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Another great Cartoon by Co-Author of the Great Brain Robbery - Tom Scott
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{{/_source.additionalInfo}}Another great Cartoon by Co-Author of the Great Brain Robbery - Tom Scott
MEDIA RELEASE: CDOT Report: Colorado Daily Marijuana Users Believe Driving While High Safe; Skeptical of Data Proving Otherwise.
(Denver, CO) - According to a new report released by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), daily users of today’s high potency marijuana in the Centennial State believe that driving while high on the drug is safe and are skeptical of laws, policies, and data regarding stoned driving.
“Marijuana commercialization has pushed the normalization of the drug beyond simply making more people accepting of its use—-now, because of relentless propaganda by a greedy industry—people refuse to believe solid evidence that marijuana-impaired driving is dangerous,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. “It’s beyond time for Colorado lawmakers to stop accepting political donations from the pot industry and start seriously reigning in this industry.”
Study participants stated they wanted “independent, empirical research” on marijuana-impaired driving, but were skeptical of such studies when presented with them. Participants told researchers that they did not believe the science because it “did not align with their personal experiences.”
Notably, 13.5% of drivers involved in a fatal car crash in Colorado in 2018 tested positive for marijuana impairment, according to CDOT. Other reports found that number to be higher—more than 18%. A 2017 analysis by the Denver Post found that the rate of marijuana-impaired drivers involved in fatal car crashes in Colorado more than doubled since the implementation of commercialization. A recent AAA study found the same to be the case in Washington State.
“It seems with each day, more evidence comes out that marijuana legalization is leading to greater harms,” continued Dr. Sabet. “As lawmakers in other states look to Colorado for lessons learned from legalization, reports like this must be at the top of the stack.”
Users of high-potency cannabis four times more likely to report associated problems
Press release May 2020
Users of high-potency cannabis are four times more likely to report associated problems, and twice as likely to report anxiety disorder, than users of lower-potency strains, according to new research from the University of Bristol.
Published today [27 May] on JAMA Psychiatry the research uses data from Children of the 90s, a long-term health study that recruited more than 14,000 pregnant women and their babies born in and around Bristol in the early 1990s and has been following their health and development ever since.
This is the first research of its kind to look at data from a general population sample, with previous research into the links between cannabis potency and mental health only looking at clinical and self-selecting samples of people who use drugs. Added to this, the nature of the data available from the Children of the 90s health study enabled the research team to take into account whether mental health symptoms were present before the individual started using cannabis.
Dr Lindsey Hines, Senior Research Associate from Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences and lead author, explained: "We know that people who use cannabis are more likely to report mental health problems than those who don’t use cannabis, but we don't fully understand how recent increases in the strength and potency of cannabis affects this. This study gives us an estimate of the increased likelihood of mental health problems from use of high-potency cannabis, compared to use of lower-potency cannabis, and we are able to account for the effect that people’s early adolescent mental health symptoms may have on this relationship."
The research looked at data collected from participants aged 24 years who had reported using cannabis in the previous year, of which 13 per cent reported use of high-potency cannabis... Researchers were then able to compare this data to reported mental health symptoms at age 24 as well as early symptoms of mental health collected when participants were younger.
Dr Hines continued: "People who use cannabis are more likely to report mental health problems than those who don’t use cannabis, but reducing the potency and regularity of their cannabis use may be effective for lessening likelihood of harms from use.
For complete media release go to https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/may/cannabis-potency-research.html
People who regularly smoke cannabis ‘are nearly three times more likely to be violent’, study finds
June 7, 2020.
People who regularly smoke cannabis are almost three times more likely to commit a violent offence as those who abstain from the drug, new research has found.
Scientists involved in a landmark study of almost 300,000 teenagers and young adults believe that over time, prolonged cannabis use profoundly alters the brain, making the user less able to control their temper.
In addition, the research found addicts may also suffer from withdrawal symptoms, making them irritable and prone to lashing out.
Psychiatrist Professor Sir Robin Murray, a world-leading expert on the neurological impact of the drug, said the link between cannabis use and violence was a “neglected area”.
Commenting on the study’s findings, he said: “This is not a surprise for those of us who follow the scientific literature or see patients who heavily use cannabis.
“However, it may be a surprise to the many who think cannabis is a chill-out, anti-violence drug.”
Britain has been plagued by a succession of brutal killings linked to cannabis in recent years.
In some of the cases, lawyers have argued the perpetrators should not be found guilty of murder because they were suffering from psychosis, a mental condition now understood to be exacerbated by smoking strong cannabis.
Among the killers was student Femi Nandap, who, in December 2015, stabbed public health expert Jeroen Ensink to death outside his home in North London.
Mr Ensink, 41, had popped out to post cards announcing that his wife Nadja had given birth to their daughter.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Samrat Sengupta, of Broadmoor Hospital, told the Old Bailey that the student’s heavy cannabis habit had triggered a genetic psychotic illness.
Nandap, then 23, was given an indefinite hospital order after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The researchers decided to examine 30 individual studies examining the link between cannabis use and violence because “the [scientific] literature has shown that cannabis use may lead to violent behaviours and aggression; however, this association has been inconsistent” – with some studies showing a relationship and others not.
The team from Montreal University in Canada discovered 26 of the 30 studies showed a tendency towards higher levels of violence among cannabis users.
When they pooled the results – meaning they were looking at a combined group of 296,815 teens and adults under 30 – they found users were more than twice as likely (2.15 times) to have committed a violent offence as non-users.
Among “persistent heavy users”, the risk of violence was 2.81 times higher.
For complete article go to www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8395555/People-regularly-smoke-cannabis-nearly-three-times-likely-violent-study-finds.html
Baker & Hostetler LLP USA June 1 2020
Defendant accused of getting consumers high without their permission
Half-Baked Plans
There’s an urban legend that’s been floating around like so much indica haze for three decades or so, maybe more.
It goes like this: A pair of brothers are returning home from college for Thanksgiving break. Before the holiday begins, they coordinate the baking of a “special” batch of chocolate cookies made with marijuana flour. They plan to bring a regular batch along as well; as the holiday evening drags on, they’ll consume the special cookies while the rest of the family munches on the “normal” treats. Holiday tedium averted, right?
Not so fast. Grandma (in some versions it’s a cousin, or aunt, or what have you) mistakenly switches the two batches, or mixes them together, and before you know it, the dessert portion of the Thanksgiving meal is heading into comedic territory. Dad is giggling uncontrollably, and Grandpa is loudly complaining about his inordinate thirst. The after-dinner board game descends into paranoid recriminations.
Well, we’ve got a case for you that probably led to similar situations – except in our case, the college kids get sued.
In Case Your Memory Is Affected
Before we get into the details, a quick refresher. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are derived from cannabis plants. THC is the psychoactive element in marijuana; in other words, it’s what gets you high. CBD is not psychoactive. This is why CBD has made its way (fitfully and always with the looming threat of regulation) into somewhat mainstream consumer product lines.
Products containing more than a small percentage of THC, however, are Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.
Probably best to not sell those, at least outside of certain states and their local licensing schemes – though even then the Feds could Trump the locals. With that out of the way, on to the case.
For complete story https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=808b08f0-e4e4-4fd9-9074-e51176760f9b