Weed vs. Booze in DUI Road Test Study
June 2nd, 2009 by Russ
Many disciples of the herb believe that driving under its influence is simply a matter of focusing their chi properly before taking the wheel. A few deep breathing exercises, some choice tunes, and many enthusiasts feel ready to navigate the roads to Carl’s Jr. Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University put the test to local weed drivers to prove their prowess against a cadre of booze-guzzling DUIs in waiting.
The driving test more closely resembled a vintage ‘B’ movie than The French Connection. Test subjects drove a stationary Cadillac situated in front of a movie screen depicting simulated traffic conditions. Drivers were given marijuana, road sodas (screwdriver mix), or placebo.
As expected, the placebo group tested far better than the ones intoxicated by alcohol. Weed drivers came down somewhere in the middle, showing some levels of impairment, but taking a much more cautious approach than their in the bag counterparts.
Undoubtedly, many blazing Gran Turismo gamers will dispute the findings of the study, saying that weed only helps them hone in on their craft. While more in-depth studies can certainly be conducted, the study did seem to acknowledge an age-old truth about stoners — they are nothing if not self-aware.
CNBC Interview with MPP’s Bruce Mirken
April 22nd, 2009 by RickBruce Mirken, a communications director at the Marijuana Policy Project, was interviewed on CNBC. Mirken brings up points like; two-thirds of the Mexican cartels’ profit comes from marijuana and that marijuana has consistently been the top cash crop in the United States, which the cartel’s have received the majority of profit from.
Even after he told the CNBC reporter, that two-thirds of the cartel’s profit comes from the distribution of marijuana, she interrupts her guest and asks if the cartels would just move to hardcore drugs. Another guest starts dropping some interesting statistics to the other Guest, John Carnevale, President of Carnevale Associates and asks him why marijuana can’t be legalized.
Carnevale actually has the audacity to say that the answer is quite simple. He adds that the reason marijuana can’t be legalized because there would be a greater demand for it and more people would be doing it.
Even the another reporter tells John about the success in the Netherlands, where the stats show the exact opposite — but Carnevale sticks to his guns and even goes on to claim that the reason marijuana is illegal is because it is a harmful drug and serves no medicinal purposes? I think 13 states and growing would beg to differ, along with all the scientists and doctors that aren’t paid by the government to speak out against marijuana.
Carnevale denies that the prohibition of marijuana is similar to the failed prohibition of alcohol. He even dodges a statement about marijuana being less addictive and toxic than alcohol by bringing other drugs into the discussion. Back-peddling, trying to stand on some firm ground, Carnevale then brings up the point that they all like to bring up — the children. How Carnevale brought this up is sheer lunacy by implying that if marijuana would be legalized then a 3 or 5 year old would have it available to them.
Carnevale goes on to say that alcohol is the leading cause of people going to the hospital and that the social abuse of it has cost $200 billion. He forgot to mention the deaths that alcohol has caused, not just the trips to the doctor. Granted none of these things are good yet alcohol is still legal and marketed worldwide. Saying that marijuana can’t be legalized because we didn’t get it right with alcohol is just purely hypocritical.
Study: Most Binge Drinkers Are White
April 10th, 2009 by Aaron
You don’t fucking say.
People actually spent money to conduct a study like this? Really? Drinking is more a white man’s game in this country and that’s not to say other races don’t have their share of problems with drinking. However, binge drinking is a completely different beast altogether.
Funny thing is, $50K/year seems to be the barometer for binge drinking. So if you’re making at least 50K, you are prone to binge drinking, my friend. Good luck. Also, the whole notion of white men being the higher percentage of binge drinkers is by sheer default. Isn’t America more than 50% white? Then what’s with all the percentages for white, male binge drinkers?
Also, what constitutes “binge drinking”? The study mentions binge drinkers averaged at least four binge episodes of at least 8 drinks over the course of a month. That’s a fairly generous estimate considering how many of us have friends and family that surpass those numbers day in and day out.
Check, check, check.
Study: Alcohol May Increase Cancer Risks
February 27th, 2009 by Perry
Refuting a commonly held belief that a moderate wine consumption has shown a link to good health and a reduction in heart disease, a new study revealed alcohol may increase cancer risks.
The Washington Post documented a study of more than a million British women, the largest study of its kind, showing that as little as one alcoholic drink per day could potentially increase the risk of cancer.
Naomi E. Allen of the University of Oxford said:
That’s the take-home message. If you are regularly drinking even one drink per day, that’s increasing your risk for cancer. [...] There doesn’t seem to be a threshold at which alcohol consumption is safe.
The Journal of the National Institute of Cancer is publishing the study that flies in the face of U.S. dietary guidelines which talk about the beneficial effects of a drink per day.
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]
