The sheriff's office is charging forward in its campaign against prescription drug abuse. ...more

March 16, 2009

The annual Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey shows continuing declines in binge drinking, smoking - both tobacco and marijuana - and most other drug use. ...more

November 17, 2008

From "Scarface" to "Miami Vice," Florida's drug problem has been portrayed as the story of a single narcotic: cocaine. But for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit. ...more

June 16, 2008

To John Gibson, some doctors are "legal drug dealers." The 30-year-old Tampa man said he is recovering from addiction to prescription painkillers he started taking after an all-terrain vehicle accident and a work-related injury when he was employed at a sawmill. ...more

December 4, 2007

TAMPA – To John Gibson, some doctors are "legal drug dealers." The 30-year-old Tampa man said he is recovering from addiction to prescription painkillers he started taking after an all-terrain vehicle accident and a work-related injury when he was employed at a sawmill. ...more

December 3, 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

SEBRING — New blood can often shake up an organization, with fresh ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to serve. Newly elected S.A.L.T. Council President Nicole Montoya-Bragg was informed over the telephone of her nomination. She accepted the challenge. That set the tone for the rest of the meeting. The Highlands County Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (S.A.L.T.) Council elected new officers Friday at its regularly scheduled meeting held at the Highlands County Sheriff's Office Community Service Center in the Lakeshore Mall. ...more

October 13, 2007

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is preparing to turn their back on the children of Florida. ...more

September 6, 2007