Tag Archives: marijuana

...the day that marijuana became legal in Washington is the anniversary of repeal of The Volstead Act, which prohibited the production, sale, and transport, but not private ownership or consumption of "intoxicating liquors". The law, the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution ... was significant in the creation of powerful gangs such as those led by Al Capone in Chicago, along with rampant political corruption resulting from the various issues of making, moving and selling liquor. Marijuana was made illegal about 5 years after the repeal,

Driving while intoxicated with marijuana is NOT likely to be be safer that driving with alcohol - as reported by a recent study -- and alerting us to flaws in the way scientific studies are crafted, and report by the media. Meanwhile, Congress is making moves that in effect again escalate the War of Drugs by making the Spice and bath salt compounds into Schedule 1 drugs.

A new drug use survey shows a marked increase in drug use by 18-25 yr olds, especially marijuana, while cocaine and meth use has gone way down. Changing attitudes about pot may come form medical marijuana issues, and also whether alcohol/energy drinks may contribute to the alcohol overdoses.

NIDA's Monitoring the Future study shows increases in use of marijuana, heroin and pharmaceuticals by adolescents; a study in Europe shows that programs like DARE are not effective; government regulators grapple to keep up with street chemists creating new designer drugs, and a discussion of psychiatry's increasing dependence on drug therapy to the exclusion of talk therapy.

"Young people being exposed to "mixed messages" about marijuana including the idea that it is a medicine," say the government's "drug czar" Gil Kerlikowsk. We discuss the trends and whether people are using more drugs, or are they more candid in reporting thier use.

The California ballot measure to legalize and tax marijuana, Mexicos's consideration of legalizing all drugs, and the lack of efforts at drug-demand reduction are some of the topics of this weeks podcast.