Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Marquis Douglas, a narcotics trafficker who operated a narcotics business that was responsible for the distribution of large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and other illicit substances throughout the North Fork of Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to 25 years’ imprisonment. Douglas pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiring with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than one kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, more than 40 grams of fentanyl and a quantity of fentanyl analogue (fluorofentanyl), and distribution of cocaine and fluorofentanyl on or about August 12, 2021, which resulted in the overdose deaths of four people.
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A new study led by Thomas Jefferson University researchers has found that American currency carries much more than germs on its surface. The study used a new method of analysis to examine one-dollar bills collected from 13 cities across the U.S. Fentanyl, a potent opioid, was detected on 63% of the bills, shedding light on the widespread presence of this dangerous substance in everyday transactions.
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The Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office has developed a quick method to screen fluids for hundreds of drugs simultaneously, improving workflow.
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Because drugs remain in strands of hair for months longer than they do in the bloodstream, drug tests based on hair are more robust across time and can provide evidence of drug use in the more distant past. The challenge is differentiating whether a drug is present due to drug use or environmental contamination.
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In 2022, an estimated 13.6 million people drove under the influence of illicit drugs during the prior year. Alcohol is not the only concern; the use of illicit drugs, legalized drugs such as cannabis, and the abuse of prescription medications may also impair a driver’s abilities.
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Stakeholders in Brazil are growing increasingly concerned over pollution and waterway contamination caused by cocaine. Researchers discovered in 2017 cocaine and other substances derived from medicines in surface water in the Bay of Santos may be causing biological effects in environmentally relevant concentrations.
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An abrupt policy shift removed a unique barrier to prescribing buprenorphine, but didn’t lead to a sharp rise in prescribing by the end of the first year.
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Drug experts believe pFF is added to fentanyl to increase total drug volume for distribution, to dilute the drug being cut and to enhance the pharmacological effect.
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The researchers collected and analyzed 122 swabs and successfully identified a variety of drugs.
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Nasal-administered naloxone is more cost-effective and could help reduce the number of opioid-related fatalities compared to the current publicly funded intermuscular version, a new study has found.
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