Tag: News

Fishermen Reel In $1 Million In Cocaine

“We trolled past it. Every time we passed it we caught a fish,” one of the fishermen said.

A pair of South Carolina fishermen had the catch of a lifetime on Sunday when they reeled in a bundle of cocaine worth about $1 million.

“We trolled past it. Every time we passed it we caught a fish,” one of the men told WCSC. In fact, a school of mahi-mahi, a popular catch with the fishermen, were swimming around the bundle.

Before they packed up their rods and reels for the day, the duo decided to see what was in the package. They managed to snag the floating debris and pull it toward their boat.

When they saw the drugs inside, they contacted the Coast Guard. The agency alerted the North Charleston Police Department, which had officers meet the fishermen back at their marina. The police officers estimated that the bundle contained 30 to 50 kilos of cocaine, estimated to be worth $750,000 to $1 million, according to Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Phillip VanderWeit.

VanderWeit said that the boat was about 70 miles southeast of Charleston, an area where such a significant drug find is not common.

“It definitely doesn’t happen off the Charleston coast every day,” he said. “It’s a bit more common further south, whether in the Caribbean or the south Pacific.”

Authorities will investigate the origins of the drugs.

In January, a fisherman in the Florida Keys also found a bale of cocaine, although that catch only had an estimated worth of $500,000, according to authorities. In that case, the drugs were floating beneath the dock when the man returned from a day of fishing.

In December 2017, the Coast Guard rescued a sea turtle that had become ensnared in more than 1,800 pounds of cocaine, worth about $53 million.

“After a period of lengthy questioning, it was determined the turtle did not have any useful information. We released him on his own recognizance after he agreed not to return to these waters again. #turtlesmuggler,” the agency tweeted at the time.

They then followed up with a more serious tweet about the prevalence of cocaine coming into the United States.

“In all seriousness, we love our sea creatures and do everything we can to help them when we see them in distressed situations. Additionally, during this patrol nearly seven tons of illicit narcotics with a street value over $135 million was confiscated.”

View the original article at thefix.com

5 June 2019
Takedown Of "Malibu Rehab Guru" Christopher Bathum Chronicled In Amazon Series

Ahead of its May 30th release, a former business partner of Bathum’s tried halting the publication of Bad Therapist.

The story of the “predatory Malibu rehab guru” who sexually assaulted clients under the care of his Community Recovery chain of treatment facilities is chronicled in a new publication—and it’s already whipping up controversy.

Bad Therapist is the first of a 6-part series called Exposure published by Amazon Original Stories. But ahead of its May 30th release, a person who was interviewed for the book tried halting its publication.

The Blast reported on May 28 that it obtained a cease and desist letter sent to Amazon by Cliff Brodsky, a former business partner of Christopher Bathum. After being cheated out of a significant investment, Brodsky helped bring down Bathum, a fraud who was once respected in the addiction-recovery community.

Brodsky was interviewed by author Evan Wright for the book, but later claimed that Wright did not have his permission to publish the information that he provided.

Despite his efforts, Amazon went ahead and published Bad Therapist.

“I’m not sure why Brodsky feels I need his permission to write about him,” Wright told The Blast. “He sought out and spoke to journalists—to me and others—for a story that he has been a part of for years through his business ties with Bathum, civil litigation, his social media campaigns and his prior interviews that appeared in print, on TV and in other media.”

Meanwhile, Bathum is awaiting trial for an alleged $176 million insurance fraud. The luxury rehab “guru” was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting seven women while operating the Los Angeles-based Community Recovery.

Bathum built Community Recovery—one of the fastest growing rehab chains in the U.S.—as a “luxury rehab for the people” and gained respect in the industry. But it began to come undone after a 2015 exposé by LA Weekly reporter Hillel Aron revealed that Bathum had quite a few skeletons in his closet. Bathum was never a psychotherapist. He never completed college. He was a pool cleaner before working in the rehab industry.

And even as he appeared to help clients overcome substance use disorder, he himself abused meth and heroin. Wright claimed that not long before Aron’s story had published, “Bathum had overdosed in a Malibu motel while shooting drugs with patients.”

Bathum’s sexual misconduct—allegations of abuse and sexual assault—was also revealed in Aron’s report, including a claim by a former patient that he offered her drugs in exchange for sex.

Other Community Recovery clients also came forward with allegations of sexual assault.

Wright warns, “Absent reforms, there are countless Bathums out there, running their rehabs, waiting to help a loved one close to you.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
Community Of Responders Campaign Aims To End Overdose Deaths

The program’s goal is for naloxone to be deployed within six minutes of an overdose starting, drastically increasing the chances of the victims’ survival.

A new campaign growing out of Green, Ohio aims to turn community members into lifesaving first responders who are ready to act in case of an opioid overdose. Combining the efforts of Cover2 Resources, NaloxBox, NaloxoFind, Project DAWN and ODMAP, the Community of First Responders (CFR) is the first of its kind in the U.S.

CFR was organized by Greg McNeil, founder of Cover2 Resources. McNeil lost his son, Sam, to a heroin overdose and has since dedicated his life to combating the epidemic of opioid overdose in the country.

His latest endeavor began early this year when he met one of the creators of NaloxBox—wall-mounted boxes similar to those containing AEDs but that contain naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug. These boxes can be installed anywhere, including public buildings and businesses.

McNeil was then connected to the founder of NaloxoFind, an app that allows anyone to find naloxone locations in the area. Combining these two just made sense, but McNeil’s primary concern was that ambulances often take too long to reach individuals suffering an overdose.

“When a 911 call comes in about an overdose, first responders have six minutes to respond before there is brain damage,” McNeil explained to The Fix. “In 10 minutes, they’re gone.”

For maximum life-saving potential, McNeil came up with the idea to recruit members of the public to keep naloxone on their person and respond to overdose cases after being alerted via text message when one is reported nearby. The hope is that this program will allow naloxone to be deployed within six minutes of an overdose starting, drastically increasing the chances of the victims’ survival.

Green, Ohio will be the testing ground for this program. McNeil had worked previously with Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer, who was described as being very supportive of the CFR program. NaloxBoxes have already been approved for parts of the city that are most prone to seeing overdose cases.

“The installations will take place over the next two weeks in five hotels along the I-77 corridor covering all three interchanges in the City of Green and at Akron Canton Airport,” said McNeil. “To the best of our knowledge, these are the first NaloxBox installations in hotels and airports in the country.”

The official launch date for CFR is June 20, when McNeil and other leaders in the fight against the opioid crisis will host a community event presenting the new program, holding a live demonstration, and treating guests to a to-be-announced musical guest.

So far, the Green community has been overwhelmingly supportive of CFR even before its launch—and McNeil has set ambitious goals for its future.

“Our immediate goal is to complete installation and training for all participating hotel and airport personnel by our event launch. After the official launch of the CFR program, our goal will be to double the number of participating businesses by the end of the year.”

Check out the Cover2 Resources podcast for more information.

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
Colorado To Allow Doctors To Recommend Pot Instead of Opioids

Proponents of the new law say that it will help further reduce the number of opioid prescriptions in the state.

Doctors in Colorado will soon be able to recommend medical marijuana to patients for any condition that doctors might traditionally have prescribed an opioid painkiller for, opening the way for patients with conditions ranging from chronic pain to dental procedures to be able to access medical pot.

The bill was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. It will take effect August 2.

Proponents of the new law say that it will help further reduce the number of opioid prescriptions in the state.

“Adding a condition for which a physician could recommend medical marijuana instead of an opioid is a safer pain management tool that will be useful for both our doctors and patients,” said Ashley Weber, executive director of Colorado NORML.

Currently, doctors can only recommend medical cannabis for certain conditions, including cancer and glaucoma, although the state also allows recreational cannabis use. Under the new law, any patients 18 or older who would be eligible for an opioid prescription can receive medical cannabis instead.

Opponents of the measure, including Colorado physician Stephanie Stewart, said that marijuana is less understood and less tightly controlled than opioids.

“Our real concern is that a patient would go to a physician with a condition that has a medical treatment with evidence behind it, and then instead of that treatment, they would be recommended marijuana instead,” she said. “This will substitute marijuana for an FDA-approved medication—something that’s unregulated for something that’s highly regulated.”

In February, Illinois launched a similar program designed to move patients from opioids to medical cannabis. Although Illinois also has a medical marijuana program, it is very restrictive.

Illinois’ initiative—the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program—allows people who would otherwise be given an opioid painkiller to access medical cannabis without going through the state’s medical marijuana program.

“We’re optimistic the program will benefit many Illinois residents and offer them an alternative for managing their pain,” Conny Meuller-Moody, the program’s director, told Rolling Stone at the time.

Illinois doctor David Yablonsky said that the program would give doctors more leeway to help patients avoid potentially-dangerous opioids.

“At least we’ll have an opportunity now as physicians to work with patients to try this instead of these dangerous and potent narcotics, you know opioids,” he said. “I hope it saves lives and that people come in and have a healthy alternative.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
Mama June’s Family Staged Intervention Before Drug Possession Arrest

The intervention was featured on a recent episode of “Mama June: From Not To Hot.”

Just days before reality TV star June Shannon (aka Mama June) was arrested for drug possession back in March, she came face-to-face with a family intervention.

On the season finale of her spin-off reality show, Mama June: From Not to Hot, June’s children Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, Jessica and her niece Amber gathered at June’s sister Doe Doe’s home to share with June how her behavior has affected the family.

“I would love to come home and stay with you, tell you about my day, but I can’t do that because I’m scared. I’m scared to stay at your house,” said Alana, who is now living under the care of her sister and legal guardian Pumpkin, who is 19.

June left during the intervention. She admitted she was having a hard time. “Just ask Geno (boyfriend Eugene Edward Doak) how many times I sit there and cry to him and be like, ‘I hate my f—ing self. I want to f—ing kill the person that I am now.’ Because I don’t know who I am. I don’t know if I want to ‘kill myself’ or I want to kill the person that has took over my body,” she said.

She was finally persuaded to enter a treatment facility the same night. But after only 12 hours, June checked herself out and her boyfriend Geno picked her up.

Two days later, on March 13, the couple was arrested at a gas station in Alabama on drug possession charges. June allegedly had crack cocaine and a crack pipe on her. She and Geno now face felony charges for drug possession. The court ordered Geno to stay away from June.

June is currently in Alabama awaiting trial. According to her, she is not allowed to leave the state until after her hearing. She is facing several years of jail time.

Mama June became a household name on the reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, a spin-off of Toddlers & Tiaras which documented the family’s life in rural Georgia.

Alana, who is now 13, reminisced about her pageant days with her mom by her side. “I just want mama back. Like at the pageant,” she said during the episode. “She helped me and we both did it together… And when we were at Dancing with the Stars, she was so fun and me and her spent time together. And she would take me to rehearsals and she would take me here and there.”

According to Pumpkin, the family is hoping June will leave Geno and get back to her old self.

Alana hopes things will change after the arrest. “So I really hope this is rock bottom for mama because once you hit rock bottom, there’s no more going deeper—you can only go up,” she said. “I really hope mama’s just thinking, I just got arrested. I need to get it together. I need to get my s— together. If this isn’t her wake-up call, I could possibly lose her forever.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
Frank Lucas, "American Gangster" Kingpin, Dead At 88

The infamous former drug kingpin died of natural causes.

New York drug kingpin Frank Lucas, who oversaw a sprawling international network of heroin smuggling in the 1970s, died on May 30, 2019 at the age of 88.

Lucas, whose life and crimes served as the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s Oscar-nominated 2007 drama American Gangster, claimed to be the chief architect of the “Golden Triangle” operation, in which heroin was smuggled from Southeast Asia in the coffins of U.S. servicemen killed in Vietnam.

Though the veracity of the scheme was questioned on numerous occasions, Lucas enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in the mid-1970s before federal agents and New York police shut down his empire in 1975. Lucas spent seven years in federal prison before earning his release by turning state’s witness for another drug sting.

He would remain in the public eye as a quasi-mythical figure, thanks in part to a 2000 article for New York Magazine that detailed his colorful outlaw past. The article would serve as the basis for Scott’s film, though its depiction of Lucas’ life was criticized by the agents who pursued him in the 1970s and even resulted in a defamation lawsuit.

Born in La Grange, North Carolina in 1930, Lucas made his way to Harlem, where a string of crimes, including the alleged murder of a dealer—which he claimed and then later denied—reportedly brought him to the attention of gangster Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson.

Under Johnson’s tutelage, Lucas said that he assembled his own drug operation, which broke the Mafia’s grip on heroin distribution by buying opium directly from growers at the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos and bribing Army soldiers to ship the processed heroin to the United States.

As New York Magazine noted, the heroin—a potent brand known as “Blue Magic”—was sold in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, and claimed numerous lives. Richard M. Roberts, the New York City detective and attorney played by Russell Crowe in Gangster, said that “Frank Lucas has probably destroyed more black lives than the KKK could ever dream of.”

Lucas lived extravagantly from the proceeds of his drug empire, which reportedly netted him $1 million a day, and was seen in the company of such public figures as Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Diana Ross. His taste for opulence drew the attention of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and New York Police Department, which convicted him on federal and state drug charges in 1975.

Sentenced to 70 years in prison, Lucas would only serve seven after informing on fellow dealers and officials on his payroll.

He returned to prison on new drug charges in 1984, and after his release in 1991, worked tirelessly on promoting his “Original Gangster” image through the New York article, the Scott movie—for which he was a paid consultant—and a 2010 autobiography. Jay-Z also recorded a 2007 album, American Gangster, which was inspired by Lucas’ exploits.

He tangled with the law one final time in 2012 for reportedly lying about federal disability payments.

“All you got to know is that I am sitting here talking to you right now. Walking and talking, when I could have, should have, been dead and buried a hundred times,” Lucas said in the New York article. “And you know why that is? Because people like me.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
Does The Disease Model Of Addiction Empower People To Get Help?

A new study examined whether the messaging that addiction is a disease made people more or less likely to get help.

New research compared how differing approaches to substance use disorder affect how a person manages their addiction.

For the study, 214 participants with substance use disorder were placed into one of two groups—a group that was exposed to a “growth mindset” and a group that was exposed to messaging that emphasized addiction as a disease.

“The growth mindset message stresses that human attributes are malleable, and we know from previous work that it encourages better self-regulatory strategies such as seeking help from others,” said Jeni Burnette, associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State University and first author of the paper published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

The growth mindset group read an article that explained the various roots of substance abuse and emphasized that there are multiple pathways to recovery, while the disease mindset group read an article that explained the effects of addiction on the brain.

After reading the articles, members of each group completed a survey asking them about their approach to dealing with their addiction.

The findings suggest that the disease messaging limited the participants’ approach to managing their addiction, while the growth mindset made participants feel more empowered to handle their substance use problem.

The growth mindset group reported feeling more confident in dealing with their problem, and reported “stronger intentions” to seek counseling or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

“When we began talking about addiction as a disease, the goal was to decrease stigma and encourage treatment,” said Sarah Desmarais, associate professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of the paper. “That worked, to an extent, but an unforeseen byproduct was that some people experiencing addiction felt like they had less agency; people with diseases have no control over them.”

The study found no difference between the groups when it came to how much they blamed themselves or whether they would seek medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

“It’s promising to see the growth mindset group express a greater willingness to seek treatment via counseling or cognitive-behavioral therapy,” said Desmarais. “And the lack of difference between groups on medication treatment is also good news, because it reflects the fact that both groups equally appreciate the medical aspects of addiction.”

The authors conclude that their findings support “moving away from messaging about addiction solely as a disease.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” said Desmarais. “Instead, the finding suggests that it would be more helpful to talk about the many different reasons people become addicted.”

View the original article at thefix.com

4 June 2019
The Lumineers Explore Alcoholism In Jarring Music Video

The storyline for the video was inspired in part by frontman Wesley Schultz’s own experience with a loved one living with alcoholism.

The newest music video from The Lumineers shows the heartbreak and destruction brought about by alcoholism, as it follows the path of fictional Gloria Sparks, a woman whose alcoholism destroys her family.

“Gloria” is the first song released from The Lumineers’ upcoming album III, which follows three generations of the fictional Sparks family. In the music video, Gloria is seen drinking around her infant, fighting with her spouse, and ultimately leaving the scene of a car accident that she caused.

The storyline that plays out in the “Gloria” video was inspired in part by frontman Wesley Schultz’s own experience with a loved one living with alcoholism.

“Gloria is an addict,” Schultz told Variety. “No amount of love or resources could save her. She’s now been homeless for over a year. Loving an addict is like standing among the crashing waves, trying to bend the will of the sea.”

Schultz didn’t specify what his relationships was with the addict in his family, but he did mention that he had intimate experience with addiction.

“So many people are touched by addiction, way more than is talked about,” he said. “It’s a lot like cancer in that it is this way too common thing in our culture.”

Through dealing with his family member, he realized how powerful addiction is, he said.

“Trying to love an addict out of drinking, or put them in rehab, or using any resource you have to get them through it, everything we tried failed miserably,” he said. “We tried to put her in rehab almost a half dozen times overall, and nothing worked. We tried all of these spots for her to succeed in and ‘beat this addiction,’ but it’s become a really humbling experience. That whole willpower thing was thrown out the window really quickly.”

When Schultz opened up about his experience loving someone with alcoholism, he connected with other people with similar stories, which helped him create the storyline for “Gloria.”

“I get a lot of common ground with people that I never knew were dealing with anything like that, so that part has been eye opening,” he said. “It does feel like there’s this force beyond you and beyond the person you care about that is at work and at play, and no matter what you do, it seems like the disease is going to do what it wants to do and takes over this person you really care about. You’re with them through the ups and downs.”

View the original article at thefix.com

3 June 2019
Illinois Set To Become 11th State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

The legalization bill only needs the governor’s signature to become law.

Illinois could become the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana, as its House of Representatives have just passed a bill with a vote of 66-47. With just a signature from the governor, a statewide commercial pot industry would become a reality and marijuana-related charges would be expunged.

“This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance,” wrote Governor J.B. Pritzker in a statement. Pritzker won his office on a platform that promised legalization.

Advocates for the Illinois bill say that ending marijuana prohibition would be a step toward rectifying decades of racial injustice resulting from the War on Drugs.

“Prohibition hasn’t built communities. In fact, it has destroyed them,” explained Rep. Kelly Cassidy. “It is time to hit the reset button on the war on drugs.”

The bill would allow Illinois residents 21 and older to possess 30 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of concentrate, or 500 milligrams of THC if present in infused products. Non-residents are allowed to possess a maximum of 15 grams of marijuana. The bill also lays the groundwork for cultivation and dispensary licensing.

The bill will also compel Pritzker to pardon all low-level pot convictions. Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth lauded the move as the only major policy decision in her 10 years of legislating that directly aims to help minority communities.

With these charges lifted, anyone who has been bogged down with a marijuana charge now has an enormous range of employment or education opportunities re-opened to them.

“If you are wearing the scarlet letter of a conviction, you are now calcified in poverty because of a mistake,” Gordon-Booth said. “Not even a mistake, a choice.”

However, not everyone is on board. Opponents of the bill say that legalization could result in a greater rate of teenage use, more DUIs, and create potential health risks.

“If this bill passes, a giant, big-money industry will commercialize another harmful, addictive drug in our state,” said Rep. Marty Moylan.

As a compromise to earn greater bipartisan support, compromises were made. Only medical marijuana patients could possess home-grown marijuana. The bill would also allow employers to enact zero-tolerance policies against marijuana if they desired.

And any local governments would be allowed to make the call on exactly where and when marijuana businesses could operate—including simply banning them outright.

“I’m a father of three from a rural district, and I’m standing before you supporting this bill because I do not believe the current policy that we have out there right now is working,” said Rep. David Welter. “Prohibition doesn’t work, and we see that. Putting safeguards in place, taxing, regulating it, I believe provides a better market and a safer market.”

The new industry is predicted to make $57 million in general revenue in the state in the coming budget year. The revenue will first be used to pay for costs related to expunging marijuana charges, and after that 35% of the revenue will go into state funding to community grants, mental health and substance abuse programs, unpaid state bills, law enforcement and education.

View the original article at thefix.com

3 June 2019
Presidential Candidate Seth Moulton Wants Mental Health Screening To Be Routine

Moulton, who served in Iraq, has been open about his own mental health struggles.

Presidential candidate Seth Moulton wants to make annual mental health screenings part of routine care, both for active duty military members and American high schoolers as part of his plan to prioritize mental health care.

Moulton, who served in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps, has been open about his own mental health struggles.

“There is still this stigma against mental health care,” he said in March. “Post-traumatic stress is very real. I have had post-traumatic stress and I have a lot of friends who have had it. And I have lost two Marines in my platoon since we have been back.”

Because of his personal experience, he knows how important proper treatment of mental health is.

“Post traumatic stress is a great example of a mental issue that is curable,” said Moulton, who currently represents Massachusetts in the House of Representatives. “I know a lot of vets who have gotten through post-traumatic stress, including myself. So we can fix this, but we need to be investing in it and we are not.”

This week, Moulton formally released his mental health plan. It calls for making annual mental health screenings standard for military service members and high school students. It would also introduce mindfulness training for both of these groups.

“Mindfulness training is preventative medicine as pioneered today by the special operations community and other elite units,” Moulton wrote.

In addition, Moulton would establish 511, national mental health hotline.

“Mental health is a core component of overall health: it strengthens our economy and country,” Moulton wrote. “Serious mental illness costs America up to $193 billion in lost earnings per year, and touches everyone in America directly or indirectly. We must do everything we can to protect mental health coverage in this country, and that means protecting this coverage from the current administration’s efforts to undermine these essential health benefits.”

Although his plan focuses heavily on service members and veterans, Moulton said that it’s important to remember that mental health affects all members of society.

“We must recognize that mental health matters to everyone. We all have personally dealt with mental health challenges, or have a family member, friend, or co-worker who has dealt with them, whether we know it or not,” he wrote. “High schoolers today are particularly at risk; in addition to the traditional anxieties of being a teenager, they face scrutiny on social media and live in a time of school shootings—all of them should get the support and care they need.”

That starts with talking openly about mental wellbeing.

“We need to make sure that we all can discuss our mental health and get whatever help we may need,” Moulton said. “That is why I am telling my own story, encouraging others to tell theirs.”

View the original article at thefix.com

3 June 2019