Legalizing pot would hurt kids, and here’s why
The News Review:
- Legalizing pot would hurt kids, and here’s why
- Lighting Up In Amsterdam
- Thousands more marijuana plants seized
- Study Shows Marijuana Increases Brain Cell Growth
- 2 Admit They Grew Cannabis.
- County arrestees often use drugs, study finds
- Brother keeps the surf dream alive
Legalizing pot would hurt kids, and here’s why
Denver Post – Aug 26, 2006
If it passes in November it will allow adults to smoke without fear of getting arrested. But the upshot is many young people will take it as evidence that marijuana is not dangerous – something many already believe. Young people often say that because marijuana comes from a plant, it is “natural” and “organic,” therefore not harmful. If it weren’t there would be no high. “Of course marijuana intoxication impairs intellectual functioning,” says Dr. Harrison Pope, a Harvard professor of psychiatry who has spent a decade researching the effects of marijuana use… Harrison Pope, a Harvard professor of psychiatry who has spent a decade researching the effects of marijuana use. “You don’t need brain scans to tell you that. ” Heavy marijuana smokers are not only less academically accomplished, they tend to have lower incomes than nonsmokers, Pope said. Mason Tvert, campaign organizer of the ballot initiative, is correct when he says that in many ways marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol. Studies have shown that drunks are prone to violence. But the campaign’s moniker, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, and its acronym, SAFER, imply that marijuana is safe to use.
Lighting Up In Amsterdam
New York Times – Aug 26, 2006
Hes got Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Mike Tyson — but so far, unfortunately, not a single White House drug czar. The czars have preferred to criticize from afar. In the past, theyve called Dutch drug policy an unmitigated disaster, bemoaning Amsterdams stoned zombies and its streets cluttered with junkies. Anti-pot passion has only increased in the Bush administration, which has made it a priority to combat marijuana… They could see that the patrons puffing on joints generally don’t look any more zombielike than the crowd at an American bar — or, for that matter, a Congressional subcommittee listening to a lecture on the evils of marijuana. And if they talked to Peter Cohen, a Dutch researcher who has been studying drug use for a quarter-century, they would discover something even more disorienting. Even though marijuana has been widely available since the 1970’s, enough to corrupt a couple of generations, the Netherlands has not succumbed to reefer madness. The Dutch generally use drugs less than Americans do, according to national surveys in both countries (and these surveys might understate Americans’ drug usage, since respondents are less likely to admit illegal behavior). More Americans than Dutch reported having tried marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Among teenagers who’d tried marijuana, Americans were more likely to be regular users. In a comparison of Amsterdam with another liberal port city, San Francisco, Cohen and other researchers found that people in San Francisco were nearly twice as likely to have tried marijuana.
Thousands more marijuana plants seized
Mail Tribune – Aug 26, 2006
Police swept in on three large gardens in the forest near the community of Lincoln by milepost 22 on Highway 66, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said. The scattered growing operations likely were the project of a single organization, he said. No people were found at the gardens and investigators haven’t made any arrests in connection with the plants, Winters said. The plants ranged in size from 2 to 6 feet tall and, if harvested, probably would have yielded millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana when sold on the street, authorities said… No people were found at the gardens and investigators haven’t made any arrests in connection with the plants, Winters said. The plants ranged in size from 2 to 6 feet tall and, if harvested, probably would have yielded millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana when sold on the street, authorities said. Large, mature plants can produce about a pound of marijuana, which sells for up to $5,000 on the street retail level, investigators said. Authorities involved in the raid included the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, SWAT teams from Klamath Falls police and the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, U. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officials are working to eradicate plants before harvest and have made several seizures this week.
Study Shows Marijuana Increases Brain Cell Growth
Vive Le Canada – Aug 26, 2006
It was thought that marijuana did the same thing, but this new research suggests otherwise. Neuropsychiatrist Xia Zhang and a team of researchers study how marijuana-like drugs – known collectively as cannabinoids – act on the brain. The team tested the effects of HU-210, a potent synthetic cannabinoid similar to a group of compounds found in marijuana. The synthetic version is about 100 times as powerful as THC, the high-inducing compound loved by recreational users.
2 Admit They Grew Cannabis.
Free with registration – Europe Intelligence Wire – AccessMyLibrary.com – Aug 26, 2006
2 Admit They Grew Cannabis. | Europe Intelligence Wire (August, 2006).
County arrestees often use drugs, study finds
San Diego Union Tribune – Aug 26, 2006
The most common combination was marijuana and methamphetamine. The report, released Wednesday, also found:. gif> Four of every five arrestees in the county said they had tried marijuana and nearly 50 percent said they had used it within 30 days before their arrest. About one-third had the drug in their systems when they were apprehended. According to SANDAG, marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance in the United States.
Brother keeps the surf dream alive
NEWS.com.au – Aug 26, 2006
"They were equally as talented as each other and Joel went down one way and is making millions now. And then you have got James, who made some different decisions. "
James began taking marijuana when he was 19 but still blitzing surf contests. "There is a lot of peer pressure out there to experiment with drugs and alcohol at parties and everyone tends to have a bit of a dabble. Marijuana really didn’t agree with my brother at all," Stephen says. His father Ian adds: "Everywhere James went he was being tempted by drugs. People loved James because of his talent — he was such a fantastic surfer — and he would always be offered drugs… "
James began taking marijuana when he was 19 but still blitzing surf contests. "There is a lot of peer pressure out there to experiment with drugs and alcohol at parties and everyone tends to have a bit of a dabble. Marijuana really didn’t agree with my brother at all," Stephen says. His father Ian adds: "Everywhere James went he was being tempted by drugs. People loved James because of his talent — he was such a fantastic surfer — and he would always be offered drugs. For him it was a complete poison. "
James’s parents saw him in a tailspin of marijuana and harder drugs and devoted themselves to getting their son back on track.