Newly discovered networks of neurons suggest some youngsters are more likely to begin smoking, experimenting with cannabis or consuming large amounts of alcohol. Scientists used MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to highlight abnormalities by comparing the brains of almost two thousand 14 year olds. It is the first time the vast and chaotic actions of a teenage brain at work have been shown in such detail. The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, helps answer a longstanding chicken-or-egg question about whether certain brain patterns come before drug use, or are caused by it. Psychiatrist Professor Hugh Garavan, of the University of Vermont in New England, said: "The differences in these networks seem to precede drug use."
A former lover of David Cameron became a nun after beating an alcohol and drug addiction, it emerged today.
Laura Adshead dated the future Prime Minister for more than a year but turned her back on a successful career to become Sister John Mary.
The 44-year-old was Mr Cameron’s lover when the pair were working together at Conservative Party HQ in London in 1990.
Oxford-educated Laura was then-PM John Major’s correspondence secretary before moving to New York to join an ad agency.
But the stress of her high-profile job saw her plunge into a world of drink and drug addiction.
And now the former society girl has found her unlikely salvation in God along with 36 other nuns at an abbey in Connecticut, US.
She said: “I did think my life would progress on the normal tracks of meeting someone, marrying, having children, but that’s not the path that God has led me.
"I feel like I tried most things in life that are supposed to make you happy.
“That journey took me down into alcoholism and drug addiction.”
By 2008 Laura declared her hard-partying days were over and announced that she had decided to become a nun.
She recalled: “I remember having to tell my mother, ‘I’m going to join the abbey,’ and she said, ‘Yes, I can see this world has no real meaning for you any more.’ I looked at this place and saw women who had what I wanted. You decide to surrender your life to God.”
Glam: Party girl Laura struggled with addiction
HBO
Laura has swapped her bouffant blonde hairstyle for a closely cropped cut and wears a long serge habit and traditional wimple.
Her day at the Abbey of Regina Laudis begins at 2am when a bell rings to announce night-time prayers.
Then it clangs at first light, again at 8am for Mass and then at regular intervals until sunset prayers at 5pm.
Her jobs include caring for a herd of cattle on the abbey’s land and mopping the chapel floors.
She said: “There’s no way out. You don’t get to leave and go to a movie. You don’t get distraction from all the human emotions.
"It’s like this hothouse where things get worked out.”
Laura took her vows four years ago but her “formation” – a nun apprenticeship – lasts for as long as five-and-a-half years.
Only at the end of this apprenticeship will she be eligible to take holy orders and assume the title of “Mother”.
She is now the star of a new film – God Is The Bigger Elvis – documenting her life from a hopeful in British politics to a Catholic nun.
The title is a reference to the convent’s Prioress Mother Dolores.
One-time Hollywood starlet Dolores Hart appeared with Elvis Presley in two of his films, Loving You and King Creole, before entering the order in 1963.
Laura said: “This is the only place I could see myself being – because this is where it’s at.”
The country known for “coffee shops” where joints and cappuccinos share spots on the menu may see its famed tolerance for drugs go up in smoke. A Dutch judge upheld a government plan to ban foreign tourists from buying marijuana. On Friday, a court in the Netherlands upheld a new law that will introduce a “weed pass” available exclusively to Dutch citizens and permanent residents. The ruling clears the way for the pass to be introduced in southern provinces starting next Tuesday. If the government gets its way, the pass will roll out in the rest of the country, including Amsterdam, next year. It will turn coffee shops into private clubs with membership open only to Dutch residents and limited to 2,000 per shop. The new regulation is aimed at reining in one of the country's most cherished symbols of tolerance – its laid back attitude toward soft drugs. The Dutch government argues that the move is justified to crack down on so-called “drug tourists.” Effectively they are couriers who drive over the border from neighboring Belgium and Germany to buy large amounts of marijuana and take it home to sell. According to government officials, they cause traffic and public order problems in towns along the Dutch border. For many tourists, however, smoking a joint in a canal-side coffee shop ranks high on their to-do list. Worried that tourism will suffer, Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is hoping to hammer out a compromise with the national government. Nor have coffee shop owners given up the fight. A week ago they mustered a few hundred patrons for a “smoke-out” in downtown Amsterdam to protest the new restrictions. Meanwhile, coffee shop owners in the southern city of Maastricht have said they plan to disregard the new measure altogether. Coffee shop lawyer Veldman called Friday's ruling a political judgment. “The judge completely fails to answer the principal question: Can you discriminate against foreigners when there is no public order issue at stake?” he asked. The "weed pass“ doesn't solve any problems we have here and it could create new problems,” said Amsterdam spokeswoman Tahira Limon. Barring tourists from coffee shops will only drive them into the hands of street dealers, warned local resident Liza Roodhof. “If you make it so that tourists can't buy weed in a coffee shop, then they're going to buy it on the street. You add more problems than you solve,'' she said. Therese Ariaans of the Dutch Tourism Board said it was hard to judge the effects on tourism. It could reduce visits from people wanting to smoke pot but increase tourists previously kept away by Amsterdam's seedy side. The Netherlands has more than 650 coffee shops, 214 of them in Amsterdam. The number has been steadily declining as municipalities impose tougher regulations, such as shuttering ones close to schools. The new membership rules are the most significant rollback in years to the traditional Dutch tolerance towards marijuana use. The conservative Dutch government says it wants to return the shops back to what they were originally intended to be: local shops selling to local people.
A judge in the Netherlands is due to decide whether foreign tourists should be banned from entering cannabis cafes. While soft drugs are tolerated, there is growing concern at tourists visiting just for drugs, and foreign dealers selling illegally at home. The ban is due to start in three southern provinces next month, with a nationwide one by the end of the year. A group of cafe owners are arguing at The Hague district court that the ban is discriminatory against foreigners. If the measure is approved Dutch residents will still be allowed into the cafes, as long as they have valid identification, or possibly hold a new "weed pass" which is also being debated. Michael Veling, a spokesman for the Dutch Cannabis Retailers Association, is among those challenging the plan. "It is going to cost me 90% of my turnover," he told the BBC World Service. "That is a very good reason for anyone to oppose any plan. Second it puts our customers in a very difficult spot, because why do you have to register to buy a substance that is still illegal?" There are about 700 coffee shops, as they are called, in the Netherlands. The cultivation and sale of soft drugs through them is decriminalised, although not legal; police generally tolerate possession of up to five grams of cannabis. Tougher approach The BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague says the nationwide ban is being strongly opposed by the Mayor of Amsterdam because around a third of the city's tourists visit to smoke cannabis in the cafes. If the coffee shop owners lose their case they say they will take it to the European Court of Human Rights, on the grounds that the Dutch should not be allowed to discriminate against people on the basis of where they live. The moves are part of a tougher approach to drugs introduced by the coalition Conservative-led government elected 18 months ago. In October strong cannabis was reclassified as a hard drug, amid concerns that it has a psychotic effect on some users. The move forced cannabis coffee shops to remove the more popular stronger varieties from their shelves. In November the city of Maastricht brought in a coffee shop ban for foreign tourists from all countries, except Belgium and Germany, from where the majority of foreign customers come.
Blue tablets which left 14 people needing emergency hospital treatment in Fort William are still being used, police have warned.
Emergency warnings were issued by police and health experts after people suffered extreme reactions at the weekend after taking what they believed were Valium tablets.
Fourteen people, mostly aged between 19 and 24, were admitted to the town's Belford Hospital for treatment.
Northern Constabulary say that despite warnings people continue to use the dangerous tablets.
A spokesman said: "Police and medical staff at NHS Highland are repeating their warning to anyone who has obtained or has been offered tablets which are not prescribed to them by a doctor, not to take them."
A 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday and charged with being involved in the supply of drugs. He was expected to appear at court on Monday but was released by the Crown.
A Crown office spokeswoman said: "After a full and careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances in this case, including all of the available evidence, the procurator fiscal instructed that he be liberated pending further enquiries."
Symptoms from the fake blue tablets include overheating, dizziness, sickness, headaches and unconsciousness.
Anyone with the tablets is urged to take them to the Fort William police station or Belford Hospital, or phone NHS 24 on 08454 242424.
The new mantra for a growing number of American youths: Party hard, die young and leave a good-looking corpse. A new study of adolescent health around the globe found the United States had the highest mortality rate for people ages 10-to-24 of any high-income country in the world. The American kids were also No. 1 in pot-smoking, moving toward the top spot in boozing — all while still hitting the gym harder than their contemporaries in other wealthy nations. Death on the wrong end of a gun or any other violent method is up to 20 times more likely in the U.S. than the other 27 wealthy nations, according to findings reported in The Lancet, a British medical journal. Traffic accidents combined with the violent deaths boosted the U.S. to its undesired position atop the mortality charts, The Lancet wrote in a series of articles this week. For binge-drinking among youths, Ireland and Austria posted the highest rates among high-income countries — although the U.S. was about ready to buy the next round. “The drinking patterns of USA adolescents are catching up with those in other (high-income countries),” The Lancet reported. One reason the American numbers are disturbing: Most of the domestic binge drinkers are too young to drink legally. While the U.S. drinking age is 21, the number is as low as 16 in other nations. Binge drinking was defined as five drinks or more during a single day, and roughly one in five adolescents reported at least one binge a week in the top-ranked nations. At age 15, the country with the most young binge drinkers was the Ukraine; the country with the least was Norway. The Lancet also found that both U.S. boys and girls were tops when it came to smoking marijuana, trailed by Canada, Spain and France. Despite the grim numbers regarding death, dope and drink, there was good news in the piece titled “Health of the World’s Adolescents.” The numbers indicated that U.S. kids ages 13-15 exercised more than their global counterparts in high-income countries. The boys were No. 1 and the girls No. 2 in the rankings. Dr. Lukshmi Puttanniah, a child psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital, said the exercise numbers boded well for the future of American adolescents. “Physical activity is found to be a great protective factor against psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and other issues,” she said. Yet more than one-third of American boys were categorized as obese, leading The Lancet to describe the problem as an “epidemic.” The U.S. was nowhere near the top in adolescent suicide rates among well-off countries, where Finland and Ireland were tops.
Eight American soldiers died of overdoses involving heroin, morphine or other opiates during deployments in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, according to U.S. Army investigative reports. The overdoses were revealed in documents detailing how the Army investigated a total of 56 soldiers, including the eight who fell victim to overdoses, on suspicion of possessing, using or distributing heroin and other opiates. At the same time, heroin use apparently is on the rise in the Army overall, as military statistics show that the number of soldiers testing positive for heroin has grown from 10 instances in fiscal year 2002 to 116 in fiscal year 2010. Army officials didn't respond to repeated requests for comment on Saturday. But records from the service's Criminal Investigation Command, obtained by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, provided glimpses into how soldiers bought drugs from Afghan juveniles, an Afghan interpreter and in one case, an employee of a Defense Department contractor, who was eventually fired. The drug use is occurring in a country that is estimated to supply more than 90% of the world's opium, and the Taliban insurgency is believed to be stockpiling the drug to finance their activities, according to a 2009 U.N. study. While the records show some soldiers using heroin, much of the opiate abuse by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan involves prescription drugs such Percocet, the Army documents show. Judicial Watch obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information of Act and provided them to CNN. Spokesman Col. Gary Kolb of the International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led command in Afghanistan, verified the documents to CNN on Saturday. One fatal overdose occurred in June 2010 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, after a soldier asked another soldier to buy black tar opium from a local Afghan outside the base's entry control point. The first soldier died after consuming the opium like chewing tobacco and smoking pieces of it in a cigarette, the documents show. The reports even show soldier lingo for the drug -- calling it "Afghani dip" in one case where three soldiers were accused of using the opiate, the Army investigative reports show. The United States has 89,000 troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. death toll since the September 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the war has risen to more than 1,850, including 82 this year, according to the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said his group was interested in soldiers' drug use partly because the risk was present during the Vietnam War. "You never want to see news of soldiers dying of drug use in Afghanistan," Fitton said. "Our concern is, will the military treat this as the problem that it is, and are the families of the soldiers aware of the added risk in this drug-infested country? "There is a dotted line between the uses. Prescription abuse can easily veer into heroin drug use," Fitton added. "Afghanistan is the capital of this opiate production and the temptation is great there and the opportunity for drug use all the more." The group is concerned that "there hasn't been enough public discussion, and we would encourage the leadership to discuss or talk about this issue more openly," Fitton said. In one case, a soldier bought heroin and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax from five "local national juveniles at multiple locations on Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan, and consumed them," one report states. Soldiers also distributed heroin, Percocet and other drugs among themselves, according to the reports. Another soldier fatally overdosed in December 2010 after taking several drugs, including morphine and codeine, though the drugs were not prescribed for him, the Army documents show. One female soldier broke into the Brigade Medical Supply Office at Forward Operating Base Shank and stole expired prescription narcotics including morphine, Percocet, Valium, fentanyl and lorazepam, the documents show. The investigative reports show soldiers using other drugs, including steroids and marijuana, and even hashish that was sold to U.S. servicemen by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police personnel, the reports state.
The cost of a packet of cigarettes in New Zealand could rise to as much as $100 dollars - around £50 - by 2020 amid moves to stamp out smoking. The Ministry of Health wants New Zealand to be smoke free by 2025 and the suggested increase gives the first hint of the drastic measures being discussed. A document released under the Official Information Act to the country's 3 News website features a number of pricing scenarios - with the most extreme showing a single cigarette costing the equivalent of £2.50. One option being considered is a 10% increase on a pack of 20 cigarettes year-on-year from 2013 to 2025, meaning it would cost $40 (£20) a pack by 2024. But a second scenario would see packs at $100 each by 2020, achieved by an immediate shock rise of 30% to 60%, with on-going increases of 30% each year after that. New Zealand aims to be smoke free by 2025 This model would reach the 2025 target to stamp out smoking completely, but is described in the paper as "probably unrealistic". The most likely model would see a shock tax increase next year, and then a 10%-a-year rise, which would mean a packet of cigarettes costs around $60 (£30) by 2025. Other ideas discussed in the document include regulating tobacco as a highly toxic substance, a ban on smoking in cars with children, a doubling of anti-smoking media campaigns and removing tobacco from duty-free sale. The briefing paper said: "If we are to continue to lower smoking prevalence we need to both increase the numbers who successfully quit smoking, and reduce smoking initiation among young people. "Tobacco taxation is the single most effective intervention available to drive down smoking prevalence figures." The Ministry of Health has said that the paper is an internal policy discussion and does not represent Government policy.
A backing singer for Egyptian musician Saad Al Sughayar has denied possessing hashish and tramadol pills after he was detained on arrival in the UAE ahead of a gig in Abu Dhabi.
The performer told Abu Dhabi Criminal Court yesterday that the drugs must have ended up in his suitcase by mistake.
“I was surprised when the officers told me there were drugs in my bag,” he said. “I had no idea how they got there.”
During initial police investigations the defendant confessed to bringing the drugs into the country. However, in court he said he only did so because officers told him he would be able to return to Egypt immediately if he did.
He told the hearing that the drugs were found in clothes he shared with his brother, who was back in Cairo. However, he admitted to consuming drugs in his home country.
“I use drugs in my county. I have a medical prescription for the tramadol,” he said, stressing that a doctor in Egypt had prescribed the drugs for him.
The defendant tried to joke with Chief Justice Sayed Abdul Baseer about drugs use in his home country. To which the judge told him: “You are a big sinner.”
A verdict will be announced tomorrow. Saad Al Sughayar is set to run in the presidential elections in Egypt
The U.S. Army has investigated 56 soldiers in Afghanistan on suspicion of using or distributing heroin, morphine or other opiates during 2010 and 2011, newly obtained data shows. Eight soldiers died of drug overdoses during that time. By Bay Ismoyo, AFP/Getty Images Opium poppy buds are seen in a field April 24, 2011, in Habibullah village in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Enlarge By Bay Ismoyo, AFP/Getty Images Opium poppy buds are seen in a field April 24, 2011, in Habibullah village in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Sponsored Links While the cases represent just a slice of possible drug use by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, they provide a somber snapshot of the illicit trade in the war zone, including young Afghans peddling heroin, soldiers dying after mixing cocktails of opiates, troops stealing from medical bags and Afghan soldiers and police dealing drugs to their U.S. comrades. In a country awash with poppy fields that provide up to 90 percent of the world's opium, the U.S. military struggles to keep an eye on its far-flung troops and monitor for substance abuse. But U.S. Army officials say that while the presence of such readily available opium — the raw ingredient for heroin — is a concern, opiate abuse has not been a pervasive problem for troops in Afghanistan. "We have seen sporadic cases of it, but we do not see it as a widespread problem, and we have the means to check," said Col. Tom Collins, an Army spokesman. The data represents only the criminal investigations done by Army Criminal Investigation Command involving soldiers in Afghanistan during those two years. The cases, therefore, are just a piece of the broader drug use statistics released by the Army earlier this year reporting nearly 70,000 drug offenses by roughly 36,000 soldiers between 2006-2011. The number of offenses increased from about 9,400 in 2010 to about 11,200 in 2011. The overdose totals for the two years, however, are double the number that the Defense Department has reported as drug-related deaths in Afghanistan for the last decade. Defense officials suggested that additional deaths may have been categorized as "other" or were still under investigation when the statistics were submitted. The data was requested by conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch and obtained by The Associated Press. The Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have not yet responded to the request for similar information. The Army reports blacked out the names of the soldiers who were under investigation as well as any resolution of their cases or punishments they may have received. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the numbers signal the need for the military leadership to be more vigilant about watching and warning troops in Afghanistan about drug abuse. He said the worry is that "the danger, including the danger of dying, hasn't been fully acknowledged by the military and it needs to be." Army officials say they do random drug testing throughout the service and the goal is that every soldier is tested at least once a year. Top Army leaders have said they have not met that goal, but have been working steadily to substantially increase the number of those tested each year. The officials also say the Army's Criminal Investigative Division has quarterly drug statistics that show that drug use by troops in Afghanistan is not greater than that of troops in installations back in the United States and there is less of a variance in drugs used by troops in Afghanistan. According to Army data, an average of 1.38 million urine samples have been tested annually over the past five years, while an annual average of 106,000 soldiers were not tested at all. Officials said that regular testing is even more difficult in the war zone because the testing facilities are often far away. The cases reflect a broad range of incidents, describing accidental overdoses as well as soldiers buying drugs from Afghan troops, stealing morphine from medical aid bags or, in some cases, taking steroids, using drugs prescribed to someone else or taking medications long after their prescriptions had expired. In one overdose case, a member of the Kentucky National Guard was found dead of "acute heroin toxicity" at his Afghanistan base after a soldier, also in the Kentucky Guard, bought heroin from a civilian contractor and used it with him. The report found that he also had morphine and codeine in his system. Others more often involved soldiers who were found dead and were later determined to have taken a mix of prescription and other opiate drugs. The nonlethal cases range from a soldier failing a random drug test to more organized abuse. In one case, seven members of the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division were found to have smoked hashish and/or ingested heroin numerous times, including some bought from members of the Afghan Army and police. The investigation found that one other brigade soldier acted as a lookout while others used the drugs. Opium is a key revenue source in Afghanistan, both for the farmers and the insurgency, which can make money selling, transporting or processing the drugs. According to a U.N. report, revenue from opium production in Afghanistan soared by 133 percent in 2011, to about $1.4 billion, or about one-tenth of the country's GDP.
There may be an antidote for cocaine overdoses just a few human trials away. Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego have created an injectable solution that has reversed the effects of what would have been a fatal cocaine overdose - in mice. "This would be the first specific antidote for cocaine toxicity," senior author Dr. Kim Janda, professor in the department of immunology and microbial science and director of The Worm Institute for Research and Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute told Science Daily. "It's a human antibody so it should be relatively safe, it has a superior affinity for cocaine, and we examined it in a cocaine overdose model that mirrors a real-life scenario," he said. The study is published in the April 18 issue of the journal Molecular Pharmaceuticals. Instead of an active vaccine that would help the body create antibodies against harmful particles, the researchers created a passive vaccine. A passive vaccine puts artificially produced antibodies in the patient's bloodstream, which in turn bind to cocaine molecules. Deaths of mice, which metabolize cocaine just like humans, decreased when injected with the antidote before and after the drug was administered. Janda said the vaccine can also help prevent near-term relapses and may help in detox situations. "A lot of people that overdose end up going back to the drug rather quickly but this antibody would stay in their circulation for a few weeks at least, and during that time the drug wouldn't have an effect on them," Janda told Science Daily. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among the deaths attributed to drug overdose, cocaine, heroin and opioid painkillers are the most common substances involved. Cocaine overdoses caused over 6,000 deaths in 2006. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says cocaine use accounted for nearly 423,000 emergency department visits.
California company hopes to make medical marijuana a little easier to obtain and to control. Dispense Labs, a division of the Dispensary Group, unveiled Autospense Friday, an automated dispensary that distributes medical marijuana and looks like a vending machine. All that is needed to tap an Autospense machine is a registration card and unique PIN number, said Joe DeRobbio, Dispense Labs’ founder and CEO. After swiping the card, the patient is granted access to a caged, camera- monitored room. From there, a patient swipes his or her card again and is given a menu to choose medicinal variety and quantity, DeRobbio said. Payment can be made with cash, credit or debit card. Once payment is received, the door to the machine opens, much like an ATM machine, to allow patients to remove their medicinal marijuana. During after hours, Autospense is open only to patients who have agreed to the fingerprint option – they run their prints through a scanner and swipe a registration card, DeRobbio said. Autospense offers a secure, “businesslike” way to distribute and obtain medical marijuana, said DeRobbio. With cameras, locks and sensors, the machines are difficult to break into. “The facilities are secure,” DeRobbio said. “There are cameras outside and inside. There are alarm sensors around and in the machine. If there’s any type of forced entry, it sets off an alarm.” And there are consequences for tampering with the system. “If you’re going to go in and try to rob that machine and do something silly, your membership and access to the machine is revoked permanently,” said DeRobbio. The machine records all transactions and inventory 24 hours a day and seven days a week while securely managing a patient’s information. The idea for the machine came when DeRobbio noticed a lack of control regarding medical marijuana. Autospense, which is currently allowed only in dispensaries in California and Colorado, is designed to mitigate problems surrounding medical marijuana distribution, including theft and the black market, DeRobbio said. “It’s a difficult culture,” DeRobbio said. “This provides a solution. It’s manageable, it’s controllable, and it’s transparent. Taxation comes right from the machine and every dollar is accounted for.” Although Dispense Labs supplies the machines, it is not involved in growing the product, DeRobbio said. “We are not associated with the industry,” he said. “We do not provide the medicine that goes in the machine.” Medicinal marijuana has been legal in California since Proposition 215 was passed in 1996. DeRobbio believes the Autospense system is the perfect place for medical marijuana in society. “Medical marijuana, we believe, is here to stay,” DeRobbio said. “Here’s a way that you can control that 800-pound gorilla.”
Archaeologists recently found a 2,700-year-old pot stash, so we know humans have been smoking weed for thousands of years. But it was only about 20 years ago that neuroscientists began to understand how it affects our brains.
Scientists have known for a while that the active ingredient in cannabis was a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. Ingesting or smoking THC has a wide range of effects, from the psychoactive "getting high" to the physiological relief of pain and swelling. It also acts as both a stimulant and depressant. How could one substance do all that?
Meet the cannabinoid receptor
In the 1980s and 90s, researchers identified cannabinoid receptors, long, ropy proteins that weave themselves into the surfaces of our cells and process THC. They also process other chemicals, many of them naturally occurring in our bodies. Once we'd discovered these receptors, we knew exactly where THC was being processed in our bodies and brains, as well as what physical systems it was affecting. Scattered throughout the body, cannabinoid receptors come in two varieties, called CB1 and CB2 - most of your CB1 receptors are in your brain, and are responsible for that "high" feeling when you smoke pot. CB2 receptors, often associated with the immune system, are found all over the body. THC interacts with both, which is why the drug gives you the giggles and also (when interacting with the immune system) reduces swelling and pain.
Cannabinoid receptors evolved in sea squirts about 500 million years ago; humans and many other creatures inherited ours from a distant ancestor we share with these simple sea creatures. THC binds to receptors in animals as well as humans, with similar effects.
Tasty, tasty, tasty
Cannabis notoriously makes people hungry - even cancer patients who had lost all desire to eat.One study showed that cancer patients who thought food smelled and tasted awful suddenly regained an ability to appreciate food odors after ingesting a THC compound. There are CB1 receptors in your hypothalamus, a part of your brain known to regulate appetite, and your body's own cannabinoids usually send the "I'm hungry" message to them. But when you ingest THC, you artificially boost the amount of cannabinoids sending that message to your hypothalamus, which is why you get the munchies.
Understanding this process has actually led to a new body of research into safe diet drugs that would block those cannabinoid receptors. That way, your hypothalamus wouldn't receive signals from your body telling it to eat, and would reduce hunger cravings in dieters.
What you're forgetting
What's happening in your brain when smoking pot makes you forget what you're saying in the middle of saying it? According to the book Marijuana and Medicine (National Academies Press):
One of the primary effects of marijuana in humans is disruption of short-term memory. That is consistent with the abundance of CB1 receptors in the hippocampus, the brain region most closely associated with memory. The effects of THC resemble a temporary hippocampal lesion.
That's right - smoking a joint creates the effect of temporary brain damage.
What happens is that THC shuts down a lot of the normal neuroprocessing that goes on in your hippocampus, slowing down the memory process. So memories while stoned are often jumpy, as if parts are missing. That's because parts literally are missing: Basically you are saving a lot less information to your memory. It's not that you've quickly forgotten what's happened. You never remembered it at all.
A bit of the old timey wimey
Cannabis also distorts your sense of time. THC affects your brain's dopamine system, creating a stimulant effect. People who are stoned often report feeling excited, anxious, or energetic as a result. Like other stimulants, this affects people's sense of time. Things seem to pass quickly because the brain's clock is sped up. At the same time, as we discussed earlier (if you can remember), the drug slows down your ability to remember things. That's because it interferes with the brain's acetylcholine system, which is part of what helps you store those memories in your hippocampus. You can see that system's pathway through the brain in red in the illustration at left.
In an article io9 published last year about the neuroscience of time, we noted:
The interesting thing about smoking pot is that marijuana is one of those rare drugs that seems to interact with both the dopamine and the acetylcholine system, speeding up the former and slowing down the latter. That's why when you get stoned, your heart races but your memory sucks.
It's almost as if time is speeding up and slowing down at the same time.
Addiction and medicine
Some experts call cannabis a public health menace that's addictive and destroys lives by robbing people of ambition. Other experts call it a cure for everything from insomnia to glaucoma, and advocate its use as a medicine. The former want it to be illegal; the latter want it prescribed by doctors. Still other groups think it should be treated like other intoxicants such as alcohol and coffee - bad if you become dependent on it, but useful and just plain fun in other situations.
What's the truth? Scientists have proven that cannabis does have medical usefulness, and the more we learn the more intriguing these discoveries become. Since the early 1980s, medical researchers have published about how cannabis relieves pressure in the eye, thus easing the symptoms of glaucoma, a disease that causes blindness. THC is also "neuroprotective," meaning in essence that it prevents brain damage. Some studies have suggested that cannabis could mitigate the effects of Alzheimer's for this reason.
At the same time, we know that THC interferes with memory, and it's still uncertain what kinds of long-term effects the drug could have on memory functioning. No one has been able to prove definitively that it does or does not erode memory strength over time. Obviously, smoking it could cause lung damage. And, like the legal intoxicant alcohol, cannabis can become addictive.
Should cannabis be illegal, while alcohol flows? Unfortunately that's not the kind of question that science can answer. Let's leave the moral questions to courts, policymakers and shamans. I'll be off to the side, smoking a joint, thinking about my acetylcholine system and the many uses of the hippocampus.
THE partner of a mum-of-eight who drank 18 pints of Coca-Cola a day has blamed the addiction for her death. 155 comments Natasha Marie Harris, 30, would go "crazy" if she ran out of the fizzy pop, which she had been guzzling in huge quantities for up to eight years. The 30-year-old regularly threw up and had felt unwell for a year before she suffered a cardiac arrest. And her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson, has told her inquest that he believed her cola habit was responsible for her death. He said: "She drank at least 10 litres (18 pints) a day.
Type in "sex tourism" and "Brazil" in Google, and the first site that comes up is not a news report or academic study, but advice on going rates and how to hire prostitutes. But ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, officials are starting to clamp down on the country's image as a haven for sex tourism. Brazil's Tourism Ministry recently said it identified more than 2,000 sites advertising the South American giant's sex industry, many of them hosted in the US. To counter the reputation, the tourism ministry has stepped up efforts to advertise Brazil's natural beauties like beaches and the Amazon, instead of bodies for sale. And they have circulated information reminding visitors that sexual exploitation of minors is a crime. Brazil's preventive efforts seem more crucial than ever after the scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, during the Sixth Summit of the Americas last weekend. Some 11 US Secret Service agents were sent home for allegedly hiring prostitutes in the steamy colonial city, also a major destination for sex tourism. “Large events create an obvious clientele and traffickers recognize an opportunity to make money,” says Heather Smith-Cannoy, who teaches international relations at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. “I think that in many places around the world there is a 'boys will be boys' attitude about the patronizing of prostitutes," Ms. Smith-Cannoy says. But when considering the combination of large profits for traffickers, and pimps or hustlers, and a relaxed cultural attitude about visiting prostitutes "we can begin to understand both the supply and the demand side of this industry,” says Smith-Cannoy. The trafficking–tourism link Sex “tourism" is nothing new. By some accounts it dates back to the 15th century, with Columbus's arrival to the Americas. As the middle class grew in industrialized nations, and the opportunities to travel with it, the formal industry was developed. Prostitution is tolerated to varying degrees in Latin America, but it is the human trafficking associated with sex tourism, especially that of minors, that alarms officials most. (The case of Cartagena did not involve minors.) According to the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean (CATW-LAC), 500,000 women and girls from Latin America and the Caribbean are sexually exploited each year. Not all prostitution involves sex trafficking, a multibillion dollar industry, but the nongovernmental organization World Vision estimates that up to a quarter of women in prostitution have been trafficked. At the same time, the majority of human trafficking victims — 79 percent — are brought into the sex trade, according to the United Nations. Countries in Asia, notably Thailand, have long been at the center of the problem, but Latin America is starting to play a larger role. “While most trafficking victims still appear to originate from South and Southeast Asia or the former Soviet Union, human trafficking is also a growing problem in Latin America,” writes Clare Ribando Seelke in a 2012 Congressional Research Service report. Poverty, displacement from rural areas, and increased demand for prostitution all play a role in the growth of sexual exploitation, says Humberto Rodriguez, the communication officer of Fundacion Renacer, a Colombia-based group that combats the sexual exploitation of youths in the country. Anywhere the tourism industry grows, he says, so does the opportunity for sexual tourism. 'Not enough is being done' Within sex tourism, the exploitation of children is the biggest concern. According to the US State Department 2011 report on the trafficking of persons, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua all have significant child sex tourist industries. Colombia, it says, is also “a destination for foreign child sex tourists from the United States and Europe, particularly to coastal cities such as Cartagena and Barranquilla.” Countries around the globe have addressed the problem of human trafficking in general since the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, was adopted in 2000, but many say not enough is being done. The US State Department assesses efforts around the globe to combat human trafficking. In 2010, 80 percent of countries in South America were placed on the Tier 2 list, which means they were not fully complying with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act, while 60 percent of countries in Central America and the Caribbean were on the Tier 2 Watch List. Cuba fell to the lowest level of cooperation, Tier 3. The State Department says that prostitution of children over 16 is legal in Cuba, leaving those over the legal age vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. Venezuela fell to Tier 3 in the 2011 report. Colombia sits on the Tier 1 list, and while the case of the US Secret Service agents does not fall into Fundacion Renacer's work — as it did not involve children — Mr. Rodriguez says the case may not have generated so much attention in the past. “People are paying attention to it now,” says Rodriguez. Through their work and an international certification program called The Code, which brings tourism operators into the fight to prevent the use of children in sex tourism, society in general is more aware of prostitution, he says. Efforts like these are particularly important as countries become hosts to big events like the Summit of the Americas, or as crises occur. An increased demand for prostitution increases human sex trafficking rings, says Cannoy-Smith. She and a co-author have researched the impact of UN peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, Haiti, and Sierra Leone on trafficking. “When the UN intervenes in civil conflicts, the peacekeepers themselves have often been linked to running and patronizing trafficking rings,” Smith-Cannoy says. “Again, I think that poverty, desperation, the specter of large profits, and relaxed cultural attitudes make these dynamics possible.”
Four tobacco companies have launched a bid to stop the introduction of cigarette plain-packaging in Australia's high court. In a world first, Australia has legislated for cigarettes to be sold from this December in drab olive packs with large health warnings and no brand logos. Only company names will be permitted on packets, and then only in small, standard type. The high court action is being watched closely around the world as a test case on plain packaging. The case, brought by British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International will claim the new laws are unconstitutional and mean the government will illegally acquire their intellectual property without compensation. "As a legal company selling a legal product we have continually said we will defend our property on behalf of our shareholders as any company would," said BAT spokesman Scott McIntyre, who described the action as a test case for all of its brands. The government denies its legislation is unconstitutional and said it will "vigorously defend" the validity of plain packaging. When if filed its court submissions in early April, the government said plain packaging was a legitimate measure designed to "achieve the protection of public health". The attorney general Nicola Roxon, who, as health minister was the architect of the plain packaging legislation, described the case as a "big battle". It is due to run until Thursday. "We believe we can do something that will reduce the (15,000) deaths in Australia that occur every year from tobacco-related disease," she told ABC television. British-Australian barrister Geoffrey Robertson, also speaking on ABC TV, said he thought the government would win the case. He described the plain packaging laws as "a brilliant Australian idea". The high court action in Australia coincides with the launch of a consultation process in Britain, which will examine whether tobacco companies should follow suit with plain packaging in the UK. More than 100,000 people die from smoking-related deaths in the UK each year. The consultation process has been widely welcomed by anti-smoking groups but condemned by some members of the Conservative party who say plain packaging would infringe the rights of international business and set a dangerous precedent. In Britain around 22% of the adult population smokes, according to Cancer Research UK. In Australia, 15% of adults smoke compared with 23% a decade ago. Australia already has some of the toughest smoking regulations in the world. Cigarettes in Australia must be sold behind closed doors in retail outlets and advertising and sponsorship deals are banned. It's illegal to smoke in any public places including bars, restaurants or entertainment venues. In some places local councils have banned smoking in parks and outdoor areas.
The Local Government Association has warned that any move to introduce a minimum price on alcohol could cause a surge in counterfeit wine and spirits. The LGA has raised concerns that drinkers would turn to fake brands of alcohol which may contain chemicals such as anti-freeze if the government's proposal for a 40p minimum price per alcohol unit in England and Wales goes ahead. It is one of a number of moves in a new alcohol strategy for England and Wales to encourage responsible drinking, but the Health Select Committee say the lever of price can change behaviour. In response to concerns over whether minimum pricing will encourage responsible drinking, Sir Ian Gilmore told the committee: “We would like to change the culture of drinking, but, price changes culture.” The Scottish Parliament is considering similar plans on minimum pricing, while the Northern Ireland Assembly is considering charging 45-50 pence per unit of alcohol to be implemented in 2013. However, Councillor David Rogers, chairman of the Local Government Association Community Wellbeing Board, said: "National gestures like minimum pricing and banning multi-buy discounts will only go as far as deterring binge drinking and don't take into account varying issues of town and city centres across the country. “We are concerned that targeting cheap alcohol could push people to the black market and cheaper drinks. When drinking counterfeit brands you can never be sure what you are putting into your body.” He said people could go blind or drink themselves to death with fake alcohol.
Your plans to celebrate 4/20 this Friday could actually make the government some money, if only such activities were legal. That’s according to a bunch of economists, and some prominent ones too. More than 300 economists, including three nobel laureates, have signed a petition calling attention to the findings of a paper by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, which suggests that if the government legalized marijuana it would save $7.7 billion annually by not having to enforce the current prohibition on the drug. The report added that legalization would save an additional $6 billion per year if the government taxed marijuana at rates similar to alcohol and tobacco. That's as much as $13.7 billion per year, but it's still minimal when compared to the federal deficit, which hit $1.5 trillion last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. While the economists don't directly call for pot legalization, the petition asks advocates on both sides to engage in an "open and honest debate" about the benefits of pot prohibition. "At a minimum, this debate will force advocates of current policy to show that prohibition has benefits sufficient to justify the cost to taxpayers, foregone tax revenues, and numerous ancillary consequences that result from marijuana prohibition," the petition states. The economic benefits of pushing pot into mainstream commerce have long been cited as a reason to make the drug legal, and the economists' petition comes as government officials at both the federal and local levels are looking for ways to raise funds. The majority of Americans say they prefer cutting programs to increasing taxes as a way to deal with the nation’s budget deficit -- marijuana legalization would seemingly give the government money wtihout doing either. Officials in one state have already made the economic argument for pot legalization, but to no avail. California Democratic State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed legislation in 2009 to legalize marijuana in California, arguing that it would yield billions of dollars in tax revenue for a state in dire need of funds. California voters ultimately knocked down a referendum to legalize marijuana in 2010. Economist Stephen Easton wrote in Businessweek that the financial benefits of pot legalization may be even bigger than Miron's findings estimate. Based on the amount of money he thinks it would take to produce and market legal marijuana, combined with an estimate of marijuana consumers, Eatson guesses that legalizing the drug could bring in $45 to $100 billion per year. Easton’s name doesn't appear on the petition. Some argue that the economic argument for pot legalization is already proven by the benefits states and cities have reaped from making medical marijuana legal. Advocates for Colorado's medical marijuana industry argue that legalization has helped to jumpstart a stalled economy in cities like Boulder and Denver, according to nj.com.
BEN Cousins has been charged with possession of cannabis and a smoking implement in his car after being pulled over by police in Perth early today.
Police pulled over Cousins, 33, about 7.30am on a street in North Beach and allegedly found a small amount of cannabis and a smoking implement in the vehicle.
He will be summonsed to appear in court for allegedly possessing cannabis and a smoking implement.
Cousins was arrested at Esperance Airport last month and was released on bail after being charged with possession of methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply.
Cousins has not been taken into police custody today because the alleged offences do not breach his bail conditions.
Cousins appeared in court on April 2 and was released on $2000 bail with the addition of a $2000 surety to guarantee his next court appearance.
Police will allege the drug was found hidden inside Cousins' rectum on March 27.
Cousins had been attending a drug rehabilitation centre in Esperance.
Cousins, a Brownlow medallist and WA football legend, has battled drug addiction for years.
He was hospitalised in Perth earlier this year after a fall at a drug rehabilitation centre.
"We are our choices," said Jean-Paul Sartre. But in a culture saturated by advertising, how are our choices our own? In a recent broadside against the advertising industry, the graffiti artist Banksy insisted that advertisers "are taking the piss out of you every day" by encouraging in us a feeling of inadequacy that can only be met by purchasing the product they are promoting. "They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it." Banksy and Andrew Lansley may have little in common, but the health secretary's campaign against cigarette advertising is more radical than may first appear. Yesterday the government began a consultation on forcing cigarette companies to sell fags in plain, unbranded packets. This follows the ban on larger shops displaying cigarettes behind the counter. All of which has generated a predictable cry of "nanny state" from the justice secretary, Ken Clarke: "I am surprised that people think that young boys and others take up smoking because they are attracted by the packet." As well as being a former health secretary himself, Mr Clarke was also the deputy chairman of British American Tobacco. Enough said. The case against smoking no longer needs to be made. Half of long-term smokers will die prematurely from their habit. Although the tobacco companies insist cigarette advertising is designed to generate brand loyalty and to increase market share, it is inconceivable that they do not also want to recruit new customers for their poisonous product. The super-cool Marlboro Man has been replaced by photographs of hospitalised patients with disgusting growths, but the look of a cigarette packet can still subtly suggest a longed-for sophistication. Banksy is right that our susceptibility to "lifestyle choice" advertising can make us vulnerable to sophistical techniques of manipulation. And when backed by the addictive qualities of nicotine, the libertarian case in favour of unrestricted advertising becomes an invitation to dependence, not freedom. The only question is whether plain packaging would make matters worse. Naomi Klein's No Logo made unbranded material counter-cultural. Unbranded fags could do the same, possibly feeling just a little bit too much like exciting contraband. Addiction to the dreaded weed may be chemical, but it's also about the powerful cultural meanings that get associated with smoking. Disrupting these associations through further regulation is a worthwhile experiment. So why won't the health secretary contemplate similar measures against the fast-food industry?
The great rise of annual sugar consumption from five pounds per person in the 1800s to the present 132 pounds per person is having grave effects on our health. Sugar has no nutritive value unless you eat it from sugar cane. Sugar replaces vitamin C in one’s white blood cells, immediately weakening the immune system and causing one to gain weight. The effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on triglycerides, obesity, and blood sugar are greater than the effects of ordinary sugar, or sucrose. As a result, the introduction of HFCS has led to the present epidemic of chronic disease among all ages, including children and babies. Dr. Robert Lustig’s video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” (which went from 500,000 hits to more than 2 million hits in two weeks) includes his treatment for obese children. It consists of four steps: • Eliminate all sweetened drinks, including fruit juices, from the household. Replace them with water and milk. • Eat carbohydrates with fiber. • Wait 20 minutes for second helpings. • Balance screen time and play time (screen time should not exceed playtime). It is better to eat fruits whole than to drink them. Eating the whole fruit, ideally organic, provides fiber, which slows the uptake of fructose into the system. Often, the parts just under the skin have the most nutrients, such as the anti-oxidants in apples. The white part of an orange skin has bioflavonoids, which complement vitamin C. Advertisement Presently even water has additives. Tap water is usually laden with chlorine, which can be filtered out with charcoal filters. Fluorine, a poison, needs a more complex filter. Bottled water is often fluoridated tap water unless it has been through the process of reverse osmosis. Bottled spring or well water is often sold in glass bottles, which is expensive, but one then can avoid drinking plastic. Dr. Lustig suggests diet soda although without enthusiasm. Diet sodas usually have aspartame. Although deemed by the FDA as being safe, this sweetener can have very adverse neurological effects. Joseph Mercola, D.O., in his book “Sweet Deception,” tells of one man who experienced altered vision while driving on a highway. He felt he was driving in the sky while the other cars were driving above him on the road. He managed to pull over and call an ambulance. The ER doctor recognized the symptoms of aspartame poisoning and asked if he drank diet soda. He was drinking two diet sodas a day. He immediately gave this habit up. There are some sodas that use stevia as a sweetener. Stevia powder comes from a very sweet leaf used for hundreds of years by South Americans to sweeten their maté drinks. So far, no adverse effects have been noted for stevia. Any beverage, including lemonade and hot or iced tea, can be sweetened with stevia. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar, so be sure not to use too much. If one prefers flavor to straight water, there are herb teas such as mint, clover, ginger, and many more that could be explored as alternatives to fruit juices and sodas. Teas should be varied to avoid medicinal effects, such as irritability from frequent use of chamomile. HFCS is not only in fruit drinks, but also in almost all processed foods. Just read the labels. Related Articles Fructose, the Low-Fat Fattener Dr. Lustig sees sugar as addictive and explains clearly that HFCS has similar physiological effects to ethanol. He suggests draconian measures to keep HFCS-laden drinks out of the hands of our youth.
SURF AIR, a Californian start-up, has a novel business model: for a monthly fee you can fly with the airline as much as you want. Is buffet-style air travel the wave of the future? JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines have both already tried offering all-you-can-fly passes, but so far no carrier has built its business model exclusively on a buffet plan. The idea isn't bad, but some scepticism is warranted. At $790 a month, Surf Air's flying plan will probably only appeal to business travellers who often go to the same places and rich Californians in long-distance relationships. Will that customer base allow Surf Air to make a profit? Maybe: 20m frequent flyers jetted between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2011, according to the company's numbers. The airline plans to launch with service between Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, but it still needs to secure regulatory approval, according to a company press release. Frequent flyers make up a huge portion of the business-traveller population, and almost every airline relies on business travellers to get (and stay) in the black. There is surely some group of private-jet-sharing business travellers who might be attracted to an all-you-can-jet airline as a cheaper alternative. A lot will depend on how many flights and how much convenience Surf Air can offer, and how quickly it can expand service. The company's promises certainly seem attractive: [Surf Air will offer] its members 30-second booking and cancellations, travel to and from uncongested regional airports, and an easy arrive-and-fly process with no hassle, no lines and no extra fees. It's easy to make promises, though. It's much harder to run a profitable airline. As Gulliver often notes, the American airline sector overall has never really made any money—in fact, total earnings over the entire history of the industry are minus $33 billion. That, of course, suggests that existing airlines might be doing it wrong. Maybe all-you-can-fly really is the way to go. It's at least worth a shot. I'll be eager to see what people think of the final product—assuming regulators give the go-ahead.
We've all been there. Agence France-Presse reports that a German man in Munich allegedly had to flee to the police after a woman demanded too much sex. After several amicably agreed upon rolls in the hay, the man reportedly tried to leave the woman's apartment. But she wouldn't let him exit and instead allegedly insisted on more sex. That's when the man ran to the cops for help, according to authorities. Perhaps the woman in question was unaware of a study reported on by Forbes that found that, while women can, for the most part, never have too much sex, men can. From Forbes: Penile tissues, if given too roistering or prolonged a pummeling, can sustain damage. In cases you'd just as soon not hear about, permanent damage. And the German man might not be alone in his desire for a bit less sex. Reuters reported on a study that found 12 percent of men aged 16-24 wanted sex less often. It's not a perfect comparison though, since the German man was 43.
It evolved in humans along with intelligence to make them more adept at avoiding danger. A study of 42 people found the worst sufferers of a common anxiety disorder had a higher IQ than those whose symptoms were less severe. Scientists say their findings published in Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, suggest worrying has developed as a beneficial trait. Psychiatrist Professor Jeremy Coplan, of SUNY Downstate Medical Centre in New York, and colleagues found high intelligence and worry are linked with brain activity measured by the depletion of the nutrient choline in the white matter of the brain. He said: "While excessive worry is generally seen as a negative trait and high intelligence as a positive one, worry may cause our species to avoid dangerous situations, regardless of how remote a possibility they may be. "In essence, worry may make people 'take no chances,' and such people may have higher survival rates. Thus, like intelligence, worry may confer a benefit upon the species." The researchers made the discovery by monitoring activity in the brains of twenty six patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and eighteen healthy volunteers to assess the relationship between IQ, worry and the metabolism of choline. In the control group high IQ was associated with a lower degree of worry, but in those diagnosed with GAD it was linked with more. The correlation between IQ and worry was significant in both the GAD group and the healthy control group. But in the former it was positive and in the latter negative. Previous studies have indicated excessive worry tends to exist both in people with higher and lower intelligence, and less so in people of moderate intelligence. It has been suggested people with lower intelligence suffer more anxiety because they achieve less success in life. Worrying has also been shown to lessen the effect of depression by countering brain activity that heightens the condition.
Dieters often dismiss them because of their high fat content, but research suggests that snacking on nuts can help keep you slim. A study found that those who consumed varieties such as almonds, cashews and pistachios demonstrated a lower body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers. They were also at lower risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Experts are now recommending a daily intake of 1.5 ounces, or three tablespoons of nuts as part of a healthy diet. Lead researcher Carol O'Neil, from Louisiana State University, said: 'One of the more interesting findings was the fact that tree nut consumers had lower body weight, as well as lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers. 'The mean weight, BMI, and waist circumference were 4.19 pounds, 0.9kg/m2 and 0.83 inches lower in consumers than non-consumers, respectively.' In the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers compared risk factors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome of nut consumers versus those who did not consume nuts.
Since the 1960s a disparate group of scientists and former drug addicts have been advocating a radical treatment for addiction - a hallucinogen called ibogaine, derived from an African plant, that in some cases seems to obliterate withdrawal symptoms from heroin, cocaine and alcohol. So why isn't it widely used? For nearly 15 years, Thillen Naidoo's life was ruled by crack cocaine. Growing up in Chatsworth, a township on the outskirts of Durban in South Africa, he was surrounded by drugs. After a troubled childhood and the death of his father, he turned to cocaine. Though he held down a job as a carpenter and could go for days or even weeks without a hit, his wild drug binges often ended in arguments with his wife Saloshna and sometimes even physical abuse. By the time he met Dr Anwar Jeewa at the Minds Alive Rehab Centre in Chatsworth, Naidoo had tried to quit several times and failed. "Those were dark, dark days," he says. Thillen Naidoo and his wife were desperate and willing to try anything to ease his addiction Jeewa offered a radical solution, a hallucinogenic drug used in tribal ceremonies in central Africa that would obliterate his cravings. But Naidoo was anxious. "I didn't know what this ibogaine thing was," he says. "I never expected it to work." After several medical tests he was given the pill. A few hours later he lay in bed, watching flying fish swarm above his head. He felt the room move around him and a constant buzz rang in his ears. Scenes from his childhood flashed up briefly before his eyes and each time someone approached to check he was OK he felt a rush of fear. The hallucinogenic effect wore off overnight but for the next few days Thillen was in a haze. When he returned home a week later, he realised he no longer craved cocaine. Six months later, he is still clean. Continue reading the main story Ibogaine: The risks Ibogaine has been associated with 19 deaths and given it is largely unregulated, the actual toll could be much higher According to a report published in the Journal of Forensic Science, 14 of these deaths were due to pre-existing health problems In New Zealand, the only country to have regulated the drug, the medical advisory board Medsafe reported that "the number of deaths due to methadone, the most controlled substance, were a little higher that those associated with ibogaine" Ibogaine is illegal in the US, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Croatia and Switzerland In the UK, it is neither banned nor licensed He attends a therapy group two days a week, where he learns the skills necessary to maintain a lifestyle without drugs. "My mind has shifted now from what I used to be," he says. "I can look back at my childhood and deal with those issues without sobbing and feeling sorry for myself." Jeewa estimates he has treated around 1,000 people with ibogaine but it remains largely unacknowledged by the medical mainstream. The drug, derived from the root of a central African plant called iboga, had been used for centuries by the Bwiti people of Gabon and Cameroon, as part of a tribal initiation ceremony. But it wasn't until 1962, when a young heroin addict called Howard Lotsof stumbled upon ibogaine, that its value as an addiction treatment was uncovered. Lotsof took it to get high but when the hallucinogenic effects wore off, he realised he no longer had the compulsion to take heroin. He became convinced that he had found the solution to addiction and dedicated much of his life to promoting ibogaine as a treatment. As far as scientists understand, ibogaine affects the brain in two distinct ways. The first is metabolic. It creates a protein that blocks receptors in the brain that trigger cravings, stopping the symptoms of withdrawal. "Ibogaine tends to remove the withdrawals immediately and brings people back to their pre-addiction stage," says Jeewa. With normal detox this process can take months. Its second effect is much less understood. It seems to inspire a dream-like state that is intensely introspective, allowing addicts to address issues in their life that they use alcohol or drugs to suppress. Ibogaine is derived from the bark of the root of the iboga tree Howard Lotsof's early campaign had little success and ibogaine was banned in the US, along with LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, in 1967. In most other countries it remains unregulated and unlicensed. Lotsof set up a private clinic in the Netherlands in the 1980s and since then similar clinics have emerged in Canada, Mexico and South Africa. These clinics operate in a legal grey area. But a small group of scientists is still working to bring ibogaine into the mainstream. In the early 1990s, Deborah Mash, a neuroscientist and addiction specialist at the University of Miami, came upon the work of Dr Stanley Glick, a scientist who had researched the effect of ibogaine on rats. Glick hooked rats on morphine, an opiate painkiller, by allowing them to self-administer it through a tube. He then gave them ibogaine and found they voluntarily stopped taking morphine. Continue reading the main story The problem with addiction research Measuring success scientifically with addiction is problematic - addicts can be clean for months or even years before relapsing Most existing addiction treatments were created as a by-product of other research. Methadone was initially developed as a pain killer for German soldiers during WWII In the last 20 years, only one new drug has been developed for opiate addiction Buprenorphine, sold as Suboxone, is a substitute drug much like methadone but it can be subscribed by a doctor and taken at home rather than in a clinic "The treatment of addiction is woefully poor in the western world," says Ben Sessa. "After about 150 years of study into alcohol addiction, abstinence rates after a year are no better than about 25%." For opiates, abstinence rates after a year are about 10% Around the same time, Mash was contacted by Howard Lotsof. They began working together and in 1995 secured full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate its potential in humans. But these tests cost millions of dollars, and Mash applied for five separate public grants but each one was declined. Usually, this money would come from big pharmaceutical companies but drugs like ibogaine offer little potential for profit. It only has to be taken once, unlike conventional treatments for heroin addiction such as methadone which is a substitute and addictive itself. "One very cynical reason they are not being developed is that there is no patent on these drugs anymore so there is no pharmaceutical company involvement," says Ben Sessa. Pharmaceutical companies make money by patenting new chemicals but ibogaine is a naturally occurring substance and is difficult to secure a patent on. It also comes with some risks. Ibogaine slows the heart rate and when administered to rats in very high doses, it has been proved to damage the cerebellum, a part of the brain associated with motor function. There are 10 deaths known to be associated with the drug and its unregulated use has prompted some horror stories. Online forums are littered with stories of unscrupulous practitioners administering ibogaine in hotel rooms or in the patient's home with no medical support. One alcoholic says he paid $10,000 (£6,279) and it didn't work at all. His respiration was not monitored and he didn't have any physical or psychological check-ups beforehand. "The 'visions/trip' were so excruciating I never wanted to be altered again. I felt I was near death during the trip because I was having trouble breathing." Ibogaine also has something of an image problem, says Glick. "It has too much political baggage associated with it. By the time everybody became aware of it there was already scepticism because this was not something that came from a drug development programme." After failing to get funding, Mash opened a private clinical research centre on the island of St Kitts in the Caribbean in 1996. There she collected data on 300 addicts detoxed through ibogaine.
Painter Thomas Kinkade battled alcoholism over the past several years and had a relapse just before his death this month at his home in Santa Clara County, his brother, Patrick, said. The self-described "Painter of Light" died in Monte Sereno on April 6 at age 54 of what a spokesman has said was natural causes. An autopsy is pending. Kinkade's scenes of country gardens and pastoral landscapes led to a commercial empire of franchised galleries, reproduced artwork and spin-off products that was said to fetch some $100 million a year in sales. But it did not endear Kinkade with the art establishment, who criticized him for appearing to appeal to the widest possible audience. Those attacks on his work and a split with his wife two years ago took a toll, and he turned to alcohol over the past four or five years, Patrick Kinkade told the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday (http://bit.ly/IxRfr0 ). The artist was arrested outside Carmel, Calif., in 2010 on suspicion of driving under the influence. That same year, one of his companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "As much as he said it didn't bother him, in his heart deep down inside it would sadden him that people would criticize, so hatefully, his work and his vision, when people didn't understand him," Patrick Kinkade, an associate professor of criminal justice at Texas Christian University, said. Patrick Kinkade did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press on Friday. He told the Mercury News his brother had sobered up and was painting until his relapse just before his death. Kinkade had been drinking all night and was not moving when authorities were called to his home, according to a recording of a dispatcher involved in the response. Patrick Kinkade said his brother was a brilliant artist who painted pictures of the world the way he wanted it to be after growing up poor in the Sierra mountain town of Placerville. "He wanted people to be affirmed by his work," he said. "But he was awfully human."
Statistically, people who exercise are much less likely than inactive people to abuse drugs or alcohol. But can exercise help curb addictions? Some research shows that exercise may stimulate reward centers in the brain, helping to ease cravings for drugs or other substances. But according to an eye-opening new study of cocaine-addicted mice, dedicated exercise may in some cases make it even harder to break an addiction. The study, conducted by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, began by dividing male mice into those that had or did not have running wheels in their cages. All of the mice were injected with a chemical that marks newly created brain cells. The animals then sat in their cages or ran at will for 30 days. Afterward, the mice were placed in small multiroom chambers in the lab and introduced to liquid cocaine. They liked it. Researchers frequently use a model known as “conditioned place preference” to study addiction in animals. If a rodent returns to and stubbornly plants itself in a particular place where it has received a drug or other pleasurable experience, then the researchers conclude that the animal has become habituated. It badly wants to repeat the experience that it associates with that place. All of the mice displayed a decided place preference for the spot within their chamber where they received cocaine. They had learned to associate that location with the pleasures of the drug. All of the mice had, essentially, become addicts. Some of the sedentary animals were then given running wheels and allowed to start exercising. Meanwhile, those mice that had always had wheels continued to use them. Then the researchers cut off the animals’ drug supply and watched how long it took them to stop scuttling to their preferred place. This process, known as “extinction of the conditioned place preference,” is thought to indicate that an animal has overcome its addiction. The researchers noted two distinct patterns among the addicted exercisers. The formerly sedentary mice that had begun running only after they became addicted lost their conditioned place preference quickly and with apparent ease. For them, it appeared relatively easy to break the habit. Those that had been runners when they first tried cocaine, however, lost their preference slowly, if at all. Many, in fact, never stopped hanging out in the drug-associated locale, a rather poignant reminder of the power of addiction. “There is good news and maybe not-so-good news about our findings,” says Justin S. Rhodes, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois and an author, with Martina L. Mustroph and others, of the study, published in The European Journal of Neuroscience. It does indicate that shedding an addiction acquired when a person has been exercising could be extra challenging, he says. “But, really, what the study shows,” he continues, “is how profoundly exercise affects learning.” When the brains of the mice were examined, he points out, the runners had about twice as many new brain cells as the animals that had remained sedentary, a finding confirmed by earlier studies. These cells were centered in each animal’s hippocampus, a portion of the brain critical for associative learning, or the ability to associate a new thought with its context. So, the researchers propose, the animals that had been running before they were introduced to cocaine had a plentiful supply of new brain cells primed to learn. And what they learned was to crave the drug. Consequently, they had much more difficulty forgetting what they’d learned and moving on from their addiction. That same mechanism appeared to benefit animals that had started running after becoming addicted. Their new brain cells helped them to rapidly learn to stop associating drug and place, once the cocaine was taken away, and start adjusting to sobriety. “Fundamentally, the results are encouraging,” Dr. Rhodes says. They show that by doubling the production of robust, young neurons, “exercise improves associative learning.” But the findings also underscore that these new cells are indiscriminate and don’t care what you learn. They will amplify the process, whether you’re memorizing Shakespeare or growing dependent on nicotine. None of which, Dr. Rhodes says, should discourage people from exercising or from using exercise to combat addictions. “We looked at one narrow aspect” of exercise and addiction, he says, related to learned behaviors and drug seeking. He points to a number of studies by other researchers that have shown that exercise seems able to stimulate reward centers in the brain “that might substitute for drug cravings,” he says. Animals given voluntary access to both running wheels and narcotics, for example, almost always choose to take less of the drug than animals that couldn’t run. “They seem to get enough of a buzz” from the exercise, he says, that they need less of the drugs. “It’s a no-brainer, really,” Dr. Rhodes concludes. “Exercise is good for you in almost every way.” But it is wise to bear in mind, he adds, that, by exercising, “you do create a greater capacity to learn, and it’s up to each individual to use that capacity wisely.”
Tobacco advertising was officially banned in the UK in 2003 and, on April 6, legislation was introduced in England that goes further and bans the display of cigarette and tobacco products at the point of sale in large stores. Small retailers - classified as those with floor space less than 280 square metres - have until April 6, 2015 to comply with the regulations. And it looks more than likely that, before the end of this year, retailers in Northern Ireland will have to comply with similar legislation. One of the principal reasons for the introduction of the legislation is that tobacco displays attract new young smokers, with around two-thirds starting before the age of 18. Research shows that every year 340,000 children under 16 try cigarettes for the first time. By banning the display of cigarettes at the point of sale, it is hoped the attraction of smoking will be reduced. But is it really as simple as 'out of sight, out of mind'? It has been demonstrated that tobacco displays can prompt impulse purchasing decisions and increase sales by an estimated 12-28%, with young people particularly likely to make these unplanned purchases. This is probably one of the reasons why a recent survey by Cancer Research UK flagged up that 73% of the public support the legislation for the removal of point of sale tobacco and cigarette displays. Marks -amp; Spencer famously - in response to parental concerns - removed confectionery from the point of sale, only to re-instate their displays when they realised how much revenue they were forfeiting. It stands to sense that retailers of all sizes will lose out on potential profits, but it will most adversely affect independent retailers and CTNs (confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents), who rely much more on sales of tobacco products. Yet another blow for the independents. The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association has stated that its " ... members are responsible community retailers, who recognise that they have a part to play in addressing the problem of smoking" and has called for the Executive to provide retailers with " ... a longer and flexible lead-in time to make these costly changes easier to implement". Not an unreasonable request, given the 2015 deadline for small retailers in England. However, while the cost of implementing these changes is estimated at over £40m, they have got to be weighed against the fact that, in Northern Ireland, where it is estimated that 24% of the population smoke, smoking kills almost 2,300 people every year. The 'opportunity cost', in terms of loss of potential sales through impulse purchasing, is difficult to measure, but it doesn't stop there. The tobacco manufacturers, too, stand to take a battering and even the supermarkets, who openly admit that the return in pounds sterling per square foot of retail space at their kiosks is greater than most other areas of their stores, similarly stand to lose out. From March 1, 2012, sales of tobacco products have been banned from vending machines in Northern Ireland and similar plans to ban the display of tobacco in large shops will definitely be introduced here later this year in an attempt to reduce smoking-related fatalities. Northern Ireland will also be part of a UK-wide consultation on the introduction of plain packaging for tobacco products in an attempt to help resolve the problem of tobacco addiction - yet another step in the right direction. But, at the same time, I'm not quite sure that 'out of sight, out of mind' is going to solve the problem.
The Government will pave the way for cigarette packets to be stripped of all branding, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said.
The coalition's public consultation on plain packaging will launch on Monday, with Mr Lansley telling The Times attractive packaging enticed smokers.
Credit: Reuters
He said he was "open minded" about the consultation, but added: "We don't work in partnership with the tobacco companies because we are trying to arrive at a point where they have no business in this country."
There will always be controversy – as there should be – when any form of inherently healthy human behavior such as eating, sleeping, or sex is clinically designated as pathological. And while the power to “label” must always be carefully wielded to avoid turning social, religious, or moral judgments into diagnoses (as was homosexuality in the DSM-I and DSM-II), equal care must be taken to not avoid researching and creating diagnostic criteria for healthy behaviors when they go awry due to underlying psychological deficits and trauma. Pre-Internet sexual addiction research in the 1980s suggested that approximately 3 to 5 percent of the adult population struggled with some form of addictive sexual behavior. Those studied were a self-selected treatment group, mostly male, who complained of being “hooked” on magazine and video porn, multiple affairs, prostitution, old-fashioned phone sex, and similar behaviors. More recent studies indicate that sexual addiction is both escalating and simultaneously becoming more evenly distributed among men and women. This escalation in problem sexual behavior appears to be directly related to the increasingly high-speed Internet access to both intensely stimulating graphic pornography and anonymous sexual partnering. Today these connections are furnished not only through the use of home and laptop computers, but also via smart-phones and the related geo-locating mobile devices we now carry in our pockets and briefcases. Lamentably, at the very same time that sexual addiction disorder began its technology generated escalation, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) backed away from the provision of either a diagnostic indicator or a workable diagnosis. Consequently, the past 25 years have wrought a somewhat anguished and inconsistent history in the attempts of the psychiatric, addiction, and mental health communities to accurately label and distinguish the problem of excessive adult consensual sexual behavior. Today, American outpatient psychotherapists and addiction counselors are reporting a marked increase in the number of clients seeking help with self-reported crises related to problems like “I find myself disappearing for multiple hours daily into online porn” or “I feel lost on a never-ending treadmill of anonymous sexual hook-ups and affairs,” not to mention the tens of thousands who daily struggle with the dopamine-fueled nightmare combination of stimulant (meth/cocaine) abuse fused with intensely problematic sexual behavior patterns. It would seem that these clinicians and clients would benefit greatly from the guidance the APA and DSM might offer them, but does not currently provide. Sex Addiction and the DSM: A Brief History In 1987 the APA’s Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-III-R) added for the first time the concept of sexual addiction as a specific descriptor that might be applied under the more general diagnosis of “Sexual Disorders NOS (Not Otherwise Specified).” The DSM-III-R then stated this descriptor could be applied if the individual being assessed displayed “distress about a pattern of repeated sexual conquests or other forms of non-paraphillic sexual addiction, involving a succession of people who exist only as things to be used.” This early DSM descriptor is not inconsistent with language commonly used by clinicians currently treating sex addicts and their spouses, who typically define sexual addiction much as Dr. Patrick Carnes did in the early 1980s: repetitive and problematic compulsive or impulsive sexual behavior patterns involving excessive shame, secrecy and/or abuse to self and/or others. Ruling Out: ego dystonic sexual arousal or behavior patterns directly related to sexual orientation, active fetishes, sexual offending, or major mental health disorders such as the manic stage of a bipolar episode or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Active sex addiction causes relationship, career, legal, emotional, and physical health problems, and untreated sex addicts will continue their sexual behaviors despite repeated attempts to limit or eliminate them, even when facing the negative life consequences that inevitably result. Unfortunately, subsequent and current versions of the DSM (DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR) retracted the DSM-III-R descriptor due to “insufficient research” and “a lack of expert consensus.” In hindsight, this decision has left the clinical community without adequate criteria for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with problematic consensual adult sexual behavior patterns. And the timing couldn’t be worse. During this same period the tech-connect boom has dramatically increased the average person’s ability to affordably and anonymously access endless amounts of highly graphic pornography, casual sexual experiences, and online prostitution. This proliferation of access is causing tremendous problems for many individuals with pre-existing addictive disorders, social inhibition, early trauma, and attachment and mood disorders, along with those who are more profoundly mentally ill – all of which can contribute to long term, profoundly problematic, and repetitive patterns of sexual acting out. How Does Sex Become an Addiction? In essence, whenever intensely pleasurable and arousing substances, like cocaine and crystal meth, or experiences, like gambling and sex, become more readily affordable and accessible, the potential for addiction rears its ugly head. This is especially true when these substances or experiences are highly refined and amplified as in the case of newer pharmaceutical drugs and Internet porn. As our increasing technological interconnectivity has brought with it affordable, easy links to intensely pleasurable sexual content and anonymous sex, addiction and mental health professionals are seeing a corresponding increase in the number of people struggling with sexual and romantic addictions. It’s just that simple. For reasons as varied as the individual, the increasing availability of intensely absorbing sexual content and experience has become a “drug of choice” for those who abuse sexual intensity and fantasy-based dissociation as a replication of intimacy, and those who use the search for romance and sex to self-regulate challenging emotions as well as tolerate stressors that unconsciously evoke past trauma or abuse. Despite this, The DSM currently provides no guidelines for assessing, diagnosing, and treating those individuals for whom sex has become an obsession. What Does the Future Hold? Ironically, at the same time the APA backed away from both defining and providing the research dollars needed to help define addictive sexual behavior, the concept of “sex addiction” has gained widespread media and public acceptance as well as grudging therapeutic legitimacy. Driven by a combination of media attention, the international rise of 12-Step sexual recovery groups, films and television shows focused on sexual addiction (Shame, Californication, etc.), and the much-publicized problem sexual behaviors of multiple major political and sports figures, the general public appears to have tentatively embraced the concepts of sex addict, porn addict, and romantic and sexual addiction. Recognizing the need to readdress this issue, the APA has undertaken a review of the topic and is currently considering a potential DSM-5 diagnosis called “Hypersexual Disorder.” While “hypersexual disorder” is not an ideal term for a problem that more accurately involves the lengthy search and pursuit of love and sex rather than the sex act itself, today there seems little doubt that hypersexuality is a legitimate, serious, and not uncommon clinical condition associated with the related concerns of disease transmission, drug and alcohol relapse, family and relationship dysfunction, divorce, mood disorders, unplanned pregnancy, job loss, and even suicide. Next week’s blog will discuss the APA’s current stance on the proposed DSM-5 “Hypersexual Disorder” diagnosis, and how it is likely to be received. Robert Weiss is the author of three books on sexual addiction and Founding Director of the premiere sex addiction treatment program, The Sexual Recovery Institute. He is Director of Sexual Disorders Services at The Ranch and Promises Treatment Centers. These centers serve individuals seeking sexual addiction treatment, love addiction treatment, and porn addiction help. Specifically, the Centers for Relationship and Sexual Recovery at The Ranch (CRSR) offer specialized intimacy, sex and relationship addiction treatment for both men and women in gender-specific, gender-separate treatment and living environments.
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A bit of the old timey wimey
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