This print ad is titled: Risky Behavior Open Letter. To see more ads, visit the Media Campaign web site.

Parents are a powerful influence in keeping their teens away from drugs and other risky behaviors, such as underage drinking, cigarette use, and sexual activity. And according to new data, the majority of teens say the greatest risk in using marijuana is upsetting their parents (69%), followed by losing the respect of friends and family (67.2%). To better help parents prevent all types of risk-taking among teens, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and health and prevention leaders have partnered to raise awareness about the consequences of risky behaviors among teens, including drug use, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity. And there’s a lot you can do to help parents in your community too, including disseminating new, free resources for parents.

Compared to a generation ago, most of today’s teens are thriving. Drug, alcohol, tobacco, and teen pregnancy rates are all down. But recent surveys show that among the Nation’s 12–17-year-olds, each day 3,430 try marijuana for the first time; 7,500 try alcohol; 3,900 try cigarettes; and one in five teenage girls has at least one pregnancy before age 20. In a typical high school class of 30 teens in America today, the number of students engaging in risky behaviors is staggering: seven out of 30 kids are using drugs; 13 drink alcohol; 6 smoke cigarettes; and 10 are sexually active. Indeed, new data also shows that more than four in 10 adolescents have been offered drugs, and about one in four have been offered drugs at school.

ONDCP also unveiled a new "Open Letter" print ad today that highlights proven actions parents can take to help their teens successfully navigate the minefield of risky behaviors during the adolescent years, including setting rules and consequences, keeping close tabs on their teens, and monitoring their teens’ time on the Internet. The Open Letter ad, signed by 16 prevention and parenting organizations, including the American Legacy Foundation, the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, will be published next week in the top 25 media markets in national and local newspapers, and in select consumer magazines.

Things you can do in your communities:

• Download the Open Letter ad at: www.mediacampaign.org, link your Web site to it, or reproduce it in its entirety for your newsletter.
• Order the new free parenting resources (Handbook and CD-ROM) on line at: www.TheAntiDrug.com.
• View the latest parenting television ads at: http://www.mediacampaign.org/mg/television.html
• Learn more about risky behaviors and parenting tips at: www.TheAntiDrug.com.

Some solid reporting from the Sacramento Bee on
California's Prop 36:

"Five years ago, Proposition 36 supporters hailed its approval as a resounding rejection of the nation's war on drugs and a harbinger for similar laws around the country.

Since then, only one state—Hawaii—has adopted a comparable law mandating treatment instead of jail for drug offenders.

"We would like to see it picked up in other states, but we don't necessarily have millions on hand to run voter initiatives, and not every state has voter initiatives," said Glenn Backes, who founded the Drug Policy Alliance's capital office and recently left the organization.

After the California victory, voters in three other states either rejected measures similar to Proposition 36 or legal problems kept the proposals off the ballot. By 2004, the next election cycle, the initiative's wealthy backers had switched their focus from the war on drugs to the war in Iraq and the defeat of President Bush.

Billionaires George Soros and Peter Lewis—two of the three who financed the Proposition 36 campaign—donated about $23 million each in 2004 to unsuccessful campaigns to unseat Bush, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

Read the rest here

"An Illinois Catholic school has begun discussing mandatory drug testing for its students, a month after Christian Brothers College high school introduced the idea.

Principal Mike Slaughter at Marquette Catholic High in Alton is pushing to start a testing program next school year for its 280 students.

CBC in Town and Country presented a proposal in January to parents of its 1,100 students.

Slaughter said he began looking into the CBC plan as soon as the story hit the paper last month. He has now also talked with school administrators in Chicago and Memphis, Tenn."

Read the whole story here

Photo of recently shut down drug house. Click here for larger image.

"SHEBOYGAN, Wis. A group of neighbors in a Sheboygan suburb are claiming victory in the community's war on drugs after it says it closed down drug houses where dealers operated."

Read the whole story here

From the Jackson Hole Star Tribune in Wyoming:

"RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP)—A pair of local radio stations has pulled a set of public service announcements advocating medical marijuana use after receiving complaints from the police chief and others.

Scott Freeman, a salesman for Mount Rushmore Broadcasting in Casper, which owns KIQZ-FM and KRAL-AM in Rawlins, said he pulled the PSAs as soon as he learned about them.

A disc jockey at the stations, Jack Morgan, had run the 30-second PSAs.

"I told him it was not the practice of this station to promote that type of thing because it was illegal," Freeman said."

The North County Times runs a great piece from a doctor who argues that so-called "medical marijuana" has not been proven to be safe or effective:

"I seriously question the efficacy of utilizing marijuana for certain medical conditions: The medical facts are clear and straightforward:

• Nausea: In studies, marijuana was found to be no more effective than an old anti-nausea prescription medicine called Compazine. Newer more effective anti-nausea medicines have been produced with fewer side effects.

• Weight loss prevention: Studies show that marijuana can increase appetite but has not been proven effective in increasing weight gain. Contemporary practitioners commonly use an inexpensive drug called megestrol, which better stimulates appetite and weight gain in 80 percent of patients treated.

• Spasticity: Studies have shown that patients with spasticity diseases, e.g. multiple sclerosis, perceived a decline in spasticity when, in fact, the spasticity was made worse.

• Glaucoma: Marijuana has never been shown to be equal or better than existing drugs to treat glaucoma, yet has significantly more side effects.

THC has been concentrated in capsular form and is sold in pharmacies under the trade name Marinol. Via prescription, a physician can monitor the use and can quantify the dose for each patient under their care. The pharmacist can ensure compliance to the doctor's orders, can educate the patient on side effects, drug interactions, and warn patients about the potent pharmacological effects of the drug which may impair the patient's cognitive and or motor functions."

Read his whole piece here

From The Age in Australia:

"New Zealand police have an unusual ally in their annual crackdown on the country's illegal marijuana harvest—possums.

"They love it, absolutely love it," Detective John Nicholls, of Motueka, told the Nelson Evening Mail after returning from a week-long police and air force helicopter hunt for pot plants at the top of the South Island.

He said one crop was "chewed to bits—it was the worst I've ever seen."

Click here for larger image

Neil McKeganey, B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D., and Professor of Drug Misuse Research and Director, Centre for Drug Misuse Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK discusses the links between marijuana and mental illness in May of 2005. Click here for larger image.

In a lengthy and well-researched piece, the U.K.'s Observer provides an account of the latest research showing links between marijuana and mental illness. The piece also reports that UK hospitals are seeing what we're seeing here in the States—an increase in the amount of emergency room mentions due to marijuana use.

"In 2001, 490 patients were admitted to hospital as a result of excessive use of cannabis. There were 710 admissions in each of the past two years. Several recent studies have demonstrated the links between cannabis and schizophrenia. Professor Robin Murray, a consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in south London and one of the leading researchers in the field, estimates that 25,000 of the 250,000 people with schizophrenia in the UK could have avoided the illness if they had not used of cannabis.

In addition, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), in a report to Home Secretary Charles Clarke arguing against reclassification, suggested for the first time that cannabis may not only cause schizophrenia in those with pre-existing mental conditions, but could also exacerbate a range of other mental health problems.

In the UK, 250,000 people experience psychosis—a term that refers to symptoms including delusions and hallucinations, rather than a specific diagnosis. 'Five years ago, 95 per cent of psychiatrists would have said cannabis doesn't cause psychosis,' says Murray. 'Now, I would estimate 95 per cent say it does. It's a quiet epidemic.'

Steve Hammond, the 27-year-old son of mental health worker, Terry, began smoking cannabis at 16, graduated to smoking up to 10 joints a night over weekends, then, in his twenties, was diagnosed as schizophrenic.

'Steve was a brilliant sportsman: a gifted footballer, a superb runner, a natural athlete,' says his father. 'Now, he is just a shadow, a recluse. This is definitely an emerging issue. Everyone knows a "dope head" who has used cannabis, the "safe" drug. It's not just the number of cases of schizophrenia and psychosis that's a concern, it's the thousands upon thousands who have lost a future.'"

Read the whole story

A number of prominent studies have recently identified a direct link between marijuana use and increased risk of mental health problems. Recent research makes a stronger case that cannabis smoking itself is a causal agent in psychiatric symptoms, particularly schizophrenia. During the past three years, these studies have strengthened that association and further found that the age when marijuana is first smoked is a crucial risk factor in later development of mental health problems.

A report released last year from SAMSHA found that adults who first used marijuana before age 12 were twice as likely as adults who first used marijuana at age 18 or older to be classified as having serious mental illness in the past year.

Over 150 school officials and community leaders learn more about random drug testing. Click here for larger image.

Positive media coverage and strong attendance rates helped make our San Diego Random Drug Testing Summit a tremendous success. Yesterday, more than 150 school administrators, parents, safety officers, and community leaders came to learn more about the benefits of random testing from experts and researchers. The main session was followed by breakout sessions on how to apply for Federal funding and how to support young people who may test positive for dangerous, addictive drugs.

Two school districts in the San Diego area (Vista and Oceanside) have already begun to implement their own random testing programs.

Read more about the San Diego Summit on KFMB’s site

Director Walters speaks about the Combat Meth Act. Click here for larger image.

Yesterday, Director Walters visited Columbia and St. Louis, MO with Senator Talent to promote the Combat Meth Act and discuss Federal efforts to stop the use of methamphetamine in Missouri and elsewhere in the United States.

The Director said, “I am proud to be touring the State of Missouri today with Senator Talent, who has pushed for the toughest, most comprehensive anti-meth package ever considered by the Congress. I strongly encourage the Congress to pass the Combat Meth Act provisions as part of the Patriot Act. This combined legislation contains important protection for the safety and security of all Americans. In particular, the Combat Meth Act provisions reflect the success seen in several states, where products containing methamphetamine precursors like pseudoephedrine are put behind store counters. With significant drops in methamphetamine laboratory numbers in several of the states that have implemented this general approach, the rest of the Nation deserves a uniform national standard that would allow law-abiding citizens access to these products in reasonable amounts, but severely limit the ability of would-be methamphetamine cooks to get the amount of these chemicals required for methamphetamine production.”

The Combat Meth Act will provide new tools and resources to states, local law enforcement, and prosecutors to combat the production and distribution of meth by restricting the sale of the primary ingredients to cook meth, enhancing international enforcement of meth trafficking, increasing community awareness, and providing services to those affected by the spread of meth.

Read news stories from the Director’s visit:

• National Meth Act Models Missouri Laws, KOMU
• Missouri Senator Combats Meth, ABC 17

It's becoming difficult to keep up with all the schools and school districts across the Nation that are considering and implementing drug testing as a confidential and non-punitive way of dealing with youth substance abuse. Here's what we've seen in just the past couple of days:

From the North County Times:

"VUSD board approves random drug tests

VISTA—The school board voted unanimously Thursday night to implement random drug testing for all students in extracurricular activities at Vista's two comprehensive high schools.

The testing could begin this month, Vista Unified School District officials have said.

Rancho Buena Vista High School tried a pilot drug-testing project last year. Principal Rich Alderson said at Thursday's board meeting that the program worked as a deterrent to keep students away from drugs. Only two students tested positive for drugs last year out of about 40 tests a month, he said.

"The earlier you catch this the better," Trustee Jim Gibson said about drug use. "I'm glad that we're actually involved with doing something like this."

Here's another school taking this issue on: School District Considering Random Drug Testing (Westfield, Indiana)

And another: School Board Considers Drug Testing for Athletes (Naples, FL)

And another: Why One Mother Supports Random Drug Testing

To build on this progress, our Deputy Director is hosting a series of random drug testing summits. The summits allow parents and school administrators to learn more about the benefits of random testing and how it reduces drug use among young people.

Here are the details of our next summit in San Diego, California if you are in the area and would like to attend:

ONDCP Drug Testing Summit
San Diego, CA, February 22, 2006
Hilton San Diego Mission Valley
901 Camino del Rio South

Register online for this summit or any of our upcoming summits that may be taking place in your area

From the San Marcos Daily Record in Texas:

Click here for larger image

"About one and a half percent of San Marcos High School students who participate in extracurricular activities tested positive for drug use since a mandatory screening policy took effect at the start of last school year.

Ten of about 700 screenings administered since August 2004 tested positive for drugs or alcohol, said Athletic Director Steve Van Nest, who oversees the program. No students have tested positive more than once, he said.

“Our whole purpose with this was to give students a reason to say no when drugs are made available to them,” Van Nest said. “Based on these numbers we've seen so far, I think it's working. It's at least a good sign.”

[…]

The move drew opposition from some parents who argued that random testing conditioned students to accept government intrusion into their personal lives.

The program's first 15 months, however, shows it's working, Superintendent Sylvester J. Perez said.

“The big thing is that we're being proactive. If students do make inappropriate decisions, we have a system in place to try to get them help and discipline,” Dr. Perez said.

He said educators are concerned about drug use among students who do not take part in extracurricular activities, but do not have plans to expand the program."

Yet another California City Government has taken action against illegal drug use in their community. We are pleased that local governments are acknowledging and taking action against the increases in crime, abuse, and fraud that occur around so-called "medical" marijuana dispensaries. These dispensaries are also operating against Federal law.

Here's the latest:

San Marcos bans medical marijuana dispensaries

By: DAVID STERRETT—Staff Writer

SAN MARCOS—The City Council voted Tuesday to ban businesses from distributing medical marijuana in San Marcos, becoming the first city in the county to introduce such a law....

Representatives of several regional groups such as Mothers Against Marijuana and the San Diego Prevention Coalition urged the council not to allow dispensaries because of health and safety risks associated with marijuana.

"Is this a business any city official would knowingly endorse?" said Rebecca Hernandez, who is with the prevention coalition."

In addition to San Marcos, Palm Desert, California has also put a medical marijuana dispensary on notice.

Our latest podcast has testimonials from teens who became drug-addicted after smoking marijuana and remarks from the release of President Bush's 2006 National Drug Control Strategy. The release of the Strategy took place at a youth treatment center in Denver, Colorado. This latest download also includes remarks from Colorado Governor Bill Owens, Attorney General John Suthers, and others involved in coordinating anti-drug strategies in Colorado.

Do you have feedback about our new podcasting service? Are there questions you have for drug policy experts you would like answered in future episodes of or podcasts? Let us know! Contact us.

From Agence France Presse comes this reminder of how support for legal products from drug producing nations helps drive support away from narcoterrorism:

"Valentine's Day means gifts of flowers for lovers, but the holiday of romance is a godsend to horticulturists in Colombia, the world's second largest producer of cut flowers.

Since late January, an average of 30 cargo planes have taken off every day from Bogotá's airport loaded with refrigerated boxes bearing a five-month crop of roses and other flowers from nurseries, many destined to seal bonds of love in couples around the world....

Over the past few years, a growing number of Colombian farmers have sought employment in the flower industry to escape guerrilla and paramilitary violence that for nearly half a century has plagued the country's interior.

That is the story of Freddy Ramirez and Elvia Montoya, a couple of farmhands recently arrived from rugged Cesar department, in the north, for their first Valentine's Day here.

"Back home, it wasn't safe to walk outside, go to work or anything. Now, we're even getting to buy our own little house," said Elvia who, along with her husband, is tasked with checking that the flowers their company packages meet international standards.

Their job entails getting up before 3:00 am and working in a cold room kept barely two degrees above freezing.

"We're very happy," said Elvia, her cheeks rosy and shivering a smile."

Happy Valentines Day.

Over the weekend, New Mexico's legislature refused to succumb to the heavy-handed lobbying efforts of pro-drug groups seeking to legalize marijuana, which is not recognized as either a safe or effective form of medical treatment by the Food and Drug Administration. The Associated Press covers the story:

"The committee's decision was applauded by law-enforcement officers who said the proposal would cause legal problems because it conflicted with federal law and would increase illegal marijuana use and growth in the state.

Errol Chavez, director of the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Las Cruces, told the committee that abuse and growth of marijuana increased in California after a medical-marijuana law went into effect.

The committee's vote "prevents a threat from coming to the state of New Mexico, the threat of abuse of marijuana," he said after the meeting.

In a Feb. 8 letter circulated to the committee, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias wrote that even if the state made medical-marijuana use legal, "anyone who violates the (federal) Controlled Substances Act is subject to federal prosecution."

The citizens of New Mexico deserve the best that our medical system has to offer—not the worst. Smoking an addictive plant with no set dosage, no reliable means of informing patients about potency, and which is cancer-causing is not responsible medicine. We are pleased that communities and local governments around the nation are seeing the ‘medical’ marijuana movement for what it really is—a trojan horse for the legalization of drugs. We owe it to patients who are suffering from pain to ensure that the medicine they receive is free from the pro-drug politics of marijuana legalization and backed by science and research. Smoking marijuana has not passed our nation’s standards for safe and efficacious medicine.

What You Need to Know About Starting a Student Drug-Testing Program

From the Hampton Roads Daily Press:

"A teacher in the W-JCC school system, says random testing could have prevented her daughter, now a college sophomore, from a two-year, casual marijuana habit the mother believes nearly cost her daughter her life.

The mother, who requested anonymity to protect her daughter's identity, said her husband found their daughter stoned in the wee hours of New Year's Day morning. She'd pulled off on the side of the road in their neighborhood after riding on the rims of two flat tires.

Where did her daughter, a National Honor Society graduate of Lafayette High School, begin smoking pot? With her cross-country team members, during her senior year, the mother said.

The mother said she figures if it can happen to her family, it can happen to others too, even those who, like her, thought their children were too smart to use drugs. Now, the mother is driving up to her daughter's university unannounced, to randomly drug test her for the duration of her college career."

	Read the new publication: Girls and Drugs

Over 400 newspapers and news organizations across the United States covered some alarming trends when it comes to girls using drugs. Despite commonly held beliefs that boys are at higher risk for using illegal substances, data indicate that girls have caught up with boys in illicit drug and alcohol use and have actually surpassed boys in cigarette and prescription drug use. There are also more girls who are new users of substances than boys.

Director Walters also appeared on Good Morning America (video) and the Today show to discuss the recent findings.

Although substance use among teens has shown steady declines in the past few years, ONDCP and other experts warned parents at a press conference yesterday in New York City that girls display unique vulnerabilities that can lead to substance abuse. Research also indicates that drug and alcohol use has a more profound impact on teen girls, both physically and psychologically.

Read our press release

Need parenting tips? ONDCP has compiled some helpful information on how to discuss the dangers of drug use with their kids.

Director Walters, Colorado Governor Bill Owens, and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers tour a drug treatment center in Denver, Colorado. Director Walters released President Bush's 2006 Strategy after meeting with marijuana addicted teens and mothers in recovery for substance abuse. Click here for more photos.

A big news day. After meeting with drug addicted teens and mothers at Denver's SYNERGY drug treatment center, Director Walters released President Bush's 2006 National Drug Control Strategy. The new Strategy builds on the success of last year's anti-drug plan which was released at a Miami, Florida Drug Court.

Director Walters was joined by Colorado Governor Bill Owens and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. At the event, Director Walters outlined success in reducing youth drug use by 19 percent over the past four years. We also heard united voices against the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. Here's what the Colorado Governor and Attorney General said yesterday (from the Denver Post):

"Gov. Bill Owens and state Attorney General John Suthers said they are bracing for the possibility of a state ballot initiative in November to legalize marijuana possession funded by over $1 million of out-of-state money.

"Their message is going to be that somehow smoking pot is less of a danger than alcohol abuse so we ought to support it as an alternative—smoking pot in lieu of alcohol," Suthers said. "That's not the message we should send to our children."

"If the initiative gets to the ballot we will put together a broad-based coalition to oppose it, though we won't have the dollars that (billionaire) George Soros puts into states like Colorado."

And one thing is for sure, Director Walters will continue to stand with state and local officials who oppose more drug use in their communities. The Post story also carried some powerful stories from young people about their battles with marijuana and other drugs of abuse, despite claims by pro-drug advocates that drugs don't pose a serious danger to teens:

"Mason Tvert, who spearheaded a successful Denver initiative for small amounts of marijuana possession, disputed that marijuana is a gateway to drug dependence.....

"I started using marijuana and alcohol daily when I was 14 and it led to cocaine and Ecstasy," said James Harper, 16, who has been in residential treatment at Fort Logan for 4 1/2 months. "As far as marijuana being a gateway drug, I'd have to agree with that."

Ross Andrews, 17, said he started using marijuana when he was 12 or 13. "I did marijuana just to fit in at the beginning and then you get addicted and start using it every day," he said.

For Davis Condreay, 17, it began by copying his brothers. "I started using marijuana and alcohol when I was in the fourth and fifth grade," he said. "I had seen my older brothers do it and a few friends' parents didn't seem to mind. I didn't see any other way of having fun on weekends and it pretty much screwed me over."

Here are links to more news coverage:

• AP/CBS White House Unveils 2006 Drug Strategy (with video)
• Drug Control Strategy Launched (Washington Times)
• White House Unveils Anti-Drug Program (CBS)

Stay tuned. Soon we will have a new podcast containing interviews with drug addicted teens and full remarks from the release of the 2006 Strategy.

Today, Director John P. Walters released President Bush’s 2006 National Drug Control Strategy during a visit to a youth drug treatment center in Denver, Colorado. President Bush’s new Strategy calls for a balance between reducing the demand and supply for illegal drugs in America, and outlines new programs which have been proven to be effective ways of combating substance abuse.

When President Bush took office in 2001, drug use had leveled off at unacceptably high levels. Since then, guided by the President’s ambitious, balanced strategy we have seen a significant downturn in drug use among Americans. The 2006 Strategy will build on the progress already made. The Strategy focuses on three core principles: stopping use before it starts, healing America’s drug users, and disrupting the market.

• Read the full Strategy

• Read the press release

A balanced approach to reducing substance abuse, bolstered by the efforts of community leaders, educators, parents, as well as health and justice professionals, is paying off. An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer details our Nation's success in making the drug problem smaller:

After 2001, the tide turned again. Since then, teen drug use is off nearly 19 percent. Which means that 700,000 fewer teens are using drugs today than just a few years ago.

Each substance is its own front and has its own dynamics. Drug supply is shockingly local. Take coca, the substance from which cocaine and crack are derived. From 1998 to 2001, world coca production increased from 586,100 metric tons to 655,800 metric tons, with the lion's share grown in Columbia. Since then, the ONDCP orchestrated a campaign to spray 140,000 hectares of Colombian coca fields with glyphosate (you know it as Roundup). The result: world coca production is down 20 percent.

With other substances, the news is even better. On Nov. 6, 2000, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided an abandoned missile silo in Wamego, Kan., which housed the world's leading LSD operation. By 2004, LSD availability in America was down 95 percent. The market still hasn't recovered.

The supply of all the major drugs is down, but at the same time, drug interdiction is up. In 1989, 533,533 kilograms of the four major drugs were seized by U.S. authorities. By 2005, the total had risen to 1.3 million kilograms.

Next week, the ONDCP will release a report outlining their order of battle for 2006. Director John Walters is not the type to go running for the nearest TV camera. Yet the quiet success he has overseen is a powerful reminder that the bad guys are not 10 feet tall; that failure is not inevitable; that the war on drugs is a war worth fighting; and that we're fighting it well.

Here's another school that's working to prevent drug use before it starts. From the Associated Press

"TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo.—Behind the turreted brick walls of Christian Brothers College High School is a clean-cut student body of about 1,000 boys in collared shirts and dress pants.

Tuition for freshmen at the private school in suburban St. Louis will be $9,500 next year, including the cost of a new laptop computer. There is also the chance all parents will be charged another $60 to help pay for mandatory drug tests for students, a rare program hailed by the White House but disparaged by civil libertarians.

"I know a lot of people are worried about privacy concerns, but they're telling us it'll be kept confidential," said junior Tommy Daher, 17, of Manchester. "I think it's great that we'll be leading the way in this."

Click here to see more photos

What does drug money support? Take a look at this sad story from the D.E.A.:

"The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New York Field Division, Special Agent-in-Charge, JOHN P. GILBRIDE announced the arrests of 22 Colombian nationals who were responsible for smuggling over 20 kilograms of heroin into the United States. The Colombian organization used varied and unique concealment methods.

Human couriers, termed "swallowers", ingested the heroin packets for transporting. Animal couriers were pure-bred puppies that had heroin packets surgically implanted in them. In one instance, six puppies were found impregnated with a total of three kilograms of liquid heroin packets.

In addition, the heroin was concealed in body creams, aerosol cans, pressed into bead shapes, and sewn into the lining of purses and double-sided luggage. "The organization's outrageous and heinous smuggling method of implanting heroin inside puppies is a true indication of the extent that drug dealers go to make their profit," said Gilbride. "This investigation identified the individuals who were responsible for overseeing and smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin from Colombia to the East Coast."

To date, there have been 14 separate seizures of heroin totaling 24 kilograms; one seizure of six kilograms of cocaine; and 21 arrests. These arrests came after a two-year multi-agency investigation that identified an organization based in Medellin, Colombia, whose distribution network reached from Miami to New York City. The operation culminated today in an international round-up that included 18 search warrants in six different Colombian cities.

SAC Gilbride thanked the Colombian National Police ANTIN Heroin Task Force and the Eastern District of New York for their assistance with the investigation. The government's cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney's Daniel Wenner and Paige Petersen of the Eastern District of New York.

Agencies involved included the Bogota, New York, Miami and Atlanta offices of the DEA, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Colombian National Police Heroin Task Force and the Johnston County Sheriffs Department, North Carolina."

President Bush discussed recent progress in reducing drug use during his State of the Union address last night. Here's an excerpt:

"In recent years, America has become a more hopeful nation. Violent crime rates have fallen to their lowest levels since the 1970s. Welfare cases have dropped by more than half over the past decade. Drug use among youth is down 19 percent since 2001. There are fewer abortions in America than at any point in the last three decades, and the number of children born to teenage mothers has been falling for a dozen years in a row. (Applause.)

These gains are evidence of a quiet transformation—a revolution of conscience, in which a rising generation is finding that a life of personal responsibility is a life of fulfillment. Government has played a role. Wise policies, such as welfare reform and drug education and support for abstinence and adoption have made a difference in the character of our country. And everyone here tonight, Democrat and Republican, has a right to be proud of this record. (Applause.)"

President Bush Gives State of the Union Address

The full text of last night's address may be found here.