Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question

[Dos Equis]

None of that seem especially compelling, imo. 

No one factor should be considered in isolation. 

In addition to that, and other side effects (both health and social), we have to consider how things like this will play out if legalization goes nationwide. 

[RRKore]

No one factor should be considered in isolation. 

In addition to that, and other side effects (both health and social), we have to consider how things like this will play out if legalization goes nationwide. 

Yeah, true.

Do you really think it'll ever be legalized (even just as medical MJ) in every state?

I'm wondering if it's any kind of legal in any of the states that only sell hard alcohol through ABC stores.  Any idea?

[Dos Equis]

Yeah, true.

Do you really think it'll ever be legalized (even just as medical MJ) in every state?

I'm wondering if it's any kind of legal in any of the states that only sell hard alcohol through ABC stores.  Any idea?

I don't know.  I doubt it, but twenty years ago I never thought we'd have homosexual marriage.  Things can change pretty rapidly in this country. 

No idea about the alcohol. 

[Necrosis]

I don't know.  I doubt it, but twenty years ago I never thought we'd have homosexual marriage.  Things can change pretty rapidly in this country. 

No idea about the alcohol. 

I don't understand why you give a fuck about homo's? It's not that I particularly want them to get married, but who gives a fuck? Why give a fuck about something so trivial in the grand scheme.

[RRKore]

[Dos Equis]

I don't understand why you give a fuck about homo's? It's not that I particularly want them to get married, but who gives a fuck? Why give a fuck about something so trivial in the grand scheme.

I don't care what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom, and I hope people who choose the homosexual lifestyle find all the happiness life has to offer. 

I don't approve of using the government to change traditional marriage for a number of reasons, but that's the subject for another thread. 

[Dos Equis]

Pot Addiction Is Real: Harvard Study
Tuesday, 02 Sep 2014

Many people believe that marijuana is not addictive, but a new study challenges that theory.

"As more people are able to obtain and consume cannabis legally for medical and, in some states, recreational use, people are less likely to perceive it as addictive or harmful," study co-author John Kelly, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Addiction Medicine, said in a hospital news release.

"But research shows that cannabis use can have significant consequences, and we know that among adolescents it is second only to alcohol in rates of misuse," he added.

In the new study, Kelly's team followed outcomes for 127 teens, ages 14 to 19, treated at an outpatient substance abuse clinic. Marijuana was the substance used most often by 90 of the teens.

Of those 90 teens, 76 (84 percent) met criteria for marijuana dependence, including increased tolerance for, and use of, marijuana, as well as unsuccessful attempts to reduce or stop using the drug. About two-fifths of the 90 teens also experienced symptoms of withdrawal when they stopped using marijuana -- a sign of drug dependence, according to the study authors.

Teens who exhibited withdrawal symptoms were more likely to experience negative consequences such as trouble at school or on the job, or financial or relationship problems, Kelly's team said.

The teens who developed withdrawal symptoms were also more likely to meet the guidelines for marijuana dependence and for mood disorders, according to the study published recently in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

People who recognized and accepted that they had a substance abuse problem tied to their marijuana use were more likely to make progress towards abstinence, compared to those who did not think they had a problem, the researchers noted.

"The importance of understanding the addictiveness, risks and harms associated with cannabis use is a major theme of this study's findings," said said Kelly, an associate professor of psychiatry in addiction medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Recognizing those risks is known to reduce the likelihood that someone will start to use drugs, and better understanding of the role of substances in the problems experienced by patients may help them cut down on future use."

"Unfortunately, the general trend in attitudes in the U.S. is to minimize the risks and not recognize the addictiveness of cannabis," he added.
The study was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

http://www.NewsmaxHealth.com/Health-News/marijuana-addiction-cannabis-pot/2014/09/02/id/592095/#ixzz3CCVuRDxr

[Dos Equis]

Court mulls legality of firing for pot use off job
Associated Press By SADIE GURMAN


DENVER (AP) — Pot may be legal in Colorado, but you can still be fired for using it.

Now, the state's highest court is considering whether workers' off-duty use of medical marijuana is protected under state law.

Colorado's Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a case involving Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic medical marijuana patient who was fired by the Dish Network after failing a drug test in 2010.

Coats said he never got high at work. But pot's intoxicating chemical, THC, can stay in the system for weeks.

Coats says his pot smoking is allowed under a little-known state law intended to protect employees from being fired for legal activities off the clock. But the company argues that because pot remains illegal at the federal level, medical marijuana isn't covered by the state law.

The case is being watched closely around the country and could have big implications for pot smokers in the first state to legalize recreational sales of the drug. Though the Colorado case involves medical marijuana, the court's decision could also affect how companies treat employees who use the drug recreationally.

Tuesday's arguments highlighted the clash between state laws that are increasingly accepting of marijuana use and employers' drug-free policies that won't tolerate it.

"This case need not be an endorsement or an indictment of medical marijuana" but a chance to set standards for employee conduct, Dish attorney Meghan Martinez told the justices, who could rule in the coming weeks or months. "It's a zero-tolerance policy. It doesn't matter if he was impaired or not."

Coats, 35, was paralyzed in a car crash as a teenager and has been a medical marijuana patient since 2009, when he discovered that pot helped calm violent muscle spasms. Coats was a telephone operator with Dish for three years before he failed a random drug test in 2010 and was fired. He said he told his supervisors in advance that he probably would fail the test.

Coats' case comes to the justices after a trial court judge and Colorado's appeals court upheld his firing, saying pot can't be considered lawful if it is outlawed at the federal level.

"We're getting very confused and mixed messages from everywhere," Coats' attorney, Michael Evans, told justices.

He asked the court to issue a narrow ruling that would apply to people like Coats: those in nonhazardous jobs who are not impaired at work and whose employers don't have federal contracts that could be jeopardized.

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., allow medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington state also now allow recreational sales, though court cases so far have involved medical patients.

Colorado's constitution specifically says that employers don't have to amend their policies to accommodate employees' marijuana use. But Arizona law says workers can't be punished for lawfully using medical marijuana unless it would jeopardize an employer's federal contract.

State Supreme Courts in California, Montana and Washington state have all ruled against fired patients. A lawsuit filed by a physician assistant in New Mexico who said she was fired for using medical marijuana, which helps with her post-traumatic stress disorder, is still pending.

Denver labor and employment attorney Vance Knapp said a Coats win "would turn employment policies into chaos." Other states with lawful-activity laws could see them challenged as a result.

Coats, who has been unable to find steady work because of his marijuana use, said after the hearing that he was hopeful he would prevail. At the very least, he said, the court will offer clarity on the issue.

"I'm not going to be able to get a job in the near future, so if I can fight the fight and hopefully change that, that's what I am going to do," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-high-court-considers-pot-044139294.html

[Dos Equis]

Holder "cautiously optimistic" on legal pot
By Jeremy Diamond, CNN
Tue October 21, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- The outgoing U.S. attorney general said he is "cautiously optimistic" when it comes to Washington and Colorado's experiment with marijuana legalization.

Eric Holder, who announced last month his plans to retire, is one of President Barack Obama's longest-serving Cabinet members and has faced the delicate task of defining federal policy after a wave of marijuana legalization at the state level across the country.

"We don't want to put into the federal system, low level people who are simply there for possessory offenses," Holder said Monday in an interview with CNN's Evan Perez

Holder last year outlined eight enforcement areas the Justice Department would focus on in a move aimed at calming nerves in Washington and Colorado, the only two states where recreational marijuana is legal.

The eight "priority areas" have focused the Justice Department's efforts on preventing marijuana distribution to minors, inter-state trafficking and drug violence.

But Holder made clear Monday that his agency could change its non-interventionist stance if the states' regulatory frameworks aren't up to snuff.
"What I've told the governors of those states is that if we're not satisfied with their regulatory scheme that we reserve the right to come in and to sue them. So we'll see," Holder said.

The sale and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

The Justice Department's policy hasn't meant total immunity for marijuana growers and dispensaries in states with both medical and recreation marijuana, where dispensaries and growhouses have since been raided and owners prosecuted.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/21/politics/holder-marijuana-optimistic/index.html?hpt=po_c2

[Dos Equis]

Is Hillary Clinton ready for marijuana's 2016 push?
By Dan Merica, CNN
Thu October 16, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- When Hillary Clinton graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 -- where the future first lady and Secretary of State says she did not try marijuana -- only 12% of Americans wanted to legalize the drug.

In 45 years, however, the tide has changed for legalization: 58% of Americans now want to make consumption legal, two states (Colorado and Washington) already have and two more states (Oregon and Alaska) could join them by the end of the year.

Despite their growth in approval, many activists see 2014 as a smaller, but important, step to their end goal. It is 2016, when voters will also have to decide who they want in the White House, that marijuana activists feel could be the real tipping point for their movement.

"There will certainly be even more on the ballot in 2016," said Tamar Todd, director of marijuana law and policy and the Drug Policy Alliance. "More voters coming to the polls means more support for marijuana reform and in presidential election years, more voters turn out."

Demographics and money are also an important consideration. Big donors who are ready to fund pro-legalization efforts are more loose with their money in presidential years, according to activists, while Democrats and young people are more likely to turn out. This means legalization activists will be better funded to reach the nearly 70% of 18 to 29 year old Americans who support legalization.

On paper, activists feel their plan will work. But it is one yet to be decided factor -- who Democrats will nominate for president in 2016 -- that could throw a wrench into their push.

Clinton is the prohibitive favorite for the Democrats' nomination, but to many in the marijuana legalization community, she is not the best messenger for their cause.

"She is so politically pragmatic," said Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "If she has to find herself running against a conservative Republican in 2016, I am fearful, from my own view here, that she is going to tack more to the middle. And the middle in this issue tends to tack more to the conservative side."

Making a concerted push during a presidential election year means activists' goals will be directly contrasted with the Democrats' presidential standard bearer. This happened in 2004, when more conservative voters helped tip the presidential election for President George W. Bush at the same time that 11 states had anti-gay marriage questions on the ballot.

Clinton has moved towards pro-legalization, though.

Earlier this year, during a town hall with CNN, she told Christiane Amanpour that she wants to "wait and see" how legalization goes in the states before making a national decision. At the same event, she cast some doubt on medical marijuana by questioning the amount of research done into the issue.

Later in the year, Clinton labeled marijuana a "gateway drug" where there "can't be a total absence of law enforcement."

"I'm a big believer in acquiring evidence, and I think we should see what kind of results we get, both from medical marijuana and from recreational marijuana before we make any far-reaching conclusions," Clinton told KPCC in July. "We need more studies. We need more evidence. And then we can proceed."

This is more open, however, than in 2008 when Clinton was outright against decriminalization, a step that is less aggressive than legalization.

Despite warming on the issue, Clinton's position is concerning to activists like St. Pierre because he feels they are far from solid.

"If reforms keep picking up... the winds in our sails are clear," he said. "But if we lose one of more or all of those elections this year, cautious people around her could make the argument that this thing has peaked and you now have to get on the other side of it."

St. Pierre said he also watched -- laughing -- as Clinton tried to personally distance herself from marijuana at the CNN town hall.

"Absolutely not," Clinton said when asked if she would try the drug. "I didn't do it when I was young, I'm not going to start now."
"I will eat both of my shoes if she and Bill didn't trip their nuts off at Wellesley and Oxford."

What's more, some activists spoke highly of Democrats with executive experience like Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who spent eight years as mayor of Baltimore.

O'Malley, who is also entertaining a run at the presidency in 2016, supports medical marijuana and approved a Maryland law that decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug in 2014.

"As a young prosecutor, I once thought that decriminalizing the possession of marijuana might undermine the Public Will necessary to combat drug violence and improve public safety," O'Malley said in a statement at the time. "I now think that decriminalizing possession of marijuana is an acknowledgement of the low priority that our courts, our prosecutors, our police, and the vast majority of citizens already attach to this transgression of public order and public health."
As for where the governor is on legalization, Lis Smith, his top political adviser, said as long "as long as it is consistent with the goal of driving down crime," O'Malley is "open to sensible drug policy."

With an eye on 2016, some activists are starting to contrast that view with Clinton.

"I think in 2016 there is going to be a number of states with legalization initiatives on the ballot and there will be broad support," Todd said. "I don't see standing behind and defending the status quo of this destructive policy as helping a candidate in the 2016 election."

Clinton has come face-to-face with some aspects of marijuana policy on her trips to stump for Democrats across the country.

While raising money in Colorado for Sen. Mark Udall earlier this week, Clinton saw marijuana in her coffee. Pointing to the foam design atop Udall's latte, Clinton said, "Look at you, you got like a plant. Is that a marijuana plant?"

To laughs from the baristas at PigTrain Coffee, some who may have seen that the design looked more like a rose than marijuana, one answered jokingly, "That's exactly what it is."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/politics/hillary-clinton-marijuana/index.html

[RRKore]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/10/15/after-california-decriminalized-weed-teen-arrest-overdose-and-dropout-rates-fell/

After California decriminalized marijuana, teen arrest, overdose and dropout rates fell
By Christopher Ingraham October 15

A new report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice adds to the growing body of evidence that legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to any number of doomsday scenarios envisioned by legalization opponents. Looking specifically at California, where full marijuana decriminalization went into effect on Jan. 1, 2011, the report finds that "marijuana decriminalization in California has not resulted in harmful consequences for teenagers, such as increased crime, drug overdose, driving under the influence, or school dropout. In fact, California teenagers showed improvements in all risk areas after reform."

Most notable in the above table is the drop in school dropout rates. Recent studies have suggested links between heavy marijuana use and low school completion rates. But many experts question the direction of causality in this relationship, suggesting that there could be any number of confounding factors that account for this relationship. While it's still early in California's decriminalization experiment, the numbers above should suggest we cast a skeptical eye on claims of plummeting academic achievement in a post-legalization world.

In fact, as the report authors write: "By a variety of measures, California’s teenage behaviors actually improved dramatically after marijuana was effectively legalized — improvements that occurred more weakly or not at all among older Californians and among teenagers nationwide."

Now of course this doesn't address causality, and these numbers shouldn't be taken to imply that decriminalization caused these declines. But they do show, pretty clearly, that in the two years since full-scale decriminalization went into effect, California's kids are still all right. The sky hasn't fallen. And they add to a mounting body of research that shows, for instance:

    that teen drug and alcohol use continues to fall, even as more states decriminalize marijuana and make it available for medical purposes;
    that states with medical marijuana laws haven't seen any uptick in teen marijuana use;
    that states with medical marijuana have actually seen decreases in prescription drug overdoses;
    that Alaska, where personal marijuana use has been de facto legalized for nearly 40 years, is completely average on a variety of economic and demographic indicators;
    and that traffic fatalities have fallen in Colorado since legalization there.

By contrast, there is little evidence of increased social harms in states where marijuana has been decriminalized. The one credible study I'm aware of is a DEA report finding that more Colorado drivers involved in car crashes are testing positive for marijuana use. But a bucket of salt is needed here: unlike alcohol, inactive marijuana metabolites remain in the body long after consumption - days or weeks, depending on frequency of use. But the presence of metabolites doesn't necessarily indicate you were high at the time of the test - only that you got high some time in the days or weeks prior.

Even if we accept that more Coloradans are using marijuana, and that some of them are getting behind the wheel while stoned, we still have to note that traffic fatalities are down overall - this is likely because it's far less dangerous to drive stoned than it is to drive drunk. This would suggest that some Coloradans are using marijuana in place of alcohol, rather than in addition to it.

In short, the barrier of proof facing legalization opponents is incredibly high. In order to present a compelling case against marijuana liberalization, they have to demonstrate A) that liberalization is associated with a negative outcome; B) that that association is indeed causal, not just coincidental; and C) that the harms from that negative outcome are greater than the myriad harms caused by blanket prohibition of marijuana. But so far, state experiments with liberalization have not produced any consequences that pass even that first test. Considering that we're now close to 20 years out from when California voters first legalized medical marijuana, this should be reassuring news for everyone.

[Dos Equis]

Sen. Merkley: ‘I lean in favor of’ legalizing marijuana in Oregon
By Niraj Chokshi October 24  Follow @NirajC

Oregon’s junior senator said that, on balance, he supports a measure on the November ballot that would legalize marijuana in his state.

In an interview this week with Talking Points Memo, Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat up for reelection, said that while both sides make strong cases for and against Measure 91, the positives of legalization outweigh the negatives. Here’s where he stands, according to TPM’s Sahil Kapur:

“I think folks on both sides of the argument make a good case,” Merkley said. “And there is concern about a series of new products — and we don’t have a real track record from Colorado and Washington. But I feel on balance that we spend a lot of money on our criminal justice system in the wrong places and I lean in favor of this ballot measure.”

While politicians nationwide have been reluctant to stake out a position on the issue, Merkley is unlikely to be the last to so explicitly announce his support for legalization as attitudes toward the drug continue to shift. Reps. Jared Polis of Colorado and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon have been fighting to end the federal prohibition of pot for some time now. As an increasingly clear majority of Americans support the idea of legalizing the drug, more are expected to follow.

“I think the next presidential election is likely to have both nominees end up supporting decriminalizing and it’s going to take voters to decide whether they want those candidates to pledge to declassify marijuana from a schedule 1 controlled substance if they win,” “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd said last month in an online question-and-answer session on Reddit, a virtual gathering place for a variety of communities and interests.

Nearly half the states allow medically sanctioned marijuana use, while legal sales famously began in Colorado and Washington this year. Voters in Oregon, Alaska and D.C. will vote to join those early adopters in the fall. A recent poll in Oregon, the results of which are embedded below, suggests the measure may well pass.

Merkley is up for reelection, but he’s polling strongly against opponent Monica Wehby. In at least five polls since the start of September, he’s leading by a margin of 8 to 21 percentage points.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/10/24/sen-merkley-i-lean-in-favor-of-legalizing-marijuana-in-oregon/

[Dos Equis]

Smoke if you got em.   

Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. legalize marijuana
By Dan Merica, CNN
Wed November 5, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- Voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. have voted to approve sweeping pro-marijuana legalization, according to a CNN projections.

The three wins have pro-legalization activists enthused and many are already looking towards 2016, when ballot initiatives in states such as California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada and Arizona are likely to be put to voters.

In Oregon, the law legalizes personal possession, manufacture and sale of marijuana for people 21 years of age and older. Mimicking similar plans in Washington State and Colorado, the Oregon law will also create a commercial regulatory system for the production, distribution and sale of marijuana.
Alaska's law is similar to Oregon and would tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana, making the use legal for people over 21 years old
Washington, D.C.'s proposal, while scaled back compared to the others, allows for a person over 21 years old to posses up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use and grow up to six cannabis plants in their home. It also allows people to transfer up to one ounce of marijuana to another person, but not sell it.

The issue is not fully resolved for the District of Columbia, however. Because of its unique status as a district, not a state, Congress has the authority to overrule D.C. laws and some lawmakers have signaled that they would likely work to overrule the popular vote.

Pro-marijuana activists heralded the victories as "huge" on Tuesday.

"It's always an uphill battle to win a marijuana legalization initiative in a year like this, when young people are so much less likely to vote, which makes today's victory all the sweeter," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance said about Oregon. "The pace of reform is accelerating, other states are sure to follow, and even Congress is poised to wake from its slumber."

Wins in Washington, D.C. also have activists hoping for federal recognition.

"With marijuana legal in the federal government's backyard," said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, "it's going to be increasingly difficult for national politicians to continue ignoring the growing majority of voters who want to end prohibition."

Not all news was positive, however, for marijuana activists on Tuesday, however.

Voters in Florida gave the thumbs down to medical marijuana in the the Sunshine State earlier in the night, according to a CNN projection.

The measure - which is one of many on ballots in 2014 - would have legalized the use of medical marijuana in Florida and would have tasked the state's Department of Health with regulating it.

Because the measure would have altered Florida's constitution, supporters needed 60% for the question to pass. Only 57% of voters voted yes, compared to 43% who voted no with 91% of vote reporting.

Marijuana has been a surging issue of late.

In 2013, according to Gallup, more Americans supported legalization than those who opposed it. Just 14 years earlier, those who opposed it had over a 2-to-1 advantage. A 2014 Pew Research poll found that 54% of Americans supported making marijuana legal.

Ever since voters in Colorado and Washington allowed the sale of legalized marijuana in 2014 (after voters decided to legalize years before), the push for more marijuana legalization has become a popular nationwide effort.

The laws in Oregon and Alaska are similar to what Colorado and Washington State passed and would allow recreational sale and taxation of the drug. Both votes are expected to be close, with polls mixed on the results.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/04/politics/marijuana-2014/index.html

[Dos Equis]

Regular pot smokers have shrunken brains, study says

Among those who use marijuana at least four times weekly, the brain motivation and reward network looks different and works differently than it does in those who don't use pot, a new study finds. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)
By MELISSA HEALY

Experimental mice have been telling us this for years, but pot-smoking humans didn't want to believe it could happen to them: Compared with a person who never smoked marijuana, someone who uses marijuana regularly has, on average, less gray matter in his orbital frontal cortex, a region that is a key node in the brain's reward, motivation, decision-making and addictive behaviors network.

More ambiguously, in regular pot smokers, that region is better connected than it is in non-users: the flow of signal traffic is speedier to other parts of that motivation and decision-making network, including across the superhighway of "white matter" that connects the brain's hemispheres.

The researchers who conducted the study speculate that the orbital frontal cortex's greater level of "connectedness"--which is especially pronounced in people who started smoking pot early in life--may be the brain's way of compensating for the region's under-performing gray matter. Whether these "complex neuroadaptive processes" reverse themselves when marijuana use stops is an important unanswered question, they added.

The new findings, reported Monday in the journal PNAS, confirm findings about chronic marijuana use from rodents. But scientific evidence in humans has been more mixed.

Even now, however, the authors of the study acknowledge that they cannot discern whether a pot smoker's smaller orbital frontal cortex is the cause or the result of chronic marijuana use. A 2012 study found that subjects with a smaller orbital frontal cortex at age 12 were more likely to start using marijuana by age 16, suggesting that deficits in this crucial region may predispose one to substance-abuse behaviors.

This study, conducted by researchers from the University of Texas' Center for Brain Health and the Albuquerque-based Mind Research Network, did not follow subjects over time, so it is at a disadvantage in showing cause and effect. Instead, it compared 48 "chronic" marijuana users (at least four times a week over the past six months) with 62 non-using control subjects who were matched for age and gender with the using group. Subjects were an average age of 28 to 30 years old.

Researchers noted that the IQ of the marijuana-using group was significantly lower than that of the non-using group--not a finding of the study, but an incidental factor that might be indirectly linked to marijuana use.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-regular-marijuana-shrinks-brain-20141110-story.html

[whork]

Regular pot smokers have shrunken brains, study says

Among those who use marijuana at least four times weekly, the brain motivation and reward network looks different and works differently than it does in those who don't use pot, a new study finds. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)
By MELISSA HEALY

Experimental mice have been telling us this for years, but pot-smoking humans didn't want to believe it could happen to them: Compared with a person who never smoked marijuana, someone who uses marijuana regularly has, on average, less gray matter in his orbital frontal cortex, a region that is a key node in the brain's reward, motivation, decision-making and addictive behaviors network.

More ambiguously, in regular pot smokers, that region is better connected than it is in non-users: the flow of signal traffic is speedier to other parts of that motivation and decision-making network, including across the superhighway of "white matter" that connects the brain's hemispheres.

The researchers who conducted the study speculate that the orbital frontal cortex's greater level of "connectedness"--which is especially pronounced in people who started smoking pot early in life--may be the brain's way of compensating for the region's under-performing gray matter. Whether these "complex neuroadaptive processes" reverse themselves when marijuana use stops is an important unanswered question, they added.

The new findings, reported Monday in the journal PNAS, confirm findings about chronic marijuana use from rodents. But scientific evidence in humans has been more mixed.

Even now, however, the authors of the study acknowledge that they cannot discern whether a pot smoker's smaller orbital frontal cortex is the cause or the result of chronic marijuana use. A 2012 study found that subjects with a smaller orbital frontal cortex at age 12 were more likely to start using marijuana by age 16, suggesting that deficits in this crucial region may predispose one to substance-abuse behaviors.

This study, conducted by researchers from the University of Texas' Center for Brain Health and the Albuquerque-based Mind Research Network, did not follow subjects over time, so it is at a disadvantage in showing cause and effect. Instead, it compared 48 "chronic" marijuana users (at least four times a week over the past six months) with 62 non-using control subjects who were matched for age and gender with the using group. Subjects were an average age of 28 to 30 years old.

Researchers noted that the IQ of the marijuana-using group was significantly lower than that of the non-using group--not a finding of the study, but an incidental factor that might be indirectly linked to marijuana use.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-regular-marijuana-shrinks-brain-20141110-story.html

You must be a heavy pot smoker then..

[Dos Equis]

You must be a heavy pot smoker then..

Me?  Nah.  I don't even drink coffee.  lol 

But thanks anyway.   

[Dos Equis]

Bob Marley: Marlboro Man of marijuana?
Shannon Bond in New York
November 18, 2014


Jamaican Bob Marley, who has spearheaded the movement of Reggae, the popular music of Jamaica, is seen here in 1981.©AP

Can Bob Marley become the Marlboro Man of marijuana?

Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based private equity firm that invests in the marijuana industry, has struck a deal with the estate of the Jamaican reggae star to launch a global cannabis brand.

Its Marley Natural subsidiary will start selling products late next year, including “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains”, marijuana-infused skin creams and lip balms, and accessories such as vaporizers and pipes “based on those that Bob preferred”.

It is Privateer’s biggest move into the blossoming consumer market for recreational marijuana that has emerged thanks to the legalisation of sales and production in several US states including Colorado and Washington, and Uruguay, decriminalisation in other places, and growing acceptance of medicinal use. The drug remains illegal under federal US law.

In the US, the total medical and recreational market is expected to hit $2.6bn in revenue this year. America’s illegal cannabis market was estimated at about $40bn in 2010 by Rand Corp, the think-tank.

For Brendan Kennedy, Privateer’s chief executive, the offer to partner with Marley’s estate was irresistible.

“The question we’ve been asking ourselves for four and a half years is: what does the first global brand look like in this industry?” he said. “If you were to look throughout history for the one person most associated with this product, it would be Bob Marley. He has a global reach.”

The singer’s cultural status has not dimmed since his death in 1981. Marley’s estate brought in $20m in the past year, putting him at number five on Forbes’ annual list of top-earning deceased celebrities – behind Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, but ahead of Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon. His greatest hits album, Legend, first released in 1984, hit number five on the Billboard sales chart this September.

His heirs have also traded on his name to launch a number of businesses, including House of Marley, which sells headphones and audio accessories, and Marley Coffee. The family has been caught up over the years in legal battles with each other and with Marley’s record label over control of his assets, image, name and music. The singer died without a will.

The decision to step into the emerging legitimate marijuana market is in keeping with Marley’s long-time advocacy for legalization and social justice, said Cedella Marley, the singer’s daughter.

“Opinions toward cannabis are changing. People are recognising the benefits of the herb,” she said. “Our father was leading this conversation for 50 years so it’s natural that he’s part of this conversation today.”

Marley Natural products will be sold in countries and jurisdictions where they are legal, including cannabis in some places. Mr Kennedy said he was interested in markets including the Netherlands, Uruguay, Canada, Spain and Israel.

Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed, but Marley Natural will be a wholly owned subsidiary within Privateer and the family is participating in Privateer, Mr Kennedy said.

Privateer has raised $22m through equity funding and a convertible bridge loan. It is in the midst of another funding round, expected to close before the end of this year, that will add another $50m. Its businesses include Tilray, a Canadian medical marijuana producer, and Leafly, an online cannabis ratings site.
The recent liberalisation of US marijuana laws has spurred a rush of companies and investors into the market. The parent company of High Times, the US marijuana magazine, has launched a private equity fund that is aiming to raise $300m to invest in cannabis ventures. Tom Bollich, the co-founder of online gaming group Zynga, has become chief executive of a marijuana growing equipment company.

“The midterm elections sent a clear message that the end of prohibition is a mainstream cause supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans across the political spectrum,” Mr Kennedy said, referring to recent votes in Oregon, Alaska and Washington DC, to allow access to recreational marijuana.
“We see this as a mainstream product, consumed by people around the US and around the world,” he said. “Everybody has a little bit of Bob in their playlist.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/01da3e7e-6e81-11e4-a65a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JXnb1bpJ

[Necrosis]

Me?  Nah.  I don't even drink coffee.  lol 

But thanks anyway.   

That is a bunk study, did they examine the OFC before usage? also, the OFC is abnormal in ADHD and OCD, of which shrinking would be beneficial. It's hard to draw any real conclusions from this in terms of impact. Other areas of the brain shrink in response to stress like the hippocampus.

[Dos Equis]

That is a bunk study, did they examine the OFC before usage? also, the OFC is abnormal in ADHD and OCD, of which shrinking would be beneficial. It's hard to draw any real conclusions from this in terms of impact. Other areas of the brain shrink in response to stress like the hippocampus.

If you say so. 

I thought this part was a sophisticated way of calling potheads stupid:  "Researchers noted that the IQ of the marijuana-using group was significantly lower than that of the non-using group--not a finding of the study, but an incidental factor that might be indirectly linked to marijuana use."

[RRKore]

One of these threee, I'm pretty sure, is Beach Bum in drag:

[Dos Equis]

Speaking of unintelligent potheads . . . .  How you doing Simpleton Simon?   

[RRKore]

Speaking of unintelligent potheads . . . .  How you doing Simpleton Simon?   

You talkin' to me?  Cuz I'll have you know that I am NOT a pothead, lol.

(I mean, I would be a pothead if I were a man of leisure like some ol' Dos Equis quaffin' Beach Bum like yourself, but I have bills to pay and my job is too challenging for me to do high.)

BTW, I'm in South Thailand right now doin' fine.

Especially since our current hotel here in Chalong has probably the best wifi & fastest DL speeds I've seen in Thailand.

BTW, marijuana, though still illegal in Thailand, is supposedly easier to get now than ever according to my inlaws here.

[Dos Equis]

Marijuana Industry Sets Its Sights On The Mainstream
Posted: 11/24/2014

Marijuana is growing up. As Colorado and Washington’s recreational marijuana industries blossom and new markets in Oregon and Alaska begin to take shape, so-called ganjapreneurs are looking for ways to take cannabis mainstream. Before long, they hope, marijuana products will be as widely available as alcohol -- and just as socially acceptable.

“Ideally, I would like to see the 21-to-35 year-old taking a four-pack of these to a barbecue,” Joe Hodas, chief marketing director for the marijuana product manufacturer Dixie, said earlier this year of the company's new watermelon cream-flavored "elixir," Dixie One. The drink contains five milligrams of THC -- just enough to produce a subtle buzz.

“This is a full experience in a bottle, much like beer," Hodas said. "Sometimes they’ll want a beer, sometimes they’ll want two or three beers. This sort of affords you that calibration."


Since starting in 2010, Colorado-based Dixie has developed a wide array of marijuana products, from THC-infused chocolates to concentrated cannabis for e-cigarettes. Many of its offerings are aimed at experienced marijuana users with high tolerances -- the company's top seller is a line of elixirs containing 75 milligrams of THC. Lower-dose products are proving increasingly popular, however.

“It’s been selling really surprisingly well,” Hodas told The Huffington Post recently of Dixie One. “In some of our stores, it had been outselling our 75 mg elixir. We were going to be happy if it sold decently well, but it was outselling in some cases. That said to us, we were correct, there is a market for that consumer.”

Encouraged by the success of Dixie One, the company is focusing on casual cannabis consumers. This week, Dixie released another low-dose product, a mint that releases THC directly into the bloodstream as it dissolves in the mouth.

“I think the low-dose consumer is an expansion demographic for us,” Hodas said. “It’s my belief that the core marijuana user is a small circle, and in a much larger surrounding circle is the casual user and a much larger market.”

At the moment, the recreational cannabis industry is limited to Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon. Marijuana advocates and business owners say it's only a matter of time before more states follow, bringing cannabis products like Dixie One to store shelves and backyard barbecues across America. More than 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and this month voters in Washington, D.C., approved a referendum to legalize recreational use in the nation's capital.

Already, Colorado and Washington state illustrate how cannabis is shedding its stoner image and entering mainstream culture. Marijuana products have been featured prominently in gourmet dinners and in cooking seminars in both states. The drug has become a fashionable substance to offer as a celebratory toast at weddings. Yoga enthusiasts can seek zen at marijuana-fueled classes.

Earlier this year, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra held a “Classically Cannabis” fundraiser, where well-heeled attendees sipped drinks, shook hands and smoked pot from joints, vaporizers and glass pipes, while a brass quintet played Debussy, Bach, Wagner and Puccini.

"Cannabis is being elevated into the pantheon of refined and urbane inebriants, no different than boutique rye or fine wine," said Matt Gray, the publisher of a new gourmet marijuana cookbook.

A number of worrying episodes have accompanied the legal high, however. In March, a 19-year-old college student leapt to his death from a hotel balcony in Denver after eating marijuana-infused cookies. In April, police said a Denver man shot his wife to death after he said he had eaten marijuana candy and prescription pills.

Hospital officials in Colorado have said that they have been treating a growing number of adults and children who have consumed marijuana products, whose potency can be hard to judge.

State laws in Colorado and Washington already require a “serving” of THC in an edible marijuana product to be limited to 10 milligrams -- about the amount in a medium-sized joint. (The rules in Alaska and Oregon have not yet been set.) Some products, such as candy bars, may contain multiple servings, however, and package labels do not always include serving size or dosage information.

To address these issues, Colorado and Washington officials, and representatives of the cannabis industry, are finalizing new regulations that will require clearer labeling and childproof packaging. And, much like the alcohol industry encourages consumers to "drink responsibly," the makers of marijuana products are taking steps to educate customers and encourage responsible consumption.

“I think the idea of being proactive with our messaging -- being safe and responsible with our messaging -- we’re trying to do that now early on, versus being told to do that after the fact,” Hodas said.

“We are concerned about the uneducated consumer who may have a bad experience with edibles, because that means they may not use our products in the future," Hodas added. "So educating that consumer and making sure they know how to use them is of great importance to Dixie and the rest of the industry."

To that end, Dixie, like most marijuana product companies, has detailed information its website about how to enjoy its products. Marijuana Policy Project launched an educational campaign, aptly named ”Consume Responsibly,” with advice about preventing and responding to over-consumption or accidental consumption, as well as other detailed information about cannabis products, their effects and the laws that govern their possession, sale and use.

Recognizing that Colorado's marijuana laws are luring tourists to the state, the inaugural billboard for the campaign in Denver encouraged moderation and patience. “Don’t let a candy bar ruin your vacation," the sign read. "With edibles, start low and go slow.”

"We are aiming to boost the industry's image by removing negative stereotypes and stigmas, while promoting education surrounding the many uses of cannabis,” said Olivia Mannix, co-founder of Cannabrand, an ad agency representing marijuana-related businesses. “We feel that the public image of cannabis ultimately influences policy makers and is crucial for widespread legalization.”

Still, getting the message -- and brands -- in front of the public has been a challenge for marijuana companies. State laws ban advertisements on television or billboards that directly market marijuana products. Google, Facebook and Twitter refuse to accept marijuana advertising on their websites.

While marijuana businesses may have dreams of mass market sales and global domination, for the moment, they seem to be taking the "go slow" approach.

“The eyes of the world are on us right now, and how we handle that spotlight will go a long way in shaping public opinion about legal marijuana,” Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, told HuffPost. “Our businesses and our people are committed to building an industry we can be proud of. That means no shortcuts and none of the leeway that plenty of other industries out there get."

Her appeal to the marijuana industry is simple: “The future of this industry depends on the present -- don’t screw it up.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/24/marijuana-industry-mainstream_n_6195194.html?ir=Business

[Dos Equis]

Spending bill prohibits funds for DC to implement marijuana legalization
By Dan Merica, CNN
Tue December 9, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- The congressional spending bill agreed to on Tuesday night blocks Washington, DC lawmakers from using federal or local funds to implement November's popularly passed referendum to legalize marijuana in the district.

The legislation, according to a release from Republican Rep. Hal Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, "prohibits both federal and local funds from being used to implement a referendum legalizing recreational marijuana use in the district."

The language in the bill -- found on page 660 of the 1,603 page document -- is word-for-word what Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland proposed earlier in the year.

"None of the funds contained in this act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act or any tetrhydrocannabinols derivative for recreational purposes," reads the bill.

DC marijuana activists' worst fears were realized on Tuesday night with the agreed upon language. Earlier in the day, activists worried that Congress would thwart November's popular vote to legalize pot in the district.

"This House language sucks," Adam Eidinger, chair of the DC Cannabis Campaign, said after the language was released. "Only the Senate can step up and do something or presidential veto. Otherwise our election has just been overturned and we will take it to the streets."

In response to the Congress' decision, pro-marijuana groups are prepared to protest Wednesday night.

Although the proposal needs to pass the House and Senate and get signed into law by the President, it appears unlikely the Democrats will risk shutting down the government to remove the marijuana language.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who believes that DC should be able to do what it wants, admitted to reporters earlier today that "if they put it in there, it's going to be hard to take it out."

And in announcing the deal, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York, said that although she "strongly oppose[ s ] several policy riders included in this final agreement ... I am pleased Democrats were able to eliminate many of the most damaging provisions."

By moving to stop legalization efforts in DC, Congress will have trumped the over 70 percent of district residents who voted to legalize marijuana in November.
Congress, under DC's Home Rule charter, is able to veto every law approved by either DC voters or government. In the past, this power has been used to block everything from abortion spending to needle exchange.

During the 2011 budget negotiations, President Barack Obama reportedly used the district's law of paying for low-income women's abortions as a bargaining chip with House Speaker John Boehner.

"John, I will give you DC abortion. I am not happy about it," Obama said, according to The Washington Post.

"This was always a possibility but I think it is very, very disturbing that Democrats have given this away," said Michael Collins, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that lobbied for the DC law. "This is really one of the final acts of Democratic leadership before Republicans control both sides and for them to give this away, it just seems to very tone deaf."

The DC Cannabis Campaign, the group who introduced and passed the legalization ballot initiative, also blamed congressional Democrats for blocking the legislation.

"This is a big issue and if you are going to overturn an election, you are going to demoralize young Democrats across the country," said Eidinger said.
DC Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser has not yet commented on the possibility of Congress addressing the district's marijuana law. But her spokesman, Joaquin McPeek, before the language came out on Tuesday that Bowser "would hope that Congress would respect the will of the voters and reject any challenge to their rights."

With Congress blocking marijuana funding, expect many DC residents to cry foul about what they calling living under the thump of Congress.

"This is nothing new," said Mark Plotkin, a longtime figure in DC politics. "We are a colony. We are America's colony and anytime they want to screw around with us, they can do such things."

What's more, while Congress is making decisions for the district, proponents of district autonomy were quick to point out that district residents still have no voting member of the House or Senate.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/09/politics/dc-marijuana-house-blocked/index.html?hpt=po_c2

[Necrosis]

I don't care what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom, and I hope people who choose the homosexual lifestyle find all the happiness life has to offer. 

I don't approve of using the government to change traditional marriage for a number of reasons, but that's the subject for another thread. 

didn't see this, you say choose as if it's a choice, why don't you choose to be attracted to men?