tagged w/ marijuana legalization
-
By David Edwards
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told columnist George Will and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Sunday that Republican opposition to marijuana legalization was “a great embarrassment to the conservatives.”
During a town hall-style debate on ABC, Frank demanded a response from Will about decriminalizing marijuana.
“I mean, personal liberty, if someone wants to smoke marijuana who’s an adult, why do you want to make them go to jail?” Frank asked.
“With regard to marijuana, I need to know more about whether it’s a gateway drug to other drugs,” Will replied. “I need to know how you are going to regulate it, whether you’re going to advertise it.”
“Anything is a gateway to anything,” Frank said, dismissing Will argument. “That’s the slippery slope argument which is a very anti-libertarian argument. The fact that if somebody is doing something that’s not in itself wrong, that it might lead later on to something else then stop the something else. Don’t lock them up for smoking marijuana.”
“What you’re calling a cop-out, I’m calling a quest for information,” Will insisted.
“How long’s it going to last, George?” Frank asked. “We’ve been doing this for decades.”
“I understand liberalism’s aversion to information because it often doesn’t go in their direction,” Will quipped.
“No, I’m not averse to it,” Frank shot back. “I’ve been studying this for a long time. You know, you’re on Medicare. How much longer are we going to have to wait for you to make up your mind?”
“Let’s get off marijuana,” Ryan interrupted, eager to move to the next topic.
“It’s a great embarrassment to the conservatives,” Frank pointed out. “They want to tell people who they can have sex with. Come on, all this is big government! Who can I have sex with? Who can I marry? What can I read? What can I smoke? You guys, on the whole — not all of you — but the conservatives are the ones who intrude on personal liberty there.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/18/barney-frank-schools-george-will-paul-ryan-on-marijuana-legalization/
Watch this video from ABC’s This Week,
"I agree with Barney Frank!!!"By David Edwards
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told columnist... more
-
-
KB723
-
added this
-
5 months ago
- |
-
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Use of two of the most deadly and addictive substances known to man is on the downswing among American teens as they increasingly turn to marijuana, a study published Thursday claimed.
Among high school seniors, marijuana use is at a 30-year high, with 1 in 15 saying they use the drug near daily, according to an annual survey of about 50,000 teens in grades 8, 10 and 12. About a quarter of teens surveyed said they tried marijuana at least once last year, and 50 percent overall said they had used an illegal drug before.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Michigan University’s yearly “Monitoring the Future” (PDF) report also found that alcohol abuse, which the Centers for Disease Control says kills more young Americans than any other drug, is also at a historic low.
Tobacco use, similarly, has gone down by a statistically significant amount: just 11.7 percent of U.S. teens say they’ve smoked a cigarette in the last 30 days, compared to 12.8 percent in 2010.
The study also found that most teens don’t view marijuana as a dangerous drug, which lends itself to usage rates going up. While it is impossible to overdose on marijuana and the intoxicating effects are often less disruptive than alcohol, it can promote apathetic and gluttonous behaviors, and long-term smoking can lead to an assortment of lung diseases. There’s also strong evidence that people genetically predisposed to schizophrenia might be at risk for intensifying paranoid delusions after using marijuana.
However, Gil Kerlikowske, who directs the Office of National Drug Control Policy, attributed the rise in use to the growing availability of medical marijuana, which is only sold to adults with valid forms of identification and a doctor’s recommendation in the 16 states where its legal.
“We know that any substance that is legally available is more widely used,” he said.
That claim, which was not specifically supported by the research, was seemingly undermined recent data released by the Institute for the Study of Labor, which sought to answer that question but found no evidence that the availability of medical marijuana drove teens’ usage habits.
It did find, however, that marijuana use was up among adults in states where it has been approved by voters. The same figures also found that more adults were using marijuana instead of drinking alcohol, which cut into the overall number of traffic fatalities due to drunk driving — a trend which also shows up in Thursday’s “Monitoring the Future” report.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/15/study-u-s-teens-opting-for-pot-over-booze-cigarettes/
"I don't Blame them, Booze and Cigarettes are made to shorten your life, there is No evidence that Marijuana does the same!!!"By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Use of two of the most deadly... more
-
-
KB723
-
added this
-
6 months ago
- |
-
Not all Medical Marijuana is Smoked!!! Big Pharma needs to STFU and take a backseat for a change... Hmmm speaking of 'Change' anybody heard a thing from BO these days????Not all Medical Marijuana is Smoked!!! Big Pharma needs to STFU and take a backseat... more
-
-
KB723
-
added this
-
6 months ago
- |
-
Source: BDN
AUGUSTA, Maine — Baked or smoked? How patients use their medical marijuana determines their tax rate, according to a recent opinion from Maine Revenue Services.
After Mainers approved medical marijuana, lawmakers decided that marijuana sold for medicinal purposes would be subject to the 5 percent state sales tax. Now Maine Revenue Services has issued an opinion that prepared foods such as brownies that include medical marijuana will be taxed at the higher 7 percent rate. This has many questioning the ruling.
“It again shows how disconnected some people in the taxing department are from the general will of Maine people,” said Paul McCarrier, board member of Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine. He said medical marijuana is just what it says it is — a medicine — and should not be taxed at all.
McCarrier said for some individuals, eating foods that contain medical marijuana is the best way for them to use the medicine. He said smoking or using vaporizers does not work for everyone and patients should not have to pay an extra tax in order to use medicinal marijuana.
http://bangordailynews.com/2011/11/03/politics/maine-slaps-7-tax-on-pot-brownies-sold-to-medical-marijuana-patients
"Heh, I am Happy just smoking it with out paying any Taxes, either way this is a Divided Issue, on one Hand I am glad that they are helping their economy by taxing and on the other hand I agree that Medicine should Not be Taxed, what are your thoughts???Source: BDN
AUGUSTA, Maine — Baked or smoked? How patients use their medical... more
-
-
KB723
-
added this
-
7 months ago
- |
-
Source: Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In 10 months in office, Gov. Lincoln Chafee has managed to anger an impressive assortment of constituencies: business leaders and organized labor, medical marijuana advocates and critics of illegal immigration.
It's been a bumpy ride for the nation's only independent governor, who insists he's only doing what is necessary to stabilize government finances and heal the state's frail economy. But so far Chafee is winning criticism faster than compliments, a risky move for a politician without a party elected by less than half of Rhode Island's voters.
"This is a tough year – there are no surprises there," Chafee told the Associated Press during a recent interview. "This year's budget was one of the worst. ... We're facing a very difficult economy. My belief is the status quo is unacceptable here in Rhode Island. Changes have to be made."
There's no question Chafee took office during one of the most challenging times in Ocean State history. The state's jobless rate remains stubbornly high at 10 percent. The financially troubled city of Central Falls was forced to seek bankruptcy protection. A state budget deficit that once stood at $300 million led to difficult spending cuts even as the state's long-looming pension crisis further destabilized government coffers.
"This is the biggest challenge of his governorship," said Brown University political science professor Wendy Schiller. "If he fails, I think this is the end of the Chafee governorship in terms of relevance
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111030/us-gambling-governor
"I am thinking he is on his last leg, he should not have gone against his "Campaign Slogans" but it just seems like they all do it these days!!!"Source: Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In 10 months in office, Gov.... more
-
-
KB723
-
added this
-
7 months ago
- |
-
by Jon Ber
Mexican soldiers burned 300-acre (120 hectare) field of marijuana this month - yet another idiotic action, in a lost war that already claimed the lives of some 40,000 domestically - reports Time Magazine's Ioan Grillo from Mexico City.
Time Magazine, is yet another world leading publication to underline the horrific consequences of the bankrupt US drug policy for itself and the rest of the world.
The US in a matter of fact, is protecting drug cartels exclusivity.
Meanwhile In Washington DC, proponent of the movement to end pot prohibition are getting steamed-up toward the 2012 election.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2084224,00.html#ixzz1TR1Bj64g
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2084224,00.htmlby Jon Ber
Mexican soldiers burned 300-acre (120 hectare) field of marijuana this... more
-
-
jonber
-
added this
-
10 months ago
- |
-
By Chris Morran on July 8, 2011 9:30 AM
Just over a year ago, the powers that be in Philadelphia effectively decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana by offering offenders the chance to enroll in a three-hour class that would expunge the offense from their records. Not only did this give Philadelphia police more time and energy to focus on more serious crimes, it has also saved the city a pretty sizable Ziploc bag of green stuff.
"We were spending thousands of dollars for when someone possessed $10 or $15 worth of weed," District Attorney Seth Williams tells the Philadelphia Daily News. "It just didn't make any sense."
Under the program, being caught with up to 30 grams of marijuana is no longer a misdemeanor but a summary offense. By simply paying $200 to attend the three-hour class on the ills of drug use and abuse, the arrestee's record is wiped clean of the offense.
Before this change, offenders faced up to $500 in fines and possible, though unlikely jail time. If the suspect fought the charges, this meant expenses for the city — prosecutors, judges, lab tests, public defenders, etc. By all but decriminalizing pot, Williams estimates that the city has saved $2 million in the last 12 months.
Additionally, police tell the News that there has been no noticeable impact on the quality of life in Philadelphia since the program went into effect.
Looking at the bigger picture, DA Williams says the current way most U.S. authorities treat drug possession is shortsighted.
"I can put someone in jail for 90 days because they possess crack. But if we don't get them the help they need for their addiction, when they get out of jail, they're just going to be a 90-day-older crack addict," he explains. "We have to treat drug addiction as a public-health problem, not just a criminal-justice problem."
D.A.: Philly's new pot policy just makes sense ... and saves dollars [Philadelphia Daily News]By Chris Morran on July 8, 2011 9:30 AM
Just over a year ago, the powers that be in... more
-
-
ard on the heels of the massive and monumentally stupid “Great GOPhuquery” the other week in Vermont, and his continuing appearance in the headlines, with Barney Frank last week with their spot-light-seizing, headline-grabbing,ard on the heels of the massive and monumentally stupid “Great GOPhuquery”... more
-
-
-
The first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition is coming on Thursday, June 23. Historic, bipartisan legislation which would end the United States' war on marijuana -- and allow states to legalize, tax regulate and control cannabis commerce without federal interference -- will be introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).
Co-sponsors of the bill include Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
The legislation would limit the federal government's role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or interstate smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal.
Leading critics of the war on marijuana will explain the legislation's significance for state and national marijuana policy at a national press teleconference on Thursday.
A group of police and judges who fought on the front lines of the failed War On Drugs is announcing its support for the legislation, which is called the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011.
"Clearly the 'war on drugs' has failed, and nowhere is that more clear than with respect to marijuana," said Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore narcotics cop and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). "It baffles me that we arrest nearly 800,000 people on marijuana charges in this country each and every year at taxpayer expense when we could instead be taking in new tax revenue from legal and regulated marijuana sales.
"Making marijuana illegal hasn't prevented anyone from using it, but it has created a huge funding source that funnels billions of dollars in tax-free profits to violent drug cartels and gangs," Franklin said. "More and more cops now agree: Legalizing marijuana will improve public safety."The first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition is... more
-
-
Brian Aitken just directed this video on the Cost of the War on Drugs through the Foundation for Economic Education with help from Jeffrey Miron, Harvard Economist and Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute.
After 40 years of violence, murder, and trillions of dollars spent with no end in sight the video begs you to ask yourself: Does it make sense?
The Foundation for Economic Education: FEE is the oldest free-market organization in America. Founded in 1946 FEE’s mission is to offer the most consistent case for the “first principles” of freedom: the sanctity of private property, individual liberty, the rule of law, the free market, and the moral superiority of individual choice and responsibility over coercion.
Brian Aitken: Best known for being sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing his legally owned firearms. After a two year legal battle where corruption reigned he spent four months in prison before being released by Governor Chris Christie. A Deprivation of Civil Rights suit is pending against the Police, Prosecutor and Judge (who has since been dismissed). Aitken is now the Director of New Media for FEE.
Jeffrey Miron: Jeffrey A. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University and a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. Miron has previously served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Boston University; at the latter, he was Department chairman for six years. He has been the recipient of an Olin Fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, and a Sloan Foundation Faculty Research Fellowship. Miron holds a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T.
The CATO Institute: The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization — a think tank — dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.Brian Aitken just directed this video on the Cost of the War on Drugs through the... more
-
-
-
This isn’t a comparison on the effects of alcohol vs. weed and whether pot being illegal is constitutional. This isn’t about the numerous financial benefits to the state, the entrepreneur and the employee through weed’s taxation, tourism, regulation and indirect business associations. Nor is this on marijuana’s arguable health benefits and the hypocrisy of pharmaceutical companies making billions with prescription drugs to which the true long term effects aren’t known. This is about putting aside personal feelings on a plant in order to stymie human trafficking, child pornography, child prostitution and murder.
Legal marijuana is a cash crop for the state and the entrepreneur, while illegal it’s a cash crop for the “bad guys” most notably the fluid and dangerous drug cartels. Like the mob during prohibition, cartels reap benefits on a substance being illegal while they deal in more heinous and egregious activities than drug distribution. Child pornography, murder and child prostitution are also calling cards of the cartels. Legalizing pot takes money from the cartels, creates money for the state and reallocates police to more serious problems.
This isn’t drama, theatrics or a convolution of the facts. The very real truth is, evil is in this world and idle hands are part of the problem. Please, ponder the pot question and weigh its’ morality. It is wrong to buck our responsibility on the precedence of it being illegal. Properly regulated legal marijuana makes the world a better place, plain and simple.This isn’t a comparison on the effects of alcohol vs. weed and whether pot being... more
-
-
Marijuana advocates filed a suit in a U.S. Circuit Court today to force the Obama administration to answer a petition that seeks to have the federal government recognize cannabis as a drug with acceptable medical uses. The suit wants the court to order the administration to answer the original request within 60 days. This after nine years of stalling on the matter, according to California NORML, which is party to Monday's suit.
Read more:
http://www.politicalfailblog.com/2011/05/medical-marijuana-from-sea-to-shining.htmlMarijuana advocates filed a suit in a U.S. Circuit Court today to force the Obama... more
-
-
In 2010, Vanguard correspondent Adam Yamaguchi embedded with a task force working to take down Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in the U.S. Now he gives an update on California's battle over legalizing marijuana and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to shut down marijuana grow sites.
"Vanguard" is Current TV's no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.
Current Media, the Peabody-and Emmy Award-winning television and online network founded in 2005 by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, engages viewers with smart, provocative and timely programming -stories that no one else is telling in ways that no one else is telling them. Current's programming shines a light where others won't dare and boldly explores important subjects -- opening minds, sparking conversations and forming deep connections with its viewers. The channel's audience is comprised of affluent, curious, social and connected adults who crave the kind of entertaining, enlightening, witty and informative programming found on Current's TV and online properties. Current is now available via cable and satellite TV in 75 million households worldwide - 60 million households in the US - through distribution partners Comcast (Channel 107); Time Warner ; DirecTV (Channel 358 nationwide); Dish Network (Channel 196 nationwide); Verizon and AT&T. In the UK and Ireland, Current is available on BSkyB (Channel 183) and Virgin Media (Channel 155), and in Italy, Current is available on Sky Italia (Channel 130). Viewers can also find Current online at http://www.current.com.In 2010, Vanguard correspondent Adam Yamaguchi embedded with a task force working to... more
-
-
(Reuters) - Delaware became the 16th state on Friday to legalize marijuana for medical use after the governor signed the bill into law.
The law allows patients who certify they have a serious medical condition such as cancer to possess up to six ounces, or 170 grams, of marijuana.
State-licensed centers will be allowed to grow the marijuana and dispense it to patients 18 and older.
Democratic Governor Jack Markell signed the bill in private without a ceremony, according to his office.
The state Senate passed the measure on Wednesday by a 17-4 vote.
California was the first state to allow marijuana for medical use in 1996.
*********************
Many more states are expected to follow suit. How many states need to do this before cannabis/THC is finally rescheduled? In reality, it should have only taken 1 state... We now have a full THIRD of US states with medicinal cannabis laws even though the government has refused to acknowledge it's medicinal value, let alone the fact that it is a completely safe and non-toxic recreational substance that could offer a valuable alternative to alcohol which is one of this nation's leading substances attributing to the death of thousands of people every year.
http://budbeauties.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/san-diego-medical-marijuana.jpg
PS - If you're wondering why I called it "Cannabis" that's because I refuse to call it "marijuana". Marijuana is a dirty racist term founded in the roots of the propaganda campaign that led to one of the biggest travesties in history...
Legalize, regulate and educate!! Cannabis should be free for adults to use as they wish, whether it be medicinal, spiritual, inspirational, or just simply recreational use. If we can drink ourselves to death with an accepted toxin with no medicinal value, why can't we choose to use a non-toxic herb for whatever we want???(Reuters) - Delaware became the 16th state on Friday to legalize marijuana for medical... more
-
-
Ever wonder what British Columbia’s most profitable industries are? Logging? Fishing? Tourism? Ever think to include marijuana? If you haven’t, think again. No longer a hobby for the stereotypical hippie culture of the ’60s, BC’s illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a seemingly unstoppable business giant, dubbed by those involved as ‘The Union’.
Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually, The Union’s roots stretch far and wide, directly and indirectly affecting all areas of our society. With 65% to 85% of all ‘BC Bud’ being exported to the United States, it’s clear that the BC marijuana trade has become an international issue with consequences that extend far beyond our borders. When there are record profits to be made, who are the players, and when do their motives become questionable?
Why is marijuana illegal? What health risks do we really face? Does prohabition work? What would happen if we taxed it? Medicine, paper, fuel, textiles, food, etc. Are we missing something here?
Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he dives head first into Canada’s most socially acceptable illegal activity. Along the way, Adam demsytifies the underground market and brings to light how such a large industry can function while remaining illegal. By interviewing experts from around the globe, including growers, clippers, police officers, criminalogists, economists, psychologists, medical doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie explores the cause and effect nature of the business behind getting high.
Nobody’s innocent in this exploration of an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal. Join Adam Scorgie as he unravels the mystery of The Union.Ever wonder what British Columbia’s most profitable industries are? Logging?... more
-
-
ddnhxf
-
added this
-
1 year ago
- |
-
Cannabis these days is more well-known as marijuana, a term founded in the highly racial campaign to eliminate cannabis from competition in many industries from pharmaceuticals to big oil and many big money industries in between. This single plant has a very staggering list of thousands of uses, most of which are non-toxic to both humans and our environment as well as fully sustainable; unlike the many products and industries that such uses could compete with or completely replace.
Thanks to an all too effective disinformation campaign, launched in the name of hate and greed, the only thing most people today can associate with this plant are negative stereotypical effects related to drug abuse. Even though those few instances of use are not founded in reality, but rather exaggerations of a tiny percentage of statistical evidence showing detriment to human health which are often based on biased and flawed studies which do not hold up under unbiased scrutiny, the ignorance persists. Lies... that's what keeps people in fear of the plant that could change the world as we know it for the better. Doesn't seem right, does it?
Inform yourself, watch the documentaries and share this with everyone you know. It's time to dispel the fraudulent myths that have dominated public, drug, and foreign policy for over 70 years now. Not only do we have modern studies and evidence that say cannabis should never have been prohibited and virtually black-balled, we have thousands of years of evidence that says this is and has been the most important plant in the history of mankind!
Cannabis Prohibition is a travesty.... it's time to end this bullshit! Legalize, educate and regulate. Together we can change the world!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSKJrgGqx_E&feature=related
ALSO WATCH: Medical Cannabis and Its Impact on Human Health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Md2WNqqxTQ&feature=...
EXCELLENT documentary! Please share this, pass it on, email it to anyone and everyone. It's time to shatter this myth that has ruined millions of lives and cost taxpayers nearly a trillion dollars. Watch the video, it will open your eyes to the truth!
Also... check out Jack Herer's site loaded with information including a text only version of his famous book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes".
http://www.jackherer.com/Cannabis these days is more well-known as marijuana, a term founded in the highly... more
-
-
This was the second of two Garberville, CA meetings to open a conversation in the community about the project to incorporate much of southern Humboldt county into a city, likely to be called Emerald City. Two fundamental reasons for doing this are 1) to manage a faster bioregional conversion of our economy to meet needs locally or from as close to home as possible, 2) manage our own medical use regulations for the production and distribution of cannabis currently, and in a post-legalization economy coming soon.
This meeting was held Sunday, February 27, 2011 in the Garberville Veterans Hall. The presenters were Humboldt County Supervisor Cliff Clendenen, LAFCo administrator Alisha Oloughlin, Jim Lamport, 2012 Congressional candidate Andy Caffrey, and Solar Dan Glaser.This was the second of two Garberville, CA meetings to open a conversation in the... more
-
-
"This cements much more firmly the reality that marijuana use in adolescence is a risk factor, along with the other genetic, environmental and socioeconomic risk factors, for developing psychosis," said Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, associate dean and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Round Rock.
The findings, reported in the March 1 issue of the BMJ, come just weeks after Australian researchers reported on a connection between smoking marijuana and an onset of psychosis 2.7 years earlier than those who hadn't used the drug.
This latest study, led by Jim van Os from Maastricht University, seems to go one step further by showing that marijuana use actually precedes the onset of symptoms, suggesting a possible cause-and-effect relationship.
Some 16 million people in the United States alone use marijuana regularly, and most started smoking in their teens. It is the third most widely used addictive substance after tobacco and alcohol.
The new findings are based on data on about 2,000 individuals in Germany who were 14 to 24 years old when they enrolled in the study, and who were then followed for 10 years.
None of the participants had ever tried marijuana before entering the study, nor had any experienced psychotic symptoms.
The researchers found that those who started smoking pot during the 10 years of the trial had double the risk of developing psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, other drug use and other psychiatric diagnoses.
And the more persistent the use, the more persistent the symptoms.
The researchers did caution about several possible limitations, however, including self-reported data and the lack of direct adjustment for a family history of psychosis.
Michael Rice, a professor and psychiatric nurse practitioner at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in Omaha, noted that the participants were not actually diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, only symptoms.
"This is not schizophrenia, but psychotic symptoms (but) it does determine that this is potent stuff that has the effect of eventually creating hallucinatory or psychotic experiences," he said.
But, Rice added, "it's still psychosis and it's totally preventable."
Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, associate dean and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Round Rock, likened this to a "perfect storm," given that people are more likely to use pot when they're young, which is precisely when their brains are most vulnerable.
"We are identifying so many risk factors, the genetics, the child abuse, the complexity of an urban environment, when this adds up you can move towards thinking about particularly vulnerable individuals and thinking about targeted interventions," she said. "If you have a family history of mental illness, using marijuana is not such a great idea.""This cements much more firmly the reality that marijuana use in adolescence is a... more
-
