medical

Syria War Diary: What Life Is Like Under ‘Moderate Rebel’ Rule

*The author inside the Quds hospital, al-Sukkari, Aleppo. MSF and corporate media said the building had been “reduced to rubble”, “destroyed”. It was not, still stands. The same people who made this accusation did not mention the presence of armed groups inside the hospital, as throughout Aleppo and much of areas occupied by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. June 2017.

Gov. Scott’s Signature Makes Medical Marijuana Officially Legal in Florida

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law on June 24, 2017 officially making medical marijuana legal for patients with certain debilitating diseases. [1]
Ben Pollara, the executive director of Florida for Care, said:

“This is a good day for sick and suffering Floridians. The signing of this law provides a framework for the future of our state’s medical marijuana system and while it is far from perfect, it will begin providing access to patients.”

New Poll Reflects America’s Changing Attitudes Toward Marijuana

A recent survey by Yahoo News and The Marist Poll reveals, among other things, that people – regardless of whether they have children or not – are more concerned about kids smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol than they are about kids using marijuana. [1]
For the survey, 1,122 adults age 18 and older were polled from March 1 through March 7, 2017.

What Future Does Legal Marijuana Have Under a Trump Presidency?

Marijuana legalization won out big time on election day. California, Massachusetts, and Nevada legalized recreational weed, and Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota voted to legalize medical marijuana. Some form of pot use is now legal in the majority of U.S. states, but what will marijuana legalization efforts look like under a Trump presidency?
Source: Marijuana Policy Project

Overview of latest month-long visit to Syria (Aleppo and Damascus)

*Nov 4, Castello road humanitarian crossing, shelled twice when I was there, and another 5 times, on a day meant to be for civilians to exit terrorist-occupied areas of Aleppo. No one exited.
This is a brief update to say I’ve recently left Syria (two days ago) after a month there (My sixth visit since my first eye-opening visit in April 2014). Articles to follow include interviews from two latest trips in November to Aleppo, as well as in Damascus, including:

November 8: The Biggest Day for Marijuana Legalization Since 2012

Voters approved recreational marijuana in 4 states on November 8 – California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Further, an additional 4 other states passed medical marijuana provisions: Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Montana, with Montana loosening restrictions on an existing law. In fact, election day was the biggest day for marijuana reform since 2012, when voters approved it for recreational use in Colorado and Washington. [1] [2]

Mom Treats Daughter with Marijuana, Loses Custody of Her 2 Kids

A Gooding, Idaho, mom lost custody of her children and is facing charges after treating her daughter’s seizures with marijuana butter. [1]
Three-year-old Madyson began suffering seizures and hallucinations in early October after coming off of the prescription anti-psychotic drug Risperdal, which was being used to treat a history of seizures.
Madyson’s mom, Kelsey Osborne, explained:

“They [the seizures] would stop and come back, stop and come back with the hallucinations and everything else.” [2]

In States that Legalize Medical Marijuana, Opioid Use Decreases

A study published on September 15 shows that in states where medical marijuana is legal, fewer people use opioid drugs, bolstering advocates’ claims that marijuana can substitute for more deadly substances. [1]
Researchers examined federal traffic safety data from 1999 to 2013, using a sample of more than 68,000 people who died in a car crash in 18 states.