Boogity-boogity Evil Weed propaganda

[tod evans]

From Drudge;

Marijuana playing larger role in fatal crashes

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/06/09/marijuana-accidents/10219119/

As more states are poised to legalize medicinal marijuana, it's looking like dope is playing a larger role as a cause of fatal traffic accidents.

Columbia University researchers performing a toxicology examination of nearly 24,000 driving fatalities concluded that marijuana contributed to 12% of traffic deaths in 2010, tripled from a decade earlier.

NHTSA studies have found drugged driving to be particularly prevalent among younger motorists. One in eight high school seniors responding to a 2010 survey admitted to driving after smoking marijuana. Nearly a quarter of drivers killed in drug-related car crashes were younger than 25. Likewise, nearly half of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for marijuana were younger than 25.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that 4% of drivers were high during the day and more than 6% at night, and that nighttime figure more than doubled on weekends.

Colorado has seen a spike in driving fatalities in which marijuana alone was involved, according to Insurance.com. The trend started in 2009 — the year medical marijuana dispensaries were effectively legalized at the state level.

NHTSA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse are now in the final months of a three-year, half-million-dollar cooperative study to determine the impact of inhaled marijuana on driving performance. Tests observe participants who ingest a low dose of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, a high dose and a placebo to assess the effects on performance, decision-making, motor control, risk-taking behavior and divided-attention tasks.

The study is being performed using what NHTSA calls "the world's most advanced driving simulator," the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving Simulator, which was previously used to study the effects of alcohol on driving.

[Bern]

It's only logical that, as the percentage of people exposed to marijuana increase, the percentage of people in any endeavor exposed to marijuana will also increase. The statement "it's looking like dope is playing a larger role as a cause of fatal traffic accidents" assumes causality from correlation though. The article mentions the NHTSA/NIoDA study, but offers no insight on what results they have found so far.

[Root]

NHTSA studies have found drugged driving to be particularly prevalent among younger motorists. One in eight high school seniors responding to a 2010 survey admitted to driving after smoking marijuana. Nearly a quarter of drivers killed in drug-related car crashes were younger than 25. Likewise, nearly half of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for marijuana were younger than 25.

Drivel. Cannabis can stay in the system for a month. They could have used cannabis a week before the accident.

[tod evans]

From Drudge;

A Mercedes-Benz convertible drove into the Georgia headquarters early Friday morning, shattering the lobby's glass, and the driver was taken into custody.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/car-crashes-cnn-center-atlanta-711691

The Mercedes-Benz convertible with a Florida license plate drove into the north side of the Georgia headquarters downtown near Marietta St. and Centennial Olympic Park Drive at around 4:15 a.m., shattering the lobby's glass. It came to rest in the middle of the lobby, several yards away from any of CNN's offices.
CNN Newsource noted the news via Twitter (and the aforementioned pun) that there with no injuries.
A man and woman were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to local news source WSB-TV, and officers found the driver in possession of marijuana. The driver admitted to the police that he had smoked marijuana before the crash occurred. Atlanta police officer John Chafee says the driver is being charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and marijuana possession.
Video footage shows the car being backed out of the lobby. The convertible was then loaded onto a tow truck. By 7 a.m., workers were sweeping up glass shards. A section of glass of around 10 feet high and about 15 feet long was completely gone.

[tod evans]

//

[tod evans]

Ol' Matt is still at it.....From Drudge;



In bag of fast food, a surprise: Marijuana

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/crime_and_justice/crime/in-bag-of-fast-food-a-surprise-marijuana/article_ec75e95c-335e-5cef-b474-0a603059238a.html

A trip to Sonic intended as a treat ended with a surprise twist for a Frederick woman.
Carla McFarland said she went to Sonic on Guilford Drive on Wednesday with her 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son after a trip to the library and a morning spent packing boxes. After passing chicken strips and fries to her children, McFarland, 35, reached into the bag for her own food and found a small plastic bag containing what appeared to be marijuana in a third container holding her own fries.
“I just kind of sat there in my car in shock,” McFarland said Thursday. “I kept thinking, what if my kids had eaten it?”
McFarland contacted Sonic's management and called police. McFarland said a manager also called police and told her that an employee took responsibility for the bag, saying that it must have slipped from her apron. The manager told her the employee had been fired.
Franchisee John Louderback, who operates the location with his wife, confirmed the employee no longer works there. He said the incident was under investigation.
"As this time, we believe that concludes the issue," Louderback said. He would not comment about drug-testing policies involving employees.
McFarland said Sonic's management was apologetic. McFarland said her meal was remade and she was not charged for it. The Sonic franchise opened in May. It is the popular drive-in chain's only location in Frederick County.
“I definitely can't say that they didn't go out of their way,” McFarland said. “I honestly think they were more in shock than I was.”
Frederick County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lt. Jennifer Bailey said the case is under investigation and no arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon. A deputy seized the suspected marijuana, but it was not clear if it had been tested and confirmed as the drug, Bailey said. She said the employee's name would not be made public unless charges are filed.
For McFarland, the trip to Sonic was meant as a treat during a difficult few months for her family. Her husband has been in Georgetown University Hospital after surgery in May, and the family now faces eviction from its condo. The family has fallen behind on rent, with McFarland unable to work with two children.
The nonprofit Patty Pollatos Fund Inc. is stepping in to help the McFarland family with an online fundraiser planned to begin sometime next week, founder Debbie Williams said.
The discovery prompted a discussion about drugs and scared her daughter, who had already eaten one of her own fries before McFarland told her children to stop eating, she said.
McFarland said she posted about the discovery on Facebook, prompting laughs from some friends. Others urged her to go public. She doesn't believe the situation is a laughing matter.
“I think that's why everyone thinks it's so funny, because it's marijuana and it's going to be legalized,” she said. “It could have been crack. It could have been cocaine in that little baggie.”

[Acala]

People should stick to alcohol. It NEVER contributes to traffic accidents. If it did, it would be illegal!

[Root]

For McFarland, the trip to Sonic was meant as a treat during a difficult few months for her family. Her husband has been in Georgetown University Hospital after surgery in May, and the family now faces eviction from its condo. The family has fallen behind on rent, with McFarland unable to work with two children.

Oh, of course...:rolleyes:.

The food from Sonic is probably less healthy than the cannabis.

[COpatriot]

I wish Drudge wouldn't link to this horseshit. The hysteria and ignorance on this issue are just incredible. I would bet you that if you showed some of these people Reefer Madness they would believe it.

[Suzanimal]

“I just kind of sat there in my car in shock,” McFarland said Thursday. “I kept thinking, what if my kids had eaten it?”

:rolleyes: I would hope at 6 and 8 they would know that a bag of weed wasn't a french fry. They may not know it's weed but they wouldn't just eat it....boogity boogity.

[dannno]

It's only logical that, as the percentage of people exposed to marijuana increase, the percentage of people in any endeavor exposed to marijuana will also increase. The statement "it's looking like dope is playing a larger role as a cause of fatal traffic accidents" assumes causality from correlation though. The article mentions the NHTSA/NIoDA study, but offers no insight on what results they have found so far.

Thanks for getting it right on the first reply, +rep

[dannno]

From Drudge;

A Mercedes-Benz convertible drove into the Georgia headquarters early Friday morning, shattering the lobby's glass, and the driver was taken into custody.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/car-crashes-cnn-center-atlanta-711691

The Mercedes-Benz convertible with a Florida license plate drove into the north side of the Georgia headquarters downtown near Marietta St. and Centennial Olympic Park Drive at around 4:15 a.m., shattering the lobby's glass. It came to rest in the middle of the lobby, several yards away from any of CNN's offices.
CNN Newsource noted the news via Twitter (and the aforementioned pun) that there with no injuries.
A man and woman were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to local news source WSB-TV, and officers found the driver in possession of marijuana. The driver admitted to the police that he had smoked marijuana before the crash occurred. Atlanta police officer John Chafee says the driver is being charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and marijuana possession.
Video footage shows the car being backed out of the lobby. The convertible was then loaded onto a tow truck. By 7 a.m., workers were sweeping up glass shards. A section of glass of around 10 feet high and about 15 feet long was completely gone.

Well, that's impossible. Marijuana makes you lazy, how could anybody who smokes marijuana possibly own a Mercedes convertible??

[tod evans]

Well, that's impossible. Marijuana makes you lazy, how could anybody who smokes marijuana possibly own a Mercedes convertible??

Surely they stole it.........:rolleyes:

[Acala]

Surely they stole it.........:rolleyes:

They forgot that it wasn't theirs, man.

[Noob]

Boogity-boogity boo!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xWo7ITFbg

[tod evans]

From Drudge, again;


Pot plants slurp up California's water supply

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101816232

California cannabis growers may be making millions, but their thirsty plants are sucking up a priceless resource: water. Now scientists say that if no action is taken in the drought-wracked state, the consequences for fisheries and wildlife will be dire.

"If this activity continues on the trajectory it's on, we're looking at potentially streams going dry, streams that harbor endangered fish species like salmon, steelhead," said Scott Bauer of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Studying aerial photographs of four watersheds within Northern California's so-called Emerald Triangle, Bauer found that the area under marijuana cultivation doubled between 2009 and 2012. It continues to grow, with increasing environmental consequences.

Bauer presented data to CNBC indicating that growers are drawing more than 156,000 gallons of water from a single tributary of the Eel River, in Mendocino County, every day.

The average marijuana plant needs about 6 gallons of water a day, depending on its size and whether it's grown inside or outside, according to a local report that cited research. Pot growers object to that number, saying that the actual water use of a pot plant is much less.

Although the marijuana business has helped revive the local economy, residents may now be feeling the effects of living alongside growers. And, as growers—some legal, some not—face an ongoing, severe drought, local law enforcement officers expect the fight over natural resources to intensify.

"I never want to see crime increase, but I have a feeling it will, because of the commodities that are up here," said Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey. "When we get to the end of the grow season, which is August and September, the need for enhanced water availability is gonna be there, and I don't think the water's going to be there, so you're going to see people, I believe, having some conflict over water rights."
Stream water rules in California are the same for growers of marijuana as they are for growers of any crop: Growers should divert no more than 10 percent of a stream's flow, and they should halt diversion altogether during late summer, when fish are most vulnerable to low water levels. But Bauer pointed out that those rules apply to permit holders, and most marijuana growers haven't bothered to get permits.

With so much of California's cannabis business operating in the more lucrative underground market, and with so many growers across the region (see the map below), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Humboldt County Sheriff's office say they lack the resources to eradicate all offenders. So they target the most egregious.

"We get those calls daily. People are upset. Somebody has dried up a stream, somebody is building a road across sensitive fish and wildlife habitat, so that is happening on a daily basis," Bauer said. "And we do our best with the personnel we have to respond to those calls."

Sheriff Downey concurred with Bauer about the manpower challenge authorities face.

"We have a very active marijuana unit that is out there, especially during the grow season. But we have so many grows here that we have a hard time keeping up or making a valiant dent in the marijuana growing in the county," said Downey.

"With the increase in water usage and pressure upon that, that lucrative business becomes even more lucrative because the price of the marijuana, the value of it, goes up even though we've had a glut on the market the last few years," he added.

One increasingly popular solution among some growers is the collection of rain water during the wetter, winter months that they can use to water crops during the dry, summer season.

"As long as cannabis farms remain small and decentralized, there's no reason why we can't grow everything we need to meet the state's demands using all stored rain water," says Hezekiah Allen, an environmental consultant and director of public affairs for the Emerald Growers Association.
And for some, it's a business opportunity.

"I've heard people shut down their grow operations, bought water trucks and have changed from growing to supplying waters to the other growers," said Chip Perry, a consultant for MC2, a service that helps people obtain medical marijuana cards.

[tod evans]

From Drudge;

Bakersfield Police Find $76 Million in Marijuana in U-Haul Truck

http://ktla.com/2014/07/10/bakersfield-police-find-76-million-in-marijuana-in-u-haul-truck/

Bakersfield police discovered more than $76 million worth of marijuana crammed inside a U-Haul truck this week after the driver reportedly ran a red light.

Daniel Ruiz, 22, and Jose Alcarez, 24, both of Bakersfield, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and of transporting and possessing marijuana for sale after police discovered more than three tons of pot inside the moving van, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement.

Officers stopped the U-Haul about 5:32 a.m. Wednesday after it ran a red light at Bernard Street and Wendall Avenue, police said.

After stopping the truck officers smelled what they believed was marijuana, so they called in a police dog trained in narcotics detection.

[tod evans]

///

[tod evans]

Another gem from Drudge;

More Colorado drivers in fatal crashes positive for pot, study says

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_25770838/more-colorado-drivers-fatal-crashes-positive-pot-study

Two new University of Colorado studies paint an ominous picture of the direction of the state since marijuana commercialization, but neither provides conclusive evidence that legal pot is causing harm.

One study shows more drivers involved in fatal car accidents in Colorado are testing positive for marijuana — and that Colorado has a higher percentage of such drivers testing positive for pot than other states even when controlled for several variables. But the data the researchers use does not reveal whether those drivers were impaired at the time of the crash or whether they were at fault.

"The primary result of this study may simply reflect a general increase in marijuana use during this ... time period in Colorado," the study's authors write.

The other study shows that perceptions of marijuana's risk have decreased across all age groups with the boom in marijuana businesses in the state. The study also finds that near-daily marijuana use among adults increased significantly starting in 2009, relative to states without medical marijuana laws. But the study's authors acknowledge that they cannot show Colorado's marijuana laws are the reason for the shifts in attitudes and use.

"Even though causality cannot be established, Colorado would be wise to implement prevention efforts regarding marijuana and make treatment for those with marijuana use disorders more broadly available," the study concludes.

Both studies received federal funding and were published online last month at the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They mark the latest attempts to answer vexatious questions about how legal, commercially sold marijuana will impact the state.

Quantifying problems with stoned driving has particularly stumped Colorado authorities, making the new study on fatal crashes — led by CU School of Medicine researcher Stacy Salomonsen-Sautel — especially notable.

The study found that, in 2011, the proportion of drivers in fatal crashes in Colorado testing positive for marijuana had risen to 10 percent — up from 5.9 percent in early 2009. In states without medical marijuana laws, 4.1 percent of fatal-crash drivers tested positive in 2011 — almost identical to the numbers from early 2009. Overall traffic fatalities in Colorado fell slightly during that period.

The Colorado State Patrol only just this year began keeping track of marijuana-impaired driving arrests. So far this year, 228 people have been cited in impaired-driving cases involving marijuana. Those cases make up about 13 percent of total impaired-driving citations issued by the State Patrol.

[tod evans]

From Drudge;


Black market boom lays bare a social divide in Colorado’s marijuana market

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/19/colorado-cannabis-marijuana-black-market


Nascent cannabis industry splits between wealthy with clean criminal records and those who turn to less than legal methods.

In these, the curious, infant days of Colorado’s legalisation of recreational marijuana, of shiny dispensaries and touch-screen ordering and suburban parties where joints are passed like appetisers over granite countertops, no one would notice the duplex. Plain brick, patchy grass behind chain link, it appears weary, resigned to what the tenant calls “the ‘hood” and others might call left-behind Denver, untouched by the frenzy of investment that has returned to downtown.

The front door of the duplex stays closed. Sheer white curtains cover the living room window. A basement filtering system vents air scrubbed of the sweet funky smell of the pot growing in the basement. The tenant keeps his grow operation here small. It’s his home. That’s his grandson upstairs watching TV with strict instructions not to open the door if someone knocks. Should the cops inquire, they’d find a frail-looking, middle-age Latino with diabetes and heart problems, talking about his pension and his Medicaid and waving his medical marijuana registry card.

The red card – part of the state’s legal landscape since 2000 when voters approved the sale of marijuana for medical use – allows the grower to cultivate a doctor-prescribed 16 plants. It does not allow him to sell what he does not consume to the underground market. It does not allow him a second grow operation in another rented house where he and a partner grew 55 plants until the landlord grew suspicious. It does not allow him to run his own little corner of a black market that still exists in the state with America’s most permissive legal pot sales.

The grower says he recently sold more than 9kg of his weed – Blue Dream for the mellow, Green Crack for the perk – to middlemen who flipped it for almost double the price.

“I try to keep it legal,” he says, “but sometimes it’s illegal.”

Camouflaged amid the legal medicinal and recreational marijuana market, the underground market thrives. Some in law enforcement and on the street say it may be as strong as it’s ever been, so great is the unmet local and visitor demand.

That the black market bustles in the emerging days of legalisation is not unexpected. By some reckonings, it will continue as long as residents of other states look to Colorado – and now Washington state – as the nation’s giant cannabis cookie jar. And, they add, as long as its legal retail competition keeps prices high and is taxed by state and local government at rates surpassing 30%.

“I don’t know who is buying for recreational use at dispensaries unless it’s white, middle-class people and out-of-towners,” said Rudy Reddog Balles, a longtime community activist and mediator. “Everyone I know still has the guy on the street that they hook up with.”

This black market boom, the state argues, is a temporary situation. As more legal recreational dispensaries and growers enter the market, the market will adjust. Prices will fall. The illegal market will shrink.

In any case, these first curious months of the legal recreational market have laid bare a socioeconomic faultline. Resentment bubbles in the neighbourhoods where marijuana has always been easy to get.

The resentment goes something like: we Latinos and African Americans from the ‘hood were stigmatised for marijuana use, disdained and disproportionately prosecuted in the war on drugs. We grew up in the culture of marijuana, with grandmothers who made oil from the plants and rubbed it on arthritic hands. We sold it as medicine. We sold it for profit and pleasure.

Now pot is legalised and who benefits? Rich people with their money to invest and their clean criminal records. And here we are again: on the outskirts of opportunity. A legion of entrepreneurs with big plans and rewired basements chafes with every monthly state tax revenue report.

Ask someone who buys and sells in the underground market how it has responded to legalisation and the question is likely to be tossed back with defiance. “You mean, ‘Who’s been shut out of the legal market?’” asks Miguel Lopez, chief community organiser of the state’s 420 Rally, which calls for legalisation of marijuana nationally.

“It’s kind of like we made all the sacrifices and they packed it up and are making all the money,” says Cisco Gallardo, a well-known gang outreach worker who once sold drugs as a gang member. For the record, he does not partake. It rattles him a little, he says, to see the young people with whom he works shed their NFL and rapper dreams for the next big thing: their own marijuana dispensary.

In this light, taxation is seen as a blunt instrument of exclusion, driving precisely the groups most prosecuted in the war on drug further into the arms of the black market. In one Denver dispensary, a $30 purchase of one-eighth of the Trinity strain of cannabis includes $7.38 in state and local taxes – a near 33% rate. As Larisa Bolivar, one of the city’s most well-known proponents of decriminalising marijuana, puts it: that $7 buys someone lunch.

“It’s simple,” she says. “A high tax rate drives black market growth. It’s an incentive for risky behaviour.”

There may be an argument there, says Lieutenant James Henning, who heads Denver police department’s vice/drug bureau, but one, don’t expect much sympathy and two, “you have to follow the law. If you want to sell marijuana, find a way to sell it legally.”

Until then, there’s Junior.

He’s visiting the duplex basement, standing amid the Cool-Bloom, the Rapid Grow, the bags of Coco, sharing an e-cig loaded with a hash oil cartridge with the grower. Both men insist on anonymity, for fear of being targeted by law enforcement.

“Dude, it’s way too hot in here,” Junior says, examining a yellowing plant. “It should be, like, 80.” The digital thermometer on the wall reads 97F (36C). The portable AC broke, the grower says.

Junior, round-cheeked, soft-spoken, a once-upon-a-time gang member, recently lost his job in the oil industry, so he’s returned to an old pastime. “Would I prefer he had his legitimate job, still?” his wife says. “Yes, but when he did he was never home and now he is.”

You have pot to sell, Junior will find you a buyer. You want to buy? He’ll find you product. He prefers to deal in bulk, taking a small commission, usually $100 a pound (450 grams). Every once in a while, when he’s got extra bills to pay, he sells it himself. That’s much riskier, felony risky, kids-visiting-dad-at-the-jailhouse risky. But profit tempts from all directions. Two thousand dollars a pound in Colorado is $3,200 in Oklahoma or Kansas City and $5,500 in New York City.

A July study of Colorado’s marijuana market and demand for the Colorado department of revenue estimates total adult demand, including out-of-state visitors, at about 130 tonnes in 2014. Of that, licensed retailers are expected to supply 77 tonnes, most of it from medical marijuana outlets. That leaves what the report calls a “sales gap” of about 53 tonnes of projected unmet demand. Enter the licensed home growers, the people buying legally and reselling illegally, the illegal grow and distribution networks. Marijuana production in the state “is like a shoe factory”, Balles says. “You’ve got the ones that go to Nike and the ones that go to the flea market. One way or another, it all gets sold.”

Seven months of legality is too early to tell anything, and what is now may not be in another seven months.

What exists now, however, is profit.

The grower says he cleared $30,000 on his last big deal. “That’s the kind of math I want to be doing,” Junior says. He has plans to start his own grow op in his stepdad’s house. He dreams of opening his own dispensary and is now interviewing for a job at one.

“A lot of people they look at me,” the grower says, “and they go: ‘Damn, must be nice baller, driving that new car, driving that motorcycle, taking your boat out on Sunday.’ I say I worked hard for it. ‘Oh, yeah, we know, you’re working hard, watering plants.’ I call them my money trees.”

“They say money don’t grow on trees,” Junior says. “They’re lying.”

The grower laughs. “They say, ‘What’s that smell?’ I say, ‘Money.’”

[phill4paul]

From Drudge;


Black market boom lays bare a social divide in Colorado’s marijuana market


Good. As always decriminalization > legalization.

[tod evans]

Drudge again;

Cooking Marijuana Into “Hash Oil” Causing Disastrous Fires

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/09/16/cooking-marijuana-into-hash-oil-causing-disastrous-fires-2/

Across the country, emergency responders are warning people about a drug called hash oil. It’s a dangerous recipe: marijuana leaves and extremely flammable butane that can cause explosions and fires.
While a helmet camera rolled, firefighters raced into an apartment building engulfed in flames, the disastrous end of cooking hash oil.
Hash oil, also called honey oil, is a concentrated form of marijuana. The drug is nothing new, but authorities say it’s surging again in popularity, with instructions spread on YouTube.
Hash oil is made by dissolving marijuana leaves in liquid butane, then cooking it. It hardens into a thick waxy dose of highly concentrated THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. When it is reheated, the vapor emitted can be much stronger than marijuana.
“It takes much less,” said one woman. “Just a little dab will do you.”
That’s why users call it “dabbing.” Some use an electronic cigarette. One woman described “four or five drops, and I think I took four or five puffs off of it, and I was gone.”
Others heat it with a butane torch.
A buildup of butane gas can explode. “Like, her skin was hanging off of her arm,” described one woman who witnessed a fire. “You couldn’t touch anything. It was so horrible.”
Hash oil explosions have been reported in at least eight states. In Colorado, where marijuana is legal, there have been more than a dozen fires and explosions since the beginning of the year.
One witness, Fay Berryman, said, “I heard this loud explosion that shook my house and it almost felt like a gas line exploded.”
Major Christopher Eckert works in the State Fire Marshal’s Office in New Jersey. “A single canister of butane produces quite a lot of gas,” Eckert said. “Many times, the people that do this are impaired by the drugs themselves.”
Major Eckert says this is something that can potentially put anyone in jeopardy.
“You don’t know what your neighbors are doing,” Eckert said. “You don’t know what’s going on till the walls come tumbling down, basically.”
While there have been no reports of hash oil fires here, emergency responders warn that a butane hash oil lab can be as dangerous as a meth lab.

[acptulsa]

From Drudge;

Bakersfield Police Find $76 Million in Marijuana in U-Haul Truck

LOL U-Haul doesn't have anything big enough to hold that.

U-Haul is hard pressed to rent you something that can hold that much cash.


Another gem from Drudge;

More Colorado drivers in fatal crashes positive for pot, study says

...The Colorado State Patrol only just this year began keeping track of marijuana-impaired driving arrests...

The first year of testing revealed that more drivers tested positive than the year before? Who'd have ever thunk it?


Drudge again;

Cooking Marijuana Into “Hash Oil” Causing Disastrous Fires

Cooking ramen noodles can cause a disastrous fire, too, but I don't see anything about that on Drudge.

[FindLiberty]

EAT MORE BEEF because MILK was the gateway substance that was probably used LONG before
97.3% of these scofflaws grew up and moved on to commit these heinous acts.

It's a known fact that excessive MILK and liquid consumption fuels bed wetters who may
or may not grow up to write propaganda for the state.

Slow down and think to help prevent unintended consequences!

[Mani]

OMG! Marijuana is legal!!! WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AuH20]

People with addictive personalities abusing marijuana? Shocking news... I guess if it's not marijuana it will be glue.

[tod evans]

Student shared pot-laced lollipops with classmates, police say

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/26/student-shared-pot-laced-lollipops-with-classmates-police-say/?intcmp=latestnews

A police chief in Connecticut says a girl handed out marijuana-laced lollipops to classmates at her high school, and one student was hospitalized.

Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza tells the Journal Inquirer that the Enfield High student acknowledged sharing the tainted lollipops, which were laced with THC, an active ingredient in marijuana. She said she received the candy in the mail from California.

The police chief says a 16-year-old girl was hospitalized overnight Monday after consuming one of the lollipops. But he says the student who brought the tainted lollipops to school denied giving any to her.

Because the student is being charged is a juvenile, she will not be arrested. Sferrazza says she'll instead be referred to juvenile court.

[ZENemy]

Here is just one article pointing out various studies.

I mean, cant we actually do some studies on the subject instead of screaming "DRIVING WHILE HIGH IS BAD!!!!" It seems to me that most of the studies that try to prove driving while high is dangerous ends up proving the opposite.






According to 4autoinsurance.com, the Top 10 reasons marijuana users are safer drivers are as follows:

1. Drivers who had been using marijuana were found to drive slower, according to a 1983 NHTSA study.

2. Marijuana users were able to drive straight and didn't have trouble staying in their own lanes, according to a 1993 NHTSA study done in the Netherlands. The same study concluded that marijuana had very little effect on overall driving ability.

3. Drivers who had smoked marijuana were less likely to try to pass other cars and were more likely to drive at a steady speed, according to a University of Adelaide study done in Australia. The study showed no danger from marijuana and driving unless the drivers had also been using alcohol.

4. Drivers high on marijuana are less likely to drive recklessly, according to a study done in the United Kingdom in 2000 by the UK Transport Research Lab. The study was actually undertaken to prove that pot impairs driving, but instead it showed the opposite -- that stoned drivers were actually safer than many other drivers on the road.

5. States that allow medical marijuana see a reduction in highway fatalities; for instance, Colorado and Montana have had a nine percent drop in traffic deaths and a five percent drop in beer sales.

6. Low doses of marijuana were found to have little affect on the ability to drive a car in a Canadian study in 2002. These drivers were found to be in much fewer car crashes than alcohol users.

7. Most marijuana smokers have fewer crashes because they tend to stay home instead of driving.

8. Marijuana smokers are thought to be more sober drivers; traffic information from 13 of the states where medical cannabis is legal showed that these drivers are actually safer and more careful than many other drivers on the road. These studies were conducted by the University of Colorado and Montana State University, exploring the relationship between legal medical marijuana and deaths in traffic accidents.

9. Multiple studies show that marijuana smokers are less likely to be risk takers than those who use alcohol; the studies showed that marijuana use calmed them down and made them pay more attention.

10. Cannabis smoking drivers were shown to follow other vehicles at safer distances, which made they less likely to cause or have crashes.

"Every test seemed to come up with these same results in all of the countries they were done in," 4autoinsurance.org concludes. "Even so, insurance companies will still penalize any driver in an accident that has been shown to have been smoking pot, so this doesn't give drivers free reign to smoke pot and drive."





http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2012/04/auto_insurance_site_says_marijuana_users_are_safer .php

[Kotin]

Dumbest argument ever.. Alcohol which we know causes many traffic accidents that are fatal is LEGAL so stfu dumb mother fucker.

[surf]

very dated - Tuesday, December 26 2000: stoned drivers are safe drivers http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1775.html

[Slave Mentality]

At least the over analyzing dumb sons of bitches didn't spell it "marihuana". Now that gets my goat.

[tod evans]

Drudge again;

Biologists identify pot gardens as salmon threat

http://www.denverpost.com/marijuana/ci_26634339/biologists-identify-pot-gardens-salmon-threat

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Water use and other actions by the marijuana industry in the Emerald Triangle of Northern California and Southern Oregon are threatening salmon already in danger of extinction, federal biologists said Tuesday.

Concerns about the impact of pot farming were raised by the NOAA Fisheries Service in its final recovery plan for coho salmon in the region. The full plan was to be posted on the agency's website.

A copy obtained in advance calls for determining then decreasing the amount of water that pot growers illegally withdraw from creeks where young fish struggle to survive.

Pot is legally grown in the region for medical purposes and illegally for the black market.

Other threats from the unregulated industry include clear-cutting forests to create pot plantations, building roads that send sediment into salmon streams, and spreading fertilizer and pesticides that poison the water.

Coho salmon have been listed as a threatened species since 1997 in the region. Like salmon throughout the West, they have suffered from loss of habitat from logging, agriculture, urban development, overfishing and dams.

The recovery plan also calls for steps to address many of those issues.

The spotlight on marijuana stemmed from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife study that estimated pot growers suck millions of gallons of water from salmon streams.

"Logging is regulated. Vineyards are regulated. It is time this industry was willing to be regulated," said Scott Bauer, an environmental scientist on the watershed enforcement team of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and lead author of the study.

Armed with new authority from the Legislature, the department is imposing fines for illegal water withdrawals for use on pot plantations, Bauer said.

The recovery plan points specifically to marijuana as a threat in river basins of Northern California, but the same issues exist in southwestern Oregon rivers, said Clarence Hostler, south coast branch chief for NOAA Fisheries in Arcata, California.

The plan marks the second time that Endangered Species Act actions have pointed to marijuana as a threat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been looking at rat poison left around illegal pot plantations in California as a factor in whether to list the Pacific fisher as a threatened species.

The Emerald Growers Association represents a few hundred marijuana farmers in the region known as the Emerald Triangle due to the prevalence of pot plantations. Executive director Hezekiah Allen said bringing the industry under regulation would allow legitimate growers to compete more evenly with illegal growers, who have a financial incentive to cut corners.

"We need regulation that's going to make sense to the farmers on the ground," he said. "That is also going to achieve the public safety and environmental goals that we all share."

[tod evans]

More Drudge;

The terrible truth about cannabis: Expert's devastating 20-year study finally demolishes claims that smoking pot is harmless

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

.One in six teenagers who regularly smoke the drug become dependent
.It doubles risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia
.Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development
.Driving after smoking cannabis doubles risk of having a car crash
.Study's author said: 'If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin'

A definitive 20-year study into the effects of long-term cannabis use has demolished the argument that the drug is safe.
Cannabis is highly addictive, causes mental health problems and opens the door to hard drugs, the study found.
The paper by Professor Wayne Hall, a drugs advisor to the World Health Organisation, builds a compelling case against those who deny the devastation cannabis wreaks on the brain. Professor Hall found:

.One in six teenagers who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it,
.Cannabis doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia,
.Cannabis users do worse at school. Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development
.One in ten adults who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it and those who use it are more likely to go on to use harder drugs,
.Driving after smoking cannabis doubles the risk of a car crash, a risk which increases substantially if the driver has also had a drink,
.Smoking it while pregnant reduces the baby’s birth weight.

Last night Professor Hall, a professor of addiction policy at King’s College London, dismissed the views of those who say that cannabis is harmless.
‘If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin or alcohol,’ he said.
‘It is often harder to get people who are dependent on cannabis through withdrawal than for heroin – we just don’t know how to do it.’
Those who try to stop taking cannabis often suffer anxiety, insomnia, appetite disturbance and depression, he found. Even after treatment, less than half can stay off the drug for six months.
The paper states that teenagers and young adults are now as likely to take cannabis as they are to smoke cigarettes.
Professor Hall writes that it is impossible to take a fatal overdose of cannabis, making it less dangerous at first glance than heroin or cocaine. He also states that taking the drug while pregnant can reduce the weight of a baby, and long-term use raises the risk of cancer, bronchitis and heart attack.
But his main finding is that regular use, especially among teenagers, leads to long-term mental health problems and addiction.
‘The important point I am trying to make is that people can get into difficulties with cannabis use, particularly if they get into daily use over a longer period,’ he said. ‘There is no doubt that heavy users experience a withdrawal syndrome as with alcohol and heroin.
‘Rates of recovery from cannabis dependence among those seeking treatment are similar to those for alcohol.’
Mark Winstanley, of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: ‘Too often cannabis is wrongly seen as a safe drug, but as this review shows, there is a clear link with psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for teenagers.
‘The common view that smoking cannabis is nothing to get worked up about needs to be challenged more effectively. Instead of classifying and re-classifying, government time and money would be much better spent on educating young people about how smoking cannabis is essentially playing a very real game of Russian roulette with your mental health.’
Cannabis was given a Class B rating when the classification system for illegal drugs was set up in 1971, putting it below Class A substances heroin and cocaine in seriousness but above Class C drugs such as steroids.
The Labour government downgraded the drug to Class C in 2004 – meaning officers did not normally arrest those caught with it – but reversed its decision within five years. Other failed attempts to liberalise the approach to cannabis include that of former Metropolitan Police chief Brian Paddick, who spearheaded a ‘softly, softly’ scheme while borough commander in Lambeth in 2001.
His party leader, Nick Clegg, has previously backed moves to partially decriminalise the sale of cannabis. At the Liberal Democrat conference yesterday, he called for people to be spared jail if they are caught with small amounts of drugs.

In 2005, David Cameron, when he ran for the Tory leadership, said it would be ‘disappointing’ if radical options on the law on cannabis were not looked at. He said he favoured ‘fresh thinking and a new approach’ towards drugs policy.
Mr Cameron also voted, when he was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, for the UN body on drugs policy to look at whether to legalise and regulate the drugs trade. Today, he no longer supports decriminalisation.
Professor Hall last night declined to comment on the decriminalisation debate.
But in his paper, published in the journal Addiction, he wrote that the rise of medical treatment for cannabis ‘dependence syndrome’ had not been stopped by legalisation. The number of cannabis users seeking help to quit or control their cannabis use has increased during the past two decades in the United States, Europe and Australia,’ he wrote. ‘The same increase has occurred in the Netherlands, where cannabis use was decriminalised more than 40 years ago.’
David Raynes, of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, added: ‘There is no case for legalisation and we hope that this puts an end to the matter. The two main parties agree that cannabis needs to remain illegal – we hope the Liberal Democrats see this research and re-examine their policies.’


For years, activists and celebrities trying to decriminalise cannabis have campaigned on the claim that the real health damage to users is done by the legal ban on drugs. They have dismissed the growing evidence that smoking cannabis is a serious risk to mental health.
Prominent supporters of decriminalisation have included comedian Russell Brand, singer Sting, writer Will Self and left-wing barrister Michael Mansfield.
A key figure has been David Nutt, who was chairman of the Home Office Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, until sacked for his campaigning five years ago. The professor said the risk of lung cancer from smoking was vastly greater than the risk of psychosis from cannabis.



He gave a lecture in 2009 in which he said: ‘The analysis we came up with was that smokers of cannabis are about 2.6 times more likely to have a psychotic-like experience than non-smokers. To put that figure in proportion, you are 20 times more likely to get lung cancer if you smoke tobacco than if you don’t.
‘The other paradox is that schizophrenia seems to be disappearing from the general population, even though cannabis use has increased markedly in the last 30 years.
‘So, even though skunk has been around now for ten years, there has been no upswing in schizophrenia. Where people have looked, they haven’t found any evidence linking cannabis use in a population and schizophrenia.’
The claim that cannabis is harmless is repeated in a documentary shortly to be released in Britain called The Culture High, which features interviews with Sir Richard Branson and Mike Trace, Britain’s deputy drugs czar under Tony Blair. He was sacked after the Mail revealed he was planning to launch a decriminalisation pressure group.
The film contains an interview with an academic who states that ‘marijuana is the most non-toxic medicine I have ever come across’ and maintains, according to reports, that ‘scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows it has medical benefits’.
Sir Richard’s appearance in the film is part of a long-running personal campaign against the legal ban on drugs. Sir Richard is also part of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a pressure group which says legalisation would ‘safeguard the health and security of citizens’.

[Mani]

Student shared pot-laced lollipops with classmates, police say

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/26/student-shared-pot-laced-lollipops-with-classmates-police-say/?intcmp=latestnews

A police chief in Connecticut says a girl handed out marijuana-laced lollipops to classmates at her high school, and one student was hospitalized.

Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza tells the Journal Inquirer that the Enfield High student acknowledged sharing the tainted lollipops, which were laced with THC, an active ingredient in marijuana. She said she received the candy in the mail from California.

The police chief says a 16-year-old girl was hospitalized overnight Monday after consuming one of the lollipops. But he says the student who brought the tainted lollipops to school denied giving any to her.

Because the student is being charged is a juvenile, she will not be arrested. Sferrazza says she'll instead be referred to juvenile court.


How about we change the word marijuana laced lollipop with "vodka laced jello"?




A police chief in Connecticut says a girl handed out vodka laced jello known as a "jello shot" to classmates at her high school, and one student was hospitalized.

Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza tells the Journal Inquirer that the Enfield High student acknowledged sharing the tainted jello, which were laced with vodka, a spirit which contains 40% alcohol content. She said she received the candy in the mail from California.

The police chief says a 16-year-old girl was hospitalized overnight Monday after consuming one of the jello shots. But he says the student who brought the tainted jello to school denied giving any to her.

Because the student is being charged is a juvenile, she will not be arrested. Sferrazza says she'll instead be referred to juvenile court.




Can we make vodka illegal now? It's FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John F Kennedy III]

Oh, of course...:rolleyes:.

The food from Sonic is probably less healthy than the cannabis.

Unless the cannabis is covered in McDonalds food, it is healthier than Sonic food.

[GunnyFreedom]

methinks Drudge hates the 'devil weed.'

[Spikender]

Reefer Madness in full effect even to this day.

[GunnyFreedom]

I'm guessing a gigantic marijuana plant mugged Drudge's dad when he was a toddler?

[tod evans]

I'm guessing a gigantic marijuana plant mugged Drudge's dad when he was a toddler?

Either that or some stoner stole his HS sweetheart...

[Suzanimal]

From the comments:D


TBone • a day ago
Kids these days have it so easy. I used to have to walk to my dealers house on my hands, in the snow, uphill both ways. Now they get it during trick or treat? Spoiled little brats.


Denver Police Warn Parents About Pot-Laced Candy During Trick-or-Treat Season

Denver Police are warning parents to be on the lookout for pot-laced candy this Halloween -- even releasing a video to show parents how similar pot-laced Sour Patch Kids, gummy candies and gum drops can look like the real thing.

“A kid is not going to be able to tell the difference,” said Denver Police spokesman Ron Hackett. “My daughter is 7 years old. She could care less if it’s growing mold. She’s going to eat it.”

The video shown by police features Patrick Johnson, the owner of the Urban Dispensary, who explains why parents need to be vigilant about monitoring what candy their children get.

"Edibles account for somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of our gross sales here in the shop," Johnson says in the video. "There’s really no way to tell the difference between candy that is infused and candy that's not."

Johnson advises parents to check candy brands and throw out any suspicious or unknown brands after their child goes trick-or-treating.

Dr. G. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency room doctor at the Children's Hospital of Colorado in Denver, told ABC News he's worried about the first Halloween since recreational marijuana dispensaries have been widely accessible in Colorado.

"In our emergency department in the past couple years, we’ve seen an increase of kids with edible exposures," Wang said. "Halloween hasn’t happened yet. It is one of those things that we are concerned about and keeping our eyes open for."

Police also have been concerned that kids might be able to sneak a few pieces of pot-laced candy that parents may have intended for themselves, Hackett said.

“We kind of wanted to get ahead of anything coming out like that,” Hackett said. “We found that the adults were being irresponsible with them. They were taking them incorrectly and taking more than they should.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/denver-police-warn-parents-pot-laced-candy-trick/story?id=26218032

[tod evans]

Good point Suz!

We all should know that the evil stoners regularly try to slip expensive weed treats to unsuspecting children....

Just think with those horrible drugs in their system the kids might sprout assault weapons and overtake schools or other government entrenchments...:eek:

Save the children!!!! ;)

[Brett85]

It's hard to overcome all of the blatant media propaganda on this issue.

[tod evans]

It's hard to overcome all of the blatant media propaganda on this issue.

Stop listening..........

[Spikender]

The propaganda hits harder than the chronic.

[Suzanimal]

:rolleyes:

Pot or not? Denver company offers home marijuana test for Halloween candy

Just in time for Halloween, a Colorado company is releasing a home testing kit that allows parents to screen their kids' candy for marijuana, CBS Denver reports. That comes on the heels of a local hospital and police department warning parents that edible marijuana products -- which are now legal in Colorado -- can easily be mistaken for Halloween candy.

"They need to look at every single piece of candy," said Jill Boyle, the emergency room director at St. Anthony's Summit Medical Center, told reporter Brian Maass. The hospital recently launched an informational campaign urging parents to be "edible aware."

"Edibles have a large amount of THC in them," Boyle said, referring to the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. "We don't want our children getting a hold of that and being critically ill."

Last week, concern about the effect on children prompted Colorado health officials to propose a ban on many edible forms of marijuana, including brownies, cookies and most candies, limiting legal sales of pot-infused food to lozenges and some liquids.

The Denver Police Department is also worried about edible marijuana and Halloween. Police officers teamed up with a marijuana dispensary to make a public service announcement.

"The problem is that some of these products look so similar to the products that have been on the market that we've eaten as children," Patrick Johnson, the owner of Urban Dispensary, says in the warning video. "There is really no way for a child or a parent or even an expert in the field to tell you if a product is infused or not."

Now a local company, CB Scientific, has come up with a $15 kit that empowers parents to test candy for THC at home.

CBS4 wanted to see if the kit works and created a blind test, providing a number of unwrapped candies and cookies, some containing marijuana and some without.

Derek LeBahn with CB Scientific demonstrated the procedure. He first selected a cookie, taking a pinch, and putting it in a test tube. He then added some solution and dye and shook the product. LeBahn explained the more red the solution becomes, the more potent the edible. Within seconds he could see that the cookie was negative for marijuana.

But the second cookie he tried was a different story. "See it turn pink? Definitely a positive for THC."

Then he tried testing a piece of chocolate. "Definitely positive for THC as it begins to turn pink," he said.

LeBahn noted that sometimes the test can take up to 10 minutes to make sure, explaining some products with a low level of THC may take longer to show a positive result.

The THC detection kit provides three tests for the $15 price. CBS Denver has more information on where the tests can be purchased.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pot-or-not-colorado-company-offers-home-marijuana-test-for-halloween-candy/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17#postComments

[RJB]

Michael Brown of Ferguson had MJ in his system! This is proof that he charged the officer, and the officer had no choice but to shoot him! This is also proof that we need laws outlawing this plant! :eek:

[Suzanimal]

LMAO, this goes here.:D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--IX1WMJmoE

[tod evans]

Those damn stoners....:rolleyes:

Maryland police seize marijuana-laced candy

http://www.wtop.com/41/3733549/Maryland-police-seize-marijuana-laced-candy

Prince George's County police say they've seized several boxes of candy infused with marijuana.

Police said Friday that the candy came to the area from the West Coast and Colorado, and includes taffy and chocolate bars.

Each piece of candy seized, they say, has about 100 milligrams of THC.

Police say it's the first time they've seen that type of product in their jurisdiction and wanted to make parents aware of the seizure ahead of Friday's trick-or-treating.

Police declined to say where the candy was seized and how they became aware of it but said they planned to release further details later Friday.

[Spikender]

That candy was likely for personal use but don't let that get in the way of the media telling us that stoners are wasting their money feeding kids weed.

They've been ramping up the propaganda so much as public support for marijuana decriminalization increases. The MIC doesn't wanna let their top source of income go.

[pessimist]

cell phones/texting.


end of thread.

[pessimist]

I like how they promote alcohol use, but trash weed.

I would have to imagine violent crime, sexual assaults, and impulsive behavior would decrease if more dudes got high :D

[pcosmar]

I like how they promote alcohol use, but trash weed.

I would have to imagine violent crime, sexual assaults, and impulsive behavior would decrease if more dudes got high :D

You are gonna have some of that anyway,, but alcohol does seem to increase that tendency.

[Suzanimal]

Police say it's the first time they've seen that type of product in their jurisdiction and wanted to make parents aware of the seizure ahead of Friday's trick-or-treating.

Boogity Boogity

Several boxes of candy most likely not intended for trick or treaters.:rolleyes:

[Spikender]

Boogity Boogity

Several boxes of candy most likely not intended for trick or treaters.:rolleyes:

Seriously.

They don't know stoners at all. They might as well just put twenty dollar bills in the candy baskets if they wanted to throw away their resources like that.

[tod evans]

Another peach from Drudge;

​Hazards of secondhand marijuana smoke

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hazards-of-secondhand-marijuana-smoke/

That whiff of pot that drifts your way at a rock concert or outdoor event could damage your heart and blood vessels as much as secondhand cigarette smoke does, preliminary research suggests.

Blood vessel function in laboratory rats dropped by 70 percent after a half-hour of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke -- similar to results found with secondhand tobacco smoke, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco reported Sunday.

Reduced blood vessel function can increase a person's risk of developing hardened arteries, which could lead to a heart attack.

"Smoke is smoke. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly," said study senior author Matthew Springer, a cardiovascular researcher and associate professor of medicine in the university's cardiology division. "People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules."

Long-term marijuana use can lead to brain damage, study shows
The safety of marijuana has become a growing public health concern as more states move toward legalization of the drug. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., have approved cannabis for medical use. And voters in four states -- Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, along with the District of Columbia -- have legalized the sale and possession of marijuana for recreational use.

"Marijuana for a long time was viewed as a relatively innocuous drug, but a lot of that came from a lack of information," said Dr. Stephen Thornton, a toxicologist and medical director of the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital. "Now, as more and more people are using it, we're finding more and more detrimental effects. People just need to be cautious."

Secondhand tobacco smoke causes an estimated 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's 2014 report on the consequences of smoking.

Even advocates for marijuana's legalization acknowledge that secondhand marijuana smoke can be detrimental to health.

"The amount of second-hand smoke used in this experiment is probably well beyond what most people would endure in a casual setting. But repeated exposures are likely to take a toll," said Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany and chairman of NORML, a non-profit that works for the legalization of marijuana.

"We consistently encourage all cannabis users to consider vaporizers instead of smoking implements. Anyone hanging around cannabis users should certainly avoid smoke-filled rooms and encourage all their friends to vaporize rather than smoke," Earleywine added.

Springer, who was scheduled to present his findings Sunday in Chicago at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, said he came up with the idea for his study at a Paul McCartney concert.

"We were already studying the effect of secondhand tobacco smoke on vascular function, and in the middle of the concert, a bunch of people started lighting up," Springer said. "My first instinct was to say they can't do that here. But then I realized it was marijuana.

"I think if people started lighting cigarettes in the middle of a stadium, people would tell them to stop. But because they were smoking marijuana, it was OK," he continued.

For the study, researchers used a modified cigarette smoking machine to expose rats to marijuana smoke. A high-resolution ultrasound device measured how well the main leg artery functioned, and researchers recorded blood vessel dilation before smoke exposure and 10 minutes and 40 minutes after smoke exposure.

Marijuana smoke provoked even bigger effects than tobacco smoke had in previous lab studies, the researchers found.

Rats in previous tobacco studies tended to regain normal blood vessel function within 30 minutes of exposure. But in the marijuana study, blood vessel function hadn't returned to normal when measured 40 minutes after exposure.

The rats suffered the same effects even if the marijuana contained no THC, the compound that causes intoxication, a finding consistent with tobacco studies that found nicotine is not required for cigarette smoke to interfere with blood vessel function.

"Tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke both contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic," Springer said. Burning tobacco produces more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and 70 that are linked to cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Springer recommended that governments that have made some indoor or outdoor areas smoke-free go back to see if the laws specifically cite tobacco use, or if they would apply to marijuana smoke as well. "Some of these laws might be written very narrowly," he said.

Because the study findings were presented at a medical meeting they should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

[mczerone]

Another peach from Drudge;

​Hazards of secondhand marijuana smoke

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hazards-of-secondhand-marijuana-smoke/

That whiff of pot that drifts your way at a rock concert or outdoor event could damage your heart and blood vessels as much as secondhand cigarette smoke does, preliminary research suggests.

Blood vessel function in laboratory rats dropped by 70 percent after a half-hour of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke -- similar to results found with secondhand tobacco smoke, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco reported Sunday.

Reduced blood vessel function can increase a person's risk of developing hardened arteries, which could lead to a heart attack.

"Smoke is smoke. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly," said study senior author Matthew Springer, a cardiovascular researcher and associate professor of medicine in the university's cardiology division. "People should avoid both, and governments who are protecting people against secondhand smoke exposure should include marijuana in those rules."

Long-term marijuana use can lead to brain damage, study shows
The safety of marijuana has become a growing public health concern as more states move toward legalization of the drug. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., have approved cannabis for medical use. And voters in four states -- Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, along with the District of Columbia -- have legalized the sale and possession of marijuana for recreational use.

"Marijuana for a long time was viewed as a relatively innocuous drug, but a lot of that came from a lack of information," said Dr. Stephen Thornton, a toxicologist and medical director of the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital. "Now, as more and more people are using it, we're finding more and more detrimental effects. People just need to be cautious."

Secondhand tobacco smoke causes an estimated 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's 2014 report on the consequences of smoking.

Even advocates for marijuana's legalization acknowledge that secondhand marijuana smoke can be detrimental to health.

"The amount of second-hand smoke used in this experiment is probably well beyond what most people would endure in a casual setting. But repeated exposures are likely to take a toll," said Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany and chairman of NORML, a non-profit that works for the legalization of marijuana.

"We consistently encourage all cannabis users to consider vaporizers instead of smoking implements. Anyone hanging around cannabis users should certainly avoid smoke-filled rooms and encourage all their friends to vaporize rather than smoke," Earleywine added.

Springer, who was scheduled to present his findings Sunday in Chicago at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, said he came up with the idea for his study at a Paul McCartney concert.

"We were already studying the effect of secondhand tobacco smoke on vascular function, and in the middle of the concert, a bunch of people started lighting up," Springer said. "My first instinct was to say they can't do that here. But then I realized it was marijuana.

"I think if people started lighting cigarettes in the middle of a stadium, people would tell them to stop. But because they were smoking marijuana, it was OK," he continued.

For the study, researchers used a modified cigarette smoking machine to expose rats to marijuana smoke. A high-resolution ultrasound device measured how well the main leg artery functioned, and researchers recorded blood vessel dilation before smoke exposure and 10 minutes and 40 minutes after smoke exposure.

Marijuana smoke provoked even bigger effects than tobacco smoke had in previous lab studies, the researchers found.

Rats in previous tobacco studies tended to regain normal blood vessel function within 30 minutes of exposure. But in the marijuana study, blood vessel function hadn't returned to normal when measured 40 minutes after exposure.

The rats suffered the same effects even if the marijuana contained no THC, the compound that causes intoxication, a finding consistent with tobacco studies that found nicotine is not required for cigarette smoke to interfere with blood vessel function.

"Tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke both contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic," Springer said. Burning tobacco produces more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and 70 that are linked to cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Springer recommended that governments that have made some indoor or outdoor areas smoke-free go back to see if the laws specifically cite tobacco use, or if they would apply to marijuana smoke as well. "Some of these laws might be written very narrowly," he said.

Because the study findings were presented at a medical meeting they should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

In other news, "liquid is liquid". You can drown in both bleach and water, therefore they are exactly the same.

ETA: also, wasn't it recently shown that most "second hand smoke" studies were BS anyway?

[DamianTV]

Because FEAR = VOTES for Politicians

Ever heard of any candidate anywhere, any time, ever, winning an election, for any position by promising to be "Weak on Crime"?

What our Politicians have deemed to be illegal is a self serving interest of Human Warehousing.

[dannno]

Another peach from Drudge;

​Hazards of secondhand marijuana smoke

[url]
That whiff of pot that drifts your way at a rock concert or outdoor event could damage your heart and blood vessels as much as secondhand cigarette smoke does, preliminary research suggests.

"Smoke is smoke. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke impair blood vessel function similarly," .

Hah, so ban campfires and bbqs... So stupid.

[tod evans]

Hah, so ban campfires and bbqs... So stupid.

Aren't they trying that out there in the land of fruits-n-nuts already?

[Suzanimal]

Marijuana poisoning incidents spike in Washington state

Marijuana exposure incidents, or 'pot poisonings,' have spiked in Washington state, especially among teenagers, in a trend experts said on Tuesday appears to be linked to the state's largely unregulated medical marijuana industry.

Marijuana exposures are defined as any situation where an adult or child suffers an adverse reaction to the consumption of marijuana, such as increased heart rate, paranoia or stomach illness, according to the Washington Poison Center.

Some 210 marijuana exposures were reported in the first nine months of the year, more than in all of 2013, according to Washington Poison Center Clinical Managing Director Alexander Garrard.

"Our thought is that the spike is potentially related to the number of unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries that are opening up around the state," he said.

Washington legalized recreational marijuana use in 2012, with the first retail stores opening in 2014 under a highly regulated and taxed system in contrast to the relatively lax pre-existing regime for medical pot.

The state's medical marijuana industry, legalized in 1998, sells products of unconfirmed potency as well as marijuana edibles attractive to children, like gummy bears and lollipops.

While retail stores have been slow to open, Garrard said medical dispensaries have been expanding steadily over the past year.

He said most exposures among young children are accidental, with parents reporting their children found and ate marijuana-laced items such as cookies and candy bars.

Exposure incidents among teens ages 13 to 19 have seen the biggest spike, a trendline possibly linked to accessibility, Garrard said. There were 39 teen exposures in all of 2013, with almost as many reported this year through August, data shows.

"A kid may have access to it (medical marijuana) and who knows what they are doing with those products when they go to school, and they are hanging out with their friends," Garrard said. "It's really hard to track that information."

Marijuana detractors argue the push to legalize pot, which remains illegal under federal law, comes amid a lack of clear data about how cannabis affects young brains and bodies.

Garrard urged anyone suffering from illness linked to marijuana to report the incident to the poison center, which keeps patient information confidential.

"A lot of what we know about these adverse effects comes from these case reports or people having shown up in the hospital," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/19/marijuana-poisoning-incidents-spike-in-washington-state/

[tod evans]

Good God Suz!

There's so much fail in that one it's astounding!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Suzanimal again.

[Suzanimal]

Reefer Madness:rolleyes:



Grand jury testimony suggested marijuana made Michael Brown violent. That's unlikely.

Michaael Brown had marijuana in his system when Darren Wilson shot and killed him on August 9, according to the official and independent autopsies.

In the grand jury testimony released to the public Monday, both prosecutors and grand jurors seemed to push the idea that highly concentrated pot made Brown more likely to be aggressive — even when an unnamed medical expert insisted that it's unlikely pot could make Brown attack Wilson.

"The amount of marijuana he has could cause abnormal behavior, but usually doesn't," the unnamed expert said on November 13. "Ninety-nine out of 100 people taking marijuana aren't going to get in a fight with a police officer over it in my experience."

Immediately after, a prosecutor questioned the expert's credentials: "Can I just clarify something here, doctor? Your credentials are as a forensic pathologist, although you have a working understanding of toxicology, you are not a toxicologist, correct?" A grand juror joined in, suggesting the expert had no way of confirming that his statements are true.
...
http://www.vox.com/michael-brown-shooting-ferguson-mo/2014/8/18/6031331/michael-brown-ferguson-marijuana

[surf]

that explains it. thanks Suzanimal.

btw - don't come to Washington for a weed vacation unless you are very wealthy and very patient

[tod evans]

Drudge is at it again;



Police: Student Gave H.S. Teacher Pot Brownie

http://thesmokinggun.com/documents/k-12/student-gives-teacher-pot-brownie-687534
A Maryland teenager is facing several criminal charges after he gave part of a pot brownie to a high school teacher, who later fell ill and was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to cops.

After the educator was stricken yesterday afternoon at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, she told a school resource officer that a student had given her a brownie “during third period and she had reason to believe it was a marijuana brownie.”

When confronted, the student admitted that he had given the teacher--as well as his 16-year-old girlfriend--part of the pot-laced brownie. The pupil added, however, that it was not his plan to dose the educator.

The student, who was not identified by police, said that when the teacher asked him for a piece of the brownie, he “got scared and panicked” and “didn’t mention it contained marijuana.” The teen’s girlfriend was “observed to be acting lethargic also,” cops noted.

Since the teacher was feeling “ill and disoriented,” she was taken to an area hospital, where she was treated and released.

The student was cited for assault, reckless endangerment, and two drug charges. He was subsequently released into the custody of a guardian. (1 page)

[H. E. Panqui]

It's obvious to me that Matt Drudge is yet another stinking Republican-favoring media personality...his stories ROUTINELY favor stinking Republicans/conservatives over stinking Democrats/liberals..

...i understand more and more of these media creeps (Neil Boortz, Alex Jones, Joe Farah, Glenn Beck, etc. shill$ galore) have declared themselves as 'libertarians' :rolleyes:....

...but to any decent, knowledgeable, true libertarian, they are merely stinking, thinly-veiled Republicans/crats..:mad:

[tod evans]

Another peach from Drudge;

180 Marijuana Dispensaries Pop Up In Detroit: ‘This Is The Next Big Thing In The City’

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2015/01/08/180-marijuana-dispensaries-pop-up-in-detroit-this-is-the-next-big-thing-in-the-city/

One of the fastest growing businesses in the Motor City has many residents raising concerns: Medical marijuana dispensaries.
“This is the next big thing in the city of Detroit,” said Councilman James Tate. “It’s quiet for folks who are not really paying attention, but everyday it seems like another business is opening up.”
Tate told WWJ’s Charlie Langton the number of medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits is “staggering.”
“The estimate is 180 medical marijuana dispensaries within the city of Detroit,” he said. “I’ve counted 13 in District One myself. We see some locations, certainly along 8 Mile and other border streets, where you have four, five, six kind of clustered together.”
Even though state law allows registered patients to use marijuana for medical purposes, dispensaries have gone largely unregulated.
“I’m for compassionate care but am also concerned about the over saturation of them,” Tate said. “These buildings, they have now just started popping up everywhere and because the state law is not clear on if they’re allowed or not, we take these businesses to court and they just get tied up and they just stay there. We have not won not one case, nothing has been shut down and that’s the reason why. Most of these businesses don’t have a permit, they have no licensing.”
Aside from legal issues, Tate said he’s also concerned about community members who live near the dispensaries.
“We’ve got a lot of complaints about it but some of that is emotional because they just don’t like the issue. The other part of it is people are not educated on it,” he said. “It’s not about being against it. It’s about making sure that we’re able to regulate it in a way that ensures the best quality of life for the residents who live in that area.”
Tate said their hands are basically tied until lawmakers in Lansing can refine the medical marijuana law and include measures about dispensaries.
“We’re trying to get state law clarified to allow us to provide the tools necessary for our law enforcement to go in and regulate those businesses,” he said. “But it’s a lot bigger than just Detroit and we’re going to need some support from around the state.”

[ThePaleoLibertarian]

It's obvious to me that Matt Drudge is yet another stinking Republican-favoring media personality...his stories ROUTINELY favor stinking Republicans/conservatives over stinking Democrats/liberals..

...i understand more and more of these media creeps (Neil Boortz, Alex Jones, Joe Farah, Glenn Beck, etc. shill$ galore) have declared themselves as 'libertarians' :rolleyes:....

...but to any decent, knowledgeable, true libertarian, they are merely stinking, thinly-veiled Republicans/crats..:mad:
There are plenty of reasons to criticize Alex Jones, but a Republican shill he is not...

[willwash]

We have not won not one case, nothing has been shut down and that’s the reason why. Most of these businesses don’t have a permit, they have no licensing.”


I think that's how the Amsterdam coffee shops got started. Someone just started selling cannabis in their cafe one day in defiance of the law, the police didn't do anything about it right away, the tax money started rolling in and it just evolved.

[dannno]

“We’ve got a lot of complaints about it but some of that is emotional because they just don’t like the issue."

Shocked. Some people need to smoke a joint.

[tod evans]

Drudge goes for the double header today;

Pot-related poison control calls up in Washington, Colorado

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2015/01/pot-related-poison-control-calls-up-in-washington-colorado/
Marijuana-related calls to poison control centers in Washington and Colorado have spiked since the states began allowing legal sales last year, with an especially troubling increase in calls concerning young children.

But it’s not clear how much of the increase might be related to more people using marijuana, as opposed to people feeling more comfortable to report their problems now that the drug is legal for adults over 21.

New year-end data being presented to Colorado’s Legislature next week show that the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center received 151 calls for marijuana exposure last year, the first year of retail recreational pot sales. That was up from 88 calls in 2013 and 61 in 2012, the year voters legalized pot.

Calls to the Washington Poison Center for marijuana exposures jumped by more than half, from 158 in 2013 to 246 last year.

Public health experts say they are especially concerned about children accidentally eating marijuana edibles. Calls involving children nearly doubled in both states: to 48 in Washington involving children 12 or under, and to 45 in Colorado involving children 8 or under.

“There’s a bit of a relaxed attitude that this is safe because it’s a natural plant, or derived from a natural plant,” Dr. Alex Garrard, clinical managing director of the Washington Poison Center. “But this is still a drug. You wouldn’t leave Oxycontin lying around on a countertop with kids around, or at least you shouldn’t.”

Around half of Washington’s calls last year resulted in hospital visits, with most of the patients being evaluated and released from an emergency room, Garrard said. Ten people were admitted to intensive care units — half of them under 20 years old.

Children who wind up going to the hospital for marijuana exposure can find themselves subject to blood tests or spinal taps, Garrard said, because if they seem lethargic and parents don’t realize they got into marijuana, doctors might first check for meningitis or other serious conditions.

Pot-related calls to Washington’s poison center began rising steadily several years ago as medical marijuana dispensaries started proliferating in the state. In 2006, there were just 47 calls. That rose to 150 in 2010 and 162 before actually dropping by a few calls in 2013, a year in which adults could use marijuana but before legal recreational sales had started.

Calls about exposure to marijuana combined with other drugs spiked in Colorado, too. There were 70 such calls last year, up from 39 calls in 2013 and 49 calls in 2012.

Both states saw increases in calls across all age groups. Colorado’s biggest increase was among adults over 25 — from 40 in 2013 to 102 calls last year. Washington had a big jump in calls concerning teens, from 40 in 2013 to 61 last year.

Many of the products involved in Washington’s exposure cases are found at the state’s unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries, but not licensed recreational shops, which are barred from selling marijuana gummy bears or other items that might appeal to children, Garrard said.

The Washington Legislature is working now on proposals for reining in the medical marijuana industry — and limiting what they can sell. Both states have taken steps to try to keep marijuana products away from children, such as requiring child-resistant packaging in licensed stores.

In Denver, authorities charged a couple with child abuse last month, saying their 3-year-old daughter tested positive for marijuana. The couple brought the girl to a hospital after she became sick.

Ben Reagan, a medical marijuana advocate with The Center for Palliative Care in Seattle, said at a recent conference that he had long dealt with parents whose children accidentally got into marijuana. It used to be less likely that they would call an official entity for help, he said.

“Those things have been occurring this whole time,” Reagan said. “What you now have is an atmosphere where people are much more comfortable going to the emergency room.”

“Before, you’d just look at your buddy and say, ‘Sorry, dude. You’re going to have to deal with it all night,’ “ he added. “’We’re not calling nobody.’”



Governor: Legalizing pot was bad idea

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/230511-colorado-governor-legalizing-pot-was-bad-idea

Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana was a bad idea, the state’s governor said Friday.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who opposed the 2012 decision by voters to make pot legal, said the state still doesn’t fully know what the unintended consequences of the move will be.

“If I could've waved a wand the day after the election, I would've reversed the election and said, 'This was a bad idea,’ ” Hickenlooper said Friday on CNBC's “Squawk Box.”
“You don't want to be the first person to do something like this,” he said.

He said that he tells other governors to “wait a couple of years” before legalizing marijuana as Colorado continues to navigate an unknown, nonexisting federal regulatory landscape for the industry.

“There's a whole regulatory environment ... that really regulates alcohol,” he said. “We're starting from scratch, and we don't have a federal partner because [marijuana] is still illegal federally.”

In February 2014, the Obama administration released guidelines for the marijuana industry indicating federal officials would not target financial institutions or businesses engaging in selling pot as long as those businesses were compliant with state laws.

Despite the guidelines, banks are reluctant to finance marijuana businesses in states where it is legal because federal law still lists marijuana as an illegal drug. Congress would need to pass a law removing that language.

Marijuana is legal in four states: Colorado, Oregon, Alaska and Washington. Congress has blocked the District of Columbia from legalizing pot, after voters in November cast ballots that they wanted to make the drug legal.

[GunnyFreedom]

Drudge's dog got raped by a Marihuana cigarette as a puppy.

[Suzanimal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0WebcNn86s



Reefer Madness II: Nancy Grace argues with NORML chair and Dr. Drew about marijuana

...

“I’m not going to let the isolated stories you drag off the Internet impact and affect the millions and millions of Americans who use marijuana responsibly and do not impair or impact society negatively,” National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) chair Norm Kent told Grace. “You’re the one who’s sending out the bad message.”

“Are you saying the 911 call’s not real?” Grace asked, referring to an emergency call placed by the victim, 44-year-old Kristine Kirk.

“No, I’m saying your argument is not real,” Kent told Grace. “You take isolated instances of aberrant behavior and try to make them standardized for all marijuana users. And once and for all, Nancy, have you no conscience? When will this stop? When will you own up to the fact that millions and millions of Americans can light up a joint — and have been since the age of Woodstock — without impairing their families, driving recklessly or endangering people.”

“I was really just looking for an answer to the question,” Grace replied. “But obviously you’re stoned.”

The victim’s husband, 48-year-old Richard Kirk, currently faces murder charges in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors have said that traces of THC — the active ingredient in marijuana — were found in Kirk’s system the night of the shooting. The drug was legalized for recreational use in Colorado in November 2012.

To Grace’s apparent surprise, Pinsky said he was siding with Kent, since authorities recovered not only a partially-eaten marijuana candy and an unsmoked marijuana cigarette from the scene, but an empty bottle of hydrocodone.

Pinsky argued that this opened up the possibility that the suspect was going through withdrawal from hydrocodone when he purchased the marijuana.

“I’m not saying cannabis is not associated with psychotic episodes,” Pinsky explained. “I’m not saying the forensic pathologists are not right — there are human consequences from this drug. But that has nothing to do with the argument about whether it should be legal or illegal.”

Grace, who garnered national attention after she was rebuked by rapper 2 Chainz on her show earlier this month, literally scoffed at Pinsky before telling him, “You’re in our house now, alright?”

“It means you don’t get to talk,” Kent interjected, prompting Grace to tell him to “get it out of his system” before she continued.

“You can’t just throw out a fact unless you have backup for it,” she said, before arguing with Pinsky regarding the case.

...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/reefer-madness-ii-nancy-grace-argues-with-norml-chair-and-dr-drew-about-marijuana/

[Dianne]

Why don't they arrest them?

An estimated 1.23 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, costing more than $4 billion in vehicle damage, according to State Farm, the nation’s leading auto insurer.

[Suzanimal]

Why don't they arrest them?

An estimated 1.23 million deer-vehicle collisions occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, costing more than $4 billion in vehicle damage, according to State Farm, the nation’s leading auto insurer.

Ban them.

[tod evans]

Assault deer with the white thing that flips up....

3712

[surf]

"it's common to see dead children with THC in their hair..."

oh really.

all I can say about the clusterf#ck that is Washington's bureaucratic bumbleorgy is at least we don't have Nancy Grace interviewing idiots from here.

[tod evans]

Another from Drudge;

Nebraska, Oklahoma in border war with Colorado over marijuana

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pot-border-war-20150207-story.html

On the front door of the 20,000-square-foot marijuana dispensary here is a laminated sign warning every customer: "It is illegal to sell or transport marijuana to another state."

"And you can guarantee people read it," said Rick Hooper, general manager of the Spot 420 in this barren part of southern Colorado. "We make it very, very clear that this is the law here."

Whether people obey is an entirely different question, and some neighboring states don't think a warning sign is enough.

A border war has broken out between Colorado, where recreational pot is legal, and its neighbors, Nebraska and Oklahoma, where it is not.

In December, the attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a lawsuit to stop what they say is a steady flow of marijuana across the Colorado state line. Kansas is considering joining as well.

The suit, filed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to strike down Colorado's law legalizing recreational marijuana. It argues that Colorado's statute conflicts with federal drug laws, which consider marijuana illegal, even in small amounts.

In December, the attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a lawsuit to stop what they say is a steady flow of marijuana across the Colorado state line. Kansas is considering joining as well.

The suit, filed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to strike down Colorado's law legalizing recreational marijuana. It argues that Colorado's statute conflicts with federal drug laws, which consider marijuana illegal, even in small amounts.

"Left unchallenged, I am confident Colorado's law will cause long-term harm to Nebraska families," the state's new attorney general, Republican Doug Peterson, wrote in an open letter last week. "It is incumbent on Nebraska to take action." [Have I mentioned today how DA's are the lowest form of life?]

Coloradans, however, are bristling that its staunchly conservative neighbors are trying to impose their will on the "open-minded voters" of this centrist state.

"They can't force their convictions onto Coloradans," said Hooper, amid piles of oddly contorted bongs and cannabis packed in glass jars on the shelves.

Colorado's marijuana law was approved by voters in 2012. It allows the sale and possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use for anyone 21 and over with a valid driver's license.

Shortly after the new law took effect, the U.S. Justice Department outlined its enforcement priorities, saying it would not interfere with Colorado's legal pot operations but would instead focus on, among other things, preventing marijuana from crossing state lines.

Oklahoma's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs said it had seen more "high-potency" marijuana arriving from its neighbor. Mark Woodward, an agency spokesman, said there had been about a dozen cases in the last year.

"Whether it's people driving to Colorado and bringing it back, or mailing it through the Postal Service, it's getting here," he said. "This is marijuana with very high concentrations of THC, very strong stuff."

Some police in Colorado agree it's not difficult to get marijuana across state lines. "People can buy legal marijuana, take it out of its packaging, put it in a plastic bag, and there's no telling if it's legal or where it came from," said Marc Vasquez, the Erie, Colo., police chief.

Colorado recently launched a $5.7-million ad campaign to make it clear to everyone — especially out-of-state visitors — what the rules are. Taking pot out of the state is a felony and a federal violation.

But the success of the campaign is debatable, given the ease of driving across state lines.

"It would be naive not to think some people are not looking to take it back home with them," said Katy Atkinson, a Denver-based political consultant.

In Denver last fall, the police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided several growing facilities that officials said were producing marijuana for out-of-state sellers.

But the majority of dispensaries are not partaking in illegal activity, said Hooper, a baby boomer pot enthusiast, while sitting at a desk cluttered with papers and cannabis literature one recent afternoon.

"We follow the rules, very strictly," he said of his dispensary. "Why jeopardize this movement?"

Nebraska and Oklahoma's lawsuit argues that Colorado cannot pass statutes that conflict with federal drug laws. It is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, which maintains that federal law is the "supreme law of the land," according to the suit.

In addition, the suit argues that Oklahoma and Nebraska will suffer in the long term because of increased costs from arrests, the seizure of contraband, the transfer of prisoners and other problems associated with marijuana crossing state lines.

Legal experts have mostly scoffed at the suit.

"This is a very weak claim. Their real beef is with the federal government for not enforcing the federal drug laws," said Georgetown law professor Randy Barnett, who has argued a marijuana case before the U.S. Supreme Court. "It is not up to the states to sue each other when the federal government is not enforcing the law."

The Supreme Court already has found that states have no duty to enforce federal law.

Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt, a Republican, and Nebraska's Peterson declined to comment for this article.

Critics of the lawsuit largely see it as political grandstanding by the attorneys general to their conservative constituencies.

But even among conservatives, there are complaints.

Last month, a number of GOP legislators, led by Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Ritze, sent a three-page letter to Pruitt asking him to drop the suit because of its assault on the right of a state to pass its own laws.

We "do not feel that attempting to undermine the sovereignty of a neighboring state using the federal courts, even if inadvertently, is a wise use of Oklahoma's limited state resources," the letter said.

Peterson, in his open letter, stressed that he had no intention of giving up the suit.

"Nebraska has only one real choice, to uphold the law that exists for the protection of the public and well-being of Nebraska's families," he wrote. "We must not subject our youth to such a costly social experiment." [It's for the children after all]

[Suzanimal]

Another from Drudge;


Of course.

[rg17]

Drudge report is typical neocon bullshit that hates liberty.

[NoOneButPaul]

I have seen a dramatic increase in these fear articles relating to weed... it's quite sad our country is still so stupid. All of the arguments against weed are just fucking pathetic.

I'm moving to Colorado in two months to start helping a friend out with his grow and dispense operation. I'm just hoping the FEDs don't shut it down here over the next couple years over some bullshit...

[surf]

Another from Drudge;
...But even among conservatives, there are complaints.

Last month, a number of GOP legislators, led by Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Ritze, sent a three-page letter to Pruitt asking him to drop the suit because of its assault on the right of a state to pass its own laws.

We "do not feel that attempting to undermine the sovereignty of a neighboring state using the federal courts, even if inadvertently, is a wise use of Oklahoma's limited state resources," the letter said.

Peterson, in his open letter, stressed that he had no intention of giving up the suit.

"Nebraska has only one real choice, to uphold the law that exists for the protection of the public and well-being of Nebraska's families," he wrote. "We must not subject our youth to such a costly social experiment." [It's for the children after all]you tell 'em, Mike

[Suzanimal]

Bloomberg: Pot legalization is stupid


Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed the legalization of pot during a trip to Colorado this weekend, calling it "one of the stupider things" happening in the United States.

The socially liberal former mayor, who has admitted to consuming marijuana decades ago, argued that states that move to legalize the plant for recreational and medical purposes are risking children's intelligence.

"What are we going to say in 10 years when we see all these kids whose IQs are five and 10 points lower than they would have been?” Bloomberg said Friday night at the Aspen Institute, according to The Aspen Times.

“I couldn’t feel more strongly about it," Bloomberg added. "This is one of the stupider things that’s happening across our country.”

Bloomberg, 72, said that marijuana is different from alcohol, and argued that today's strains of the drug are more potent and potentially more dangerous than those from the 1960s when he smoked a joint, according to reports from The Associated Press and Aspen Daily News.

Another left-leaning political figure, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), has said he thought the state's legalization was a bad idea.

Colorado and Washington state voters in 2012 were the first in the nation to legalize recreational pot for adults 21 and older, joined in November by voters in Alaska and Oregon. Congress has so far blocked the decision by Washington, D.C., voters to legalize the drug for recreational purposes.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana use for medical purposes, which Bloomberg has also criticized. In 2013, Bloomberg described medical marijuana as "one of the greatest hoaxes of all time."

http://thehill.com/homenews/232089-bloomberg-pot-legalization-is-stupid

[DamianTV]

How about the neighboring states just also fully legalize pot?

[tod evans]

How about the neighboring states just also fully legalize pot?

But, but.........

Think of all the federal free-money they'd lose.....

Think of all the unnecessary government employees that'd have to seek gainful employment...

And if that's not enough, think of the children for Gods sake! ;)

[tod evans]

Drudge again;

Strong cannabis causes one in four cases of psychosis: Users three times more likely to have an episode than those who have never tried it

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2955020/Strong-cannabis-causes-one-four-cases-psychosis-Users-three-times-likely-episode-never-tried-it.html

Scientists at King’s College London say youngsters must be told of risks
Study will add weight to calls for a tougher stance on cannabis users
More than 1 million 16-24-year-olds in England and Wales smoke the drug
Those who use weaker 'hash' over potent 'skunk' less affected by episodes


As many as a quarter of new cases of psychotic mental illness can be blamed on super-strength strains of cannabis, scientists will warn this week.
The potent form of the drug – known as ‘skunk’ – is so powerful that users are three times more likely to have a psychotic episode than those who have never tried it.
The study, leaked to The Mail on Sunday, will reignite debate around Britain’s drug laws – and will add weight to calls for a tougher stance towards those caught dealing or in possession of cannabis.
According to Crime Survey figures for England and Wales, more than a million youngsters aged 16 to 24 smoke cannabis.
Regular users are most at risk of a psychotic episode, prompting experts to warn that youngsters need to be aware of the dangers of skunk, which has been cultivated to be four times as strong as cannabis smoked by previous generations.
The researchers, led by a team at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, conclude there is an ‘urgent need… to inform young people about the risks of high-potency cannabis’, despite a worldwide trend towards relaxing drug laws.
They will reveal there is a key difference between potent skunk strains and ordinary ‘hash’. Those who used these ‘weaker’ forms did not seem to suffer the same increase in risks.
Psychosis is defined as a form of mental illness where people experience delusions, hallucinations, or both at the same time.

Associated with conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, some victims are so badly affected that they end up committing suicide or seriously harming others because they believe they are being ordered to do so by voices in their heads.
The findings will add substance to a 2012 report by the Schizophrenia Commission, which recommended the need for ‘warnings about the risks of cannabis’ to mental health.
That report was chaired by schizophrenia expert Professor Sir Robin Murray, who also played a key role in the new study.

It looked at cannabis use in two groups, each containing about 400 people, from 2005 to 2011. Those in the first group had all suffered ‘first-episode psychosis’ – a diagnosed first occurrence of the disorder.
The second group were volunteers who agreed to answer questions about themselves – including on cannabis use and mental health history.
Some had suffered psychosis, others not. They were not told the nature of the project. The academics found those in the first group were more likely to smoke cannabis daily – and to smoke skunk – than those in the second.
The researchers say: ‘Skunk use alone was responsible for 24 per cent of adults presenting with first-episode psychosis to the psychiatric services in South London.’

The latest research, to be published in The Lancet, concludes: ‘People who used cannabis or skunk every day were roughly three times more likely to have a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder than were those who never used cannabis.’
Michael Ellis, a Tory member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘This powerful new study illustrates that those in government and the police must be careful to send out the right message.
‘Cannabis isn’t a harmless drug: it can ruin lives.’ [And there ya' have it! Boogity-fucking-boogity!]

[Mach]

They're not afraid of marijuana.... they're afraid of what it represents...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc11mJGre10

[Suzanimal]

Boogity, Boogity!!!
Has Drudge posted this yet? I never go there.

Fox News Medical A-Team member Dr. David Samadi asserted over the weekend that “crack babies” were caused by women “smoking this whole marijuana business.”


On the Saturday edition of Fox & Friends, host Clayton Morris reported that a recent study published in Scientific Reports found that marijuana was less dangerous than any other common recreational drug, including alcohol and cigarettes.

“I think it’s a very dangerous study,” Samadi argued. “People need to be very careful about not getting the wrong message from this study. They’re using a lethal dose as a comparison. For example, they’re putting pot against or weed against cocaine or alcohol. We know you need less amount of alcohol to die. So, they’re using death to see what’s dangerous and what’s not.”


“They’re extrapolating a lot of these animal studies and surveys that doesn’t make a lot of sense and coming with this whole thing that pot is safer,” the doctor insisted. “Absolutely not. It’s a huge fraud.”

Samadi warned that marijuana could cause memory loss, mood changes and psychosis.

“It actually causes heart attacks,” he added. “It increases your heart rate. And on and on.”

“We’re seeing in Colorado that we had 13 kids that came to the emergency [room] and ended up in the ICU as a result of overdose from marijuana,” Samadi said. “Now we have crack babies coming in because pregnant women are smoking this whole marijuana business.”

The Fox News Medical A-Team doctor concluded by calling medical marijuana “the biggest scam I’ve ever seen.”

“I challenge any doctors, come to my Facebook, convince me how this is healthy for you. I’m 100 percent against this.”

Watch the video below from Fox News’ Fox & Friends, broadcast Feb. 28, 2015.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRCIsuWb7Y8

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/fox-news-doctor-crack-babies-come-from-women-smoking-this-whole-marijuana-business/

[tod evans]

//

[tod evans]

“We’re seeing in Colorado that we had 13 kids that came to the emergency [room] and ended up in the ICU as a result of overdose from marijuana,” Samadi said. “Now we have crack babies coming in because pregnant women are smoking this whole marijuana business.”

WTF?

This is a new kind of stupid......

From the other thread in the other sub-forum...:o

[Spikender]

Crack babies from weed...

Now I've heard it all.

[tod evans]

Crack babies from weed...

Now I've heard it all.

ICU overdoses makes just as much sense...

[Suzanimal]

Crack babies from weed...

Now I've heard it all.

Yeah, that's a special kind of stupid. As weed restrictions loosen up, the msm seems to be spitting out crazier claims.

[Spikender]

They're getting desperate, which is a good sign, but people are so susceptible to fear that even the most brazen of claims still works to pull people to their side. Because of lack of public knowledge about weed or drugs in general, these "experts" are allowed to basically make up shit.

Next thing you know they'll be claiming that Mary Jane leads to your babysitter microwaving the baby.

[Suzanimal]

More Boogity, Boogity...I bet Drudge is wetting himself today.


Sheriff Says Meth And Heroin aren’t the Culprit, It’s Marijuana that Makes People Violent


Carson City, Nevada -Sheriff Kenneth Furlong of Carson City recently appeared on the local news to speak about the violent crime that marijuana is responsible for creating.

“Second to domestic violence, marijuana is at the top of our list of violent acts, here in Carson City,” Furlong said.

“One pulls out a gun, shoots the other right straight through the heart. Marijuana found at the residence,” he added.

It was an open and shut case apparently, marijuana was found at the residence of a murder, therefore marijuana must be responsible for the murder, very solid logic sheriff.

“A meth user, we call them tweekers, they just spin in circles. They don’t get anything done. He may threaten you, but he just can’t get out of that circle of the effect of the drugs. Same with the heroin. But the marijuana user is a clear-headed person,” Furlong explained.

The sheriff said that the culture of marijuana causes people to do violent things.

“We have had several that are either directly or indirectly related to marijuana. It’s not the drug that we’re talking about. It’s the culture that surrounds it. It’s a cherished culture, and to violate that can produce some very dramatic effects, such as we’ve seen here,” Furlong said.

Despite listing off some completely irrelevant anecdotes about violent crime, Furlong failed to provide any actual evidence for the claims that he was making.

...
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/sheriff-marijuana-violence-meth-heroin/#ZWHwi1ihP0Hlc9lu.99

[Spikender]

The police culture does the exact thing they're accusing marijuana of.

Guilty conscience secretly leaking out?

[Thor]

They're getting desperate, which is a good sign, but people are so susceptible to fear that even the most brazen of claims still works to pull people to their side. Because of lack of public knowledge about weed or drugs in general, these "experts" are allowed to basically make up shit.

Next thing you know they'll be claiming that Mary Jane leads to your babysitter microwaving the baby.

Did you see this image before making that comment?

https://i.imgur.com/G28QqZN.jpg


https://www.facebook.com/ChristiansAgainstDrugs
https://www.facebook.com/MMYVofficial

[Scrooge McDuck]

Did you see this image before making that comment?

https://i.imgur.com/G28QqZN.jpg


https://www.facebook.com/ChristiansAgainstDrugs
https://www.facebook.com/MMYVofficial

That made me LOL. "weed drugs"

[paleocon1]

Lets just cut to the chase- IF you kill someone with your car you deserve to hang.....unless the heirs are willing to accept weregild....EOS. Maim someone/damage Property and your every asset is insufficient to cover the tab? Indenture or perhaps even being parted out for spares.

[tod evans]

Lets just cut to the chase- IF you kill someone with your car you deserve to hang.....unless the heirs are willing to accept weregild....EOS. Maim someone/damage Property and your every asset is insufficient to cover the tab? Indenture or perhaps even being parted out for spares.

Wut?

[paleocon1]

Wut?

Full personal responsibility for one's actions.

[tod evans]

Full personal responsibility for one's actions.

Okay I agree with that but whatzit got to do with "Evil Weed Propaganda" ?

[DevilsAdvocate]

All of the people in this thread trying to justify their brain-rotting drug habit. Ridiculous.

[tod evans]

All of the people in this thread trying to justify their brain-rotting drug habit. Ridiculous.

Reeeeeeealy?

[DevilsAdvocate]

Reeeeeeealy?

Oh no, my mistake, marijuana is actually a miracle drug with no negative repercussions that cures cancer and dementia and will make you live forever.

Lets ignore all the scientific studies pointing to a significant long term IQ drop.

[Suzanimal]

Oh no, my mistake, marijuana is actually a miracle drug with no negative repercussions that cures cancer and dementia and will make you live forever.

Lets ignore all the scientific studies pointing to a significant long term IQ drop.

Not to mention all the crack babies.

[tod evans]

Oh no, my mistake, marijuana is actually a miracle drug with no negative repercussions that cures cancer and dementia and will make you live forever.

Lets ignore all the scientific studies pointing to a significant long term IQ drop.

Careful there Bu-Wheat.......

Regurgitating patently false propaganda is liable to earn ya' a learnin' in these parts.....

[Suzanimal]

DEA warns of stoned rabbits if Utah passes medical marijuana


Utah is considering a bill that would allow patients with certain debilitating conditions to be treated with edible forms of marijuana. If the bill passes, the state's wildlife may "cultivate a taste" for the plant, lose their fear of humans, and basically be high all the time. That's according to testimony presented to a Utah Senate panel (time stamp 58:00) last week by an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"I deal in facts. I deal in science," said special agent Matt Fairbanks, who's been working in the state for a deacade. He is member of the "marijuana eradication" team in Utah. Some of his colleagues in Georgia recently achieved notoriety by raiding a retiree's garden and seizing a number of okra plants.

Fairbanks spoke of his time eliminating back-country marijuana grows in the Utah mountains, specifically the environmental costs associated with large-scale weed cultivation on public land: "Personally, I have seen entire mountainsides subjected to pesticides, harmful chemicals, deforestation and erosion," he said. "The ramifications to the flora, the animal life, the contaminated water, are still unknown."

Fairbanks said that at some illegal marijuana grow sites he saw "rabbits that had cultivated a taste for the marijuana. ..." He continued: "One of them refused to leave us, and we took all the marijuana around him, but his natural instincts to run were somehow gone."

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/02/dea-warns-of-stoned-rabbits-if-utah-passes-medical-marijuana/

[Suzanimal]

Pat Robertson: Smoking pot is ‘slavery to vegetables,’ but God can ‘set you free’


Televangelist Pat Robertson said on Monday that people who smoked marijuana, used cocaine or consumed alcohol had been enslaved by vegetables.

“God gave you and me as human beings authority, he gave us dominion over everything on this Earth,” the TV preacher explained on Monday’s 700 Club. “Over all the animals, all the snakes, all the birds, all the plants, all the vegetables.”

“Cocaine is the product of a vegetable, alcohol is the product of a vegetable, marijuana is a vegetable,” he continued. “And yet, people are enslaved to vegetables. And you were made in the image of God. God made you in his image to reign and rule with him. He gave you incredible authority.”

“Why would you become a slave to a vegetable? Why? Why would you do it.?

Robertson said that he had “seen a lot of stuff” in his lifetime so he understood that people had a lot of problems, “but God Almighty can deliver you from the bondage of your addiction.”

“Your slavery to vegetables, he can set you free,” he insisted.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/pat-robertson-smoking-pot-is-slavery-to-vegetables-but-god-can-set-you-free/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZHIg9TETAU

[Slave Mentality]

All of the people in this thread trying to justify their brain-rotting drug habit. Ridiculous.

All of the people in this world telling me what is and isn't good for me and what it is and isn't that I should be doing. (Mod edit)

[kcchiefs6465]

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Suzanimal again."

A literal lol.

[kcchiefs6465]

Oh no, my mistake, marijuana is actually a miracle drug with no negative repercussions that cures cancer and dementia and will make you live forever.

Lets ignore all the scientific studies pointing to a significant long term IQ drop.
Source?

[Mani]

All of the people in this thread trying to justify their brain-rotting drug habit. Ridiculous.

You assume much.

Never done it, and never will. But doesn't mean people have the right to smoke the plant of their choice.

[Mani]

Pat Robertson: Smoking pot is ‘slavery to vegetables,’ but God can ‘set you free’


That may have been the worst anti-drug statement of all time.

Talking about it as a vegetable sure makes it seem a lot more natural and healthy...WTF!?





So "It's for the children" is not working well enough, now it's:

For the bunnies!



Fairbanks said that at some illegal marijuana grow sites he saw "rabbits that had cultivated a taste for the marijuana. ..." He continued: "One of them refused to leave us, and we took all the marijuana around him, but his natural instincts to run were somehow gone."

[Slave Mentality]

Fairbanks said that at some illegal marijuana grow sites he saw "rabbits that had cultivated a taste for the marijuana. ..." He continued: "One of them refused to leave us, and we took all the marijuana around him, but his natural instincts to run were somehow gone."

Rabbit knows what's up. Brother from another mother.

[Mach]

Speedy beat the rabbits to it.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuc8f8L2WzI

Can't have a propaganda post without some classics....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub_a2t0ZfTs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEojLBUPzLY

[kcchiefs6465]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub_a2t0ZfTs

The man behind this particular piece of propaganda was a villainous racist who experimented on "niqgers" because they were "cheaper than cats." He implanted electrodes inside of prisoner's brains in Angola, killing a few, if I recall correctly, doing research for the CIA.

Not to mention that the study itself was just ridiculous. They suffocated four monkeys, performed a necropsy and what do you know, its brain showed signs of damage. It's probably the study Devil's Advocate would provide if he is to provide any, as as far as I am aware, the results have to this day not been replicated. In fact, results to the contrary can be seen or at least it is visible that there is no discernible difference in cognitive ability dependent on cannabis use, as well as no indication that cannabis destroys brain cells.

I think I was like ten the first time I roasted DARE for bringing that particular piece of propaganda into school (he didn't even know the name of the doctor who conducted the study). These people were literally telling children that they could and in fact would die if they ingested marijuana. They also encouraged kids to talk about their home life or the activities of their parents. No wonder why half of them, or a quarter, would wish to cage people for doing it.

[Suzanimal]

:rolleyes:

NYPD commissioner blames legal marijuana in Colorado for increase in New York shootings


At a news conference Monday, New York Police Department commissioner Bill Bratton blamed a slight uptick in violence in the city (45 homicides at this point last year, versus 54 this year) on marijuana.

“The seemingly innocent drug that’s been legalized around the country. In this city, people are killing each other over marijuana more so than anything that we had to deal with [in the] 80s and 90s with heroin and cocaine . . . In some instances, it’s a causal factor. But it’s an influence in almost everything that we do here.”

Hyperbole at its finest. Even if this year’s uptick holds through December (and it’s worth noting that we’re only dealing with eight weeks of data, here), New York would end the year with 383 murders. The city saw 2,245 murders in 1990.

I’m not exactly sure by what Rube Goldbergian chain of events Bratton thinks legalization in Colorado and Washington is causing homicides in New York City, but it’s clear that he thinks there’s a connection. Another NYPD official said the problem appears to be “ripoffs” — not turf battles, but attempted robberies gone wrong.

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/03/03/nypd-commissioner-blames-marijuana-for-increase-in-shootings/

[Suzanimal]

LMAO:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJbLB843EU

[pcosmar]

LMAO:D


Smokey McBongwater ??

[tod evans]

Drudge again;

Quality-Testing Legal Marijuana: Strong But Not Always Clean

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/03/24/395065699/quality-testing-legal-marijuana-strong-but-not-always-clean

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in four states, but that doesn't mean it's a tested consumer product. Some of those potent buds are covered in fungus while others contain traces of butane, according to an analysis of marijuana in Colorado.

Last May, after people began getting sick from edible marijuana products, the state of Colorado began requiring all products to be tested. Washington has mandated testing too, with a detailed checklist of items to analyze, including potency, contaminants, moisture and microbiology.

Marijuana testing is a new phenomenon. Even though people have been purchasing medical marijuana in Washington since 1998, the state never mandated testing until it approved recreational marijuana in 2013. Other states are still in the process of building a list of requirements for marijuana testing.

Each state has licensed private labs to analyze the products; they charges manufacturers a fee. Consumers can find some parts of the results, such as potency, printed on packaging, while others are available by request. And the lab must be independent from the producer and manufacturer; there's no in-house testing like there is in the cigarette industry.

So what are labs looking for? First, it's important that manufacturers and producers show how potent the weed is, kind of like printing the alcohol content on a bottle label.

Obama, 2016 Contenders Deal With Changing Attitudes On Marijuana
"It became very clear [that we needed to test for potency] when we had people coming in from out of state," Mary Meek, director of business development for CHARAS Scientific, a Denver lab, tells Shots. "We had 21 years olds coming in on spring break and getting sick," she explains.

Because many growers don't yet test their weed for potency, two buds might vary in their THC content – and in effects. So even if a manufacturer uses the same recipe every time, their products might vary from brownie to brownie.

Since labs like CHARAS Scientific are the ones evaluating every marijuana product, they are the ones who can use their analyses to look for trends. They presented some of their findings on Monday at an American Chemical Society meeting in Denver.

They found that marijuana's potency has been increasing, with THC content as high as 30 percent. That's about three times stronger than marijuana in the 1980s. THC is the component that produces the marijuana high.

Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesperson with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, told Shots that some of the labs in Washington have seen THC levels as high as 40 percent.

As THC levels climb, the levels of cannabidiol, or CBD, have been declining. That's problematic for medicinal marijuana users since it is more often associated with medical benefits than THC.

"They kind of counteract each other," explains Meek. "You have these artisan growers that have been focused on cross breeding for THC and they've been losing CBD."

And then there are the contaminants. Many of marijuana products contain traces of butane, a chemical used to extract the potent THC from marijuana buds. Bacteria and fungi can grow anywhere, and sure enough, they're growing on marijuana buds, which means that they're in marijuana products.

"I think it's rare that you would ever find zero fungal growth," says Meek. "But what we're testing for is the stuff that will make you sick." Neither she nor the state of Colorado want to see E. coli or Salmonella in marijuana products.

To add to the complication, Meek and her colleagues have to think about how each product will be used. "There's no data for what the consequences would be for smoking rather than consuming," she says. The jury's still out on how smoking E. coli might impact human health.

For now, the goal is to find an acceptable level for contaminants in marijuana products, just as the FDA requires manufacturers to test food and hygiene products for bacterial contamination. Meek thinks this is only the beginning. "Eventually it will all have to be on the label," she says.

[Mach]

Drudge again;

Quality-Testing Legal Marijuana: Strong But Not Always Clean

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/03/24/395065699/quality-testing-legal-marijuana-strong-but-not-always-clean

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in four states, but that doesn't mean it's a tested consumer product. Some of those potent buds are covered in fungus while others contain traces of butane, according to an analysis of marijuana in Colorado.

Last May, after people began getting sick from edible marijuana products, the state of Colorado began requiring all products to be tested. Washington has mandated testing too, with a detailed checklist of items to analyze, including potency, contaminants, moisture and microbiology.

Marijuana testing is a new phenomenon. Even though people have been purchasing medical marijuana in Washington since 1998, the state never mandated testing until it approved recreational marijuana in 2013. Other states are still in the process of building a list of requirements for marijuana testing.

Each state has licensed private labs to analyze the products; they charges manufacturers a fee. Consumers can find some parts of the results, such as potency, printed on packaging, while others are available by request. And the lab must be independent from the producer and manufacturer; there's no in-house testing like there is in the cigarette industry.

So what are labs looking for? First, it's important that manufacturers and producers show how potent the weed is, kind of like printing the alcohol content on a bottle label.

Obama, 2016 Contenders Deal With Changing Attitudes On Marijuana
"It became very clear [that we needed to test for potency] when we had people coming in from out of state," Mary Meek, director of business development for CHARAS Scientific, a Denver lab, tells Shots. "We had 21 years olds coming in on spring break and getting sick," she explains.

Because many growers don't yet test their weed for potency, two buds might vary in their THC content – and in effects. So even if a manufacturer uses the same recipe every time, their products might vary from brownie to brownie.

Since labs like CHARAS Scientific are the ones evaluating every marijuana product, they are the ones who can use their analyses to look for trends. They presented some of their findings on Monday at an American Chemical Society meeting in Denver.

They found that marijuana's potency has been increasing, with THC content as high as 30 percent. That's about three times stronger than marijuana in the 1980s. THC is the component that produces the marijuana high.

Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesperson with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, told Shots that some of the labs in Washington have seen THC levels as high as 40 percent.

As THC levels climb, the levels of cannabidiol, or CBD, have been declining. That's problematic for medicinal marijuana users since it is more often associated with medical benefits than THC.

"They kind of counteract each other," explains Meek. "You have these artisan growers that have been focused on cross breeding for THC and they've been losing CBD."

And then there are the contaminants. Many of marijuana products contain traces of butane, a chemical used to extract the potent THC from marijuana buds. Bacteria and fungi can grow anywhere, and sure enough, they're growing on marijuana buds, which means that they're in marijuana products.

"I think it's rare that you would ever find zero fungal growth," says Meek. "But what we're testing for is the stuff that will make you sick." Neither she nor the state of Colorado want to see E. coli or Salmonella in marijuana products.

To add to the complication, Meek and her colleagues have to think about how each product will be used. "There's no data for what the consequences would be for smoking rather than consuming," she says. The jury's still out on how smoking E. coli might impact human health.

For now, the goal is to find an acceptable level for contaminants in marijuana products, just as the FDA requires manufacturers to test food and hygiene products for bacterial contamination. Meek thinks this is only the beginning. "Eventually it will all have to be on the label," she says.

See, marijuana is creating even more new markets already and this is just from start up alone.... trickle down marijuana.

[surf]

See, marijuana is creating even more new markets already and this is just from start up alone.... trickle down marijuana.
one of the concerns (on the consumer side) with the sample testing and product labeling is that the growers are the ones submitting the samples - or so I've heard. i'm looking forward to the time when testing of this sort will be cheap, not mandated, and competitive.

where the market is now:

UW Purple - Indica (Buddy Boy Farm) $15 g

1g Packaging THC 20.97%/CBD .2% UW is a marijuana strain that comes with its own superhero origin story. The popular rumor in the Pacific Northwest is that a clone plant was stolen from a University of Washington medical research lab in the early nineties—in some versions by a rogue graduate student—and has since been a popular top shelf indica. These buds show their university pride with purple coloring, and the dense, sticky buds are at the top of the class when it comes to potency. Almost entirely indica, this strain’s powerful high is sedative and popular for pain relief and insomnia. A mix of tropical fruit and a little spice, the aroma also earns high marks. Flavors – Flowery, Pungent, Sage
right now most of the weed for sale have descriptions. I chose UW weed because it really is legendary in these parts (in the '80s the story was that it was the highest THC content ever), and i'm an alum.

imagine a grower (and retailer) being able to tout a "96" rating on their beastmode strain with confidence that each consumer will get this quality of product.

[phill4paul]

Boogity.........


Marijuana Edibles Blamed For Keystone Death

The family of a Tulsa man who shot himself Saturday night in Keystone is blaming his suicide on his ingestion of edible marijuana candies.
“It was completely a reaction to the drugs,” Kim Goodman said about her son Luke’s Saturday night suicide.

Luke Goodman’s death is now the third death in Colorado linked to marijuana edibles.
The 23-year-old college graduate was in the midst of a two-week ski and snowboard vacation with family members. Saturday afternoon he and his cousin, Caleb Fowler, took a bus from Keystone to Silverthorne where Fowler says they bought $78 worth of edibles and marijuana.

“He was excited to do them,” Fowler told CBS4.

When the young men got back to Keystone, Fowler said they began ingesting the edible pot. He said his cousin favored some peach tart candies, each piece of candy containing 10 mg of the active ingredient in marijuana, the recommended dose for an adult consuming an edible.

But when Goodman consumed several and experienced no immediate effects he kept gobbling them up.
“Luke popped two simultaneously” after the first two didn’t seem to do anything, said Fowler.

Then he said Goodman took a fifth candy, five times the recommended dose. His mother says her son likely didn’t see the warning on the back of the container which says, “The intoxicating effects of this product may be delayed by two or more hours … the standardized serving size for this product includes no more than 10 mg.”

Several hours later Fowler said his cousin became “jittery” then incoherent and talking nonsensically.
“He would make eye contact with us but didn’t see us, didn’t recognize our presence almost. He had never got close to this point, I had never seen him like this,” Fowler said.
Fowler says Goodman became “pretty weird and relatively incoherent. It was almost like something else was speaking through him.”
When family members left the condo Goodman refused to join them. After they left he got a handgun that he typically traveled with for protection, and turned it on himself.

Summit County Coroner Regan Wood says the preliminary cause of death is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As for the impact of the marijuana edibles, she said, “That’s what we’ve heard consistently.”
She said the impact the edibles had on Goodman will be more clear when toxicology results come back in a few weeks.
“It’s still under investigation,” said Wood.

While definitive answers may be weeks away, Kim Goodman, Luke Goodman’s mother, told CBS4 she knows why her son took his own life.
“It was 100 percent the drugs,” she said. “It was completely because of the drugs — he had consumed so much of it.”

She said her son was well adapted, well-adjusted and had no signs of depression or suicidal thoughts.
“It was completely out of character for Luke … there was no depression or anything that would leave us being concerned, nothing like that.”

Caleb Fowler echoed the feeling saying he fully believed the ingestion of so much marijuana laced candy triggered the suicide.
“He was the happiest guy in the world. He had everything going for him.”

A year ago a Wyoming college student jumped to his death from a Denver hotel balcony after eating a marijuana cookie. Witnesses said Levy Thamba Pongi was rambling incoherently after eating the cookie. The Denver coroner ruled “marijuana intoxication” was a significant factor in Pongi’s death.

Richard Kirk of Denver faces first-degree murder charges stemming from the fatal shooting of his wife in Denver last year. Before her death his wife called 911 and said her husband had eaten marijuana candy and taken prescription medication and was hallucinating.

Luke Goodman’s family is now planning a memorial service for Friday in Tulsa. His mother says she remembers her last interaction with her son.
“We both said ‘I love you’ and I said ‘Have a great week.’ ”

Kim Goodman told CBS4 she believes marijuana edibles should be removed from store shelves.
“I would love to see edibles taken off the market … I think edibles are so much more dangerous.”

CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/03/25/marijuana-edibles-blamed-for-keystone-death/

[tod evans]

The family of a Tulsa man who shot himself Saturday night in Keystone is blaming his suicide on his ingestion of edible marijuana candies.
“It was completely a reaction to the drugs,” Kim Goodman said about her son Luke’s Saturday night suicide.

After they left he got a handgun that he typically traveled with for protection, and turned it on himself.

This-n's a peach!

The right can use it for anti-weed boogity, and the left can use it for anti-gun boogity.........

The lesson for sane people is really quite simple though, if you or a family member decides to try some type of new to you mind alterant it's a good idea to have friends or family close by.

When's the last time anyone read about some family blaming Baccardi for their child's death when they aspirated puke after chugging half a bottle of 151?

[phill4paul]

This-n's a peach!

The right can use it for anti-weed boogity, and the left can use it for anti-gun boogity.........

The lesson for sane people is really quite simple though, if you or a family member decides to try some type of new to you mind alterant it's a good idea to have friends or family close by.

When's the last time anyone read about some family blaming Baccardi for their child's death when they aspirated puke after chugging half a bottle of 151?

What kind of family member or friend leaves an individual that is "incoherent" and "talking nonsensically" to their own demise? But, ya know, hitting the slopes is more important. Not mentioned in the article is how much alcohol was consumed.

[Mach]

A Boogity bump... every time I see this thread this scene pops into my head.... relief.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KTpyo8pb8Y

[Thor]

Dr. Sanjay Gupta puts medical marijuana under the microscope again with "Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution (http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/04/13/cnn-weed-3-4-19-2015.cnn-creative-marketing)" at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN, followed by "High Profits (http://www.cnn.com/shows/high-profits)" at 10 p.m., a CNN Original Series exploring the business of legal, recreational cannabis in Breckenridge, Colorado.


Weed 3:
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/04/13/cnn-weed-3-4-19-2015.cnn-creative-marketing
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/opinions/medical-marijuana-revolution-sanjay-gupta/index.htm (http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/opinions/medical-marijuana-revolution-sanjay-gupta/index.html)

[Suzanimal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSM8frv5r2I


Fox’s ‘Reefer Madness’ warning on 4/20: ‘Skunk’ is ‘more dangerous than you’re being led to believe’

Fox News celebrated the unofficial 4/20 marijuana holiday by warning that today’s weed was “more dangerous than you’re being led to believe.”

During a “Going to Pot” segment on Monday’s edition of Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade asked Hudson Institute anti-pot crusader Dr. David Murray to explain how “dangerous” the different forms of marijuana could be, echoing the 1937 film “Reefer Madness.”

According to Hudson, viewers should be on the lookout for a “new form of crossbred marijuana” called “skunk.”

“It runs at levels of 20 to 30 percent THC,” Hudson explained. “That contrasts with the marijuana of the Cheech and Chong days, when it was only 3 to 4 percent. So, you’re talking 6 to 7 times more powerful, more potent.”

“And it’s really getting people blasted and blitzed in a hurry,” he added. “It’s widespread, coming largely out of Colorado and that market as new forms are appearing. And it really gets people loaded.”

Kilmeade paused to “underline the fact that this is dangerous, more dangerous than you’re being led to believe.”

“That’s why we’re talking about it,” the Fox News host insisted. “Not to sell it.”:rolleyes:

Hudson went on to highlight the “unprecedented” danger of a marijuana extract called “budder,” and he said that people would be “frightened” if they consumed edibles.

“States may be trying to legalize it, but it doesn’t mean the danger is diminished,” Kilmeade concluded. “It’s a lot of danger out there.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/foxs-reefer-madness-warning-on-420-skunk-is-more-dangerous-than-youre-being-led-to-believe/

[surf]

skunk is new?

i'm so jealous of Colorado

synthetics: "it's like putting drano on your breakfast cereal...."

boogity boogity

[tod evans]

Colorado businessman blames 'stoned' workers for move to SC

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/24/colorado-businessman-blames-stoned-workers-for-relocating-firm-to-south/?intcmp=latestnews

When workers at his Colorado business went to pot, Mark Brawner said it was enough for him to roll out of the Rockies and head for South Carolina.

Brawner, who ran Little Spider Creations out of an old Denver warehouse for years until this month, told KUSA-TV Thursday he moved because pot was hurting his company. He said employees started to come to work stoned after the state legalized the drug for recreational use in 2012.

“The main reason we pulled out was because of marijuana,” Brawner said. “Marijuana got into our industry. Half the sculptors will come in high. As soon as we’d catch it, they’d be let go. We went through 25 sculptors. Only five of (our sculptors) either were quality or would show up unimpaired.”

“The main reason we pulled out was because of marijuana.”

- Mark Brawner
But Brawner told FoxNews.com Friday his comments got “twisted out of proportion,” although he did not deny relocating to the Myrtle Beach area, where smoking pot is still illegal.

“They had an agenda. They got what they wanted and not what they heard,” he said.

A call to KUSA news director Christy Moreno was not immediately returned.

Little Spider has built Halloween-like props for Six Flags amusement parks, the Dollywood Theme Park in Tennessee, and other haunted house entertainment venues.

The company's a new home is a spacious facility in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The local Chamber of Commerce lured Brawner to move with a $25,000 grant. In exchange Brawner pledged to create 35 jobs and to make a $2.65 million investment in his business. In Colorado, Little Spider employed 47 sculptors, artists and animators.

The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported that back in Colorado, Brawner had been dealing with a “nasty” local government regulator and too many stoned workers. Those problems made his wife’s entreaties to move more appealing.

Now Brawner would like to take back remarks he made to KUSA like this one:

“A painter doesn’t do production as quick as we want. If you build a house you can build a house to the plans. When we’re asking you to sculpt a giant dinosaur, and it has to have personality and stuff, when you’re high you can’t see it. Your whole body says its good enough, when it’s not. The quality suffers.”

A Colorado business group told the station Little Spider’s departure is the first they heard of a company leaving the state because of legalized marijuana.

Speaking to FoxNews.com, Brawner just wanted his marijuana remarks to go puff.

He declined to say how his comments, which were audio-taped, could have been misconstrued.

“I don’t have anything more to say, not even to make things right,” he said.

Colorado legalized pot in 2013, and the first marijuana shops opened at the beginning of 2014. Washington and Alaska subsequently legalized the drug, and similar measures have been proposed in other states.

[dannno]

When we’re asking you to sculpt a giant dinosaur, and it has to have personality and stuff, when you’re high you can’t see it. Your whole body says its good enough, when it’s not. The quality suffers.”

Ya, I know how that goes..

http://static.tumblr.com/bcda98ad7ef7f5aa5c2771d02c56400a/lneyutj/d19msr8kn/tumblr_static_dmt1.jpg

https://thoughtforyourpenny.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/high-times-2014-denver-cannabis-cup-dmt-art-gallery-versability.jpg?w=660&h=495



A Colorado business group told the station Little Spider’s departure is the first they heard of a company leaving the state because of legalized marijuana.

[dannno]

skunk is new?


http://www.dutch-passion.nl/en/grow-info/what-is-skunk/


The Acapulco Gold and Colombian Gold strains were top quality sensimillas of their day and even today they would still be highly appreciated though are difficult to find in their original form. These strains were popular with breeders in the 60’s and 70’s and old timers will remember them for their great unbeatable ‘highs’. Incidentally, it is quite ridiculous that some of the modern anti-cannabis prejudice is based on the so called ‘fact’ that todays dope is very strong whilst that grown 30 or 40 years ago was comparatively weak. That is simply not true, ask anyone that can remember how good the weed was back in the 1960’s. Acapulco Gold even manages to get several mentions in songs from bands such as Rush, Soda Stereo, The New Riders and more recently the rapper MF Doom. Colombian Gold was a similarly iconic and highly potent strain.

People have been enjoying good quality weed (10%+ THC levels) for thousands of years. Strong weed is not just a modern phenomena, there has always been strong weed. But unfortunately the anti-cannabis crusaders like to have a ‘key’ argument to maintain the illegality of the worlds favourite herb.

[Suzanimal]

Reefer madness: GOP congressman warns pot is making our veterans psychotic

In a debate on the House floor over the Department of Veterans Affairs’ policies on medical marijuana, Representative John Fleming (R-LA) warned colleagues that allowing veterans to smoke pot could turn them psychotic or schizophrenic.

“As a practicing physician and a veteran myself,” Fleming stated during the April 29 legislative proceedings, “the way we approach health care is not to just allow any healthcare provider to do whatever he or she wants to do at the time. That is simply not the way health care works.”

According to Fleming, letting doctors and patients make their own decisions about marijuana could be dangerous, which is why the federal government needs to step in.

“Smoking pot increases psychotic episodes by a factor of two to four times normal,” Fleming elaborates. “The conversion to schizophrenia, a permanent mental disorder, is enhanced by pot by a factor of two — double. Why in the world would we give a drug that is addictive, that is prohibited under Schedule I, that is not accepted for any specific mental disease or disorder and enhances psychosis and schizophrenia, why are we going to give that to our veterans, especially those with PTSD? That is just absolutely insane.”

...

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/reefer-madness-gop-congressman-warns-pot-is-making-our-veterans-psychotic/

[tod evans]

Another from Drudge, you'd think by now the country would be crawling with mindless short creatures whose lifespan has been reduced to mere months after toking on the evil weed...



Boys who smoke cannabis ‘are four inches shorter’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11613107/Boys-who-smoke-cannabis-are-four-inches-shorter.html

New study finds that youngsters who regularly smoked marijuana are far shorter than their non-smoking peers.

Boys who smoke cannabis before puberty could be stunting their growth by more than four inches, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that youngsters who were addicted to the drug were far shorter than their non-smoking peers.
And they also discovered that rather than being a relaxing pass time, smoking dope actually makes the body more stressed in the long term.

"Marijuana use may provoke a stress response that stimulates onset of puberty but suppresses growth rate,” said study leader Dr Syed Shakeel Raza Rizvi, of the Agriculture University Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
Scientists at the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Agriculture University Rawalpindi in Pakistan studied the levels of certain hormones involved in growth and puberty in the blood of 220 non-smoking and 217 cannabis-addicted boys.
Levels of puberty-related hormones such as testosterone and luteinising hormone (LH) were increased in the cannabis smokers. In contrast, growth hormone levels in the group were decreased.

It was also found that non-smoking boys were on average four kilos heavier and 4.6 inches taller by the age of 20 than the dope smokers.
The researchers also looked at the effect of smoking cannabis on levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in 10 cannabis addicts.
They found that dope smokers have significantly higher levels of cortisol than non-smokers.

Cannabis is the most widely available illicit drug in Europe, and it's estimated that it's been used by 80.5 million Europeans at least once in their life.
The proportion of 11-15 year olds in England who had used cannabis in the last year fell from 13.3 per cent in 2003 to 7 per cent in 2013, around 250,000 youngsters.
The latest report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reveals that the highest prevalence of cannabis use is among 15 to 24-year-olds and is significantly higher among men than women.
Previous studies have looked at the effect of smoking cannabis in adult rats and humans, but this is the first time that the effects have been looked at in prebubescent boys.
Dr Rivzi said the the research may have a wider impact than just health, adding: "Early puberty is associated with younger age of onset of drinking and smoking, and early matures have higher levels of substance abuse because they enter the risk period at an early level of emotional maturity."
The researchers say their findings, presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin, will lead to a better understanding of the dangers of drug abuse on growth and development in children.

[Occam's Banana]

Boys who smoke cannabis ‘are four inches shorter’

Wait, wait, wait! You mean I coulda been four inches longer?? Well, SHIT!! :mad:

[Occam's Banana]

[W]hy are we going to give [marijuana] to our veterans, especially those with PTSD? That is just absolutely insane.”

Absolutely insane? Absolutely insane?

What ... you mean as opposed to giving them PTSD in the first place?

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[H. E. Panqui]

...more 'prohibition reinforcement'...the stinking republicans/crats in my state are such gross, ignorant individuals they won't even 'allow' people to grow hemp!!!.. :mad:

...i sense many of these gd 'conservative' fools will die stubbornly...never admitting their stinking ignorance..always looking for another excuse to forgive their gd fool selves..

...p!ss on the stinking cretins who fancy themselves 'christian'..as they eagerly and viciously hurl stones, bullets...erect jails..

[tod evans]

...more 'prohibition reinforcement'...the stinking republicans/crats in my state are such gross, ignorant individuals they won't even 'allow' people to grow hemp!!!.. :mad:

...i sense many of these gd 'conservative' fools will die stubbornly...never admitting their stinking ignorance..always looking for another excuse to forgive their gd fool selves..

...p!ss on the stinking cretins who fancy themselves 'christian'..as they eagerly and viciously hurl stones, bullets...erect jails..


Ummmm,

I'm a Christian.

[Slave Mentality]

Ummmm,

I'm a Christian.

You don't fit his description dude and I have never met you.

[paleocon1]

From Drudge;

Marijuana playing larger role in fatal crashes

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/06/09/marijuana-accidents/10219119/

As more states are poised to legalize medicinal marijuana, it's looking like dope is playing a larger role as a cause of fatal traffic accidents.

Columbia University researchers performing a toxicology examination of nearly 24,000 driving fatalities concluded that marijuana contributed to 12% of traffic deaths in 2010, tripled from a decade earlier.

NHTSA studies have found drugged driving to be particularly prevalent among younger motorists. One in eight high school seniors responding to a 2010 survey admitted to driving after smoking marijuana. Nearly a quarter of drivers killed in drug-related car crashes were younger than 25. Likewise, nearly half of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for marijuana were younger than 25.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that 4% of drivers were high during the day and more than 6% at night, and that nighttime figure more than doubled on weekends.

Colorado has seen a spike in driving fatalities in which marijuana alone was involved, according to Insurance.com. The trend started in 2009 — the year medical marijuana dispensaries were effectively legalized at the state level.

NHTSA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse are now in the final months of a three-year, half-million-dollar cooperative study to determine the impact of inhaled marijuana on driving performance. Tests observe participants who ingest a low dose of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, a high dose and a placebo to assess the effects on performance, decision-making, motor control, risk-taking behavior and divided-attention tasks.

The study is being performed using what NHTSA calls "the world's most advanced driving simulator," the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving Simulator, which was previously used to study the effects of alcohol on driving.

Why does a simple statement of the Truth- Driving drunk or high costs lives .........bother you?

[kcchiefs6465]

Why does a simple statement of the Truth- Driving drunk or high costs lives .........bother you?
I would venture to guess that it is because he is one of the few who sees through their propagandist, freedom grabbing, horseshit.

[paleocon1]

I would venture to guess that it is because he is one of the few who sees through their propagandist, freedom grabbing, horseshit.

Ah,.........YOU feel that YOU have as Right to impose upon others the risks of sharing the road with YOU when YOU are drunk/high/etc.

[tod evans]

Why does a simple statement of the Truth- Driving drunk or high costs lives .........bother you?

Simple statements don't bother me one whit..

What issue of yours has caused you to assume that I have been bothered?

All that aside attributing poor driving to booze or dope is kinda silly, sleepiness and anger cause more accidents than booze and dope combined but trying to prove either in a court of law is pretty difficult.

If you would like to argue for armed men monitoring what you ingest before venturing out on the roadways maybe you could find one of the 714 threads on that subject, or if that's too difficult you could start yet another...

But this thread is for highlighting the idiocy of MSM's portrayal of weed...


[edit]

Last time you ventured into this thread I tried to get you to pay attention too;


Okay I agree with that but whatzit got to do with "Evil Weed Propaganda" ?

It's okay to have issues, and it's even okay to regurgitate false propaganda but why must you try to derail a thread that's been pretty much on point?

[paleocon1]

........................ but why must you try to derail a thread that's been pretty much on point?

Pointing out the falsity of your propaganda about 'evil weed propaganda' is hardly a derailment other than we might not arrive at your preplanned destination.

[tod evans]

Pointing out the falsity of your propaganda about 'evil weed propaganda' is hardly a derailment other than we might not arrive at your preplanned destination.


Why does a simple statement of the Truth- Driving drunk or high costs lives .........bother you?

But you haven't proffered any logical position relevant to debunking propaganda one way or another, in fact you tried, quite brazenly in fact, to introduce drunk driving into an article that addressed driving on weed.

Slow down and take a breath, it's rough when you start hearing viewpoints that differ from your own..

Rougher still if you're presented with logical positions that refute your learnin'....

[paleocon1]

................................

Rougher still if you're presented with logical positions that refute your learnin'....

What 'logical position' have you even implied thus far beyond apparently Liberty requires being allowed to drive while loaded?

[H. E. Panqui]

...i'm to the gills with gd prohibitionist republicrat fools who use the rules/laws of the road, etc., to further their gd fool busybody prohibitionist worldview..

...establish black and white rules of the road and hold individuals responsible for adherence..whether someone crashes/drives erratically/etc. because they fell asleep vs. whether they were 'drunk' vs. they were 'tuning the radio' vs. 'a wasp stung me' should not matter...unless you are a gd busybody republicrat fool who wants their worldview promoted via government...

...will we ever be rid of this republicrat ignorance, abomination?..

[dannno]

Ah,.........YOU feel that YOU have as Right to impose upon others the risks of sharing the road with YOU when YOU are drunk/high/etc.


There are plenty of studies showing that drivers on low to moderate amounts of cannabis are as safe or more safe than sober drivers.

I definitely drive safer when I'm high than most sober people on the road. That means sober people are a risk to me. Should they be arrested for being sober under your logic? Or should we judge drivers by their performance rather than what substances we can detect in their body?

Where I live, cannabis has been essentially legal for about a decade. We have always had problems with drunk drivers here, but in the ten years that herb has been essentially legal there have been reduced DUIs, fewer traffic fatalities and accidents and police are generally ok with people driving high as long as they aren't blitzed. That's because in their experience, people driving under the influence of herb have not caused any significant problems and have actually made things better.

In fact, the police here tend to complain more about people on legal prescription medications than herb.

So before you get all judgmental, learn the facts.

[tod evans]

What 'logical position' have you even implied thus far beyond apparently Liberty requires being allowed to drive while loaded?

No implication at all on my part, especially in a thread about weed propaganda, I post propaganda in this thread.

Here's a thread from last year about stoned driving that you might want to revive;

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?445792-Colorado-launches-campaign-to-stop-stoned-driving

And here's one from '13;

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?405324-This-is-what-driving-totally-stoned-on-marijuana-looks-like&highlight=driving+stoned

Or you could take it upon your big bad self to actually try and substantiate your claims that people driving high costs lives in a thread all your own....

If you can manage to pull that off I'll gladly redact my post in this thread attributing the claims to propaganda...

[Mach]

It's easy, if a Lieutenant could tell you marijuana is a problem, he would, they got all pumped and funded, but nothing ever happened.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhlTJl_9-vU

[Suzanimal]

:rolleyes:


Safe pot? Tell that to the 62 kids who died

Marijuana is an addictive and hazardous drug. But lately, some have taken to proclaiming that "marijuana is safer than alcohol," a message that is not only wrong but dangerous.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, in a study that examines all deaths in Arizona of children under the age of 18, a disturbing number of child deaths resulted from substance use. It was linked to the deaths of 128 of Arizona's children in 2013.

Guess which substance was the most prevalent? Not alcohol, not methamphetamine (although they were close seconds), but marijuana. In 2013, marijuana use was associated with the tragic and needless deaths of 62 children in Arizona.

...

http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2015/06/15/safe-pot-tell-kids-died/71267330/

[Mach]

:rolleyes:



http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2015/06/15/safe-pot-tell-kids-died/71267330/

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/02ace29f1e02a47d61c8b394050b9217af95219b/c=0-0-445-593&r=183&c=0-0-180-238/local/-/media/2015/06/15/Phoenix/B9317740551Z.1_20150615165327_000_GRTB3B5QU.1-0.jpg

Sheila Polk is the Yavapai County Attorney and vice chair of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy.



A reply..... azcentral.com - OPINION

Did marijuana actually kill 62 kids in Arizona? Or...

(video at link)

http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2015/06/17/arizonans-for-responsible-drug-policy-marijuana-legalization-sheila-polk/28870755/



If you happened to read a guest editorial in Tuesday's Arizona Republic by Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk you might have come away believing that marijuana use killed 62 kids in Arizona in 2013.

Polk has no real proof of that, of course, hedging her bets with the word "associated." It's good work. But all her essay proves is that Polk wants to be like … me.

The Yavapai prosecutor is serving as vice chairwoman of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, and is doing everything she can to make the case against marijuana legalization. She's not making that argument in a hall of justice, however, but in the court of public opinion, where (as I well know) a bland set of facts can be made palatable with a heaping helping of spiced baloney.

[tod evans]

Editorial: Marijuana growers are wrecking California

http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article26291950.html

The cost of inaction couldn’t be more clear.

Acres of ancient trees are disappearing and illegal marijuana farms are popping up in their place. Streams and rivers are being sucked dry, diverted sometimes miles away through plastic pipes into tanks. Several species of fish, along with a rare breed of wild rodent, are on the verge of extinction.

All of this is happening now, all across California, but particularly in the North Coast and in our national parks in the San Joaquin Valley. All of this environmental destruction is occurring to grow marijuana and meet consumer demand.

While there’s plenty of blame to go around for how things have turned out in the nearly 20 years since California legalized medical marijuana, much of it must land at the feet of consumers, and of lawmakers.

Apathetic consumers seem unaffected by the environmental damage that weed causes. We buy fair-trade coffee and free-range chickens. Where’s the outrage about the environmental impact of marijuana?

Through the inaction of lawmakers, pot remains unregulated and spreads like weeds. Add to this the drought and speculation that California will soon join Washington and Oregon in making pot legal for recreational use, and our state has the makings of an ecological disaster on its hands.

This was the sobering message that came through July 1 at a hearing of the state Senate’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. Official after official testified about the negative effects that illegal pot farming has had on the environment and in unfairly exacerbating the drought.

Charlton Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, talked about his “existential crisis” while watching species of salmon dwindle to dangerously low numbers.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman spoke of how, at a recent bust near Island Mountain, illegal growers had depleted the mighty Eel River to the point that it was full of moss. He estimated the farmers needed about 500,000 precious gallons of water a day to support the nearly 87,000 plants they found.

Thousands of growers are doing the same despicable things to the environment all over California. These aren’t the “old hippies” who have been growing pot for years in California, but the “rich white people growers,” as Allman calls them, who are moving here in droves, hoping to claim a stake in our unregulated market before demand really ramps up for legal recreational use.

“It’s hard to ask everyone to cut their water and deal with water cuts when we’re not dealing with this,” said Resources Secretary John Laird.

The way to curb the environmental destruction is for users to consider the implications of their purchases, and to regulate the industry. Sen. Mike McGuire and Assembly Member Jim Wood, both North Coast Democrats, have bills to do that.

The cost of inaction is too high.

[Suzanimal]

Was that written by an insane person, tod evans?


pot remains unregulated and spreads like weeds.
lol


rare breed of wild rodent
That's not really a bad thing as far as I'm concerned.


“rich white people growers,”
I prefer Saltine American.:mad: Would it be better if they weren't rich or white?:confused:

[tod evans]

Was that written by an insane person, tod evans?

Real peach eh?

[Suzanimal]

Real peach eh?

A bushel of 'em.:rolleyes:


BY THE BEE EDITORIAL BOARD

[Mach]

I read it again, and I could not have wrote a better pro-legalization pitch to the current anti-marijuana voters, he was pushing for regulation on medical-marijuana, but everyone knows that is so half-baked.

Read it to all of the local communities that are against marijuana legalization so they can see what can happen to their communities, too... ;)... if they don't do what needs to be done, now! :eek:

If everyone can grow, or purchase their own, there won't be a lot of guerrilla-growers, EVERYWHERE!

[tod evans]

Not really Boogity material but this thread needs bumped...;)



Stoner Shakespeare? Scientists say pipes from playwright's garden contain cannabis

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/08/10/stoner-shakespeare-scientists-say-pipes-from-playwright-garden-contain-cannabis/

Did the greatest playwright the world has ever known have a taste for the wacky tobaccy? Did William Shakespeare have a case of the munchies while penning "Macbeth"?

The answer may very well be "yes" after a group of South African scientists found that clay pipes recovered from the garden of the Bard's home contain traces of cannabis.

The researchers examined fragments of 24 clay pipes that were recovered from the garden of Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, as well as from surrounding houses. After examining the fragments using a gas chromatography technique, the scientists found that eight of the pipes contained traces of cannabis, one contained nicotine, and two contained traces of cocaine derived from Peruvian coca leaves. Four of the pipes containing cannabis came from Shakespeare's property.

Professor Francis Thackeray of the University of Witwatersrand, who headed the study, writes that several kinds of tobacco were known to early 17th-century Englishmen. The earliest specimens of nicotine and coca leaves may have been imported by explorers Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake, respectively.

Thackeray has a longstanding interest in Shakespeare's possible use of drugs. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that in 1999, he wrote an academic paper titled "Hemp as a source of inspiration for Shakespearean literature?"

This may all be much ado about nothing, as there's no conclusive evidence that Shakespeare ever used cannabis himself. However, Thackeray notes that early performances of Shakespeare's works likely took place in smoke-filled rooms full of puffing members of the Elizabethan gentry.

"One can well imagine the scenario in which Shakespeare performed his plays in the court of Queen Elizabeth, in the company of Drake, Raleigh and others who smoked clay pipes filled with 'tobacco'," he writes.

A case of smoke them if you've got them, perhaps?

[tod evans]

City endorses statement condemning marijuana use

http://www.wyodaily.com/story/2015/08/06/news/city-endorses-statement-condemning-marijuana-use/263.html


Worland City Council members unanimously endorsed a resolution condemning the use of marijuana.

Worland Chief of Police, Gabe Elliott told the council, at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, that the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP) is raising awareness of the drug in response to states legalizing marijuana.


According to information provided by WASCOP, the goal of the project is to "inform the citizens of Wyoming as to the harmful personal and societal effects of marijuana."

According to a statement released by WASCOP, Wyoming residents are becoming de-sensitized and/or disbelieving of the dangers of marijuana use. Marijuana use/dependence is the No. 1 reason kids are admitted to substance abuse treatment across the nation.

During the meeting, Elliott advised the council of the consequences of marijuana use.

"It's a gateway drug. It's definitely harmful to our society, in my opinion," Elliott said.

Elliott said, with the city's endorsement of the anti-marijuana campaign, state legislators would see that municipalities throughout Wyoming have condemned the drug.

Councilperson Dennis Koch voted for the measure.

"Obviously, there are going to be some people who are not going to be thrilled with us opposing marijuana, but I think it's time for communities and governments to take a stand," Koch said.

At a meeting in February, law enforcement and school officials warned the community about the dangers of marijuana use. Elliott said there is a "new generation of users" in today's world.

Elliott also warned about the new methods of marijuana use.

Dabbing is "the new form of marijuana smoking," according to Elliott.

"Butane oil is used to extract the THC out of marijuana. The high is more intense; the duration is longer and we're seeing a lot of ill effects from it," Elliott said, adding that people don't realize how much THC they are injecting.

Marijuana can also be ingested through dabbing, Elliott said.

"It changes the whole game of what we're seeing these days. Now, they eat a full brownie and bad things happen," Elliott said.:eek:

According to the information released by WASCOP, the negative consequences of legalization in Colorado include a 26 percent in youth (ages 12 to 17 years of age) monthly marijuana use.

Also listed as a harm in the report, the number of pets poisoned from ingesting marijuana has increased six-fold. Traffic fatalities involving operators testing positive for marijuana have increased 100 percent in Colorado.

The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) lobbies legislators for legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational use.

Wyoming Chapter Director Chris Christian called WASCOP's report false.

"It is nothing but false-faced propaganda with no supporting evidence presented," she said, citing the claim marijuana use has increased 26 percent by youth.

"This is directly in contradiction to every published report there is. I want to know where they got this data, and I want to see it. This is unsupported hearsay. I'm way pissed off about the way they're going about doing this," Christian said.

The report also delves into the ways marijuana is consumed.

"Marijuana is usually smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or in pipes or water pipes (bongs). It is also smoked in blunts – cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with a mixture of marijuana and tobacco.

"Marijuana is associated with a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Several studies also associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims and job turnover."

[Root]

Fuck yeah it's a gateway flower. I wake-n-baked this morning with my coffee and now I'm gonna get some bacon.

Cannabis flowers are a gateway to bacon.

[tod evans]

California marijuana farms at risk as weed smoke could rise from wildfires



http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/12/california-wildfires-marijuana-farms



Marijuana farms have been engulfed by California wildfires over the summer as firefighters work to contain blazes across northern California that have already burned through more than 70,000 acres. While the marijuana crops destroyed are unlikely to cause any statewide supply issues, it could drive up some prices, put small farmers out of business – and disseminate a familiar smell.

Hezekiah Allen of the Emerald Growers Association, an association of cannabis growers in California, said a burning marijuana farm would potentially release similar smoke into the air as when a person traditionally smokes. It might smell close to pot, he said, but would be “tainted” because of all the other items and plants like poison oak burning along with it.


California wildfires threaten to make local wine 'unpalatable'
Read more
A representative from Cal Fire cautioned residents to stay away from high smoke areas – even those that smell like pot – because of other substances being burned.

“Basically, you’d get sick from other things,” Allen said. “The residents won’t get high.”

Allen said wildfire damage “isn’t going to have an impact on supplies across the state” but may hit many individual farms and dispensaries hard.

He did not specify the number of farms destroyed, but did confirm that he was aware of individual farms that had been lost.

Marijuana farms suffer the same risks as other farmers in California – facing the potential loss of their crop, on top of the strain of the drought. The profitable Napa wine industry, too, is threatened by wildfires, with winemakers concerned that smoke-infused grape skins will alter the flavor of the wines.

But some of those impacts are exacerbated for marijuana growers, who won’t get subsidies from the state if their crop is lost, and whose value per plant is much higher than that of many other plants.

Allen said the issue for dispensaries – where patients are legally permitted to purchase medical cannabis – could be that they lose their supply of marijuana because of limits on transport.

Under California law, counties can opt out of permitting medical marijuana transport through their borders, meaning that getting marijuana from one county to another can present problems.

“The market regulation has been unhealthy for years and this could be one of the problems some dispensaries may face,” Allen said.

For growers who lost crops in northern California, it will likely mean a hit at the bank. According to EGA, “the most commonly occurring revenues were in the $300,000 range, with a net to the farmer of just over $100,000”.

Allen said the “tragedy on the local level is very real. This year has been devastating to a number of farmers, who have lost their greenhouses and farms.”


In an industry that brings in more than $500m per year to the state, according to NerdWallet, it may not seem like a major loss when one farm is destroyed.

But there is serious concern among some purchasers who are open about the effects destroyed crops could have on what is described by Harborside Health Center purchasing manager Timothy Anderson as an “already constricted market”.

“We were already under pressure from the drought,” Anderson told MarketWatch. “Prices are high and availability is low.”

“I had to help another farmer get new plants,” Anderson said. “They’re having trouble getting young plants to thrive because of the smoke. There’s a range of issues.”

[Root]

That gives me teh sadz Tod.

On a happier note, I was stoned as hell last night. Wow, good batch of edibles :D

[tod evans]

:eek:

Neighborhood marijuana shops linked to pot-related hospital stays

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/08/14/neighborhood-marijuana-shops-linked-to-pot-related-hospital-stays/?intcmp=hphz02

California neighborhoods that have more medical marijuana dispensaries may also have more:eek: hospitalizations related to marijuana abuse or addiction,:eek: a new study finds.

In the study, researchers calculated the number of dispensaries per square mile within California ZIP codes, and found that each additional pot shop was linked to a 6.8 percent increase in the number of pot-related hospitalizations.

The findings may help illuminate the effects of increased marijuana availability, as voters and state legislatures decide whether the drug should become medically or recreationally legal, the researchers wrote in their findings, which will be published in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

"As marijuana is approved for medical or recreational use, we need to carefully consider where we allow dispensaries to be placed," lead researcher Christina Mair, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, said in a statement.

"Our study indicates that there are real problems associated with a higher density of marijuana dispensaries in neighborhoods," Mair said. Community discussions are needed to ensure that marijuana laws have the fewest negative consequences for vulnerable people, she said. [11 Odd Facts About Marijuana]

However, the study found a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship, between dispensaries and hospitalizations. It's possible that other factors played a role in the uptick in hospitalizations, Mair and other experts said.

"What we really can't know from the study is whether or not [the increase in hospitalizations] is because of dispensaries," said Sam Harper, an associate professor of epidemiology at McGill University in Quebec, who was not involved in the study.

Previous research has shown that, in areas where alcohol is readily available at liquor stores and bars, there are higher rates of local violence, arrests and alcohol-related hospitalizations, Mair said. She and her colleagues decided to put marijuana dispensaries to the same test, determining whether they were associated with more overnight hospital stays related to pot use.

Mair said she and her colleagues chose to study California because of its long history with medical marijuana — in 1996, the state became the first to legalize medical marijuana (although its recreational use has not been legalized). Since then, 22 states and the District of Columbia have passed similar laws, and four of those states have also legalized marijuana's recreational use.

The researchers collected data on discharges from California hospitals from 2001 to 2012 that had at least one overnight stay and involved either marijuana dependence or marijuana abuse.

Their analysis showed that:eek: marijuana-related hospitalizations:eek: nearly quadrupled during that time, increasing from about 17,500 in 2001 to about 68,500 in 2012. (Patient data is confidential, so it's possible that some people were hospitalized more than once, she noted.)

The rate of :eek:pot-related hospitalizations:eek: also increased, going from 1.3 per 1,000 people in 2011 to 3.1 per 1,000 people in 2012, Mair said.

In 85 percent of the cases, health care workers coded the patient's problem as "marijuana abuse," whereas the other 15 percent were coded as "marijuana dependence." And in 99 percent of cases, the marijuana problem was the patient's secondary code, meaning that the person went to the hospital for something else, Mair said.

This data "tells us that people aren't acutely :eek:overdosing on marijuana :eek:and getting sent to the hospital," she told Live Science. Rather, marijuana is a contributing factor to hospitalizations.

Next, the researchers looked up the addresses of the 1,650 medical marijuana dispensaries in California in 2012. They found that 27 percent of ZIP codes had at least one dispensary, with the number ranging from zero to 40. They compared the density of dispensaries in each ZIP code to the ZIP codes listed in the pot-related hospital discharges. [The Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents]

Aside from the 6.8 percent increase in hospitalizations for every dispensary, the team also found that a greater density of retail stores, lower household income, fewer people who completed college and lower population density were linked with more pot-related hospitalizations.

A 'first step'

The study is a good "first step" toward learning about the possible effect of medical marijuana dispensaries on pot-related hospitalizations, Harper said.

"It suggests a possible link between marijuana dispensaries and hospitalizations, but it's not definitive," he said.

The authors also acknowledged that more work is needed to study the relationship — preferably, research that looks at a change in neighborhood dispensaries over time, instead of just at one point in time.

“It's unclear if the marijuana dispensaries are simply locating in neighborhoods that tend to be more disadvantaged and already have underlying problems with marijuana abuse, or if the presence of the dispensaries is causing an increase in abuse and hospitalizations,” Mair said in the statement. "It could be a combination of both factors."

[GunnyFreedom]

:eek:

Neighborhood marijuana shops linked to pot-related hospital stays

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/08/14/neighborhood-marijuana-shops-linked-to-pot-related-hospital-stays/?intcmp=hphz02

This data "tells us that people aren't acutely :eek:overdosing on marijuana :eek:and getting sent to the hospital," she told Live Science. Rather, marijuana is a contributing factor to hospitalizations.

Yeah man, like, you know I was walking around for months and like, my leg was broken but I was too angry and stuff to go to the hospital, and that's when my buddy came up to me and hands me a joint and says "smoke this." So I did, and then I realized "holy shit, my leg is broken!!" And then I went to the hospital. This crazy nurse who name was 'Wretched' or 'Ratchet' or 'Ratched' or something wrote down that I only came to the hospital because I was stoned, but I got a cast now and they say I'll be just fine!

[tod evans]

You're not paranoid there really are kops hiding in the bushes!

We're paying for this shit! :mad:


Lutie School official charged with marijuana possession during North Fork float trip

http://www.ozarkcountytimes.com/news/article_9f0aefac-412d-11e5-8713-6bee87f5225e.html

Lutie school principal Stephen E. Fox “is no longer employed by Lutie R-VI,” superintendent Scot Young told the Times Tuesday afternoon. The announcement came after Fox, 56, was charged Monday with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia during a float trip earlier this month, according to court documents filed by Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Cline.
The charges are in connection with an Aug. 1 incident in which Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Jonathan Roberts reportedly spotted Fox and 45-year-old Robin Denise Quinn, of Branson, on a gravel bar on the North Fork of the White River near Rainbow Springs around 1:25 p.m.
While hiding in the brush and peering through binoculars, Roberts witnessed Quinn pull a white metal pipe from a white container inside a grocery sack in the canoe, the statement says. Quinn reportedly handed the pipe to Fox, who put it to his lips, lit the contents with a commercial lighter, inhaled deeply and within a few seconds exhaled smoke, coughing afterward. Fox then handed the pipe to Quinn, who smoked from it in the same manner Fox did. Roberts wrote in his report that Fox and Quinn smoked from the pipe an additional six times while the officer was watching them. Afterward, Fox reportedly tapped the pipe on the side of the canoe, making a metal-on-metal sound. Then Quinn placed the pipe back into the white container at the bottom of the canoe.
As the pair floated downstream, Roberts was joined by MSHP Trooper Cole Chatman; the officers set up another observation point about 100 yards below Fox and Quinn’s floating canoe. The statement says the officers witnessed Quinn and Fox smoking from the pipe several more times before approaching the pair and pulling them to a gravel bar in the middle of a river. The statement says Chatman confiscated the white container, which contained loose marijuana, and the pipe, which contained a burned substance and a leftover residue.
After reading the pair their Miranda rights, Roberts reportedly asked Fox and Quinn if they had been smoking marijuana upstream, and they told the officer they had been, the statement says. After Roberts asked Fox to be seated in his patrol car, Fox told the officer he was a “public servant, a principal with the school at Theodosia.” Fox also told the officer he knew Prosecuting Attorney Tom Cline “well,” and he “would talk to him.”
When contacted by the Times, Cline declined to comment on the case, as he does all open cases. However, the documents in the case indicate that Cline filed the charges.
Fox and Quinn were fingerprinted and photographed by the troopers. During the fingerprinting process, Fox told the officer that the pipe and marijuana belonged to Quinn.
Quinn is also charged with possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana and unlawful use of marijuana. The pipe and other items involved in the arrest were seized and turned over to the Troop G evidence officer to undergo lab analysis.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website indicates Fox had been employed by the Lutie School District for the last three years.
Fox and Quinn are scheduled to be arraigned before Ozark County Associate Circuit Judge Cynthia MacPherson at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.

[Mach]

You're not paranoid there really are kops hiding in the bushes!

We're paying for this shit! :mad:


Lutie School official charged with marijuana possession during North Fork float trip

http://www.ozarkcountytimes.com/news/article_9f0aefac-412d-11e5-8713-6bee87f5225e.html

Lutie school principal Stephen E. Fox “is no longer employed by Lutie R-VI,” superintendent Scot Young told the Times Tuesday afternoon. The announcement came after Fox, 56, was charged Monday with possession of marijuana and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia during a float trip earlier this month, according to court documents filed by Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Cline.
The charges are in connection with an Aug. 1 incident in which Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Jonathan Roberts reportedly spotted Fox and 45-year-old Robin Denise Quinn, of Branson, on a gravel bar on the North Fork of the White River near Rainbow Springs around 1:25 p.m.
While hiding in the brush and peering through binoculars, Roberts witnessed Quinn pull a white metal pipe from a white container inside a grocery sack in the canoe, the statement says. Quinn reportedly handed the pipe to Fox, who put it to his lips, lit the contents with a commercial lighter, inhaled deeply and within a few seconds exhaled smoke, coughing afterward. Fox then handed the pipe to Quinn, who smoked from it in the same manner Fox did. Roberts wrote in his report that Fox and Quinn smoked from the pipe an additional six times while the officer was watching them. Afterward, Fox reportedly tapped the pipe on the side of the canoe, making a metal-on-metal sound. Then Quinn placed the pipe back into the white container at the bottom of the canoe.
As the pair floated downstream, Roberts was joined by MSHP Trooper Cole Chatman; the officers set up another observation point about 100 yards below Fox and Quinn’s floating canoe. The statement says the officers witnessed Quinn and Fox smoking from the pipe several more times before approaching the pair and pulling them to a gravel bar in the middle of a river. The statement says Chatman confiscated the white container, which contained loose marijuana, and the pipe, which contained a burned substance and a leftover residue.
After reading the pair their Miranda rights, Roberts reportedly asked Fox and Quinn if they had been smoking marijuana upstream, and they told the officer they had been, the statement says. After Roberts asked Fox to be seated in his patrol car, Fox told the officer he was a “public servant, a principal with the school at Theodosia.” Fox also told the officer he knew Prosecuting Attorney Tom Cline “well,” and he “would talk to him.”
When contacted by the Times, Cline declined to comment on the case, as he does all open cases. However, the documents in the case indicate that Cline filed the charges.
Fox and Quinn were fingerprinted and photographed by the troopers. During the fingerprinting process, Fox told the officer that the pipe and marijuana belonged to Quinn.
Quinn is also charged with possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana and unlawful use of marijuana. The pipe and other items involved in the arrest were seized and turned over to the Troop G evidence officer to undergo lab analysis.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website indicates Fox had been employed by the Lutie School District for the last three years.
Fox and Quinn are scheduled to be arraigned before Ozark County Associate Circuit Judge Cynthia MacPherson at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Canoe jacked.... ;)

Grown men hanging out with binoculars, radios and guns, hiding and performing surveillance randomly on innocent people.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwYRwLckpew


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0BtwHSjKrs

[Occam's Banana]

You're not paranoid there really are kops hiding in the bushes!

http://i.imgur.com/a7SCAUh.png

[LibForestPaul]

It's only logical that, as the percentage of people exposed to marijuana increase, the percentage of people in any endeavor exposed to marijuana will also increase. The statement "it's looking like dope is playing a larger role as a cause of fatal traffic accidents" assumes causality from correlation though. The article mentions the NHTSA/NIoDA study, but offers no insight on what results they have found so far.

As planned. Now, shutup and allow for random blood draws.

[Working Poor]

Previous research has shown that, in areas where alcohol is readily available at liquor stores and bars, there are higher rates of local violence, arrests and alcohol-related hospitalizations, Mair said. She and her colleagues decided to put marijuana dispensaries to the same test, determining whether they were associated with more overnight hospital stays related to pot use.

Why don't they compare the crime rate rather than the hospitalization rates?

[Origanalist]

This shit is like a bad 50's science fiction movie...;

Rise of the bizarre 'cannabis vomiting syndrome': Heavy users suffer from severe nausea and pain that can only be relieved by bathing in hot water several times a day

A bizarre syndrome that makes heavy cannabis users violently ill and leads them to take frequent hot baths to ease the pain has been reported by doctors.
Symptoms of the illness include severe stomach pain, nausea and vomiting – and bathing in very hot water up to five times a day for relief.
At least two cases of the syndrome which involve multiple visits to accident and emergency have been reported in the UK and worldwide the conditions is ‘increasing acutely’.
But doctors in the UK warn that the failure to recognise CHS is likely to be draining hospital resources as it is being wrongly diagnosed.
Cannabinoid hypermesis syndrome, which causes heavy users of the drug to suffer stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, has been recorded in the UK after first being reported in medical literature in Australia

Cannabinoid hypermesis syndrome, which causes heavy users of the drug to suffer stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, has been recorded in the UK after first being reported in medical literature in Australia

Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.

'There is an urgent need to highlight this.’
In the US, doctors in Colorado report an ‘acute’ rise in cases of the syndrome there since marijuana laws became relaxed.



CHS, which stands for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, was first reported in medical literature in 10 patients in Adelaide, Australia in 2004.
Recognition of the condition is increasing and doctors are now recognising the condition in patients regularly visiting hospital with severe nausea.

Dr Ishaq reported a 42-year-old man presented on eight occasions with vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and dehydration last year in the east Midlands.
Dr Ishaq of Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley and colleagues found the man had been a chronic cannabis smoker since the age of 14.

After a series of investigations, they found the symptoms ceased when the patient stopped smoking the drug.
Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.'

Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.'

In the medical journal GHFBB the authors write better awareness of the condition ‘would result in fewer hospital admissions and needless investigations, and may provide patients with real motivation to abstain from cannabis'.

At Macclesfield General Hospital, a 21-year-old chef had been admitted on seven occasions over a two year period with profuse vomiting – but his symptoms ended after he stopped smoking the drug.

Lead author Dr Enrico Roche wrote in the journal Gut: ‘The observation that the patient wanted to take regular baths because he had found that bathing eased the sickness was documented in the nursing notes but its significance was not appreciated.’

In one case reported in the Journal of American Family Medicine a man ‘spent three days in a hot shower while awake’ to alleviate his symptoms.
His case was not the most extreme however, as researchers reported that one sufferer reported spending ‘300 out of 365 days’ in the bath.

The findings that cannabis can cause severe nausea runs counter to a widespread view that the drug has a powerful anti-nausea effect.
Doctors in Colorado – where cannabis has been legalised – suspected that some of the cases of extreme nausea they had been seeing may have been caused by chronic cannabis use.
They reviewed admission data to hospitals and found an acute rise in the condition since marijuana became legalised and widely available for medical use.
The research, in Academic Emergency Medicine, compared the numbers of people suffering from the condition from November 1, 2008 to October 31, 2009, after which cannabis use became liberalised in the state and between June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3216967/Rise-bizarre-cannabis-vomiting-syndrome-Heavy-users-suffer-severe-nausea-pain-relieved-bathing-hot-water-times-day.html#ixzz3kOxG6vPG
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[kcchiefs6465]

This shit is like a bad 50's science fiction movie...;

Rise of the bizarre 'cannabis vomiting syndrome': Heavy users suffer from severe nausea and pain that can only be relieved by bathing in hot water several times a day

A bizarre syndrome that makes heavy cannabis users violently ill and leads them to take frequent hot baths to ease the pain has been reported by doctors.
Symptoms of the illness include severe stomach pain, nausea and vomiting – and bathing in very hot water up to five times a day for relief.
At least two cases of the syndrome which involve multiple visits to accident and emergency have been reported in the UK and worldwide the conditions is ‘increasing acutely’.
But doctors in the UK warn that the failure to recognise CHS is likely to be draining hospital resources as it is being wrongly diagnosed.
Cannabinoid hypermesis syndrome, which causes heavy users of the drug to suffer stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, has been recorded in the UK after first being reported in medical literature in Australia

Cannabinoid hypermesis syndrome, which causes heavy users of the drug to suffer stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, has been recorded in the UK after first being reported in medical literature in Australia

Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.

'There is an urgent need to highlight this.’
In the US, doctors in Colorado report an ‘acute’ rise in cases of the syndrome there since marijuana laws became relaxed.



CHS, which stands for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, was first reported in medical literature in 10 patients in Adelaide, Australia in 2004.
Recognition of the condition is increasing and doctors are now recognising the condition in patients regularly visiting hospital with severe nausea.

Dr Ishaq reported a 42-year-old man presented on eight occasions with vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and dehydration last year in the east Midlands.
Dr Ishaq of Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley and colleagues found the man had been a chronic cannabis smoker since the age of 14.

After a series of investigations, they found the symptoms ceased when the patient stopped smoking the drug.
Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.'

Dr Sauid Ishaq, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Birmingham, who was one of the first to observe the syndrome in the UK said: ‘This is a highly unrecognised condition, resulting in numerous unnecessary admission.'

In the medical journal GHFBB the authors write better awareness of the condition ‘would result in fewer hospital admissions and needless investigations, and may provide patients with real motivation to abstain from cannabis'.

At Macclesfield General Hospital, a 21-year-old chef had been admitted on seven occasions over a two year period with profuse vomiting – but his symptoms ended after he stopped smoking the drug.

Lead author Dr Enrico Roche wrote in the journal Gut: ‘The observation that the patient wanted to take regular baths because he had found that bathing eased the sickness was documented in the nursing notes but its significance was not appreciated.’

In one case reported in the Journal of American Family Medicine a man ‘spent three days in a hot shower while awake’ to alleviate his symptoms.
His case was not the most extreme however, as researchers reported that one sufferer reported spending ‘300 out of 365 days’ in the bath.

The findings that cannabis can cause severe nausea runs counter to a widespread view that the drug has a powerful anti-nausea effect.
Doctors in Colorado – where cannabis has been legalised – suspected that some of the cases of extreme nausea they had been seeing may have been caused by chronic cannabis use.
They reviewed admission data to hospitals and found an acute rise in the condition since marijuana became legalised and widely available for medical use.
The research, in Academic Emergency Medicine, compared the numbers of people suffering from the condition from November 1, 2008 to October 31, 2009, after which cannabis use became liberalised in the state and between June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3216967/Rise-bizarre-cannabis-vomiting-syndrome-Heavy-users-suffer-severe-nausea-pain-relieved-bathing-hot-water-times-day.html#ixzz3kOxG6vPG
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
I would imagine it is what the cannabis is being grown with rather than the cannabis itself.

My experiences with the plant run completely counter to the article. Not only have I never experienced that, and I was smoking like 20 grams a day for many years, many years ago, when I was legitimately sick/nauseous, cannabis alleviated the symptoms and gave me an appetite.

You have people smoking Miracle Grow or various pesticides and then doctors are baffled when one of them says they don't feel good. And besides, are they really going to hold up the few cases (of those who've become ill) within the millions of cannabis users? Don't they prescribe Tylenol? What are the side effects of that?


The statistics are sobering: During the last decade, more than 1,500 Americans died after accidentally overdosing on the pain reliever.

In addition, inadvertently taking too much acetaminophen sends as many as 78,000 Americans to the emergency room and results in 33,000 hospitalizations a year, federal data shows. It is also the nation’s leading cause of acute liver failure, according to data from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes for Health.


Read more: hxxp://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/acetaminophen-ingredient-in-tylenol-causes-more-than-1500#ixzz3kPrDq3Wf

[Origanalist]

I would imagine it is what the cannabis is being grown with rather than the cannabis itself.

My experiences with the plant run completely counter to the article. Not only have I never experienced that, and I was smoking like 20 grams a day for many years, many years ago, when I was legitimately sick/nauseous, cannabis alleviated the symptoms and gave me an appetite.

You have people smoking Miracle Grow or various pesticides and then doctors are baffled when one of them says they don't feel good. And besides, are they really going to hold up the few cases within the millions of cannabis users becoming ill? Don't they prescribe Tylenol? What are the side effects of that?

I have never even heard of it, and at least half the people I know partake and it's been that way most of my life.

[pcosmar]

I would imagine it is what the cannabis is being grown with rather than the cannabis itself.


https://www.leafly.com/
And you can research growers,,
http://theherberynw.com/cannabis-product/cedar-creek-cannabis/

and test labs,
https://www.google.com/webhp?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=cannabis+testing+washington

[tod evans]

Drudge;

Marijuana users may be more likely to develop diabetes, research finds

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/marijuana-users-may-be-more-likely-to-develop-diabetes-research-finds-10499173.html

People who use marijuana may be more likely to develop prediabetes than those who have never smoked it, according to new research.

A sample of more than 3,000 people in America found that adults who currently used marijuana were 65 per cent more likely to have poor sugar control which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Those who no longer smoked the drug but had used it 100 times or more in their lifetime had a 49 per cent greater chance of developing the condition.

The link was not affected by BMI and waist circumference, the paper published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) found.

The authors, led by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s Mike Bancks, said: “Marijuana use, by status or lifetime frequency, was not associated with incidence or presence of diabetes after adjustment for potential confounding factors.

“However, marijuana use was associated with the development and prevalence of prediabetes after adjustment. Specifically, occurrence of prediabetes in middle adulthood was significantly elevated for individuals who reported using marijuana in excess of 100 times by young adulthood.

“These results contrast with those previously reported on marijuana use and metabolic health. Future studies should look to objectively measure mode and quantity of marijuana use in relation to prospective metabolic health.”

Despite showing a heightened incidence of prediabetes, the study failed to establish a direct connection to type 2 diabetes itself.

The authors said: “It is unclear how marijuana use could place an individual at increased risk for prediabetes yet not diabetes.”

The data was taken from a group of more than 3,000 Americans now in their 30th year of a study called the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults. They were 18-30 when they were recruited in 1985 and 1986. The percentage who self-reported current use of marijuana declined over from 28 per cent in 1985-1986 to 12 per cent in 2010-2011.

The paper suggests the lack of a link to type 2 diabetes could be because individuals excluded from the study had higher levels of marijuana use and greater potential for development of diabetes – or that marijuana may have a greater effect on blood-sugar control in the prediabetic range than for full, type 2 diabetes

[tod evans]

More Drudge;

Drive-through pot shops in Detroit worry Duggan, others

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/09/11/drive-through-pot-shops-detroit-worry-duggan-others/72081226/

With some medical-marijuana stores in Detroit now offering drive-through purchasing, the city's marketplace for medical pot has spiraled out of control and needs to be regulated, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Dozens of dispensaries line 8 Mile and other major thoroughfares and a Free Press investigation found that at least three offer drive-through service.

With medical marijuana being dispensed in Detroit as casually as burgers and fries, the mayor senses urgency as the City Council prepares to debate next week how to regulate the proliferating industry. Duggan said he supports restrictive zoning that would govern where the dispensaries can be located in relation to schools, churches, adult entertainment establishments and neighborhoods.

Proponents of medical-pot sales said that regulations could bring tax revenue to the city and eliminate unscrupulous dispensaries that might sell to anyone who walks in. But they warned that wrong-headed regulations, including those that single out drive-through service as any different than drive-through lanes at ordinary drugstores, could chill a new industry that promises to bring jobs and tax dollars as part of Detroit's economic rebound.

"We need to get an ordinance passed, because right now we have no ability to enforce anything,":rolleyes: Duggan told reporters, after a memorial service commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "I think we need to eliminate the drive-through aspect, which has now been added to some of these facilities."

The Free Press found three drive-through dispensaries, each in a former restaurant or bank that had drive-through lanes. The managers or owners of two of the dispensaries defended their drive-through windows, saying they are useful for people with disabilities that affect their mobility or other medical conditions.

The owner of the recently opened 420 Dank, located in a former coney island restaurant on Gratiot near the Detroit Police Department's Eastern District Offices, said she understands concerns about the mushrooming number of dispensaries in Detroit, but she said it's unfair to single out those with drive-through windows.

"I know the mayor has concerns over drive-throughs, but there are patients who aren't mobile, who can't walk in and out of the store," said the owner of 420 Dank, Kim G., who asked that her last name not be used to protect her children's identity.

[bunklocoempire]

What's this!? A mutually beneficial transaction performed in an efficient manner without our gun!? How dare you!

[Root]

First wake-n-bake in my new home! I just love cannabis and coffee first thing in the morning. It's almost as good as tobacco and coffee.

[tod evans]

Drudge again;

Increased marijuana, heroin use contribute to highest reported illicit drug use in more than a decade

http://www.asam.org/magazine/read/article/2015/09/10/increased-marijuana-heroin-use-contribute-to-highest-reported-illicit-drug-use-in-more-than-a-decade

CHEVY CHASE, MD, September 10, 2015 – Findings from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), released today, reveal the percentage of Americans aged 12 or older who used an illicit drug in 2014 was higher than in every year between 2002 and 2013, driven primarily by increases in marijuana use, sustained rates of nonmedical pain reliever use, and increases in heroin use.

“With now one in ten Americans reporting illicit drug use, it’s clear that we have much more to do to prevent drug use and treat the disease of addiction,” said Jeffrey Goldsmith, MD, President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). “As more and more states legalize marijuana and the opioid epidemic rages on, we must prioritize evidence-based prevention for our youth and access to high-quality treatment for all who struggle with a substance use disorder.”

Despite the overall increase in illicit drug use, illicit use among adolescents aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25 appeared to stabilize, with increases mainly seen among adults older than 25. The rise in overall marijuana use may reflect the increase in use by adults aged 26 and older and, to a lesser extent, increases in use among young adults aged 18 to 25; the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 who were current marijuana users was similar to the percentages in most years between 2003 and 2013. Similarly, the rise in heroin use may reflect increases in use primarily among adults older than 25.

Alternatively, the data revealed declines in adolescent alcohol, tobacco and nonmedical prescription drug use. The percent of adolescents aged 12 to 20 who were current alcohol users and the percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 who were binge or heavy alcohol users were lower in 2014 than in any year between 2002 and 2012. From 2002 to 2014, the percentage of adolescents who were past month tobacco users declined roughly by half, and percentage of young adults who were current users of a tobacco product in 2014 was lower than the percentages in 2002 to 2013.

“While it’s encouraging to see progress being made in terms of lower alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents, the overall picture of drug use in the United States remains troubling,” said Dr. Goldsmith. “ASAM will continue to advocate for increased access to strategies that promote public health and evidence-based addiction treatment, and encourages our federal and state policymakers to take urgent action to increase prevention efforts, treatment access and recovery support services for all who need them.”

[Isaac Bickerstaff]

Couple finds 500 marijuana plants growing alongside trail at Frontenac State Park

http://www.kttc.com/story/29855412/2015/08/21/couple-finds-500-marijuana-plants-growing-alongside-trail-at-frontenac-state-park




The plants were determined to be naturally growing there, but investigators could tell passerby had picked some buds off the plants, most likely out of curiosity--as not enough was taken from the plants to be considered suspicious or linked to illegal activity.

So law enforcement thinks they need to protect stupid kids from a headache?

[Suzanimal]

Police warn if you get these in your trick-or-treat bag, they're not candy

JACKSON, Miss. — Police are posting warnings for this Halloween, telling parents to look closely at what children bring home after trick-or-treating.
The Jackson Police Department posted a photo of what appears to look like candy with images of dice, superheroes and movie companies, but that is in reality pills that could be dangerous if a child ingests them, WLBT reported.

The items are actually shaped Ecstasy, WLBT reported.

The fear of children getting the pills, the idea of putting a cartoon character, or kid-friendly image on the drugs is not anything new, snopes.com reported.
Snopes also found there has been no reports of a child actually receiving the drugs in their trick-or-treat candy.
Police suggest "When in doubt, throw it out" when it comes to kids' Halloween candy.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/lifestyles/holiday/police-warn-if-you-get-these-your-trick-or-treat-b/nn62n/

[tod evans]

Drudge;

MARIJUANA USE IN US ADULTS DOUBLES IN DECADE, SURVEYS SHOW

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_MARIJUANA_ADULTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-10-21-11-41-58

Marijuana use among U.S. adults doubled over a decade, rising to almost 10 percent or more than 22 million mostly recreational users, government surveys show.

The trend reflects a cultural shift and increasingly permissive views about the drug, the researchers say, noting that other studies have shown increasing numbers of adults think marijuana should be legalized. Recreational use is now permitted in four states.

Almost 1 in 3 users had signs of marijuana dependence or abuse, a slight decline from a decade ago.

The results come from a comparison of health surveys from 2001-02 and 2012-13 sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Almost 80,000 adults aged 18 and older participated in face-to-face interviews about various health-related behaviors. Results were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Participants were asked if they had used marijuana in the past year, and about signs of problematic use. Those include trying but unable to reduce heavy use, and continued use despite knowing it may be damaging health or causing depression or anxiety - problems affecting about 6.8 million adults, the latest survey suggests.

Use increased among all ages but was most common in adults aged 18-29.

Teen marijuana use is higher. About 23 percent of high school students had used the drug in the past month in 2013 - but it has been somewhat stable during the past decade, other research shows.

Because most states didn't have medical marijuana laws during the survey years, the results likely reflect mostly recreational use, said Deborah Hasin, a Columbia University professor, substance abuse researcher and the study's lead author.

The results "show people can use marijuana without harms, but there are risks," she said, adding that more research on causes of problematic use is needed.

Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said other research has shown similar trends but that the sharp increase found in the surveys is striking. Prevalence of dependence "is of great concern" to public health officials, he said.

Recreational use is legal in four states - Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington - and many more have moved to reduce penalties for marijuana possession. Proposed laws supporting recreational use have been introduced in at least 21 states this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Medical marijuana programs have been approved in 23 states.

[bunklocoempire]

Prevalence of dependence "is of great concern" to public health officials, he said.

Yeah, like depending on force to pay your salary.:rolleyes:

[Suzanimal]

Not weed but still...

Teens can buy, and get drunk on, homeopathic product sold at CVS


Although CVS stopped selling cigarettes, there's another product that's causing some concerns -- a type of laxative that's pretty much just booze.

Shoppers of any age can walk into the homeopathic medicine section of a CVS and pick up a store-brand bottle of "constipation relief." It may not seem like a big deal, until you find out what's in it.

The ingredients

The product is 20% ethanol -- 40-proof hard liquor -- more alcohol by volume than beer or wine, chemist and blogger Yvette “Sci Babe” d’Entremont told Slate.

The product is sold in 1 oz. containers, but with no age requirement, there's nothing stopping teens from getting their hands on it.

And what about the "constipation relief" part? To show how effective the product is, d’Entremont tested it out. After taking six ounces, she said all it did was get her drunk.

“It doesn’t do what it claims to do and it got me drunk,” said d’Entremont. “I want people to be a little more discerning when they go to pick up a medication because you might end up with something with no medicine and a lot of alcohol in it.”

NBC Los Angeles did its own experiment and confirmed the no age requirement by sending a teen in to a CVS to buy the product -- and she had no issues. In response, CVS said, "Homeopathic products are regulated by the FDA. The alcohol content in this type of product is not unusual and our products should only be used as directed."

Homeopathic medicine

According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, homeopathic products are "derived from botanical, mineral or biological substances and are classified as either over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medicines. In contrast to conventional (allopathic) medicines, homeopathic products are believed to be more clinically useful (i.e., effective) when they are diluted, typically with purified water or an alcohol solution."

Based on the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 3.3 million Americans spent $2.9 billion on homeopathic treatments in 2007.

Homeopathic remedies are required to meet certain FDA manufacturing guidelines and they can be sold over the counter only for “self-limiting” conditions, things like colds that go away on their own. But even the FDA has acknowledged that policies related to homeopathic products need to be revisited.

“We’ve seen a huge expansion of the market and we’ve also seen some emerging safety and quality issues,” Cynthia Schnedar, director of compliance for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told Bloomberg.


And when it comes to the quality of these products, one Australian study concluded, "there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective."

http://www.clarkhoward.com/teens-can-get-drunk-on-cvs-homeopathic-laxative

[ghengis86]

Not weed but still...

Teens can buy, and get drunk on, homeopathic product sold at CVS

http://www.clarkhoward.com/teens-can-get-drunk-on-cvs-homeopathic-laxative

To be fair, after a hard night of drinking, I usually have a pretty good shit in the morning. But that I guess that's like every other morning, save for consistency.

[Suzanimal]

To be fair, after a hard night of drinking, I usually have a pretty good shit in the morning. But that I guess that's like every other morning, save for consistency.

Doesn't sound like you need a laxative.

[ghengis86]

Doesn't sound like you need a laxative.

Nope, never. My wife hates it; I don't even know what it feels like to be constipated. Hell, even before ice had my coffee, if it's 5am, me and the dogs need to be let out.

I do wonder what that stuff tastes like after re-reading. I saw an episode of intervention where the guy was admitted to the hospital and processed to pour alcohol-based hand sanitizer into his cup to get drunk. Must not matter at some point. I did drink MD, Boones Farm, Steele Reserve and numerous other questionable tonics, but at least they were intended for poor kids to get drunk.

[phill4paul]

http://images1.westword.com/imager/u/745xauto/7307158/smart-colorado-billboard-marijuana-candy.jpg

NUMBER OF DENVER TRICK-OR-TREATERS DOSED WITH POT EDIBLES: ZERO — AGAIN


Last year, the Denver Police Department and Smart Colorado, an organization concerned about youth access to marijuana, hyped up the possibility of pot edibles being handed out to Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Afterward, as we pointed out, the number of reports about such issues topped out at zero — meaning that there were no incidents of individuals passing out THC-enfused sweets to random kids.


Meanwhile, Smart Colorado is now concentrated on raising the alarm about marijuana potency by asking if pot should now be classified as a hard drug on new billboards in Denver and Boulder.

Did the change in tactics result in a sudden upsurge of pranksters slipping unsuspecting tots pot edibles?

In a word: no.

A DPD spokesperson tells us the department hasn't received any word of any "marijuana edibles ending up in the wrong hands."

As a result, next Halloween could come and go without any warnings about such dangers whatsoever — but probably not.

http://www.westword.com/news/number-of-denver-trick-or-treaters-dosed-with-pot-edibles-zero-again-7307151

[Occam's Banana]

Afterward, as we pointed out, the number of reports about such issues topped out at zero — meaning that there were no REPORTED incidents of individuals passing out THC-enfused sweets to random kids.

Fixed :eek:;):D

[phill4paul]

Fixed :eek:;):D

Kid's go out trick or treating. Eat the hell out of their candy. Fall back watching T.V. eventually fall to sleep.

I could see how normal behavior could mask marijuana ingestion. The only way to be sure is a forcible blood draw from each child. :p

[Suzanimal]

Paris Attackers May Have Been Fueled by This Drug


How does one massacre scores of people? Drugs may help. French media are reporting that the Paris attackers may have taken Captagon, a synthetic drug that suppresses hunger and reduces the need for sleep. Also known as the "jihadist's drug," it's a favorite of ISIS fighters, reports ABC Australia. Police say syringes, needles, and plastic tubing were found in a hotel room rented by Salah Abdeslam, while survivors describe the terrorists as serene and composed. "They were like zombies," says one. "It's as if they were drugged." Captagon's active ingredient, fenethylline, breaks down into theophylline—similar to caffeine—and amphetamine, which boosts pleasure and alertness and reduces a person's need for sleep and food. But experts tell Live Science the drug isn't as potent as Adderall.

Captagon was originally developed in the 1960s to treat hyperactivity and depression, but it was found to be addictive and later banned in many countries. It's now almost exclusive to the Middle East. Since the start of the civil war in Syria, where a pill sells for $5 to $20, production has been on the rise, with both sides accusing their enemies of taking Captagon. A drug control officer told Reuters last year that fighters appeared to be using the drug. "We would beat them, and they wouldn't feel the pain. Many of them would laugh," he says. An expert tells Live Science that Captagon is "not a magical painkiller," though. Rather, "when you're hyperstimulated and very focused, you tend not to react to pain as much." The Tunisian attacker who killed 38 people in June is suspected of taking Captagon, reports ABC. (A Saudi prince was arrested with 40 pills last month.)

http://www.newser.com/story/216608/paris-attackers-may-have-been-fueled-by-this-drug.html

[tod evans]

Here's another fine one from Drudge;


Just HALF a joint of cannabis 'causes psychosis-like effects in healthy people that's similar to schizophrenia', say experts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3345090/Just-HALF-joint-cannabis-causes-psychosis-like-effects-healthy-people-s-similar-schizophrenia-say-experts.html

Smoking cannabis can induce psychosis-like effects, similar to the symptoms people diagnosed with schizophrenia endure, scientists have said.
While past research as come this this conclusion in the past, the mechanisms underlying these effects are less clear.
Now, a team of scientists at Yale School of Medicine have found the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) increases random neural activity, known as neural noise, in the brains of healthy drug-users.

Their findings suggest increased neural noise may play a role in the psychosis-like effects of cannabis.
Dr Deepak D'Souza, a professor of psychiatry at Yale, said: 'At doses roughly equivalent to half or a single joint, delta-9-THC produced psychosis-like effects and increased neural noise in humans.'
First author of the study, Dr Jose Cortes-Briones, a postdoctoral associate in psychiatry at Yale, added: 'The dose-dependent and strong positive relationship between these two findings suggest that the psychosis-like effects of cannabis may be related to neural noise which disrupts the brain's normal information processing.'

Researchers studied the effects of delta-9-THC on electrical brain activity in 24 human subjects, who took part in a three-day study.
During the experiments, they received two doses of intravenous delta-9-THC or a placebo in a double-blind, randomised, cross-over and counterbalanced design.
If confirmed, the link between neural noise and psychosis could shed light on the biology of some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
Dr John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry, the journal in which the study is published, said the research marks an important part of the debate over whether cannabis should be legalised.
He said: 'This interesting study suggests a commonality between the effects on the brain of the major active ingredient in marijuana and symptoms of schizophrenia.
'The impairment of cortical function by delta-9-THC could underlie some of the cognitive effects of marijuana.
'Not only does this finding aid our understanding of the processes underlying psychosis, it underscores an important concern in the debate surrounding medical and legalised access to marijuana.'

[Thor]

Here's another fine one from Drudge;


Just HALF a joint of cannabis 'causes psychosis-like effects in healthy people that's similar to schizophrenia', say experts


AKA: Laughing hysterically.

[Suzanimal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZL_VH49T0U

[tod evans]

Drudge is at it again;

Suspect in Strip crash that killed 1, injured dozens tests positive for marijuana

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/suspect-strip-crash-killed-1-injured-dozens-tests-positive-marijuana

The woman police said intentionally drove onto a crowded Strip sidewalk, killing a woman and injuring dozens of people, tested positive for marijuana, the Clark County district attorney's office said Wednesday.

A toxicology examination of Lakeisha Holloway, 24, earlier this month shows she was above the legal limit for marijuana.

Holloway told Las Vegas police that she remembered a body bouncing off her windshield, breaking it. She told police she was not on drugs or alcohol, according to an arrest report. Blood samples were taken from Holloway, and police initially said that though she did not demonstrate signs of being under the influence of alcohol when she was arrested, she may have been on stimulants. The district attorney's office did not mention indications of any other drugs in her system.

It is against the law to drive while high on marijuana, even for people authorized to use the drug medicinally.

The "active marijuana" in her blood was 3.5 nanograms per milliliter; the metabolite level was 23.6 ng/mL, the district attorney's office said.

Nevada Revised Statutes state that it is illegal for anyone to drive or control a vehicle on a highway or public premises with marijuana levels of 2 ng/mL or greater of blood or 10 ng/mL or greater of urine.

For marijuana metabolites, meaning byproducts of the drug after the body has begun to break it down, the prohibited levels are 5 ng/mL of blood and 15 ng/mL of urine.

Holloway's defense lawyers, Joseph Abood and Scott Coffee, said they would need to consult with toxicologists to determine whether the level of marijuana found in her system, which they called "very low," would have impaired her driving.

"What the toxicology tells us is there's no easy answer to this," Coffee said. "In all likelihood, we don't believe she was impaired, at least not by some type of intoxicant."

The attorneys also pointed out that the report showed no evidence of stimulant drugs in Holloway's system.

"The fact that there's only marijuana in the system leaves open the question of what other impairment there might be," Coffee said. "With that in mind, there's some concerns over her mental stability and her mental health."

Holloway remains in a medically restricted unit at the Clark County Detention Center, and her lawyers said they have had "continuous contact" with her.

Dr. Cindy Orser, chief scientific officer at Digipath Labs, said the issue of what level of marijuana in a person's blood connotes impairment is a continuing debate. Digipath Labs is a Las Vegas-based cannabis testing service offering medicinal marijuana safety and potency screenings.

Orser said a similar legal limit for impairment by marijuana has been successfully challenged in Colorado courts, and the presence of marijuana in her body may not mean the drug was a factor in the crash.

It's important to consider whether a roadside sobriety test was conducted, whether Holloway was a medical marijuana patient and whether impairment could have resulted from mental illness, Orser said.

It is unclear whether Holloway will face an additional charge of driving under the influence. The district attorney's office said Wednesday it was not doing interviews or releasing further information about the drug test results.

"There is no reasonable explanation or excuse for the actions of this defendant," Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement. "The results of the toxicology test do not change the initial charges filed against Ms. Holloway."

Holloway made her first court appearance Dec. 23. A day earlier, the district attorney's office charged her with one count each of murder with a deadly weapon; child abuse, neglect, or endangerment; and leaving the scene of an accident.

A source close to the investigation said Holloway is seen on surveillance video driving her Oldsmobile along the Strip, creeping along with the flow of traffic, before suddenly accelerating and turning right onto the sidewalk in front of Planet Hollywood Resort. The car was driven through the crosswalk in front of Paris Las Vegas and careened into a light pole. The woman veered off the sidewalk near Bally's and drove about a mile on a flat tire to Tuscany on the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.

Witness reports said that Holloway's vehicle, which is registered to another person in Portland, Ore., drove onto the sidewalk multiple times and had all four wheels on the sidewalk.

Jessica Valenzuela was trapped under the sedan for at least 200 yards as pedestrians ran alongside, banging on the car and trying to get Holloway to stop, the source said.

Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Ariz., died at University Medical Center from multiple blunt-force injuries as a result of the crash. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Thirty-five other people were injured in the crash, three of whom had critical head injuries.

Holloway's next court appearance is set for 8 a.m. Jan. 20.

[Mach]

Drudge is at it again;

Suspect in Strip crash that killed 1, injured dozens tests positive for marijuana

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/suspect-strip-crash-killed-1-injured-dozens-tests-positive-marijuana

The woman police said intentionally drove onto a crowded Strip sidewalk, killing a woman and injuring dozens of people, tested positive for marijuana, the Clark County district attorney's office said Wednesday.

A toxicology examination of Lakeisha Holloway, 24, earlier this month shows she was above the legal limit for marijuana.

Holloway told Las Vegas police that she remembered a body bouncing off her windshield, breaking it. She told police she was not on drugs or alcohol, according to an arrest report. Blood samples were taken from Holloway, and police initially said that though she did not demonstrate signs of being under the influence of alcohol when she was arrested, she may have been on stimulants. The district attorney's office did not mention indications of any other drugs in her system.

It is against the law to drive while high on marijuana, even for people authorized to use the drug medicinally.

The "active marijuana" in her blood was 3.5 nanograms per milliliter; the metabolite level was 23.6 ng/mL, the district attorney's office said.

Nevada Revised Statutes state that it is illegal for anyone to drive or control a vehicle on a highway or public premises with marijuana levels of 2 ng/mL or greater of blood or 10 ng/mL or greater of urine.

For marijuana metabolites, meaning byproducts of the drug after the body has begun to break it down, the prohibited levels are 5 ng/mL of blood and 15 ng/mL of urine.

Holloway's defense lawyers, Joseph Abood and Scott Coffee, said they would need to consult with toxicologists to determine whether the level of marijuana found in her system, which they called "very low," would have impaired her driving.

"What the toxicology tells us is there's no easy answer to this," Coffee said. "In all likelihood, we don't believe she was impaired, at least not by some type of intoxicant."

The attorneys also pointed out that the report showed no evidence of stimulant drugs in Holloway's system.

"The fact that there's only marijuana in the system leaves open the question of what other impairment there might be," Coffee said. "With that in mind, there's some concerns over her mental stability and her mental health."

Holloway remains in a medically restricted unit at the Clark County Detention Center, and her lawyers said they have had "continuous contact" with her.

Dr. Cindy Orser, chief scientific officer at Digipath Labs, said the issue of what level of marijuana in a person's blood connotes impairment is a continuing debate. Digipath Labs is a Las Vegas-based cannabis testing service offering medicinal marijuana safety and potency screenings.

Orser said a similar legal limit for impairment by marijuana has been successfully challenged in Colorado courts, and the presence of marijuana in her body may not mean the drug was a factor in the crash.

It's important to consider whether a roadside sobriety test was conducted, whether Holloway was a medical marijuana patient and whether impairment could have resulted from mental illness, Orser said.

It is unclear whether Holloway will face an additional charge of driving under the influence. The district attorney's office said Wednesday it was not doing interviews or releasing further information about the drug test results.

"There is no reasonable explanation or excuse for the actions of this defendant," Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement. "The results of the toxicology test do not change the initial charges filed against Ms. Holloway."

Holloway made her first court appearance Dec. 23. A day earlier, the district attorney's office charged her with one count each of murder with a deadly weapon; child abuse, neglect, or endangerment; and leaving the scene of an accident.

A source close to the investigation said Holloway is seen on surveillance video driving her Oldsmobile along the Strip, creeping along with the flow of traffic, before suddenly accelerating and turning right onto the sidewalk in front of Planet Hollywood Resort. The car was driven through the crosswalk in front of Paris Las Vegas and careened into a light pole. The woman veered off the sidewalk near Bally's and drove about a mile on a flat tire to Tuscany on the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.

Witness reports said that Holloway's vehicle, which is registered to another person in Portland, Ore., drove onto the sidewalk multiple times and had all four wheels on the sidewalk.

Jessica Valenzuela was trapped under the sedan for at least 200 yards as pedestrians ran alongside, banging on the car and trying to get Holloway to stop, the source said.

Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Ariz., died at University Medical Center from multiple blunt-force injuries as a result of the crash. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Thirty-five other people were injured in the crash, three of whom had critical head injuries.

Holloway's next court appearance is set for 8 a.m. Jan. 20.



They will do anything to keep their gang financed.

They need to start testing the ones that rescue people from dangerous situations and other good deeds, too.

https://45.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li7rt7MhQ11qbcb48o1_500.gif

[kcchiefs6465]

Five nanograms per milliliter of blood is incredibly low. As is 15 nanograms per milliliter of urine.

Parolees used to get 35 nanograms of THC per milliliter of urine before failing a piss test.

One could smoke and a week later fail their tests.

[Mach]

Not breaking news or nothing, but.......


Marijuana derivative reduces seizures in people with treatment-resistant epilepsy

New open-label trial of prescription cannabidiol shows overall safety, efficacy


Cannabidiol (CBD), a medical marijuana derivative, was effective in reducing seizure frequency and well-tolerated and safe for most children and young adults enrolled in a year-long study led by epilepsy specialists at NYU Langone Medical Center.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151223221532.htm

.
.
.

[Occam's Banana]

Not breaking news or nothing, but.......

Marijuana derivative reduces seizures in people with treatment-resistant epilepsy

New open-label trial of prescription cannabidiol shows overall safety, efficacy

Cannabidiol (CBD), a medical marijuana derivative, was effective in reducing seizure frequency and well-tolerated and safe for most children and young adults enrolled in a year-long study led by epilepsy specialists at NYU Langone Medical Center.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151223221532.htm

But ... but ... muh propuhganduh! Muh boogity-boogity!

[GunnyFreedom]

I am pretty sure that Matt Drudge's wife cheated on him with the same marijuana joint that shot his dog.

[Occam's Banana]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?487857-DNC-Chair-Wasserman-Schultz-Opposes-Legal-Cannabis-Cites-Heroin-Epidemic


DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz Opposes Legal Cannabis, Cites Heroin Epidemic

http://truthinmedia.com/dnc-chair-wasserman-schultz-opposes-legal-pot/


Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, for whom alcohol companies are a top-five political donor, said that she opposes marijuana legalization because she feels it might lead more people down the road to heroin abuse.

#FeelTheFeelz #BanTheWeedz

[GunnyFreedom]

http://reho.st/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYzD29DIMAEupIA.jpg

[Slave Mentality]

http://reho.st/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYzD29DIMAEupIA.jpg


Seems weird I know, but that's an improvement. Dat mouth!

[surf]

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/some-pot-labs-in-state-failed-no-pot-at-all-says-scientist/

Some pot labs in state failed no pot at all, says scientist
Some state-certified marijuana labs testing for microbes such as E.coli and mold appear more friendly to pot merchants than others, according to an analysis by a Woodinville data scientist...

MacRae’s findings are being applauded by some lab officials and others who believe stricter state oversight is overdue. “That was a great tool he put out,” said Dani Luce, CEO of GOAT Labs in Vancouver. “But it should have gone to the Liquor and Cannabis Board, not the public.”
there is a huge mold and ecoli problem in weed markets (oh, and did I mention fertilizer that could potentially be inorganic?).... yeah.

it's for the medical users... they undoubtedly must have had these problems previously.

[tod evans]

Drug traffickers secretly shipping mass quantities of weed out of Colorado

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/28/drug-traffickers-seek-safe-haven-amid-legal-marijuana.html?intcmp=hplnws

Seeking a safe haven in Colorado's legal marijuana marketplace, illegal drug traffickers are growing weed among the state's sanctioned pot warehouses and farms, then covertly shipping it elsewhere and pocketing millions of dollars from the sale, according to law enforcement officials and court records consulted by The Associated Press.

In one case, the owner of a skydiving business crammed hundreds of pounds of Colorado pot into his planes and flew the weed to Minnesota, where associates allegedly sold it for millions of dollars in cash. In another, a Denver man was charged with sending more than 100 pot-filled FedEx packages to Buffalo, New York, where drug dealers divvied up the shipment. Twenty other drug traffickers, many from Cuba, were accused of relocating to Colorado to grow marijuana that they sent to Florida, where it can fetch more than double the price in a legal Colorado shop.

These cases and others confirm a longstanding fear of marijuana opponents that the state's much-watched experiment in legal pot would invite more illegal trafficking to other states where the drug is still strictly forbidden.

One source is Colorado residents or tourists who buy retail pot and take it out of state. But more concerning to authorities are larger-scale traffickers who move here specifically to grow the drug and ship to more lucrative markets.

The trend also bolsters the argument of neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma, which filed a lawsuit in late 2014 seeking to declare Colorado's pot legalization unconstitutional, arguing that the move sent a tide of illicit weed across their borders. The Obama administration last month urged the Supreme Court to reject the suit, saying that the leakage was not Colorado's fault.

No one knows exactly how much pot leaves Colorado. When illegal shipments are seized, it's often impossible to prove where the marijuana was grown. But court documents and interviews with law enforcement officials indicate well-organized traffickers are seeking refuge in Colorado's flourishing pot industry.

"There's no question there's a lot more of this activity than there was two years ago," said Colorado's U.S. attorney, John Walsh.

Some in the legal industry say police have exaggerated the problem and put unfair scrutiny on people who legally grow pot on behalf of patients. Lawmakers last year limited unregulated pot growers to no more than 99 plants in an effort to crack down on those selling untaxed pot.

The federal government allowed Colorado's experiment on the condition that state officials act to keep marijuana from migrating to places where it is still outlawed and out of the hands of criminal cartels. Federal authorities acknowledge that both things are happening but say that, because the state is trying to keep its industry tightly regulated, there's no reason to end the legal pot trade.

The pot industry also acknowledges the criminal activity and insists it is doing all it can to keep legally grown weed from crossing state lines. Among other safeguards, Colorado law requires growers to get a license and use a "seed-to-sale" tracking system that monitors marijuana plants at every stage.

Many of the illicit growers come from elsewhere, never obtain a growing license and "don't even attempt to adhere to the law," said Barbra M. Roach, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Denver field division.

"It's like hiding in plain sight," she said.

Authorities in Washington state, which also allows recreational marijuana, have noticed more marijuana leaving the state. But more reports are coming from Colorado, which has the nation's most robust commercial market and an international reputation for producing premium, high-potency pot.

"It's a brand name now," Roach said.

Jason Warf, head of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, said people are "coming from out-of-state, buying products from licensed stores and being arrested on their way home."

That "is really hard to curb," he said. "We can't essentially babysit adults and their behavior."

The Colorado Department of Revenue's marijuana-enforcement division cites shops if pot is unaccounted for but "after it's sold, we have very little control what happens to the marijuana," Director Lewis Koski said.

Police agencies seized nearly 2 tons of Colorado weed from drivers who had intended to take it to 36 other states in 2014, the year legal pot shops opened, according to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federally funded drug task force. By comparison, they seized less than a ton in 2009.

U.S. postal inspectors seized about 470 pounds of Colorado pot from the mail in 2014, up from 57 pounds in 2010, according to the task force, whose findings are based on on voluntary submissions from law enforcement agencies and are largely anecdotal.

Some cases have comic overtones, like when a Wyoming patrolman discovered 7 ounces of high-grade weed in trick-or-treat bags the day after Halloween, or when police in northern Colorado seized stuffed animals full of marijuana destined for Florida.

Other operations are more sophisticated, like the one in which authorities say 32 people used skydiving planes and posed as licensed medical marijuana caregivers and small business owners to export tens of thousands of pounds of pot grown in Denver warehouses, usually to Minnesota. The organization made more than $12 million over four years, according to a state indictment.

When they busted illegal pot farms in southern Colorado in September, state and federal agents found 28 guns, more than 1,000 plants and $25,000 in cash.

A local UPS facility intercepts about 50 pounds of pot headed out of state each week, said Todd Reeves of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association. "We don't have the resources," he said, "to be able to go after every single one of these cases."

[Thor]

Almost one-fifth of Americans now take psychotropic drugs to cope with everyday life

by Jeffrey Phillips (http://wearechange.org/author/jeffreyphillips/) | Jan 29, 2016
http://wearechange.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/American-Flag-Pills-Medication-Pharma-1-600x338.jpg


The results of the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index are in, and the methods by which many Americans now cope with their daily lives in this brave new world are sobering. Roughly one in five individuals living in the U.S., based on a random survey of people living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, now take some type of mood-altering drug or medication daily just to make it through their miserable lives.

After conducting interviews with at least 450 residents of each U.S. state between January and December 2014, researchers found that about 20% of folks, on average, use pharmaceutical pills or other substances on a day-to-day basis to feel happy and stable. Each individual was asked, open-ended, whether or not he or she uses drugs that “affect your mood or help you relax,” and about one in five answered yes.

The types of drugs people use to this end were not specified, and may include both “legal” medications like pharma pills, alcohol and nicotine, as well as various “illegal” substances. The worst state with the most drug use was West Virginia at 28.1%, followed closely behind by Rhode Island at 25.9%, Kentucky at 24.5% and Alabama at 24.2%.

Meanwhile, the states with the lowest rates of daily mood-altering drug use were found to be Alaska at 13.5%, Wyoming at 15.5% and California at 15.8%. Most of the states with the lowest rates of drug use are located in the western U.S., in fact, while the states with the highest rates of drug use are in the southern U.S.

“Nationally, 18.9% of Americans report using a mood-altering substance nearly every day, while the majority, 62.2% say they never use such drugs,” reports Gallup. “About two in 10 Americans report using drugs or medication rarely or sometimes.”

”Southern states that oppose natural cannabis openly embrace synthetic painkiller pharmaceuticals

Interestingly, states where naturally mood-stabilizing and painkilling cannabis is legal either recreationally or medically, or both, have some of the lowest rates of daily drug use, according to the survey. These include California, where medical cannabis has been legal since 1996; Alaska, where recreational cannabis was recently legalized alongside medical cannabis; and Colorado, where both recreational and medical cannabis are now legal.

Meanwhile, conservative “Bible Belt” states in the Deep South, where cannabis is still almost uniformly prohibited, have some of the highest rates of drug use, both legal and illegal. These include West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi, all of which still treat liberty as it pertains to cannabis use and cultivation with ironic disdain.

“Southern states make up six of the top 10 highest drug use states, while Alaskans, Wyomingites and Californians are least likely to say they use such drugs almost every day,” reports Gallup. “More than one in five residents of Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi and Missouri [headquarters of Monsanto] report using a drug or medicated substance to alter their mood or relax on a near-daily basis.”

The evident hypocrisy of the control-obsessed South in prohibiting natural cannabis while embracing synthetic painkillers and psychotropic pharmaceuticals is astounding. But it just goes to show how urgently prohibition needs to be abolished for the betterment of society, as states that are further along in ending the failed “War on Drugs” clearly have lower rates of drug use almost across the board, while those that still believe they’re doing “God’s work” by criminalizing a plant have some of the highest rates of drug use in the country.

[Mani]

Oh my gawwwwddd!! WEED DESTROYS YOUR MEMORY!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111




http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-legalization-2016-risks-weed-causes-long-term-verbal-memory-loss-study-2289869


Marijuana advocates have long touted the plant as a safe substance, arguing it has similar risk factors to alcohol, if not fewer. A new study has found, however, that long-term use may impair verbal memory, Reuters reported Tuesday.

“Recreational marijuana users use it to get high, to benefit from the transient change it produces,” Dr. Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and author of the study, told Reuters. “But this transient effect might have long-term consequences on the way the brain processes information and could also have direct toxic effects on neurons.”

The study followed 3,500 recreational marijuana users over the course of 25 years, conducting tests that measured verbal memory recall speed and functioning. Around 80 percent of participants, aged 18-30 at the start of the trial, reported weed use.

That number dwindled to just 12 percent in the twenty-fifth year of the study. The test found that for every five years of marijuana use, 50 percent of users would remember one less word from a list of 15. The study did not conclude, however, whether verbal memory loss was caused by marijuana.

As of June 2015, 23 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized marijuana use in some form, with Alaska, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and the District of Columbia making it legal for recreational use. At least 10 states are considering revising their laws to legalize marijuana in some form. These states include California, Florida, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to a December 2015 report in International Business Times.

In the current legalization debate among Vermont legislators, several doctors in the state warned that scientists and researchers did not yet understand well enough the risks and side effects of pot in order to declare it safe. “It is a message from the elders of our society in the form of our legislators that the behavior must be safe and acceptable,” John Porter, a local doctor who represents the Vermont Medical Society, told Vermont Public Radio, adding, “And we're here today because our concerns tell us just the opposite."

[Occam's Banana]

.

What did you say?

[Jamesiv1]

What did you say?
lol

I think he said "I Stand With Rand!!"

but i forgetz

[dannno]

Oh my gawwwwddd!! WEED DESTROYS YOUR MEMORY!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111




http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-legalization-2016-risks-weed-causes-long-term-verbal-memory-loss-study-2289869

It's funny when there is already science out there to explain this phenomenon, yet they keep promoting the same old crap about toxicity.

The amount you can remember, or not remember, especially in the short term is in part controlled by a hormone. Having too good of a short term memory was detrimental to human survival, it can be distracting, and so our bodies optimized our short term memory load through evolution.

Interestingly, it is the release of a hormone that causes our brains to 'forget' and cannabis helps regulate this hormone. It has nothing to do with toxicity, it is just our body optimizing our short term memory load for survival purposes.

[timosman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZL_VH49T0U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY73vFGhSVk

[surf]

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/seattles-brash-king-of-pot-raking-in-cash-and-raising-hackles/

Seattle’s brash king of pot raking in cash and raising hackles at Uncle Ike’s
...

Uncle Ike’s is now selling $99 ounces, about half of what the cheapest ounces cost at Seattle’s leading shops. That appears to be a first in legal pot, said Greg James, publisher of Marijuana Venture magazine. Eisenberg is going to change the industry with his approach, James predicts, forcing some farmers — “who think their pot is grown with unicorn poop,” Eisenberg said — into greater efficiencies and lower prices.

Another Eisenberg strategy: Because pot is still illegal under federal law, businesses can’t take basic tax deductions such as the cost of labor. To compensate for that lost value, Eisenberg realized his employees needed to move fast.

Unlike some boutique-style shops, Uncle Ike’s feels more like a Starbucks, with customers queuing up to be served by a handful of budtenders moving at a brisk pace. Some nights the line stretches out the door and around the corner, under the “Hey Stoner” sign.

[Lucille]

Oh my gawwwwddd!! WEED DESTROYS YOUR MEMORY!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111

http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-legalization-2016-risks-weed-causes-long-term-verbal-memory-loss-study-2289869

So What Excuse Remains?
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231090



The association between short-term memory declines — potentially permanent ones — and heavy pot use is very real, according to this study, and shouldn't be discounted. On the other hand, it's also quite surprising that you can smoke weed every single day for five years, and not have it impact your problem-solving abilities or your ability to focus at all.

Got that?

The study in question found that there was a correlation between heavy pot smoking (as in daily smoking from age 20 to 45) and being able to remember 2.5 fewer words (out of 15) on a short-term basis.

But.... correlation is not causation, and associative studies cannot determine causation. The correlation is potentially concerning at some level but the fact that even under extremely heavy use they did not find problems with the ability to focus or cognition pretty-much blows a hole the size of a truck in the thesis that smoking pot "makes you stupid" and therefore as a matter of public policy there is an argument for banning it.

So here's the question for you -- why would you support or for that matter have anything to do with any politician or police officer who is willing to arrest and throw in jail someone who is engaged in consensual adult use or distribution of a substance that even when used daily and heavily for five years doesn't cause cognitive or attention (focus) problems?

Any defensible position on jailing people in this regard has gone right out the window, never mind that I have a suspicion alcohol wouldn't fare so well under this analytical criteria.

The people who ought to be in prison are the cops and politicians who have destroyed the lives of countless individuals and families via permanent criminal branding for their decision to consume something that has been on this planet for as long as we have (if not longer) and, as it turns out, is a perfectly-viable recreational means of enjoyment with few if any inherent long term negative effects when consumed in moderation.

What excuse remains, he asks.

The usual FYTW, or like Killary said (http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/07/hillary-clinton-we-cant-legali):

"We Can't Legalize Drugs Because 'There Is Just Too Much Money in It'"

[kcchiefs6465]

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/seattles-brash-king-of-pot-raking-in-cash-and-raising-hackles/

...
Good stuff.

[surf]

front page, top story, large font in my paper today

Pot products recalled for pesticides in Colorado, but not in Washington
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/pot-products-recalled-in-colorado-for-pesticides-but-not-in-washington/

Dr. Jeff Duchin, at Public Health — Seattle & King County, noted earlier this year there are “no cases of human illness identified due to pesticides in marijuana.” But Duchin said he’d advise “buyer beware” as we don’t have enough information to conclude there aren’t health risks.

Myclobutanil, a fungicide in agriculture, illustrates the uncertainty facing consumers. The EPA has set a tolerance of 1 part per million of the chemical on grapes.

But when heated to a certain point, myclobutanil turns to cyanide gas. Regulators don’t know what concentration levels are dangerous in such circumstances. The federal government forbids its use on tobacco. Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) considers it an unapproved pesticide.
...
WSU’s Felsot said he doubted that myclobutanil would be heated long enough by a pot smoker — or that there would be enough of it left on a plant — to create a dangerous amount of cyanide gas.
oh my god! obviously my state needs more bureaucrats.

[Mach]

I wasn't ever worried about this, they were just being crybaby's, but here is an update.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-justices-reject-lawsuit-against-colorado-over-marijuana-134623764.html



Supreme Court rejects suit against Colorado over marijuana law


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lawsuit filed by the states of Nebraska and Oklahoma against their neighbor Colorado over a law approved as a ballot initiative by Colorado voters in 2012 that allows the recreational use of marijuana.

The court declined to hear the case filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma, which said that marijuana is being smuggled across their borders and noted that federal law still prohibits the drug.

Two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, said they would have heard the case.

Nebraska and Oklahoma contended that drugs such as marijuana threaten the health and safety of children and argued that Colorado had created "a dangerous gap" in the federal drug control system.

===========



Another from Drudge;

Nebraska, Oklahoma in border war with Colorado over marijuana

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pot-border-war-20150207-story.html

On the front door of the 20,000-square-foot marijuana dispensary here is a laminated sign warning every customer: "It is illegal to sell or transport marijuana to another state."

"And you can guarantee people read it," said Rick Hooper, general manager of the Spot 420 in this barren part of southern Colorado. "We make it very, very clear that this is the law here."

Whether people obey is an entirely different question, and some neighboring states don't think a warning sign is enough.

A border war has broken out between Colorado, where recreational pot is legal, and its neighbors, Nebraska and Oklahoma, where it is not.

In December, the attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a lawsuit to stop what they say is a steady flow of marijuana across the Colorado state line. Kansas is considering joining as well.

The suit, filed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to strike down Colorado's law legalizing recreational marijuana. It argues that Colorado's statute conflicts with federal drug laws, which consider marijuana illegal, even in small amounts.

In December, the attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed a lawsuit to stop what they say is a steady flow of marijuana across the Colorado state line. Kansas is considering joining as well.

The suit, filed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to strike down Colorado's law legalizing recreational marijuana. It argues that Colorado's statute conflicts with federal drug laws, which consider marijuana illegal, even in small amounts.

"Left unchallenged, I am confident Colorado's law will cause long-term harm to Nebraska families," the state's new attorney general, Republican Doug Peterson, wrote in an open letter last week. "It is incumbent on Nebraska to take action." [Have I mentioned today how DA's are the lowest form of life?]

Coloradans, however, are bristling that its staunchly conservative neighbors are trying to impose their will on the "open-minded voters" of this centrist state.

"They can't force their convictions onto Coloradans," said Hooper, amid piles of oddly contorted bongs and cannabis packed in glass jars on the shelves.

Colorado's marijuana law was approved by voters in 2012. It allows the sale and possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use for anyone 21 and over with a valid driver's license.

Shortly after the new law took effect, the U.S. Justice Department outlined its enforcement priorities, saying it would not interfere with Colorado's legal pot operations but would instead focus on, among other things, preventing marijuana from crossing state lines.

Oklahoma's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs said it had seen more "high-potency" marijuana arriving from its neighbor. Mark Woodward, an agency spokesman, said there had been about a dozen cases in the last year.

"Whether it's people driving to Colorado and bringing it back, or mailing it through the Postal Service, it's getting here," he said. "This is marijuana with very high concentrations of THC, very strong stuff."

Some police in Colorado agree it's not difficult to get marijuana across state lines. "People can buy legal marijuana, take it out of its packaging, put it in a plastic bag, and there's no telling if it's legal or where it came from," said Marc Vasquez, the Erie, Colo., police chief.

Colorado recently launched a $5.7-million ad campaign to make it clear to everyone — especially out-of-state visitors — what the rules are. Taking pot out of the state is a felony and a federal violation.

But the success of the campaign is debatable, given the ease of driving across state lines.

"It would be naive not to think some people are not looking to take it back home with them," said Katy Atkinson, a Denver-based political consultant.

In Denver last fall, the police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided several growing facilities that officials said were producing marijuana for out-of-state sellers.

But the majority of dispensaries are not partaking in illegal activity, said Hooper, a baby boomer pot enthusiast, while sitting at a desk cluttered with papers and cannabis literature one recent afternoon.

"We follow the rules, very strictly," he said of his dispensary. "Why jeopardize this movement?"

Nebraska and Oklahoma's lawsuit argues that Colorado cannot pass statutes that conflict with federal drug laws. It is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, which maintains that federal law is the "supreme law of the land," according to the suit.

In addition, the suit argues that Oklahoma and Nebraska will suffer in the long term because of increased costs from arrests, the seizure of contraband, the transfer of prisoners and other problems associated with marijuana crossing state lines.

Legal experts have mostly scoffed at the suit.

"This is a very weak claim. Their real beef is with the federal government for not enforcing the federal drug laws," said Georgetown law professor Randy Barnett, who has argued a marijuana case before the U.S. Supreme Court. "It is not up to the states to sue each other when the federal government is not enforcing the law."

The Supreme Court already has found that states have no duty to enforce federal law.

Oklahoma Atty. Gen. Scott Pruitt, a Republican, and Nebraska's Peterson declined to comment for this article.

Critics of the lawsuit largely see it as political grandstanding by the attorneys general to their conservative constituencies.

But even among conservatives, there are complaints.

Last month, a number of GOP legislators, led by Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Ritze, sent a three-page letter to Pruitt asking him to drop the suit because of its assault on the right of a state to pass its own laws.

We "do not feel that attempting to undermine the sovereignty of a neighboring state using the federal courts, even if inadvertently, is a wise use of Oklahoma's limited state resources," the letter said.

Peterson, in his open letter, stressed that he had no intention of giving up the suit.

"Nebraska has only one real choice, to uphold the law that exists for the protection of the public and well-being of Nebraska's families," he wrote. "We must not subject our youth to such a costly social experiment." [It's for the children after all]

[tod evans]

Because everybody knows that the crazy drug fueled stoners smuggle 'addictive' candy into Fla. just to give it away to unsuspecting kids.......:rolleyes:


From Drudge;

Tampa Bay area police agencies see spike in drug-laced candy

http://wfla.com/2016/03/31/tampa-bay-area-police-agencies-see-spike-in-drug-laced-candy/

Local police agencies are finding more criminals carrying drug-laced candy. There were two big busts in Sarasota and Charlotte counties just this week. And officials say loose marijuana restrictions across the country may be partly to blame.

Police officials showed 8 On Your Side some examples. There were normal Sour Patch Kids, gummy candies and even cookies. There was nothing out of the ordinary looking about them, but they were all laced with marijuana.

“A kid would never know that this is a drug,” North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor said.

North Port police busted three men this week who were carrying 300 packets of pot-laced gummies and cookies. And recently, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office confiscated a large amount of drug-laced gummy worms. In most cases, these candies come from out of state.

“It seems like every election another state becomes a little more lax on marijuana. And that’s fine in those states, but it’s important for people to know that it’s not the case here in Florida,” Taylor said.

Police say these candies may have been purchased elsewhere legitimately and brought to Florida to be sold. Officers worry the candy could get into the hands of children. Officials say consuming marijuana can have worse effects than smoking it.

Marijuana edibles take a few hours to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Since it takes longer, the user may end up eating more in an effort to get high.

Officials tell 8 On Your Side in many cases these are normal store brand candies sprayed with hash oil. Since they look and smell like normal candy, it’s very hard for police to enforce the rules.

“Our job isn’t to make the law. Our job is to uphold the law,” Taylor said.

Parents like Christa Dagley are concerned. “It looks like what he would eat and what any kid would want,” Dagley said. “(I’m) horrified and scared for my child. I’m scared to have him grow up.”

She is going to be very mindful of the candy her son Dylan eats. “I’m very scared to send my child to school,” Dagley added.

In order to keep your children safe, tell them to stay away from candy in strange or unfamiliar wrapping. In addition, monitor your children and make sure you know what they’re getting into.

[Suzanimal]

Parents like Christa Dagley are concerned. “It looks like what he would eat and what any kid would want,” Dagley said. “(I’m) horrified and scared for my child. I’m scared to have him grow up.”

She is going to be very mindful of the candy her son Dylan eats. “I’m very scared to send my child to school,” Dagley added.

In order to keep your children safe, tell them to stay away from candy in strange or unfamiliar wrapping. In addition, monitor your children and make sure you know what they’re getting into.

Dylan will be fine if he doesn't buy expensive candy from drug dealers.:rolleyes:

[Origanalist]

front page, top story, large font in my paper today

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/pot-products-recalled-in-colorado-for-pesticides-but-not-in-washington/

oh my god! obviously my state needs more bureaucrats.

Like hell it does.

[otherone]

Officials say consuming marijuana can have worse effects than smoking it.

Marijuana edibles take a few hours to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Since it takes longer, the user may end up eating more in an effort to get high.

Worse effects? Such as? The only problem I see is wasting too much.

[Origanalist]

Because everybody knows that the crazy drug fueled stoners smuggle 'addictive' candy into Fla. just to give it away to unsuspecting kids.......:rolleyes:


From Drudge;

Tampa Bay area police agencies see spike in drug-laced candy

http://wfla.com/2016/03/31/tampa-bay-area-police-agencies-see-spike-in-drug-laced-candy/

Local police agencies are finding more criminals carrying drug-laced candy. There were two big busts in Sarasota and Charlotte counties just this week. And officials say loose marijuana restrictions across the country may be partly to blame.

Police officials showed 8 On Your Side some examples. There were normal Sour Patch Kids, gummy candies and even cookies. There was nothing out of the ordinary looking about them, but they were all laced with marijuana.

“A kid would never know that this is a drug,” North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor said.

North Port police busted three men this week who were carrying 300 packets of pot-laced gummies and cookies. And recently, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office confiscated a large amount of drug-laced gummy worms. In most cases, these candies come from out of state.

“It seems like every election another state becomes a little more lax on marijuana. And that’s fine in those states, but it’s important for people to know that it’s not the case here in Florida,” Taylor said.

Police say these candies may have been purchased elsewhere legitimately and brought to Florida to be sold. Officers worry the candy could get into the hands of children. Officials say consuming marijuana can have worse effects than smoking it.

Marijuana edibles take a few hours to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Since it takes longer, the user may end up eating more in an effort to get high.

Officials tell 8 On Your Side in many cases these are normal store brand candies sprayed with hash oil. Since they look and smell like normal candy, it’s very hard for police to enforce the rules.

“Our job isn’t to make the law. Our job is to uphold the law,” Taylor said.

Parents like Christa Dagley are concerned. “It looks like what he would eat and what any kid would want,” Dagley said. “(I’m) horrified and scared for my child. I’m scared to have him grow up.”

She is going to be very mindful of the candy her son Dylan eats. “I’m very scared to send my child to school,” Dagley added.

In order to keep your children safe, tell them to stay away from candy in strange or unfamiliar wrapping. In addition, monitor your children and make sure you know what they’re getting into.

This shit reads like satire. Fricking news and fear propaganda would be comical if they didn't throw your ass in a cell to ease their fear.

[osan]

Because everybody knows that the crazy drug fueled stoners smuggle 'addictive' candy into Fla. just to give it away to unsuspecting kids.......:rolleyes:

Damn it boy, haven't you watched "Reefer Madness"? The hell?





From Drudge;

Tampa Bay area police agencies see spike in drug-laced candy

Probably see dead-people, too.




http://wfla.com/2016/03/31/tampa-bay-area-police-agencies-see-spike-in-drug-laced-candy/

Local police agencies are finding more criminals carrying drug-laced candy. There were two big busts in Sarasota and Charlotte counties just this week. And officials say loose marijuana restrictions across the country may be partly to blame.


Damn CO and WA... they're destroying 'Murka!





Police officials showed 8 On Your Side some examples. There were normal Sour Patch Kids, gummy candies and even cookies. There was nothing out of the ordinary looking about them, but they were all laced with marijuana.



Hold on RIGHT there, and what the flippity copulate?

OK, gummis are clear. How can they be "laced with marijuana" and yet have "nothing out of the ordinary looking about them"? How much copulating marijuana can you fit into a single stinking gummi bear, anyhow? How it is gotten into the gummi bear, or do these impossibly dullardly content that there is a drug-laced gummi bear operation out there? Given that the least detectable amount of "marijuana" will get you in deep and very hot water, as well as the question of how much can you fit into a single bite of gummi goodness, who in hell is going to risk 20 years in a state penitentiary for so small a payoff? Seriously now... who is going to walk around with 142 pounds of gummi bears in two backpacks, when it's only enough to get, like, three people a mild buzz?

So sorry, but the bullshit that gushes from these dumbass kops in such torrents is really gone beyond the pale... long since, in fact. The only thing more disturbing than this is the hook, line, and sinker fashion in which the vast majority of imbecilic Americans accept what they say without catching these inconsistencies that stand out like small hydrogen bomb detonations in the mind.


“A kid would never know that this is a drug,” North Port police spokesman Josh Taylor said.

And one wonders how they came to know... or is it just bald-faced lies in order to scare the milquetoast 'Murkins into buying more PBA kneepads?


North Port police busted three men this week who were carrying 300 packets of pot-laced gummies and cookies. And recently, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office confiscated a large amount of drug-laced gummy worms. In most cases, these candies come from out of state.

See previous comment about CO and WA.


“It seems like every election another state becomes a little more lax on marijuana. And that’s fine in those states, but it’s important for people to know that it’s not the case here in Florida,” Taylor said.

Holy shyte - could he be a little more obviously authoritarian? What will he do when FL decriminalizes, just shoot those in possession while screaming "stop resisting" from 10 yards away? Oh wait, make that 1 yard - I keep forgetting they can't hit the broad side of a very large barn beyond 1.5 yards, and that's really challenging their marksmanship.

This attitude seems rife in FL, which is why it is on my list of thirteen black states.


Officers worry the candy could get into the hands of children.

Oh my! The children!


Officials say consuming marijuana can have worse effects than smoking it.

Yes yes... they also say the moon is made of green cheese. Shall we believe that as well? "OFFICIALS say..." therefore, comply.

Firetruck you.

This crap makes my head hurt, yet again.

[osan]

http://reho.st/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYzD29DIMAEupIA.jpg

The resemblance to Michelle Obama is uncanny. Are they brothers?

Mrs. Obama must fantasize about Michelle and his brother in a devil's tango. Too hot for me, thankyouverymuch...

[tod evans]

Just in case you were wondering about his opinion Drudge posted this marvel;


The more cannabis you smoke, the more likely you are to be a loser, finds international study

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3520257/The-cannabis-smoke-likely-loser-finds-international-study.html

Persistent users likely to be lower paid and have relationship difficulties
Research found abusers ended up in a lower social class than their parents
Also more prone to be in less skilled, prestigious jobs and to run into debt
Study by Californian university followed children from birth up to age of 38

International research has revealed that the more cannabis you smoke, the more likely you are to be lower paid and have relationship difficulties.
The study followed children from birth up to the age of 38 and found people who smoked cannabis four or more days a week over many years ended up in a lower social class than their parents.
It also found that regular and persistent users ended up with lower-paying, less skilled and less prestigious jobs than those who were not regular cannabis smokers.
Financial, work-related and relationship difficulties were further experienced by those taking the drug, which worsened as the number of years of regular cannabis use progressed.

The study, conducted by a team of researchers led by Magdalena Cerda at the University of California and Avshalom Caspi and Terrie Moffitt at Duke University, appeared in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.
'Our research does not support arguments for or against cannabis legalization,' said Cerda. 'But it does show that cannabis was not safe for the long-term users tracked in our study.
'Our study found that regular cannabis users experienced downward social mobility and more financial problems such as troubles with debt and cash flow than those who did not report such persistent use.
'Regular long-term users also had more antisocial behaviors at work, such as stealing money or lying to get a job, and experienced more relationship problems, such as intimate partner violence and controlling abuse.'

Researchers claimed the study was important as it addresses an array of 'potentially confounding factors' not included in past studies assessing cannabis' long-term effects on users.
Economic and social problems persisted in long-term, regular users of pot even after the authors accounted for other potential differences between regular cannabis users and other participants.
These factors included socioeconomic problems in childhood, lower IQ, antisocial behavior and depression in adolescence, higher levels of impulsivity, lower motivation to achieve, criminal conviction of cannabis users, and abuse of alcohol and hard drugs.
'These findings did not arise because cannabis users were prosecuted and had a criminal record,' said Caspi, a psychologist at Duke University and King's College London.

'Even among cannabis users who were never convicted for a cannabis offense, we found that persistent and regular cannabis use was linked to economic and social problems.'
While both heavy alcohol and cannabis use were similarly associated with declines, the authors found that those dependent on cannabis experienced more financial difficulties.
'Cannabis may be safer than alcohol for your health, but not for your finances,' said Moffitt.
For the study, 947 participants who had completed at least three of the five adult cannabis assessments from ages 18 through 38.
Eighteen percent, or 173 participants, were considered marijuana dependent in at least one wave of the study, and 15 per cent fell into the regular cannabis use categories.

There's some scary pictures of a plant and a girl smoking something rolled in rice paper, a video too........:eek:

[Suzanimal]

Loser...
http://i.imgur.com/PgVx4q7m.png

[osan]

I should let this idiocy pass, but I just don't want to.





Persistent users likely to be lower paid and have relationship difficulties

My friend, lets call him Don, works at Microsoft. Don isn't his real name because there is no copulating way I would risk something like this coming back on him as he is highly placed at the company. Don's a literal genius. He makes the sort of living I used to make, only he is 100x smarter than I could ever hope to be. He likes to smoke a joint and have beer. Don has been very successful.

Don's been married ca. 30 years now. His wife, also an old friend of mine, is an engineer, brilliant woman, and overall cool person who will also fire up a spliff. They have two children, the younger of which is also an engineer, gorgeous, sweet as honey, and by all accounts happy and successful. The elder is problematic, but that derives from other issues, which I need not go into here. I do not believe either of the children partake, but I may be mistaken on that point.




Research found abusers ended up in a lower social class than their parents

Precise opposite. Don's father was a machinist and a copulating vicious bastard. No idea about mom.



Also more prone to be in less skilled, prestigious jobs and to run into debt

He can call a meeting with Gates. His skills are vast. I personally watched him build a screen handler library in his basement in NJ in about 4 hours. What he produced in that time period many companies were unable to produce after years of work by competent developers. That is no feces. He gave it away to a Fortune 50 company who used it for many years after his departure. The library was bug-free, as written. How many people can spew out many thousands of "lines" of reentrant driver code in a mere 4 hours in C and not have a single bug show? Any of my fellow developers here with more than three days' experience will know the answer.

I sat next to him and watched him do it. He may even have been stoned at the time, I do not recall. :) It was a Friday night, so chances were good that he was. I was almost certainly marinated in beer, myself.



Study by Californian university followed children from birth up to age of 38



And of course it must have been the herb. I'd like to see the structure of this "study", including the controls. I'd give even odds I could eviscerate the credibility of the research team by uncovering fundamental flaws in their methods and design. But who knows...

Anyhow, the whole article has the air of stoogery about it. I could be wrong, but on such points I rarely fail.

[dannno]

Hold on RIGHT there, and what the flippity copulate?

OK, gummis are clear. How can they be "laced with marijuana" and yet have "nothing out of the ordinary looking about them"? How much copulating marijuana can you fit into a single stinking gummi bear, anyhow? How it is gotten into the gummi bear, or do these impossibly dullardly content that there is a drug-laced gummi bear operation out there? Given that the least detectable amount of "marijuana" will get you in deep and very hot water, as well as the question of how much can you fit into a single bite of gummi goodness, who in hell is going to risk 20 years in a state penitentiary for so small a payoff? Seriously now... who is going to walk around with 142 pounds of gummi bears in two backpacks, when it's only enough to get, like, three people a mild buzz?


They make gummi candies laced with hashish.. if I eat a half a gummy worm before bed, I wake up high.

That said, keep it away from kids unless it is medicinal.. but if they do take it anyway, they won't die or suffer permanent damage.

[osan]

They make gummi candies laced with hashish.. if I eat a half a gummy worm before bed, I wake up high.

That said, keep it away from kids unless it is medicinal.. but if they do take it anyway, they won't die or suffer permanent damage.

Assuming this is not a joke, then I guess I stand educated. If they are that potent, then I can see the profit incentive. And yeah, the kids won't die. But don't tell that to Themme. I'm quite sure Theye know very well, but this drug narrative has been such a deal. Few other control schemes have returned so much bang for the imposed buck, the only real competitors being the threat of nukyular holocaust and that of terr'ists.

[tod evans]

Assuming this is not a joke, then I guess I stand educated. If they are that potent, then I can see the profit incentive. And yeah, the kids won't die. But don't tell that to Themme. I'm quite sure Theye know very well, but this drug narrative has been such a deal. Few other control schemes have returned so much bang for the imposed buck, the only real competitors being the threat of nukyular holocaust and that of terr'ists.

Hence "Boogity-boogity"........;)

[Working Poor]

I needed to run in and get a refresher on propaganda so I can remember why I am not supposed to smoke weed.:cool:

[osan]

I needed to run in and get a refresher on propaganda so I can remember why I am not supposed to smoke weed.:cool:

You're welcome.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJmfQAHGNrs

[tod evans]

Drudge again;


Cannabis: scientists call for action amid mental health concerns

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/15/cannabis-scientists-call-for-action-amid-mental-health-concerns

Warning reflects growing consensus that frequent use of the drug raises the risk of psychotic disorders in vulnerable people

The risks of heavy cannabis for mental health are serious enough to warrant global public health campaigns, according to international drugs experts who said young people were particularly vulnerable.

The warning from scientists in the UK, US, Europe and Australia reflects a growing consensus that frequent use of the drug can increase the risk of psychosis in vulnerable people, and comes as the UN prepares to convene a special session on the global drugs problem for the first time since 1998. The meeting in New York next week aims to unify countries in their efforts to tackle issues around illicit drug use.


Science Weekly How harmful is cannabis? – podcast
What has convinced some researchers that the risks of heavy cannabis use now warrant public health campaigns to warn people of potential harm?
Listen
While the vast majority of people who smoke cannabis will not develop psychotic disorders, those who do can have their lives ruined. Psychosis is defined by hallucinations, delusions and irrational behaviour, and while most patients recover from the episodes, some go on to develop schizophrenia. The risk is higher among patients who continue with heavy cannabis use.

Public health warnings over cannabis have been extremely limited because the drug is illegal in most countries, and there are uncertainties over whether it really contributes to mental illness. But many researchers now believe the evidence for harm is strong enough to issue clear warnings.

“It’s not sensible to wait for absolute proof that cannabis is a component cause of psychosis,” said Sir Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King’s College London. “There’s already ample evidence to warrant public education around the risks of heavy use of cannabis, particularly the high-potency varieties. For many reasons, we should have public warnings.”

The researchers are keen not to exaggerate the risks. In the language of the business, cannabis alone is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause psychosis. But the drug inflicts a clear burden on the vulnerable. Estimates suggest that deterring heavy use of cannabis could prevent 8-24% of psychosis cases handled by treatment centres, depending on the area. In London alone, where the most common form of cannabis is high-potency skunk, avoiding heavy use could avert many hundreds of cases of psychosis every year.


What are the true risks of taking cannabis?
Read more
In the US, cannabis is becoming stronger and more popular. Over the past 20 years, the strength of cannabis seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration has increased from 4%-12% THC. Meanwhile, the number of users rose from 14.5 million to 22.2 million in the seven years to 2014.

Coinciding with the upwards trend, young people’s perceptions of the risks of cannabis have fallen, a consequence perhaps of the public discussion over legalisation and fewer restrictions for medicinal uses, according to the US government’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nida).

“It is important to educate the public about this now,” said Nora Volkow, director of Nida. “Kids who start using drugs in their teen years may never know their full potential. This is also true in relation to the risk for psychosis. The risk is significantly higher for people who begin using marijuana during adolescence. And unfortunately at this point, most people don’t know their genetic risk for psychosis or addiction.”

In the UK, cannabis is the most popular illegal drug, and according to Public Health England data, more young people enter treatment centres for help with cannabis than any other drug, alcohol included. The number of under-18s in treatment for cannabis rose from 9,000 in 2006 to 13,400 in 2015. The drug now accounts for three-quarters of young people receiving help in specialist drugs centres. The most common age group is 15- to 16-year-olds.

The Guardian view on UK drug laws: high time to challenge a failing prohibition
Editorial: Cannabis has its dangers, and there is room for argument about how to minimise the harm. But heavy-handed reliance on the criminal law is a failing approach that has been tried for long enough
Read more
The reasons for the upward trend are unclear. As hard drugs fall in popularity, clinical services may simply pull in more cannabis users. But the rise in young people in treatment may be linked to skunk, a potent form of cannabis that has taken over the market and edged out the traditional, weaker resins.

Skunk and other strong forms of cannabis now dominate the illicit drugs markets in many countries. From 1999-2008, the cannabis market in England transformed from 15%-81% skunk. In 2008, skunk confiscated from the street contained on average 15% of the high-inducing substance THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), three times the level found in resin seized that year. The Home Office has not recorded cannabis potency since.

“There is no doubt that high-potency cannabis, such as skunk, causes more problems than traditional cannabis, or hash,” Murray told the Guardian. “This is the case for dependence, but especially for psychosis.”

Ian Hamilton, a mental health lecturer at the University of York, said more detailed monitoring of cannabis use is crucial to ensure that information given out is credible and useful. Most research on cannabis, particularly the major studies that have informed policy, are based on older low-potency cannabis resin, he points out. “In effect, we have a mass population experiment going on where people are exposed to higher potency forms of cannabis, but we don’t fully understand what the short- or long-term risks are,” he said.

In Australia, a 2013 study found nearly half of the cannabis confiscated on the streets contained more than 15% THC. Prof Wayne Hall, director of the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research at the University of Queensland, said that while most people can use cannabis without putting themselves at risk of psychosis, there is still a need for public education.


The stories you need to read, in one handy email
Read more
“We want public health messages because, for those who develop the illness, it can be devastating. It can transform people’s lives for the worse,” he said. “People are not going to develop psychosis from having a couple of joints at a party. It’s getting involved in daily use that seems to be the riskiest pattern of behaviour: we’re talking about people who smoke every day and throughout the day.”

The evidence that cannabis can cause psychosis is not 100% conclusive. It is still possible that people who are prone to psychosis are simply more likely to use the drug. The catch is that absolute proof of causality cannot be obtained. The harm caused by cigarettes was easy to confirm: paint tobacco tar on mice and watch the tumours form. You can give cannabis to animals and watch what happens, but you cannot recognise a psychotic mouse. Nor can scientists order thousands of teenagers to smoke pot every day and compare them to a control group that abstained 10 years later.

“When you’re faced with a situation where you cannot determine causality, my personal opinion is why not take the safer route rather than the riskier one, and then figure out ways to minimise harm?” said Amir Englund, a cannabis researcher at King’s College London.

In the 1960s, cannabis in the Netherlands had less than 3% THC, but today high potency strains average 20%. Jim van Os, professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University medical centre, said public health messages are now justified. He believes people should be deterred from using cannabis before the age of 18, warned off the stronger forms, and urged not to use cannabis alone or to cope with life’s problems.

Public health campaigns can easily fail though. To prevent a single case of schizophrenia, several thousand heavy cannabis smokers would probably have to quit. That could change with better understanding of who is most at risk. “Once we really understand what it is about cannabis that increases some people’s risk, and in what context, we can maybe start to identify people more highly at risk, and targeted campaigns are likely to be much more effective,” said Suzi Gage, senior research associate at Bristol University.

As with any campaign, credibility is everything. “There is an issue of getting a message through to those who are vulnerable without causing alarm, being overly sensationalist and thus being ignored,” said Dr Wendy Swift, of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center at the University of New South Wales. “There is good evidence that cannabis use, particularly early onset and frequent use when young, can cause problems on a number of fronts into young adulthood. This to me is the group we need to get our messages through to the most, along with those who have a family history of mental illness or have mental health problems themselves.”

A government spokesperson said its position on cannabis was clear. “We must prevent drug use in our communities and help people who are dependent to recover, while ensuring our drugs laws are enforced. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms communities.”

[bunklocoempire]

I've got no words for that whole "skunk" scare. WTF?

Substitute "strong" with "effective" and see how it reads.:rolleyes:

For crying out loud, kids, talk to your parents about cannabis today.

My mom and I happened to have a cannabis discussion yesterday, she's a Fox watcher (I'm constantly working on that), and I had a lot of correcting to do -again.:mad:

And this goes here, totally unrelated, I'm sure of it- :toady:



King's signs agreement with Pfizer in field of gene therapy (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2016/01%20January/Kings-signs-agreement-with-Pfizer-in-field-of-gene-therapy.aspx)

King’s College London has announced that it has recently entered into an exclusive license agreement with Pfizer Inc. for the development of a series of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vectors.

[Suzanimal]

I got my mom high for the first time in her life a few years ago. I thought it might help her with her back pain but she was too damn annoying. It was like partying with a middle schooler.O_o She kept talking gibberish and spilling the wine. She sticks to Franzia, pain killers and muscle relaxers.


I've got no words for that whole "skunk" scare. WTF?

Substitute "strong" with "effective" and see how it reads.:rolleyes:

For crying out loud, kids, talk to your parents about cannabis today.

My mom and I happened to have a cannabis discussion yesterday, she's a Fox watcher (I'm constantly working on that), and I had a lot of correcting to do -again.:mad:

And this goes here, totally unrelated, I'm sure of it- :toady:

[pcosmar]

I am a couple months away from completing a one year "study" .

I will let you know results and findings around the first of July..

:D

[Suzanimal]

I am a couple months away from completing a one year "study" .

I will let you know results and findings around the first of July..

:D

I bet you're at the top of the class.:D :cool:

[pcosmar]

I bet you're at the top of the class.:D :cool:

It's a private study. :p

[dannno]

I'm almost done with a 15 year study.... the results so far are incomplete, I think I will have to continue the study for another 5 or 10 years at least.

[tod evans]

'Colorado is Headed Down the Tubes'

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/18/colorado-is-headed-down-tubes.html?intcmp=trending

The state of Colorado seems to be going to pot — literally.

John Denver used to sing about a Colorado Rocky Mountain high, but he almost certainly never imagined that someday that theme would apply to America’s innocent school kids.

In a Colorado State House committee meeting on Monday, patient advocates will be pushing for the use of medical marijuana, in the form of edible pot, in their state’s public schools. In the Centennial State, this decision is left to individual school districts — and no school district currently allows it.

So advocates will be pushing hard to make Colorado join New Jersey — the Garden State — as the second state in the country to allow medical marijuana in schools.

Colorado had recreational and medical marijuana sales of $996 million in 2015, according to The Cannabist. The state also collected more than $135 million in taxes and fees, and ironically, more than $35 million is earmarked for school construction projects.

There are several obvious problems with medical marijuana on school grounds — for one, making sure that the patient is the only person who has access to the drug. Secondly, having a school nurse administer medical edible pot when that same school employee is responsible by law for reporting any usage of that same substance is nonsensical. Confusion and opaqueness reign in this debate.

The fight against marijuana in schools is not without concern for any and all students dealing with medical issues, but about the safety and well-being of all students. "School boards do not lack compassion for students that benefit from medical marijuana," Jane Urschel, a member of the Colorado Association of School Boards, told the Associated Press. "How do you begin to deal with those difficulties in different venues?"

The federal government, anxious to involve itself in progressive issues like LGBT rights in public schools, backs off when it comes to marijuana in or near schools, pushing it back on individual states.

"Marijuana use, cultivation and possession remain illegal under federal law," states Pillsburylaw.com. "However, in response to several states’ legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, the DOJ has relaxed its policy on federal prosecution of marijuana crimes."

"Poor old Colorado; if their schools allow edible marijuana on school grounds, they are simply out of their gourds," said Carla Lowe, the founder of CALM, Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana.

Lowe has been fighting legalized pot in her home state of California and the rest of the U.S. for 40 years. "'If we could just get it accepted as a medicine’ has long been the plea — but that has always been a red herring," said Lowe. "The potency of the drug has been increasing right alongside the movement to legalize it."

Lowe is concerned with the uptick of THC in the product, as well as its long-term effects.

"The problem is that cannabis is a complex drug," she told LifeZette. "There are over 400 chemicals in it. THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, is fat-soluble, so it leaves the bloodstream very quickly. But it then circulates the body until it finds a fatty organ, where it begins to very slowly break down. The brain and the sex organs are the fattiest organs, so they are natural repositories for THC. It takes 25 years for the human brain to be fully developed. Kids are smoking pot, and it's affecting their developing brains."

Lowe says the rise in potency is startling. When she began fighting legalizing pot in California years ago, the level of THC in the product was about one-half to one percent. Now, she says, the potency of street pot in California is 18 to 24 percent THC.

LifeZette asked Lowe to weigh in on another pot issue some states are facing — the proximity of pot shops to public schools.

More than two dozen schools in Denver are now closer than 1,000 feet to shops selling medical or recreational marijuana, as the Denver Post has reported.

This has some city council members worried.

"We are making this attractive to kids and young people," Gina Carbone, a founder of Smart Colorado, which advocates protections for kids against pot, told the Post. "The city should do all it can to keep this away from kids."

Of Colorado’s proximity quagmire, Lowe said, "It was well-documented that there were more pot shops than Starbucks in California, and Colorado is heading the same way, it seems," she said. "This is just unconscionable. The problem with the pot shops is that anyone can go in and buy a bag of weed for any reason. Then they sell it to the kids; they cut it and sell it to the kids who are literally [a few] feet away from them."

In the face of all logic, Denver Public Schools recently moved two northwestern city schools, the Contemporary Learning Academy and the Denver Justice High School, within close proximity to four marijuana shops.

Justice High School is a charter school for troubled students.

"We tried to find something that is both in the right location where the need is," said David Suppes, the district’s chief operating officer, "but also in a location that we think would be a good place for kids to learn."

A Denver parent who requested anonymity told LifeZette, "Colorado is headed down the tubes, as far as I’m concerned. Our state and its schools seem more concerned with these new businesses — and the tax dollars they bring — feeling comfortable in our state than it does with our kids’ futures. And the mood is, ‘It’s not harmful; it’s just pot.’"

Said Lowe of the country’s acceptance of pot, "We are looking at a diminished generation, a diminished future, and a diminished America."

Her group will fight on, she said.

[pcosmar]

AK-47 for breakfast. (with coffee)

Late nite last nite.. Picked up a rolled truck and trailer.

Minor Pain relief,, Motivational/Mood enhancement. Mental balance and focus.

I'm ready to go to work. (still gots a few minutes till 8:00)

[surf]

Protesters march on Seattle’s Uncle Ike’s pot shop

Protesters, mostly representing African-American groups, marched on Uncle Ike’s pot shop in Seattle’s Central District Wednesday, saying the store is too close to a local church’s teen center.

While the city’s top-selling pot retailer celebrated 4/20, the unofficial stoner holiday, about 100 protesters blocked the 23rd Avenue East and East Union Street intersection, cheering speeches and chanting “No justice, no weed” and “Uncle Ike’s has got to go.”
....

there's a video to go along with the story. they are saying it shouldn't be allowed where it is, and it's racism that allows it to exist where it is.

boogity boogity happy 420

[Mani]

Protesters march on Seattle’s Uncle Ike’s pot shop

there's a video to go along with the story. they are saying it shouldn't be allowed where it is, and it's racism that allows it to exist where it is.

boogity boogity happy 420


Is there an anti-protest group, or maybe they are at home relaxing...

[tod evans]

Here's another peach from Drudge;


Heavy teen marijuana use may cut life short by 60

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heavy-teen-marijuana-use-may-cut-life-short-by-60/

Heavy marijuana use in the late teen years puts men at a higher risk for death by age 60, a new long-term study suggests.

Swedish researchers analyzed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970. The scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm reported that 4,000 died during the 42-year follow-up period, and men who'd used marijuana heavily at ages 18 and 19 were 40 percent more likely to die by age 60 compared to guys who hadn't used the drug.

The authors of the new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, said the findings contradict previous research involving the same group of men.

But this study was longer and participants might have reached an age where the long-term effects of cannabis were taking a toll on health, said addiction expert Scott Krakower, an assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, in New Hyde Park, NY.

"Cannabis users have poorer health in general. You'd expect there to be increased mortality risk," Krakower told CBS News. He pointed to another long-term study linking early heavy marijuana use with lung cancer, and a second study that associates the drug with increased heart problems.

"Marijuana users generally may have poorer diets and they might be tobacco smokers. There's an increased linkage between weed and tobacco," said Krakower.

Dr. Kevin Hill, a member of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Addiction Psychiatry, told CBS News, "One of the key messages from a study like this comes down to two words: dose matters."

The study looked at teenagers who had used marijuana more than 50 times.

Hill, an assistant professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said most people who use marijuana don't use it at heavy levels. "Nine percent of adults use it at that level and develop an addiction."

He said the study is limited because it didn't provide specifics about heavy use and continued use.

Using marijuana earlier in life is linked to poorer psychological health, he said, and that can contribute to more health problems down the road.

"It is well-established that if you begin using at an early age and use a lot then, there are significant negative outcomes particularly in terms of mental health and it wouldn't be a surprise for that to translate to long-term health problems," Hill said.

Earlier cannabis use is linked to cognitive problems. Hills said, "One 2012 study showed early, regular use of marijuana - the kind of level they describe in this study -- led to an eight point decline in IQ over time."

He said it's also associated with worse anxiety and depression, adding, "If you start using marijuana at an early age, you're more likely to express a psychotic disorder."

In this day and age of continued debate over marijuana policy issues, Hill said, "This kind of study is incredibly important. We don't have definitive answers, but it underscores if you are using heavily, you're probably going to have some negative consequences."

[tod evans]

:eek: :rolleyes:

Drudge again;

Cannabis arteritis: Australian diagnosed with marijuana-related disease that can cause loss of limb

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cannabis-arteritis-first-australian-diagnosed-marijuana-related-disease-loss-limb-amputation-a7020251.html

An Australian man who smokes up to a gram of cannabis per day has narrowly escaped amputation after becoming the first in the country to be diagnosed with a rare disease linked to cannabis use.

After an ulcer on his toe failed to heal, the heavy cannabis user consulted Frankston Hospital in Melbourne, where he was diagnosed with cannabis arteritis, an extremely rare disease which causes a build-up of plaque around the arteries, thereby decreasing blood flow to the limbs.

The patient, who has not been identified, was treated with a balloon angioplasty, where a collapsed balloon, known as a balloon catheter, is placed in the area which is constricted in order to inflate it to a healthy size.

Smoking cannabis can cause blood vessels to tighten, which increases resistance and contributes to an increasing amount of plaque building up around the arteries, thereby narrowing the artery itself.

Cannabis arteritis occurs when the constriction of arteries reduces blood flow to the affected limbs, which can lead to death of cells, called necrosis. Severe cases of necrosis can lead to necessary amputation.

Very similar symptoms can be seen in patients suffering from Bueger’s disease, which is strongly linked to tobacco use.

Although fewer than 100 cases of the disease have ever been recorded, Dr Soon, of the Royal College of Australasian Surgeons, said medical professionals should still remain alert.

“Due to the increase in cannabis usage and the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, awareness of the condition is important and may become a growing problem in the future,” he told the Annual Scientific Congress.

[Suzanimal]

PURPLE DRANK Sends 15 Middle School Kids To Nurse’s Office, 6 To Hospital

A middle school in a quiet, leafy Washington, D.C. suburb sent half a dozen students to the hospital last week after the youngsters consumed unknown quantities of “purple drank.”

The incident occurred on Friday at Francis Scott Key Middle School in Silver Spring, Md., reports local CBS affiliate WUSA.

Between 12 and 15 students exhibited symptoms of intoxication. School officials sent this gaggle of kids to the nurse’s office.

From there, school district spokesman Derek Turner told WUSA, six of the kiddos were deemed so sufficiently buzzed that authorities sent them to a nearby hospital out of “an abundance of caution.”

“They had ingested we believe a mixture of alcohol and some other things,” Pete Piringer of the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service told the station.

A police spokesman identified the specific components of the mixture as NyQuil, vodka and Jolly Ranchers.

The kids brought the mash “from home,” Turner said.

Francis Scott Key Middle School sits amid clusters of well-kept colonial-style homes on streets with names like Burnt Ember Drive and Blossom Lane.


In its traditional form, “purple drank” is a beverage made from prescription-strength cough syrup featuring promethazine and codeine, some Sprite or Mountain Dew and Jolly Rancher candies (and ice).

The purple hue — and thus the name — of purple drank stems from dye in the cough syrup.

Effects of purple drank include mild euphoria, jumpiness, extreme drowsiness and an odd numbing of the nervous system.

A purple drank purist would never add alcohol to his refreshment. However, notes Urban Dictionary, the purple drank phenomenon now includes versions containing vodka and other spirits.

Purple drank is illegal. Nevertheless, scores and scores of videos on YouTube and other social media platforms show people — many of them teenagers — making and consuming batches of the concoction.

The libation is most popular in the American South — particularly among rap and hip-hop aficionados.

...

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/17/purple-drank-sends-15-middle-school-kids-to-nurses-office-6-to-hospital/#ixzz48vz3lLb5

[tod evans]

Smoking cannabis ALTERS your DNA 'causing mutations that can trigger serious illness, including cancer'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3607444/Smoking-cannabis-ALTERS-DNA-causing-mutations-trigger-illness-including-cancer.html

Smoking cannabis can alter a person's DNA, causing mutations that expose a user to serious illnesses, experts have warned.
Furthermore, the heightened risk is not exclusive to the marijuana user, a study has shown.
The disease-causing mutations are passed on to their children, and several future generations, it has emerged.
Though the link between cannabis and severe illnesses, such as cancer, has previously been documented, how this occurs and the implications for future generations was not well understood.
Dr Stuart Reece, and Professor Gary Hulse from the University of Western Australia's School of Psychiatry, analyzed literary and research material to understand the likely causes.
Dr Reece said: 'Through our research we found that cancers and illnesses were likely caused by cell mutations resulting from cannabis properties having a chemical interaction with a person's DNA.
'With cannabis use increasing globally in recent years, this has a concerning impact for the population.'
While a person may appear healthy and lead a normal life, the unseen damage to their DNA could also be passed on to their children, and cause illness for several generations to come.
'Even if a mother has never used cannabis in her life, the mutations passed on by a father's sperm can cause serious and fatal illnesses in their children,' Dr Reece said.
'The parents may not realise that they are carrying these mutations, which can lie dormant and may only affect generations down the track, which is the most alarming aspect.'
Dr Reece said that when the chemicals in cannabis altered a user's DNA structure it could lead to slow cell growth and have serious implications for the fetal development of babies, potentially causing limbs or vital organs not to develop properly or cause cancers.
He said: 'The worst cancers are reported in the first few years of life in children exposed in utero to cannabis effects.'
Dr Reece said the finding was of major importance due to the fact cannabis use is increasing in many nations around the world, as many countries begin to legalize its use.
'Some people may say that previous data collected doesn't show there are serious effects from using cannabis, but many authorities acknowledge that there is now a much larger consumption of cannabis use compared to previous years,' he added.
The study carries implications for researchers, medical health professionals and governments in regulating drug use and protecting those who are most vulnerable.
The research has been published in the journal Mutation Research – Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.

[Slave Mentality]

[QUOTE=tod evans;6214423]:eek: :rolleyes:

Drudge again;

Cannabis arteritis: Australian diagnosed with marijuana-related disease that can cause loss of limb

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cannabis-arteritis-first-australian-diagnosed-marijuana-related-disease-loss-limb-amputation-a7020251.html

An Australian man who smokes up to a gram of cannabis per day has narrowly escaped amputation after becoming the first in the country to be diagnosed with a rare disease linked to cannabis use.

After an ulcer on his toe failed to heal, the heavy cannabis user consulted Frankston Hospital in Melbourne, where he was diagnosed with cannabis arteritis, an extremely rare disease which causes a build-up of plaque around the arteries, thereby decreasing blood flow to the limbs.

The patient, who has not been identified, was treated with a balloon angioplasty, where a collapsed balloon, known as a balloon catheter, is placed in the area which is constricted in order to inflate it to a healthy size.

Smoking cannabis can cause blood vessels to tighten, which increases resistance and contributes to an increasing amount of plaque building up around the arteries, thereby narrowing the artery itself.

Cannabis arteritis occurs when the constriction of arteries reduces blood flow to the affected limbs, which can lead to death of cells, called necrosis. Severe cases of necrosis can lead to necessary amputation.

Very similar symptoms can be seen in patients suffering from Bueger’s disease, which is strongly linked to tobacco use.

Although fewer than 100 cases of the disease have ever been recorded, Dr Soon, of the Royal College of Australasian Surgeons, said medical professionals should still remain alert.

“Due to the increase in cannabis usage and the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, awareness of the condition is important and may become a growing problem in the future,” he told the Annual Scientific Congress.[/QUOTE

[Slave Mentality]

I will happily continue my long term case study if anyone is willing to supply the stuff. However, I will require 4 grams per day. I will provide leg rot pictures, or send links to sweet music on you tube, whichever comes first.

For science.

[Suzanimal]

The Dirty Little Secret Pot Pushers Don’t Want You to Know About

States have passed so-called “medical marijuana” laws under the theory that pot has medicinal benefits that can’t be produced by other, legal means.

But what if there was a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that gave you all the benefits of the active ingredients in marijuana, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol?

What if that drug had been rigorously tested through clinical trials to make sure that it worked as promised, was properly dosed, and had no unanticipated side effects?

And what if you could get that lawful drug from your doctor in pill or liquid form?

The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation. We’ll respect your inbox and keep you informed.

And what if there were three such different FDA-approved drugs, and two more on the FDA-approved fast track?

Would it surprise you to know there already are three FDA-approved THC drugs and that at least five more are on the way? We suspect so, because the pot pushers—those that push smoked and edible marijuana as “medicine”—don’t want you to know about these safe alternatives.

Some of those FDA-approved drugs have been around since the 1980s.

That’s right—the dirty little secret they hide from you is that you don’t have to smoke marijuana, eat it in a brownie, or chew it in a marijuana-laced gummy bear to reap the medicinal benefits of THC.

The three FDA-approved drugs are Marinol, Cesamet, and Syndros. Drugs like Syndros show great promise for countering today’s dangerous “medical marijuana” movement.

In early July, the FDA approved Syndros as the first orally administered liquid form of THC. Like Marinol, the original oral cannabinoid to gain FDA approval in 1985, Syndros treats anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS, as well as nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy.

Epidiolex is one drug currently on the FDA fast track. According to a recent press release from GW Pharmaceuticals, a study of 171 randomized patients suffering from Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes found that Epidiolex decreased seizure occurrence, was relatively well tolerated among patients, and generated no unexpected adverse effects.

Other cannabinoid-based medications on the international market today include Cesamet, another synthetic drug that treats nausea and vomiting stemming from chemotherapy; Cannador, which is currently used in Europe and has demonstrated potential to relieve multiple sclerosis symptoms and postoperative pain management; and Sativex, another GW Pharmaceuticals drug on the FDA fast track that treats spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.

Since these are all medical cannabinoids, they do not require smoking. They are also safer to use because levels of THC can be monitored.

Knowing these safer alternatives exist, ask yourself: Why? Why have the pot pushers kept this secret and why don’t they want you to know this?

“The medicinal marijuana system in this country has become a bad joke, an affront to the concept of safe and reliable medicine, defying the standards that we have come to expect from the medical establishment,” Dr. Kevin Sabet, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama’s drug policy office, wrote in his book, “Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana.”

We can thank Ed Rosenthal and Richard Cowan for creating the current public perception of the so-called “medical marijuana” marketplace.

In a video filmed many years ago, which we highlighted in this 2010 blog post, Rosenthal (former editor of High Times magazine) and Cowan (former director of NORML—the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law) joked about the nationwide “scam” they started. They realized that if they convinced enough people that smoking marijuana was “medical marijuana,” that would be the beginning of a movement toward full legalization.

“Once there’s medical access, if we continue to do what we have to do and we will, then we’ll get full legalization,” Cowan explained.

“I have to tell you that I also use marijuana medically,” Rosenthal joked. “I have a latent glaucoma which has never been diagnosed, and the reason why its never been diagnosed is because I’ve been treating it.”

But, according to Rosenthal, pleasure trumps any medicinal benefit he should derive from marijuana anyway.

“There is a reason why I do use it,” he said. “And that’s because I like to get high. Marijuana is fun.”

Sabet acknowledges that THC has potential therapeutic effects, but these do not come from smoking pot. (We don’t light any of our FDA-approved medicine on fire and smoke it, after all).

With the average strength of marijuana being five to six times what it was in the 1960s and 70s, the repercussions of marijuana and legalizing it are more evident than before. Some of these include higher risks of motor vehicle accidents, heart attacks, and impaired immune systems and short-term memories. Evidently, the pot pushers don’t want you to know this truth.

“America is being sold a false dichotomy: ‘We can either stick to our current failed policies, or we can try a ‘new approach’ with legalization,” Sabet said. “Sadly, this kind of black-and-white thinking conceals the fact that there are better, more effective ways than either legalization or incarceration to deal with this complex issue.”

Cannabinoid-based drugs are better alternatives because they reap the benefits of marijuana’s therapeutic components safely, as well as have the potential to become FDA approved if they aren’t already.

So the next time a pot pusher encourages a state to enact so-called “medical marijuana” laws, or goes for full legalization in violation of federal law, ask them: Why are they pushing an unsafe, untested product instead of pushing FDA-approved THC?

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[TheTexan]

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Those "medical" marijuana users just want to get high, they say it helps with their "back pain", their "arthritis", their "cancer", etc

[GunnyFreedom]

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If Marinol, Cesamet, and Syndros are so great -- and they may well be -- then sell them in the clinics and let the free market sort out the best product.