How often does life really imitate art? Let’s imagine that a writer has been commissioned to develop a comedic screenplay about the deeply serious business of how to classify and control drugs.
Marijuana
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 …
7 Tips for California: How to Make Legalizing Marijuana Smart
However residents of California vote next week on Prop 19, the state’s marijuana-legalization initiative, polling among young people shows that they overwhelmingly favor a change in marijuana law — so it’s likely that the …
Is Marijuana Addictive? It Depends How You Define Addiction
Does marijuana cause addiction? As Californians prepare to vote on Prop 19 — which would legalize recreational use of the drug, at least under state law — the question is more pertinent than ever. The answer, however, is less …
The Marijuana Number That Was Too Good to Check
Over the last few years, supporters and opponents of marijuana legalization have both cited the same statistic to back their cause: 60% of the profits made by violent Mexican drug lords come from marijuana. But now, it seems, …
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 …
What’s in Your Marijuana? Some Pot Doesn’t Rot Your Memory
Want fewer “Dude, where’s my car?” moments but not ready to give up the weed? A new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests that variations in the chemical makeup of different strains of marijuana are …
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 …
Who’s High? A School Suspends a Student for Bloodshot Eyes
California may be considering the full legalization of marijuana, but in Texas, a student was recently suspended from school for having red eyes.
What the U.S. Can Learn from the Dutch About Teen Sex
The Dutch are known for their liberal attitudes toward sex and drugs: while not officially legal, marijuana use and sale in “coffee shops” is tolerated in The Netherlands, as is prostitution, most notoriously in the street …
The Great Pot Debate: Does Marijuana Improve Mental Function?
I recently tried to find some consensus in the research on whether smoking marijuana makes you psychotic — some data indicate that pot-smokers are more likely to develop schizophrenia, while other studies find that marijuana …
Traces of Marijuana Found in Trayvon Martin’s Body: Does It Matter?
News that the Florida teen’s autopsy revealed trace amounts of THC shouldn’t be misinterpreted to equate marijuana use with violence.