A study by Michael Bancks and others published in the journal Diabetologia last week reported a greater risk of prediabetes among self-reported marijuana users than among individuals who had never used it. The report used data from a 25-year longitudinal study that investigated the association between marijuana use and the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes.

The researchers found higher odds of prediabetes for individuals who reported current use of marijuana and a lifetime use of 100 times or more, compared with individuals who reported never using marijuana. There was no association between marijuana use and diabetes at examination year 25. Over 18 years of follow-up, a greater risk of prediabetes (but not diabetes) was found for individuals who reported a lifetime use of marijuana of 100 times or more, compared with individuals who had never used marijuana.

The study concluded: “Marijuana use in young adulthood is associated with an increased risk of prediabetes by middle adulthood, but not with the development of diabetes by this age.”

Here is the abstract of the study.

And here are other important news stories for the week.

All of These Presidential Candidates Have Admitted Smoking Marijuana
One of the lighter moments of Wednesday’s epic slog of a Republican presidential primary debate came when former Florida governor Jeb Bush joked that his mother, the former first lady, would not be happy that he admitted having smoked marijuana “40 years ago.”

The line got a fair amount of laughs from the audience, but it also came amid a broader debate among the candidates over federal drug laws. Defending marijuana legalization, Sen. Rand Paul asserted that “kids who had privilege like [Bush]” are often given a pass when it comes to admitting past drug use, whereas people from poorer backgrounds—often minorities—are more likely to go to prison for using marijuana.

Read more at Fortune.

Marijuana Study Reveals Teens’ “Surprising” Views of the Drug

Marijuana use continues to become legal in more places, but that doesn’t mean the drug’s popularity among adolescents is growing, a new study finds.

Although disapproval of marijuana use has decreased dramatically among young adults — suggesting that this age group is viewing the drug less negatively — that’s not the case for younger adolescents, according to the study.

The researchers found that disapproval of marijuana use has actually increased among adolescents ages 12 to 14. In 2013, 79 percent ofkids in this age group said they strongly disapproved of people using marijuana, up from 74 percent who said the same in 2002.

Read more at livescience.

Countdown to Recreational Marijuana Sales: What You Need to Know (Q&A)
In less than two weeks, Oregonians — and any one else 21 and older — will be able to walk into a marijuana shop and buy pot, the latest milestone in the state’s long history with the drug.

Though the Oregon Liquor Control Commission doesn’t plan to launch a regulated recreational market until late next year, the Legislature authorized medical marijuana dispensaries to sell to the recreational market starting Oct. 1. Until now, dispensaries served only medical marijuana patients and their caregivers. Starting next month, they will be able to sell to anyone with a government-issued ID that shows they are 21.

Read more at The Oregonian.

Marijuana Market: High Risk, High Reward
Marijuana is illegal in Tennessee, but when and if the law changes, the business opportunities will be vast—along with the risks.

The marijuana market is spurring the creation of hundreds of new businesses in marijuana-friendly states, according to Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Those are the growers and sellers, but also the many ancillary businesses supporting the industry.

“There are quite a lot (of opportunities), given it’s a $3 billion industry and growing,” she said, speaking to a crowd of entrepreneurs at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s NERVE conference in Nashville on Friday.

Read more at The Tennessean.

10 Charged in Crackdown on Synthetic Marijuana Ring
Citing a surge in the use of K2, a popular synthetic drug, federal and city authorities said on Wednesday that they had begun a sweeping crackdown, with charges against an international trafficking ring and a warning that more arrests were on the way.

The operation involved charges against 10 defendants and raids on some 90 bodegas across New York selling K2, also known as synthetic marijuana or Spice, a cheap mix of dried herbs and chemicals that has become a drug of choice among teenagers and homeless people.

Read more at The New York Times.

Toledo Decriminalizes Marijuana—Now What?
Nearly 70-percent of voters who turned out for Tuesday’s primary election in Toledo[, Ohio] were in favor of decriminalizing marijuana.

The passing of Issue 1 eliminates jail time and fines for some marijuana offenses – but not all.

With the issue’s passage, anyone caught with up to 200 grams of marijuana will not face jail time.

Former Toledo City Council candidate Sean Nestor was behind the effort to get the pot issue passed. He says the new ordinance will free up time for courts, in addition to protecting reputations for non-violent marijuana offenders.

Read more at nbc24.com.

Colorado AG Examining Pot Industry’s Use of “Organic” Term

Colorado’s attorney general is investigating several marijuana businesses over concerns the word “organic” in their names or advertising might be misleading to consumers.

The office is reviewing complaints from consumers that the “merchants have been misrepresenting their product when they say ‘organic’ or ‘organically grown,’ ” said Roger Hudson, spokesman for state Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. “We’re looking for information inside those complaints to make a determination on what those next steps are. Is it consumer fraud? Is it criminal?”

Read more at The Cannabist.

 

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