DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ F.D.A.’s Review of MDMA Cites Health Risks and Study Flaws
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Andrew Jacobs | Christina Jewett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday raised concerns about the health effects of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing flaws in a company’s studies that could pose major obstacles to approval of a treatment anticipated to help people struggling with the condition. The agency said that bias had seeped into the studies because participants and therapists were readily able to figure out who got MDMA versus a placebo. It also flagged “significant increases” in blood pressure and pulse rates that could “trigger cardiovascular events.”The staff analysis was conducted for an independent advisory panel that will meet Tuesday to consider an application by Lykos Therapeutics for the use of MDMA-assisted therapy. The agency’s concerns highlight the unique and complex issues facing regulators as they weigh the therapeutic value of an illegal drug commonly known as Ecstasy that has long been associated with all-night raves and cuddle puddles. Approval would mark a seismic change in the nation’s tortuous relationship with psychedelic compounds, most of which the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies as illegal substances that have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

Persons: ” Organizations: Drug Administration, Lykos Therapeutics, Drug

☆ Why replacing alcohol with weed is a growing trend in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The use of weed to replace alcohol is a growing trend in the United States. “We know that moderate alcohol consumption has health risks, and risk increases as alcohol consumption increases,” Boyd said in an email. “Cannabis smoke contains toxins, carcinogens, and particulate matter that have been linked to cancer, lung damage, and cardiovascular disease,” Cohen said in an email. Research on edibles, such as baked goods, candies and beverages, and other methods of using cannabis is in its infancy. “In and of itself, it’s not good that more people are using cannabis,” Grinspoon said.

Persons: CNN —, “, —, ”, “ I’ve, Carol Boyd, ” Boyd, Weed, Peter Grinspoon, ” “, ” Grinspoon, Beth Cohen, ” Cohen, I’m, Boyd, ” Robert Page II, Grinspoon, ideation, it’s Organizations: CNN, National Survey, Center, Drugs, University of Michigan, US Centers for Disease Control, Massachusetts General Hospital, Marijuana, University of California, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Drug, Food and Drug Administration, National Poison Center, FDA, Lifeline Locations: United States, Washington, Ann Arbor, Boston, San Francisco, Aurora, Georgia

☆ He taught cops how to fight crypto crime. Now he's accused of running a $100 million dark web drug market.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lin Rui-siang stands accused of running a $100 million dark web drug market, attempting to blackmail its users, and instructing others on how to evade anti-money-laundering investigators. Federal prosecutors say that he owned and operated Incognito Market, a dark web drug market selling heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and other illicit substances. The DoJ said Lin used the pseudonyms "Pharoah" and "faro." The indictment claims that Lin closed the drug marketplace in or around March, and that he refused to return money stored in the "bank" to vendors and customers. The outlet said that "Pharoah" posted on a dark web market forum that its aim was to help users evade anti-money-laundering investigators.

Persons: —, Lin Rui, siang, Lin, John F, Lucia, Edward A, Caban Organizations: Service, Business, Department of Justice, Kennedy, WIRED, St, Lucia Police, Lucia Police Force, DoJ, Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Food, Drug, Criminal Investigations, New York Police Department, NYPD Locations: Royal, faro

☆ Daily marijuana use surpasses alcohol consumption, new study finds. Here's what it means for the industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Brandon Gomez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Although alcohol overall remains more widely used, 2022 was the first-time daily marijuana use overtook drinking at the same frequency, with roughly 17.7 million cannabis users and 14.7 million drinkers, respectively. That is a 15-fold increase for cannabis since 1992 when only 900,000 Americans disclosed using the drug daily compared with 8.9 million daily drinkers. The spirits and alcohol industry, however, has been working to defend its market share despite shifting trends among younger consumers. However, some analysts on Wall Street expect greater impact to the alcohol industry from cannabis adoption. "We estimate that legal cannabis could be negatively impacting beer volume [compound annual growth rate] by up to 230 bps in Canada and 75 bps in the U.S. where legal," said Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat.

Persons: Roth, Scott Fortune, Bill Kirk, Kirk, Fortune, Bernstein, Nadine Sarwat, Sarwat Organizations: The U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, Administration, Wall, distillers, Constellation Brands, Diageo, AB InBev, Molson Coors Locations: San Anselmo , California, The U.S, U.S, Canada

☆ New York Times publishes fresh details on the alleged affair that Elon Musk and Nicole Shanahan both deny
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three sources told the Times that Shanahan and Musk had an affair in December 2021 during a private party in Miami. Advertisement"Ms. Shanahan later told Mr. Brin that she had had sex with Mr. Musk, three of the people said. She also relayed the details to friends, family and advisers," the Times reported. Representatives for Shanahan, Musk, and Brin did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment ahead of publication. In response to questions from a The New York Times reporter, Shanahan said she was "shocked the NYT is letting you run something like this."

Persons: —, Nicole Shanahan, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Tesla, Shanahan, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Brin, Musk, it's, Ian Tuttle, Anna Webber, Grimes, Sergey, Nicole, Walter Isaacson Organizations: Service, New York Times, Business, Times, Drug Enforcement, Variety, Street Journal, Shanahan Locations: Miami

☆ Inquiry Seeks Source of Ketamine That Caused Matthew Perry’s Death
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Matt Stevens | More About Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The police in Los Angeles are working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate the source of the ketamine that caused the death of the actor Matthew Perry in October, the authorities said on Tuesday. The inquiry began after investigators determined that ketamine, an anesthetic with psychedelic properties, was the cause of Mr. Perry’s death, Capt. Scot Williams of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a brief interview. Captain Williams said investigators would seek to discover whether the ketamine was obtained legally. TMZ reported earlier that the authorities were still looking into the source of the ketamine.

Persons: Matthew Perry, Perry’s, Scot Williams, Perry, superstardom, Chandler Bing, ”, Captain Williams Organizations: Drug, Administration, Los Angeles Police Department, TMZ Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County

☆ Biden hails ‘monumental’ steps toward easing marijuana rules as rescheduling process moves ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Biden has already pardoned federal marijuana offenders and urged individual state governors to take similar steps. On Thursday, the Justice Department is taking the next formal step in the process of easing federal restrictions on cannabis, according to a senior administration official. The rescheduling proposal will appear publicly in the Federal Register, opening it up for a 60-day public comment period. While the process for rescheduling marijuana is lengthy, the president’s aides believe the step is a necessary one to place the drug in a more appropriate category. Biden’s advisers also privately acknowledge the potential political benefit of loosening rules on marijuana, which has gained wider cultural acceptance over the last decade.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, ” Biden, “, Biden, I’m, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, Department, Justice, Federal, Drug, Justice Department

☆ MDMA therapy could be legalized by summer. Why are so many advocates sounding the alarm?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +52 min

Last summer, thousands of tie-dyed Burners and Patagonia-clad tech founders converged on the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference in Denver. The experience "broke the spell of this trauma, and she was able to rebuild her life," Doblin told The Guardian . The video team's job was to store recordings of every MDMA therapy session performed in the clinical trials. Grof believes in something called an "inner healing intelligence," an innate capacity for self-healing that psychedelic therapy helps unleash. Another time, a patient who had come to an MDMA therapy session later acknowledged they had been under the influence of LSD during treatment.

Persons: Jaden Smith, Aaron Rodgers, bro, Andrew Huberman, Rick Doblin, Doblin, mainstreaming psychedelics, influencers, Johnson, Elizabeth Nielson, Aubrey Marcus, ayahuasca, Matthew Stockman, Helena —, Timothy Leary, —, Hitler, Stanislav Grof, zombified, Brad Burge, Michael Mithoefer, Annie Mithoefer, Oprah, Sen, Joe Biden, MDMA's neurotoxicity, they'd, Albert Hofmann, David Bronner, Dr, Joe's, Bronner, Bronner's, Richard Rockefeller, John D, Rockefeller Jr, Rockefeller, Neşe, Johns Hopkins, who's, Devenot, Rick Friedman, Betty Aldworth, MAPS's multimillionaire, Tim Ferriss, Cody Swift, Zendo, Aldworth, Erica Siegal, Seth Whitelaw, Amy Emerson, JULIE JAMMOT, Ifetayo Harvey, Harvey, Lauren Unger, Unger, Casey Hardison, Harvey didn't, Hardison, Doblin's, Baylee Ybarra Gatlin, Gatlin, negligently, There's, Michael Pollan's, Steve Jurvetson, Elon Musk's who's, Genevieve, Steve Cohen, Alexandra, Mark Zuckerberg's, Dustin Moskovitz, Cari, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paltrow, Sergey Brin, Joe Green, Green, Zuckerberg, Genevieve Jurvetson, Michael Pollan, Jonathan Lubecky, he'd, Rebekah, Robert Mercer, Elizabeth Koch, Charles Koch, Rachel Nuwer, Koch, she'd, MAPS's, Elizabeth Crystal, Joe Rogan, didn't, Jesus Christ, Crystal, Meaghan Buisson, Richard Yensen, Donna, Yensen, Buisson, weren't, Robert, Rebekah Mercer, Sean Zanni, Grof, They've, Kayla Greenstien, it's, George Sarlo who'd, Vicky Dulai, Sarlo's, Dulai, Gul Dolen, Michael Mullette, who'd, Marla Aufmuth, Mullette, Lily Kay Ross, David Nickles, Ross, Greenstien, Rick, Lenny Ignelzi, biostatisticians, Lykos, Peter Thiel, Kara Swisher, Kris Lotlikar, Federico Menapace, Mo Septimus, Handout, Monnica, Williams, Lotlikar, Henry Elkus, Helena ., Elkus, Emerson, ICER Organizations: Science, New York Jets, rockstar, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Lykos Therapeutics, and Drug Administration, FDA, Business, Florida's New College, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sarasota Herald, Tribune, New College, Guardian, Drug, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, eBay, Nevada, Doblin, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Staff, Corporation, PBC, pharma, New Yorker, New York Mets, Bloomberg, CBS, Breitbart, CBC News, BI, Porsche, Santa Cruz, New York Times, longtime, Mullette Corporation, New York, Health Canada, Compass, Sciences, Psychedelic Science, Whole Foods, McKinsey, Big Pharma, Vine Ventures, Lucid, Street Journal, Investments, Gawker, Publicly, PBC alums, Numinus, US Army Locations: Patagonia, Denver, Harvard, Colorado, Skokie , Illinois, Ireland, Czech, Sarasota, Arcturus, Florida, Swiss, Vietnam, Washington, Santa Cruz, Chicago, California, Iraq, British Columbia, New York, Hawaii, Santa, Nature, Moderna, Europe, Helena, Yale, Australia, Canada, Israel, Ukraine, ICER, . Upper

☆ The global synthetic drugs crisis has hit West Africa, where people are digging up human bones to make a drug called 'kush'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cemeteries are bolstering their security measures because gravediggers are stealing human bones to make powerful synthetic drugs, local journalists told Business Insider. AdvertisementA vendor sells daily necessities at a market in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Feb. 21, 2024. Formaldehyde also has euphoric properties, says the National Library of Medicine, which explains why kush users could be raiding Freetown's cemeteries. JOHN WESSELS | Getty ImagesJalloh noted that the use of synthetic drugs was not unique to Sierra Leone. ReutersIn 2015, BI's Erin Brodwin covered the rise of these synthetic drugs, marketed as "spice," "K2," "black mamba," or "crazy clown."

Persons: —, Sierra, Julius Maada, Michael Cole, Sally Hayden, JOHN WESSELS, Cole, Mabinty Magdalene Kamar, Abdul Jalloh, HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM, Thomas Dixon, Jalloh, Salifu Kamara, kush, BI's Erin Brodwin, Brodwin, tranq Organizations: Service, Business, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Anglia Ruskin University, The Irish Times, National Library of Medicine, Politico, Sierra, Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital, Police, Getty Images Local, Salone Times, BBC, Freetown Police Force, National Drug Agency, NPR, Guardian, Disease Control, Prevention, Reuters, Financial Times Locations: Freetown, African, Sierra Leone, West Africa, Mabinty, Waterloo , Sierra Leone, kush, New York City, New York, Kensington, North Philadelphia

☆ Cannabis stocks surge as Biden administration moves to reclassify marijuana
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trade Roots, a Wareham-based Cannabis dispensary grows cannabis plants for making CBD with THC in their greenhouse, and manufactures CBD products for sale in their shop and distribution to buyers. Cannabis stocks leapt on Tuesday afternoon, buoyed by a Biden administration decision to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to approve an opinion by the Department of Health and Human Services to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, NBC News reported, citing four sources with knowledge of the decision. Marijuana has been labeled a Schedule I substance for more than 50 years, the same as methamphetamine and heroin. Investors in cannabis stocks cheered the move, with the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS ) surging nearly 20% in afternoon trading.

Organizations: U.S . Drug, Department of Health, Human Services, NBC News, Marijuana, Drugs, Cannabis ETF Locations: Wareham, U.S

☆ Biden administration plans to reclassify marijuana, easing restrictions nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Julie Tsirkin | Monica Alba | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"DOJ continues to work on this rule," a Biden administration official said. "No one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana," the president said during the speech. "Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug sends the message that marijuana is less addictive and dangerous now than ever before. US President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton, in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024. Nearly six in ten Americans say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational purposes, according to a Pew Research poll last month.

Persons: John Tlumacki, Biden, Joe Bidens, Tom Williams, Joe Biden, Barack Obama's, Jim Cole, Obama, Cole, Kevin Sabet, Brendan Smialowski, Brad Horrigan Organizations: Delta, Trade, Boston Globe, NBC, Drug, Department of Health, Human Services, DOJ, Biden, Internal Revenue, Justice's, DC Marijuana Justice, CQ, Inc, Getty, State, National Cannabis Roundtable, NBC News, Smart, Marijuana, Obama Administration, White, Correspondents ' Association, Washington Hilton, AFP, Management, CRA, Pew Research, Florida Supreme, Tribune, Service Locations: Wareham, deducting, New York, California, Washington ,, Florida

☆ Pot stocks soar on report DEA will ease restrictions on cannabis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Cannabis stocks soared on Tuesday after the AP reported that the DEA will soon reclassify marijuana. The move would ease restrictions on cannabis and acknowledge that it has medicinal benefits. According to the report, the DEA decision would be sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. AdvertisementCannabis stocks soared on Tuesday after the AP reported that the US Drug Enforcement Administration is on the verge of reclassifying marijuana. Shares of Canopy Growth soared 37%, Village Farms stock soared 20%, and the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF jumped 18%.

Persons: — Organizations: AP, White, Office of Management, Service, US Drug, Village, Cannabis

☆ Here’s what marijuana researchers have to say about 420 or ‘weed day’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —It’s 420 or “weed day,” and people around the world will be paying homage to their favorite guilty pleasure: marijuana. “I worry when people are in an enclosed space because new data is beginning to show that secondhand marijuana smoke may be just as dangerous as the primary smoke,” Page said. “Approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, some parents told doctors they believed vaping marijuana was safer than tobacco, Boyd told CNN earlier via email. A cloud of marijuana smoke rises as a clock hits 4:20 p.m. during the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver on "weed day" in 2022.

Persons: CNN —, Dr, Beth Cohen, Cohen, “, ”, Robert Page II, ” Page, Weed, It’s, ’ ” Carol Boyd, Ann Arbor, Peter Grinspoon, ” Young, Sam Wang, Boyd, Grinspoon, Patrick T, Fallon, Nixon, ” Boyd, ” Grinspoon, ’ ”, Page Organizations: CNN, District of Columbia, University of California, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center, Drugs, University of Michigan, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Massachusetts General Hospital, Marijuana, Children’s Hospital, Yale Medicine, Drug, University of Colorado’s, Getty, University of Mississippi, US Drug, Administration Locations: United States, San Francisco, Colorado, Aurora, Ann, Boston, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver, AFP

☆ Families who sued social media companies years ago are taking matters into their own hands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Now there are hundreds of such lawsuits against social media platforms, alleging teenagers across the country have been harmed from exposure to social media, according to Matthew Bergman, the founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, from where many of these lawsuits have been filed. Jaime Puerta said he has met with police departments, government agencies and schools to discuss the dangers of social media platforms. Mayor Eric Adams makes announcement on lawsuit against social media companies at City Hall in New York City. Next, she said she wants to work with lawmakers to help increase the age requirement to access social media sites. Donna and Chris Dawley have attended conferences, events and Congressional hearings to raise awareness about social media addiction.

Persons: Jaime Puerta’s, Daniel, Puerta, Snapchat, Matthew Bergman, Koukichi Takahashi, TikTok, ” Puerta, “, ”, Jaime Puerta, Meta, Gail Flatt, Sarah’s, Sarah, Flatt, Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Sen . Blackburn, Blackburn, Mark Zuckerberg, who’ve, “ I’m, Norma Nazario, Zackery, Eric Adams, Nazario, Lev Radin, Ron DeSantis, Jaime Puerta – Amy Neville, Alexander, –, she’s, Neville, ” Amy Neville, Alexander Neville, Amy Neville, Democratic Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Sen, Klobuchar, Sabine Polak, Polak, Mileva, ” Polak, Repasky, it’s, Cece Nelter, Independence , Kentucky –, Instagram, Cece, Nelter, Donna, Chris Dawley –, CJ, ” Donna Dawley, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Chris Dawley, Donna Dawley “, Donna Dawley, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, Social Media, Law, Meta, Adobe, Big Tech, Los Angeles, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Homeland Security, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Drug, Administration, Federal, Facebook, Wall, Northern District of, Republican, Union, New York City, New York, City Hall, Pacific Press, TikTok, Florida Republican, Snapchat, Alexander Neville Foundation, Alexander, Parent, Academy, Democratic, Media, Free Schools Movement Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, Instagram, Tennessee, Biden’s, New York, New, New York City, Florida, United States, Minnesota, Phoenixville , Pennsylvania, ”, Independence , Kentucky

☆ The Adderall shortage highlights a key issue for voters in 2024. Here's what the Biden Administration is doing about it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Adderall supply issues, which began in October 2022, are making the medication more expensive. The Biden Administration said it's focused on strengthening manufacturing supply chains for Adderall. AdvertisementIt's been 18 months since the US Food and Drug Administration announced an Adderall shortage. The prescription fill rate for ADHD medications fell from 44.5% in December 2022 to 40.7% in February 2023, the study found. Have you been impacted by the Adderall shortage or high prescription drug costs?

Persons: it's, —, It's, Biden, Biden's, Joe Biden's, Adderall —, aren't, Dr, David Goodman Organizations: Biden Administration, Service, Food and Drug Administration, KFF, Kaiser Family Foundation, Business, Drug, Biden's Administration, Department of Health, Human Services, Defense, FDA, CNN, USA, DEA, USA Today, Johns Hopkins University, Medscape Medical, Government

☆ Hot air balloon pilot had high level of ketamine in his system during crash that killed 4, toxicology report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Eric Levenson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Arizona in January, leaving four people dead, had high levels of the psychedelic drug ketamine in his blood system, according to a forensic examination report from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office. Cornelius van der Walt, the 37-year-old pilot of the balloon, had ketamine levels of between 1.1 to 1.2 mg/L in his system, according to toxicology testing from the FAA and from NMS Labs. For comparison, the United Kingdom considers ketamine levels over .02 mg/L to be indicative of impaired driving ability, the report says. Van der Walt had no reported prescription for ketamine, and the drug was not used during resuscitation attempts, the report states. The medical examiner’s report stems from the hot air balloon crash in Eloy, Arizona, on January 14 in which the pilot and three other people were killed.

Persons: Cornelius van der Walt, Van der Walt, van der Walt, Chayton Wiescholek, Kaitlynn Bartrom, Atahan Kiliccote, Valerie Stutterheim, Cameron Balloons Organizations: CNN, FAA, NMS Labs, US Drug Enforcement Administration, US Food and Drug Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, ” Police, NTSB Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, United Kingdom, Eloy , Arizona, Eloy, Union City , Michigan, Andrews , Indiana, Cupertino , California, Scottsdale , Arizona

☆ Exclusive: An investor in once-hot mental health startup Cerebral is suing the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAccess Industries, the investment firm founded by billionaire Len Blavatnik that invested in mental health company Cerebral, is suing the company and another of its backers as tensions mount inside the mental health company, according to documents obtained by Business Insider. It's the latest challenge to the once-hot mental health startup, which launched in 2020 to provide mental healthcare online. The lawsuit, filed by Access Industries on April 2 in Delaware, alleges an undercover power grab by WestCap, another Cerebral investor. A sinking shipOnce the hottest and fastest-growing mental health startup, Cerebral's fall from grace has been stunning. Since then, Cerebral hasn't raised any more venture funding, and the mental health company has conducted at least three rounds of layoffs.

Persons: —, Len Blavatnik, WestCap, David Mou, SoftBank Organizations: Service, Business, US Department of Justice, Access Industries, DOJ, Industries, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, US Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Locations: Delaware, WestCap

☆ CNN Exclusive: Adderall prescriptions have been filled less often amid ongoing shortage in the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —About 1 in every 10 people in the US who uses Adderall or similar combination drugs to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been affected by an ongoing shortage, a new analysis suggests. The US Food and Drug Administration announced that Adderall was in shortage in mid-October 2022, and the share of people with ADHD who filled their prescriptions for Adderall and related medications plunged in the following months. Patients were considered eligible for a monthly prescription fill if they had filled one within the previous two years. Prescriptions for medications used to treat ADHD surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among young adults and women, one study found. But it’s been about a year and a half since she’s been able to fill her Adderall prescription in a “totally uneventful” way, she said.

Persons: Adderall, Robert Califf, Anne Milgram, David Goodman, ”, Mary Beth King, it’s, she’s, ” King, King, ” Goodman, John Mitchell, ” Mitchell, they’re, ’ ”, –, “, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Drug, of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, American Professional Society, New, Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: Sweden

☆ How the Cartels Launder Their Drug Money, According to a Former Agent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Kyle Desiderio | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Robert Mazur tells the full story of his time as a government agent investigating drug-money laundering. Mazur went undercover for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service intelligence division, and the Customs Service. In Operation C-Chase, Mazur successfully infiltrated the Medellín cartel by posing as a wealthy, mob-connected businessman named Robert Musella. At its peak, the Cali cartel is estimated to have produced 80% of the world's cocaine supply. It was controlled by Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Pacho Herrera, and José Santacruz Londoño.

Persons: Robert Mazur, Mazur, Robert Musella, Pablo Escobar's, Gonzalo Mora, Roberto Alcaino, Robert Baldasare, Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Pacho Herrera, Londoño, Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, B095BKWD8L Read Organizations: US Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Customs Service, New York Times, KYC Locations: Italian American, Cali

☆ Opinion: Why gangs hold so much power in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Opinion Garry Pierre-Pierre | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The last few weeks have brought unthinkable upheaval in Haiti, a country that is no stranger to tragedy and suffering. Nothing can compare to the current upheaval in Haiti though, and I would expect new waves of Haitians to seek refuge on foreign shores. After securing its independence, Haiti was subjected to neocolonialism and neglect by the global superpower on its doorstep, the US. Haiti needs help combating corruption and loosening the stranglehold that the country’s oligarchic masters have on its economy. He remains sequestered in Haiti however, because he knows that leaving would mean his business would be looted and pillaged.

Persons: Garry Pierre, Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, —, ‘ Papa Doc ’, François “ Papa Doc ” Duvalier, Jean, Claude “ Baby Doc ” Duvalier, Claude Duvalier, Bertrand Aristide, Duvalier, — Aristide, ”, Jimmy, Giles Clarke, Jimmy Cherizier, Guy Philippe, Aristide, Philippe, Cherizier, Henry’s, Uncle Sam, strongmen, America sneezes Organizations: Haitian Times, New York Times, World Trade Center, City University Graduate School, Journalism‘s Center for Community, Ethnic Media, CNN, Haitian, ., UN, Haiti, US, Haiti —, Caribbean, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Drug, Agency, America Locations: New York, Haitian, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Caribbean, France, Canada, Washington, Kenya, Nairobi, Port, Haiti’s, Africa, Delmas, Prince, Jamaica, America, Maryland

☆ Opinion: How my homeland Haiti came to be such a troubled place
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Opinion Garry Pierre-Pierre | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The last few weeks have brought unthinkable upheaval in Haiti, a country that is no stranger to tragedy and suffering. Nothing can compare to the current upheaval in Haiti though, and I would expect new waves of Haitians to seek refuge on foreign shores. Haiti needs help combating corruption and loosening the stranglehold that the country’s oligarchic masters have on its economy. He remains sequestered in Haiti however, because he knows that leaving would mean his business would be looted and pillaged. Although formidable challenges lie ahead, the path to peace and stability in Haiti is possible with help from Washington.

Persons: Garry Pierre, Pierre, Gary Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, —, ‘ Papa Doc ’, François “ Papa Doc ” Duvalier, Jean, Claude “ Baby Doc ” Duvalier, Claude Duvalier, Bertrand Aristide, Duvalier, — Aristide, ”, Jimmy, Giles Clarke, Jimmy Cherizier, Guy Philippe, Aristide, Philippe, Cherizier, Henry’s, Uncle Sam, strongmen, America sneezes Organizations: Haitian Times, New York Times, World Trade Center, City University Graduate School, Journalism‘s Center for Community, Ethnic Media, CNN, Haitian, ., UN, Haiti, US, Haiti —, Caribbean, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Drug, Agency, America Locations: New York, Haitian, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Caribbean, France, Canada, Washington, Kenya, Nairobi, Port, Haiti’s, Africa, Delmas, Prince, Jamaica, America, Maryland

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and rapper Fat Joe led a White House discussion Friday on easing marijuana penalties, with Harris saying it’s “absurd” that the federal government classifies marijuana as more dangerous than fentanyl, the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of deaths annually the United States. Fat Joe, a Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, moderated a subsequent closed-door discussion that included Kentucky Gov. President Joe Biden has issued pardons to thousands of people for federal marijuana possession and commuted long sentences handed down for nonviolent drug offenses. “Marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd. Cartagena opened the roundtable by saying he's hot on the issue of price transparency in health care “but, today, when the vice president calls me, I stop everything."

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe, Harris, it’s, Joseph Cartagena, Andy Beshear, Joe Biden, Beshear, Biden, “, ”, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Kentucky Gov, Gallup, of Health, Human Services, Justice, Drug Locations: United States, California, Kentucky, U.S, America . U.S, Milwaukee, Cartagena

☆ Prison inmate led scheme swindling U.S. out of $550 million in Covid tax credits, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A California prison inmate locked up on a gang-related murder conviction led a scheme that defrauded the U.S. government out of more than $550 million in Covid-era federal tax credits, prosecutors said. Five other people were charged with Thomas in the alleged drug trafficking scheme. The employee retention credits became a refundable federal tax credit for employers during the Covid-19 pandemic to encourage businesses to retain workers. "But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic," Talbert said. DEA agents intercepted those calls and also intercepted text messages showing Thomas communicating about the tax fraud scheme, prosecutors said.

Persons: Kristopher Thomas, Thomas, Kettisha Thompson, Dozier, Charmane Dozier, Sharon Vance, Philip Talbert, Talbert Organizations: Main Street Mafia, Attorney's, Eastern, Eastern District of, Drug Enforcement Administration Locations: California, Covid, Kern Valley, Waldorf , Maryland, Hawthorne , California, Los Angeles, Eastern District, Eastern District of California, Las Vegas, U.S, Delano , California, Hawaii

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Wariness over rate cuts lingers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Traders react as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is seen delivering remarks on a screen, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, March 22, 2023. This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Stocks mixed bagWall Street ended Wednesday mixed as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes from the January meeting. Fed's cautionMinutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting showed central bank officials expressed caution about lowering interest rates too quickly.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Takeshi Ebisawa, Morgan Stanley, Jim Caron Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Nvidia, Federal, U.S . Drug, Administration, Morgan Stanley Investment Locations: New York City, . Federal, New York, Japanese, Thailand

☆ Feds charge Japanese Yakuza leader with nuclear materials trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The DOJ alleges that a high-ranking member of the Yakuza, Takeshi Ebisawa, was the central figure in a plot to funnel American weapons to ethnic militias in Myanmar in exchange for heroin and meth. Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday said they charged a Japanese Yakuza leader with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries in the belief that they would be used by Iran to make a nuclear weapon. "A U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory later analyzed the samples and confirmed that the samples contain uranium and weapons-grade plutonium," the statement said. Williams said Ebisawa "brazenly trafficked" the nuclear material while believing it would be used to develop a nuclear weapons program." The top prosecutor also said that even as he tried to sell the nuclear materials, the Yakuza leader "also negotiated for the purchase of deadly weapons, including surface-to-air missiles," M60 machine guns, AK-47s and armor-piercing ammunition.

Persons: Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: DOJ, U.S . Drug, Administration, Attorney's, U.S, AK Locations: Myanmar, New York, Japanese, Burma, Iran, Thailand, Iranian, Manhattan, U.S

Search resuls for: "Drug Enforcement"

25 mentions found