Type "OxyContin" and "pharmacy" into your Internet search engine and watch what happens. Within seconds, you'll have links to thousands of Web sites promising easy access to the drug. The same goes for Vicodin or just about any other painkiller you can name. ...more

December 30, 2007

Athletes aren't the only ones struggling with addiction and abuse of prescription drugs. The illegal sale of prescription drugs now constitutes the fastest-growing segment of the illicit drug market in Florida, authorities say. Increased use has resulted in more emergency room visits and deaths. Here are the numbers: ...more

December 28, 2007

TAMPA - Type "OxyContin" and "pharmacy" into your Internet search engine and watch what happens. Within seconds, you'll have links to thousands of Web sites promising easy access to the drug. The same goes for Vicodin or just about any other painkiller you can name. These addictive drugs are strictly regulated by state and federal laws and are supposed to be available only through prescriptions. But with a credit card and a click or two on a computer, it's possible to bypass the system and have the medications delivered to your door. ...more

December 28, 2007

"Slash," by Slash with Anthony Bozza (Harper Entertainment, $28) ...more

December 16, 2007

Although fewer young people are using marijuana and other illegal drugs, the percentage of teenagers abusing prescription painkillers remains alarmingly high, according to a national teen drug use survey released Tuesday at the White House. ...more

December 12, 2007

The rate of drug users who fatally overdose on methadone, a prescription that curbs heroin addiction, is skyrocketing at an alarming pace, a new Justice Department study shows. ...more

December 6, 2007

On Nov. 1, with little fanfare, Congress accepted a long-needed correction to prison sentencing guidelines for people caught selling crack cocaine. ...more

November 19, 2007

Authorities say an anonymous tip led to the arrest of a man who robbed pharmacies in Sumter and Citrus counties. ...more

November 8, 2007

SEBRING — A growing number of adolescents are starting to turn to over-the-counter and prescription drugs for a high. "Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic across the country," said Sgt. Monica Sauls, of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "While the use of popular gateway drugs has decreased, the number of teens abusing medication has steadily increased." Sauls points to a 2005 study used during D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) presentations that shows that 4.7 millions teens admitted taking prescription medication that was not prescribed to them. The number ranks third among drugs that teens have tried, behind only marijuana and inhalants. ...more

November 6, 2007

Kyle Hall grew up with a twin brother, but to friends the 19-year-old former high school football player was unique. ...more

November 6, 2007