What's in today's weed? It's what's missing that might count the most. The CBC's Marketplace tested the levels of some mind-altering chemicals in marijuana sold in Toronto dispensaries. The strains tested had much more THC - the active ingredient that provides pot's high - than the weed of decades past. Some strains reached as high at 30% THC; much higher than 3%-4% common in pot in the 1970s. [continues 368 words]
Remember the old "gateway drug" theory that marijuana leads to harder drugs like cocaine or meth? Now researchers at the University of British Columbia believe the idea might actually work in reverse. A new study touted as one of the "most comprehensive" ever suggests that drug users - particularly those addicted to opioids and alcohol - could benefit from using marijuana as a reverse "stepping stone" away from more dangerous substances. According to UBC associate professor of psychology Zach Walsh, "research suggests that people may be using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce use of substances that are potentially more harmful, such as opioid pain medication." [continues 71 words]
Canadians, especially lawmakers, gleefully rushing headlong to legalize marijuana should pause to consider the heartbreaking stabbing death of 13-year-old Letisha Reimer, as innocent a crime victim as one can imagine. Gabriel Brandon Klein, the 21-year-old homeless man from Alberta charged with second-degree murder in the death of the Abbotsford Senior Secondary School student, and aggravated assault in the non-fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old girl in the Nov. 1 attack, was a heavy pot smoker who recently "became manic, paranoid and frightened," some of his friends told CBC. [continues 650 words]
The legalization of retail marijuana stores two years ago has had profound impacts on the city and county of Pueblo. Some good. Some bad. Now, the time has come for Pueblo voters to decide whether the benefits outweigh the negatives. For months, The Pueblo Chieftain has been intensely studying this issue, both with special and ongoing news reporting, and also with private editorial board discussions with those for and against retail marijuana stores and grow operations. It is an understatement to say the issue is complicated. So bear with us as we try today to discuss the essential concerns. [continues 1593 words]
One of Justin Trudeau's flashiest policies has been his promise to legalize marijuana. Taking advantage of 4/20 this past April, his government announced that it will be instated in the spring of 2017-only one year later. We're halfway through that time, and his policy remains vague and shallow. Trudeau is waiting on results from the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, but the lack of information this close to its proposed implementation is unsettling. One of the most glaring gaps is that the Liberal government's website doesn't explain how it plans to keep the drug out of the hands of youth-it offers no details, and only asks for a signature in support. When discussing how legalization should be accomplished, Trudeau must clarify how he intends to protect youth from excessive marijuana use and be committed to educating them on the adverse health effects and safety risks. [continues 668 words]
Re: Impaired driving laws a speed bump to legalize pot. I just read where road deaths have doubled in Washington State since it legalized pot a few years ago. That being said, in promising to legalize this narcotic for votes, Prime Minister Trudeau simply ignored that no road test existed to test for intoxication by inhaling this drug. Another major problem was recently highlighted by the Canadian Medical Association, which declared nobody under 21 should be able to buy this narcotic because of the real risk of them suffering psychosis and other mental issues if consumed at a young age. I sure wish the Trudeau government would be half the effort it is putting into legalized marijuana into growing our economy and creating jobs! Larry Comeau (Can Trudeau walk and chew gum at the same time?) [end]
Modern medicine has evolved greatly over the years in treating cancer and other illnesses. We have radiation and chemotherapy to reduce tumour growths, we have opioids to decrease pain and there are a number of over the counter drugs we can buy when we're feeling under the weather. But what about using marijuana in treatments for life threatening diseases and other life-altering ailments? It's not talked about very openly, in fact many who use cannabis oil tend to keep it under wraps, said Don Keith, a medical marijuana license holder in Petrolia. That's why he has planned a discussion group at the Petrolia library on Friday, Oct. 28, to offer support and a safe place to talk about using medical marijuana without ridicule or judgment. [continues 911 words]
Nevadans will vote in coming days on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana here, as four other states have already done. Both advocates and opponents have made strident cases to support their views. However, the two camps cite data that appears to conflict. We have mixed views on this initiative, but we are interested in informational clarity. So, we were delighted recently to read an analysis of the objective trends by Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron and his co-authors. They use recent data from Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska to dispel many myths propagated by both sides. [continues 622 words]
I ask all of you folks who care about the young to vote against Proposition 205. Summarizing information from a number of sources in Arizona and Colorado, here are some of the primary reasons: * Prop 205 Endangers Arizona's Young People Prop 205 authorizes the production and sale of highly concentrated marijuana edibles and candies without limits on potency. Prop 205 permits sales of marijuana edibles near preschools and youth clubs such as the Boys and Girls clubs. Prop 205 expands drug use permitting current medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana from the same store front. [continues 744 words]
The process of legalizing marijuana is a bit like driving a car down a road at night with the lights off - we're not sure what dangers lie ahead and we're not sure where this journey will end. The use of marijuana is becoming more widespread, and legalization - whatever form it takes - seems inevitable. The federal government has promised to table legislation next spring that will legalize and regulate marijuana, leaving other levels of government to wrestle in the meantime with a proliferation of marijuana dispensaries. [continues 553 words]
Minnesotans seeking pain relief have quickly become the second-largest group of patients in the state's medical marijuana program, even though they became eligible just one month ago. One out of three patients enrolled in the program is seeking relief from chronic pain, according to figures released this week by the Office of Medical Cannabis. The Minnesota Department of Health added intractable pain to the shortlist of qualifying conditions for the program on Aug. 1. By Aug. 31, there were more pain patients - 847 - than patients with cancer, epilepsy and terminal illnesses combined. [continues 738 words]
L.A. Substance-Abuse Prevention Specialist Works to Limit Pot Availability Among Young People. When I wrote on Friday that pot use can have a serious downside for some teenagers, I hardly expected to be accused of embracing an archaic, alarmist "Reefer Madness" point of view. "Are you paid by an anti-marijuana faction?" asked one reader. "You should be ashamed." I'm sure I've done a lot of things that I should be ashamed of, but raising questions about the effects of marijuana on developing brains is not one of them. [continues 894 words]
NEW YORK (AP) - Marijuana use is becoming more accepted among U.S. adults as states loosen pot laws, new national survey data shows. More are using marijuana, using it more often and far fewer think it's risky, the government survey found. That's understandable, experts say, as dozens of states now allow medical marijuana and four states have recently legalized pot for recreational use. More than a half million U.S. adults participated in the survey over a dozen years, and the responses show a shift in attitude. Only a third of adults in 2014 said they thought weekly marijuana use was dangerous, down from half of adults in 2002. [continues 407 words]
As Voters Ponder Prop. 64, Experts Cite the Effects Pot Can Have on Young Users. SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - Devan Fuentes made it all the way through San Clemente High School without drinking or using drugs. He vividly remembers the first time he smoked pot. He was visiting a friend at Occidental College, and decided the moment had come. "They brought out a giant three-foot bong," Fuentes told me the other day in a rustic coffee shop tucked into this town's historic Los Rios neighborhood. "I heard a lot of people don't get high their first time, so I held it in for a long time, one large hit. Immediately, I couldn't feel my legs." [continues 1001 words]
D.C. Tenants Face Eviction As 'Drug Nuisances' Even When No One Is Charged With a Crime For eight years, Rajuawn Middleton, an assistant at a major downtown law firm, lived in a four-bedroom red-brick home she rented on a quiet tree-lined street in Northeast Washington - until she was forced out over a few cigarettes containing a "green leafy substance." In March 2014, police arrested her adult son on charges of possessing a handgun outside a nightclub. He had not lived with Middleton for years, but two weeks later, D.C. police looking for more guns raided her home. [continues 3063 words]
Re: DEA is blowing more smoke over marijuana, Fresno Bee editorial Aug. 14. We are like the frogs in the pot of water. Only we the frogs are turning up the heat on ourselves by passing Proposition 64 and making marijuana legal for recreational use. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are at least three problems with marijuana use: It may cause the user to become paranoid schizophrenic. [continues 108 words]
Why are the Liberals thinking of legalizing marijuana? Is it possible that they don't know what's on their own website where Health Canada has posted serious warnings against its use, particularly, for anyone under the age of 25 (Health Canada consumer information cannabis). Is the government blind to the following detrimental effects of legalization in places like Colorado? A) Increased use: An April 2016 report by the Colorado Department of Public Safety found that although high school use dropped slightly, use by 18 to 25 year olds increased from 21 per cent in 2006 to 31 per cent in 2014 while use by adults doubled. [continues 267 words]
If a referendum was held on legalising cannabis for personal use, would you support it? You'd have to be off your scone. The New Zealand Drug Foundation (NZDF) has been crowing about the results of its self-selecting poll, indicating broad public support for decriminalising cannabis for personal use. Rebecca Reider made history over the weekend by bringing the first legal raw cannabis flower into New Zealand, campaigners say. The NZDF has steadily become a strident proponent for law reform, to the point that they now sound more like glorified pushers, campaigning for "the removal of criminal penalties for drug use, possession and social supply." [continues 544 words]
Both National and Labour have distanced themselves from a survey reported in the Herald that a majority of New Zealanders want the laws relating to cannabis to change. The Prime Minister explained that supporting a change in our drug laws would send the wrong message to our youth. Key is correct to be concerned. Cannabis is increasing in potency. It can cause psychosis in some people and be a gateway drug in some instances. If a person becomes addicted, it has the capacity to diminish their life over the long term. Although cannabis does not cause as much damage as legal drugs like alcohol or tobacco or illegal drugs like methamphetamine, it still comes with clear risks. [continues 659 words]
For several years, cannabis researchers have been zeroing in on the health benefits of a marijuana extract known as cannabidiol, a.k.a. CBD. It's long been believed that CBD does not get people stoned, unlike the plant's psychoactive and better-known extract, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. And it has been argued that this helps patients who might be seeking relief from pain and other conditions but who don't want to get high every time they take their medication. [continues 839 words]
