price Hike
By 2.14.17
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced that a drug previously not officially available to patients in the United States had been approved. Deflazacort, a corticosteroid, has been shown to be useful and life-prolonging for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and fatal disease. Its U.S. launch has been delayed, however, after lawmakers questioned the dramatic price hike that came with its debut here. [More]
Dressing Marijuana Up As Fruit Is Apparently The New Trend In Illegal Drug Shipping
By 2.8.17
Drug-busting has had a particularly fruity theme in Texas lately, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have recently uncovered large loads of marijuana disguised as innocent produce. [More]
Senators Want To Know Why Price Of Lifesaving Drug Went From $690 To $4,500
By 2.8.17 — Updated: 2.17.17
As you’re probably all too aware, the U.S. is in the midst of an opioid epidemic, meaning that some life-saving overdose treatments have become crucial tools for hospitals, law enforcement, first responders, and families of addicts. At the same time, the makers of one such vital drug have raised the price by more than 600% since 2014, drawing the attention of lawmakers who want to know why. [More]
Feds: Drug Company Delayed Cheaper Generics By Flooding The FDA With Paperwork
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.12.17
Given that a brand-name prescription drug stands to lose a significant chunk of its market share once a lower-price generic becomes available, you can understand why a drug company would want to do anything it can to delay the cheaper alternative, even if you disagree with their intentions. We’ve seen companies accused of paying millions to stave off competition through alleged “pay for delay” deals, and we’ve also seen examples of “product hopping” to prevent competitors from entering the field. Now here’s another method for keeping generics off the market: allegedly flooding the Food and Drug Administration with pointless paperwork. [More]
Federal Prosecutors: Drug Ring Sold Heroin Through Facebook, Snapchat
By 1.19.17
Legitimate businesses aren’t the only people using social media to reach customers, and online drug sales apparently aren’t relegated to darknet markets. Federal prosecutors say an alleged drug ring operating in Atlanta took advantage of various social platforms to advertise and accept heroin orders. [More]
CVS Selling Generic Alternative To EpiPen For Fraction Of The Price
By 1.12.17
Until the recent launch of the generic EpiPen, the only affordable competitor available to the emergency allergy treatment was Adrenaclick, but that drug was hard to find and some pharmacies charged nearly as much as they did for EpiPen. Now CVS says it is selling two-packs of an authorized generic of Adrenaclick at about one-sixth of the price tag for brand-name EpiPen. [More]
Man Wants Police to Apologize For Confusing Sock Full Of Kitty Litter With Meth
By 1.9.17
Quick! Do you have a sock filled with kitty litter sitting in your car? We’re not going to ask why you’d have such a thing (that’s your business), but you may want to remove it, lest law enforcement mistake it for methamphetamine. [More]
Your Marijuana Delivery Service Might Be Extra Busy This New Year’s Eve
By 12.28.16
If you live in a state where marijuana is legal in some form, you might be looking forward to bidding 2016 goodbye and easing into 2017 with your favorite bong or a fresh batch of pot brownies. You won’t be the only one: marijuana deliveries are expected to spike on New Year’s Eve. [More]
Did Big Pharma Hire Dozens Of DEA Officials To Reduce Scrutiny Of Opioid Painkillers?
By 12.22.16
It’s not uncommon for folks at federal agencies to cash in on their public sector connections by taking a high-paying job with a company they used to regulate. But when it comes to the pharmaceuticals industry’s hiring of dozens of Drug Enforcement Administration officials, the question is whether these former DEA staffers were being hired because of what they could contribute, or because it was better for the industry to get them out of law enforcement. [More]
Homeopathic Treatments To Be Held To Same Standards As Other Health Products
By 11.15.16
Homeopathic medicine is a billion-dollar business, with some of the biggest names in retail selling treatments that contain few — or no — active ingredients, like the CVS brand “Homeopathic Constipation Relief” that is nothing more than a 40-proof mixture of alcohol and water. In spite of the lack of actual medication or supporting evidence, some products still make claims that they can actually treat ailments or relieve pain. Now the federal government is confirming that homeopathic items will be held to the same standards as other products on drugstore shelves. [More]
Recreational Marijuana Use Just Got Legalized In A Bunch More Places
By 11.9.16
Yesterday, voters in nine states voted on ballot initiatives related to marijuana — decriminalizing it, regulating it, taxing it, or legalizing for either medical or recreational marijuana use. So who voted yay, dude, and who voted nay? [More]
Generic Drug Companies Could Soon Face Criminal Price-Collusion Charges
By 11.4.16
The pharmaceuticals industry has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years for soaring prices, though much of the attention has focused on name-brand drugs with no or minimal competition. However, multiple news reports now claim that some generic drug companies could soon face federal criminal charges over allegations that they colluded on price. [More]
Is Migraine Relief Worth $83 Per Pill To You?
By 10.31.16
While you might pay any amount of money for relief in the middle of a migraine headache, patients and insurance companies alike have their ceilings. That’s why it’s a problem when drug companies take old components and combine them into a “new” drug that isn’t so new at all… if you had just bought those pills separately. [More]
Pizza Shop Customer Claims Daughter Received Medication From Toy Machine
By 10.25.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
It’s always a surprise as to what you’re gonna get when you pop quarters into a toy vending machine, but there are some prizes that no parent wants dispensed to their kid. Say, blood pressure medication. [More]
