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Our data indicate that persistent cannabis users constitute a burden on families, communities, and national social-welfare systems. Moreover, heavy cannabis use and dependence was not associated with fewer harmful economic and social problems than was alcohol dependence. Our study underscores the need for prevention and early treatment of individuals dependent on cannabis. 

alcohol, addiction, Studies

Five companies were awarded licenses in November to grow and distribute the new low-THC forms of the drug and some have now hired lobbyists. Costa Farms, a giant Miami-based grower of fruits and vegetables, wants to expand the list of ailments for which low-THC marijuana can be prescribed so it can broaden its market. It gave $88,000 to the political committees of the top players, including $35,000 each to the sponsors of their bills -- Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar.  #bribes
 

funding, PAC, special interests, bradley, Gaetz

December showed Bradley’s PAC maintaining its consistency: $59,500 raised pushed his PAC’s total up to $405,775.
A big contributor: Costa Farms of Miami, one of five nurseries approved to grow medical cannabis, and the biggest nursery in the state.
Costa Farms’ $25,000 contibution adds up to a lot of green.
Notable: in 2014, Costa Farms filed a lawsuit objecting to the lottery system for choosing dispensing organizations, reported the Miami Herald. Since then, the hurt feelings have been healed.

bradley, funding, PAC

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation says traffic deaths rose by 10 percent last year to 545, the highest total since 2008.
 
#NoCoincidence  

car crashes, Fatalities, Colorado

According to the Institute for a Drug Free Workplace, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that 50 percent of all on-the-job accidents and up to 40 percent of employee theft is due to drug abuse. The Institute says that drug-abusing employees are absent from work ten times more frequently than their non-using peers, and the turnover rate is 30 percent higher than for those employees who do not engage in abuse of illicit drugs.
Between safety concerns and cost savings, companies are very invested in keeping pot users out of the workplace. Something to think about if Florida ever legalizes marijuana: getting fired is a real buzz kill.

Employer, drug free workplace, Business
Myth, beer

In its recommendations, the AAP opposes:
·      Marijuana use by children and adolescents (aged through 21 years) given evidence on the negative health and brain development effects.
·      Medical marijuana use outside the regulatory process of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although it recognizes it may be an option for children with life-limiting or severely debilitating conditions for whom current therapies are inadequate.
·      Legalization of marijuana because of the potential harms to children and adolescents.
·      Use of smoked marijuana because smoking causes lung damage.

AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics

Acceptance of employee marijuana use means increased accidents and injuries, loss of workplace productivity, increased workers' compensation claims, and employee turnover, to name a few problems (National Institutes of Health). These losses have real dollar value that impacts small-business owners considerably. Ultimately, the most costly battles will be fought in the courts at the employers' expense. Weakening or removing employers' rights for a safe and drug free workplace ultimately threatens all of us.

Employer, Employees, drug free workplace

Pot is becoming more potent, a new study suggests.
In the study, the researchers looked at more than 38,600 samples of illegal marijuana seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration over 20 years. They found that the level of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol— marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient — in the marijuana samples rose from about 4 percent in 1995 to about 12 percent in 2014.
Conversely, the level of CBD, or cannabidiol — an ingredient sometimes touted for its potential health benefits — fell from about 0.28 percent in 2001 to less than 0.15 percent in 2014.
But smoking marijuana with high doses of THC may involve a higher risk of negative health effects, such as psychosis orpanic attacks, he said.
"Great article- clearly based on the previous posted comments  marijuana severely impairs a person's ability to understand and process information. Their anecdotal evidence continues to validate scientific statistics. " -No2Pot

CBD, Psychosis, Potency

The simple fact that THC is fat soluble. That makes it absorbed in a very different way and much more difficult to relate behavior to, say, [blood] levels of THC or develop a breathalyzer."  The height of your intoxication isn't at the moment when blood THC levels peak, and the high doesn't rise and fall uniformly based on how much THC leaves and enters your bodily fluids, says Marilyn Huestis, who headed the chemistry and drug metabolism section at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Potency, impaired, drugged driving, DUI

“It’s really difficult to document drugged driving in a relevant way, [because of] the simple fact that THC is fat soluble,” said Margaret Haney, a neurobiologist at Columbia University. “That makes it absorbed in a very different way and much more difficult to relate behavior to, say, [blood] levels of THC or develop a breathalyzer.”

driving, drugged driving, drug testing

Medina's back seat passenger, Daniela Benavides San Miguel, 18, was killed in the crash. Benavides San Miguel had graduated from Gulliver Preparatory last spring and was a freshman at Pepperdine University in California.
A passenger in the front seat, Mathew Saldana, 17, was injured in the crash. Medina and Saldana were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center with head injuries.
According to a court document, toxicology reports showed that Medina tested positive for marijuana.

Fatalities, car crashes, Florida

Citrus Park, Florida -- Two students at Sergeant Smith Middle School were rushed to the hospital on Thursday after they ate marijuana-infused candy.   According to a source, the boys were given the edible marijuana that looked like Fruit Loops by a third student.

edibles, Florida, tampa

The National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC) opposes all efforts at the local, state, and Federal levels to decriminalize, legalize, or normalize marijuana possession, production, and use, including legalize “medical” marijuana.

Marijuana is a dangerous psychoactive substance that has caused untold pain and suffering to individuals, families, and communities. 

position paper, NNOAC
alcohol, Legislators

"Many adolescents and young adults hear that marijuana is harmless," Miller said. "This is a myth. Research shows that the brain continues to grow until the age of 25. Marijuana is extremely harmful to the developing brain."
Officials in St. Petersburg also have discussed a similar de-escalation of the war on this particular drug. Last year, Miami-Dade, Miami Beach, Fernandina Beach and Hallandale Beach all launched citation programs.

tampa, Florida, decriminalization

A new study suggests marijuana smokers may be significantly more likely to develop an addiction to other drugs and alcohol than people who don’t use marijuana.
The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, included almost 35,000 adults who were interviewed three years apart. At the time of the first interview, almost 1,300 used marijuana. After three years, two-thirds of people who used marijuana had some form of substance use disorder, compared with less than 20 percent of people who did not use marijuana in the previous year.

addiction, youth, Studies

WHEREAS, the legalization of marijuana would be contrary to the interests of the public health, safety and welfare, and would undermine the quality of life of the citizens of the state of Florida.

Resolution, postition statement, Sheriff

What is the bottom line for information that a person with Parkinson’s disease will need to know if considering medical marijuana. Marijuana should never be thought of as a replacement for dopaminergic and other approved therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Second, though most available large studies have not shown a benefit, that does not mean that there will not be a benefit. Much more research will be needed to understand which patients, which symptoms, and how best to safely administer medical marijuana in Parkinson’s disease, especially over the long-term. It may turn out that non-motor features such as depression, anxiety, and pain respond best, but studies are desperately needed to sort this out.

Parkinson’s

Alcohol and Cannabis

AAA, alcohol, Metabolism, Impairment
AAA, driving, alcohol

Drug use impacts any person's ability to get a job far more than their arrest record. Several suggestions were offered to help make this citation an avenue for reducing future drug use and criminal activity.

OpEd

• Rates of cannabis use are approximately 2 times greater in persons with psychosis
• Cannabis has negative effects on cognition that are qualitatively similar in the general population, in people with psychotic disorders and in people at risk for psychotic disorders
• Adolescence is an important but vulnerable period of development for both the general population and especially for individuals at high risk for psychotic disorders

Psychosis, Studies

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) advocates for careful consideration of potential direct and downstream effects of marijuana policy changes on children and adolescents, and involvement of the medical and research community in policy-related discussions.  Legalization of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, even if restricted to adults, is likely to be associated with (a) decreased adolescent perceptions of marijuana’s harmful effects, (b) increased marijuana use among parents and caretakers, and (c) increased adolescent access to marijuana, all of which reliably predict increased rates of adolescent marijuana use and associated problems.

position paper, AACAP, Resolution

Every case of epilepsy is different and the disease is highly variable. Scientific studies help the entire epilepsy community to understand how and why various treatments work and for whom they are effective. Research also helps us understand the correct dose, side effects, and potential interactions with other medications. At present, the epilepsy community does not know if marijuana is a safe and effective treatment nor do we know the long-term effects
that marijuana will have on learning, memory and behavior, especially in infants and young children. This knowledge gap is of particular concern because both clinical data in adolescents and adults and laboratory data in animals demonstrate that there are potential negative effects of marijuana on these critical brain functions. 

AES, position paper, Resolution

Naomi Pomerance loved music and dance. And judging by the 500 people who turned out for her funeral, the 16-year-old Wellington girl was herself much beloved.
Naomi was killed March 28 when the Honda Rukus scooter on which she was a passenger ran a red light and T-boned a Toyota 4Runner, according to a police report.

Florida, Fatalities, car crashes

On public record, one application for an indoor grow states they will use over 9,700 gallons a day at full production. The purpose of indoor growing is year-round full production, right? So that’s 3,540,500 gallons per year, or 5.36 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Imagine me putting that pool in my backyard, draining and refilling it every 10 weeks because it makes me a ton of money, keeps a lot of people stoned, and you voted for it.
Where is the outrage? Pot drains water & electric resources #Waste&wasted

Colorado, Water, conservation

The American Epilepsy Society is very sympathetic to the desperation of parents whose children have severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy. Our members, face these families daily at the clinic and at their bedside and are highly attuned to the need for compassionate use of promising new therapies in appropriate and controlled circumstances. AES urges all people touched by epilepsy to consult with an epilepsy specialist and explore the many existing treatment options, so that they can make informed decisions with their specialist that weighs the risks and benefits of the different treatment options. 

american epiliepsy society, epilepsy

By study’s end, the Epidiolex group had a median 39 percent reduction in the number of convulsive seizures in a month, while the placebo group had a 13 percent reduction. It was a difference the researchers called highly statistically significant.
Epidiolex, however, would be the first proposed drug made solely from cannabidiol, the plant’s second major chemical component, though one that’s steadily being bred out of existence in commercial stocks.
Ten patients, or 16 percent, experienced more severe side effects, and 8 patients decided to stop using the treatment altogether, compared to one in the placebo group. Overall, though, 84 percent of patients who experienced adverse events rated them mild or moderate.

Epidiolex, seizure
buckhorn, legalization

What makes this new study more compelling than previous studies is that the researchers followed the same individuals for over 50 years from a young age to adulthood.  This is precisely what one needs to solve the chicken or egg riddle with respect to cannabis and violence:  just look and see which one happens first.
One fifth of those who were pot smokers (22%) reported violent behavior that began after beginning to use cannabis, whereas only 0.3% reported violence before using weed.  Continued use of cannabis over the life-time of the study was the strongest predictor of violent convictions, even when the other factors that contribute to violent behavior were considered in the statistical analysis.
 In conclusion, the results show that continued cannabis use is associated with a 7-fold greater odds for subsequent commission of violent crimes.  This level of risk is similar to the increased risk of lung cancer from smoking cigarettes over a similar duration (40 years).  The authors suggest that impairments in neurological circuits controlling behavior may underlie impulsive, violent behavior, as a result of cannabis altering the normal neural functioning in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. 

violence, Studies, crime

Furthermore, the study shows that people engaged in the non-medical use of prescription opioids rarely use heroin. Also, the transition to heroin for people abusing prescription opioids occurs at a lower rate than for others. The research indicates that the primary causes in the increase in heroin use and associated overdoses are lower market prices and higher purity for heroin.
 

opioid, heroin

legalization

In summary, marijuana use is harmful to children and adolescents.  For this reason, the American College of Pediatricians opposes its legalization for recreational use and urges extreme caution in legalizing it for medicinal use.  Likewise, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently offered their own policy statement opposing efforts to legalize marijuana. They similarly pointed out that “marijuana’s deleterious effects on adolescent brain development, cognition, and social functioning may have immediate and long-term implications, including increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, sexual victimization, academic failure, lasting decline in intelligence measures, psychopathology, addiction, and psychosocial and occupational impairment.” Thus the AACAP (a) opposes efforts to legalize marijuana, (b) supports initiatives to increase awareness of marijuana’s harmful effects on adolescents, (c) supports improved access to evidence-based treatment, rather than emphasis on criminal charges, for adolescents with cannabis use disorder, and (d) supports careful monitoring of the effects of marijuana-related policy changes on child and adolescent mental health.49 The College agrees with this position on marijuana.

American Academy of Pediatrics, youth, Research, Side-Effects
AAA, alcohol, driving, Impairment
driving, Infographics
position paper, Resolution

Colorado amends marijuana regulations to include child resistant, regulated sales, potency, serving size, harms...

Colorado, Controlled Sale

“This is not a war on drugs , it is a defense of our brains!” Dr. Bertha Madras, PhD

powerpoint, Brain
  • The current laws mean I have to drive across the city transporting the weed and hash with no license to do so. It’s impossible to work normally this way, and I’m more scared of the police than the dealers I buy from.’
  • While Dutch policy allows coffee shops to sell cannabis, cultivation remains illegal.
  • ‘The current system, in which you can sell cannabis but not grow it, is unsustainable,’
Netherlands

Why is it called “medical” marijuana? It cannot be prescribed by a doctor, and you will not find it for sale in any pharmacy. 

There is no scientific research from those who support the legalization of marijuana that is smoked or eaten.

OpEd
no2pot, 4/20
File 2016 Amendment 2: "Does this sound like medicine?"

What is the reality of legalizing marijuana under the guise of a medicine?

video, Amendment 2, medicine


With youth usage and perception of harm having significantly  increased the past 4 it would be better to compare data to 10 years ago not last year.

youth, SAMHSA

Swedish researchers analyzed the records of more than 45,000 men beginning in 1969 and 1970. The scientists from the Karolinska Institute 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.

Teens, usage, Death

To approve a medicine, the FDA requires five criteria to be fulfilled...marijuana legalization via ballot amendments or legislative bills does not meet any of the FDA requirements. 
Smoking dope, getting high and saying I feel better is not a criteria for medicine. 

medicine, madras, FDA

http://gis.hcso.tampa.fl.us/crimemapping/  must use firefox

crime, tampa

The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of the prevalence of self-reported use
and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, and related perceptions and
beliefs among drivers 18 and older in the United States, and to present an analysis of
changes in these behaviors between 2013 and 2015. The data analyzed were collected via
nationally-representative surveys administered during this period.
From 2013-2015, an estimated 14.0 percent of drivers drove with a BAC close to or over the
legal limit in the past year, and 4.6 percent drove within an hour of using marijuana.
Drivers are divided with regard to their perceptions of the effect of using marijuana an hour
prior to driving on one’s risk of causing a crash: 58.3 percent believe this risk is increased,
6.2 percent believe it is not affected, 3.6 percent believe it is decreased, and 31.8 percent
indicated that they do not know how using marijuana an hour before driving affects crash
risk. Drivers who reported using marijuana, and those who reported driving within an hour
of use in the past year were less likely to believe that using marijuana increases crash risk,
and more likely to believe that such use does not affect or decreases crash risk. Awareness
of per se DUI laws for marijuana was low: in states that did have a per se law, only 48.5
percent were aware of it; in states without a per se law, 44.7 percent indicated incorrectly
that their state had such a law. Irrespective of whether their state actually had a per se law
for marijuana, more than half of all drivers reported that they did not know whether or not
their state had such a law.

AAA

The effects on public health and safety and on the relationship of law enforcement to minority communities will take years to manifest fully, but one impact has become abundantly clear: Legalized marijuana is getting very cheap very quickly.

Washington
Colorado, pesticide, lawsuit

For the researchers of the study, the results present a “a major public health concern” as a number of pregnant women would report taking marijuana to alleviate morning sickness or nausea – without knowing of the adverse side-effects.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623816300715#    

Highlights

Marijuana increases the risk of spontaneous preterm birth independent of cigarette smoking status and socio-economic status.

Women who continue to use marijuana at 20 weeks’ gestation are five times more likely to deliver preterm than those who do not.

The rate of early SPTB is higher amongst women who continue to use marijuana at 20 weeks’ gestation.

Pregnancy, Studies

"The cannabis industry, with a capitalization in excess of $4 billion, has embraced the free market. Its opponents, such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana, counter that unfettered legalization means another Big Tobacco. The danger is that “better products” (mostly high-THC pot and more seductive ways to deliver it) will produce more addiction, accidents, psychoses and cognitive deficits, particularly among daily users who account for the vast majority of sales. When the core business model is phishing for phools by exploiting misinformed buyers, more research is not necessarily welcome. If rescheduling produces additional studies confirming that regular cannabis use causes abnormal brain development, memory impairment and diminished IQ, the drug would look more like lead exposure than a harmless party plant."

big marijuana, SMART

PHOENIX - The Arizona Supreme Court says immunity provided doctors under the state's medical marijuana law for certifying patients to use pot only applies to the medical certifications, not other conduct such as making false statements in documents.
The ruling Friday overturns a lower court's decision that upheld dismissal of forgery and fraud charges against a physician on grounds that he was protected under the medical marijuana's law immunity provision.
Dr. Robert Gear was charged in Navajo County after signing a medical marijuana certification for a police informant based on his examination but before receiving a year's worth of the patient's records.

lawsuit, Medical, Doctors, Arizona
addiction, Infographics

Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug. Washington was one of the first two states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and these findings serve as an eye-opening case study for what other states may experience with road safety after legalizing the drug. 

AAA, Washington, driving, car crashes, Colorado, Impairment
AAA, Infographics

Warsame told his schoolmate he had never smoked marijuana and would like to try it, and the two smoked together, according to the report.

A toxicology screen by the medical examiner found “relatively high levels”  of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent in marijuana, in Warsame’s system.

youth, Death, Washington
Infographics, NIDA

The percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes who recently used marijuana more than doubled from eight to 17 percent between 2013 and 2014.
One in six drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2014 had recently used marijuana, which is the most recent data available.
“The significant increase in fatal crashes involving marijuana is alarming,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Washington serves as an eye-opening case study for what other states may experience with road safety after legalizing the drug.”

car crashes, Fatalities, Washington
TEACHERS, LESSON PLANS
Georgia, monitoring the future
Infographics, high school, School, academics
Morgan

Fatal driving accidents have risen 122 percent between 2010 and 2014, according to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

The science is clear and unambiguous—pot is a dangerous substance. It is not like alcohol at all. There is a reason it is classified as a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance, right along with heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. The American Medical Association, the American Lung Association, and other reputable doctors and scientists all reject legalization.

drugged driving, driving, car crashes, Washington, Colorado, Fatalities

A new study to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting found that one in six infants and toddlers admitted to a Colorado hospital with coughing, wheezing and other symptoms of bronchiolitis tested positive for marijuana exposure. 
"Especially as marijuana becomes more available and acceptable, we need to learn more about how this may affect children's health and development." In the meantime, she said, "marijuana should never be smoked in the presence of children." 

Colorado, second hand smoke, Children

Morgan peppered his 50-minute speech with f-bombs, attacks on the Florida Legislature and a declaration that the future of medical marijuana has reached a “tipping point” in Florida and the nation.

Morgan

“I think the black market in general is still very active and Craigslist is a perfect example of the active black market,” Lauren Harris said.

Colorado, Black Market

Friends, I make no bones about not being politically correct; neither do I apologize. But I would be the first to acknowledge that uneducated/unemployed weed-smoking/drug-crazed young black males are single-handedly responsible for the huge spike in the homicide rate. And this is being seen all across the country.

crime, murder, homicide, Florida, orlando

Morgan, a major Democratic fundraiser who told the audience that former President Bill Clinton visited him at his home last week, quickly backpedaled from his apparent truth telling, however.
 
“I didn't really lie. What I did was, I said this could be two-for-one, because I started my marijuana deal before Charlie got in the race. … That's the truth. I got real fired up about it because I thought, hey, we could get marijuana and Charlie. So that really motivated me,” Morgan said.

Morgan, Clinton, Crist, scam
Morgan, video

PowerPoint Presentation comparing Marijuana & Alcohol,

alcohol, harm, Potency, Pharmacokinetics, powerpoint
Infographics, educators

An Amendment IS NOT legalizing an FDA approved medication... IT IS NOT A PRESCRIPTION.
NO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS AMENDMENTS or BILLS... not ethically or morally right to legalize via popular vote.

Amendment 2, Florida

"It’s the best educated guess that we have," United for Care director Ben Pollara said. "It’s up to the Department of Health and the Legislature. … It could be 2,000, it could be 20. It could be 5,000."
The state health department did project 1,993 medical marijuana dispensaries would be needed to serve potential patients, based on data from Colorado compared with Florida. That is more than the 840 Walgreens and 233 Walmart supercenters and discount stores in the state, although the comparison seems like a bit of a red herring.
It’s important to remember that while the health department report is the only real estimate available, this figure isn’t definite. The agency and the Legislature would decide the actual number of stores and how they are regulated after the amendment passes. That total is anyone’s guess.
 

Amendment 2, pot shops, medical dispensaries

If you drive on drugs you are out of your mind.

driving, drugged driving, youtube, Fatalities

Endangers health of community and drains precious health resources.

Colorado, Dept. of Health, position paper

TAMPA — Forget the strawberries of Plant City and the tomatoes of Ruskin. Hillsborough County has begun farming its latest money crop: reefer, pot, doobage, ganja, weed, Mary Jane, otherwise known to the masses as marijuana.

tampa
SAMHSA, youth

The driver involved in the crash that killed a Massachusetts state trooper in March had visited a medical marijuana dispensary and had a half-burnt marijuana cigarette in his car, authorities said Wednesday.

car crashes, medcine, Fatalities

Kennesaw State University
 

I'm going to go ahead and say that I did not read the entire article before posting this comment. I had a question pop into my head and I had to ask it before I lost it. The article states " biggest risk of smoking weed is the smoke itself, which contains the same kind of cancer-causing chemicals as cigarette smoke". Now maybe I am just a super uneducated smoker but I didn't think that weed and cigarettes had the same chemicals in them. From what I've always been told, cigarettes have things like formaldehyde in them, whereas weed is just trimmed from the plant and put in a bag. And if you smoke it out of glass, then it truly is just smoking a plant from glass. Now, I am aware that smoking anything is bad for your lungs and also using lighters which contain butane has an effect but I just became a little confused when it was said that they have the same chemicals in them. I would love for someone with a little insight to help me out with this. Thanks.

Ashley Kirk · 

Kennesaw State University

I'm going to go ahead and say that I did not read the entire article before posting this comment. I had a question pop into my head and I had to ask it before I lost it. The article states " biggest risk of smoking weed is the smoke itself, which contains the same kind of cancer-causing chemicals as cigarette smoke". Now maybe I am just a super uneducated smoker but I didn't think that weed and cigarettes had the same chemicals in them. From what I've always been told, cigarettes have things like formaldehyde in them, whereas weed is just trimmed from the plant and put in a bag. And if you smoke it out of glass, then it truly is just smoking a plant from glass. Now, I am aware that smoking anything is bad for your lungs and also using lighters which contain butane has an effect but I just became a little confused when it was said that they have the same chemicals in them. I would love for someone with a little insight to help me out with this. Thanks.

 

Comments

CDA has determined that there are less than two hundred pesticides that can be legally used in the cultivation of cannabis

pesticide, Colorado

Recent research has documented high rates of comorbidity between cannabis use disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans.
Overall, 14.6% of participants reported using cannabis in the past 6 months. After controlling for age, race, service era, and combat exposure, past 6-month cannabis use was associated with unmarried status, use of tobacco products, other drug use, hazardous alcohol use, PTSD severity, depressive symptom severity, and suicidality. The present findings show that cannabis use is quite prevalent among veterans seeking PTSD specialty treatment and is associated with poorer mental health and use of other substances.

PTSD, Veterans

A 17-year-old boy beat a 14-year-old to death in Virginia last month after he asked the younger teen to smoke marijuana with him and the younger boy told an adult, law enforcement sources told News4.

Death, Teen

“They told me I was having a psychotic episode brought on by cannabis,” said Thibodeau, who requested that the Star use his grandmother’s surname as he is still recovering from the breakdown.
“I was shocked. We live in a society where there is such a culture around smoking dope that people think it is cool to be a stoner. Nobody ever talks about the pitfalls.”

Psychosis

The law and D49's policy only allows non-smokeable marijuana to be used on school grounds. The medicine would have to be brought, administered, and taken away from the school by the student's primary caregiver. No school employee would be required to give the student cannabis.

Colorado, School, School District

Colorado, sales

"The rapid growth in concentrates and edibles is the continuation of a two-year trend, as consumers increasingly prefer alternative consumption methods to smoking," BDS Analytics CEO Roy Bingham told Civilized in an e-mail. 
Also, increased are hospitalization, ER visits and vehicle fatal accidents. 

edibles, Colorado, youth

New data paint a grim picture of Colorado’s rising drug-related deaths.

And, two pager  http://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/uploads/downloads/Drug_deaths_2_p...

Colorado, overdose

Analysis indicated that for each year adolescent boys engaged in regular marijuana use, their projected level of subsequent subclinical psychotic symptoms increased by 21% and projected risk for subclinical paranoia or hallucinations increased by 133% and 92%, respectively.

youth, adolescent, Psychosis

What research there is suggests that using alcohol and marijuana together can intensify the effects of both. Alcohol has been shown to increase the level of marijuana’s main psychoactive ingredient, THC, in the blood stream. (1)  With increased heart rate and lowered judgment, driving and other activities can be very dangerous. As a person consumes more of either pot or alcohol, they are less likely to think rationally about how much or what they are consuming. 

alcohol, Marketplace

It's certainly possible to go to a musical festival and take in the performances while consuming the substance(s) of your choice responsibly and having a genuinely enjoyable time, and it's just as possible to experience the exact opposite.

Molly, Music Festival

Summary: Cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with abnormal brain structure in children, according to a new study. Compared with unexposed children, those who were prenatally exposed to cannabis had a thicker prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in complex cognition, decision-making, and working memory.

Pregnancy, Brain, science daily

All told, several hundred marijuana migrants struggling with poverty appear to be arriving in Colorado each month. Some of them, like Butts, come to use cannabis recreationally or medically without the fear of arrest. Others are hoping to get jobs in the new industry. But many arrive to find homeless services stretched to the breaking point, local housing costs increasingly prohibitive and cannabis use laws that penalize those without private residences.
Fresh off the bus from Texas, Butts didn’t know any of this. He was still optimistic that legal marijuana would be his lifeline as he struck out on a new path. “I’m going to get clean, man,” he said. “That’s what the marijuana industry is for. I think being here in Colorado is going to help.”

Colorado, homeless, denver

“I am going to get the highest I’ve been here,” he said between coughs of smoke, gazing across the rolling grasslands that stretched to hazy Rocky Mountain foothills far to the west. “This place is awesome. You don’t get anything like this in Texas.”

Colorado, homeless

In Colorado, homeless programs are severely overextended, housing costs are skyrocketing and while marijuana might be legal, public consumption of it isn’t — which means those like Butts who don’t have private residences can still face harsh consequences for using it. It doesn’t help that marijuana jobs are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain by those struggling with homelessness. 

Colorado, homeless
  • The 2013/2014 survey results show Colorado youth ranked No. 1 in the nation for past month marijuana use, up from No. 4 in 2011/2012.
  • Colorado youth past month marijuana use for 2013/2014 was 74 percent higher than the national average (12.56 percent vs. 7.22 percent).
Colorado, youth usage, School

Officers searched Calloway’s vehicle after smelling the pot. Officers say they found 22.9 grams of hash oil, 2,320 grams of pot and 84 bags of gummy candies laced with THC. 

edibles, Florida, tampa

“In this observational study,” it found that “initiating marijuana use after treatment was associated with worse PTSD symptoms, more violent behavior, and alcohol use. Marijuana may actually worsen PTSD symptoms or nullify the benefits of specialized, intensive treatment. Cessation or prevention of use may be an important goal of treatment.”

Veterans, PTSD, Studies

A massive marijuana grow connected to a Mexican drug trafficking organization was raided early Tuesday morning, resulting in one arrest and the seizure of more than 6,500 plants.

trafficking, raid

“Many existing marijuana intervention programs target students age 15 and older,” Chen said. “Our findings demonstrate the need to start drug education much earlier, in the fourth or fifth grade. This gives us an opportunity to make a preemptive strike before they actually start using marijuana.”

youth usage, prevention

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