You may have heard of a drive THRU Pharmacy, but this Florida man had a drive AROUND pharmacy. Meet 20-year-old Naples man, Nicholas Mitchell. This dope found himself in a heap of trouble during a Tuesday night joyride.
According to NBC2, the Collier County Sheriff's Office played the role of the ultimate traffic busters when they spotted a blue Nissan Altima engaging in some rather strange lane maneuvers. This guy was swerving like a snake on roller skates, crossing yellow lines and nearly kissing curbs. Mitchell's driving skills were something alright. A real show.
The action peaks during a routine stop when Mitchell, maybe trying out for a magic gig, tosses something out his car window. Poof! Gone into the trees. Houdini vibes, anyone?
As the deputies play detective, they find a gun chilling on the ground, and surprise, surprise, the car smells like a pot party.
Pharmacy on Wheels:
A search party inside the vehicle uncovered a treasure trove of delights. Marijuana? Check. A grinder? Double check. Alprazolam and Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills? Triple check. And nestled in the driver's side door, a roll of cash, a bit like the cherry on top of this illicit sundae
The trunk? Picture Mary Poppins's bag on steroids. Guns, a scale, THC vapes, magic mushrooms, extra weed, ammo, and a backpack full of gloves and sandwich bags. Not your typical road trip, huh?
Grand finale time! Mitchell scores charges for weed peddling, toting too many guns, drug gear possession, and holding controlled substances. Oh, and a ticket for lane disobedience – rebel move.
To cap this roadside circus, Mitchell's ride gets towed, and off he goes to the Naples Jail Center. Maybe next time, he should consider packing light on his next magical mystery tour. Safer bet, for sure.
Florida Fish Are On Drugs
In a new study by the Florida International University, 94% of the fish off the Florida coast tested positive for drugs. In the study, researchers sampled 113 Florida redfish, looking for 94 commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals. And they found them. On average, researchers detected 2.1 pharmaceuticals per redfish and only seven of those redfish tested clean. Of the areas tested, Tampa Bay had one of the highest concentrations. Looking to our Southwest Florida waters, Charlotte Harbor had medium concentrations. The Fort Myers area was not tested. So why are the fish on drugs? It's the wastewater.
According to FIU, "Pharmaceutical contaminants originate most often from human wastewater and are not sufficiently removed by conventional water treatment. They remain active at low doses and can be released constantly." The drugs affect the lives of the fish, and "On average, 25.7 percent of the fish exceeded a level of pharmaceuticals considered safe, which equates to one-third of the therapeutic levels in humans." So it's not just harmful to the fish, the amount of drugs in the fish really questions the safety of eating them.
The most common drug found in the redfish was Flecainide, which can treat and prevent serious irregular heartbeats. Heart medicine. That makes sense since a LOT of people here in Florida take that drug. The most common side effect of that drug is constipation. Second most? Tramadol. That's right, the opioid analgesic pain killer. More than half of the redfish (52%) had Tramadol in them. "Ayy bro lemme get two pounds of that OxyFish...." is not just a joke. And Tramadol isn't just a painkiller. It may decrease fertility in men and women.
What can we do about the drug problem in Florida Fish?
The study goes on to say “The results of this study indicate that there are additional opportunities for improvement by retrofitting existing wastewater treatment plants with innovative technologies, like ozone treatment, to remove pharmaceuticals and requiring such technology on new wastewater facilities.” So the trend can be reversed. But it's going to take more research, and money. Last year, the school conducted a study on bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys with similar results.
