23 Feb 2012, by Christian Nordqvist, MNT
19% of teenagers in the USA say they have driven a car while under the
influence of marijuana, compared to 13% who say they have driven after
consuming alcohol, according to a new report issued by SADD (Students
Against Destructive Decisions) and commissioned by Liberty Mutual
Insurance. The authors added that marijuana use among 12-graders is at
its highest level in three decades.
36% of teenagers believe that consuming marijuana has no negative
effects on driving skills - this is a myth. Surprisingly, 19% of
teenagers believe that consuming alcohol does not undermine driving
safety...
26.2.12
17.2.12
Big Tobacco praying hard for pot legalization
(Letters published in the Globe and Mail newspaper, Feb. 17, 2012)
Blowing a joint
Gary Mason suggests that legalizing marijuana will produce policy complexities (Legalize Weed, Yes, But The Demon’s In The Details – Feb. 16). Here are just a few: 1) Marijuana makes people with some mental illnesses more prone to psychosis. How will we protect vulnerable people from this harm?; 2) Marijuana smoke is as damaging to physical health as tobacco smoke; 3) Because raw marijuana has been accepted as a “medication,” anti-smoking regulations must be strengthened so they can be applied even to those who claim they are taking medication; 4) Legal marijuana will become a gift worth billions to Big Tobacco. The industry will devote its vast resources to obfuscating research on health effects, resisting regulation, targeting youth and maximizing marijuana’s addictive qualities; 5) Roadside tests must be developed to detect and prosecute drivers impaired by marijuana.
We need careful preparation before we jump on this bandwagon.
Judith Anderson, Burnaby, B.C.
-------------------------
Re Paul McCartney Quits Smoking Pot To Be A Better Parent (Feb. 16): Maybe Sir Paul is just trying to get back to where he once belonged.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
Blowing a joint
Gary Mason suggests that legalizing marijuana will produce policy complexities (Legalize Weed, Yes, But The Demon’s In The Details – Feb. 16). Here are just a few: 1) Marijuana makes people with some mental illnesses more prone to psychosis. How will we protect vulnerable people from this harm?; 2) Marijuana smoke is as damaging to physical health as tobacco smoke; 3) Because raw marijuana has been accepted as a “medication,” anti-smoking regulations must be strengthened so they can be applied even to those who claim they are taking medication; 4) Legal marijuana will become a gift worth billions to Big Tobacco. The industry will devote its vast resources to obfuscating research on health effects, resisting regulation, targeting youth and maximizing marijuana’s addictive qualities; 5) Roadside tests must be developed to detect and prosecute drivers impaired by marijuana.
We need careful preparation before we jump on this bandwagon.
Judith Anderson, Burnaby, B.C.
-------------------------
Re Paul McCartney Quits Smoking Pot To Be A Better Parent (Feb. 16): Maybe Sir Paul is just trying to get back to where he once belonged.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
16.2.12
Paul McCartney quits smoking pot for daughter
'I smoked my share,' former Beatle tells magazineCBC News, Posted: Feb 16, 2012
Sir Paul McCartney has reportedly canned his cannabis habit to be a better parent.
The former Beatle, who has spoken openly in the past about experimenting with harder drugs including cocaine and heroin, told Rolling Stone magazine in a recent interview he stopped smoking marijuana for the sake of his eight-year-old daughter, Beatrice.
"I smoked my share. When you're bringing up a youngster, your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you're lucky, at some point," he told the magazine.
Beatrice is McCartney's daughter from his second marriage, with ex-wife Heather Mills. He has four other children.
McCartney, 69, is currently married to American trucking heiress Nancy Shevell.
The rock legend's appreciation for pot has been well known for decades.
In 1980, he was arrested in Tokyo and deported while on tour with his band Wings, after customs officers there found nearly half a pound of marijuana in his baggage.
Mills claimed McCartney would smoke joints as often as people would drink cups of tea during their divorce proceedings.
The new Rolling Stone interview shows an apparent change of heart.
"Enough's enough — you just don't seem to think it's necessary," he said.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/02/16/mccartney-quits-pot.html
Related news:
Paul McCartney quits smoking pot to be a better parent
15.2.12
"Harmless pot" propaganda crash again
Weed Doubles the Risk of Causing Serious and Fatal Car Crashes
Cannabis twice as likely to cause road smash, British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds
Pot smoking doubles risk of crash: study
( It is clear that pro-pot advocates, addicts and legalization supporters are willing to accept many INEVITABLE, ADDITIONAL deaths from vehicle accidents due to pot use--as a PRICE of legalization--in order to satisfy the pot cravings of some. It's just "collateral damage". No big deal. Pot smokers' happiness is much more important than a few thousand additional accident deaths per year in the future due to pot legalization)
Cannabis twice as likely to cause road smash, British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds
Pot smoking doubles risk of crash: study
( It is clear that pro-pot advocates, addicts and legalization supporters are willing to accept many INEVITABLE, ADDITIONAL deaths from vehicle accidents due to pot use--as a PRICE of legalization--in order to satisfy the pot cravings of some. It's just "collateral damage". No big deal. Pot smokers' happiness is much more important than a few thousand additional accident deaths per year in the future due to pot legalization)
More stoned-driving news
The latest threat on the road: stoned drivers
michael kesterton, Globe and Mail, Jul. 05, 2011
Driving while stoned
“It was his green tongue that helped give away Jimmy Candido Flores when police arrived at the fatal accident scene near Chico [Calif.],” reports the Los Angeles Times. “Flores had run off the road and killed a jogger, Carrie Jean Holiman, a 56-year-old Chico elementary school teacher. California Highway Patrol officers thought he might be impaired and conducted a sobriety examination. Flores’s tongue had a green coat typical of heavy marijuana users and a later test showed he had pot, as well as other drugs, in his blood. After pleading guilty to manslaughter, Flores, a medical marijuana user, was sentenced in February to 10 years and eight months in prison. Holliman’s death and others like it across the nation hint at what experts say is an unrecognized crisis: stoned drivers.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/social-studies/the-latest-threat-on-the-road-stoned-drivers/article2087398/
michael kesterton, Globe and Mail, Jul. 05, 2011
Driving while stoned
“It was his green tongue that helped give away Jimmy Candido Flores when police arrived at the fatal accident scene near Chico [Calif.],” reports the Los Angeles Times. “Flores had run off the road and killed a jogger, Carrie Jean Holiman, a 56-year-old Chico elementary school teacher. California Highway Patrol officers thought he might be impaired and conducted a sobriety examination. Flores’s tongue had a green coat typical of heavy marijuana users and a later test showed he had pot, as well as other drugs, in his blood. After pleading guilty to manslaughter, Flores, a medical marijuana user, was sentenced in February to 10 years and eight months in prison. Holliman’s death and others like it across the nation hint at what experts say is an unrecognized crisis: stoned drivers.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/social-studies/the-latest-threat-on-the-road-stoned-drivers/article2087398/
14.2.12
Why this city is the most drug-addicted in the world
Although the article below has nothing to do with pot, it is important in revealing why Vancouver is the most hard drug-addicted city in the whole world---drug liberalism carried to the most extreme...
Vancouver pro-drug lobby doesn’t deserve taxpayer dollars
VANDU gets $250,000 from province, $20,000 from city hall
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, February 13, 2012
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
That’s how much Vancouver Coastal Health, your public health authority, gave VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, last year. This year, according to VCH officials, VANDU will receive another $250,000 from taxpayers, continuing a provincial funding scheme established in 1999.
Most Vancouverites don’t know VANDU. Headquartered in a brick building at 380 East Hastings in the Downtown Eastside, it’s a non-profit hangout conforming to neighbourhood drug culture. Folks gather outside on the sidewalk and inside the lobby. Traffic seems to have increased since December when VANDU began distributing free crack pipes to addicts, part of a VCH crack pipe giveaway. But mainly, thanks to longtime leader Ann Livingston, VANDU exists for activism...
22.12.11
4 horsemen of drug apocalyse at it again -- not satisfied with first disaster
(This letter appeared in the Letter section of a newspaper):
National Post · Dec. 21, 2011
The former mayors of Vancouver advocating for decriminalizing the gateway drug cannabis is ludicrous. It was largely because of their permissiveness and leniency that Vancouver's Downtown Eastside turned into the nightmare that it is today. Continuing down this path would be asinine.
Seattle, a city comparable in weather and socio-economic climate, does not have the same problem with open drug use simply because it is not tolerated. New York cleaned up its decaying core in the 1980s by cracking down on drug use, not by some hare-brained scheme of decriminalization.
The constant reference to "the war on drugs" is also getting tiresome. The struggle to keep drugs off the streets is more like a constant battle, similar to those society wages with any other illegal, undesirable activity.
Jeffrey Hay, Ladner, B.C.
http://www.nationalpost.com/Keep+drugs+going/5890195/story.html
National Post · Dec. 21, 2011
The former mayors of Vancouver advocating for decriminalizing the gateway drug cannabis is ludicrous. It was largely because of their permissiveness and leniency that Vancouver's Downtown Eastside turned into the nightmare that it is today. Continuing down this path would be asinine.
Seattle, a city comparable in weather and socio-economic climate, does not have the same problem with open drug use simply because it is not tolerated. New York cleaned up its decaying core in the 1980s by cracking down on drug use, not by some hare-brained scheme of decriminalization.
The constant reference to "the war on drugs" is also getting tiresome. The struggle to keep drugs off the streets is more like a constant battle, similar to those society wages with any other illegal, undesirable activity.
Jeffrey Hay, Ladner, B.C.
http://www.nationalpost.com/Keep+drugs+going/5890195/story.html
15.12.11
Dutch gov't cracks down on pot
Dutch pot sales to foreigners go up in smoke
AMSTERDAM | Thu Dec 15, 2011 2:31pm EST
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The reputation of the Netherlands as the go-to country for a legal joint will begin to vanish like a puff of smoke next year as sales to foreigners of cannabis and hashish in coffee shops are banned.
The Dutch government has been clamping down on the sale of soft drugs since 2007 because of gang-related crime and concern about the risk to health, particularly as stronger forms of cannabis have been introduced.
AMSTERDAM | Thu Dec 15, 2011 2:31pm EST
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The reputation of the Netherlands as the go-to country for a legal joint will begin to vanish like a puff of smoke next year as sales to foreigners of cannabis and hashish in coffee shops are banned.
The Dutch government has been clamping down on the sale of soft drugs since 2007 because of gang-related crime and concern about the risk to health, particularly as stronger forms of cannabis have been introduced.
8.12.11
4 has-been former mayors want to export drug miseries to other cities
The push for legalized pot just dopey
Brian Hutchinson, National Post · Dec. 7, 2011
What is it about Vancouver and its determination to make pot smoking a regular activity, like drinking coffee? This is a city where construction workers are occasionally seen standing in circles, sharing a morning toke. Nothing like getting ripped before setting to work on a dangerous building site. Such as the one two blocks from the office tower where I work. But hey, it's just grass.
Brian Hutchinson, National Post · Dec. 7, 2011
What is it about Vancouver and its determination to make pot smoking a regular activity, like drinking coffee? This is a city where construction workers are occasionally seen standing in circles, sharing a morning toke. Nothing like getting ripped before setting to work on a dangerous building site. Such as the one two blocks from the office tower where I work. But hey, it's just grass.
4.12.11
Neuroscientist strongly against pot; lost three colleagues to it
(A letter in The Province, Nov. 29, 2011 • Section: Opinion)
The pot pushing club of Vancouver mayors has now reached four. British Columbians should firmly reject their entreaties to legalize marijuana.
They wish to enhance its availability on the grounds that it will bring revenue to the city and is harmless. Just say no. It is not a harmless agent. Our brain research laboratory at UBC published a series of papers in the 1970s specifically demonstrating brain damage from cannabis. I was invited to testify before a U.S. congressional committee on our findings. Three of my scientists ignored those findings. As marijuana users, they became incapable of designing and executing experiments. They were the only three I have lost in more than 50 years of managing young neuroscientists.
I have never been able to understand why anybody would be so foolish as to monkey with the biochemistry of their most precious organ, their brain.
Drug addiction is contagious. One user seduces another. As Vancouver mayors have found, Vancouver has a terrible problem dealing with the wasted lives of the addicted community. But that problem will soon spread to drug-free communities in this province and across Canada if the mayors’ advice is followed.
Criminals make money by addicting the foolish. It may be too late for the older generation who think exposure to marijuana is fine, but the younger generation could eliminate the problem.
Just say no to marijuana and no to being surrounded by users. They create nothing but problems for themselves and others.
Dr. Patrick McGeer, University of B.C.
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2011/11/29/province-letters-title-goes-here/
The pot pushing club of Vancouver mayors has now reached four. British Columbians should firmly reject their entreaties to legalize marijuana.
They wish to enhance its availability on the grounds that it will bring revenue to the city and is harmless. Just say no. It is not a harmless agent. Our brain research laboratory at UBC published a series of papers in the 1970s specifically demonstrating brain damage from cannabis. I was invited to testify before a U.S. congressional committee on our findings. Three of my scientists ignored those findings. As marijuana users, they became incapable of designing and executing experiments. They were the only three I have lost in more than 50 years of managing young neuroscientists.
I have never been able to understand why anybody would be so foolish as to monkey with the biochemistry of their most precious organ, their brain.
Drug addiction is contagious. One user seduces another. As Vancouver mayors have found, Vancouver has a terrible problem dealing with the wasted lives of the addicted community. But that problem will soon spread to drug-free communities in this province and across Canada if the mayors’ advice is followed.
Criminals make money by addicting the foolish. It may be too late for the older generation who think exposure to marijuana is fine, but the younger generation could eliminate the problem.
Just say no to marijuana and no to being surrounded by users. They create nothing but problems for themselves and others.
Dr. Patrick McGeer, University of B.C.
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2011/11/29/province-letters-title-goes-here/
29.10.11
Teens who smoke pot at risk for psychosis
By Marilyn Linton, QMI Agency, October 24, 2011
With names like Panama red, stink, and bhang, it's not just new words that today's parents may need to learn when talking to their kids about marijuana. It's also about what's in today's pot.
For while many adults remember (some more fondly than others) the highs of their own youth, today's marijuana is not what it used to be. Not only are we learning that what our kids are smoking may be particularly potent, but doctors are also warning that marijuana can trigger psychosis in vulnerable young people.
With names like Panama red, stink, and bhang, it's not just new words that today's parents may need to learn when talking to their kids about marijuana. It's also about what's in today's pot.
For while many adults remember (some more fondly than others) the highs of their own youth, today's marijuana is not what it used to be. Not only are we learning that what our kids are smoking may be particularly potent, but doctors are also warning that marijuana can trigger psychosis in vulnerable young people.
Medical marijuana house up in smoke
By ERICA BULMAN, 24 hOURS
A two-alarm fire on Wednesday ripped through a tidy two-storey East Vancouver duplex that housed a sanctioned marijuana grow operation, unbeknownst to the fire department.
No one was injured.
The fire on the 2800 block of St. George Street appeared to be accidental in nature, apparently caused by an electrical malfunction in the wiring in the wall, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said.
A two-alarm fire on Wednesday ripped through a tidy two-storey East Vancouver duplex that housed a sanctioned marijuana grow operation, unbeknownst to the fire department.
No one was injured.
The fire on the 2800 block of St. George Street appeared to be accidental in nature, apparently caused by an electrical malfunction in the wiring in the wall, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said.
23.10.11
Dutch gov't regrets pot liberalism
Dutch classify high-potency marijuana as hard drug
The Associated Press, Oct. 07, 2011
The Dutch government said Friday it would move to classify high-potency marijuana alongside hard drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, the latest step in the country's ongoing reversal of its famed tolerance policies.
The decision means most of the cannabis now sold in the Netherlands' weed cafes would have to be replaced by milder variants. But skeptics said the move would be difficult to enforce, and that it could simply lead many users to smoke more of the less potent weed.
Possession of marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but police do not prosecute people for possession of small amounts, and it is sold openly in designated cafes. Growers are routinely prosecuted if caught.
Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen said weed containing more than 15 per cent of its main active chemical, THC, is so much stronger than what was common a generation ago that it should be considered a different drug entirely.
The high potency weed has “played a role in increasing public health damage,” he said at a press conference in The Hague.
The Associated Press, Oct. 07, 2011
The Dutch government said Friday it would move to classify high-potency marijuana alongside hard drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, the latest step in the country's ongoing reversal of its famed tolerance policies.
The decision means most of the cannabis now sold in the Netherlands' weed cafes would have to be replaced by milder variants. But skeptics said the move would be difficult to enforce, and that it could simply lead many users to smoke more of the less potent weed.
Possession of marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but police do not prosecute people for possession of small amounts, and it is sold openly in designated cafes. Growers are routinely prosecuted if caught.
Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen said weed containing more than 15 per cent of its main active chemical, THC, is so much stronger than what was common a generation ago that it should be considered a different drug entirely.
The high potency weed has “played a role in increasing public health damage,” he said at a press conference in The Hague.
Legalizing delusions
Pot: Why not legalize it?
by MARGARET WENTE, Globe and Mail, July 24, 2008
We Canadians love our bud. We lead the Western world in marijuana use. More than 10 million of us have inhaled at some time or other, and nearly 17 per cent of us partook in the past year. In B.C. — where entire towns have turned to cultivating cannabis — the economy would suffer without it. Among all illicit drugs, it is by far the most benign. It wrecks far fewer lives than alcohol, and medical marijuana may do some good.
So why not just go ahead and make it legal?
More than half of all Canadians think we should. "Legalize, then tax the hell out of it," says Senator Larry Campbell.
Sounds swell — until you think about it. Then the problems start. Here's one. What about the kids? Do we really want a lot more 15-year-olds getting stoned? Okay, we could prohibit pot for minors. Can you explain why that would work any better than it does with booze and cigarettes?
by MARGARET WENTE, Globe and Mail, July 24, 2008
We Canadians love our bud. We lead the Western world in marijuana use. More than 10 million of us have inhaled at some time or other, and nearly 17 per cent of us partook in the past year. In B.C. — where entire towns have turned to cultivating cannabis — the economy would suffer without it. Among all illicit drugs, it is by far the most benign. It wrecks far fewer lives than alcohol, and medical marijuana may do some good.
So why not just go ahead and make it legal?
More than half of all Canadians think we should. "Legalize, then tax the hell out of it," says Senator Larry Campbell.
Sounds swell — until you think about it. Then the problems start. Here's one. What about the kids? Do we really want a lot more 15-year-olds getting stoned? Okay, we could prohibit pot for minors. Can you explain why that would work any better than it does with booze and cigarettes?
21.10.11
TTC Driver Charged in Fatal Bus Crash
By Hamutal Dotan, Torontoist, October 12, 2011
At the end of August a TTC bus was involved in a fatal crash, in which one woman, Jadranka Petrova, died, and approximately a dozen more were injured. Today, police charged 51-year-old driver William Ainsworth with criminal negligence causing death, as well as marijuana possession. Ainsworth has been suspended from duty by the TTC, and Petrova’s family is pressing charges against the TTC.
http://torontoist.com/2011/10/ttc-driver-charged-in-fatal-bus-crash/
At the end of August a TTC bus was involved in a fatal crash, in which one woman, Jadranka Petrova, died, and approximately a dozen more were injured. Today, police charged 51-year-old driver William Ainsworth with criminal negligence causing death, as well as marijuana possession. Ainsworth has been suspended from duty by the TTC, and Petrova’s family is pressing charges against the TTC.
http://torontoist.com/2011/10/ttc-driver-charged-in-fatal-bus-crash/
11.10.11
Marijuana Use Increases Risk of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Emaxhealth, Submitted by Jennifer Williams on 2011-10-07
Marijuana use and safety is hotly debated as a focus of government and policy attention on medical marijuana and potential legalization. Researchers know that when people use mind-altering drugs and medications and then get behind the wheel, they have an increased likelihood of involvement in motor vehicle accidents, but few studies have analyzed the relationship between marijuana use and car crashes.
Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health analyzed nine studies that evaluated the link between marijuana use and the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash. They discovered that individuals who use marijuana and then drive within three hours of use experience motor vehicle accidents twice as often as drivers who do not use marijuana. Individuals who test positive for marijuana with higher concentrations of the drug in their systems are at an increased risk of becoming involved in automotive accidents than those who have lower levels of marijuana concentrations.
Marijuana use and safety is hotly debated as a focus of government and policy attention on medical marijuana and potential legalization. Researchers know that when people use mind-altering drugs and medications and then get behind the wheel, they have an increased likelihood of involvement in motor vehicle accidents, but few studies have analyzed the relationship between marijuana use and car crashes.
Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health analyzed nine studies that evaluated the link between marijuana use and the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash. They discovered that individuals who use marijuana and then drive within three hours of use experience motor vehicle accidents twice as often as drivers who do not use marijuana. Individuals who test positive for marijuana with higher concentrations of the drug in their systems are at an increased risk of becoming involved in automotive accidents than those who have lower levels of marijuana concentrations.
Cellphone, marijuana use preceded CPR train crash: report
Engineer consumed 10 litres of water in attempt to flush away traces of drug, federal safety board reveals
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, October 8, 2011
The crew of a Canadian Pacific Railway train failed to obey a stop signal and crashed into another train near Golden after making "numerous" cellphone communications, the federal Transportation Safety Board has found.
The last cellphone communication occurred about one minute before a safety-related radio message that preceded the March 2010 crash, the board's report revealed.
Shortly after the crash, the locomotive engineer consumed about 10 litres of water in an attempt to flush away evidence of marijuana from his system, the report noted.
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, October 8, 2011
The crew of a Canadian Pacific Railway train failed to obey a stop signal and crashed into another train near Golden after making "numerous" cellphone communications, the federal Transportation Safety Board has found.
The last cellphone communication occurred about one minute before a safety-related radio message that preceded the March 2010 crash, the board's report revealed.
Shortly after the crash, the locomotive engineer consumed about 10 litres of water in an attempt to flush away evidence of marijuana from his system, the report noted.
30.9.11
Marijuana has no place in society: doctor
National Post, Letter section · Sept. 30, 2011
Re: A Misguided Sense Of Justice, letter to the editor, Sept. 28; Pot Growers Face More Jail Than Rapists, Sept. 23.
Two letters criticize the government's plan to increase the punishment for marijuana growers. As a psychiatrist who has been practising for more than 30 years, I have seen the extensive harm smoking pot has done in terms of mental well-being for countless people and their families. Many small marijuana growers share or sell their crop with others, whose brains became poisoned, resulting in paranoia, psychotic behaviour, amotivation and many of these damages become chronic and long lasting, contrary to what most people may think.
Some of their presentations are indistinguishable from long-term psychosis. Comparing the punishment for marijuana growers with sexual predators is like comparing apples with oranges. They are both unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our society.
Dr. Henry T. Chuang, Calgary
http://www.financialpost.com/todays-paper/Marijuana+place+society/5480484/story.html
Re: A Misguided Sense Of Justice, letter to the editor, Sept. 28; Pot Growers Face More Jail Than Rapists, Sept. 23.
Two letters criticize the government's plan to increase the punishment for marijuana growers. As a psychiatrist who has been practising for more than 30 years, I have seen the extensive harm smoking pot has done in terms of mental well-being for countless people and their families. Many small marijuana growers share or sell their crop with others, whose brains became poisoned, resulting in paranoia, psychotic behaviour, amotivation and many of these damages become chronic and long lasting, contrary to what most people may think.
Some of their presentations are indistinguishable from long-term psychosis. Comparing the punishment for marijuana growers with sexual predators is like comparing apples with oranges. They are both unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our society.
Dr. Henry T. Chuang, Calgary
http://www.financialpost.com/todays-paper/Marijuana+place+society/5480484/story.html
4.9.11
Poisoned brownies in office turn out to be pot brownies
Postmedia, September 2, 2011
Coffee break brought on more than a caffeine buzz for some Victoria office workers who unwittingly nibbled marijuana-laden brownies this week.
Victoria police received a call Monday of a possible poisoning at a downtown office building on Vancouver Street. Three employees, all at once, had been taken to hospital with similar symptoms, including lightheadedness, numbness in the limbs and disorientation.
Investigations led to the office refrigerator and some brownies which, it turned out, had been baked with marijuana. The brownies had been brought in by a woman who had discovered them in her freezer at home. Her son had baked the chocolate treats.
http://www.theprovince.com/life/Poisoned+brownies+office+turn+brownies/5344562/story.html#ixzz1Wy8bMhkX
© Copyright (c) The Province
Coffee break brought on more than a caffeine buzz for some Victoria office workers who unwittingly nibbled marijuana-laden brownies this week.
Victoria police received a call Monday of a possible poisoning at a downtown office building on Vancouver Street. Three employees, all at once, had been taken to hospital with similar symptoms, including lightheadedness, numbness in the limbs and disorientation.
Investigations led to the office refrigerator and some brownies which, it turned out, had been baked with marijuana. The brownies had been brought in by a woman who had discovered them in her freezer at home. Her son had baked the chocolate treats.
http://www.theprovince.com/life/Poisoned+brownies+office+turn+brownies/5344562/story.html#ixzz1Wy8bMhkX
© Copyright (c) The Province
15.7.11
Second-hand smoke tied to children's behavior problems
(All smokes from fire are toxic fumes---whether from tobacco, pot, or whatever; makes no difference. They are all toxic and harmful---no such thing as "harmless" fume)
NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters Life!) - Children exposed to secondhand smoke at home may be more likely to have learning and behavioral problems, according to a U.S. study.
Of more than 55,000 U.S. children younger than 12 years, 6 percent lived with a smoker -- and those children were more likely to have ADHD compared to children in smoke-free homes, the study, published in Pediatrics, found.
Even after accounting for a number of possible explanations, such as parents' income and education levels, secondhand smoke was still tied to a higher risk of behavioral problems, said Hillel Alpert at the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the researchers.
NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters Life!) - Children exposed to secondhand smoke at home may be more likely to have learning and behavioral problems, according to a U.S. study.
Of more than 55,000 U.S. children younger than 12 years, 6 percent lived with a smoker -- and those children were more likely to have ADHD compared to children in smoke-free homes, the study, published in Pediatrics, found.
Even after accounting for a number of possible explanations, such as parents' income and education levels, secondhand smoke was still tied to a higher risk of behavioral problems, said Hillel Alpert at the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the researchers.
20.6.11
Pot brownies send seven to hospital
Posted: June 17, 2011, Toronto Sun (Source: QMI Agency)
WOODSTOCK, Ont. -- Seven people were sent to hospital after eating marijuana-laced brownies at a golf course.
Police said an employee of the golf course brought brownies made with marijuana to work Thursday and shared the batch with co-workers, who didn't know the brownies were laced.
The golf course was shut down after seven employees were taken to Woodstock General Hospital following complaints of feeling dizzy and disoriented. The employees were treated and released.
A 19-year-old Woodstock man is charged with administering a noxious substance, possession of a controlled substance and breach of probation.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/17/pot-brownies-send-seven-to-hospital
WOODSTOCK, Ont. -- Seven people were sent to hospital after eating marijuana-laced brownies at a golf course.
Police said an employee of the golf course brought brownies made with marijuana to work Thursday and shared the batch with co-workers, who didn't know the brownies were laced.
The golf course was shut down after seven employees were taken to Woodstock General Hospital following complaints of feeling dizzy and disoriented. The employees were treated and released.
A 19-year-old Woodstock man is charged with administering a noxious substance, possession of a controlled substance and breach of probation.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/17/pot-brownies-send-seven-to-hospital
21.4.11
Smokers more likely to suffer “aggressive” kidney cancer
(ALL types of smokes (pot included) are toxic and harmful--zero proof to the contrary)
Smokers who quit have less aggressive kidney cancer
By Frederik Joelving Frederik Joelving – Tue Apr 19,
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Researchers have found that kidney cancer is not only more common among heavy smokers, it also appears to be more aggressive.
According to a study out Monday, more than one in four smokers undergoing kidney cancer surgery had advanced stages of the disease, compared to only one in five patients who didn't light up.
Researchers say about 70 percent of people with early-stage tumors survive at least five years, whereas that number plummets to just eight percent after the cancer has begun spreading.
About one in 70 Americans, most of them elderly, develop kidney cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
But the findings aren't all bad news. Indeed, former smokers who'd kicked the habit had a smaller chance of turning up with advanced cancer.
By Frederik Joelving Frederik Joelving – Tue Apr 19,
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Researchers have found that kidney cancer is not only more common among heavy smokers, it also appears to be more aggressive.
According to a study out Monday, more than one in four smokers undergoing kidney cancer surgery had advanced stages of the disease, compared to only one in five patients who didn't light up.
Researchers say about 70 percent of people with early-stage tumors survive at least five years, whereas that number plummets to just eight percent after the cancer has begun spreading.
About one in 70 Americans, most of them elderly, develop kidney cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
But the findings aren't all bad news. Indeed, former smokers who'd kicked the habit had a smaller chance of turning up with advanced cancer.
30.3.11
More proof: "harmless pot" a fantasy
Marijuana may help MS pain, but could hurt brain
SHERYL UBELACKER, Mar. 28, 2011
Multiple sclerosis patients who regularly smoke pot to relieve pain and spastic muscles could be putting their brain function in peril, say researchers, who found that marijuana can further reduce cognitive abilities often already impaired by the disease.
In a study in this week's issue of the journal Neurology, researchers found that MS patients who had engaged in long-term pot-smoking were twice as likely as non-weed users to have diminished cognitive abilities overall.
“Prolonged inhaled or ingested (street) cannabis use is shown to significantly worsen one's attention span, speed of thinking and processing information, working memory, executive functions and visuospatial skills,” said lead investigator Anthony Feinstein, a neuropsychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
SHERYL UBELACKER, Mar. 28, 2011
Multiple sclerosis patients who regularly smoke pot to relieve pain and spastic muscles could be putting their brain function in peril, say researchers, who found that marijuana can further reduce cognitive abilities often already impaired by the disease.
In a study in this week's issue of the journal Neurology, researchers found that MS patients who had engaged in long-term pot-smoking were twice as likely as non-weed users to have diminished cognitive abilities overall.
“Prolonged inhaled or ingested (street) cannabis use is shown to significantly worsen one's attention span, speed of thinking and processing information, working memory, executive functions and visuospatial skills,” said lead investigator Anthony Feinstein, a neuropsychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
15.3.11
"Medical marijuana" may well be just "placebo effect"
How a simple sugar pill from the doctor may not be a thing of the past
The placebo effect is so powerful that doctors want to make more use of our ability to 'trick ourselves better’, says Liz Bestic
By Liz Bestic 7:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2011
Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual for your friendly GP to have at hand a bottle of sugar pills for patients’ minor aches and pains. While sugar pills are no longer on offer, a report out last week revealed that half of all German doctors are happily dishing out placebos to their patients for ailments such as stomach upset and low mood.
The study, published by the German Medical Association, said that placebos – here defined as sham treatments without any active constituents – from vitamin pills to homeopathic remedies and even surgery, can prove effective as treatments for minor problems and are completely without side effects.
The placebo effect is so powerful that doctors want to make more use of our ability to 'trick ourselves better’, says Liz Bestic
By Liz Bestic 7:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2011
Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual for your friendly GP to have at hand a bottle of sugar pills for patients’ minor aches and pains. While sugar pills are no longer on offer, a report out last week revealed that half of all German doctors are happily dishing out placebos to their patients for ailments such as stomach upset and low mood.
The study, published by the German Medical Association, said that placebos – here defined as sham treatments without any active constituents – from vitamin pills to homeopathic remedies and even surgery, can prove effective as treatments for minor problems and are completely without side effects.
14.3.11
Legal / illegal pot attracts crimes like corpses attract flies
Mayors want end to medical marijuana growing
By Matthew Claxton, Vancouver Sun, March 12, 2011
The mayors of Langley Township and the City of Langley are calling on the federal government to cancel licences for medical marijuana growing operations.
Legal marijuana is proving a major crime headache for the Langleys, which saw another violent attack on a legal growing operation last weekend. On Sunday morning, a medicinal marijuana growing operation in Brookswood was raided by armed thieves, the RCMP say.
"We believe that the time for consultation is over and that action needs to be taken," a letter sent to the federal government by City Mayor Peter Fassbender and Township Mayor Rick Green said.
By Matthew Claxton, Vancouver Sun, March 12, 2011
The mayors of Langley Township and the City of Langley are calling on the federal government to cancel licences for medical marijuana growing operations.
Legal marijuana is proving a major crime headache for the Langleys, which saw another violent attack on a legal growing operation last weekend. On Sunday morning, a medicinal marijuana growing operation in Brookswood was raided by armed thieves, the RCMP say.
"We believe that the time for consultation is over and that action needs to be taken," a letter sent to the federal government by City Mayor Peter Fassbender and Township Mayor Rick Green said.
9.3.11
Marijuana 'inextricably tied' to violence, says Mounties
By Sam Cooper, The Province March 8, 2011
A man is found in a vehicle bound hand and foot with a bag over his head. His brain is bleeding and his left eye is crushed beyond repair.
The gory aftermath of a brutal grow rip should prove to B.C. marijuana aficionados that pot is a blood-soaked commodity rather than a harmless product, North Vancouver RCMP say.
Cpl. Peter DeVries made the point while announcing recommendations of four charges against two men in an alleged attack on a 67-year-old Surrey man.
The man was found in a vehicle by Vancouver police in Sept. 2009, with lacerations to his scalp and face, severe trauma to both of his eyes, multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung and bleeding in the brain.
“He’s very lucky he didn’t die,” DeVries said.
Police say the alleged assault happened in Norgate, a residential area of North Vancouver. An investigation showed the incident “surrounded a syndicate of marijuana grow operators, and that the assault was related to the drug trade,” DeVries said.
Crown counsel is reviewing charge recommendations, including aggravated assault and forcible confinement against 49-year-old Squamish resident Paul Defaveri, and forcible confinement and attempted murder against 40-year-old Robin Pryce from Surrey.
Both men have prior drug crime convictions. Neither have known gang affiliations, DeVries said.
DeVries said the alleged assault is a “stark example” that “because of its monetary value as a commodity, marijuana is inextricably tied to serious acts of violence.”
“When you smoke a joint there is a strong likelihood that aside from it being grown illegally, it is connected to crimes like assaults, frauds, thefts and burglaries,” DeVries said.
Defaveri and Pryce were arrested on March 4 and both have been remanded in custody until their next court appearance on March 15.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Marijuana+inextricably+tied+violence+says+Mounties/4405157/story.html
A man is found in a vehicle bound hand and foot with a bag over his head. His brain is bleeding and his left eye is crushed beyond repair.
The gory aftermath of a brutal grow rip should prove to B.C. marijuana aficionados that pot is a blood-soaked commodity rather than a harmless product, North Vancouver RCMP say.
Cpl. Peter DeVries made the point while announcing recommendations of four charges against two men in an alleged attack on a 67-year-old Surrey man.
The man was found in a vehicle by Vancouver police in Sept. 2009, with lacerations to his scalp and face, severe trauma to both of his eyes, multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung and bleeding in the brain.
“He’s very lucky he didn’t die,” DeVries said.
Police say the alleged assault happened in Norgate, a residential area of North Vancouver. An investigation showed the incident “surrounded a syndicate of marijuana grow operators, and that the assault was related to the drug trade,” DeVries said.
Crown counsel is reviewing charge recommendations, including aggravated assault and forcible confinement against 49-year-old Squamish resident Paul Defaveri, and forcible confinement and attempted murder against 40-year-old Robin Pryce from Surrey.
Both men have prior drug crime convictions. Neither have known gang affiliations, DeVries said.
DeVries said the alleged assault is a “stark example” that “because of its monetary value as a commodity, marijuana is inextricably tied to serious acts of violence.”
“When you smoke a joint there is a strong likelihood that aside from it being grown illegally, it is connected to crimes like assaults, frauds, thefts and burglaries,” DeVries said.
Defaveri and Pryce were arrested on March 4 and both have been remanded in custody until their next court appearance on March 15.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Marijuana+inextricably+tied+violence+says+Mounties/4405157/story.html
Legal medical marijuana operations are candy stores to criminals
Thieves targeting legal medical marijuana operations
By Cassidy Olivier, The Province, March 9, 2011
Some Langley residents who are legally licensed to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes are being ripped off by thieves.
Three medicinal marijuana grow ops have been robbed within the past six months, although RCMP say there is no way to tell if the facilities are being specifically targeted because they are a medicinal operation, or just because they have pot.
The latest incident happened Sunday at 3:30 a.m. when two men, armed with a rifle and a knife, forced their way into a home in the Brookswood neighbourhood.
They overpowered the victim and tied him up, covering his eyes. They ransacked the house and made off with the pot plants the victim was licensed to grow.
By Cassidy Olivier, The Province, March 9, 2011
Some Langley residents who are legally licensed to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes are being ripped off by thieves.
Three medicinal marijuana grow ops have been robbed within the past six months, although RCMP say there is no way to tell if the facilities are being specifically targeted because they are a medicinal operation, or just because they have pot.
The latest incident happened Sunday at 3:30 a.m. when two men, armed with a rifle and a knife, forced their way into a home in the Brookswood neighbourhood.
They overpowered the victim and tied him up, covering his eyes. They ransacked the house and made off with the pot plants the victim was licensed to grow.
2.3.11
Marijuana Use Linked to Psychotic Disorders
By Neha Prakash, Mar 2nd 2011 2:18PM
A new study has found that the use of marijuana at a young age will dramatically increase the chance of psychotic disorders later in life, Reuters reports.
Continued use of marijuana doubles the risk of psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions, researchers said.
"This study adds a further brick to the wall of evidence showing that use of traditional cannabis is a contributory cause of psychoses like schizophrenia," said Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, who was not involved in the research.
The findings may have a dramatic effect on the ongoing pursuit for legalization of marijuana both for medical and recreational use in various states.
Authorities should take "a cautious and thoughtful approach to cannabis legislation," said Peter Kinderman, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool.
"It's important to remember that psychosis is a very complex bio-psycho-social phenomenon...but this important paper certainly reminds us that there's a strong link to the use of cannabis," he said.
In previous studies, a causation between marijuana and psychosis could not be established as it was difficult to establish which came first -- marijuana use or mental illness. Over the course of this most recent study, however, researchers say they were able to show that the marijuana use did precede the incidence of psychotic disorders in users. The study lasted for 10 years and looked at 1,923 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 24 years old.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
More related news:
Long-Time Marijuana Use Linked to Psychosis in Young Adults
A new study has found that the use of marijuana at a young age will dramatically increase the chance of psychotic disorders later in life, Reuters reports.
Continued use of marijuana doubles the risk of psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions, researchers said.
"This study adds a further brick to the wall of evidence showing that use of traditional cannabis is a contributory cause of psychoses like schizophrenia," said Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, who was not involved in the research.
The findings may have a dramatic effect on the ongoing pursuit for legalization of marijuana both for medical and recreational use in various states.
Authorities should take "a cautious and thoughtful approach to cannabis legislation," said Peter Kinderman, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool.
"It's important to remember that psychosis is a very complex bio-psycho-social phenomenon...but this important paper certainly reminds us that there's a strong link to the use of cannabis," he said.
In previous studies, a causation between marijuana and psychosis could not be established as it was difficult to establish which came first -- marijuana use or mental illness. Over the course of this most recent study, however, researchers say they were able to show that the marijuana use did precede the incidence of psychotic disorders in users. The study lasted for 10 years and looked at 1,923 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 24 years old.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
More related news:
Long-Time Marijuana Use Linked to Psychosis in Young Adults
9.1.11
Pro-pot forces want more smokes in air and lungs
Once again, more (endless) bad news about the destructive effects of smoking (any kind). As said in previous posts, all smokes (fumes from fire) are harmful and toxic---there's no such thing as "harmless" smoke, whether it's from tobacco, pot, banana leaf, etc. Don't agree? Then let your children smoke pot everyday.
Tobacco Smoke Causes Immediate Damage To Cells And Tissue, US Surgeon General
Even One Cigarette Can Prove Lethal, U.S. Surgeon General Says
Secondhand Smoke May Put Kids at Risk for Diseases
Smoking causes gene damage in minutes Jan 15, 2011
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Those first few puffs on a cigarette can within minutes cause genetic damage linked to cancer, US scientists said in a study released.
In fact, researchers said the "effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream," in findings described as a "stark warning" to those who smoke...
Tobacco Smoke Causes Immediate Damage To Cells And Tissue, US Surgeon General
Even One Cigarette Can Prove Lethal, U.S. Surgeon General Says
Secondhand Smoke May Put Kids at Risk for Diseases
Smoking causes gene damage in minutes Jan 15, 2011
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Those first few puffs on a cigarette can within minutes cause genetic damage linked to cancer, US scientists said in a study released.
In fact, researchers said the "effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream," in findings described as a "stark warning" to those who smoke...
14.12.10
Marijuana, Ecstasy Use Increases Among US Teens
medicalnewstoday.com Article Date: 14 Dec 2010 - 11:00 PST
The use of illicit drugs like marijuana and ecstasy among US teens has increased according to a government-sponsored survey, raising concerns about whether the current debates on drug legalization may be sending the wrong message to young Americans.
The use of illicit drugs like marijuana and ecstasy among US teens has increased according to a government-sponsored survey, raising concerns about whether the current debates on drug legalization may be sending the wrong message to young Americans.
The survey found that due mostly to an increase in marijuana use, the proportion of eighth-graders (children around 13 and 14 years of age) who said they had used an illicit drug in the past year has risen from 14.5 per cent in 2009 to 16 per cent in 2010.
9.11.10
Pot grow-ops and related crimes flourish under pot liberalism
Cannabis 'scratch and sniff cards' issued to Dutch citizens
by Coralie Ramon Coralie Ramon, Nov 8, 2010
by Coralie Ramon Coralie Ramon, Nov 8, 2010
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AFP) In a novel bid to combat illegal cannabis cultivation, Dutch authorities started handing out 30,000 cards with a marijuana odour Monday to alert citizens to what their neighbours may be up to.
"Citizens must be alerted to the dangers they face as a result of these plantations, and if they become aware of any suspect situations they must report them," Arnie Loos, spokesman for a government-appointed working group on cannabis cultivation, told journalists in the port city of Rotterdam.
Though it remains technically illegal, the Netherlands decriminalised the consumption and possession of under five grammes (0.18 ounces) of cannabis in 1976 under a "tolerance" policy.
Authorities turn a blind eye to citizens growing no more than five plants for personal use. Bulk cannabis cultivation and retail remain illegal and are in the hands of criminal organisations in a black-market business worth some two billion euros (2.8 billion dollars) annually.
"Citizens must be alerted to the dangers they face as a result of these plantations, and if they become aware of any suspect situations they must report them," Arnie Loos, spokesman for a government-appointed working group on cannabis cultivation, told journalists in the port city of Rotterdam.
Though it remains technically illegal, the Netherlands decriminalised the consumption and possession of under five grammes (0.18 ounces) of cannabis in 1976 under a "tolerance" policy.
Authorities turn a blind eye to citizens growing no more than five plants for personal use. Bulk cannabis cultivation and retail remain illegal and are in the hands of criminal organisations in a black-market business worth some two billion euros (2.8 billion dollars) annually.
26.10.10
Alzheimer's risk doubles in heavy smokers
(Is there any logic to conclude that pot will not cause the same dementia late in life? None. All smokes (fumes from fire) are toxic and harmful)
Alzheimer's risk doubles in heavy smokers
Oct 25, 2010, SASKATCHEWAN (CBC) - People who smoke heavily in middle age seem to more than double their risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia late in life, research suggests.
Smoking is a well-established risk factor for stroke, but the link between smoking and risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia has been less clear since heavy smokers often die from other ailments before smoking's toll on the brain is evident...
Alzheimer's risk doubles in heavy smokers
Oct 25, 2010, SASKATCHEWAN (CBC) - People who smoke heavily in middle age seem to more than double their risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia late in life, research suggests.
Smoking is a well-established risk factor for stroke, but the link between smoking and risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia has been less clear since heavy smokers often die from other ailments before smoking's toll on the brain is evident...
4.10.10
Mental problems twice as likely for cannabis users: Dutch report
Oct. 4, 2010 (APF) THE HAGUE — Cannabis users suffer mental health problems twice as often as non-users, a study published Monday by Statistics Netherlands said.
"The percentage of people with a less good mental health is two times higher among cannabis users than non-users," CBS said in a statement.
The study, which was carried out between 2007 to 2009 and involved some 18,500 people, found that "20 percent of male cannabis users complained of mental problems, compared to 10 percent among non-users".
"The percentage of people with a less good mental health is two times higher among cannabis users than non-users," CBS said in a statement.
The study, which was carried out between 2007 to 2009 and involved some 18,500 people, found that "20 percent of male cannabis users complained of mental problems, compared to 10 percent among non-users".
14.9.10
George Michael gets 8 weeks jail for drug driving
By JILL LAWLESS (AP)
LONDON -- George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the wayward star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis following a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a "dangerous and unpredictable mix" of prescription drugs and marijuana.
"It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis," the judge said. "That's a mistake which puts you and, on this occasion, the public at risk."
LONDON -- George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the wayward star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis following a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a "dangerous and unpredictable mix" of prescription drugs and marijuana.
"It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis," the judge said. "That's a mistake which puts you and, on this occasion, the public at risk."
11.9.10
Drug cocktail causes fridge explosion
Sep 11, 2010 - VANCOUVER (CBC) - Emergency crews were called to an apartment building in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside after a tenant's refrigerator exploded Friday night.
Police Insp. Eric Grummisch said a drug cocktail in the fridge caused the explosion at a rooming house in the 100 block of Main Street at about 7:30 p.m. PT.
"A tenant had treated a small amount of marijuana with a solvent and placed it in his refrigerator where it reacted to the light of the refrigerator bulb," he said.
"Apparently, that [light] remained on because the door was not fully closed, and that resulted in the refrigerator exploding."
Grummisch said there was severe damage to the room but no one was injured. He said no charges have been laid.
A Calgary man was sent to hospital earlier this year after his fridge exploded under similar circumstances. In that case, police said volatile substances used to make hashish oil were to blame.
Police Insp. Eric Grummisch said a drug cocktail in the fridge caused the explosion at a rooming house in the 100 block of Main Street at about 7:30 p.m. PT.
"A tenant had treated a small amount of marijuana with a solvent and placed it in his refrigerator where it reacted to the light of the refrigerator bulb," he said.
"Apparently, that [light] remained on because the door was not fully closed, and that resulted in the refrigerator exploding."
Grummisch said there was severe damage to the room but no one was injured. He said no charges have been laid.
A Calgary man was sent to hospital earlier this year after his fridge exploded under similar circumstances. In that case, police said volatile substances used to make hashish oil were to blame.
21.8.10
No level of smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoke, safe: researcher
(This report might as well be about pot, not tobacco---makes no difference. Smoke is smoke is toxic fume---there's no such thing as "harmless" toxic fume. Disagree? Then let your children smoke all the pot they want --poster )
By Neil Haesler, Postmedia News, August 21, 2010
Casual smokers may think a few puffs a week are nothing to worry about, but new research in the United States claims having even an infrequent cigarette, or being exposed to second-hand smoke, could be doing more harm than people believe.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, exposure to low levels of cigarette smoke may put people at risk for lung disease in the future.
"Even at the lowest detectable levels of exposure, we found direct effects on the functioning of genes within the cells lining the airways," said Dr. Ronald Crystal, senior author of the study and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at New York-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell and chairman of the department of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
By Neil Haesler, Postmedia News, August 21, 2010
Casual smokers may think a few puffs a week are nothing to worry about, but new research in the United States claims having even an infrequent cigarette, or being exposed to second-hand smoke, could be doing more harm than people believe.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, exposure to low levels of cigarette smoke may put people at risk for lung disease in the future.
"Even at the lowest detectable levels of exposure, we found direct effects on the functioning of genes within the cells lining the airways," said Dr. Ronald Crystal, senior author of the study and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at New York-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell and chairman of the department of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
30.7.10
Pot grow-ops damage homes and lives
Seniors who bought grow-op home lose in court
Keith Fraser, Postmedia News, July 30, 2010
A retired couple who discovered what they believed was evidence of a former marijuana grow-op in their new home -- then sued the former owners and their real-estate agents -- have had their case tossed out of court.
Pauline Stone and Joe Brown bought the rural property in Quesnel, about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver, in September 2006 for $239,000.
They then found what they say was evidence of a grow-op. They claimed their health was adversely affected by residual chemical pollution and excessive mould and moisture, and said they'd suffered mental and emotional distress.
Keith Fraser, Postmedia News, July 30, 2010
A retired couple who discovered what they believed was evidence of a former marijuana grow-op in their new home -- then sued the former owners and their real-estate agents -- have had their case tossed out of court.
Pauline Stone and Joe Brown bought the rural property in Quesnel, about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver, in September 2006 for $239,000.
They then found what they say was evidence of a grow-op. They claimed their health was adversely affected by residual chemical pollution and excessive mould and moisture, and said they'd suffered mental and emotional distress.
27.7.10
Fires after fires caused by marijuana grow-ops, legalized or not
26.7.10
Prediction of legalized pot anarchies coming true in California (see earlier post)
Another evidence of an Empire's fall
(While kids in developing countries are busy staying sober and busy studying hard to make their economies stronger, American kids, led by their adult enablers, are busy getting stoned on pot (and other drugs), and busy working hard to legalize mind-destructive drugs. Way to go, America! Big Tobaccos are already celebrating big future profits)
Oakland votes to permit large marijuana farms
By Evelyn Nieves, Associated Press Writer, Jul 21, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO - Oakland has moved closer to becoming the first city in the nation to authorize wholesale pot cultivation.
The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 with one abstention late Tuesday in favor of a plan to license four production plants where marijuana would be grown, packaged and processed.
The vote came after more than two hours of public comment, with speakers divided between those who opposed the measure largely on the grounds that it would put small medical marijuana growers out of business and those who said it would generate millions of dollars for Oakland in taxes and sales and create hundreds of jobs.
(While kids in developing countries are busy staying sober and busy studying hard to make their economies stronger, American kids, led by their adult enablers, are busy getting stoned on pot (and other drugs), and busy working hard to legalize mind-destructive drugs. Way to go, America! Big Tobaccos are already celebrating big future profits)
Oakland votes to permit large marijuana farms
By Evelyn Nieves, Associated Press Writer, Jul 21, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO - Oakland has moved closer to becoming the first city in the nation to authorize wholesale pot cultivation.
The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 with one abstention late Tuesday in favor of a plan to license four production plants where marijuana would be grown, packaged and processed.
The vote came after more than two hours of public comment, with speakers divided between those who opposed the measure largely on the grounds that it would put small medical marijuana growers out of business and those who said it would generate millions of dollars for Oakland in taxes and sales and create hundreds of jobs.
10.7.10
Marijuana can send a brain to pot
Drug use can trigger psychosis in vulnerable people, experts say
Nancy J. White, Living reporter, thestar.com, Jul 09 2010
At age 17, sitting in the basement with friends smoking pot, Don Corbeil first noticed all the cameras spying on him. Then he became convinced a radioactive chip had been planted in his head. “I thought I was being monitored like a lab rat,” he explains.
It never occurred to him that marijuana could be messing with his brain. Corbeil had been smoking pot since he was 14, a habit that escalated to about 10 joints a day.
He started hearing voices and, at one point, Corbeil thought he was the Messiah. Police found him one day talking incoherently, and brought him to hospital, where he was eventually diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis.
At age 17, sitting in the basement with friends smoking pot, Don Corbeil first noticed all the cameras spying on him. Then he became convinced a radioactive chip had been planted in his head. “I thought I was being monitored like a lab rat,” he explains.
It never occurred to him that marijuana could be messing with his brain. Corbeil had been smoking pot since he was 14, a habit that escalated to about 10 joints a day.
He started hearing voices and, at one point, Corbeil thought he was the Messiah. Police found him one day talking incoherently, and brought him to hospital, where he was eventually diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis.
9.5.10
Potheads and supporters give Great Big Hope to Big Tobaccos
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Are potheads and their supporters stooges of Big Tobaccos? With more and more people quitting smoking or not starting, Big Tobaccos' smoke profits have been gradually going up in smoke. But now guess who are coming to the Big rescue? Potheads and their supporters, in clamoring for legalization. 
8.5.10
The anarchy of a legalized pot world
Forget about buying "potarettes" from government/convenience stores. Anyone and his dog could easily set up a mini or maxi pot grow-op in their house/condo/yard (impractical with tobacco) to make their own cheaper, more powerful joints, and sell the excess for profits. Grow-ops damage houses, breed molds, cause fire hazards, and which criminals would exploit big time after legalization.
Besides above, read the following articles (or any cigarette article) and substitue the word "cigarettes" or "tobacco" with the word "pot"--revealing an anarchic, legalized pot world inevitably many times worst in many areas:
China tobacco firms accused of targeting children
Big Tobacco's Next Target: Women and Children in Poorer Countries...
Tobacco companies target young women
Passive Smoking (secondhand Smoke) Linked To Psychiatric Distress And Illness
Illegal tobacco market growing
Supreme Court to hear tobacco liability appeals
U.S. gene study reveals toll of heavy smoking
Tobacco troubles: Law enforcement has not kept up with the illegal trade in cheap cigarettes
Up in smoke: Indonesian child-teen smokers rising
Besides above, read the following articles (or any cigarette article) and substitue the word "cigarettes" or "tobacco" with the word "pot"--revealing an anarchic, legalized pot world inevitably many times worst in many areas:
China tobacco firms accused of targeting children
Big Tobacco's Next Target: Women and Children in Poorer Countries...
Tobacco companies target young women
Passive Smoking (secondhand Smoke) Linked To Psychiatric Distress And Illness
Illegal tobacco market growing
Supreme Court to hear tobacco liability appeals
U.S. gene study reveals toll of heavy smoking
Tobacco troubles: Law enforcement has not kept up with the illegal trade in cheap cigarettes
Up in smoke: Indonesian child-teen smokers rising
25.4.10
Dr. says MDs should not encourage pot use
(Below is a letter Dr. Meldon Kahan sent to the National Post newspaper on March 2, 2010)...
" Re: How To Get Your Medicinal Pot, letter to the editor, Feb. 27.
Dr. David Saul implies that if patients request a Health Canada cannabis authorization form, physicians are obliged by the provincial medical college to sign the form or refer them to a physician who will. This is incorrect and it is reckless to promote cannabis as a harmless medicine. I have seen patients whose lives have been destroyed by cannabis addiction or cannabis-induced psychosis. Smoked cannabis has been shown to cause precancerous changes in various tissues. Also, THC serum levels rise rapidly when smoked, creating a risk for motor vehicle accidents. The oral and inhaled versions of cannabis are far safer.
I would discourage physicians from authorizing smoked cannabis. They should prescribe oral or inhaled cannabis only for patients with a medical condition for which cannabis has been shown to be effective, and who are at low risk for cannabis-related harms.
Dr. Meldon Kahan, medical director,
Addiction Medicine Service, St. Joseph's Health Centre, Toronto "
Prolonged Cannabis Use Linked To Psychosis
An Australian study found that prolonged use of cannabis or marijuana by young adults was linked to a higher risk of developing psychosis, with the highest risk affecting those who started using the substance in their teens, and continued using it for 6 years or more into adulthood: the risk of developing psychosis among these users was more than double that of never users. Read more at website or click below...
Criminals exploit Dutch liberal pot laws big time; Government retreats from drug liberalism
Dutch court fines coffee (pot) shop owner 10 mln euros
The government mooted plans last year to transform coffee shops near the Belgian border into private clubs, to address what critics describe as the nuisance created by millions of drug tourists a year.
THE HAGUE, March 25, 2010 (AFP) - A Dutch court fined the owner of the Netherlands' biggest cannabis-vending coffee shop 10 million euros on Thursday after police seized more than 200 kilogrammes of the drug on its premises.
The 13-million-dollar penalty would have been larger, the district court of southwestern Middelburg said in a statement, had it not been for the authorities' apparently contradictory approach to soft drug vending and use.
While finding that coffee shop Checkpoint was a criminal organisation that had transgressed the Opium Act, the court said "the role of the authorities weighed heavily in the determination of the sentence".
This included the "facilitating role of the municipality, of which the prosecution service had been aware, and years of non-enforcement of the law", according to the judgment.
The government mooted plans last year to transform coffee shops near the Belgian border into private clubs, to address what critics describe as the nuisance created by millions of drug tourists a year.
THE HAGUE, March 25, 2010 (AFP) - A Dutch court fined the owner of the Netherlands' biggest cannabis-vending coffee shop 10 million euros on Thursday after police seized more than 200 kilogrammes of the drug on its premises.
The 13-million-dollar penalty would have been larger, the district court of southwestern Middelburg said in a statement, had it not been for the authorities' apparently contradictory approach to soft drug vending and use.
While finding that coffee shop Checkpoint was a criminal organisation that had transgressed the Opium Act, the court said "the role of the authorities weighed heavily in the determination of the sentence".
This included the "facilitating role of the municipality, of which the prosecution service had been aware, and years of non-enforcement of the law", according to the judgment.
Cannabis brain damage worse in teens than thought: study
New study suggests cannabis use by teens damages brain worse than suspected
Thu Dec 17, 5:58 PM, By Bernard Barbeau, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL - The effects of daily cannabis use on teenage brains is worse than originally thought and the long-term effects appear to be irreversible, new research from McGill University suggests.
The study, by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, suggests that daily cannabis consumption can lead to depression and anxiety.
Active ingredients in marijuana found to spread and prolong pain
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Growing Evidence Of Marijuana Smoke's Potential Dangers
ScienceDaily (Aug. 5, 2009) - In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smoking marijuana, like smoking tobacco, has toxic effects on cells. Read more at website or click below:
Cannabis "can cause psychosis in healthy people"
A potent form of cannabis can cause healthy people to develop psychotic illnesses, a new British study has proved.
Article website at...
http://tinyurl.com/l9s59t
Or click Read More below...
Article website at...
http://tinyurl.com/l9s59t
Or click Read More below...
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