One way to avoid detection of law enforcement officials if you are engaging in illegal activities is to wear a seatbelt. Therefore, an unintended consequence of laws allowing people to possess marijuana for medical purposes is that seatbelt use may decline among groups whose possession of marijuana is now legal. We find a decrease in seatbelt use among middle-aged males, providing evidence that...

Marijuana (cannabis) remains a controversial drug in the twenty-first century. This paper considers current research on use of Cannabis sativa and its constituents such as the cannabinoids. Topics reviewed include prevalence of cannabis (pot) use, other drugs consumed with pot, the endocannabinoid system, use of medicinal marijuana, medical adverse effects of cannabis, and psychiatric adverse e...

The issue of marijuana, or more specifically delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is topical and controversial. It becomes apparent, at this writing, that marijuana will soon be legalized in Canada, in some form, and on some level, for recreational use. The possession of marijuana for medical purposes has already been enshrined in law, and reinforced by Supreme Court rulings. As such, it behooves...

INTRODUCTION Relying on results from Pacula et al. (2013), Pacula and Sevigny argue that medical marijuana dispensaries increase the consumption of marijuana, increase the consumption of alcohol, and lead to more alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Below, we will: • Argue that the dispensary indicator used by Pacula et al. (2013) is essentially unrelated to whether dispensaries were actually in...

The use of any drug ideally represents a decision based on objective, scientifically based cost–benefit analyses that factor in both the short and long-term effects of that exposure. Pharmacological, toxicological, pharmacokinetic and phar-macodynamic investigations that are deemed to be essential for the rational use of any therapeutic agent are therefore part of the usual drug approval proces...

Habitual smoking of marijuana is associated with multiple respiratory symptoms such as cough, sputum production, and wheezing .These symptoms are not significantly different from those exhibited by tobacco smokers. Furthermore, endobronchial biopsies of habitual smokers of marijuana and /or tobacco have shown that both marijuana and cigarette smoking cause significant bronchial mucosal histopat...

Many states have recently made significant changes to their legislation making recreational and/or medical marijuana use by adults legal. Although these laws, for the most part, have not targeted the adolescent population, they have created an environment in which marijuana increasingly is seen as acceptable, safe, and therapeutic. This clinical report offers guidance to the practicing pediatri...

The use of Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, is believed to have dated back to thousands of years B.C. More than 200 decades later, it remains a popular recreational psychoactive substance that can be smoked through a water pipe. We report a case of marijuana smoking via a "bong" device, which has resulted in severe Pseudomonas aeruginosa necrotizing pneumonia treated with conservative ...

In adults, studies examining the long-lasting cognitive effects of marijuana use demonstrate subtle deficits in attention, executive function, and memory. Because neuromaturation continues through adolescence, these results cannot necessarily generalize to adolescent marijuana users. The goal of this study was to examine neuropsychological functioning in abstinent marijuana using and demographi...

Against the backdrop of escalating state efforts to decriminalize marijuana, U.S. Attorneys' Offices continue to bring drug-trafficking prosecutions against defendants carrying small amounts of marijuana that are permitted under state law. Federal district courts have repeatedly barred defendants from introducing evidence that they possessed this marijuana for their own personal use. This Note ...