Marijuana Blog

Even a tiny bit stoned is too stoned to drive, according to President Barack Obama's drug czar, who is issuing a warning on the danger posed by marijuana-smoking drivers.

 

Smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel is "quite dangerous," according to 

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy director Gil Kerlikowske, whose message is that "even a little intoxicated on marijuana is unacceptable," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

 

However, a set of conflicting studies appear to give evidence for both Kerlikowske's warnings as well as marijuana advocates who say law enforcement is stirring up baseless worry reminiscent of reefer madness, the newspaper noted.

 

In Colorado, traffic fatalities dipped 16 percent from 2006 to 2011 -- during which time the state's medical marijuana industry expanded greatly -- but fatalities involving marijuana expanded 114 percent, the newspaper reported.

 

There are other studies, like one conducted in 2012 at Dalhousie University Medical School in Canada, that says marijuana-impaired drivers are three times as likely to get into an accident -- and for every one like that, there are ones like the 2011 review that suggested marijuana users are substituting smoking for drinking alcohol and staying home rather than driving.

 

Read more: http://www.nbcbayarea.com

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – The microscope at the University of New Haven, set at 10-times magnification, shows a marijuana leaf covered with dozens of tiny bumps. It’s mold, and someone, somewhere could be smoking similarly contaminated pot and not have a clue.

 

Heather Miller Coyle, a forensic botanist and associate professor at the university, says all sorts of nasty things not visible to the naked eye have been found in marijuana – mold, mildew, insect parts, salmonella and E. coli, to name a few.

 

That’s why Coyle and her students earlier this year began developing a new process to detect contaminants in marijuana through DNA profiling and analysis. The aim is to be able to identify potentially harmful substances through a testing method that could make the analysis easier and quicker for labs across the country in the developing industry of marijuana quality control testing.

 

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., now allow medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation, and Washington state and Colorado have legalized the recreational pot use. Connecticut and Washington state already require testing and other states are doing the same, spawning a testing industry.

 

“If there’s no certification … it’s like saying we don’t check our meat for mad cow disease,” Coyle said. “That’s our goal as a private university, to develop the tools to address or mediate this issue.”

 

A number of labs around the country are testing marijuana for contaminants using different methods, many of which have been around for decades and used to test other plants, including food crops, for harmful substances.

 

The health effects of marijuana tainted with mold, pesticides and other contaminants aren’t clear, said Mason Tvert, a Colorado-based spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. The project was founded in 1995 to lobby for the reduction or elimination of penalties for marijuana use.

 

Read more: http://denver.cbslocal.com

There are a lot of people that want marijuana to be legalized. But what most people don't really understand is the weight that legalizing marijuana comes with. While most view it as a very positive change, there are others that are skeptical and believe that legalization may be bad news for pot smokers everywhere. There is a huge difference between decriminalization and legalization and there are pros and cons to each of them.

 

 Decriminalization would allow for people to still get tickets and such if caught with it but not arrested. Basically, it means that we wouldn't be criminals. People wouldn't go to jail for smoking a joint. Smokers would still have to take precautions but we would be able to control the majority of the marijuana, much like it is now. The perfect example is California. They have it pretty much perfect. While the plant isn't illegal there, they haven't made it legal either. There are dispensaries and doctors write prescriptions for people to be able to medicate the best way that they see possible.

 

 Legalization poses a large problem, which we are already starting to see take form in some of the states that have been less harsh with the laws. The biggest concern that stoners have about legalizing fully is the fact that the government might release standard marijuana, much like generic sugar. It'll be a generalized strain. There will be no differences in tastes, looks, or quality. You will always get the same weed. Since breeding higher quality plants is a living for some people, a standard strain of marijuana could destroy a lot of lives. Not only that, but some patients need more or less THC/CBD in order to feel better. If the strain of bud is just general, some patients may continue to suffer. However, being able to smoke whenever and where ever could be awesome for stoners everywhere. Never having to hide our smoking habits again? Sign me up!