The number of American soldiers seeking treatment for opiate abuse has skyrocketed over the past five years, at a time when the U.S. military has been surging forces into the heart of the world's leading opium producer.

Pentagon statistics obtained by FoxNews.com show that the number of Army soldiers enrolled in Substance Abuse Program counseling for opiates has soared nearly 500 percent -- from 89 in 2004 to 529 last year. The number showed a steady increase almost every year in that time frame -- but it leaped 50 percent last year when the U.S. began surging troops into Afghanistan. Army troop levels in Afghanistan went from 14,000 as of the end of 2004 to 46,400 as of the end of 2009.

foxnews.com

Dem Zoll ist ein dicker Fisch ins Netzt gegangen: 125 Kilo Marihuana und Haschisch wurden auf der Autobahn 3 am Rastplatz Millingen aufgespürt. Eine 28-jährige Italienerin hatte die Drogen in Reisetaschen versteckt in ihrem Fahrzeug verstaut.

rp-online.de

Eine professionelle Hanf-Zucht mit rund 1100 Pflanzen haben Beamte des Zollfahndungsamtes Dresden am Donnerstag bei der Durchsuchung eines Wohnhauses im Leipziger Norden entdeckt. Wie am Freitag mitgeteilt wurde, war die Plantage auf einer Fläche von insgesamt rund 200 Quadratmetern im Dachgeschoss und im Dachfirst des Hauses angelegt. Die Zollfahnder stellten die 55 bis 75 Zentimeter großen Pflanzen sicher.

info-tv-leipzig.de
dresden-fernsehen.de
leipzig-seiten.de
bild.de

Die Bundestagsfraktion “Die Grünen/Bündnis 90” befürwortet den Vorschlag des Sachverständigenausschusses für Betäubungsmittel (BTM), der vorsieht, Extrakte des Rauschmittels Cannabis in Fertigarzneimitteln zur medizinischen Verwendung verkehrsfähig zu machen.

med.info

Mothers for marijuana? There's a movement gaining momentum that asks people to reconsider drug policies that punish pot users.

A Scottsdale mother is among those attending the Women's Marijuana Movement press conference at the Colorado State Capitol.

myfoxphoenix.com
msnbc.msn.com
heraldextra.com

Three members of Willie Nelson’s band cited in January for possession of marijuana and moonshine were sentenced Wednesday to a $25 fine.

Thomas Hawkins, Kenneth Koepke and Dudley Prewitt, via their lawyer, Sampson County attorney Doug Parsons, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a Duplin County court. In exchange, Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson dismissed the possession of marijuana charges.

jdnews.com
old zack

Sonoma County authorities say they have seized more than 10,000 marijuana plants valued at $21 million.

The pot was taken from a garden west of Lake Sonoma on Thursday.

Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Bertoli says a hunter alerted authorities to the plants. Investigators found a hillside that had been stripped of its vegetation so marijuana could be planted. A spring was also diverted for irrigation.

mercurynews.com
kionrightnow.com
myfoxphoenix.com

Millions of Egyptians — some of the world’s most enthusiastic consumers of hashish — are suffering withdrawal pangs after an unprecedented shortage of their favourite narcotic.

A sudden fall in supply of the concentrated form of marijuana has sent prices spiralling, and left smokers searching for alternative highs.

“This is very weird for Egypt. I’ve never seen it like this,” said Yasser, a former police officer-turned-hash dealer.

timesonline.co.uk

old zack