Psychosis is an extremely dysfunctional mental state most commonly associated with the presence of schizophrenia and certain other severe mental illnesses. Addiction specialists and researchers know that marijuana can produce a temporary psychosis-like state in active users and also potentially increases the odds that a person with latent psychotic tendencies will experience psychotic episodes. In…
Breathalyzers are devices originally developed to detect the concentration of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. Law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. commonly use these devices as part of procedures designed to identify people driving while intoxicated. In a study published in December 2013 in the journal Clinical Chemistry and reported in May 2014 by study…
One out of five smokers was able to quit tobacco cigarettes by inhaling on electronic cigarettes, which still deliver nicotine but in smaller doses, a new study out of the United Kingdom has found. Those trying to quit smoking cold turkey or with non-prescription nicotine patches or gum were 60 percent more likely to report succeeding…
A marijuana production and sales enterprise called “huge” and worth more than $72 million in yearly sales was raided in drug seizures and arrests carried out May 1 across Southern California.
Is marijuana addictive? As the movement to legalize pot gains traction in multiple states, so does the science suggesting that recreational use of marijuana, now legal in Colorado and Washington, may come at a cost. A growing number of researchers have concluded that the drug has addictive qualities. The National Institute on Drug Abuse puts a…
After California became the first state to legalize cannabis for medical purposes in 1996, 19 other states plus the District of Columbia chose to follow its lead. Recent polls show that more than 80 percent of the American public is in favor of the legalization of marijuana for therapeutic purposes, and it may be only…
This year, Easter grass may not only be for lining your basket. Today, Christianity’s holiest day shares the calendar with 4/20, a sort of underground holiday for pot smokers. So while some dressed in their Sunday best, attended sunrise services and watched their children search the yard for colorful Easter eggs, others broke out their bongs, put on…
Don’t say you haven’t been warned. New research has found that even casual marijuana use causes critical changes in the brains of young people from which they may never recover and should prompt President Barack Obama to rethink a view he expressed in January about marijuana being no more dangerous than alcohol, one scientist said. The first-of-its-kind study on recreational marijuana, published April 16…
With the changing laws and shifting public attitudes surrounding marijuana use, it is inevitable that as a parent you will have to talk to your children about pot. There are many things to consider when having this discussion, and you should know the facts surrounding this highly popular drug if you’re going to give your kids the best…
Cannabis use disorder is the standard term for people diagnosed with cannabis (marijuana or hashish) addiction or a pattern of dysfunctional, non-addicted cannabis use that causes serious impairment or life disruption. People affected by this disorder commonly experience changes in their brain function that include significant memory problems. In a study published in December 2013…