Us Drug War

One killed as US strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in Pacific

The US military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post, US Southern Command said, Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. A video posted by US Southern Command shows splashes of water near one side of the boat. After a second salvo, the rear of the boat catches fire. More splashes engulf the craft and the fire grows. In the final second of the video, the vessel can be seen adrift with a large patch of fire alongside it. Earlier videos of US boat strikes showed vessels suddenly exploding, suggesting missile strikes. Some strike videos even had visible rocket-like projectiles coming down on the boats. The Trump administration has said the strikes we

Trump declares fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction to tackle drug crisis

The move comes as Trump has cited fentanyl deaths to justify a series of attacks against boats in international waters that the Pentagon says were being used to smuggle drugs

US military strikes on 3 boats in eastern Pacific Ocean, kill eight people

The US military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in Congress. The military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted designated terrorist organisations, killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It didn't provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a video of a boat moving through water before exploding. President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. But the Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign, which has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes since early September, including a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to the ...

US drops Colombia as drug war partner, puts it on rogue nation list: Petro

The move is likely to hit foreign investment, multilateral funding and tourism, as a long-time ally of Washington now finds itselfin the same rogue category as Venezuela, Bolivia and Myanmar

Sun Pharma receives US FDA approval for drug to treat alopecia areata

Autoimmune disorder characterised by hair loss affects some 700,000 people in the US

In a historic shift, US govt poised to ease restrictions on marijuana

The US Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognise the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation's most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalise marijuana outright for recreational use. The agency's move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency's biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect. Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, ...

Safer eyedrops may require new FDA powers in US amid recalls & infections

When you buy eyedrops at a US store, you might assume you're getting a product made in a clean, well-maintained factory that's passed muster with health regulators. But repeated recalls involving over-the-counter drops are drawing new attention to just how little US officials know about the conditions at some manufacturing plants on the other side of the world and the limited tools they have to intervene when there's a problem. The Food and Drug Administration is asking Congress for new powers, including the ability to mandate drug recalls and require eyedrop makers to undergo inspections before shipping products to the US. But experts say those capabilities will do little without more staff and resources for foreign inspections, which were a challenge even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced regulators to skip thousands of visits. The FDA is not getting its job done in terms of drug quality assurance inspections abroad, said David Ridley of Duke University and co-author of a recen

Is the US really ready to end its drug war?

8 states and Washington, DC have legalised recreational marijuana, in conflict with federal law