Between 1996 and 2005 the use of antidepressants among Americans has doubled. By 2005 there were approximately 27 million people with prescriptions for antidepressant pharmaceuticals. A leading drug research firm recently reported that more than 164 million prescriptions were written in 2008 for antidepressants, totaling $9.6 billion in U.S. sales. A series of clinical trials in 2003 showed that antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and teens. After the 2003 study public health warnings on use of antidepressant drugs began to appear. Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University and Steven Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania wrote in the Archives of General Psychiatry that "Not only are more U.S. residents being treated with antidepressants, but also those who are being treated are receiving more antidepressant prescriptions."
Synthetic Marijuana, also known as "K-2" or "Spice" is a mixture of common herbs sprayed with synthetic chemicals that mirror the high of Marijuana. The synthetic product is sold as incense in head shops, tobacco stores and convenient stores. So far, twelve states have banned the sale of Synthetic Marijuana - (Kansas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky). The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that within the past year there have been over 500 cases of negative reactions to the still legal yet dangerous drug. On the national level the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently designated certain chemicals that are present within Synthetic Marijuana to the same category that heroin and LSD are part of and further emphasizes the need to be able to test blood and urine for Synthetic Marijuana use. On the local level- The Herald Online reported that Fort Mill,...