The most significant differences between those who smoked marijuana and those who never or no longer did was that current smokers’ insulin levels were reduced by 16 percent and their insulin resistance (a condition in which the body has trouble absorbing glucose from the bloodstream) was reduced by 17 percent.The Atlantic’s Lindsay Abrams, reporting on the results of a recent study on the health effects of marijuana. In addition, regular pot smokers were skinnier than those who abstained, “even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity levels,” and had higher levels of HDL (“good cholesterol”). source
Weed tax on the horizon: Colorado is set to become the first state in the nation to collect tax revenue from marijuana sales. Both chambers of the state legislature have passed legislation that would tax the substance—which is legal for recreational use in the state—and Governor John Hickenlooper is expected to sign it. Asked what how the federal government will respond should the legislation take effect, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s office in Colorado said that the DOJ “is taking into consideration all aspects of this issue.” (Photo: Reuters) source
A Map That Shows the Dramatic Spread of Legal Weed in the U.S.
Very pertinent today, with a bill awaiting Maryland governor Martin O’Malley’s signature to legalize medical marijuana.
52% support marijuana legalization in a new Pew poll, compared with 45% who don’t. It’s the first national poll ever to show majority support for legalization.
Synthetic cannabinoids are not safe alternatives to marijuana. There are unexpected and unpredictable health problems that can occur. The availability of the synthetic cannabinoid products, coupled with how rapidly the chemicals present in the various products change, really creates a recipe for a public health disaster.Michael Schwartz, medical officer for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health • Discussing a report he co-authored, claiming a link between the use of synthetic cannabinoids (products such as Spice, plant blends treated with a synthetic drug solvent, sold legally in smoke shops) and kidney failure, as well as some other undesirable side effects. Such products are sold ostensibly as incense, and with printed warnings against consumption, but the widespread understanding of their use is another matter. source
A dangerous thief is on the loose in Wichita, KS, and police believe the suspect portrayed in the sketch at the top of this post could be behind a string of robberies that left three confiscated marijuana bags a little lighter than the day they arrived in the Wichita PD evidence room. Here’s hoping police can bring that terrifying criminal to justice sooner rather than later. (h/t to Gawker) source
This belongs over here. We’re waiting on bated breath for Tancredo’s post-smoke report.
Obama: Pot users should not be ‘top priority’ of federal law enforcement
President Barack Obama says recreational users of marijuana in states that have legalized the substance should not be a “top priority” of federal law enforcement officials prosecuting the war on drugs.
“We’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Obama said of pot users in Colorado and Washington during an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters.
“It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it’s legal,” he said, invoking the same approach taken toward users of medicinal marijuana in 18 states where it’s legal.
The problem with this quote: Not that he said it, but that the last time he made a similar claim, it wasn’t followed by the federal agencies that actually enact the policy — something which led Dilbert creator Scott Adams to claim he wouldn’t vote for the president. Check back in two years to see how he’s doing on this issue.
A spokesman for the local sheriff’s office said that drug-sniffing dogs found “a little tiny amount of pot and hash” in Apple’s tour bus at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint in west Texas. She was bonded out today.
The investigation was launched by the DOJ’s Inspector General’s office, which recommended that the Justice Department consider disciplining the 14 agents named. Holder said today that the report would be reviewed with “consideration of potential personnel actions.”
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Colombian cocaine queen Griselda Blanco, pictured above, has died, the victim of a shooting outside a butcher’s shop. She was 69. Blanco was a power-player in the world of cocaine smuggling from Colombia into the United States, starting in the 1970s; in 1985 she was convicted and would go on to serve nineteen years in an American prison, before being deported to Colombia. Her family claims she cut her ties to organized crime upon returning to her homeland.
Young pot users risk lower IQ, study says: ”Persistent cannabis use over 20 years was associated with neuropsychological decline, and greater decline was evident for more persistent users,” according to a group of New Zealand researchers, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The group studied a group of over 1,000 individuals for over 20 years when creating their findings, and says that heavy users — those who smoked four times or more each week — risked a drop in intelligence. Buy it? (photo by ukhomeoffice)
Was sleep medication the cause? Kerry Kennedy is avoiding the spotlight in the wake of a DUI late last week. Kerry, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy who was once married to current New York governor Andrew Cuomo, was arrested early Friday in Westchester County, NY after her car smashed into a tractor-trailer. Early reports suggested Ambien was the cause — her cousin, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, had a similar Ambien-induced incident in 2006. Her blood test results will take a week to come back, however. Kerry’s family had been in the news recently; she allegedly had an emotional reaction to the illegal re-burial of her sister-in-law, Mary Richardson Kennedy, which her family only found out after the burial took place. source
Say nope to dope: The US Anti-Doping Agency—yes, that’s what it’s called—confirmed today that it’s going to file formal doping charges against Lance Armstrong. The agency says that Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs between 1999 and 2005 (you know, when he was winning the Tour de France every year). He’s consistently denied the allegations, and so the case will move to arbitration (Photo credit: AP). source
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