Tag: News

Pot-Smoking Parody Of Beloved TV Character Draws Legal Threat

The parody mascot maker sees Tokaroo as a learning tool for adolescents and adults alike about responsible use of marijuana.

A Canadian public broadcasting channel has issued a cease and desist letter to a mascot performer who has made public appearances at cannabis-related events in a costume that bears a resemblance to that of a beloved character from a children’s series.

Actor Mark Scott has appeared in costume as Polkaroo, a recurring character on the long-running Polka Dot Door program, at promotional events for more than 20 years, but more recently, has been spotted as “Tokaroo,” a red-eyed lookalike with a colossal faux joint, at events celebrating Canada’s recent legalization of marijuana.

TVOntario (TVO), which broadcast Polka Dot Door between 1971 and 1993, was not amused by Scott’s creation and gave him until October 26 to halt appearances as Tokaroo or face legal action.

But Scott dismissed the broadcaster’s claims that the character could be seen as promoting marijuana to children. “I think TVO is being a little bully-ish about this,” he told CBC Canada. “Their slogan is, ‘Never stop learning,’ and they’re doing a lot of ‘never’ and stopping.”

Scott sees Tokaroo as a learning tool for adolescents and adults alike about using marijuana responsibly.

Scott has, in fact, planned a whole online educational series built around “Candaroos”—Polkaroo lookalikes who will serve as teaching tools to build and guide conversations around a variety of social issues.

These include Rainbowroo, who talks about LGBT issues; Signaroo, who is hearing impaired and uses sign language; and Reddyroo, who has special needs.

“There will be a clear, no-nonsense discussion about [adolescent identity and social issues] using whatever language needs to be used, even if it’s foul language or street language,” said Scott, who wants to aim his series at adolescent viewers. “It will be appropriate for the people we’re talking to. To get past an issue, we have to talk about it. You know, it’s okay to be you.”

In a statement to the Canadian Press, TVO appeared to find little humor or value in Scott’s efforts. The broadcaster claimed that Tokaroo constitutes “unauthorized use” of its character that could pose “a very real threat of tarnishing Polkaroo’s reputation” through association with “an activity that is neither legal for children nor recommended for use by children.”

Scott was reportedly considering the options levied by TVO’s letter, but as of October 25, continued to insist that any similarities between Tokaroo and Polkaroo are “purely coincidental.”

View the original article at thefix.com

2 November 2018
Generation Z Is Massively Stressed Out

Generation Z is also the most likely to report mental health conditions, according to a new survey.

Issues such as gun violence, sexual assault and immigration are contributing to high levels of stress in Generation Z, according to new data.

According to the American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America survey, Generation Z (those ages 15 to 21) has become more politically active this year and that the condition of the country is contributing to their stress levels.

The survey included data from 3,458 individuals 18 and older, as well as interviews with 300 teenagers ages 15 to 17. The purpose of the survey is to measure “attitudes and perception of stress to identify the leading sources of stress among the general public.”

One of the main areas of concern among the younger generation was safety in schools. According to the survey, about 75% of Generation Z say that mass shootings contribute to their stress levels, and 72% said the same of school shootings specifically.

The survey also found that about 74% of parents are concerned about the possibility of a school shooting.

In comparison, the survey found that 69% of millennials stress about mass shootings and 73% about school shootings. For Generation X and Baby Boomers, that decreased to about 58% for each.

“The pressures facing Generation Z are different from those that faced older generations at the same age. For example, mass shootings simply did not happen with the same scale and frequency when I was in school,” Arthur Evans, a psychologist and CEO of the American Psychological Association (APA), told CNN.

According to APA spokeswoman Sophie Bethune, this is the 12th year that the APA has conducted this survey, but the first year it has asked participants about gun violence.

The survey also asked about issues such as immigration, climate change, rising suicide rates and reports of sexual harassment or abuse, CNN reports.

In doing so, it found that 68% of people between 18 and 21 were concerned about the state of the country, yet only 54% said they would be voting in November, which is well below the average of 70% across generations.

When it came to other issues, 57% of Generation Z considered separation and deportation of immigrant families to contribute to their stress levels, whereas only 45% of adults as a whole did. Similarly, 53% of Gen Z considered sexual harassment or abuse a stressor, compared to 39% of overall adults.

Evans says these differences have to do with the development of the brain and how it processes stress.

However, there were some positive findings when it came to Generation Z. According to survey findings, members of this generation were more likely to report mental health conditions and more likely to speak out about challenges.

As a whole, the survey found that 75% of participants reported feeling hopeful about their future.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Aaron Hernandez Allegedly Smoked K2 For Days Before Death

One inmate says the New England Patriot spent his last days smoking K2 and “wasn’t in his right mind.”

Radar Online has reported that former New England Patriots tight-end, Aaron Hernandez, spent the last two days of his life using synthetic marijuana, and died by suicide while in a chemically disoriented state.

Documents viewed by Radar also suggested that a state investigation into Hernandez’s suicide on April 19, 2017 at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts withheld information about the 27-year-old’s drug use for fear of compromising a separate investigation into drug use at the facility.

Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the shooting death of semi-pro player Odin Lloyd in 2013.

Radar cited a redacted section of the 132-page public report that included quotes from an interview with an unnamed inmate on the day Hernandez died.

According to Radar, the prisoner is reported to have said, “Well, he’s spent the last two days smoking K2 in his cell, and he wasn’t in his right mind.”

Two other inmates corroborated that story, while all three alleged that Hernandez appeared to be in a positive or even celebratory mood in the days prior to his death, possibly due to his acquittal on murder charges stemming from a separate double homicide in 2012.

Reports about Hernandez’s alleged use of K2—a form of synthetic marijuana with a propensity for causing a host of symptoms from hallucinations to unconsciousness and in some cases, severe bleeding—surfaced almost immediately after his death.

But a 2017 toxicology report from the Massachusetts State Police found that Hernandez had no evidence of drugs in his system at the time of his death.

But as toxicologist Marilyn Huestis told the Boston Globe, K2 can be easy to miss in test screenings. “These [synthetic marijuana strains] can be so potent, the doses so low, that when a person takes it, you can only measure it in their blood for a short period of time,” she noted. “So labs will frequently miss it in the blood.”

Those findings were rebuked by Hernandez’s lawyer, Jose Baez, who in a statement to People, said, “The lack of professionalism exhibited by government officials and their employees during this entire process is unprecedented.”

Another of Hernandez’s lawyers, George Leontire, also condemned the state’s handling of the investigation. “Any disturbing commentary about the state’s investigation was clearly hidden from the public, Aaron’s lawyers, and his family,” he said to the Globe.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Watch Out For Drugs Disguised As Halloween Candy, DEA Warns

According to the agency, methamphetamine and marijuana are the drugs most commonly disguised in edible form.

It may sound like a storyline out of a low-budget comedy, but last year the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found drugs disguised as off-brand Halloween candies including Munchy Way, 3 Rastateers, Twixed, Keef Kat and Rasta Reese’s.

This year, the agency is telling parents to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.

“These treats can look like traditional candies, but can have harmful effects if consumed by a child,” the DEA said in a news release. “The DEA and law enforcement agencies throughout the country have seen an increase of seizures of drug-laced edibles, including but not limited to chocolates, suckers and gummies.”

According to the agency, methamphetamine and marijuana are the drugs most commonly disguised in edible form. Marijuana is often infused into brownies, candy bars and gummies, while meth is more likely to be mixed into hard candies and gummies, the agency said.

“The effects caused by those ingredients are now in the food,” the agency said.

While it might seem easy to spot, the agency cautioned that the drug-laced candies can be easy to overlook at first glance.

“Such items are often professionally packaged and can easily be mistaken for regular candy or baked goods,” the agency said. However, there are some signs to be on the lookout for, including unusual wrapping, appearance, or colors; an odd smell; misspelled candy labels; and candy or food that is unwrapped or unmarked.

People who suspect that they have drug-laced candies should contact their local police departments and seek immediate medical attention if a child has ingested the candy.

Although the idea of drugs in Halloween candy might seem far-fetched, one Ohio police department had to issue a warning to residents this week after a 5-year-old boy tested positive for meth after trick-or-treating.

“Please check your children’s candy that was received today while trick or treating. Also, please check any non-candy items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces or fake teeth. If you suspect that anything has been tampered with, please contact our department by phone so that an officer can stop and collect the items,” the Galion Police Department wrote on Facebook.

The boy, Braylen Carwell, began experiencing odd symptoms after collecting candy.

“The left side of his face was just droopy and then he fell and then he couldn’t move his left arm. And he didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know what he was doing,” Braylen’s mother, Julia Pence, told ABC 6.

Braylen is expected to be fine, and the police department said that they had no other reports of incidents involving tainted candy.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Lena Dunham Reveals She's Six Months Sober

The “Girls” creator opened up about her benzo addiction on Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert.”

Actress Lena Dunham said she is six months sober after misusing anxiety medications, and that her body is still adjusting to this new normal.

Speaking with actor Dax Shepard on his podcast, Armchair Expert, Dunham said that although she was only using medications that her doctor had prescribed her, she realized that her use was becoming unhealthy.

“It stopped being, ‘I take one when I fly,’ and it started being like, ‘I take one when I’m awake,’” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dunham said that she spent three years using the powerful anti-anxiety medication Klonopin, a benzodiazepine, describing her habit as “misusing benzos, even though it was all quote unquote doctor prescribed.”

Dunham said that at first, the medication seemed to help manage her anxiety and make her “feel like the person I was supposed to be.”

“I was having crazy anxiety and having to show up for things that I didn’t feel equipped to show up for. But I know I need to do it, and when I take a Klonopin, I can do it,” Dunham said.

“It was like suddenly I felt like the part of me that I knew was there was freed up to do her thing.”

Dunham added that doctors were willing to continue writing her the prescriptions, especially after she was diagnosed with PTSD following sexual trauma and health issues.

“I didn’t have any trouble getting a doctor to tell me, ‘No, you’ve got serious anxiety issues, you should be taking this. This is how you should be existing,’” she said.

During the time when her health was at her worst, she said that taking Klonopin was the only way to cope with extreme physical and emotional pain.

“It stopped feeling like I had panic attacks and it started feeling like I was a living panic attack,” she said. “During that time I was taking Klonopin, it wasn’t making it better but I just thought, ‘If I don’t take this, how much worse will it get?’”

Dunham stopped taking the drug, but said that she had no idea that weaning off of it would be such an intense process.

“Nobody I know who are prescribed these medications is told, ‘By the way, when you try and get off this, it’s going to be like the most hellacious acid trip you’ve ever had where you’re fucking clutching the walls and the hair is blowing off your head and you can’t believe you found yourself in this situation,’” she said.

She added that she is still adjusting to life without benzos.

“I still feel like my brain is recalibrating itself to experience anxiety,” she said. “I just feel, literally, on my knees grateful every day.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Psilocybin Trials For Depression Treatment Get Greenlight From FDA

The FDA has recognized the psychedelic compound’s therapeutic potential.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted its “Breakthrough Therapy” designation to psilocybin-assisted treatment for depression.

By giving psilocybin research its “Breakthrough Therapy” designation, the FDA is expediting the development and review of psilocybin—the psychedelic compound in “magic mushrooms”—based on the results of preliminary clinical trials that demonstrate its potential to perform better than available treatments.

Previous research on psilocybin has yielded promising results for treating end-of-life anxiety and depression, alcohol and tobacco use disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

With the FDA’s blessing, the first large-scale clinical trial for treating refractory (treatment-resistant) depression with psilocybin will run for about one year in Europe and North America.

Psilocybin researchers say this is a significant development in the future of the psychedelic compound’s role in medicine.

“FDA Breakthrough status is a big deal,” Matthew Johnson, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, told Inverse. “It implies that the FDA recognizes the treatment is potentially one with a large impact on a largely under-treated condition.”

Johnson and his colleagues recommend that the federal government re-categorize psilocybin to Schedule IV, instead of its current place in Schedule I, the category reserved for drugs defined as having a high potential for abuse and no medical value.

In Schedule IV, psilocybin would instead be in the same category as Xanax and Ambien. The scientists say that while there’s less of a risk for harm than heroin (Schedule I), “that doesn’t mean [psilocybin is] safe, and they certainly need to be regulated in some fashion.”

But while the FDA’s Breakthrough designation suggests that psilocybin is closer to mainstream acceptance than ever, it’s unlikely that the potential treatment will be widely distributed to the general population.

Roland Griffiths, PhD, another prominent psilocybin researcher and a colleague of Johnson’s, says, “It seems unlikely that these are compounds that will be dispensed at a pharmacy.”

“This is a significant positive development in the potential future regulatory approval of psilocybin, a classic psychedelic drug, for medicinal purposes,” Griffiths told Inverse.

“After a decades-long hiatus of research with psilocybin and related psychedelic drugs, investigators in the United States and Europe have demonstrated the safety and preliminary signs of efficacy of psilocybin for a variety of therapeutic applications.”

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Beautiful Boy’s Timothée Chalamet & Nic Sheff Talk Addiction

The duo went on a multi-city tour where they discussed addiction, recovery and their critically-acclaimed film.

Actor Timothée Chalamet and author Nic Sheff went on a multi-city tour last weekend to talk about their new film Beautiful Boy.

The film is based on the memoir Beautiful Boy by New York Times best-selling author David Sheff, and Tweak by his son Nic Sheff—about a family grappling with a young man’s battle with substance use disorder.

Over the weekend, Academy Award-nominated actor, 22-year-old Chalamet, and Nic Sheff sat down for Q&A sessions at screenings of the film in Austin, Dallas, St. Louis and Minneapolis.

The film has so far garnered positive reviews for its honest portrayal of addiction. “I think there’s never been a portrayal of addiction as real-feeling as what [Chalamet] did in this movie,” said Nic at a Q&A in Minneapolis.

Chalamet said he tried “a little of everything” in preparing for his role as young Nic.

“Nic and David’s book helped a lot. Spending time in out-patient and in-patient programs. The key is not to play a drug addict, but to play a human being addicted to drugs,” the actor said at a Q&A in St. Louis.

Spending a lot of time with Nic helped as well, he said. The difference between any other disease and substance use disorder is how life can change in recovery.

“With addiction, when you get sober, it’s not like your life just goes back to the way that it was before. Your life gets so much better than it ever had been,” said Nic.

“It’s a really amazing life that’s possible sober. The fact that addiction is not a death sentence, and that the love that a family has is always there even after everything that we all went through, to have that love in the end is beautiful.”

When asked if he had any advice for parents, and if drug use prevention is really possible, Nic answered that while there’s no definitive answer, what may help is to teach young people to manage stress and educate them on the effects of drug use.

The film also strikes a chord with families across the country who are going through their own—a loved one’s—battles with addiction.

“Addiction knows no class, knows no race, knows no boundaries, and it’s a modern day crisis,” said Chalamet.

“The good news is that there really is a lot of hope. Recovery is possible—not only to recover from this thing, but to actually thrive after addiction,” said Nic.

Read articles by Nic Sheff here.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Can Hot Baths Help Ease Depression Symptoms?

A recent study examined the effects that a regular hot bath had on people with depression.

Can a bath a day keep the blues away? Researchers seem to think so.

A new study published in New Scientist indicates that by taking regular afternoon baths, people with depression may experience a “moderate but persistent lift in mood.”

During the study, researchers from the University of Freiburg in Germany took 45 individuals with depression and had one group soak in hot water (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 30 minutes, then wrap in a blanket and hot water bottles for an additional 20 minutes, while another group took 40 to 45 minutes of exercise twice per week.

Then, after eight weeks, the individuals taking the afternoon baths scored six points lower on a widely used depression scale, while those exercising scored about three points lower.

The theory is that warm baths strengthen and synchronize a person’s circadian rhythm by increasing the core body temperature. A circadian rhythm is “the daily fluctuations in behavior and biochemistry that affect every one of our organs, including the brain,” the Guardian notes.

For most people, core body temperature increases during the day and decreases at night, which helps the body to fall asleep. But in those with depression, the circadian rhythm is frequently “flatter, disrupted or delayed by several hours.” So, by affecting the core body temperature, baths may help those with depression to fall asleep more easily.

In addition to affecting the circadian rhythm, hot baths could lead to the firing of more neurons that distribute serotonin.

According to the Guardian, depression is likely related to low levels of serotonin in the brain, and research involving rats has found that neurons that release serotonin are connected to mood-regulating parts of the brain, which fire when body temperature increases.

When it comes to taking a good bath, the Guardian recommends picking a time without disruptions, possibly using an essential oil, making bathwater slightly warmer than body temperature, and taking into account the temperature of the room.

However, such hot baths could cause issues for some people. According to Bustle, some study participants struggled to get hot enough water at home, since 104 degrees is fairly high, and had to go to a spa instead.

People with health issues should be sure to check with their doctors before taking such hot baths, as they may be dangerous in some circumstances.

Of course, hot baths may not be the answer for everyone. But, as Bustle notes, they may be a good go-to while waiting the four-to-six weeks it can take for antidepressants to start working.

View the original article at thefix.com

31 October 2018
Are Women At Higher Risk For Pot Addiction?

A new study explored the gender-based differences in the way cannabis affects the body.

Women’s hormones put them more at risk than men of becoming addicted to cannabis, a study found.

Specifically, the sex hormone oestrogen makes them enjoy the particular high of smoking pot, according to the research.

Men are also at risk from a hormone—in their case, testosterone—which makes them more likely to try cannabis and then use higher doses more frequently.

The research, which focused on studies of animal behavior, revealed that while women are less likely to try pot in the first place, they are at higher risk of developing a dependence on the drug.

Hormones are powerful levers in most of human behavior, and this includes drug use. Due to how the sex hormone oestrogen responds to marijuana, the body’s pleasure center is more powerfully affected in women than men.

Research published in the South Burnett Times found that the differences in the impact on the endocannabinoid system in men and women were centered around testosterone, oestradiol (oestrogen) and progesterone.

The endocannabinoid system, or ECS, is a complex network of cannabinoid receptors expressed in cells of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. ECS helps to bring about homeostasis in all the major body systems to ensure that the body as a whole works in harmony and health.

Study co-author Dr. Liana Fattore, of the National Research Council of Italy, told South Burnett Times, “Male sex steroids increase risk-taking behavior and suppress the brain’s reward system, which could explain why males are more likely to try drugs, including cannabis.”

She continued to say, “Females seem to be more vulnerable, at a neurochemical level, in developing addiction to cannabis.”

As the push to legalize marijuana continues having success all over the world, with two-thirds of Americans supporting the legalization of cannabis, it is increasingly important to conduct science-based research on the effects of marijuana.

Understanding gender-based differences in how cannabis affects the body and the potential for addiction is going to become increasingly important as more Americans use the drug for both recreational and medicinal purposes.

Gender-based drug addiction information and treatment could be a next step, as well as a crucial piece of the puzzle for those struggling with addiction who use marijuana as a tool to wean off harder drugs.

Professor Fattore told the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, “Identifying factors is critical for optimizing evidence-based prevention and treatment protocols.”

View the original article at thefix.com

31 October 2018
Sober Bartenders Share Their Experiences At Work

“People can see sobriety as a referendum on their own drinking. I’ll tell someone that I’m sober, and their response will be, ‘Well, I don’t have a drinking problem.’”

When you get sober, it’s highly recommended you stay away from old environments and friends that could trigger a relapse.

So while it may seem intuitive to stay away from bartending if you’re in recovery, Mic spoke to a number of bartenders who are doing the opposite.

One bartender in Los Angeles, Billy Ray, said, “I couldn’t imagine a life without alcohol, yet I wanted to stop. I tried everything from Sober January to limiting myself to just beer and wine.”

Ray’s identity was so wrapped up in his work “that I had the thought run through my head I should kill myself. I thought it was the only way out.”

After Ray got sober, he explains, “Now and then I get called boring or a guest is offended that I will not take a shot with them.”

At the same time, he can talk with customers about what they’re going through with their own drinking. “I am able to share with them what I have walked through and help in any way I can.”

Joanna Carpenter, a bartender who works in New York says, “Bartending sober is, in a word, hard.”

A lot of customers find it odd that Carpenter stays away from drinking. “I can never tell if they’re expecting me to crumble out of desperation for a drink or if they’re waiting for me to wax poetic as to the reasons I don’t imbibe,” she says. “The people pleaser in me always feels like I have to walk around with a stash of explanations.”

Bartending can also be a challenge when you’re trying to emphasize self-care in sobriety. Carpenter adds, “Believe it or not, self-care is one of the last things that is prioritized in hospitality, so to actively make the choice to cut out the lubricant that gets us all going feels like a scary upstream swim.”

A lot of sober bartenders also don’t speak openly about their recovery in an industry that needs a steady stream of drinkers to make money.

As another explained, “I don’t tend to tell guests about it unless I’m backed into a corner… People can see sobriety as a referendum on their own drinking. I’ll tell someone that I’m sober, and their response will be, ‘Well, I don’t have a drinking problem.’”

The bartender explains, “Hospitality is about making people comfortable, and because of that, I’m not inclined to do things that run counter to that.”

Yet contrary to how many would think, one bartender explains, “There’s a misconception that bartenders somehow need to drink in order to enjoy their job, which is so wrong!”

While it can definitely be challenging to work in an environment where you’re surrounded by temptation, this bartender has a good team of co-workers “that are completely respectful of my sobriety. That makes it easy to come to work and be my sober self.”

View the original article at thefix.com

30 October 2018