Must watch video - Scott Dudley does an awesome job!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
It's only Marijuana right?
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| Pot is harmless right? |
The growing popularity of marijuana is reaching all time highs, no pun intended. A few states have now legalized the uses of marijuana for recreation. More states are considering making it legal but some new data may slow down the whole process and open more eyes to the dangers of marijuana use.
According to statistics, in 2002 three out of four illicit drug users admitted they had used marijuana in the last 30 days.
A startling 67 percent of teens under the age of 18 have used marijuana.
Some facts you may not know - people have grown the Indian hemp plant for use as a hallucinogen for more than 2,000 years. The name comes from the Portuguese "maringuango", meaning intoxicant.
All forms of cannabis are hallucinogenic. Drugs extracted from Indian hemp are called cannabis.
The plant contains more than 400 known chemicals, many of which are toxic to the human body.
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is one compound that produces psychoactive effects in the brain, which is commonly called highs. This "high" usually takes effects within minutes and the sensations include increased heart rate, slight raise in blood pressure, conjunctival vascular congestion, lessened coordination and balance, and an dreamy, unreal state of mind.
Depending on the potency of the THC and the amount ingested the effects may last anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
Marijuana is getting stronger, the levels of delta-9 THC have multiplied from less than 1 percent in the mid 70's to more that 6 percent today and some samples contained THC levels as high as 33 percent!
A harmless herb? Not so fast. The amount of tar and carbon-monoxide inhaled by those who smoke marijuana is three to five times greater than among tobacco smokers, regardless of the THC content. Marijuana residue can stay in the human body for weeks. Marijuana use can also lead to serious damage to your respiratory and cardiovascular health, causing chronic coughing, wheezing and bronchitis. Smoking marijuana even in small amounts has a similar impact to smoking 5 to 7 times the amount in cigarettes, one after another.
So marijuana is more dangerous to your health than tobacco.
University of Iowa study showed that people who used marijuana frequently exhibited deficits in mathematical skills and verbal expressions. They also showed impairments in memory retrieval and mental aptitudes.
Cannabis disrupts the flow of chemical neurotransmitters which can lead to increased anxiety, panic attacks, depressions and other mental health issues. One study shows that children ages 12 to 17 who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non users. The risk of major depression quadruples in those who use marijuana. Swedish scientists have also found a link between marijuana use and an increased risk of developing schizophrenia.
More Facts
* Marijuana use can lead to dependency and withdrawal symptoms.
* Marijuana can deform sperm cells and sterility in men.
* Marijuana reduces the immunity system
* 40 percent of adult males arrested for crimes tested positive for marijuana.
* Used Marijuana before the age of 15 - 62 percent later used cocaine, 9 percent went on to use heroin.
* 15 percent of trauma patients who were injured while driving a car or motorcycle tested positive for marijuana.
* Large does of marijuana can induce psychosis. (severe mental derangement)
* 2/3 of all teens entering drug treatment ate dependent of marijuana.
* 67 percent of teens under the age of 18 have used marijuana.
* Marijuana is NOT a harmless drug.
Many will say, "what about the medical benefits?"
Marijuana has not been proven to be medically beneficial and is more likely to harm the patients health that help it. The majority of marijuana medical studies have been relatively short term and limited in scope. They have looked at the treatment (suppression) of existing conditions but have never proven that cannabis has any healing properties.
Don't be fooled, Marijuana is very dangerous in the short term and the long term. Much more study is need to see if there is indeed any medical benefits.
[Sources: US Drug Enforcement, University of Iowa, Philadelphia Trumpet]
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Police told not to carry guns into Denny's
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| This Denny's restaurant at 1130 South Illinois Street in Belleville, got crosswise with city officers on Jan. 1, 2013, after a manager told several detectives they couldn't eat there with with their firearms, even though they were on duty. Photo by Amanda St. Amand of the Post-Dispatch |
The Belleville police chief banned his officers from the eatery while on duty after several detectives were told they couldn’t carry their guns in the restaurant, but Denny’s says the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding.
The incident began about 10 a.m. Tuesday when five Belleville detectives went into the Denny’s at 1130 South Illinois Street, ordered food and began to eat. The detectives had badges on their belts or on chains around their necks, but they weren’t in uniform.
Belleville Capt. Donald Sax said restaurant manager David Rice then approached and told one of the detectives that a diner had complained about seeing one of the detectives carrying a gun.
Even though the detective told Rice all at the table were police officers, Rice insisted the detectives take their guns back out to their cars, Sax said.
According to Sax, Rice then told the officers that it is company policy to allow only uniformed officers to carry their guns into a restaurant and that a sign on the door stated that policy.
The officers all got up to leave, refusing to pay for their meal. As they were leaving, Sax said a Denny’s general manager, Michael Van, approached the group. He told them Rice was wrong and it was fine for them to stay and to keep their guns.
The detectives, whom Sax described as “embarrassed” by the incident, decided to leave anyway. Sax said the detectives made a point to check the door on their way out.
“There was no sign on the door (regarding firearms),” Sax said. “They all looked for it.”
Belleville Police Chief William Clay later issued an order to his troops, banning them from eating at that Denny’s when they are on duty or when they’re off duty and still in uniform. Off-duty and out of uniform, officers can eat where they want.
Belleville police also issued a press release, naming the managers and pinning the incident on “political stupidness.”
“This was an insult, a slap in the face to those detectives and to all of the men and women who proudly wear the uniform or badge and serve in law enforcement,” Clay said in the press release.
Of course, officers will still show up if Denny’s calls for some kind of emergency, police said.
The Denny’s managers, Rice and Van, were not available for comment. Corporate spokesperson Liz DiTrapano called the situation “a misunderstanding” and said there is no ban on armed officers.
“Obviously, all law enforcement officers are permitted to carry their firearms in our restaurants,” she said.
Belleville police said they would be following up with Denny’s management about the restaurant’s policies.
At the Belleville restaurant on Wednesday, diners’ views on the incident varied.
John Carrigan, 72, of rural Washington County, Ill., said he understood the concern some diners at Denny’s might have had. “I’d have been scared to see a woman walk in with a gun nowadays with all the shootings,” he said.
But Mike Wieland, 51, of Bluford, Ill., sided with the officers. “The police should be able to carry their weapons everywhere they go,” Wieland said.
Margaret Gillerman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
[Source:stltoday]
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