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A Buffalo Township couple is suing the township police and the Nationwide Insurance Co. after, their lawsuit says, hibiscus plants growing in their backyard were mistaken for marijuana plants. In a lawsuit, Edward Cramer, 69, and his wife, Audrey Cramer, 66, claim that Buffalo Township police handcuffed them both and made them sit in the back of a police car for hours last month as police ransacked their house looking for marijuana. But rather than running a pot-growing operation, the Cramers say they grow flowering hibiscus in their backyard. The Cramers were not charged. They filed a civil lawsuit Thursday...

A Buffalo Township couple is suing the township police and the Nationwide Insurance Co. after, their lawsuit says, hibiscus plants growing in their backyard were mistaken for marijuana plants. In a lawsuit, Edward Cramer, 69, and his wife, Audrey Cramer, 66, claim that Buffalo Township police handcuffed them both and made them sit in the back of a police car for hours last month as police ransacked their house looking for marijuana. But rather than running a pot-growing operation, the Cramers say they grow flowering hibiscus in their backyard. The Cramers were not charged. They filed a civil lawsuit Thursday...

FULL TITLE: We took a scientific look at whether weed or alcohol is worse for you — and there appears to be a winner Which is worse for you: weed or whiskey? It's a tough call, but based on the science, there appears to be a clear answer. Keep in mind that there are dozens of factors to account for, including how the substances affect your heart, brain, and behavior, and how likely you are to get hooked. Time is important, too — while some effects are noticeable immediately, others only begin to crop up after months or years of...

Colo.- - With opioid overdoses at an all time high nationwide, some Colorado patients have turned to another form of relief. Marc Hood, of Paonia, said he began taking opiates back in 2003 after he was involved in a backhoe accident that left him practically crippled. "It’s the only way I’d be able to walk, to control the pain enough to be able to walk, to have any type of life with my kids.” Hood said in order to manage the lasting pain from his injury, he constantly needed to take a number of different pain killers. At one time...

As marijuana legalization continues across the country, weed is becoming increasingly mainstream. However, as much as the stoner stereotype has evolved into a broader label that also encompasses CEOs, educated millennials, and the Spicolis of the world, it still has a negative connotation. Industry leaders have quickly learned that destigmatizing marijuana use begins with educating the public, but Adrian Sedlin of Canndescent has figured out that, as with anything, it's really all about branding. Sedlin's luxury cannabis company offers premium flower alongside sophisticated packaging that no other company in the current market rivals. One look and I can almost guarantee...

New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy said he would legalize marijuana within 100 days of taking office in January, and his Tuesday win makes a Democrat-packed statehouse the only obstacle. Supporters feel confident it will happen, but legalization foes plan to campaign for Democratic defections as the other side debates different visions for reform. Legalization in the state — across the river from both New York City and Philadelphia — would be significant geographically, but also because no state has passed legalization legislatively, despite Gallup putting national support at 64 percent.

A Pennsylvania man was arrested after police say he murdered his female friend when she rejected his marriage proposal, according to NBC Philadelphia. Christopher Tucker, 34, has been charged with murder and criminal homicide for allegedly killing 19-year-old Tara Serino, who was last seen by her family early on the morning of October 30. According to local police, Tucker asked Serino to marry him at his home in Berks County, Pennsylvania, sometime between Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon.

Researchers at the University of Connecticut in the US tracked the effect of teenage alcohol and marijuana use on the achievement of life goals, defined as educational achievement, full time employment, marriage and social economic potential. The study included 1,165 young adults from across the US whose habits were first assessed at age 12 and then at two- year intervals until they were between 25 and 34 years old. ... Overall, individuals who were dependent on either marijuana or alcohol during their teen years achieved lower levels of education, were less likely to be employed full time or get married...

Mass shootings in America are getting deadlier. Of the 30 deadliest shootings in the US dating back to 1949, 18 have occurred in the last 10 years. Two of the five deadliest took place in just the last 35 days.

A 911 call for a Davis High School student who needed medical attention led to the discovery that a number of students on campus had eaten brownies containing marijuana, Modesto City Schools reported Tuesday. About 2 p.m. Monday, a Modesto Fire Department engine crew responded to a report a student had fallen and had an altered level of consciousness. Due to "signs and symptoms observed," paramedics requested an air ambulance, Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said. The helicopter landed, but a flight nurse evaluated the patient and determined she was stable enough to be taken to a local hospital by ground...

ATHOL – The town is negotiating an agreement for marijuana growing at a sprawling mill that has been mostly vacant for decades, and it could bring 500 jobs to town. Town Manager Shaun A. Suhoski said recently he is working on the host community agreement after a vote of non-opposition by selectmen last month for a medical marijuana indoor cultivation facility at 134 Chestnut Hill Ave., the former Union Twist Drill Co. mill. The building is owned by Bill Purple, 93, president of the L.P. Athol Corp., which purchased the building in 1986. Mr. Purple has been redeveloping the 365,000-square-foot...

On a retail level, it costs about $35 to buy a small bag of good quality medical marijuana in Los Angeles, enough to roll five or six joints. But in 2018, when recreational sales take hold and additional taxes kick in, the cost of that same purchase in the new market is expected to increase at the retail counter to $50 or $60. Medical pot purchases are expected to rise in cost too, but not as steeply, industry experts say. Or consider cannabis leaves, a sort of bottom-shelf product that comes from trimming prized plant buds. The loose, snipped leaves...

It seems that many states, my home state of New Jersey included, are hell-bent on legalizing recreational use of cannabis. The arguments in favor of this, though loud and dominant in the media, are not particularly convincing. Most of the advocates tout the desire to legalize the drug so that the state can raise additional tax revenue off of the sales. Enhancing the ability of an over-bearing confiscatory high-tax state like New Jersey to extract even more revenue from its citizens is never going to be a compelling argument for me. Slightly better is the argument that legalizing the drug...

For the very first time in history the United States Government will have to answer to the judiciary about the scheduling of cannabis and its unconstitutionality. Jeff Sessions, the DEA, and the DOJ will all have to stand trial according to the judge overseeing their case. This is the first time that a trial to legalize cannabis has proceeded past the normal attempts at dismissal. All of the defendants will have to get recorded depositions. This is great news for the plaintiffs in the case which include Army combat veteran, Jose Belen, former NFL player Marvin Washington, 11 year old...

OAK HILL, WV (WVNS) - Oak Hill Police Police Chief, Mike Whisman, said Thursday that the substance found in a child's trick-or-treat bag tested negative for heroin. The test results from the State Police Crime Lab found that it was a derivative of marijuana. On Halloween night, a mother from Oak Hill found what police had initially thought to be heroin in her child's trick-or-treat candy. Police are still investigating where the substance came from. No suspects have been identified at this time.

President Trump's declaration that opioid abuse is a public health emergency is sparking debate about addiction. Tragically, myths and misinformation are blocking the path to preventing more deaths. Start with the causes of the opioid crisis. On "Face the Nation," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, chair of Trump's opioid commission, blamed overprescribing doctors. "This crisis started not on a street corner somewhere. This crisis started in the doctor's offices and hospitals of America." That's untrue, Governor. It contradicts scientific evidence and lets drug abusers off the hook. At least three-quarters of opioid pill abusers and almost all heroin addicts got...

Despite a couple of appearances on behalf of Democratic candidates, Barack Obama has adamantly refused to heed the pleas of his party to lead the “resistance” against Donald Trump and instead spends much of his time at his home just blocks from the White House playing video games, chatting on the phone with celebrity pals, smoking marijuana and popping cannabis-infused gummy bears. This startling description of Obama’s post-presidential life is based on interviews with a close Obama family friend who has been a sleepover guest at the Obama home in the Kalorama section of Washington, D.C., and who has...

Corona beer owner set to buy into world’s largest cannabis grower U.S. drinks company Constellation Brands has agreed to buy a near 10 percent stake in Canopy Growth Corporation, the world's largest publicly traded cannabis company. Constellation, a beer distributor that owns Corona, is reportedly planning to work with the grower to develop, market and sell cannabis-infused beverages. The agreement, confirmed in a press release Monday, is $245 million Canadian dollars ($191 million) in exchange for a 9.9 percent stake in the Canopy Growth Corporation. It is seen by Constellation Brands President and CEO, Rob Sands, as an anticipation of...

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - According to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the number of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis reported in the United States reached all-time highs in 2016. In the U.S., there were 1.6 million cases of chlamydia and 470,000 cases of gonorrhea last year. “Increases in STDs are a clear warning of a growing threat,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number, and outpacing our ability to respond.” The increase...

<p>Those battered by opioid epidemic applaud Trump effort, but ask 'where's the money?'</p> <p>Parents of children who overdosed on opioids have waited patiently for President Trump to declare the epidemic a "national emergency," as he twice promised he would.</p> <p>On Thursday, some were disappointed. To some survivors, the declaration instead of a public health emergency is too little, too late.</p>