How We Created A Heroin Crisis

(CNN) -- The face of heroin abuse in America is changing. Back in the 1960s, heroin users were usually young men, who started using around an average age of 16. They were most likely from low-income neighborhoods, and when they turned to opiates, heroin was their first choice. Now, more than 50 years later, a study from JAMA paints a very different picture. Today's typical heroin addict starts using at 23, is more likely to live in the affluent suburbs and was likely unwittingly led to heroin through painkillers prescribed by his or her doctor. While heroin is illicit and opioid pills such as oxycontin are FDA-approved, each is derived from the poppy plant. Their chemical structures are highly similar and they bind to the same group of receptors in the brain. (A few opioids, like fentanyl, are totally synthetic but designed to bind with those same receptors). In any case, the various drugs produce the same result: an increase in pain tolerance and a sense of euphoria, along with drowsiness, occasional nausea and, at higher doses, a slowing of the user's breathing. All these drugs trigger "tolerance" -- the need to take higher doses for the same effect -- and a craving for the drug in its absence. It is precisely because there are so many similarities that pain pill addicts frequently turn to heroin when pills are no longer available to them. Heroin is usually cheaper than prescription drugs. Opiate pain medications cost the uninsured about $1 per milligram; so a 60-milligram pill will cost $60. You can obtain the equivalent amount of heroin for about one-tenth the price. This may be news to you, but it's likely not to some of your neighbors, friends and family members. Last year, the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte spent time trying to better understand the patients who were coming into detox for heroin. What they found were cops, lawyers, nurses and ministers who came from some of the best neighborhoods in the area. Most of them shared a common story: "We used to take pills, but now we inject heroin." For years, we have been railing about the flagrant abuse of pain pills in the United States. Former President Bill Clinton called me a couple years ago after he lost two friends to accidental prescription drug overdose. As we dug into the issue together, we were stunned to learn 80% of the world's pain pills are consumed in the United States, which has just 5% of the world's population. As a result, accidental prescription drug overdose is now the leading cause of acute preventable death for Americans. Someone dies in this manner every 19 minutes. That is more deaths than from car accidents. The response to these tragic statistics has been gratifying and effective, but somewhat shortsighted. Doctors have been less willing to prescribe medications, especially in states like Florida, formerly known for its pill mills, where tighter restrictions on prescribers led to a 23% drop in overdose deaths between 2010 and 2012. The drugs themselves have been tweaked as well. In August 2010, an abuse deterrent version of Oxycontin was released to great fanfare. It was reformulated so it could not as easily be crushed or solubilized so abusers would have a difficult time injecting or snorting it. Within two years, the choice of oxycontin as a drug of abuse went from 35.6% to 12.8%. That was the good news. The bad news is that the same study showed heroin use nearly doubled. It became apparent that drug abusers weren't going to stop as a result of government crackdowns or new technologies. They were simply morphing into people who abused other drugs. Oxycontin used to be called the hillbilly heroin. Society and technology helped fix that problem. But addicts started turning back to real heroin instead. A spokeswoman with the National Institute on Drug Abuse told us recently that nearly half of young people who inject heroin say they abused prescription opioids before turning to the illegal drug. The headlines are horrifying and for good reason. The abuse of opiate pills and heroin are both taking a tremendous toll on the United States. They are leading to increased crime, decreased productivity and they're stealing the lives of too many people. While it is nearly impossible to pit one evil against another, it is important to remember that heroin, as a street drug, is unregulated, often impure and usually injected. As a result, heroin users suffer from collapsed veins, abscesses, infections of the heart lining and valves, and rheumatological diseases. From sharing needles, they are more likely to suffer from HIV, Hepatitis and other blood diseases. And just like their pill popping counterparts, they die of overdose in shocking numbers. Some countries are more willing than the United States to pursue a strategy of harm reduction -- that is, to steer addicts away from the most dangerous types of behavior. A number of countries have implemented programs that actually provide heroin to addicts; some studies (PDF) show that doing so improves addicts' health and reduces their use of other illicit drugs. Marijuana laws may reduce painkiller deaths Yet in general, the U.S. strategy has not been harm reduction, but to target users and doctors. While all of this was unexpected, it was likely also predictable. Medication or drugs aren't the problem; it's the intrinsic behavior of human beings. We don't need to treat the drugs we are taking; we need to treat the drug addiction we are suffering. Like the people who take the pills in the first place, society wanted a quick fix. Instead of treating the core cause of drug addiction, we implemented blanket policies to restrict the medications, alter them and place them increasingly out of reach. Yet human beings are smart, and it was easy to reach for something on a lower shelf, more easily accessible. Make no mistake, the crackdown on opiates was a good thing, but there have been unintended consequences. On one side, patients with legitimate pain have been caught in the crossfire, easily dismissed as malingerers and unable to get relief. On the other side, abusers have become more creative, turning to heroin to feed their addiction. We must work to make sure treatment for drug addiction is a pillar of drug policy in the United States. We already know that it can work at levels similar to the effects of treatment of other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. Good doctors don't focus on the symptoms of a disease; they want to ultimately treat the disease itself. If we do the same here, we can rid America of this awful drug habit, and save many lives in the process. By: Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Burger King to Buy Tim Hortons for $11.4 Billion

By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED
AUGUST 26, 2014
Updated, 10:06 a.m. | Burger King Worldwide agreed on Tuesday to buy the Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons for about $11.4 billion, creating one of the biggest fast-food operations in the world – with a little help from Warren E. Buffett.

As part of the transaction, however, the American burger giant will move its home to Canada, where the combined company’s biggest market will be.

Under the terms of the deal, Burger King will pay 65.50 Canadian dollars in cash and 0.8025 of one of its shares for each Tim Hortons share. That amounts to about 94.05 dollars a share, or $85.78 a share, based on Burger King’s closing price on Monday.

The combined company will have 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries, and $23 billion in annual revenue.

Tim Hortons reported almost $3 billion in sales in 2013 and has shown steady growth in recent years.

Tim Hortons sell 80 percent of all the restaurant coffee sold in Canada.

Michael Brown's Funeral

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/25/us/ferguson-michael-brown-funeral/

Earthquake in San Francisco Bay Area

(CNN) -- A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Northern California early Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Eighty-seven patients have been treated or are being treated at Queen of the Valley Hospital following the early morning earthquake, according to the city of Napa. "There are three major injury cases," the city said on its website. One "young child," a girl, is in critical condition, Napa Division Fire Chief John Callanan said at a news conference. She was hurt when a fireplace collapsed. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the Bay Area since 1989, when a quake struck during the World Series. Sunday's earthquake struck 4 miles northwest of American Canyon, 6 miles southwest of Napa, and 9 miles southeast of Sonoma, according to the USGS. A water main ruptured in downtown Napa and a handful of structural fires broke out, according to the Napa city fire department. Some Napa historic buildings sustained extensive damage and at least 15,000 customers in and around Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Rosa lost power, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company. KTVU reported that two evacuation centers have been set up in the Napa Valley Quake locationQuake location The USGS estimated, based on their locations, that 15,000 people experienced severe shaking, 106,000 people felt very strong shaking, 176,000 felt strong shaking, and 738,000 felt moderate shaking. Wine country hit "I've got a lot of broken wine, being here in Napa," said Emily Massimi, who was woken up by the quake. "We tend to collect wine, so I have wine all over my kitchen, and glass, and pictures off the wall and books off of bookshelves," she told CNN. At Silver Oak Winery, owner David Silver spent the morning cleaning up hundreds of broken wine bottles that fell off the shelves. "Those bottles were very unique," he said. They were part of his private collection and worth hundreds of dollars. "It's a tragedy, but it's nothing we can't overcome." Silver said he plans to open the winery today. The quake jolted downtown Napa resident Karen Lynch. "The refrigerator flew open and all the food fell out," she told CNN. "It was not like other quakes we have felt," Lynch said. "This was a violent quake, jolting us to and fro." There have been at least five aftershocks so far, according to the USGS, ranging from 2.6 to 3.6 magnitud

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Chicago Little League Team Determined To Make History

Chicago Little League team determined to make history The Jackie Robinson West All Stars were just one game shy of making it to the Little League World Series last year. But they made it there this year and are determined to go all the way, showing the world both what they're made of, and where they come from, Elaine Quijano reports. Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is more than 600 miles from their home on Chicago's South Side. But for Jackie Robinson West, a team that dates back to 1971, the road to get there has sometimes felt even longer. llwsteampic.jpg The Jackie Robinson West All Stars pose for a team photo CBS NEWS "I had a cousin, Andre. He got shot when he was coming off the bus," said 12-year-old Marquis Jackson, who plays second base. "South Side Chicago is not all shooting. It's African-American kids coming to do the right thing too." Team manager Darold Butler agrees that this World Series can help change the image associated with South Side Chicago. "We all hear the negative part of South Side of Chicago and what goes on with our youth," Butler said. "But this group will make everyone understand. They're great kids. They're great students." No all-African-American team has ever won the Little League World Series. Last weekend, the team advanced after an astonishing, come-from-behind win thanks to a grand slam. Butler said the players' parents deserve the credit. "It wouldn't happen without parents," Butler said. "There's quite a few of them that's juggling jobs. There's quite a few of them that's not currently working." Tammy, Eddie and daughter Niece King rearranged their lives to attend their son's games on the road for nearly two weeks. "Saturday, when they won the championships, I cried," Tammy King said. "And as I looked around the stands everyone else was emotional. And something positive coming from Chicago - great." llwsmom.jpg A Jackie Robinson West All-Stars mom ESPN Tammy said baseball fields have given these boys refuge, a chance for them to be kids. "I'm having a lot of fun," Marquis Jackson said. "We woke up, ate breakfast and talked to the Australian kids and Canada kids. The Australian kids are really funny." Like their team's namesake, Jackie Robinson, who first broke baseball's color barrier 67 years ago, these boys also dream of the majors. They believe the passion they share for baseball will help them win it all. "I think it's because of our relationship together and how we love the game," Butler said. 'They are like my brothers."

Robin Williams dead; friends 'devastated' By Alan Duke, CNN

(CNN) - Robin Williams -- who first made America laugh and eventually touched "every element of the human spirit" in a remarkable range of performances -- died at his Northern California home Monday.

Williams apparently took his own life, law enforcement officials said. He was 63.

"He has been battling severe depression of late," his media representative Mara Buxbaum told CNN. "This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."

Coroner investigators suspect "the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia," according to a statement from the Marin County, California, Sheriff's Office.

Williams married graphic designer Susan Schneider in Napa Valley, California, ceremony in October 2011.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken," Schneider said.

"On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."

Word of Williams' death stunned the entertainment community and beyond Monday.

President Barack Obama's statement sent from the White House summed it up:

"Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between.  But he was one of a kind. He arrived in our lives as an alien -- but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.  He made us laugh.  He made us cry.  He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most -- from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets."

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