With Carnaval just around the corner, and with future plans to host the 2012 Rio + 20 United Nations talks on sustainable development, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro is in the spotlight — …
Drugs
Overeating: Is It an Addiction?
The holidays are a time for eating: pies at Thanksgiving, chocolates for Advent and overflowing gift baskets of cookies and candies through the New Year. If you’re having trouble saying no to the bounty of fat and sugar, give …
Portugal’s Drug Experience: New Study Confirms Decriminalization Was a Success
From the perspective of drug warriors, the criminal laws against drug possession are all that protect Americans from a deluge of drugs, an orgy of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine use that would kill children, …
Study: ‘Hyper-Texting’ Teens More Likely to Have Had Sex, Tried Drugs
Teens who send more than 120 texts a day are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol or illegal drugs than peers who text less, according to a study conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Addiction Files: The Keith Richards Blueprint for Recovery
Keith Richards isn’t exactly a recovery role model — the Rolling Stones guitarist and songwriter used drugs for much of his life, and he still drinks copiously and smokes marijuana and cigarettes.
A Man Dies After Overdosing on Caffeine
Caffeine — the seemingly benign stimulant found in coffee, energy drinks, soda and even chocolate — has been implicated in the death of a 23-year-old British man, who reportedly overdosed on caffeine powder he purchased on …
Marijuana as a Gateway Drug: The Myth That Will Not Die
Of all the arguments that have been used to demonize marijuana, few have been more powerful than that of the “gateway effect”: the notion that while marijuana itself may not be especially dangerous, it ineluctably leads to harder …
Fired for Taking Legal Drugs? Why Drug Tests Don’t Always Work
Should people who take legally prescribed painkillers on the job be fired for failing a drug test? A story in Monday’s New York Times examines the case of a woman who is part of a lawsuit against her employer for doing just that.
Prop 19 Analysis: Will Marijuana Legalization Increase Use?
As California moves toward the legalization of marijuana — next month, voters will decide on Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 — a key question remains: could the new law produce a whole …
Family MattersParenting
Simple Fix: Family Dinners Help Teens Avoid Drinking and Using Drugs
If you have reservations tonight for a romantic dinner for you and your spouse, go ahead and cancel them. It’s Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, designated by all 50 states to highlight how parental …
New Weird Source of Antimicrobial Drugs: Cockroach Brains?
As I wrote recently, many of our most useful medications come from bizarre sources, ranging from mold from Adriatic castles to Gila monster spit and horse urine. Soon, cockroach brains may be added to this profoundly unappetizing list.
Is Drug Use Really on the Rise?
Each year when the federal government releases new statistics on drug use, the bad news always gets reported first. That’s partly because bad news is always a better story than good news. It’s also partly because government …
Does Big Beer Fear Big Bud?
The California Beer and Beverage Distributors association, which describes itself on its website as “a nonprofit trade association representing over 100 beer distributors and brewer/vendor members,” has donated $10,000 to a group …