Free Republic

... The offspring of partying adolescents, specifically those who used THC, may be at increased risk for mental illness and addiction as a result of changes to the epigenome — even if those children are years away from being conceived. The epigenome is a record of molecular imprints of potent experiences, including cannabis exposure, that lead to persistent changes in gene expression and behavior, even across generations. Though the critical studies are only now beginning, many neuroscientists prophesize a social version of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” in which we learn we’ve burdened our heirs only generations hence.

Cynthia Nixon (aka Miranda from Sex and the City) caught a lot of heat for suggesting that decriminalizing weed might be a form of reparations for Black people in New York. This was probably not the best move she could have made in her gubernatorial run, but she later clarified her point. “I’m not going to use that word anymore,” Nixon told the New York Post. “We have to make sure that the communities that have been most devastated by the war on drugs are prioritized for small business loans and other kinds of support. Obviously it would in no...

LELAND, N.C. (WECT) - It's every mother's worst nightmare. On Sunday, April 15, Shawn Winkler shot himself in the head in the garage of his Leland family home. He was 30 years old. "Shawn started out as a very happy, loving boy, " said his mother Sarah Winkler in a document she sent to WECT news. On the day Shawn killed himself, Sarah said he began acting erratically and trashing his room. Shawn, armed with a gun, told his mother he was going to Holly Ridge to kill his girlfriend and five others. Sarah said Sean believed everyone was in...

U.S. officials have ordered a San Francisco brewery to stop producing beer containing cannabidiol, the hemp-derived extract known as CBD. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is allowing Black Hammer Brewing to sell the rest of the CBD beer it already brewed, including one called Toke Back Mountain... The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that the order to stop brewing cannabis beer was not issued because the federal government says marijuana is illegal, but because the trade bureau requires special approval for non-standard beer ingredients. The brewery plans to apply for the approval.

The leader of the New York arm of the Black Lives Matter movement is calling out New York gubernatorial candidate and actress/activist Cynthia Nixon for her comments on legalizing marijuana over the weekend, in which she said that the industry could provide a form of “reparations” for communities of color. While he supports cannabis legalization, Black Lives Matter of Greater New York president Hawk Newsome told the Times Union on Monday that candidates for office should not use words like “reparations” lightly, a topic on which there is a growing body of serious scholarship. “Cynthia Nixon’s comments that the legalization...

One of the groups formed to fight the legalization of marijuana for recreational use has now decided it’s for the measure — but only if the Michigan legislature takes it up and amends the proposal. The Committee to Keep Pot out of Neighborhoods and Schools — a political action committee formed to fight a ballot proposal to legalize marijuana — is now urging the Legislature to take up the initiative, amend it and pass a full legalization of pot for adult recreational use. The committee hopes that if the Legislature acts, recreational use will be regulated as stringently as the...

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that the scent of legal weed is in the air — and he wants New Yorkers to feel free to blaze away in public without fear of getting tossed in jail. In an unexpected announcement, City Hall said Hizzoner was eager to see the NYPD stop busting pot smokers and instead hand out summonses for sidewalk toking. “With marijuana legalization likely to occur in our state in the near future, it is critical our city plans for the public safety, health and financial consequences involved,” de Blasio said in a statement.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana Tuesday night after a multicar crash killed three in Fremont. The collision, which involved five vehicles, occurred around 9:30 p.m. on the northbound I-880 near Stevenson Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. Three people were killed when they were ejected from an Escalade — a woman, a teen and a child. Five other people, four of whom are juveniles, were injured in the crash. … Similar to other states that have legalized pot, California now relies on drug recognition experts — police officers trained during...

Defiance . . . nullification. It is a trend. I take it as a sign of our contentious times that we now witness states in open rebellion against centralized control from the Imperial City of Washington, D.C., while cities and counties are also rattling the chains set by their respective state capitals. The sweep of marijuana decriminalization and legalization is only the most obvious. Gay marriage became a legal mandate set by the Supreme Court only after several state legislatures, initiative measures, and courts took the lead on the issue. The Supreme Court has not weighed in on marijuana in...

A cocaine breathalyzer may soon help cops sniff out the drug within minutes. The device could become a reality thanks to a new low-cost, chemical-sensing chip being developed at the University of Buffalo, the school announced Monday. The chip could be integrated into a handheld device and used by authorities to detect drugs in breath, spit, urine or blood.

CARPINTERIA - This picturesque coastal town cradled by mountains and sandy shores is a scene out of a Southern California postcard. Residents of Carpinteria say they feel lucky to live in what they consider a slice of paradise. But change is in the air. And sometimes, they say, it stinks. That’s because marijuana has become a new crop of choice in the farmlands surrounding this tight-knit community of 14,000, which has long helped fuel the U.S. cut flower industry. Residents say a thick, skunk-like odor from the marijuana plants settles over the valley in the evenings and before dawn. To...

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - A fun weekend cornhole tournament turned violent when competitors started throwing punches. The Douglas County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual cornhole event Sunday at the Foxhall Resort to raise money for scholarships for deserving students. Participators and supporters were seen playing the lawn game and enjoying the warm weather before a group of people disagreed about the score. Moments later, fists started flying and explicit words were exchanged.

Cynthia Nixon took heat Monday from black leaders over her comments that creating a legalized pot industry in New York could serve as a form of reparations in black communities. Nixon on Saturday told Forbes magazine "now that cannabis is exploding as an industry, we have to make sure that those communities that have been harmed and devastated by marijuana arrests get the first shot at this industry." "We (must) prioritize them in terms of licenses. It's a form of reparations." The comments came under fire from some community leaders.

If Illinois legalizes recreational marijuana by ballot measure this November, police may have to "put down" many of the 275 K-9 dogs trained to recognize narcotic substances across the state. Police organizations oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and some marijuana advocates have condemned them for dangling canine death as a political tool. Police agencies invest thousands of dollars and months of training to teach dogs to sniff out and alert officers to the presence of various illegal narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. These dogs, affectionately known as K-9 units, are very specialized, and police insist that...

A few months ago BrewDog sent a case of Make Earth Great Again beer to the White House to object to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and now it seems they’re not the only ones making protest beers. This month Stone Brewing Co. has announced they’ll soon be releasing I’m Peach Double IPA in resistance to Trump, according to Beer Street Journal. The beer’s play on words is a pretty clear reference to a resistance movement that aims to have Trump impeached in 2018. While politically unfeasible at the moment, if the Democrats take...

Marijuana reform activists have created a new super PAC aimed exclusively at defeating Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, the House Rules Committee chairman who has blocked cannabis reform legislation from reaching the House floor. Marijuana Policy Project founder and former Executive Director Rob Kampia is leading the effort, which he said is crucial to legalizing medical marijuana federally and affirming federalism for recreational pot, two policies supported in principle by President Trump. “Everyone knows who he is and that he’s our biggest problem on Capitol Hill. Half of my job has already been done by Pete Sessions himself," Kampia told...

Medical marijuana appears to have put a dent in the opioid abuse epidemic, according to two studies published Monday. The research suggests that some people turn to marijuana as a way to treat their pain, and by so doing, avoid more dangerous addictive drugs. The findings are the latest to lend support to the idea that some people are willing to substitute marijuana for opioids and other prescription drugs.

Since the first shops opened up [in Washington state] in 2014, nearly $3 billion in pot sales has netted $742 million in excise tax revenue and $262 million in sales tax from 546 retailers across Washington.

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. - A 4-year-old Caldwell County girl was attacked inside her home by the family pet Wednesday. Family members said they had just recently adopted the dog from the humane society in Catawba County. Justina Turner, the child's mother, said she and her daughter were in the living room of her home south of Lenoir when the 3-year-old 60-pound dog suddenly attacked the child, biting her face. She said the dog bit down so hard on her daughter that she wasn't sure at first how she was going to get the animal off her. Turner said the dog...

(CNN)To get away from the memories of war in Afghanistan -- the violence, the unexpected danger, the rush of adrenaline and the hypervigilance that can come with post-traumatic stress disorder -- Aaron Newsom started gardening. Since World War II, generations of veterans have found healing in horticulture. Digging in the dirt did that for Newsom, but the Marine, who served in an attack helicopter squadron, wanted more. He wanted to share this healing feeling with service members who may never even touch a spade, and he had an idea. In addition to the public gardening he was doing in Santa...