MOST of the world’s supply of cocaine comes from just three South American countries: Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Much of it is headed for the United States and Europe. Law-enforcement officials from America patrol international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, hoping to seize cocaine shipments before they reach their intended destinations. When they succeed in nabbing any smugglers, contraband samples are sent to chemists to help determine the source. Read the rest at The Economist.
Tag Archives: drugs
Beware of Possible Cuisine-Drug Interactions
This article was originally posted on RealClearScience.
Taking drugs, whether legal or illegal, creates problems. One of them is that drugs can interact with each other, often in bad ways. Frustratingly, some drugs are known to interact even with the various foods we like to eat. From the viewpoint of food-drug interactions, the most problematic food may be the humble grapefruit, which is known to interact with about 85 drugs, ranging from antidepressants and statins to clot-busters and Viagra. Continue reading
Drug Overdose: The Real American Epidemic
This article was originally posted on RealClearScience.
Recently, there has been much talk of various “epidemics” in America. The three most commonly mentioned are suicide, gun violence, and drug overdose. A close examination of the data, however, reveals two surprises: First, one of them is not actually an epidemic. Second, one of them is a much bigger epidemic than most people realize. (See chart.) Continue reading