News & Views
Colorado stinks at pot regulation
Two audits released this week by Colorado government officials show the weaknesses and abject failures of this state's efforts to regulate so-called "medical" marijuana. They also cast a harsh spotlight on the accuracy of news coverage that is profoundly influencing...
Survey shows need for marijuana education
Even parents who support marijuana legalization expect strong regulation of the drug that includes bans on public use and advertising of any kind, according to the results of a national survey released today in Denver by The Partnership at Drugfree.org. The survey of...
When sharing is not a virtue
For several months, fellow researchers and I have studied diversion of medical marijuana to Colorado youth. In this peer-reviewed paper, published last year, we explained our findings of diversion of medical marijuana to young people in substance-abuse treatment. It...
How safe is recreational marijuana?
Roxanne Khamsi of has delivered a cursory overview of how recreational marijuana use affects public health and safety in ways that trouble researchers.
The one-way debate
Let's put how I feel as the doctor's wife aside for a moment. I'm a longtime journalist who cares deeply about the ethics and integrity of my trade, and I know when a fellow journalist's work fails to meet basic standards of accuracy, fairness -- and decency. Follow...
President Carter opposes legalization
This morning, in Atlanta, Ga., former President Jimmy Carter announced his opposition to marijuana legalization and expressed support for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (Project SAM), an organization on whose board I'm proud to serve. Here's the full statement issued...
Let’s commercialize prevention
We have learned more about brain maturation in the last decade than we've ever known -- but the science hasn't been communicated quickly, loudly or effectively enough to the public. It's hard to boil down research findings into pithy soundbites and slap them on...
Urban Outfitters is irresponsible
"Oh, now, isn't this all just so edgy?!" "So fashion-forward?!" "So cool! So stylish! And so right for Spring 2013!" Can't you almost hear the pretentious banter in the offices of Urban Outfitters, which is pushing an array of druggie duds and doodads these days? And...
Higher and higher
In the last several months, my colleagues and I have noticed rising levels of THC in the urine of our young patients -- but the average increase I present here surprised even us. THC, which is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient in marijuana that...
Not letting facts get in the way …
The folks who worked on this ditty for MSN were so busy cheerleading for marijuana that they probably didn't stop to consider the idiocy of their work product -- but you should. First, check out the headline below. Note: researchers at Temple University School of...
Read the book
Clearing the Haze is a guide designed to help parents determine whether their child may have a substance problem and, if so, how to begin to address it. This book includes the voices and insight of experts in substance abuse counseling, young people in recovery, and parents who have lived the nightmare of adolescent addiction.