Marijuana/Cannabis News and Research

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Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from the same plant. Other forms of cannabis include sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs.

Young people in the UK report little difficulty in obtaining cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs

Reviewing several recent surveys of young people, the authors note that underage smokers can acquire cigarettes easily, often from friends and relatives. Most regular smokers aged 12-15 also say they buy cigarettes from shops.

11 Aug 2005

Drug use among Indiana youth sees biggest drop in years

A new report on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington demonstrates a significant downward trend in youth drug use and includes the agency's first compilation of data concerning methamphetamine use and gambling by sixth- through 12th-grade students.

2 Aug 2005

Australia has the lowest rate of smoking in the world

...according to a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare study on Statistics in Drug Use in Australia 2004.

2 Aug 2005

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have discovered a potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs for treatment of the disease.

2 Aug 2005

Cannabis drugs may benefit those with bowel disease

UK scientists say they believe that patients with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from cannabis-based drugs.

1 Aug 2005

Law to restrict cold medicines well on it's way

A bill that would limit access to common cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, an ingredient that can be used to make the highly addictive drug methamphetamine, has been unanimously approved by the Senate judiciary committee.

29 Jul 2005

Opiates themselves are superior to sedatives for treating infants born to women who used heroin or methadone while pregnant

Opiates appear to better "ameliorate the withdrawal, facilitate feeding and potentially reduce the likelihood of seizures," according to two new systematic reviews done by David Osborn, a neonatologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.

26 Jul 2005

Wife determines husband's marijuana use

While it's the husband among newlywed couples who has more influence on whether the couple engages in heavy drinking, it's the wife who appears to be in the driver's seat when it comes to determining her husband's marijuana use, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).

20 Jul 2005

Meth abuse biggest drug problem in country USA

In a recent crime survey of 45 states and 500 county law enforcement agencies in the U.S., it has been found that as far as rural and small town America is concerned, methamphetamine has overtaken cocaine as the biggest drug problem.

11 Jul 2005

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

A recently released report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University suggests between 1992 and 2003, more Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together.

11 Jul 2005

California's medical marijuana program put on hold

As a direct result of a Supreme Court ruling last month that said the U.S. government could prosecute medical marijuana use, California officials say they will stop issuing identification cards to state residents who smoke marijuana to treat medical conditions.

11 Jul 2005

Gamblers and addicts have a lot in common

A group of researchers from the U.S., the UK, and New Zealand, have apparently found that problem gamblers often display many similar personality traits as people who abuse alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine.

6 Jul 2005

Marijuana activists nervous after raids

Marijuana activists in the U.S. fear that recent raids by federal agents are the beginning of an attempt by authorities to wipe out local dispensaries which provide marijuana for medical purposes.

27 Jun 2005

Drug bust in San Francisco could be start of new campaign against pot

Indictments have been issued by federal authorities charging 19 people with running a $5 million international drug ring that used three medical marijuana dispensaries as a front.

26 Jun 2005

Federal drug agents target pot dispensaries

More than 20 dispensaries were raided and two people were charged when Federal drug agents launched a crackdown on medical marijuana providers in California.

23 Jun 2005

Naturally produced 'cannabis' in the brain helps with pain relief

Researchers in the United States have found that a cannabis like chemical produced naturally in the brain helps with pain relief.

23 Jun 2005

Evidence grows for change in cannabis laws

Studies linking cannabis use to mental illnesses and addictive drugs such as heroin are compelling reasons for the State Government to revise its soft-on-drugs legislation, the Australian Medical Association (WA) said today.

21 Jun 2005

Canada first country to approve cannabis based painkiller

Canada has become the first country to approve a cannabis based painkiller for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

21 Jun 2005

Study finds incidence of psychosis and schizophrenia is slightly higher than that found in recent studies

The Northern Ireland First-Episode Psychosis Study has shown that the incidence of psychosis and schizophrenia is slightly higher than that found in recent studies in Ireland and Nottingham.

21 Jun 2005