Cigarettes are a natural nemesis for parents of teenagers. But perhaps parents should be more worried about marijuana.
A recent annual report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the University of Michigan says pot smoking went up for 2010 over the previous year in all three grades surveyed: eighth, 10th and 12th.
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New results from the annual “Monitoring the Future” study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that marijuana use by teens increased in 2010, reversing a 10-year decline. Some 21 percent of high school seniors said they had smoked marijuana in the last 30 days, while 19.2 percent reported smoking cigarettes – the first time pot use has eclipsed tobacco since 1981. Ream more »
Well it seems that all the Prop 19 hoopla, Showtime’s Weeds, HBO’s Bored to Death, High Times, and the assortment of other pot-friendly media making the rounds may finally be affecting the kids in America.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse released a survey Tuesday showing that this year 21.4% of high school seniors reported using marijuana in the last 30 days, compared to 19.2% who reported smoking cigarettes.
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The national marijuana-policy group that largely bankrolled Arizona’s medical-marijuana initiative held an educational forum Monday to explain key parts of the law, federal marijuana statutes and how medical-marijuana programs were implemented in other states. About 150 prospective participants in the Arizona medical-marijuana program attended the forum.
Professionals urged the audience to be informed of the state health department’s rule-making process.
The Arizona Department of Health Services will release the first draft of its rules on medical marijuana Friday, kicking off a public-comment period.
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After listening to public testimony and staff recommendations during a meeting on Tuesday, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors took steps to permanently ban medical marijuana collective dispensaries.
Fresno County currently has more than a dozen medical marijuana shops. Supervisors placed a ban last July on any new dispensaries opening in the county until 2012.
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Just when you think you have heard and seen it all, something new pops up on the drug radar. I had just recently been exposed to K2 or K3 within the past few weeks. While using my K9 during a stop he alerted to the vehicle. After a quick debate with the suspect over what constituted an alert, the vehicle was searched. I found a prescription bottle with a green leafy substance in the center console. When I asked the suspect what it was, he said, “It’s incense.” My instincts knew it was marijuana, but when I opened the lid to the container I knew I wasn’t dealing with marijuana. I was baffled. So what is K2 or synthetic marijuana, where does it come from, and why is it quickly becoming illegal?
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The proposal by the state Board of Medical Examiners (BME) to make New Jersey doctors try to wean their patients off of medical marijuana every three months is simply another example of how the crafting of medical marijuana regulations is being driven by fear, ignorance and hostility (“Christie: Tighten rules on medical marijuana,” Nov. 16).
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Erik Larson experienced his first seizure on the roof of Hastings Entertainment in Farmington, where he was installing heating and cooling equipment.
For eight years afterward, Larson, who has epilepsy, could not find any medicine that worked as he became increasingly debilitated. An allergy to opiates ruled out many painkillers.
“The pain some days was excruciating,” Larson said.
He recently obtained a medical marijuana card with the help of New Mexico Green Light, an Aztec business that guides patients through the application process. Ream more »
Young adults who began smoking marijuana before age 16 performed worse on cognitive tests compared to those who began smoking after age 16, says researcher Staci Ann Gruber, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Boston. She presented her findings at a news conference Monday at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.
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The political hullabaloo over Prop 19 has all but passed since voters came out against the measure that would’ve legalized the recreational use of marijuana earlier this month. Still, proponents of the proposition, along with Governor Schwarzenegger, believe that it failed because it was poorly written, not because Californians are against pot legalization. Ream more »