Wednesday, May 29, 2013

4/20: Byned By the Boston Globe

Small roach.

"Medical marijuana might put kids at risk, study says; Drug-laced food put children in ER after Colorado OK’d use" by Kay Lazar  |  Globe Staff, May 27, 2013

A warning to parents and health care providers in Massachusetts from a poison control specialist in Colorado: As the use of medical marijuana becomes more prevalent, so too do reports of young children inadvertently ingesting the drug and ending up in the hospital. 

Sigh. Yup, wave the kids around to push the agenda. They didn't like us voting in medicine in the first place, so.... 

When the number of people approved to purchase marijuana for medical use increased sharply in Colorado in 2009 officials witnessed a jump in the number of calls to poison control centers about children inadvertently eating marijuana-laced products, such as brownies, cookies, and candies, according to a study published online Monday by JAMA Pediatrics. 

How many calls regarding alcohol? Or other drugs? Or common household chemicals supplied by the same companies fighting marijuana on every front? And how many sick and suffering people will continue to suffer needlessly here in liberal, compassionate Massachusetts?

Marijuana-infused products have become popular for patients who are unable, or do not want, to smoke the drug....

In an editorial that accompanied the article, Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician Dr. Sharon Levy wrote that Wan’s report “reignites the debate over whether and how legalized marijuana impacts children and adolescents.”

I don't want to "debate" anymore.

Levy noted that nearly all of the patients treated in the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at her hospital who used tobacco products said they would like to quit because of health concerns, while few seemed to understand the health consequences from marijuana use, including potential mood, anxiety, and thought disorders.

Levy said, huh? The problem with pot is it doesn't kill people like tobacco (a legal product), and it tends to relieve if not cure those other maladies.

She also wrote that some studies have found higher rates of adolescent recreational marijuana use after states legalized the drug for medical use, while other surveys failed to find a significant link.

You know something? The kids can already get it if they want it.

“The wealth of data on marijuana use rates has been used by marijuana legalization proponents and opponents alike — each side weaving the same numbers into a different story — somehow leaving the public underinformed even as the public is increasingly being called on to decide whether to legalize marijuana,” Levy wrote.

Both acting like newspapers now.

Massachusetts became the 18th state to adopt a medical marijuana law after voters ­approved a ballot referendum last November.

But as usual, the state let the joint go out because they wouldn't shut up.

--more--"

Also see:  4/20: Massachusetts Insuring Medical Marijuana Stays on the Shelves

Exhibit A:

"Actress Amanda Bynes appeared disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats Friday in a criminal court where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she heaved a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment. The 27-year-old former child star was arrested Thursday evening, after building officials at her midtown apartment called police to complain she was rolling a joint and smoking pot in the lobby. The officers went to her apartment where they said they saw heavy smoke and a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. They said she tossed the bong out the window in front of them, prosecutors said. She then said to police: ‘‘It was just a vase,’’ according to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Chikaelo Ibeabuchi. ‘‘My client completely denies illegally throwing anything out of her window,’’ said Andrew Friedman, her attorney for the arraignment. The judge released her on her own recognizance and gave her a July 9 court date. Bynes rose to fame starring in Nickelodeon’s ‘‘All That’’ and has also starred in several films, including 2010’s ‘‘Easy A’’ and 2003’s “What a Girl Wants.’’ But she has been in the news more recently because of several scrapes with the law and bizarre public behavior."

Seems to happen to all the child stars.

"Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that New York Police Department officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment. The 27-year-old former child star first alleged during her arraignment on Friday that police illegally entered her apartment after being called to her midtown building. But in a Twitter message believed to be from the troubled actress posted Saturday, Bynes alleged that her arresting officer also sexually assaulted her. ‘‘As it would with any such allegation, regardless of its credibility, IAB is investigating it,’’ said the NYPD’s chief spokesman, Paul Browne, referring to the internal affairs bureau. The Twitter handle used to make the sexual assault allegations Saturday does not appear to be verified by the social network — but Bynes’s friend, former Hollywood publicist Jonathan Jaxson, said Saturday the tweet was made from Bynes’s account. Twitter did not immediately return a request for comment." 

She blew it right back at them! Good girl!