In this week’s issue, marijuana:
- does a couple good
- reduces pill overdoses
- remains tough to get into Iowa
- goes straight to the head and
- suffers from irony
A No Hitter
A family that blazes together, stays together. At least that is what a recent report—showing that marijuana use decreases domestic abuse—suggests.
A study of 600 couples published in the journal Psychology and Addictive Behaviors determined that frequent marijuana use led to less Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) by both husbands and wives. The study concluded that use by the husbands resulted in less IPV by wives while use by both partners reported the least frequent incidents of IPV.
Not so much for alcohol though. Which, of course, is completely legal.
Medical Marijuana, Not a Tough Pill to Swallow
In an article relating to marijuana’s positive influence on users’ behavior, Newsweek is reporting that in the 13 states where medical marijuana has been legalized there is a 25% drop in annual prescription drug overdoses.
Hypotheses as to “why” abound. They range from availability of marijuana to replace or augment pain medication (as posited by journal co-author, Colleen Barry from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) to that of Phoenix House chief medical officer, Dr. Andrew Kolodny’s belief that is a mix of progressive addiction treatment laws and states’ policies on limiting the prescription of pain medication—which in some cases could have culminated in medical marijuana legalization.
Regardless, this points to a growing body of evidence that supports marijuana as a legitimate, often healthier, alternative for pain management in suffering patients.
Iowa’s Take on MMJ
A recent article from Toke of the Town illustrates some of the more bizarre instances of a state’s approach to giving their residents access to medical marijuana.
In Iowa, the use of CBD-only medical marijuana is approved (not legalized) for those that have a note from a neurologist and a state ID card. Then patients have to leave the state to purchase 32 ounces (about 6-months worth)—only after being given permission by the state to leave Iowa—and then illegally transport it back into Iowa.
Not really quite the loving embrace that those who can benefit from CBD-oils might have imagined.
Bucket of Buds
Just when you thought you’d had enough of the Ice Bucket challenges along comes this beauty by rapper B-Real.
With a serious drought ripping through California, the Cypress Hill rapper not only made a conscious ecological choice but one for medical marijuana advocacy when he accepted the Ice Bucket challenge for ALS awareness. And whom did he call out? Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg, all celebrity figures that openly support cannabis use.
On a more serious note, recent studies have shown that a drug—Sativex—derived from both the CBD and THC compounds found in marijuana may slow the progression of ASL symptoms in mice.
A Weed by Any Other Name
This is another one for the ironic chronicles. Virginian, Paul Scott Stoner, was arrested for, you guessed it, marijuana related charges, the Huffington Post has reported.
Could be worse. It could a woman named Penny doing time for money laundering.
Family
