Teachers are powerless to stop the spread of ‘legal high’ drugs in schools – and even have to hand back confiscated stashes to children at the end of the day, it emerged last night. The astonishing revelation came as teachers, police and parents called for an immediate ban on mephedrone, the latest feel-good drug sold legally over the internet and taken by children as young as nine. But the substance, nicknamed meow meow or M ... Jump to full article >>

Only 5% to 10% of smokers who try to quit succeed. For the rest, the quick onset of withdrawal symptoms—craving, irritability, hunger, and headache—is too much; the brain begins to raise hell and demand a fresh dose of nicotine, which binds to certain receptors and causes the pleasurable release of dopamine. In the face of 40 years of public-health drumbeating, smoking bans, and social pressure, that’s an amazing failure rate. The prof ... Jump to full article >>

Thirteen Washington area residents were indicted on charges of trading guns, drugs and cash for black market cigarettes to sell in New York, according to documents filed in federal court in Alexandria. Two conspirators are also accused of hiring a hit man to kill a husband and wife that they believed tried to steal from them. “The alleged crimes go far beyond illegal cigarettes, but also involve drugs, guns, and a plot to murder,” U. ... Jump to full article >>

Flavored blunt wraps, used to roll tobacco and frequently marijuana, are available at least four Marblehead convenience stores, and are specifically marketed toward teens, Redford says. When North Shore Tobacco Control Officer Joyce Redford approaches a convenience store checkout counter, her eyes look past the barrage of colors of candy, gum packets, lottery tickets, knickknacks and lighters. Instead, she is searching for what she calls “cro ... Jump to full article >>