A certain segment of the American population, though fewer as the years go by, will remember the Atari 2600, the first home videogame console on the market, released around 1980. Obviously, this was pre-internet when it wasn’t uncommon to see at least a few neighborhood […]
Category: News
Hemp Might be Removed from Controlled Substance List: Federal Lawmaker Lobbying for Legalized Hemp Farming in the U.S.
There’s a fine line or, if you prefer, rope between hemp and marijuana, though the two plants, have long been lumped together. Ever since the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, it’s been illegal for U.S. farmers to grow the once thriving cash crop. That might be […]
Marijuana Legalization in Canada: Oh Cannabis, Glorious and Free
The United States’ friendly neighbor to the north is set to make continental history by legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana. Canada will be the first country in North America to enact these measures and in the world, only second to Uruguay. But the process […]
Monitoring the Future Survey, 2017: The Annual Report on Teen Drug Use
Data for the 2017 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), which polls eighth, 10th, and 12th graders about illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco use annually, came out last month. The big picture is positive overall with teens using fewer illicit opioids, such as prescription painkillers, though […]
FDA Approves buprenorphine extended-release injection as a Monthly Injection for Opioid Addiction
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new weapon in the fight against opioid use disorder (OUD) at the end of November. Buprenorphine extended-release injection is a once-a-month injectable form of buprenorphine, a medication used in treating people with moderate to severe opioid addiction. “Given the […]
Declaring the Opioid Crisis a Public Health Emergency Falls Short of What’s Needed
In late October, President Trump spoke about how his brother, Fred Trump Jr., battled alcoholism and died an early death, at 43 years old. In the same speech, the president declared the crisis of opioid overdose deaths and addiction a federal public-health emergency. What Happens […]
FDA Warning – Dangerous Opioid Treatment Medication Interactions
Late last month the Food and Drug Administration, the government agency that oversees the efficacy and safety of medications prescribed to Americans, issued a new warning, which might complicate treatment for people addicted to opioids. Medications used in the treatment of opioid addiction, such as […]
Smoke Less: Teenage Tobacco and E-Cigarette Use Drops
It’s more been more than a half-century since nonprofit organizations, such as the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association launched their first anti-smoking campaigns. While it’s difficult to comprehend now, cigarette commercials, like the one below for The Flintstones and Winston Cigarettes, were […]
Legalized Marijuana Might Go Up in Smoke From Pesticides and Politics
Before the ink on new marijuana laws has even dried, there are looming signs of trouble. To coin a phrase, where there’s smoke, a federal raid might be underway. In 2016, California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts joined a handful of other states by legalizing the […]
Department of Transportation to Update Drug Testing Requirements
The crisis of prescription painkillers and heroin addiction has not let up. While other news dominates the headlines, whole communities continue to suffer devastating losses due to fatal opioid overdoses. Opioid dependency is so pervasive, the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) proposes four common […]