Free Republic

Cindy McCain is going to bat for Joe Biden, lending her voice to a video set to air during Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention programming focused on Biden’s close friendship with her late husband, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Francesco Molinari won the British Open on Sunday, giving him his first major title after emerging from a crowded pack including Tiger Woods in a wild final round at Carnoustie. Molinari shot a bogey-free, 2-under 69 to finish on 8-under 276. He became the first Italian to capture a major championship. Earlier, Tiger Woods played himself into contention, edging to within a stroke of the lead on the front nine. Woods led briefly, but dropped out of the lead after a double-bogey at the 11th hole. He sent his second shot into the gallery, with the ball rebounding out into...

Tiger Woods, who had been known to have the painkillers Vicodin and Xanax in his system when he was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in Jupiter on Memorial Day, also had Dilaudid, Ambien and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) -- the active principle of cannabis -- in his system that night, according to an ESPN.com report.

Stricter rules for the country's most commonly prescribed painkiller were rolled out on Thursday by the FDA, the last step in a policy change that has been coming down the pipeline for years, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Hydrocodone will now be in a more serious and restrictive category. Doctors will be barred from calling in prescriptions by telephone, and patients will not be able to get refills on the same prescription, but will have to return to a physician for a new one. It will also have be to kept in special vaults in pharmacies. The Drug...

Our View: Opiate abuse epidemic is a national nightmare Beyond sharing the status of commonwealth, Massachusetts and Kentucky don't seem to have too much in common. But the commonwealths share a dubious bond that has only recently come out of the shadows: Both are epicenters of the opiate addiction epidemic sweeping the nation. Now Massachusetts and Kentucky are collaborating in efforts to fight back. Beyond sharing the status of commonwealth, Massachusetts and Kentucky don’t seem to have too much in common. But the commonwealths share a dubious bond that has only recently come out of the shadows: Both are epicenters...

The Food and Drug Administration is recommending new restrictions on prescription medicines containing hydrocodone, the highly addictive painkiller that has grown into the most widely prescribed drug in the U.S. In a major policy shift, the agency said in an online notice Thursday that hydrocodone-containing drugs should be subject to the same restrictions as other narcotic drugs like oxycodone and morphine.

First responders to the Aurora theater shooting at first thought the shooter was a fellow officer, and the shooter had taken 100mg of Vicodin about two and half hours before the shooting, according to information from sources.

Americans consume 80 percent of the world's supply of painkillers -- more than 110 tons of pure, addictive opiates every year -- as the country's prescription drug abuse epidemic explodes. That's enough drugs to give every single American 64 Percocets or Vicodin. And pain pill prescriptions continue to surge, up 600 percent in ten year, thanks to doctors who are more and more willing to hand out drugs to patients who are suffering. As more people get their hands on these potentially-dangerous drugs, more are taking them to get high. Their drug abuse leads to 14,800 deaths a year --...

Three tribes lead the best practice initiative treating the epidemic of painkiller addiction in Native America, Oklahoma, the nation's leader in painkiller addiction. Treating all adults, Medicaid. Last month the Center for Disease Control called prescription painkiller addiction an epidemic in the country, identifying Oklahoma as leading the nation in both the addiction and related deaths. It is only fitting that the battle against such addiction in "Native America" be led by three tribal owned clinics, Absentee Shawnee Counseling Services, OKC; Keetoowah Cherokee Treatment Services, Tulsa; and Quapaw Counseling Services, Miami. Generally speaking, prescription painkillers are opiates. There are 14...

Quapaw Counseling Services, of Oklahoma City, has been sold to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma's economic development authority. The clinic is now called Absentee Shawnee Counseling Services. FROM STAFF REPORTS Oklahoman Comment on this article 1 Published: October 11, 2011 An Oklahoma City clinic specializing in methamphetamine and opiate addictions has been sold to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma's economic development authority. More Info TO LEARN MORE For more information, go to http://qcs-okc.com. Advertisement Quapaw Counseling Services, 1301 SE 59 St., is now known as Absentee Shawnee Counseling Services. The grand opening ceremony is from 2 to 4...

The superintendent of transportation for Lackawanna County was charged Wednesday with pressuring fellow employees into giving him prescription painkillers for more than a year. Anthony T. Koloras harassed, insulted and publicly ridiculed a County of Lackawanna Transit System bus driver and a female employee until they relented, according to court documents. He called the woman “fat” and made fun of her clothing when she refused to comply. “You don’t really need all of it,” Mr. Koloras, told the woman he repeatedly harassed for Vicodin pills, according to the documents. In an interview with county detectives, Mr. Koloras admitted asking people...

TAMPA - An appeals court called the case against Mark O'Hara "absurd" and "ridiculous," but the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office is refusing to drop charges against the 45-year-old Dunedin man. O'Hara appeared before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta Wednesday morning, his first time in court since his release from prison July 25. During the brief hearing, prosecutor Darrell Dirks indicated his office plans to pursue a second trial for O'Hara, who was accused of drug trafficking after authorities found 58 Vicodin pills in his bread truck. He had legal prescriptions for the drugs.

Gore's son pleads guilty in drug case By GILLIAN FLACCUS 6 minutes ago Al Gore's son pleaded guilty Monday to possessing marijuana and other drugs, but a judge said the plea could be withdrawn and the charges dropped if he successfully completes a drug diversion program. Authorities have said they found drugs in Al Gore III's car after the 24-year-old was pulled over on July 4 for going 100 mph in his Toyota Prius. He pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription, and one misdemeanor count of marijuana...

Al Gore's son was charged with felony drug-possession charges and lesser offenses related to his July 4 speeding stop, authorities said Friday. And a law enforcement source tells PEOPLE that Gore had 140 Vicodin pills and "dozens" of other prescription drugs. If convicted on all charges, Albert Gore III faces up to three years and eight months in prison. But state law makes him eligible for a drug diversion program instead of incarceration, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. His arraignment is set for Aug. 1 in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Gore, 24, was pulled over south of Los...

DECATUR, Ga. - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had a steroid and other drugs in his system when he killed his wife and young son last month and hanged himself in the family’s home, investigators said Tuesday. Benoit’s body contained 10 times the normal level of testosterone, as well as amounts of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone, authorities said.

Al Gore Defends Arrested Son's Carbon Offset Strategy by Scott Ott (2007-07-05) — Al Gore, the concert organizer and former U.S. vice president, today defended his son, Al III, after the younger Gore’s arrest for speeding and drug possession, applauding his use of the hybrid Toyota Prius to offset the carbon emissions of his smoking marijuana. “Even at 100 miles per hour,” said the elder Mr. Gore, “the Prius produces less deadly greenhouse gas than a Lincoln Navigator or a Hummer. While I don’t condone getting caught with marijuana, I would venture to say that my boy’s total carbon footprint...

Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son of Al Gore was arrested on suspicion of drug possession today. The former second-in-command's son was pulled over after allegedly driving his Prius 100 miles an hour down an Orange County freeway. (At least he was driving a Prius!) When deputies searched the car they found pot, along with Valium, Xanax, Vicodin and Adderall. He is currently being held at the Santa Ana Inmate Reception Center on $20,000 bail. This isn't Gore III's first arrest. He was charged with marijuana posession in 2003 and was ticketed for reckless driving in 2000 and 2002.

Vital Signs People who take Tylenol and other medicines that contain acetaminophen are largely ignorant of the safe dosages, a new study has found, and unaware that an overdose can cause severe liver damage. Of 104 consecutive patients at a Michigan clinic, almost 80 percent reported using acetaminophen in the previous six months, but about 63 percent were unsure whether they had been told about the dangers of high doses, and only 43 percent knew that the medicine could affect liver function. The survey results appear in the January/February issue of The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. The maximum...

<p>Rush Limbaugh's attorney has issued a statement announcing a settlement of the Florida prosecutor's investigation into alleged doctor shopping by Rush Limbaugh.</p> <p>Details have been read by Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. Basically, the charge of doctor shopping is dismissed, with some conditions.</p>

Speculation mounted yesterday that ``American Idol'' judge Paula Abdul may be voted off the hit reality show after ABC airs a damning investigation tomorrow night. Abdul, who has been under fire for erratic on-air behavior, may voluntarily vacate the judge's podium after ``Primetime Live'' airs answering-machine messages she left for a 24-year-old contestant. The Drudge Report says Abdul personally coached the contestant and then tried to cover it up. Speculation surrounds Corey Clark, who was run off the show last season after it was revealed he assaulted his teenage sister. Clark is peddling a tell-all biography in which he claims...