Research

Urine samples can pick up some types of illicit drugs but can’t say whether that drug use affects someone’s ability to look for work. Credit: www.shutterstock.com
Drug testing people on welfare, as proposed in this year's federal budget, is a blunt way of tackling problems drug users face when looking for work.

The underlying concept of increasing employability for people with substance use disorders has some merit.

The Australian government's proposed random drug test trial for welfare recipients is not so random.

Announced as part of the 2017 federal budget, Treasurer Scott Morrison wants 5,000 people on Newstart or Youth Allowance in three locations to undergo random drug testing from January next year.
Traces of drugs including ecstasy, marijuana and ice will be sought using saliva, hair follicles and urine samples.

So, what do Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Roy Cooper, Gov. Charlie Baker, Project SAM co-founder and former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, and Bertha K. Madras all have in common – besides their apparent disdain for sensible marijuana reform?
They’ve all been tapped by Trump to help shape his Administration’s new war on drugs and addiction.
The announcement comes after dramatically cutting the Office of National Drug Policy budget by 95% on Monday, signaling the Trump Administration is ready, willing, and able to turn back the hands of time on the Drug War clock.

We have been following the legislature in Vermont particularly closely this session as you can see by our articles here and here.  
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) released this news about the marijuana legalization bill circulating through both the Vermont State Senate and House that has been approved and is now en route to the Governor’s office to become a law!
Vermont would be the first state to legalize adult marijuana use through legislation instead of by a public vote.

Credit: CC0 Public Domain
When high school students started smoking marijuana regularly they were less likely to get good grades and want to pursue university, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo.

The study, published in the Journal of School Health, found that when students started using marijuana at least once a month they were about four times more likely to skip class, two-to-four times less likely to complete their homework and value getting good grades, and about half as likely to achieve high grades, than when they had never used the drug.
The study also

This Monday, Arkansas officials enacted emergency rules to govern and regulate medical marijuana from seed to sale. Medical marijuana is not expected to be available in Arkansas until next year, but these rules allow the state's Department of Health, Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, and Medical Marijuana Commission to begin preparations for the full rollout of the program.

The Arkansas Department of Health is testing the online registry system for medical marijuana cards this week. In order to apply, patients must have written certification from their doctor that they suffer from one of the 17 qualifying medical conditions.

Credit: Association for Psychological Science
Childhood bullying may lead to long-lasting health consequences, impacting psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular health well into adulthood, according to a study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The unique study tracked a diverse group of over 300 American men from first grade through their early thirties and the findings indicate that being a victim of bullying and being a bully were both linked to negative outcomes in adulthood.

The study, led by psychology researcher Karen A.

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)


Although the stereotype of the forgetful stoner persists, a new scientific study suggests that marijuana might actually help retain memories.
In a study published Monday in Nature Medicine, researchers from the University of Bonn, Germany found that marijuana’s psychoactive compound THC significantly benefits mature mice by improving cognitive functions such as memory, reports Newsweek.
Scientists studied the effects of THC by administering small doses to mice at three different life stages, with the latter two groups representing mature and old age.

(HealthDay)—A child bullied in fifth grade is more likely to show signs of depression in seventh grade, and abuse substances like alcohol, marijuana or tobacco in 10th grade, researchers say.

Their study of more than 4,000 kids in Los Angeles, Houston and Birmingham, Ala., suggests a dangerous trajectory between not-uncommon childhood abuse and worrisome behavior in high school.
"Our study suggests that it's important to take peer victimization seriously," said study co-author Valerie Earnshaw. She's an assistant professor in human development and family studies at the University of Delaware.

USC researchers found that injection drug users from younger generations are more likely than older users to have tried heroin or opiates as their first drug. People who abuse opioids are believed to slide more quickly into injection drug abuse than other drug users, so researchers believe that without intervention, today's opioid epidemic will lead to growing injection drug abuse among the young.