Skid Row Outbreak Of Illness Triggered By Synthetic Drug ‘Spice’ Leads to L.A. County Health Alert
Also in the news, the Los Angeles Times reports on how illegal drugs find pathways to California's most-guarded prison inmates.
Los Angeles Daily News:
Spice Alert Issued In LA County After Skid Row ‘Outbreak’
A day after more than a dozen people smoked synthetic marijuana known as Spice and fell ill in downtown L.A.’s Skid Row area, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an alert Tuesday to caution medical professionals about what could be an ongoing outbreak. ... County health officials are asking physicians to talk to patients at-risk for substance abuse about the dangers of Spice and to report any cases. Meanwhile on Skid Row, police were out on foot patrol, warning the homeless about Spice, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Mike Lopez. (Abram, 8/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Illegal Drugs Flow Into California's Death Row Despite High Security — And Some Condemned Prisoners Die
The condemned inmates on California's death row are among the most closely monitored in the state. Death row’s 747 inmates spend most of their time locked down, isolated from the rest of the prison system under heavy guard with regular strip searches and checks every half-hour for signs of life. Still, six death row inmates died between 2010 and 2015 with detectable levels of methamphetamines, heroin metabolites or other drugs in their system, according to Marin County coroner records. (St. John, 8/24)