More than 12 percent of Coloradans use illegal drugs every month. That’s among the Colorado-specific findings of a report from the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. The stats are drawn from 2011 and 2012, which may make them a little behind the curve: As the Washington Post points out, the figures show that Rhode Island is the top state for marijuana use, with Colorado placing sixth. But the data still provides a fascinating glimpse into our use of and attitudes about marijuana, cocaine and more. Check out the photo-illustrated results over at Denver Westword.
When tragedy strikes at an event designed for entertainment purposes — and particularly when it’s music — the scenesters and members of the musical industry tend to try to distance themselves from the disaster. There’s always blanket condemnation of drug use and talk of increased security and decreased tolerance for drug use and abuse.
But the fact remains that humans seem to enjoy the simultaneous activities of taking drugs and listening to music. For me, the question becomes not what concert promoters and security companies can do to protect music-lovers from the dangers of drugs; the question becomes what music-lovers can do as a community to take some responsibility for each other and for the scene as a whole.
New Mexico’s Donna Smith says she was fired illegally for her off-work consumption of medical cannabis to deal with post-traumatic stress she was diagnosed with after serving in the military in the 1990s. New Mexico has laws against discriminating against people for their medical conditions, she argues.
But her employer, Presbyterian Health Services, says they are “protecting” their other employees from Smith and her off-work, medical use of cannabis.
Marijuana use by teens continues to decline in Colorado since the proliferation of retail medical-pot stores, but the state’s health department would rather focus on perceptions over reality. A news release put out today by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is headlined, “New survey documents youth marijuana use, need for prevention.” And the article begins with the concern-inducing statement, “Fewer high school students in Colorado think using marijuana is risky.”
Reading on, though, it’s obvious the real news from the 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is that marijuana use among teens in one of the country’s most marijuana-friendly states is falling.
Two men are dead after a crew of seven robbers dressed as cops forced their way into a Fresno, California family’s home Thursday in an effort to steal marijuana.
Details aren’t all that clear yet, but police say that the homeowners and robbers got into a shootout and at one point a 15-year-old girl was used as a human shield by robbers, who took the girl hostage for a short time before dumping her in downtown. Cops say that one man in the home was pistol-whipped by the robbers.
A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collects data from each state to determine the use of alcohol and drugs. Among the findings? Texans like their booze, and they like a lot of it.
The report divides the findings by age group and type of substance abuse, such as general alcohol use, binge drinking, illicit drugs, and marijuana use. For Texas adults, numbers show that they aren’t generally fond of pot. Only around 5 percent of adults smoked pot in the past month.
If medical marijuana rolls out in November, people with legal businesses related to pot will be living like they’re in Breaking Bad. Until weed is legal on a federal level, it’s not going to be easy for people to stick their profits from the biz into a Wells Fargo. They’ll be stuck keeping tons of cash under the floor boards.
Sally Kent, a marijuana lawyer who practices in both Colorado and Florida, says this legal lag poses a huge security risk.
| Twitter.com |
| Wiz Khalifa in an El Paso jail cell. |
Don’t expect to see Wiz Khalifa performing in Texas any time soon. At least, not until he gets the warrant for his arrest cleared up with an El Paso, Texas court.
| “I have no idea what you are talking about, officer.” |
If you live in a state where marijuana is illegal – like, say, Florida – the smart thing to do is to keep your cannabis plants out of view of the general public. That means parading them around town in the back seat of your car with the top buds sticking out the rear window should be avoided at all costs. And if you do, don’t break other blatantly obvious laws like driving at night without your lights.
Apparently, Clearwater, Florida’s Justin Goodloe, 20, and Allen Barnes, 19, completely missed that memo.
| Maciej A. Czyzewski/Commons. |
The Russian police would probably prefer to keep the buzz surrounding their latest sting operation from being exploited around the world for the sake of cheap entertainment, but let’s face it, the Cold War is over and those bastards are just as much fair game as any other dimwitted law enforcement agency out there getting their narco-hinnies kicked by the occupational hazards of a drug war.