Medical marijuana seems to be a constant source of societal scrutiny. Whether marijuana dispensaries are being raided for distributing drugs inappropriately or whole states are being criticized for their policies regarding the substance, the issue is rarely far from public attention. Now, a British pharmaceutical company wants to change the way we think about medical [...]
Substance Abuse
Recently, the LA Times published an article about teenagers showing up in the emergency room with alcohol poisoning. However, they weren’t binge drinking beer or liquor; they were seriously intoxicated from drinking hand sanitizer. Ethyl alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which can be found in almost any home or purchased cheaply, can be distilled using instructions that [...]
Everyone has heard references to April 20th as “National Pot Smokers’ Day,” an unofficial holiday in the marijuana smoking community. There are various stories claiming to explain the significance of 420, as it’s called around the world, but here’s the real scoop. In 1971, a group of friends at San Rafael High School in Marin [...]
For hundreds of years, the people of the Pacific Islands have been drinking a ceremonial tea called Kava. The ritual drink is used to foster strong kinship and to communicate with the spirits. Until recently, patterns of use were controlled by ritual, much like the Native Americans who use peyote for ceremonial rituals. Many in [...]
Drugs are a medical wonder—at least when used with caution and as prescribed. Drugs that help relieve intense chronic pain for late stage cancer patients have been extraordinary at the end stages of these suffers’s lives. Unfortunately, these wonder drugs have found their way out of a professional context and onto the streets. Illegal use [...]
The illegal substance known as ecstasy or MDMA is commonly used as a rave club drug because it creates euphoria and feelings of warmth. A new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found evidence that ecstasy left long-lasting levels of serotonin neurotoxicity. What does that mean? According to Dr. Ronald Cowan of Vanderbilt [...]
Whitney Elizabeth Houston 1963-2012 Speculation surrounds the death of icon Whitney Houston after her long history of substance abuse. She began her career singing gospel and modeling and was signed to Arista’s record label after being discovered by Clive Davis. Houston had already had a legendary career in the entertainment industry when she married her [...]
According to a November press release by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, carisoprodol also known as Soma, Soprodal, and Vanadom have been the cause of increasing emergency room visits from 15,830 in 2004 to 31,763 visits in 2009. The Soma brand of muscle relaxant is typically used for short term treatment of [...]
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