Last week, on April 20 no less, the federal government announced that legislation legalizing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana will be ready next spring. It's been a long time coming. The history of marijuana prohibition is a long and complicated one, but its origins can be summarized as a part of a widespread movement of white middle class progressives who believed in the benefits of social engineering based on ethnic, class, and Victorian moral grounds. It was a movement designed to 'uplift' society and advocated for things like women's suffrage, improved working conditions, and public health and education reform. Sadly, they also supported things like eugenics, and forced sterilization, and residential schools. [continues 969 words]
Annual Pot Celebration Leaves 'Organized Chaos'; Crowd Was 'Mellow' The heap of garbage left behind after Wednesday's 4/20 pot event at Sunset Beach seemed to be the main concern for authorities, who said there was no major damage done and no arrests. Vancouver's director of parks Howard Normann surveyed the beach early Thursday morning, calling it "organized chaos" because while vendors collected most of the rubbish, they left two big piles of garbage bags for the city to remove. [continues 664 words]
VANCOUVER - Stoner subculture will likely take a hit with the incoming legalization of marijuana in Canada because as the cause vanishes, so will celebration of the drug, say experts. The declaration comes as the federal government announced a spring 2017 deadline for introducing new marijuana laws and while thousands of people gathered across Canada for the annual April 20 'Weed Day' protest, also known as 4-20. Protesting against cannabis prohibition has become a social movement with its own ideology and symbols, but that will likely change with the repeal of criminalization, said Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. [continues 499 words]
Optimism mixed with thick clouds of pot smoke in downtown Vancouver last year as tens of thousands of people gathered for the annual "4-20" marijuana legalization rally under a massive banner featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's face on a rolling paper. But this year, the event's chief organizer, Jodie Emery, says that "inaction" by the newly elected federal Liberals makes the protest "more necessary than ever." "Last summer, I was joking I'm going to be out of work as an activist because we don't have debates anymore, there's no one fighting to keep it illegal," said Ms. Emery, who is the wife of "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery. "But fast forward to today and the mood is different." [continues 367 words]
Professor Doug Sellman is wrong to believe "the days of cannabis prohibition in New Zealand appear to be coming to an end." New Zealanders need to be aware of a smokescreen around this issue. Politicians need to reject knee-jerk law changes and understand the real agenda behind liberalising drug laws and also the potential abuse of medicinal marijuana. The Government is right to be cautious around this issue, but there must also be a compassionate response to those in real need. [continues 559 words]
Drugs policy in the UK is not actually made in smoke-filled rooms but it might as well be. The mixture of befuddled optimism with a lack of urgency that characterises official thinking about cannabis has had dangerous results. Getting on for 50 years of prohibition, vigorously defended in principle but lackadaisically enforced in practice, have produced a situation that combines the disadvantages of tolerance and criminalisation. Two generations of parents now know that it is not as dangerous as official propaganda told them, but this leads to a reluctance to admit that the habit has any real dangers at all. That in itself is dangerous to their children. [continues 473 words]
Forum Offers Sobering Opinions on Push for Legalization of Marijuana The increasing speculation that Rhode Island will further ease restrictions on the use of marijuana had area prevention coalitions raising a flag of caution at a recent Town Hall Meeting, hosted on the campus of Amica Insurance, to talk about how those changes could affect young people. The forum on marijuana focused on how the drug affects adolescents and the developing teenage brain with the help of Dr. Lilia RomeroBosch, a psychiatrist, and also presented information on existing trends in drug use among teens from Margaret Johnson, a student assistance counselor for the Warwick school department. There was also a youth panel of students who gave first-hand accounts of what is happening in their schools in North Smithfield, Lincoln, Cumberland, Woonsocket and Scituate. The discussion was moderated by Nancy Denuccio, chairwoman of the Ocean State Prevention Alliance. Romero-Bosch related her experiences in counseling family members with substance abuse problems, and her experiences with patients who are trying to quit substance abuse while also participating in marijuana production. [continues 1692 words]
UN Meeting to Discuss Growing Drugs Problem Up to Quarter of Psychosis Cases Could Be Prevented The risks of heavy cannabis use 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 the first special session on the global drugs problem since 1998. The meeting in New York next week aims to unify countries in their efforts to tackle issues around illicit drug use. [continues 1160 words]
Reading Bart Hinkle's Commentary column, "Coming out of the drug-war haze," got me fired up about the war on drugs. There is a widespread misconception that all drugs are bad when in reality there are good drugs and bad drugs. The problem arises when propaganda is spread labeling less harmful drugs such as common psychedelics ( marijuana, LSD, Psilocybin) as brain-melting substances that induce schizophrenia and reefer madness. In actuality such drugs only act as a catalyst in bringing to surface underlying mental conditions. [continues 137 words]
Trudeau promised to make marijuana legal. Where's that at? Instead of "Hump Day" on April 20, thousands of Canadians will celebrate "Hemp Day" through the annual 4/20 protest against pot prohibition. With the Trudeau Liberals committed to legalizing cannabis, spirits should be high. But the fact remains that unless you're a licensed medical user, if you possess or share marijuana at the protest, you're breaking the law. Bill Blair, the former Toronto police chief who's the government's point man on the file as parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, made that crystal clear in a recent CBC interview. [continues 1689 words]
The topic of marijuana got a serious scientific treatment Wednesday at the University of California San Diego, where researchers outlined the latest evidence about the drug. The federal government estimates that 22.2 million Americans use cannabis today, an increase of about 4.4 million since 2002. The rise comes amid a growing medical marijuana movement that has culminated with full legalization in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Washington state and Washington, D.C. California could join those ranks in November if the state's voters approve marijuana for recreational use. [continues 821 words]
Re: "Marijuana for Trauma opens" Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 Improved access to medical marijuana for our soldiers so that they can deal with the trauma of combat, are you serious? Where is the valid and reliable research to support the benefits of medical marijuana for soldiers affected with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? There are numerous short-term studies out there stating that medical marijuana is safe for the treatment of PTSD and that there are no risk factors, but I strongly urge people to consider that this assumption is based off of low-quality scientific evidence. [continues 401 words]
There is a wise old adage which reads, "Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it." That message certainly applies to the proposed initiatives on the ballot later this year to legalize the use of recreational marijuana in California. Voters in California passed Proposition 215 almost 20 years ago, and only recently has this state established a viable method for making this product available for those who have a legitimate medical need. Recreational use, however, is an entirely different matter. [continues 586 words]
As Michigan considers marijuana, ("Michigan voters would OK legal pot, poll says," March 28), it is important to understand the impact on public health, especially the health of teens. The debate over legalization may be confusing and contributes to the perception that marijuana is harmless. Research shows otherwise. For example, one in six teens who start early will become addicted to marijuana, a statistic that rises to 25-50 percent with daily use. Legal-pot states are beginning to see the effect. Colorado, for example, now leads the nation in past-month marijuana use by young people. [continues 66 words]
NEW HAVEN - Dependence on marijuana may have a genetic basis, according to research at Yale University. The study of more than 14,000 persons also found that a risk for dependence on marijuana may mean a higher chance of inheriting major depression, according to a release. "We were surprised to find a genetic risk overlap between cannabis dependence and major depression," said Dr. Joel Gelernter, a psychiatrist and professor of genetics and neuroscience, who was senior author of the study. The research showed that both dependence on marijuana and depression could be inherited. [continues 80 words]
Thousands of Studies Have Proven That Marijuana Should Remain a Narcotic California Medical Association Is Dead Wrong in Giving Its Blessing to Weed Legalization Be Prepared for More Psychosis, Depression, Violence and Suicides There is money in drugs; the cartels proved that. But drug dealers aren't encumbered with the societal costs, which are nine to 10 times greater than any public revenues they generate. That's been our experience with alcohol and tobacco, and that doesn't count human misery. [continues 630 words]
SIR - It is disturbing to hear that delegates at the Liberal Democrat conference have called for the legalisation of cannabis (report, telegraph.co.uk, March 12). This decision indicates a lack of research on their part as well as an ignorance of the connection between cannabis and mental health disorders. Those working in this field are aware that cannabis can trigger the onset of schizophrenia, particularly in the young. It can also seriously reduce the efficacy of the medication that is prescribed to alleviate the distressing symptoms of this condition. David Orfeur London N21 [end]
Expert panel notes how drug affects brain growth until user reaches 25 CALGARY - With research showing harmful effects of marijuana on developing adolescent brains, Ottawa should tread carefully in how it legalizes the drug, including consideration of a high minimum age for usage, a panel on substance abuse said Friday. Two members of a panel speaking in Calgary said updated research about the ways regular marijuana use negatively affects adolescents in numerous ways should colour the debate over the cannabis legalization promised by the new Liberal government. [continues 419 words]
With research showing harmful effects of marijuana on developing adolescent brains, Ottawa should tread carefully in how it legalizes the drug, including consideration of a high minimum age for usage, a panel on substance abuse said Friday. Two members of a panel speaking in Calgary said updated research about the ways regular marijuana use negatively affects adolescents in numerous ways should colour the debate over the cannabis legalization promised by the new Liberal government. Knowledge that cannabis affects the developing brain until age 25 should influence any legalization age restrictions, said Dr. Philip Tibbo, director of the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis program. [continues 140 words]
