Singapore eases death penalty policy The Singapore parliament has passed legal reforms abolishing mandatory death sentences in some drug trafficking and murder cases, giving fresh hope to dozens of inmates awaiting execution.
16 November 2012
Kazakhstan student serving life sentence in ChinaA Kazakhstan student who used to study in one of Guangzhou universities is currently serving a life sentence for possession and distribution of hard drugs.
08 November 2012
Asia drug boom fuels surge in opium cultivation: UN Opium cultivation in Southeast Asia has doubled over the last six years as growing demand for heroin in China and the rest of Asia lures more farmers to grow poppies.
Asia battles drug-resistant malaria Drug-resistant malaria is spreading in Asia, experts warned as a high-level conference opened Wednesday with the aim of hammering out an action plan to strengthen the region's response.
31 October 2012
Annan says anti-drug policies have failed Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called Thursday for a discussion on decriminalization of drugs, criticizing the crackdown on traffickers in Mexico led by outgoing President Felipe Calderon.
21 October 2012
US court overturns Anna Nicole Smith rulings A US court on Thursday overturned rulings that squashed drugs-related convictions against late model Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend and most convictions against her former psychiatrist.
21 October 2012
US army contractor in hot water over Afghan video A private security company working for the US government in Afghanistan is in hot water after a video surfaced allegedly showing several of its employees drunk and on drugs.
19 October 2012
Criminal investigators at US pharmacy linked to outbreak Criminal investigators from the US Food and Drug Administration searched a Massachusetts pharmacy Tuesday which made tainted drugs tied to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 15 people.
17 October 2012
US officials find new drugs tied to meningitis outbreak US health officials identified two new drugs Monday which may have infected patients with meningitis as they investigate a widening outbreak tied to tainted products from a Massachusetts pharmacy.
17 October 2012
US meningitis cases climb to 205 as outbreak worsens Fungal meningitis tied to a contaminated steroid has affected 205 people in a worsening outbreak of the infection that has killed 15 people in the United States.
16 bodies found in van on Mexican highway The bullet-riddled bodies of 16 men were found Monday inside an abandoned van in a western Mexico region mired in drug violence.
14 September 2012
New nano-code ups the fight against counterfeiters Scientists on Wednesday reported they had invented an invisible tag using the widely-used "quick response" code to help thwart banknote forgers and criminals who sell bogus drugs or fake vintage wine.
12 September 2012
Brazil is world's largest crack market: study Brazil is the world's largest market for crack and the second for overall cocaine use, researchers from the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) said Wednesday.
06 September 2012
German thalidomide firm 'very sorry', 50 years on The German firm that made thalidomide has issued its first apology in 50 years to the thousands born disabled as a result of the drug's use, drawing stinging criticism from advocates for some survivors.
01 September 2012
US approves new once-a-day pill to treat HIV A new pill to treat HIV infection -- combining two previously approved drugs plus two new ones -- has been approved for adults living with the virus that causes AIDS, US regulators said Monday.