Marijuana

On Thursday, October 13, ALCAP President and CEO Greg Davis joined with ALCAP advisor Christine Carr in releasing an open letter to Alabama urging them to be aware and act against the acceptance of medical marijuana in their community. They write that many innocent people with honest intentions are tricked into supporting a movement that only leads to addiction and other destructive practices. The letter is designed to help inform and educate its readers so that they will not believe lies on this important issue. The letter, published by The Alabama Baptist, states: “The profit-driven marijuana industry will wreak havoc in your community, as they have done in other states before us, if you do not speak out and help stem the coming tide.” Greg Davis and Christine Carr go on to discuss the devastation that marijuana causes, why the term “medical marijuana” is misleading, the money motives behind the

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By Sandee LaMotte, CNN March 19, 2022 Some people with pain, anxiety or depression who obtain medical marijuana cards may overuse marijuana within a short time frame, leading to cannabis use disorder while failing to improve their symptoms, a new study found.

By Gregory Wallace, CNN – February 12, 2022 Deaths and crashes linked to drunken driving dropped almost 20% in Utah, the only state with a lower legal limit of .05, according to a new study. The conclusions are a piece of encouraging news for highway safety, where the number of deaths rose at the highest rate ever recorded during the pandemic, despite fewer cars on the road, shorter distances driven, and more safety features in new cars. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study looked at collisions in Utah, where in late 2018, the blood alcohol content legal limit lowered to .05 from .08. To read more about this encouraging update, follow the link to the original article included below. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/12/us/utah-dui-drunken-driving-law/index.html

CNN Opinion by Jonathan Reiner www.cnn.com Updated 9:16 PM ET, Sun January 23, 2022 For many years it was thought moderate doses of alcohol were associated with a reduced risk of death, whereas higher amounts of drinking were associated with increased risk. And while there has been research to suggest a glass of wine a day can promote longevity or heart health, the consensus on alcohol’s salutary effects has started to change. Click on the following link to read the full article. https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/22/opinions/alcohol-heart-health-reiner/index.html

Partnership to End Addiction By Partnership Staff at drugfree.org October 2021 The rate of teens who said they’ve ever tried vaping marijuana more than doubled between 2013 and 2020, from 6.1% to 13.6%, according to a new analysis of studies reported in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers analyzed 17 studies conducted in the United States and Canada, with a total of almost 200,000 teens. They found past-year marijuana vaping doubled from 2017 to 2020 — from 7.2% to 13.2%. The percentage of teens who said they had vaped marijuana in the past month rose from less than 2% to more than 8%. Teens’ preference for cannabis products may be shifting from less potent products like dried herbal cannabis to highly potent vape oil and concentrates, the researchers noted. Click here to read the full article on the Partnership to End Addiction website and access article links.

The misuse of prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants among youth and young adults aged 12 to 25 is a major public health issue in the United States. Click here to read this report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Click here to visit the SAMHSA website for more publications and digital products.

NIAAA SpectrumVolume 13, Issue 3 | Fall 2021 Stay-at-home and physical distancing orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increased stress, anxiety, depression, and boredom, and reports suggest that some people may be consuming more alcohol as a coping mechanism. A recent study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism now reveals changes in patterns of alcohol and marijuana use during the pandemic, as well as changes in motives for use among young adults. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Partnership to End AddictionNovember 2021 The $1 trillion infrastructure package expected to be signed soon by President Biden includes a provision requiring automakers to include new technology to prevent drunk driving, the Associated Press reports. The legislation requires automakers to include monitoring systems to stop intoxicated drivers in all new vehicles as early as 2026. The Transportation Department must first determine the best type of technology to install in vehicles, the article notes. The legislation mandates that the technology must “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.” More than 10,000 people died in drunk-driving crashes in the United States in 2019, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The new legislation “will virtually eliminate the No. 1 killer on America’s roads,” Mothers Against Drunk Driving National President Alex Otte said in a news release. “We need

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) has developed a resource guide to review the literature on prevention of marijuana use among youth, distill the research into recommendations for practice, and provide examples of the ways these recommendations can be implemented. Abstract Marijuana use among youth and young adults is a major public health concern. Early youth marijuana use is associated with:1. Neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental decline2. Poor school performance3. Increased school drop-out rates4. Increased risk for psychotic disorders in adulthood5. Increased risk for later depression6. Suicidal ideation or behavior As policy and legalization efforts evolve and the availability of legal marijuana increases, communities and families need guidance to support the prevention of marijuana use among youth. This guide covers programs and policies to prevent marijuana use among youth aged 12 to 17, including:1. Environmental strategies, such as regulating the price of marijuana products, where these products are sold, the

September 15, 2021 / NPR.org / Bill Chappell, Reporter, Producer The World Anti-Doping Agency will review its ban on cannabis, in what the agency says is a response to “requests from a number of stakeholders” in international athletics. But it’s not clear when, or if, a change to the controversial policy might take effect: cannabis will remain forbidden for the 2022 athletic season. The news comes after WADA’s ban on cannabis prevented U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the Tokyo Olympics, despite her victory in the 100-meter race at the U.S. Olympic trials. Click here to read the rest of the article on NPR.org.

American Lung Association / https://www.lung.org The American Lung Association is concerned about the health impacts of marijuana use, especially on lung health. We caution the public against smoking marijuana because of the risks it poses to the lungs. Scientists are researching marijuana now, and the American Lung Association encourages continued research into the effects of marijuana use on lung health. Smoke is harmful to lung health. Whether from burning wood, tobacco or marijuana, toxins and carcinogens are released from the combustion of materials. Smoke from marijuana combustion has been shown to contain many of the same toxins, irritants and carcinogens as tobacco smoke. Beyond just what’s in the smoke alone, marijuana is typically smoked differently than tobacco. Marijuana smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers, which leads to a greater exposure per breath to tar. Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same

July 23, 2021 www.ntdailey.comby Tania Amador The first electronic cigarettes were successfully manufactured and patented in 2003 by Hon Lik, a 52-year-old pharmacist and smoker after his father died of lung cancer. He hoped this would help him quit smoking. It did not. Known as “vapes,” “pens,” or “carts,” electronic cigarettes were first introduced in the United States in August 2006. What was originally marketed as a cessation tool and healthier alternative to smoking has actually become a step backward for public health. Click here to read the rest of the article.

July 28, 2021 / John Horvat II / tfp.org People today live in make-believe worlds. They are conditioned to believe they can be or do whatever they want. Usually, such fantasies are limited by the real world. However, modern technologies now facilitate the illusions of making believe by creating illusions. The business world is not far behind by providing products that humor people into believing their fantasies can be real. People can then effortlessly indulge in them if they pay the right amount of money. The latest craze in fantasy-enabling is the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) mania shaking the virtual world. People can claim to own original digital images (often readily available online) by registering their purchases on blockchain platforms. Buyers have nothing to show for their purchase save the original code of historical video moments, gifs and other digital creations. These digital assets often sell for tens of thousands of

SAMHSA / Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationNew Publication: July 27, 2021 / https://store.samhsa.gov Alcohol remains the number one substance used by young people. These 24 legal policy summaries allow you to track how your state regulates underage drinking as compared to other states in order to help inform your prevention work. Click here to download a copy of the document.

14-Jul-2021 4:35 PM EDT, by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Newswise — July 14, 2021 (Toronto) A new study from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in the journal Lancet Oncology, has found an association between alcohol and a substantially higher risk of several forms of cancer, including breast, colon, and oral cancers. Increased risk was evident even among light to moderate drinkers (up to two drinks a day), who represented 1 in 7 of all new cancers in 2020 and more than 100,000 cases worldwide. In Canada, alcohol use was linked to 7,000 new cases of cancer in 2020, including 24 per cent of breast cancer cases, 20 per cent of colon cancers, 15 per cent of rectal cancers, and 13 per cent of oral and liver cancers. “All drinking involves risk,” said study co-author Dr. Jürgen Rehm, Senior Scientist,

By THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD / July 15, 2021 / https://www.latimes.com Nearly five years after Californians voted to create a legal marijuana industry through Proposition 64, the illegal weed market is as big as or even bigger than it was before the ballot measure passed. The end of prohibition at the state level was supposed to be the beginning of a highly regulated marijuana market served by legitimate, taxpaying companies (even though marijuana remains illegal under federal law). Legalization was billed as a way to tame the Wild West-style marijuana industry, which often flouted environmental and health strictures and was a bastion for organized crime. It hasn’t worked out that way for a variety of reasons. Nowhere is the failure of Proposition 64 more apparent than in the deserts of Southern California, where a booming illegal marijuana industry has spread across the arid landscape. Click here to read the rest

By Lambeth Hochwald / June 28, 2021 / https://www.webmd.com The pandemic was more than unnerving, lonely, and isolating. It ended up being a drinker’s dream, with margarita Mondays and wine Wednesdays becoming a regular occurrence on top of nightly happy hours. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 adults said they managed pandemic stress by drinking more, according to an American Psychological Association survey released in February. “Drinking particularly increased among people who don’t consider themselves to have an alcohol problem,” says Joseph Volpicelli, MD, executive director of the Institute of Addiction Medicine in Plymouth Meeting, PA. “It creeped up on people.” On the other end of the spectrum, COVID-19 prompted many Americans to start taking steps to eliminate alcohol entirely. If you’re among this group, science is definitely on your side, with recent studies increasingly showing that no amount of alcohol is healthy and that alcohol can be cancer-causing. Click

By Michael Greenwood / June 28, 2021 / https://news.yale.edu/ While alcohol consumption during pregnancy may result in harm to developing embryos and fetuses, a new study led by the Yale School of Public health finds that a significant number of pregnancies that result in live birth still involve alcohol exposure. Click here to read the rest of the article.

We are grateful the University of Alabama Athletics Department placed restrictions on student athlete sponsorships. Student athletes may not accept sponsorships from the following: a tobacco company or brand, including alternative nicotine products; any alcoholic beverage company or brand; any seller or distributor of a controlled substance, including but not limited to, marijuana; any adult entertainment business; and any casino or entities that sponsor or promote gambling activities. We also hope these restrictions will stand. Please click on the link to read the full article. By: TYLER MARTIN AND JOEY BLACKWELL JUL 2, 2021 A new era of college athletics arrived at midnight on July 1. For the first time ever, all NCAA athletes can begin to make money off of their name, image and likeness. Click here to read the full article.

By Paige Cockburn ABC Health & Wellbeing / https://www.abc.net.au/news/health What would be a good enough reason for you to actually cut back on booze? If you were gaining weight? If you were tired all the time? Having relationship difficulties? What about cancer? Chances are, this one didn’t make your list. But five in every 100 Australians who exceed 14 drinks a week will develop cancer by age 85, according to Dr Peter Sarich, who led a landmark study published in the British Journal of Cancer. Dr Sarich found by age 85, the absolute risk of alcohol-related cancer was 17.3 per cent for men and 25 per cent for women who were drinking less than 14 drinks a week. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Partnership to End Addiction / By Partnership Staff / May 2021 www.drugfree.org As more states legalize marijuana, how can parents and policymakers protect young people from the risks marijuana can cause? Partnership to End Addiction CEO Creighton Drury spoke with Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and author of Smoke Screen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, and Linda Richter, Ph.D., Vice President, Prevention Research and Analysis at Partnership to End Addiction, about the issue and possible solutions. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Wednesday, 26 May 2021 Newfangled marijuana products — edibles, concentrates, vapes — are driving an overall increase in pot-related calls to U.S. poison control centers, a new study shows. There were more than 11,100 calls related to marijuana use in 2019, up from about 8,200 in 2017, researchers said. More and more of those calls are related to manufactured products that contain distilled amounts of THC, CBD, and other chemicals found in cannabis. “We saw this generalized increase in calls nationally,” said lead researcher Julia Dilley, an epidemiologist with the Oregon Public Health Division in Portland. “But when we dug into it, that increase is being driven by these manufactured products,” Dilley continued. “Flower cannabis exposure calls are actually declining.” Pot plant exposures made up the bulk of calls to centers in 2017, with 7,146 pertaining to marijuana plants and just 1,094 related to manufactured products. But by 2019, calls

Author: Tracie White / April 16, 2021 / https://scopeblog.stanford.edu April 16, 2021 States that legalize recreational marijuana use, and in some cases allow retail sales of the drug, may see more suicide attempts and other self-harm among younger men, a new Stanford Medicine study suggests. Researchers examined whether rates of self harm injuries — which include suicide attempts and non-suicidal behaviors like cutting — correlate with changing marijuana laws and found an increase among men younger than 40 in states that allow recreational use. The study indicated no such correlation with states that allow only medical marijuana use. “States that legalize, but still constrain commercialization, may be better positioned to protect populations from unintended harms,” said Keith Humphreys, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Humphreys is the senior author of the study published March 18 in JAMA Network Open. Ellicott Matthay, PhD, a post doctoral scholar at UC-San Francisco,

NIAAA Spectrum / Volume 13, Issue 2 News reports of college drinking tragedies, and concerns about increased access to alcohol in the home during the pandemic, make clear that COVID-19 has provided no reprieve from the problems of underage drinking. A perennial public health priority, alcohol misuse by young people increases the likelihood of myriad serious consequences, including altered brain development, academic problems, unsafe sexual behavior, physical and sexual assault, traffic crashes, injuries, overdoses, and alcohol use disorder (AUD). To be sure, efforts to reduce underage drinking have seen success in recent decades. Epidemiological data from the annual Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, show that by 2020, proportional declines in the prevalence of binge drinking, following recent peaks reached in the 1990s, were 66 percent, 60 percent, and 47 percent for grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively. George. F. Koob, Ph.D., Director of

Study authors hypothesize that ethanol is the ‘biological pathway to damage’By Kayla Rivas | Fox Newshttps://www.foxnews.com/health/alcohol-harm-brain-health Any amount of alcohol can cause damage to the brain, and more so than previously realized, according to a study in what researchers call one of the largest of its kind to date. The preliminary findings from Oxford University were recently posted to medRxiv ahead of peer review, drawing on clinical data and imaging samples from over 25,000 adults in the U.K. Biobank study. Subjects were aged 40 to 69 years when they were first recruited from 2006 to 2010. Nearly all participants were classified as current drinkers, while just 5.2% were non-drinkers, per the study. Almost half of participants were consuming alcohol at levels above U.K. ‘low risk’ guidelines, though few were considered heavy drinkers, researchers wrote. Through MRI analyses, the team looked for correlations between alcohol use and grey matter in the

May 7, 2021 / SAMHSAhttps://blog.samhsa.gov The global coronavirus pandemic has forced us to learn new ways of doing many things. Employees in some job sectors learned to work from home, while others had to find entirely new sources of income. Parents learned to be teachers for their kids, while teachers themselves learned to do their jobs in less-than-ideal remote environments. We figured out how to use technology to celebrate birthday parties, host award shows, and even conduct a presidential inauguration. One thing we can do to benefit ourselves as a nation is talking with friends, family, and neighbors about underage drinking and adult problem drinking prevention. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 54.3 percent (or 18.3 million) people ages 18 to 25 and 55 percent (or 119.1 million) people ages 26 or older drank alcohol in the past month. Alcohol misuse stays under the radar

SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationPublication ID: PEP20-01-03-001Publication Date: May 2021 This guide will help families who have a loved one who is suicidal or has made a suicide attempt. It will provide information on understanding suicide, warning signs and action steps to take, and how to prevent future attempts and keep your loved one safe. Click here for a copy of the guide. Click here to view the guide and other suicide prevention information on the SAMSA website.

By DR. GREGORY SHANGOLDHARTFORD COURANTAPR 05, 2021 Legalizing recreational marijuana has been cast as a state budget matter, but to physicians, marijuana use is a public health matter. At the start of each physician’s career, we take the Hippocratic Oath, committing ourselves to science and a set of ethical principles that promote health, honesty, trust and service to all patients in need of medical care. Fragments of the oath can be traced back thousands of years, making it sacred to medical providers like me. The Connecticut State Medical Society believes it must ensure that Connecticut policymakers and their constituents — our patients — are informed about the health and societal ramifications of public policies. One such issue is legalizing recreational marijuana, which the CSMS sees as a bad idea. Click here to read the full op-ed.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! So, Johnny’s Ambassadors is hosting Marijuana Mental Health Awareness Month, to draw attention to the mental harms that can come to youth who use marijuana! Please join the Marijuana Prevention Challenge! Click on the following link to be a part of Johnny’s Ambassadors Marijuana Prevention Challenge.https://johnnysambassadors.org/mentalhealth/

OPIOIDS AND COVID-19The opioid overdose epidemic surges and rages alongside the coronavirus pandemicJoseph Friedman and Morgan Godvin, Los Angeles Times The opioid overdose epidemic surges and rages alongside the coronavirus pandemic While Americans have focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, another epidemic has also been killing people across the country in unprecedented numbers: overdose deaths. And the two crises are connected. Click on the following link to read the article. https://birminghamnews-al-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=0617df7bc

FEBRUARY 1, 2021 EDITOR https://poppot.org Black market growers of marijuana destroyed my Colorado retreatWhenever you listen to or read dialog from the pro-marijuana crowd, they say that legalizing marijuana will make the black market go away. This statement is a blatant lie. Rather, legalizing marijuana invites criminal organizations into your state and allows them to grow pot illegally under the guise of running a legal operation. I am the owner of a summer home in rural Colorado with beautiful mountain views. In the midst of this beauty, a Chinese group purchased a ten-acre parcel with a house near my home. Within a year, they had cleared a section of the indigenous vegetation, which is so important to the survival of the local wildlife, and illegally grew thousands of marijuana plants. These marijuana plants are not even native to Colorado or North America; in fact, they had to grow them in

Minority experience worsening of symptoms over time, especially younger peopleDate: January 8, 2021Source: Michigan Medicine – University of MichiganSummary: More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they’re between uses, a new study finds. And about 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210108142134.htm

Is marijuana really safer than alcohol? Parents Opposed to Pot tackles this common misconception with provoking facts. With the proliferation of ads for CBD products across the U.S., it is important to know what a Colorado psychiatrist has to say about such products. Joseph C. Godfrey, Executive Director, ALCAP

Is marijuana really safer than alcohol? Parents Opposed to Pot tackles this common misconception with provoking facts. With the proliferation of ads for CBD products across the U.S., it is important to know what a Colorado psychiatrist has to say about such products. Joseph C. Godfrey, Executive Director, ALCAP

Chris Woodward (OneNewsNow.com) THE HEAD OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT BELIEVES THE PROBLEMS RELATING TO ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS ARE IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO CONSUMPTION IS SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE FEDERAL EFFORT TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA. Dr. Joe Godfrey, president of the American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems (ACAAP)), says the House bill is all about money. “It’s being pushed by the marijuana industry, people who stand to make billions of dollars from people that get addicted to their drug,” Dr. Godfrey continues. He further acknowledges the argument that marijuana is not addictive as “bogus.” “State governments and the federal government see it as a tax revenue source, but they’re all ignoring the social costs,” Dr. Godfrey submits. “They don’t count the cost of broken homes and families and destroyed lives [or] lost time at work. The marijuana industry is ignoring all of that.” He believes the same could be said

Partnership to End Addiciton / www.drugfree.org A young person’s brain is not fully developed until they reach their mid- to late 20s, and any drinking while the brain is still developing can be problematic. Regardless of age, alcohol lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment and coordination. It can also increase the incidence of aggressive or violent acts. Consuming large quantities in a short period of time — or binge drinking, which is defined as having 4-5 drinks on one occasion and is common among young people — can cause alcohol poisoning and even death. More than 16 million Americans misuse or are addicted to alcohol, which is a substance that is legal, widely available and normalized in our society. Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (known as alcohol use disorder, or alcoholism), liver and heart disease, and other health consequences such as a weakened immune system and increased risk

Alcohol weakens your immune system and can put you at a greater risk for COVID-19. How much is too much? Mercey Livingston https://www.cnet.com Alcohol, especially frequent and excessive drinking, can present some serious risks to your health, especially when it comes to COVID-19, your immune system and overall risk for developing serious complications from the virus. Click here for the full article.

Partnership to End Addictionwww.drugfree.org If you’ve just discovered or have reason to believe your child is using substances, the first thing to do is sit down and take a deep breath. We know this is scary, but you’re in the right place. Take a beat and prepare yourself for the important conversations ahead. Some brief preparation now can lay a foundation for more positive outcomes ahead. Click here for resources available through Partnership to End Addiction.

By: Rob Chambers, President, American Council on Addiction and Alcohol ProblemsTownhall October 30, 2019 The United States is currently fighting one of the worst addiction problems in its history by way of the opioid crisis. While many Americans are aware of its existence, few likely understand the ongoing issues surrounding this large-scale public health emergency and the extent to which it is undermining the foundations of our great country. The human and financial toll of this crisis is staggering. In 2018 alone over 47,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses. Meanwhile, a recent analysis from the Society of Actuaries found that over a four-year period from 2015 to 2018, the total economic cost of the opioid crisis was $631 billion. This crisis is also destroying families and stretching social service programs to the brink. During that same four-year period, an additional $39 billion was spent on child and family assistance programs and education programs. Every day children

BY PARTNERSHIP NEWS SERVICE STAFFwww.DrugFree.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating at least 215 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with vaping. Teens and young adults should not use e-cigarettes, the agency said. Adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using e-cigarette products, the CDC advised. Cases of lung disease linked to e-cigarettes have been reported in 25 states, according to HealthDay. Additional reports of lung disease are being investigated by states to determine whether those illnesses are related to e-cigarette use, the CDC said. An adult in Illinois recently died after being hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness after vaping, the article notes. “In many cases, patients reported a gradual start of symptoms, including breathing difficulty, shortness of breath, and/or chest pain before hospitalization,” the CDC said in a statement. “Some cases reported mild to moderate gastrointestinal illness including vomiting and diarrhea,

May 30, 2019 by Partership News Service Staff Some schools are beginning to rethink their response to students’ e-cigarette use, emphasizing prevention and treatment over punishment, the Associated Press reports. One school district that has begun emphasizing prevention and treatment is the Conejo Valley Unified School District in Southern California. It recently stopped suspending students for a first vaping offense. Instead, students are sent to a four-hour Saturday class on the marketing and health dangers of vaping. For a second offense, students receive a one- or two-day suspension, combined with several weeks of a more intensive counseling program that includes parents. Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky has begun an intensive anti-vaping education program this year with the help of the American Association of Pediatrics. Teens learn about how e-cigarette companies have been marketing flavored products to them. It seems to be having an effect, said the school’s principal, Thomas Aberli. “You

Kenneth Finn, MD / Meds / May 26, 2019 In recent years, a flood of cannabis and cannabis-derived products like CBD have entered the market – often claiming to cure or treat an array of health issues and ailments. These products are everywhere, but there is little scientific evidence to support the hype that surrounds them. As a doctor, I’m deeply concerned at where this industry is heading – and the potential risks to patients and consumers. I urge my peers to take this issue seriously and stand with me in addressing these growing concerns. As doctors, we strive to alleviate suffering Most people are unfamiliar with my chosen specialty, known as physical medicine and rehabilitation medicine. My peers and I are called physiatrists. Together, we seek to restore the functional abilities and enhance the quality of life of people that face a wide range of physical, psychological or emotional

National Public Radio www.npr.org The role of police dogs in Colorado to find drugs is changing. The state’s Supreme Court ruled last week that a dog trained to alert to marijuana cannot be used before an officer establishes probable cause. The ruling was over a 2015 arrest where a police dog alerted officers that drugs were inside a suspicious truck. Officers found drugs, a meth pipe and some residue. And the driver was convicted on two drug possession charges. Click here to read the article.

Kenneth Finn, MD / Meds / May 26, 2019 In recent years, a flood of cannabis and cannabis-derived products like CBD have entered the market – often claiming to cure or treat an array of health issues and ailments. These products are everywhere, but there is little scientific evidence to support the hype that surrounds them. As a doctor, I’m deeply concerned at where this industry is heading – and the potential risks to patients and consumers. I urge my peers to take this issue seriously and stand with me in addressing these growing concerns. As doctors, we strive to alleviate suffering Most people are unfamiliar with my chosen specialty, known as physical medicine and rehabilitation medicine. My peers and I are called physiatrists. Together, we seek to restore the functional abilities and enhance the quality of life of people that face a wide range of physical, psychological or emotional

BY DR. JULIE MORITA, OPINON CONTRIBUTOR The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced a crackdown on e-cigarette sales to minors, but before then, the city of Chicago had already taken matters into its own hands. The City Council passed an ordinance to require tobacco dealers to post warning signs at their doors about the health risks of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. These signs, once designed and distributed, will also contain quit-line numbers to help our residents beat a nicotine addiction. The ordinance, introduced by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, reflects the nation’s growing understanding that e-cigarettes, also known as vaping products, are the latest effort by Big Tobacco to get our kids hooked on a risky and potentially deadly habit. To be sure, our country has made strides fighting tobacco use, with declining rates of smoking and lung cancer deaths. In Chicago, we have reduced cigarette smoking rates by high

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY Updated: 1:34 p.m. ET Dec. 12, 2018 Fentanyl is now the deadliest drug in America, federal health officials announced Wednesday, with over 18,000 overdose deaths in 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available. It’s the first time the synthetic opioid has been the nation’s deadliest drug. For the previous four years (2012 to 2015), heroin topped the list. On average, in each year from 2013 to 2016, the rate of overdose deaths from Fentanyl increased by about 113 percent per year. In fact, the report said that fentanyl was responsible for 29 percent of all overdose deaths in 2016, up from just 4 percent in 2011. Overall, more than 63,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, according to the new report, which was prepared by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is

By L.A. Williams, Christian Action League Even as pro-marijuana forces in North Carolina are preparing to push for local-option legalization, officials in Colorado are being forced to face the high cost of their state’s embrace of cannabis. Colorado approved medical marijuana in 2000. The substance became legal for recreational use in 2014 with, pardon the pun, high hopes for big revenues. While the money has come in — $247 million in tax revenue for 2017 — it has gone out even more quickly. According to a Centennial Institute report issued late last year, for every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spent approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization, with healthcare costs and those related to high school drop-outs among the largest price tags. Car accidents involving impaired drivers cost the state nearly $84 million, the report shows. Driving Under the Influence court costs for those who tested positive

The Denver PostBy BOB TROYER | Guest Commentary In 2012 we were told Colorado would lead the nation on a grand experiment in commercialized marijuana. Six years later — with two major industry reports just released and the state legislature and Denver City Council about to consider more expansion measures — it’s a perfect time to pause and assess some results of that experiment. Where has our breathless sprint into full-scale marijuana commercialization led Colorado? Well, recent reports from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, from Denver Health, from Energy Associates, from the Colorado Department of Revenue and from the City of Denver should be enough to give everyone in this race pause. Now Colorado’s youth use marijuana at a rate 85 percent higher than the national average. Now marijuana-related traffic fatalities are up by 151 percent. Now 70 percent of 400 licensed pot shops surveyed recommend that

Parents Opposed to Pothttp://www.poppot.orgSEPTEMBER 25, 2018 EDITOR A former New York Times reporter and now a best-selling author, Alex Berenson has an important new book, Tell Your Children: The truth about marijuana, violence and mental health. Simon & Schuster will publish and release it on January 8, 2019. Indeed Berenson’s book promises to confirm the facts that we’ve been warning about: the marijuana-psychosis links; that pot use often makes people violent; that it leads to more crime, more overall drug abuse and more fatalities. As we try to “tell our children,” NO amount of marijuana use is worth the risks. The Inconvenient TruthAlmost no one is in prison for marijuana;A tiny fraction of doctors write most authorizations for medical marijuana, mostly for people who have already used;Marijuana use is linked to opiate and cocaine use. Since 2008, the US and Canada have seen soaring marijuana use and an opiate epidemic.

VOLUME 5 UPDATE 9/2018 the 2018 Rocky Mountain HIDTA report contains the most up-to-date facts on the impact of legal marijuana in Colorado. RMHIDTA has published annual reports every year since 2013 tracking the impact of legalizing recreational marijuana in Colorado. The purpose is to provide data and information so that policy makers and citizens can make informed decisions on the issue of marijuana legalization. This year (2018) RMHIDTA elected to provide an update to the 2017 Volume 5 report rather than another detailed report. Executive Summary Section I: Traffic Fatalities & Impaired Driving Since recreational marijuana was legalized, marijuana related traffic deaths increased 151 percent while all Colorado traffic deaths increased 35 percent. Since recreational marijuana was legalized, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 in 2013 to 138 people killed in 2017. This equates to one person killed every 2 ½

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE COPY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH PRESS RELEASE.

BY THE PARTNERSHIP Hardly a week goes by without another news article about vaping. In 2014, vaping was selected as Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year, beating out other candidates like “Bae” and “Budtender”. If they were picking a word today, it would more likely be JUUL or Juuling, the wildly popular “stealth vape” of adolescents. Juuling kids are vaporizing flavored e-juices with nicotine, but what about vaping marijuana? According to Monitoring the Future, an annual survey of nearly 50,000 adolescents, 3 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders respectively had vaped marijuana in 2017. According to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, e-cigarettes use may lead to marijuana initiation. The authors hypothesize that e-cigarette use may be a marker of risk-taking behaviors, and that e-cigarette users are more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, which are associated with marijuana use.

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration5600 Fishers Lane | Rockville, MD 208571-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) www.samhsa.gov Tips for Teens fact sheets provide information about the effects of short- and long-term use of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and inhalants. These insightful and easy-to-read brochures provide important facts teens need to know, answer frequently asked questions, and help to dispel common myths about each of the substances covered. Tips for Teens: The Truth About CocaineCocaine is a white powder that can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected to cause a brief high. Cocaine is highly addictive and affects both the brain and body. It can increase the risk of paranoia, anxiety, and psychosis and change emotions. Inventory#: PEP18-01 Tips for Teens: The Truth About HeroinHeroin can be a white or dark brown powder or a black tar, and is often mixed with other substances that can make it even more dangerous. Heroin

The United States is currently experiencing what has commonly been referred to as the “worst drug epidemic in U.S. history.” As it stands today, the abuse of opioids, such as prescription opiates, heroin, and illegally manufactured fentanyl, is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 50 in the country. There are an estimated 115 deaths per day caused by opioid overdose with 16,000 deaths a year from prescription opioids alone. In light of this, there has been a lot of talk surrounding the relationship with marijuana and opioids. The only firmly established relationship in the literature is one showing that marijuana use can often be a precursor to opioid use. It’s true that most people who use marijuana don’t go on to misusing opiates, but it’s also true that most people who misused opiates used marijuana first. But the for-profit pot industry wants to say something

By Laurie McGinleywww.washingtonpost.comMay 1, 2018 Federal regulators warned 13 companies that the way they market liquids used in cigarettes could entice dangerous ingestion by small children. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)Federal regulators warned more than a dozen manufacturers, distributors and retailers Tuesday that they are endangering children by marketing e-cigarette liquids to resemble kid-friendly products such as juice boxes, candy and whipped cream. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission said the packaging of the products — some of which feature cartoonlike images — could mislead children into thinking the liquids, which can be highly toxic if swallowed, are actually things they commonly eat and drink. “E-liquids,” as they are called, are typically a mix of nicotine, flavors and other ingredients. Ingesting them can cause nicotine poisoning — and even death — for small children, experts say. The government cited a recent analysis that found between January

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. The rules require all phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022. During the transition to 988, Americans who need help should continue to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) and through online chats. Veterans and Service members may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing, chatting online at https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/, or texting 838255.

Research indicates people who are struggling with thoughts of suicide are increasingly turning to faith leaders for help and support, even before they will seek care from mental health professionals. Faith leaders play a key role in suicide prevention and postvention care. To better equip leaders of all faiths with life-saving skills to prevent suicide, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) and its Faith Communities Task Force, recently released the resource Suicide Prevention Competencies for Faith Leaders: Supporting Life Before, During, and After a Suicidal Crisis. This new resource aims to provide faith leaders with feasible, practical, research-based actions they can adopt immediately to help save lives and restore hope in faith communities nationwide. The competencies, informed by leaders from diverse faith communities and experts in the suicide prevention field, help to integrate and coordinate suicide prevention across sectors and settings, like faith-based organizations and places of worship, a

Ryan W. Miller , USA TODAY One in four high school teens who have used e-cigarettes have also tried a potentially dangerous new vaping method called “dripping” — dropping e-cigarette liquid directly onto the hot coils of the device to produce thicker, more flavorful smoke — a new study found. “Dripping,” which differs from normal e-cigarette use that slowly releases the liquid from a wick onto a hot atomizer, may expose users to higher levels of nicotine and to harmful non-nicotine toxins, such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde — known carcinogens. Sixty-four percent of the surveyed teens said they dripped for the thicker smoke, 39% for the better flavor and 28% for the stronger throat hit or sensation, according to the study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. “When people smoke cigarettes, they say they smoke it for, for lack of a better word, a tingling in the back of the

www.shelbycountyreporter.com By Briana Harris PELHAM – The family of a teenager who was hit and killed by a vehicle in front of a Hooters restaurant in Pelham has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant chain because of alleged liquor law violations that led to the teen’s death. Shortly after Ryan Rohr, 18, left Hooters with friends on May 25, a vehicle fatally hit him while crossing Cahaba Valley Road (Alabama 119), according to a lawsuit filed in Shelby County Circuit Court by Birmingham-based firm Cory Watson Attorneys on behalf of Rohr’s parents. According to the lawsuit, the impact propelled Rohr’s body about 30 feet down the road. The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages from Hooters of Pelham LLC and Hooters of America LLC. A jury will determine the amount if Rohr’s family wins the lawsuit. The suit claims that waiters at Hooters served Rohr alcohol without asking him

By Cliff SimsYellowHammerNews.com With Monday marking the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week, one Alabamian took to Facebook to share his suicide survival story in hopes that it will encourage others struggling with depression to get help and remember that “it gets better.” Brandon Jeter is a 26-year-old Auburn graduate who is now eight years removed from his darkest day when he tried to take his own life. “8 years ago I made the choice to end my life,” he wrote on his Facebook page Sunday evening. “I didn’t write a letter, because I felt no one would read it or even miss me. I was a lonely, depressed, sad, and angry high school kid. I took 30 lithium pills and cut my wrists. At that point, I was at my lowest, saddest, and most helpless, but I’m glad my mom found me before I died that June night. Because

Click here for the supplement to the following report, “The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado The Impact, Volume 3.” Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) report shows significant increases in traffic fatalities, child poison control exposures, hospitalizations, youth use, amongst other alarming data, detailing how Colorado’s experiment with retail marijuana regulation is a public health and safety failure. DENVER, CO – The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) has released its updated report, “The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado The Impact, Volume 3,” which outlines the most alarming data to date, demonstrating how Colorado marijuana legalization policies have harmed public safety and health. Click here for a pdf copy of this report. Highlights from the report show serious changes since 2014, when retail marijuana businesses began operating in Colorado, including: Traffic deaths:  A 32 percent increase in marijuana-related traffic deaths in just one year from 2013

BY PARTNERSHIP NEWS SERVICE STAFF Home https://drugfree.org/ September 8th, 2016 A new study finds a link between teens’ exposure to alcohol ads and how much of those brands they drink. Researchers at Boston University studied more than 1,000 13- to 20-year-olds who said they had consumed alcohol in the past month. Underage drinkers who didn’t see any alcohol ads drank about 14 drinks per month, compared with 33 drinks for those who had seen an average amount of alcohol ads, CNN reports. The findings appear in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. “I think one of the implications for the broader society is that currently our controls on television advertising for alcohol are minimal and they’re self-regulatory, so I think we should definitely tighten up that seam,” said lead researcher Timothy Naimi, MD, MPH.

http://gazette.com The Colorado Springs, Colorado newspaper The Gazette kicks off a four-day perspective series, “Clearing the Haze,” that examines health, social, regulatory and financial issues associated with the world’s boldest experiment with legal marijuana. CLICK HERE TO START WITH DAY 1: REGULATION “… The ugly truth is that Colorado was suckered. It was promised regulation and has been met by an industry that fights tooth and nail any restrictions that limit its profitability. ”– Ben Cort, Director of Professional Relations for the Center for Addiction Recovery and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Hospital

The GordonDrugAbusePrevention.com website has been created as a public service to help address the problem of the use of marijuana and other mood- and mind-altering substances in the United States and around the world. A purpose is help inform the public, the media, and those in positions of public responsibility of the challenges facing the nation as a result of the widespread use of psychoactive and mood-altering substances, particularly marijuana and designer drugs. Click here for lists of references and resources on Marijuana, key legal developments, presentations, testimony, articles, reports, and open letters.

www.news-medical.net Adolescence is both a time of rapid neurobiological changes and of the initiation of drinking – alcohol is the most commonly used substance among students in grades eight to 12. Binge-drinking effects are particularly concerning, although it is unclear whether and how much it affects neurocognitive performance. This study looked at two questions: first, whether moderate, binge, or extreme-binge drinking in adolescence had an impact on later performance in tests of verbal learning and memory (VLM); and second, whether the amount of alcohol consumed is associated with specific changes in learning and memory during six years of adolescence. Click here to read the rest of the article.

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWShttp://news.heart.org Secondhand marijuana smoke may damage your blood vessels even more than tobacco smoke. In a new study, arteries in rats that inhaled secondhand marijuana smoke for one minute carried blood less efficiently for at least 90 minutes. Similar exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke caused blood vessel impairment for 30 minutes. “While the effect is temporary for both cigarette and marijuana smoke, these temporary problems can turn into long-term problems if exposures occur often enough and may increase the chances of developing hardened and clogged arteries,” said Matthew Springer, Ph.D., study senior author and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco’s Division of Cardiology. Click here to read the rest of the article.

IF YOU’VE RECENTLY HAD A DRINK, WE HAVE SOME TERRIBLE NEWS FOR YOU. http://www.huffingtonpost.com An opinion piece published in the scientific journal Addiction in July gathers evidence to argue that alcohol is a direct cause of cancer in several areas of the body. The article reviews 10 years’ worth of studies from several organizations, including the World Cancer Research Fund, the American Institute for Cancer Research and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. And its conclusions are dire. Nearly 6 percent of cancer deaths worldwide can be linked to alcohol, including in people who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol, according to author Jennie Connor, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Otago in New Zealand. “From a public health perspective,” she writes, “alcohol is estimated to have caused approximately half a million deaths from cancer in 2012.” Click here to read the rest of the article.

AAA research suggests legalizing marijuana for recreational use poses risks to traffic safetywww.alabama.aaa.com This election year, voters in five states will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana use. Among them are California with Proposition 64 and Maine with Question 1. Any states that do will join the four others where the drug is already legal for recreational use. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety analyzed cannabis use by drivers in one of those states, Washington, and found that the proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes who had recently used marijuana more than doubled after Washington legalized the drug for recreational use. In addition, there’s currently no easy way to test whether a driver is impaired by marijuana: Unlike alcohol, it can’t be determined by breath or blood tests. Click here to read the rest of the article.

by Amanda Chicago Lewiswww.buzzfeed.com CERTAIN COMPOUNDS IN CANNABIS HAVE SERIOUS MEDICAL POTENTIAL FOR EVERYONE FROM CANCER PATIENTS TO CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM SEIZURES. BUT PATIENTS AND PARENTS HAVE NO WAY TO DISTINGUISH THE SNAKE OIL SALESMEN FROM THE TRUSTWORTHY COMPANIES. Now that 38 states have legalized some form of cannabis, many people assume the plant’s therapeutic uses are being carefully regulated, dosed, and studied. This is not the case. Marijuana is still illegal everywhere under federal law, which prevents the agencies that would traditionally provide oversight from getting involved. Consumers have no way to know for sure what they are actually buying. Click here to read the article.

by Amanda Chicago Lewiswww.buzzfeed.com CERTAIN COMPOUNDS IN CANNABIS HAVE SERIOUS MEDICAL POTENTIAL FOR EVERYONE FROM CANCER PATIENTS TO CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM SEIZURES. BUT PATIENTS AND PARENTS HAVE NO WAY TO DISTINGUISH THE SNAKE OIL SALESMEN FROM THE TRUSTWORTHY COMPANIES. Now that 38 states have legalized some form of cannabis, many people assume the plant’s therapeutic uses are being carefully regulated, dosed, and studied. This is not the case. Marijuana is still illegal everywhere under federal law, which prevents the agencies that would traditionally provide oversight from getting involved. Consumers have no way to know for sure what they are actually buying. Click here to read the article.

By Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com Smoking cannabis alters a person’s DNA, causing mutations, experts say These mutations can trigger serious illness, including cancer Mutations passed to children and future generations, raising their risk too = 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

SAMHSA IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF FACING ADDICTION IN AMERICA: THE SURGEON GENERAL’S REPORT ON ALCOHOL, DRUGS, AND HEALTH. THIS LANDMARK REPORT WAS DEVELOPED AS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN SAMHSA AND THE OFFICE OF THE SURGEON GENERAL. Today, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy published a landmark report on a health crisis affecting every community in our country. Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health is a comprehensive review of the science of substance use, misuse, and disorders. Nearly 21 million people in America have a substance use disorder involving alcohol or drugs, an astonishing figure that is comparable to the number of people in our country with diabetes and higher than the total number of Americans suffering from all cancers combined. But in spite of the massive scope of this problem, only 1 in 10 people with a substance use disorder receives

Kenneth Finn, MD, President Springs Rehab, PCRochelle Salmore, MSN, RN, NE-B, Nurse Scientist, Penrose St. Francis Health Services (retired) ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to assess potential health care costs and adverse health effects related to cannabis use in an acute care community hospital in Colorado, comparing study findings to those medical diagnoses noted in the literature. Little information is available about specific hospital health care costs, thus this study will add to the knowledge gap and describe charges and collections from visits of these patients in one hospital’s Emergency Department (ED). Objective: Review diagnoses of cannabis users visiting a local ED and outline the potential financial and health effects of these patients on the health care system. Design: An Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved retrospective observational study of patients seen in the ED from 2009 to 2014 with cannabis diagnoses and positive urine drug analyses (UDA) matched with hospital

The truth is it can indeed mean trouble, especially for young people.By Dr. Sushrut JangiThe Boston Globe These days, it’s become fairly square to criticize marijuana and its rush toward legalization. Twenty-three states have condoned the drug in some form, with four permitting recreational use, and Massachusetts is set to vote on permitting it next year. The proposed federal CARERS Act of 2015 would let states legalize medical marijuana without federal interference and demote pot from a Schedule I drug — one with high abuse potential — to Schedule II. The path toward nationwide decriminalization is looking unobstructed. But underscoring the incredible momentum to legalize marijuana is the misconception that the drug can’t hurt anybody. It can, especially young people. The myth that marijuana is not habit-forming is constantly challenged by physicians. “There’s no question at all that marijuana is addictive,” Dr. Sharon Levy tells me. She is the director of the Adolescent Substance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) report shows significant increases in traffic fatalities, child poison control exposures, hospitalizations, youth use, amongst other alarming data, detailing how Colorado’s experiment with retail marijuana regulation is a public health and safety failure. DENVER, CO – The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) has released its updated report, “The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado The Impact, Volume 3,” which outlines the most alarming data to date, demonstrating how Colorado marijuana legalization policies have harmed public safety and health. Click here for a pdf copy of this report. Highlights from the report show serious changes since 2014, when retail marijuana businesses began operating in Colorado, including:Traffic deaths: A 32 percent increase in marijuana-related traffic deaths in just one year from 2013Driving under the influence: Toxicology reports with positive marijuana results of active THC for primarily driving under the

Denver is home to the most number of marijuana stores – and leads the state with 18.5% of adults as current users (DENVER, CO) – A new statewide study funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that 13.6% of Colorado adults are regular users of marijuana – almost double the rate (7.4%) of the entire country, according to recent Health and Human Services studies. 1 in 5 marijuana users in the state also reported driving after using marijuana. DETAILS OF THE SURVEY INCLUDED: 1 in 3 users are daily users Black adults in Colorado are using at almost 50% higher than the state average for adults; Hispanics have the lowest use rates Low income Colorado adults are using at higher rates than the state average Almost a third of 18-24 year olds are using marijuana Almost a third of gay and lesbian adults are using marijuana

Researchers urge states to put child safety requirements in place when considering marijuana legalization NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Debates about legalizing marijuana have focused on crime rates, economic benefits, and health effects among adults. But a study published today from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows that the risk to young children of swallowing, breathing in or otherwise being exposed to marijuana also needs to be considered. The study, published online today in Clinical Pediatrics, found that the rate of marijuana exposure among children 5 years of age and younger rose 147.5 percent from 2006 through 2013 across the United States. The rate increased almost 610 percent during the same period in states that legalized marijuana for medical use before 2000. In states that legalized marijuana from 2000 through 2013, the rate increased almost 16 percent per year after legalization, with a particular jump in the year that marijuana was legalized.

Josh HafnerUSA TODAY NETWORKOctober 31, 2017 A new vaping device that’s “gone viral” on high school and college campuses doesn’t look like a vaping device at all, and its popularity has adults wondering what can be done to address it. The Juul vaporizer (stylized as “JUUL”) looks like a USB flash drive. It even charges when plugged into a laptop. It’s small enough to fit inside an enclosed hand, and comes with flavors like creme brulee, mango and fruit medley, all of which are too “kid friendly” for U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer’s taste. The rise of “gadgets like Juul, which can fool teachers and be brought to school, demands the FDA smoke out dangerous e-cigs and their mystery chemicals before more New York kids get hooked,” Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement this month. Click here to read the full article.

By samadmin Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), co-founded by fmr. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, organizes broad coalition and responds to recent legalization editorial WASHINGTON– Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens, chaired by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and directed by former White House adviser Kevin A. Sabet, was joined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine and dozens of other groups in launching a new, full-page ad in the New York Times today in response to the recent pro-marijuana editorial. The ad – “Perception/Reality” – depicts a young laid-back man’s face (“perception”) juxtaposed over the body of high-powered business executive’s body (“reality”) implying that if America is not careful, we will soon have a very large, powerful marijuana industry on our hands. Below the image, the copy reads:“The legalization of marijuana means ushering in an entirely new group of corporations whose

by David Brumbelow(David is a pastor and author of “Ancient Wine and the Bible.” gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com.) Washington State has become the second state to legalize marijuana. Christians need to be prepared to speak to this issue. REASONS TO OPPOSE MARIJUANA ARE HERE GIVEN IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol, and alcohol is legal.  Alcohol is America’s number one drug problem.  Why should we now unleash another harmful drug on America? When marijuana has been legalized, it has led to an increase in crime and societal problems.  Alcohol and marijuana have been classified as “gateway drugs,” drugs that often lead to harder drugs.  Isn’t one legal gateway drug enough? We have not won the war against drugs, including marijuana.  So why not legalize it?  We haven’t won the war against murder either.  Should we therefore legalize murder?  Should we just tax murder?  Of course not. Passing

By Join Together Staff A growing number of people are smoking marijuana out of e-cigarettes, NBC New York reports. Marijuana in liquid and wax forms used in e-cigarettes and vapor pens does not create an odor. Because the devices don’t produce a flame, a person smoking marijuana in an e-cigarette can take a puff and then quickly put it in a pocket. Local law enforcement officials and drug counselors are concerned about the trend, particularly in minors. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a survey that showed use of e-cigarettes among middle and high schools students doubled from 2011 to 2012. The CDC found 10 percent of high school students had tried an e-cigarette last year, compared with 5 percent the previous year. According to the survey, 1.8 million middle and high school students said they tried e-cigarettes last year. Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, who

By Join Together Staff A growing number of people are smoking marijuana out of e-cigarettes, NBC New York reports. Marijuana in liquid and wax forms used in e-cigarettes and vapor pens does not create an odor. Because the devices don’t produce a flame, a person smoking marijuana in an e-cigarette can take a puff and then quickly put it in a pocket. Local law enforcement officials and drug counselors are concerned about the trend, particularly in minors. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a survey that showed use of e-cigarettes among middle and high schools students doubled from 2011 to 2012. The CDC found 10 percent of high school students had tried an e-cigarette last year, compared with 5 percent the previous year. According to the survey, 1.8 million middle and high school students said they tried e-cigarettes last year. Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, who heads the Narcotics Unit for the

By Kevin A. Sabet, Special to CNNupdated 12:58 PM EDT, Wed October 2, 2013 (CNN)– “The war on drugs has failed” is a mantra often heard in policy and media circles these days. But not only is the phrase outdated (the 1980s called — they want their slogan back), it is far too simplistic to describe both current drug policy and its outcomes. The latest incarnation of this ill-advised saying can be found in a report arguing that since cannabis and heroin prices have fallen while their purity has increased, efforts to curb drug use and its supply are doomed to failure. This leads some to highlight the possibility of alternatives in the form of “regulation” (e.g., legalization) of drugs. But a closer look at the data — and the implications for a policy change to legalization — should give us pause if we care about the dire consequences drug