Marijuana Blog

WASHINGTON – According to a national poll conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, a record high 58% of American voters said they think marijuana should be made legal, compared to only 39% who do not. In addition, 50% of respondents said they think marijuana will become legal under federal law within the next 10 years.

 

A strong plurality (47%) of respondents said they think President Obama should allow Colorado and Washington to implement the ballot measures approved by voters last month to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol. Just 33% said they approve of President Obama using federal resources to prevent them from going into effect. Interestingly, support for the rights of states could be higher, but 46% of Republicans surveyed support the federal government asserting its power over the states.

 

Marijuana possession by adults is scheduled to become legal in Washington on Thursday when Initiative 502 officially goes into effect. A similar measure adopted by Colorado voters, Amendment 64, will go into effect no later than January 6. The new laws in Colorado and Washington make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. They also direct the legislatures of both states to create regulations in order to establish a legal market for businesses to cultivate and sell marijuana to adults. So far, the federal government has not stated whether it intends to use any resources to interfere with the implementation of the new state laws.

 

Source: http://www.opposingviews.com

Though it may not be considered "real" pot, synthetic marijuana may cause real health problems.

 

A new report shows synthetic pot sent 11,406 people to the emergency room in 2010.

 

The number pales in comparison to the 461,028 people who went to the ER for marijuana-related causes in 2010, but it's still a large number that's concerning officials. One-third of the people who went to the hospital for synthetic marijuana were between the ages of 12 to 17. Another 35 percent were individuals aged 18 to 24.

 

"It's not an epidemic," Rear Admiral Peter Delany, director of SAMHSA's Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, told HealthDay. "But it's a growing problem. And people need to be thinking about it, and how we're going to deal with it."

 

The statistics were released by Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), a federal government program that is part of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

 

Synthetic marijuana -- sold under many names including the K2 and Spice brands -- is typically a blend of herbal mixtures that when consumed create effects similar to cannabis, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They are labeled "not for human consumption," but people often buy them for their psychoactive effects.

 

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com