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Story Archives of 'Drugs'The Hidden Economy of Marijuana in CaliforniaBy Virginia Prescott on Monday, July 28, 2008.
Since then, an enormous underground industry has emerged in the state. There are about 200,000 people in California who have letters from their doctors prescribing them medicinal marijuana. One report estimates that in 2006 Californians grew more than 20 million pot plants, worth about 14 billion dollars - actually displacing corn as America’s leading cash crop. But conflicting county, state and federal laws have created a patchwork of rules and regulations. David Samuels spent half a year exploring this hidden economic sector and wrote about it in The New Yorker. He joins Word of Mouth with more on the people that make up this emerging industry. (Photo by Alexandra Moss) listen:
  Taking Our Daily MedsBy Abby Goldstein on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.There is no argument that depression is one of the most widespread mental illnesses. About 16% of all people will encounter at least one major depressive episode in their lives. Since 1986, the drug Prozac has been prescribed for many depression sufferers, becoming the most widely prescribed anti-depression medication in history.
Also, Prozac is not the only prescription drug our culture has become increasingly familiar with in the last decade. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year on marketing to make sure we know the latest, greatest pills hitting the local drugstore. In fact, direct-to-consumer advertising of brand name drugs has grown from $700 million in 1997 to more than $4 billion today. Melody Petersen believes that has created a society that is hooked on meds we don’t need. She spent four years covering the drug companies for The New York Times, and she just wrote a new book called "Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs." listen:
Tripping Out At HarvardBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 12, 2008.In the 1960s, Harvard psychology professors Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, later known as Baba Ram Dass, were approved to conduct research on psychedelic drugs. But after rumors spread of students holding "private psilocybin parties," the two were given the boot. Leary's encouragement to seek mystical experiences and spiritual enlightenment by "tuning in, turning on and dropping out" helped spark the counterculture's fascination with hallucinogens. But in the nearly five decades since, Harvard researchers haven’t messed with mind-bending drugs.
Freelance writer Peter Bebergal is based in Cambridge, Mass., and wrote about the new wave of psychedelic-drug research for the Boston Phoenix. (Photo by Curtis Perry) listen:
Fighting For Cancer DrugsBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, May 29, 2008.Cancer patients and their advocates are criticizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the approval of new cancer drugs. They accuse the FDA of blocking experimental drugs that could save thousands of lives.
The advocacy group Care To Live is holding a nationwide protest Friday against the FDA for delaying the approval of a prostate cancer vaccine called Provenge. An FDA advisory committee voted 17-0 that it was safe, and 13-4 that it showed substantial evidence of being effective. Business Week senior writer Catherine Arnst wrote about the battle over new cancer drugs, and joins Word of Mouth to discuss why cancer drugs are being held up. (Photo by Derek K. Miller) listen:
Pharm AnimalsBy Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, May 6, 2008.A time traveler from the past may think we were pulling his leg if we told him that in the year 2008, humans can actually manufacture drugs inside a goat, then harvest the medicine from the goat's milk. But it’s no joke - researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have teamed up with a company in Massachusetts to expand the way farm animals can be used as pharmaceutical factories. Science reporter Kerry Grens at public radio station WHYY in Philadelphia recently reported on this, and joined Word of Mouth's Virginia Prescott with the scoop.
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Dogs, Drugs and RightsBy Laura Knoy on Monday, October 1, 2007.On June 7, 2007, all 1,100 students at ConVal High School in Peterborough were unexpectedly taken out of class and brought to the football field as drug sniffing dogs inspected their lockers for possible contraband. Because of this incident, the New Hampshire Chapter of the ACLU has filed a suit against the town, its police and the school district claiming that this kind of search in unconstitutional. ConVal is not the first school in the state to conduct surprise searches and many are divided on this topic. Search proponents say it’s a necessary evil to fight drugs abuse in schools while those against it demand it violates students rights. We’ll look closer into this case, what’s being done in other schools and if these kind of drug searches are needed or go overboard. Guests
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Drug Testing in SchoolsBy Laura Knoy on Thursday, August 17, 2006.Random drug testing in schools, said to be constitutional by the Supreme Court in two landmark cases, is slow to catch on, if at all. We're looking at the problem of drugs in schools and see if random testing of students hs having an effect in the classroom. Laura's guests are Todd DeMitchell, Professor of Education and Justice Studies & Administration and Supervision Program in the Education Department at UNH and Ted Comstock, Executive Director & General Counsel for the NH School Boards Association. We'll also hear from Michael Meyers, Principal of the Hackettstown, New Jersey Middle School, which has instituted random drug testing, Nate Greenberg, Superintendent of the Londonderry School District and Barbara Keshen, Staff Attorney for the NH Civil Liberties Union. listen:
Truth is as Deadly as FictionBy John Walters on Friday, December 3, 2004.Vermont?s bucolic image is shattered in Archer Mayor?s novel, Gatekeeper. It?s about the heroin trade in the Green Mountains and the horrors that go along with it. Archer Mayor did a lot of research for the book. He?s also an assistant medical examiner for the state of Vermont as well as an EMT for the Brattleboro area. Both have brought him face to face with the consequences of Vermont?s heroin troubles. Archer talks about the war on drugs, some of the things he?s seen, and what?s ahead. Archer Mayor's newest book, The Surrogate Thief has just been awarded the 2004 Book Award for Fiction by New England Booksellers Association. listen:
New Drug Discount Cards Worry Some NH PharmacistsBy David Darman on Monday, May 17, 2004.Seniors aren't alone in their confusion over the new Medicare drug discount cards. Drug stores in New Hampshire and across the nation are gearing up for the new system, too. And some Granite State pharmacies complain the discounts will hurt their businesses. New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman has more. listen:
Drug/Alcohol Abuse Programs on the Chopping BlockBy John Milne on Thursday, December 4, 2003.Governor Benson has asked state agencies to cut their spending by an additional 10 per cent. One way to cut criminal justice costs could be to expand alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Doctors, prosecutors, judges, parole officers and many legislators agree that treating drug and alcohol addiction is more effective ? and cheaper ? than throwing people in prison. But treatment programs are among the first to feel the cost-cutting axe. New Hampshire Public Radio political correspondent John Milne filed this story: listen:
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It's been twelve years since California voters decided to make marijuana legal for medical purposes, with the passage of Proposition 215. 
Today, new research is discovering hidden benefits to this drug, and it’s transforming not only the way we treat depression, but the very science of this disease. 
Until this past February, when Dr. John Halpern began administering MDMA, better known as the club drug Ecstasy, to dying cancer patients. He got started by researching the use of peyote in Native American religious rituals. Now he’s hoping Harvard will approve testing on the medical prospects for LSD for treating cluster headaches. 
Cancer strikes one in three Americans, kills one in four, and is only second to heart disease as the nation’s biggest killer. New experimental medications offer some hope. But the FDA’s stringent regulations mean only 8 percent of such drugs get final approval. The regulation process slowed down even more when the FDA came under Congressional scrutiny after it approved Merck's painkiller Vioxx, later pulled off the market in 2004 because of safety concerns.