Tainted cocaine linked to 7 cases of illness in Alberta

Last Updated: Friday, November 28, 2008 | 2:20 PM MT Comments119Recommend125
CBC News

Seven people in Alberta have developed a form of immune system suppression after consuming cocaine laced with a chemical compound, public health officials said Friday.

The individuals developed agranulocytosis, a condition that makes the immune system incapable of fighting off infections.

It makes common infections become serious, even fatal, quite quickly.

“We are advising anyone who develops a fever or other signs of infection and has used cocaine to seek medical attention quickly,” Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, said in a news release.

“Any skin abscess or lung infection that develops rapidly should also be treated immediately.”

Officials have linked the cases to cocaine laced with levamisole, a chemical compound developed to treat intestinal worms in humans and animals.

The cases were reported in Edmonton, Red Deer, and in undisclosed locations in southern and northern Alberta.

Doctors in Alberta have been advised they should test and treat patients for this condition if they complain of a fever or other signs of infection after using cocaine.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/11/28/edm-cocaine-warning.html

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Shanghaied into Straight, Inc.

One of the worst days of my life was November 6th, 1982. I had spent a few weeks in bed with the flu after returning home after running away. By the time that fateful Saturday rolled around, I was starting to feel better again. My parents told me they wanted to take me to Virginia where there were some people I could talk to about getting my life back on track, or something to that effect. It didn’t sound so bad, but I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. Little did I know that from that day forward my life would never be the same.

My trust in my parents was destroyed that day when I realized that they had abandoned me into the hands of the people at Straight Incorporated. I found myself in a room with two kids about my age sitting in chairs in front of the only door to the small, bare, windowless room. They asked me all kinds of questions. What drugs had I used? How long did I use them? How many of my friends drank or used drugs? Did I have premarital sex? I did my best to answer their intrusive questions. For what it was worth (not much to them), my drug use had tapered off considerably. Granted, I had run away from home after dropping out of the 10th grade, but I hadn’t been getting high or even drinking regularly at this point. They told me my parents didn’t want me back, and that if I didn’t sign myself in for two weeks, they would get me court ordered there for two years! Not knowing any better, I signed myself in and was led into the “group room” by someone behind me holding onto my belt loop.

Sexism In Sex Toys

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

By COLLEEN LONG, The Associated Press
10:39 a.m. November 28, 2008

NEW YORK — A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said.

At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a “tragic situation” and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. “They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. … I literally had to fight people off my back.”