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Friday, February 9, 2007

This Week on Drugs

posted by on February 9 at 10:25 AM

Philly: Bans blunt wraps.

Military Recruiters: Helping hippies pass drug tests.

Italy: Can’t give cocaine the boot.

Fair Trade: Left nut for coffee, say guys.

Tennessee Commissioner: I was a teenage dealer.

Painkillers: Killing more than pain in Washington.

Scientists: Marijuana-like substance could park Parkinson’s

Hemp Farm Plans: Burned.

Pole Position: Nude skier allegedly spotted playing with his pipe.

RSS icon Comments

1

Anna Nicole Smith: Chokes on her own vomit after taking pills.

Posted by Morgan | February 9, 2007 10:57 AM
2

No, that was Jimi Hendrix.

But I should point out the marijuana-like substance is not what you think it is. It is in fact a canniboid, but you would have to take a THC molecule and do something TO it to make it a treatment for Parkinson's disease AND take another drug at the same time (what we call a combo drug).

So getting high is not going to help you. Except it may make you think you're better. But that's just your mind playing tricks on you.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 9, 2007 11:49 AM
3

Hemp Farming:

First, let me state that I think banning industrial hemp farming is completely assignine, and there's probably some truth to the agri-business conspiracy rumours that led to making it illegal in the first place.

But really, what is the need for industrial hemp? I know what it's potential uses are, but has it ever proven economically viable? It's really hard find info that's, ehem, unclouded by Marijuana supporters (which I would also support naturally, but think these are very seperate issues). Didn't Brittish Columbia support industrial hemp farming and it was a whopping failure?

Honest questions, promise.

Posted by Dougsf | February 9, 2007 3:02 PM
4

That's a short question with a long answer, but here it is in a nutshell: Hemp is a more sustainable, more productive, and less environmentally harmful crop than most of the alternatives. Furthermore, it makes strong fabric and healthy food -- when processed correctly. Otherwise it's itchy and gross.

Google will provide you a bunch of resources, of course, but here's one of my favorite articles on the subject: http://hempfest.org/facts.php.

Posted by Dominic Holden | February 9, 2007 3:43 PM
5

"Economically viable?"
Yes. An emphatic YES.
I figure that most people reading the Slog weren't around during the Second World War era, so it's not suprising that the only knowledge we have on the subject of hemp economics is based on "reefer madness." But look into a little history. The Hempfest info is good but the link above is bad. Remove the full stop, and you'll find the right page. A quote from the article: "Hemp played a major role in the stabilization and economy of our nation for many decades."

About the military recruitment "investigation" >>
I understand that these local TV news stations do these exposé-type stories for ratings, and most of them are ridiculous... this one is no different. I enlisted in the Navy back 1996, and by that time the armed forces policy on drugs was fully in "zero-tolerance" mode. But the recruiters' attitudes were exactly the same. There shouldn't be anything surprising about this. These guys know how the system works. And they know that casual drug use, especially marijuana use, is not a big deal. In the 80s, the Navy guys used to smoke it out at sea! The recruiters are just being straight with their potential recruits. It's a shady business, recruiting, but that's the way it is. This is a non-story.

Posted by Jamey | February 10, 2007 12:20 PM
6

BTW, I know some folks in uniform can get some great hash in the mideast. The reality on the ground is so far removed from a local TV exposé.

Posted by Jamey | February 10, 2007 12:26 PM

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