Drug Abuse

Federal lawmakers say they are studying whether horse racing is doing enough to curb abusive drug practices endangering horses and their jockeys — or whether Congress must step in. Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, and Rep. Edward Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky, are reviewing dozens of pages of data received from three industry groups Friday in response to the legislators' series of safety-related questions. Udall and Whitfield want to learn whether the industry has toughened its anti-doping rules since a congressional hearing two years ago. The hearing followed the breakdown of Eight Belles after the 2008 Kentucky Derby, and of Barbaro in the 2006 Preakness.

There isn't much attention paid to prescription drug abuse, except perhaps when a Hollywood star dies from an overdose. However, it is estimated that nearly one in five Americans has used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, and 15 percent may be abusing prescription drugs. This silent epidemic has become the leading cause of addiction. This week, the Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the University of Maryland Medical Center sponsored the annual Tuerk Conference, a gathering of 1,200 health professionals working in the field of addictions to focus on treatment and prevention of prescription drug abuse.

Prescription drug abuse has grabbed recent headlines with the high profile deaths of celebrities like Corey Haim, Heath Ledger, Anna Nichol Smith and Michael Jackson. But the epidemic of prescription drug abuse is not limited to Hollywood. Prescription drugs are the now the No. 1 cause of overdose death in the U.S., and they are the second most abused drug behind marijuana. One of the most popular for addicts to get their prescription drugs is the practice of "doctor shopping."

There are three main areas in public health that need continued vigilance, said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, now Howard County's health officer after serving as Baltimore's health commissioner for 13 years. The first is substance abuse, which has led to much of the violence in Baltimore. Next is a lack of primary care, contributing to obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the city. Third is the city kids' preparedness for school, including immunizations. "[Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake]

- Smoking marijuana is becoming even more popular among U.S. teens and they have cut down on smoking cigarettes, binge drinking and using methamphetamine, according to a federal survey released Monday. More teens also are getting high on prescription pain pills and attention-deficit drugs, according to eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders surveyed by the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The increase of teens smoking pot is partly because of the national debate over medical use of marijuana, researchers said.

The U.S. Senate is once again considering drug importation. The amendment proposed by Sen. Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, won't save money and will hurt patients. His remarks describe prescription drugs as commodities that should be easily and cheaply available without regard to their appropriate use. He could not be more wrong. America has a number of serious drug problems, including a rise in prescription drug abuse. The drug-related deaths of Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith and Adam Goldstein (known as DJ AM)

George Gregory "Blue" Epps, a recovering addict and an addiction counselor whose struggle was depicted in "The Corner," the book which later became a critically acclaimed HBO miniseries, died of undetermined causes Nov. 15 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Highlandtown resident was 59. "We are waiting for the results of an autopsy for a cause of death," said his wife of nine years, the former Valerie Bolling. Mr. Epps was born in Baltimore and raised in West Baltimore. As a youngster, he showed a talent for painting and drawing.

G eorge Gregory "Blue" Epps, a recovering addict and an addiction counselor whose struggle was depicted in "The Corner," the book which later became a critically acclaimed HBO miniseries, died of undetermined causes Nov. 15 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Highlandtown resident was 59. "We are waiting for the results of an autopsy for a cause of death," said his wife of nine years, the former Valerie Bolling. Mr. Epps was born in Baltimore and raised in West Baltimore.

I n two Baltimore courtrooms adjacent to the one occupied by Mayor Sheila Dixon - known here as defendant Sheila Ann Dixon - here's what happened on Thursday: In one courtroom, Gregory Carmichael pleaded with a judge to get into a program to treat his addiction to alcohol, just one in a parade of substance abusers that morning seeking help instead of jail. In the other courtroom, a judge started picking a jury to try Charles Owens on charges that he shot a man four times in drug-infested Park Heights.