Free Republic

t’s no secret that Latin America is rife with violence. A recent ranking from the Citizen's Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice (CCSPJP) further illustrates this point with the top 10 most violent cities in the world being exclusively located in Latin America. Additionally, Latin America has the dishonor of having 43 of the 50 most violent urban centers located in the region. These shocking levels of violence can be attributed to several factors — corruption, failed drug war policies, and the lack of rule of law in the region.

Tuesday morning two young men went to the hospital and one into police custody in Bethany. One of the teens, a 17 year old, is suffering hallucinations so severe, we're told he is trying to smoke his nurse's fingers. It's all because of a weed native to Oklahoma that's a growing trend among teens. It has many names like Jimson Weed, Moon Lilly and Thorn Apple. Officers know it as "Trouble." Lt. Phillip Wise with the Bethany Police Department said, "We got a call from a concerned parent who said they had to rush their kid to the hospital because...

BROCKTON — Police fear a new drug trend may be sweeping the area after a 17-year-old night school student got high on a hallucinogenic plant and had to be rushed to the hospital from his home late Wednesday night. The Brockton teenager's condition could not be obtained Friday night. Police say the teen was transferred to the intensive care unit of Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday from Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center suffering from brain swelling after eating seeds from a plant authorities identified as jimsonweed. "It could be harmful. It could be deadly," Detective Domenic Persampieri said of the plant....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California became the first state Thursday to ban weeding by hand on most farms, saying the work is too backbreaking for laborers. Under a rule approved by the California Occupational Safety and Health Division, farmworkers, in most cases, will not have to stoop to pull weeds, but will instead be given long-handled tools that will allow them to work without bending over. The rule takes effect within two weeks. The regulation aims to prevent the “real and substantial risk of back injury” caused by stooping to weed or thin plants by hand, Cal-OSHA said. The workplace-safety agency...

Police: Parents Should Look Out For 'Angel Trumpet.' KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Television station KMBC uncovered a new drug craze that could turn deadly. The drug, which is ostensibly legal, is made from a plant available at many nurseries. When distilled, toxins in the plant's leaves can cause hallucinations that last for hours or days. Last month, someone twice stole the plant -- called the Angel Trumpet, Datura or Jimsonweed -- from Johnson County Community College's botanical department. The plant has become such a hot commodity, local nurseries are getting calls from teens who ask how much the plant costs...