Tag Archives: marijuana

HHS finds marijuana use up 12%, perception of harm down

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services found that marijuana use among all Americans 12 and over – especially those over 26 – significantly increased in 2014 compared to 2013. The number of 16 and 17 year-olds using marijuana in the past month also increased, (14.2% versus 15.0%). “We should not be surprised […]

The Marijuana Movement and the Normalizing of Self-Medicating

This statement may not be terribly shocking, but I have some issues with medical marijuana.  I could go on and on about the reports that come out on a regular basis proving that medical marijuana has been based on anything but reputable science.  (It’s interesting that when this is pointed out that the reaction of […]

Portland City Council Was Right to Nix the Marijuana Festival

Monday, the Portland City Council voted 5-4 to reject the permit for a marijuana festival that was slated to be held in Deering Oaks Park in August.  The Portland City Council had originally approved the permit but revisited the issue when it became readily apparent that what they had originally voted on, and what the […]

Pro-Marijuana Revelers Celebrate Oregon Legalization Law By Immediately Breaking It

Wednesday, at the stroke of midnight, Oregon’s recreational marijuana laws went into effect.  As you might imagine, it was a big deal for marijuana legalization supporters.  A big crowd of supporters gathered on Burnside (foreshadowing) Bridge in Portland to ring in the new law…and in a stellar display of just how serious the legalization movement takes public […]

Colorado Adult Marijuana Use Now Almost Double the National Average

So there was some pretty big, but sadly unsurprising news coming out of Colorado yesterday.  It was reported that a new statewide survey funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that 13.6% of adults in Colorado are regular users of marijuana.  This is almost double the national rate of 7.4%.  Denver, […]

Governor LePage Administration and Major Maine Health Organizations Oppose Marijuana Legalization Bills

On Wednesday, a large coalition of leading behavioral health, medical, and public health organizations testified in opposition to LD 1380 and LD 1401, bills that would legalize recreational marijuana in Maine AUGUSTA – Despite efforts of marijuana legalization advocates to spin marijuana legalization as inevitable, a large coalition of organizations joined forces to strongly oppose […]

Marijuana Bills are for the Marijuana Industry, Not Mainers

This Wednesday at 1 PM in State House 436, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will have hearings on two bills seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in Maine.  The bills are LD 1380 from Representative Diane Russell (D-Portland) and LD 1401 from Representative Mark Dion (D-Portland).  Both bills offer 30-some odd pages of language […]

Big Tobacco 2.0

Hello and welcome to the first proper blog entry on Smart Approaches to Public Health.  It is a happy coincidence that the unveiling and launch of this blog was on the same day as another important unveiling. Today, Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) released a video entitled “Big Tobacco 2.0”  The video draws parallels […]