 Drug-Sniffing Device at Prison Prompts Complaints
Yamhill County District Attorney Brad Berry said he would not pursue charges in the case of a prison visitor who set off a drug-detecting machine, the Associated Press reported Sept. 6.
Mariah Taylor was randomly selected to be scanned by the drug-detecting machine while visiting her son in the federal facility in Sheridan, Ore. Although Taylor said she did not have any narcotics in her possession, the scanner indicated she was carrying illegal substances.
Taylor, who turned her son in for dealing drugs, was arrested when she protested the scanner's results and refused to leave.
Taylor was scheduled to be arraigned for criminal trespassing, but Berry said the case would not be pursued because Taylor has no criminal record and is active in the community. She founded and directs a health clinic in the Portland area and has received an honorary doctorate for her work.
In recent weeks, there have been numerous complaints from prison visitors that the ion-detection device is so powerful that it could pick up small quantities of drug residue from sources such as currency and taxi seats.
Prison officials said federal regulations prohibit them from making any allowances or hearing appeals on the results of the scanning devices.
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FDA Approves New Medication For Acute Pain Relief
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ultracet (37.5 mg tramadol hydrochloride/325 mg acetaminophen tablets), a new centrally acting prescription pain medication.
Ultracet provides long-lasting pain relief and flexible dosing. Ultracet combines Ultram (tramadol hydrochloride), a leading prescription pain reliever, with acetaminophen, the most commonly recommended nonprescription pain treatment. Clinical trials demonstrated that the combination offers better pain relief over either medication alone. In the trials, Ultracet consistently began working faster than tramadol alone, and pain relief with Ultracet lasted significantly longer than with acetaminophen alone.
Ultracet is indicated for the short-term (five days or less) management of acute pain.
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