Toxicity of Illicit Substances
March 30th, 2007 by Alex
An interesting article from the American Scientist was published that discusses the ratio of a fatal does to effective dose of almost all the illicit drugs on the market today.
It’s a thought-provoking concept that gives you a visual understanding of the toxicity of many of the drugs we consume today.
As you can see, alcohol is a lot more toxic than most people realize, while marijuana is as non-toxic a substance as you’ll ever come across.
Let’s see what the article has to say on this subject:
The least physiologically toxic substances, those requiring 100 to 1,000 times the effective dose to cause death, include psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana, when ingested. I’ve found no published cases in the English language that document deaths from smoked marijuana, so the actual lethal dose is a mystery. My surmise is that smoking marijuana is more risky than eating it but still safer than getting drunk.
A simple ratio such as this exposes a large problem in the United States, the least toxic substance know to man is now illegal, and the major cause behind the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
I wonder how long simple, scientific evidence such as this is going to be ignored?
[via The Daily Dish]
Mouse Party: Drug Education Animation
February 16th, 2007 by Tim
Here is a really excellent interactive flash animation done by the University of Utah.
What it does is simply & effectively explain the different ways that illegal substances interact with the brain. As an added bonus, it’s a pretty damn cool presentation with well-animated mouse characters that fit all the stereotypes of the major drug users in this country.
Marijuana, methamphetamines, ecstasy, heroin, alcohol, LSD and cocaine are all covered and each one affects us in different ways. You learn something new everyday…
Click to view the animation…
Continue Reading
Debris: Wednesday, 1.10.07
January 10th, 2007 by Tim- Marijuana Found in Barbie Backpack [via Robesonian]
- ‘Infomania’ Worse Than Marijuana [via BBC]
- Alcohol Impairs Driving More Than Marijuana [via New Scientist]
- Just Cause You Old Don’t Mean You Can’t Party [via L.A. Noir]
- Couple Taught Daughter to Do Drugs [via NBC4]
- The Drug Testing FAQ [via Cocaine.org]
The Dangers of Trivial Pursuit
January 4th, 2007 by Alex
Well, it looks like the so-called “party in a box” has done it again. That’s right everyone, Trivial Pursuit has claimed yet another victim.
I still remember in elementary school when the D.A.R.E officers came by and warned all of my class not only about gateway drugs, but also gateway boardgames.
It looks like Flurisha Cooper, a 21 year-old from Chicago, just wasn’t fortunate enough to receive the same anti-drug education that I got. She was hospitalized due to over-intoxication from playing a special type of Trivial Pursuit called the ‘Brandy & Blunts’ Edition.
The rules are simple, if you answer wrong you have to either take a shot of brandy or a rip from a blunt. Now this sounds like a board game I can get into, especially since I get every single damn question wrong. Coincidentally, that’s what got Flurisha in trouble also.
So why is this article such a comedy goldmine? Never mind the author being diligent enough to inform us that Flurisha was the yellow piece, it’s because this might be the first recorded case of illness due to “continually providing wrong answers.”
[via CBS Chicago]
Cooking with Marijuana: Alcohol & Olive Oil
December 5th, 2006 by AlexThe Cooking with Marijuana series is back. This time, chefs Hans and Hans cover how to mix our favorite plant into alcohol. Also, they’ll show you how to make mega-bud olive oil that can be used in many various dishes.
Both of these items pack a punch, so make sure to follow the measurements carefully.
