Nearly a dozen people have been arrested in a massive statewide investigation into illegal drug operations. via KRDO-TV Colorado Springs

Rival bands of drug traffickers clashed in the streets of downtown Tijuana early this morning in a wild and bloody shootout that has left at least 15 people dead and several injured. via Los Angeles Times

An Israeli medical team has started tests using the drug Ecstasy as a treatment for conflict-linked post-traumatic disorders, the Maariv daily reported on Friday. via ABS-CBN News

"Marijuana, unlike alcohol, has no direct effect on the liver. It is however a concern ... in that it's a potential indicator of an addictive personality"

Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal, but the fluid building up in his abdomen makes the 56-year-old musician look eight months pregnant. His liver, ravaged by hepatitis C, is failing. Without a new one, his doctors tell him, he will be dead in days. But Garon's been refused a spot on the transplant list, largely because he has used marijuana, even though it was legally approved for medical reasons.

'I'm not angry, I'm not mad, I'm just confused,' said Garon, lying in his hospital bed a few minutes after a doctor told him the hospital transplant committee's decision Thursday. Read more

A man who confessed to leading a band of high school students in a drug smuggling ring was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. via El Paso Times

"Research shows that regular use ... may also lead to mental health problems. Youth who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life, and are three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts."

DEAR ABBY: Our 16-year-old son uses instant messaging, and we often "check in" on what he is saying and who he's speaking with. via Massillon Independent

The motorist accused of causing a deadly tanker crash on Interstate 91 in Chicopee has pleaded not guilty. via CBS 3

The poster for "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" is the best thing about the movie, depicting the brainy potheads in orange prison jumpsuits staring in disbelief from behind a wire-mesh fence. via Press-Enterprise

- Canada's top court says both a random high-school search and one at a Calgary bus terminal were unlawful, calling them breaches of privacy.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 6-3 that neither search was based on a reasonable prior suspicion of a criminal act.

The first case stems from the sudden arrival in 2002 of police and a canine team at St. Patrick's high school in Sarnia, Ont.

Students were confined to classrooms for about two hours while a drug-sniffing dog eventually led officers to a pile of backpacks in an empty gymnasium - one containing bags of marijuana and some magic mushrooms. Read more

"Oh, he shot him in the head? Pass the salt."

Bill Cosby says apathy among some black Americans about violence, drugs, profanity and teenage sex has sunk to a level of asking someone to 'pass the salt.'

The comedian, who has made waves by criticizing the black community in the past, appeared Thursday night with a Georgia judge who kicked whites out of his courtroom while he lectured black defendants.

Cosby and Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington spoke at a forum for at-risk youths from the Atlanta area. Both men are black.

'Our children are trying to tell us something,' Cosby said to the predominantly black audience at Benjamin Mays High School as he talked about the importance of education and family. Read more