Chicago’s heroin epidemic received nationwide attention after 74 overdoses were reported Sept. 29–Oct. 2. Generally, heroin addiction is seen as a crime problem, but this incident highlights it as a public health problem as well that requires public health solutions.The overdoses, which were primarily reported on Chicago’s West Side, are being attributed to a batch of heroin cut with the painkiller fentanyl, making the...

As more states legalize medical marijuana and debate recreational use, the scientific community is investigating the plant’s effects on the body and brain. One of the more contentious debates is whether weed is a gateway to hard drugs—a theory that could be negated by expanding marijuana legalization.While there is no conclusive proof that marijuana use predicts hard drug use, there is a correlation: 61.8 percent of hard dr...

To ensure that things run smoothly when Chicago hosts the G8 and NATO summits this May, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council have spent much time planning for these sometimes controversial events. But it is Emanuel’s most recent initiative to corral protestors that has manyChicagoans outraged.At a Dec. 14 City Council meeting, Emanuel introduced his plan to amend several provisions of the Municipal Code in regard to pro...