Articles

07/30/2014

07/28/2014

07/27/2014

07/23/2014

Other information:  http://drthurstone.com/the-big-deal/neuroimages/

07/16/2014

The coexistence of both a mental health and a substance use disorder is referred to as co-occurring disorders.

07/16/2014

07/10/2014

07/07/2014

The emerging marijuana industry in Colorado is trying to appeal to teenagers by offering cannabis-infused soda, chocolate taffy and jujubes.

07/07/2014

07/05/2014

One such statistic is a spike in calls to poison control centers. According to the National Poison Data System, calls about accidental ingestion of marijuana in children 9 and younger more than tripled in states that decriminalized marijuana before 2005. In states that enacted legalization from 2005 to 2011, calls increased nearly 11.5 percent per year. Over the same period in states without decriminalization laws, the call rate stayed the same.

07/01/2014

06/29/2014

06/26/2014

In reality, less than one out of every 200 inmates in a state prison system is incarcerated due to first-time marijuana use or possession. And many of those who are incarcerated have pled down from more serious charges. The fact is most inmates are incarcerated for multiple, non-marijuana drug offenses, often involving trafficking or violence.

06/24/2014

06/20/2014

Francis told members of a drug-enforcement conference meeting in Rome on Friday that even limited attempts to legalize recreational drugs “are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects.”     Unless of course the desired effect is to get High.

06/20/2014

06/19/2014

The scientists focus on marijuana’s harmful effects on teens, an age group in which the brain rapidly develops, which is one factor that could help explain increased risks from marijuana use in this population. Research suggests that marijuana impairs critical thinking and memory functions during use and that these deficits persist for days after using. 

06/17/2014

“Liquid THC production - - and incidence of butane hash oil lab explosions -- is expected to rise as the market expands for marijuana edibles and demand increases for product that has a strong psychoactive effect,” the report notes.

06/14/2014

06/13/2014

Finally someone is more concerned about the health & safety of our communities than being politically correct.   THIS TAKES COURAGE. 

06/11/2014

06/08/2014

Kramer said he receives anecdotal stories from people who claim to have treated their pets with medical marijuana.

“There is nothing that says it’s illegal and there’s no statute saying it’s legalized,” Kramer said.

06/07/2014

"I have concerns that it is written too broadly and stops short of ensuring strong regulatory oversight from state officials," she said. "Other states have shown that lax oversight and ease of access to prescriptions can lead to abuse, fraud and accidents. Also, given Florida's recent history in combating the epidemic of 'pill mills' and dubious distinction as having among the highest incidents of fraud, I do not believe we should make it easier for those seeking to abuse the drug to have easy access to it."

06/06/2014

“This is just another example of marijuana abuse linked to child abuse,” says Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

06/05/2014

06/05/2014

06/04/2014

06/03/2014

In spite of the widespread effort to normalize marijuana, Montana knows firsthand the societal problems it can cause.
By 2011, Montana had the sixth-highest rate of youth marijuana use in the country and the fourth-highest rate of youth addiction.
I heard of growers destroying neighborhoods, reducing the values of homes through the foul language, harassment and stench of crowds at the dispensaries. Parents complained that kids could not play in their own yards. Multiple dispensaries set up near schools, targeting our youth.

06/01/2014

Wildlife biologists noticed streams running dry more often over the 18 years since the state passed Proposition 215... “We knew people were diverting water for marijuana operations, but we wanted to know exactly how much,” said Scott Bauer, the department biologist who studied the pot farms’ effects on four watersheds. “We didn’t know they could consume all the water in a stream.”

05/29/2014

05/28/2014

Claims that "marijuana" is this miracle drug may be next!

05/27/2014

05/22/2014

Kurese Bell, 17, who is being charged as an adult, faces life in prison if convicted.

05/20/2014

Because regulatory standards of the production process vary by state, the composition, purity, and concentration of the active constituents of marijuana are also likely to vary. This is especially problematic because unlike most other prescription medications that are single active compounds, marijuana contains more than 100 cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids that produce individual, interactive, and entourage effects.

No other prescription medication is smoked; concerns remain about the long-term risks of respiratory problems associated with smoking marijuana, which are a subject of active investigation.
5 THCis already available in a pill approved by the FDA, yet this form seems to be less desirable to those seeking medical marijuana; this may in part be because its euphoric effects are not immediate and cannot be reliably controlled, unlike smoked marijuana. 6

The current system of dispensing marijuana does not safeguard adequately against the potential for diversion and abuse.

05/18/2014

05/15/2014

At least two deaths have already been attributed to legal marijuana cookies in Colorado, and poison control centers continue to report increasing calls related to the drug.

05/14/2014

05/09/2014

An aerial view of a medical marijuana grow. Researchers used both satellite and field studies to determine how many grows and plants were in four local watersheds. (Submitted by California Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientist Scott bauer)

05/07/2014

Legalization for treatment to include adults with cancers, Parkinson’s disease, ALS and MLS.
Florida no longer needs Amendment 2. 

05/06/2014

State legislators said they were concerned by testimony from Children’s Hospital Dr. Michael DiStefano, who said that seven children had been treated since January for symptoms related to marijuana intake. Between 2005 and 2013, that number was six.

05/04/2014

Lowe’s doesn’t want people acutely or sub-acutely under the influence of marijuana operating forklifts, using circular saws, cutting ceramic tiles, driving company trucks — or cleaning its toilets. And no, the company isn’t interested in lowering its hiring standards, either, said Amy, the friendly and always-approachable manager at my favorite Lowe’s store....  “We’re trying to find the best people to hire, and it’s really hard these days,” Amy the manager told me....However, one thing is certain: Lowe’s isn’t the only Colorado employer struggling to find drug-free workers to fill decent jobs.

05/01/2014

04/28/2014

Teens who drank and smoked pot at the same time were 90 percent more likely to get a ticket and 50 percent more likely to be in a wreck.
 

04/24/2014

A couple of 10-year-old Colorado kids were caught making marijuana deals at school — selling and swapping legally purchased pot they pilfered from their grandparents’ stash, a school district official said Wednesday.
A fourth-grade boy brought a small amount of leafy marijuana on Monday to Monfort Elementary School in Greeley, Colo., and sold it to three classmates on the school playground.
 

04/24/2014

Don't Let Florida Go To Pot

04/23/2014

Although 95 percent of the complications due to drug use are not captured in this data, the link to cardiovascular disease was clear: The death rate due to cardiovascular disease from marijuana use was as high as 25.6 percent.

04/19/2014

Basically what this amendment is doing is legalizing pot. Really it's a facade to say it's medical marijuana. That's not the end game of this movement," he said. "Marijuana use is harmful, addictive and is a gateway drug."

04/18/2014

I thought 'medical' marijuana was a health issue.  If you don't think its about recreational  legalization and getting vote... think again.
"We want to be able to have our stereotypical, lazy pothead voters to be able to vote from their couch," said Ben Pollara, a Democratic fundraiser and campaign manager for the United for Care group, which also plans to get voters to the polls on Election Day.
Organizers of the medical marijuana effort plan to raise and spend $10 million on their campaign, with much of the money devoted to a turnout operation aimed at registering voters to cast absentee ballots.

04/17/2014

During the last three years, Metro's forensics lab screened 4,500 blood samples for marijuana with the bulk of those being impaired drivers.
Metro said marijuana is dangerous because it slows down mental reactions and a driver's judgment of time and distance. Statewide records from 2002 to 2012 show 45 percent of drivers who were impaired by drugs had marijuana in their system.