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What’s The Price for A Bag Of Weed?

U.S. arrests for pot possession were up to 739,000 in 2006. And the cost to tax payers? $1 billion a year.

What’s the current price for a bag of weed? According to the latest figures from the FBI, the human cost is roughly 739,000 a year.

That’s the number of American citizens arrested in 2006 for possessing small amounts of pot. (Another 91,000 were charged with marijuana-related felonies.) The figure is the highest annual total ever recorded, and is nearly double the number of citizens busted for pot fifteen years ago. Continue reading ›

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2008 01 28 Activism
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Is Marijuana A Cancer Drug?

Ahh, cancer. One learns so much from being diagnosed with a death-sentence disease. Of course, 95% of it is stuff you would rather not know, but that other 5% is downright interesting.

For example, “America’s Next Top Model” is much more fun to watch when you’ve lost 15 pounds without trying. During chemotherapy, vanilla smells good, but vanilla wafers taste disgusting. And eyelashes really do have a purpose; without them, my eyes are a dust magnet.

But the most compelling fact I learned was about my friends. Not just what you would expect: how they cooked for my family and picked up my kids and took me to doctors and pretended not to notice how bad I looked and, most important, that I could not — cannot — survive without them.

No, what really shocked me was how many of my old, dear, married, parenting, job-holding friends smoke pot. I am not kidding. People I never expected dropped by to deliver joints and buds and private stash. The DEA could have set a security cam over my front door and made some serious dents in the marijuana trade. The poets and musicians were not a surprise, but lawyers? CEOs? Republicans? Across the ideological spectrum, a lot of my buddies are stoners. Who knew?

Continue reading ›

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2007 12 24 Lifestyle
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Breast Cancer, Medical Marijuana and City Stress

Marijuana Compound Shows Promise In Fighting Breast Cancer

A compound found in cannabis may prove to be effective at helping stop the spread of breast cancer cells throughout the body.

The study, by scientists at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, is raising hope that CBD, a compound found in Cannabis sativa, could be the first non-toxic agent to show promise in treating metastatic forms of breast cancer.

“Right now we have a limited range of options in treating aggressive forms of cancer,” says Sean D. McAllister, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at CPMCRI and the lead author of the study. “Those treatments, such as chemotherapy, can be effective but they can also be extremely toxic and difficult for patients. This compound offers the hope of a non-toxic therapy that could achieve the same results without any of the painful side effects.”

The researchers used CBD to inhibit the activity of a gene called Id-1, which is believed to be responsible for the aggressive spread of cancer cells throughout the body, away from the original tumor site.

“We know that Id-1 is a key regulator of the spread of breast cancer,” says Pierre-Yves Desprez, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at CPMCRI and the senior author of the study. “We also know that Id-1 has also been found at higher levels in other forms of cancer. So what is exciting about this study is that if CBD can inhibit Id-1 in breast cancer cells, then it may also prove effective at stopping the spread of cancer cells in other forms of the disease, such as colon and brain or prostate cancer.”

However, the researchers point out that while their findings are promising they are not a recommendation for people with breast cancer to smoke marijuana. They say it is highly unlikely that effective concentrations of CBD could be reached by smoking cannabis. And while CBD is not psychoactive it is still considered a Schedule 1 drug.

This study was recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

The study was primarily funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program. – CPMC

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City living ‘breast cancer risk’

Women living and working in the city have a higher risk of breast cancer, researchers say. The study of 972 women by London’s private Princess Grace Hospital found city women had much denser breasts.

Previous research has shown those with the densest breast were four times more likely to develop cancer.

Researchers, presenting the study to the Radiological Society of North America, said air pollution was likely to be the cause of denser breasts.

It is thought air pollution contains tiny particles that mimic female sex hormones and can disrupt the make up of breasts.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, one of the researchers, said: “Women who live or work in cities should pay greater attention to breast screening. Ironically, uptake of breast screening is lower cities like London than in the countryside.

“The other implication is that we have to focus on better traffic management and find ways to reduce traffic emissions.

“This is an important issue for the public and politicians, and it’s vital that we raise awareness of the link we have found.”

Breasts are partly composed of fat and partly “dense” glandular tissue.

Previous research has shown that women with 25% or more of their breasts made up of dense tissue are at significantly higher risk of breast cancer than those with fattier breasts.

One reason is that tumours in dense tissue are difficult to spot using X-rays.

There is also evidence that cancers are more likely to develop in dense breasts.

Mammograms

The new research, which analysed mammograms of women who had taken part in breast screening, showed that city women aged 45 to 54 were more than twice as likely to have at least 25% of their breasts made of dense tissue as those from the countryside.

Generally the trend was most obvious in women under the age of 50 and those working in London’s Square Mile.

Researchers also warned the stress of city life could also be putting them at increased risk.

But Professor Stephen Duffy, Cancer Research UK’s professor of screening, said the findings may be related to weight.

“The Health Survey for England found that women living in London were the thinnest in the country, and breast density is known to be inversely related to body weight.”

But he added whatever the reasons, the study did demonstrate the need for careful attention to breast screening as “greater breast density makes mammography a more challenging job”. – BBC

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2007 11 28 Stress and Relaxation
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Ron Paul On Medical Marijuana

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2007 11 26 Politics
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Could Marijuana Be Good For Teens?

Are Cigarettes More of a Drag on Teens than Marijuana?

New study shows that adolescents who toke up function better than those who also use tobacco

Reefer madness? Apparently not, according to a new Swiss survey of students that concludes teenagers who smoke pot function better than those who also use tobacco.

In addition, researchers at the University of Lausanne report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teens who only use marijuana are apparently more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who neither smoke nor toke.

The scientists surveyed 5,263 Swiss students (2,439 females) aged 16 to 20 years, including 455 who said they smoked weed only; 1,703 who reported being tobacco and marijuana users; and 3,105 who said they did not imbibe at all.

“The gateway theory hypothesizes that the use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) is the previous step to cannabis consumption,” the authors wrote. “However, recent research also indicates that cannabis use may precede or be simultaneous to tobacco use and that, in fact, its use may reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction independently of smoking status.”

Among their findings: Compared with students who reported using both drugs, those who smoked pot only were more likely to be male (71.6 percent versus 59.7 percent); get good grades (77.5 to 66.6 percent); play sports (85.5 to 66.7 percent); and live with both parents (78.2 to 68.3 percent).

Cannabis-only smokers were also less likely than their cigarette-and-joint smoking brethren to have used other illegal drugs or to have been soused or have used pot more than twice in the previous 30 days, according to the study.

In contrast to those who shunned both substances, the pot-only crowd was more likely to be male (71.6 to 47.7 percent); have a good relationship with friends (87 versus 83.2 percent); and play sports (85.5 versus 76.6 percent). They were less likely than the abstainers, however, to get along well with their parents (74.1 percent compared with 82.4).

The researchers stressed that whereas students who smoked and toked seemed more prone to psychosocial problems, the marijuana-only users should not be dismissed.

“Even though they do not seem to have great personal, family or academic problems,” they wrote, “the situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialized.”

Groups working toward the decriminalization of marijuana especially for medical purposes praised the findings.

“Studies like this show associations, not cause and effect,” says Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.–based Marijuana Policy Project, a lobby that believes marijuana should be legalized but also regulated and taxed much like cigarettes and alcohol.

“But the drug czar’s office regularly uses associations between marijuana use and problems like poor grades to frighten parents into thinking that cause and effect is proven. So will [it] now say that smoking marijuana makes teens have better peer relationships and be more likely to participate in sports?”

“No one wants to encourage teens to smoke marijuana,” he adds, “but this study strongly suggests that the most serious problems for teens and parents isn’t occasional marijuana use, but heavy use of multiple substances, which is likely a sign of kids who are seriously troubled and need help.” – By Lisa Stein. Scientific American

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2007 11 12 Lifestyle
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Top 10 Bad Things We Love


10. Beer

The newest bad kid on the block, beer has long been overshadowed by its healthier alcoholic cousins.

While no one’s suggesting you switch that glass of antioxidant-rich Pinot Noir for a tall glass of lager–there’s still that beer gut to worry about–new research has suggested that moderate beer intake can actually improve cardiovascular function.

Now if only a scientist will discover the health benefits of ballpark franks and chicken wings. Heaven.

7. LSD

We’re definitely not in the business of advocating drug use. But check out this interesting science: In heavy drinkers, small doses of LSD have been thought to help bypass the rock-bottom stage of alcoholism and prevent relapses.

These studies–some decades old–were done in closely monitored, clinical settings; many patients haven’t had a drink in the many years since.

It’s an interesting finding that needs a lot more investigation, and not a remedy that should ever be tried at home. Meantime–and this may come as no surprise–a recent study of 36 volunteers who took an LSD-like drug in a lab setting had them reporting mystical experiences and behavior changes that lasted for weeks.

6. Sunlight

Exposure to the sun’s rays is necessary to survive, but can also kill you in gross, cancerous quantities. Asthmatics, at least, could benefit from measured doses of ultraviolet rays, according to scientists.

Sunlight suppressed the immune reactions that cause asthma in some lab studies with mice and could be used to treat humans afflicted with the disease in the future.

And sunlight–even if indirect, such as on a shaded porch–is known to boost the mood. Extra sunlight can help office workers avoid afternoon drowsiness, a recent study found. There’s still no excuse to head outside and bake, however.

4. Marijuana

It’s medicinal, we swear! Marijuana, often associated with memory loss, is ironically now being hyped as a way to stave off the ultimate form of memory loss–Alzheimer’s.

Recent studies on mice suggest that anti-inflammatories found in the drug prevent the clumping of brain proteins, one major cause of the disease. So when should you start preventative therapy? We suggest waiting for the human studies to wrap up.

1. Sex

Scientists have found that the benefits of sex go beyond immediate, ahem, gratification and satisfying the goal of procreation.

Besides the obvious evolutionary purposes, we can all take pleasure in the news that having sex is an easy way to reduce stress, lower cholesterol and improve circulation throughout the body. As if you needed another excuse.

Read more at Live Science

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2007 11 08 Food and Drink
Sex
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