Medicine & Drugs, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 24, 2017

Stoned Plus Buzzed: Mixing Caffeine and Pot Brings New Risks

Eighty percent of Americans get a daily jolt from caffeine, and now, as marijuana legalization has spread across the nation, some users and businesses have begun touting a combination of the two drugs. After years of smoking, I've found that caffeine and weed are a perfect mix. If I get...

Aug 9, 2017

Marijuana Use Linked to Increased Risk of Dying from High Blood Pressure

Smoking pot is often considered safer than smoking cigarettes, but a new study suggests that marijuana use may increase a person's risk of death from high blood pressure. Over the two-decade-long study period, marijuana users, whose level and frequency of smoking was not assessed in the study, had a more...

Aug 10, 2017

Marijuana's Popularity Among US Adults Continues to Grow. Here's Why

Marijuana's popularity among American adults is on the rise — and use of the recreational drug is expected to continue to increase, according to several surveys. The increase in popularity, along with more permissive attitudes toward marijuana use, may be due in part to its changing legalization status in many...

Sep 8, 2017

Marijuana with 'CBD' May Pose Less Risk to Long-Term Users

Marijuana with relatively high levels of a compound called cannabidiol may be less risky to smoke over the long term, because this ingredient may counteract some of the drug's harmful effects, according to a new study in mice. The study found that adolescent mice injected with frequent doses of tetrahydrocannabinol...

Sep 15, 2017

Does Marijuana Really Help You Sleep?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. If you speak to someone who has suffered from insomnia at all as an adult, chances are good that person has either tried using marijuana, or cannabis, for sleep...

Sep 19, 2017

Officer's Failed Drug Test: How Long Does Marijuana Stay in Hair?

A veteran police officer in New York City recently said she failed a marijuana drug test because officials tested hair from a weave she wore, rather than her own hair. But how does marijuana get into hair, and how long does it stay there? The New York Police Department officer...

Sep 22, 2017

3% of High-School Seniors Have Used K2 or Spice in the Past Month

It may look like weed, and it may be smoked like weed. But synthetic cannabinoids — a category of drugs, some of which are legal and go by names like K2 and spice — can be far more dangerous than natural marijuana. Now, a recent study shows that in 2014...

Sep 25, 2017

One-Quarter of Cancer Patients Use Medical Marijuana, Study Finds

One of the most well-known purported uses for medical marijuana is to alleviate symptoms related to cancer treatment, and a new study finds that use of the drug among cancer patients is not uncommon. In the study, which included more than 900 cancer patients in Seattle, nearly one-quarter reported using...

Oct 27, 2017

Love Buzz: Marijuana Use Linked to Sexual Activity

People who frequently use marijuana are likely to have sex more often, a new study suggests. The researchers found that the women in the study who said they hadn't used marijuana in the past year reported that they'd had sex an average of six times in the previous month. Women...

Nov 2, 2017

Lay Off 'Pot Cures Cancer' Claims, FDA Warns

Medical marijuana may help with several health conditions, but it's certainly not a cure for cancer. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on companies that claim their cannabis products can get rid of cancer. The FDA issued warning letters to four companies that sell products...

Nov 7, 2017

What's Really in Marijuana Extracts? These Products Are Often Mislabeled

Marijuana extracts containing the potentially beneficial compound cannabidiol are available to purchase online, but a new study finds that buyers of these products often don't get what they pay for: The products frequently contain higher or lower doses of cannabidiol than what's listed on the label. What's more, the study...

Nov 17, 2017

Did Marijuana Really Cause an Infant's Death?

For an 11-month-old boy in Denver, ingesting marijuana may have triggered a heart problem that ultimately led to his death, according to a recent report of the case. If the report's hypothesis is true, the case would mark the first time a person has died from a marijuana overdose. But...

Nov 20, 2017

Surprising Find: Marijuana Linked with Benefits for Heart Failure Patients

Smoking marijuana has been linked with heart problems, but in a surprising new finding, researchers now say the drug may have benefits for people with heart failure. However, the researchers stress that they do not currently recommended that heart failure patients use marijuana. The researchers found that, among patients with...

Dec 14, 2017

Teen Cigarette Use Drops, But Marijuana & Vaping Rates Stay High

Teen use of many drugs is on the decline, but U.S. officials remain concerned about teen marijuana use — which actually increased in the past year — and vaping, which is common, according to a new survey. The government-backed annual survey, called Monitoring the Future, gathered data from more than...

Dec 15, 2017

Compound in Marijuana Appears Safe and Nonaddictive, WHO Says

A compound in marijuana appears to be relatively safe and nonaddictive, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). In an initial review of existing research, the WHO found that the compound, called cannabidiol or CBD, is generally well-tolerated with a good safety profile, according to the...