Topic: DRUGS - on July 9, 2016 at 5:54:00 PM CEST
Cannabisforscher Rudolf Brenneisen: "Die Natur ist nicht immer besser"
Der Schweizer Pharmakologe über Apotheken statt Schwarzmarkt, Leberzirrhosen im Weinland und die Legalisierungsdebatte an sich Wien – Rudolf Brenneisen sitzt in einem gepolsterten Rattansofa im Park vor dem Festsaal des niederösterreichischen Landesklinikums Mauer-Öhling. Er trägt ein dunkles Hemd, auf das kleine, bunte Kakteen gedruckt sind, und die Socken unter der senfgelben Hose sind mit großen Hanfblättern bestickt. Der 67-jährige Schweizer hielt bei der Fachtagung Sucht in Mauer-Öhling einen Vortrag mit dem Titel "Cannabis: Was die Pflanze kann, und was wir daraus machen". Der nunmehr emeritierte Professor für Pharmazie an der Universität Bern forschte seit den 1970er-Jahren an der Wirkung der Staude, arbeitete unter anderem für das Internationale Drogenkontrollprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (UNDCP) und die US-Drogenbehörde DEA. Als Mitglied einer Expertengruppe wurde er heuer vom Schweizer Bundesrat beauftragt, im Rahmen eines wissenschaftlichen Pilotprojektes die praktischen Möglichkeiten im medizinischen Bereich auszuloten.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 8, 2016 at 4:54:00 PM CEST
Police, Prosecutors and Judges Rely on a Flawed $2 Drug Test That Puts Innocent People Behind Bars
Amy Albritton can’t remember if her boyfriend signaled when he changed lanes late that August afternoon in 2010. But suddenly the lights on the Houston Police patrol car were flashing behind them, and Anthony Wilson was navigating Albritton’s white Chrysler Concorde to a stop in a strip-mall parking lot. It was an especially unwelcome hassle. Wilson was in Houston to see about an oil-rig job; Albritton, volunteering her car, had come along for what she imagined would be a vacation of sorts. She managed an apartment complex back in Monroe, La., and the younger of her two sons — Landon, 16, who had been disabled from birth by cerebral palsy — was with his father for the week. After five hours of driving through the monotony of flat woodland, the couple had checked into a motel, carted their luggage to the room and returned to the car, too hungry to rest but too drained to seek out anything more than fast food. Now two officers stepped out of their patrol car and approached.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 8, 2016 at 4:53:00 PM CEST
Silicon Valley Investors Are Finally Getting Marijuana Religion
When three Colorado marijuana entrepreneurs made a presentation to 40 Silicon Valley investors last year, it was as though they were discussing something dirty. “There was an uncomfortable chuckle in the room, kind of like you’re talking about porn,” says Fulton Connor, the Sand Hill Angels Inc. member who arranged the meeting. His fellow venture capitalists just couldn’t get past the fact that marijuana remains prohibited under federal law. They’re way more chill now, he says. In May, Connor’s firm, which typically invests in mainstream startups like the taxi-hailing app Flywheel, steered $200,000 to Tradiv, an online marketplace for wholesale cannabis. “They understand it more as a business and the direction of the market,” Connor says. “And they see where it’s becoming more acceptable.”
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 7, 2016 at 3:57:00 PM CEST
After Medical Marijuana Legalized, Medicare Prescriptions Drop For Many Drugs
Prescription drug prices continue to climb, putting the pinch on consumers. Some older Americans appear to be seeking an alternative to mainstream medicines that has become easier to get legally in many parts of the country. Just ask Cheech and Chong. Research published Wednesday found that states that legalized medical marijuana — which is sometimes recommended for symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety or depression — saw declines in the number of Medicare prescriptions for drugs used to treat those conditions and a dip in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 6, 2016 at 2:02:00 PM CEST
What Are the Most Popular Marijuana Products?
This post is adapted from Headset Inc. Cannabis Intelligence, a Priceonomics Data Studio customer. Does your company have interesting data? Become a Priceonomics customer.
There are a lot more ways to get high than there used to be. Due to the legalization movement and proliferation of cannabis dispensaries, if marijuana users don’t feel like rolling themselves, they can pick up something pre-rolled. And if they don’t feel like smoking at all, they can get their high by eating a cookie or drinking a soda. So which products are most popular? And will Edibles or drinks ever become the primary way users get high?
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 6, 2016 at 2:00:00 PM CEST
Wir müssen den Krieg gegen Drogen beenden
Drogen lassen sich nicht vernichten. Der Versuch hat tausendfach Menschenleben zerstört. Es ist Zeit, umzudenken: Die Welt kann mit Drogen leben und sie kontrollieren. Ein Gastbeitrag von Richard Branson, London
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 4, 2016 at 11:03:00 AM CEST
Jamaica to install weed vending machines at airports
Instead of landing and having to ask strangers where “the plug” is, you’ll find it conveniently plugged into the wall nearby. The Jamaican government is looking over a proposal to install cannabis kiosks in Jamaican airports. Only one year ago, the Jamaican House of Representatives passed a law that made possession of 2 ounces of marijuana legal. Now the proposal being looked over by the Cannabis Licensing Authority would allow a tourist to obtain 2 ounces from a kiosk before they even check into their hotel.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 4, 2016 at 11:01:00 AM CEST
These maps show how dangerous illegal drugs flow around the globe
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime released its annual World Drug Report this month, detailing the prevailing trends in global drug cultivation, trafficking, and use. Relying on surveys and other data, the UN estimated that one in 20 adults — a quarter-billion people ages 15 to 64 around the world — used at least one drug in 2014.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 2, 2016 at 4:58:00 PM CEST
Kurdish fighters earn $1.7 billion in drug trade
A narcoterrorism report prepared by Turkey’s Interior Ministry suggests that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) earns nearly $1.7 billion each year through its involvement in the production and trading of cannabis, in addition to drug smuggling. The PKK earns some 500 million Turkish Liras (around $170 million) per year via the production and trading of cannabis, said the report, which sheds light on narcoterrorism operations, adding that $1.5 billion was raised annually through drug smuggling.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on July 2, 2016 at 4:54:00 PM CEST
War, on drugs
All of Gaul is divided into three parts,’ wrote Julius Caesar at the start of his Gallic Wars. ‘No, four,’ corrected one author writing slightly later, ‘for one small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the Roman invaders.’ It was, of course, the French comic-book hero Asterix’s unnamed Breton village. The secret of the success of Asterix and his fellow villagers was their superhuman strength – that is, when their druid was willing to make them some of his secret potion. One gulp made Asterix’s Gauls invincible, irresistible in attack and extraordinary in defence. The only thing the potion could not cure was the village bard, Cacophonix, whose terrible voice alone was immune to the magic drug of Getafix, the village’s druid and superchemist.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on June 30, 2016 at 11:05:00 AM CEST
Marijuana compound removes toxic Alzheimer's protein from the brain
An active compound in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been found to promote the removal of toxic clumps of amyloid beta protein in the brain, which are thought to kickstart the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The finding supports the results of previous studies that found evidence of the protective effects of cannabinoids, including THC, on patients with neurodegenerative disease.
sciencealert.com medicalxpress.com Amyloid proteotoxicity initiates an inflammatory response blocked by cannabinoids Cannabinoids remove plaque-forming Alzheimer’s proteins from brain cells
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: DRUGS - on June 30, 2016 at 11:02:00 AM CEST
Initiative to Legalize Recreational Use of Pot in California Qualifies for November Ballot
An initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California officially took its place on the Nov. 8 ballot on Tuesday as its campaign took a commanding lead in fundraising to battle the measure’s opponents. The Secretary of State’s Office certified that a random sample showed sufficient signatures among the 600,000 turned in to qualify the measure. The initiative is backed by a coalition that includes former Facebook President Sean Parker and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
