Friday Fact: How friend groups drive the teen weed crisis
A team of researchers from the University of Southern California found that being exposed to frequent marijuana posts made kids 60% more likely to initiate marijuana use within the year. And it’s not just ads for weed driving the teen health crisis. Seeing e-cigarette TikToks made adolescent viewers 74% more likely to initiate marijuana use […]
Yifrah Kaminer: Teen OD, suicidality, and opioids
One of the most serious issues in America’s growing youth addiction crisis is the question of suicidal intent among kids who overdose, especially on opioids. That’s why a recent commentary from Dr. Yifrah Kaminer—Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry & Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and part of the leadership council at the […]
Why seniors need to stay away from weed (just like everyone else)
Seniors are getting high. According to new research in JAMA Internal Medicine, marijuana use has surged among those 65 and older by 46% from 2021 to 2023. The researchers note that much of the increased prevalence is concentrated in states with legalized medical marijuana laws. Despite industry propaganda, this is not a good thing. Marijuana […]
LISTEN: Luke on High Truths
Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions EVP Luke Niforatos went on Dr. Roneet Lev’s amazing podcast, High Truths, to talk about drug policy, the fight against legalization, commercialization, and normalization, and the birth of FDPS’ Hyannis Consensus on the battle for real public health. It’s a must-listen for anyone who wants to know the best way […]
Friday Fact: Gay men have a weed problem
Gay men are almost twice as likely to have used marijuana in the past month than straight individuals (27.1% vs. 14.8%), according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Lesbians and bisexuals have an even larger discrepancy. These numbers confirm that marijuana use is significantly higher in the LGBTQ+ community compared to their straight […]
How Pot and Other Drugs Hurt LGBTQ People
June—Pride Month—is drawing to a close. And as usual, one of the most undertold stories about America’s LGBTQ community has gone untold for yet another year. Namely: How deeply and negatively drugs affect this marginalized community. Here’s a quick tour of some of the (very bad) data around LGBTQ people and this health disaster. For […]
EXPLAINER: The Fight over Rescheduling Marijuana
A recent, extremely important Journal of the American Medical Association article revitalized the controversy over rescheduling marijuana, i.e. moving it from the federal Schedule I to Schedule III. The authors show that the Biden Administration’s recommendation in 2023 to move pot from Schedule I to Schedule III was based far more on politics than on […]
LISTEN: Dr. Kevin Sabet on The Greg Kelly Show speaks about the history of marijuana use over time and what we can do now
Listen to Dr. Kevin Sabet trace the surges and declines of marijuana use across the past several decades, the known and increasingly known dangers of marijuana use, and what we can do to safeguard public health and safety from uninhibited and unlimited marijuana use today. Listen below:
READ: Dr. Kevin Sabet in Newsweek on the rise in marijuana use among the elderly and why it matters
“This isn’t your grandpa’s weed. According to recent polling, it actually probably is. Marijuana use is increasing drastically among the elderly, especially in the last few years. That seems whimsical, but marijuana is no laughing matter. There are now well-documented negative impacts marijuana can have on one’s health at any age, but can be especially […]
READ: Dr. Kevin Sabet in The Hill on the real youth drug crisis (marijuana)
Think there’s no drug crisis among the youth of today? Think again. Although it is true that alcohol use among youth has declined, marijuana use is this generation’s drug-of-choice. In case you’re wondering that isn’t a good thing. Dr. Sabet lays out the alarming prevalence of marijuana use among youth, especially given the seemingly endless […]
Friday Fact: Veterans addicted to marijuana have been dying by suicide
Data from the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report outlines another sad chapter in the story of marijuana and its terrible effects on mental health. Among all veterans who died by suicide in 2022, almost 9% were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder. Of veterans who died by suicide and had a diagnosed substance use […]
More (very, very) bad news on weed and road safety
(The Center Square)– As marijuana legalization spreads across the U.S., transportation and road safety organizations are sounding the alarm that driving high is just as dangerous as driving drunk — and much more complicated. Marijuana, the THC-containing part of the cannabis plant, impairs driving performance by diminishing motor coordination, multitasking abilities, reaction time and distance perception, according to […]
READ: Will Jones III in the Afro on the ugly truth about legalization
Will Jones reflects on how the big “social equity” promises from Illinois’ politicians regarding the legalization of marijuana in the state have been broken, big time. At the end of the day, Will notes, all that social justice rhetoric was nothing more than rhetoric. Read Will’s oped here.
LISTEN: Luke Niforatos on psychedelics and bad science
Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions Executive Vice President Luke Niforatos went on Colorado Public Radio to talk about the weak science and worrying side effects of psychedelics when used to treat mental health issues. You can (and should) listen to him here; you can also read the full transcript below. HOST: As we start […]
FRIDAY FACT: Big Marijuana’s stock is crashing
More bad news for Big Marijuana. The largest pot ETF, AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis, is getting absolutely clocked. This week saw it hovering well below $2.50, a massive climbdown from its stratospheric high February 2021 of $55.05. What put it in freefall? Hopes around federal legalization of marijuana reached a crescendo during the early days of […]
EXPLAINER: The FDA’s Delta-8 Bombshell
The Food and Drug Administration has dropped a bombshell on a dangerous sector of America’s addiction industry. How? The agency recently signaled a major turn in its enforcement policies around Delta-8 THC—expanding its previous focus on going after extremely harmful kid-aimed packages of edibles onto hitting what’s inside those packages. THE BACKGROUND Delta-8 THC […]
Love weed? Prepare to have your heart broken
You don’t have to argue with most people about cigarettes being bad for their heart. Marijuana has been a different story; it’s not viewed by the general population as a drug that causes cardiovascular damage. That story is (thankfully) changing. A new study from the University of California-San Francisco investigating the effects of marijuana on […]
Why Marijuana is TERRIBLE for the planet
June 5 was World Environment Day. This international holiday celebrates the land, sea, and sky that make it possible for us to live. Which means there’s literally no better time to bring up one of the most under-discussed aspects of the marijuana crisis: Its horrific environmental impact. Below are some handy facts that everyone […]
The Highest Love
The Butterfly upon the Sky The Butterfly upon the Sky, That doesn’t know its Name And hasn’t any tax to pay And hasn’t any Home Is just as high as you and I, And higher, I believe, So soar away and never sigh And that’s the way to grieve— —Emily Dickinson Randy Michael was getting […]
For “Friction”: Diving Deeper into The Ezra Klein Show
Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Anxious Generation, was recently on Ezra Klein’s podcast The Ezra Klein Show. The Anxious Generation studies the epidemic of teenage mental illness as technology like smartphones and social media become increasingly pervasive in their lives. Excessive usage of these technologies disconnects a teenager from the non-digital world: the real […]
The Drug Review: It’s Only Hemp, Right? The Problem and Why Grassroots Advocacy is the Answer
It’s a cheap gimmick in bad sitcoms, but for Donna, nothing was funny about it. Her friend made a batch of delicious brownies, and Donna was a sucker for brownies. She tried one bite, and then another, and another… In no time, Donna inadvertently had ingested an entire pot brownie. But the result of this […]
