High but Troubling Times as U.S. Energy Lab Missing Cocaine, Amphetamines

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California failed to keep track of samples of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines, opium, and black tar heroin, the Energy Department inspector general said in a report February 17. Some drugs were missing. But in one case, the lab found more opium and black tar heroin than records showed had been purchased legally. The report said the accounting lapses created an opportunity for improper or illegal use. Employees at Livermore, one of the federal government’s top science labs, handle as many as 42 different kinds of dangerous drugs, including black tar heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine, and steroids. The drugs are used for bio-medical research and forensic science, and in the lab health clinic to treat workers. The report said employees failed to adequately monitor at least 6 of the 42 varieties of drugs on site.