Artist Draws Psychedelic Self-Portraits While On Different Drugs (Gallery)

Artist Draws Psychedelic Self-Portraits While On Different Drugs (Gallery) | Third Monk image 17

Bryan Lewis Saunders likes to take drugs, both legal and illegal, and then draw pictures of himself. The results are strikingly different from drug to drug, and they vary from beautiful to grotesque, abstract and just plain bizarre.

[I’m most interested in] things that are still a mystery to us all. – Bryan Lewis Saunders

Bryan devised an experiment in which every day he took a different drug and drew himself under the influence. These psychedelic self-portraits are a window into Bryan’s different states of mind.

For more of Bryan’s self-portraits make sure to check out his website. Enjoy!

Psychedelic Self-Portraits

Abilify/Xanax/Ativan (dosage unknown in hospital)

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Psilocybin mushrooms (2 caps onset)

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1 sm glass of “real” absinthe (not the fake crap)

absinth

10mg Adderall

adderall

10mg Ambien

ambien

Bath Salts

BathSalts

15mg Buspar (snorted)

buspar

Butane honey oil (cannabis)

ButaneHoneyOil

1/2 gram cocaine

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1 “bump” of crystal meth

crystalmeth

1 shot of Dilaudid/3 shots of morphine (in the ER with kidney stones)

dilaudid

DMT (during and after)

DMT

Hash (cannabis)

Hash

Heroin (snorted)

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7.5mg Hydrocodone/7.5mgOxycodone/3mg Xanax

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Marijuana

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Morphine IV (dosage unknown)

drug

Nicotine gum (after quitting smoking for two months)

2mgNicotineGum

20mg Valium

Valium

Salvia Divinorum

salvia

Nitrous Oxide / Valium I.V. (doseage unknown in hospital)

morphine

 

After experiencing drastic changes in my environment, I looked for other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of self. – Bryan Lewis Saunders

30 Self-Portraits Drawn While the Artist Was Under the Influence of 30 Drugs | Alter Net

Enemies of Peace – Law Enforcement, Private Prisons, Alcohol and Pharmaceutical Companies Spend Against Cannabis Legalization

Enemies of Peace - Law Enforcement, Private Prisons, Alcohol and Pharmaceutical Companies Spend Against Cannabis Legalization | Third Monk image 2

Some of the most lucrative and powerful industries in America oppose marijuana decriminalization because it threatens their financial bottom-line.

Four different interest groups form the backbone of the anti cannabis legalization campaign, according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks political spending.

Alcohol Companies

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First, there’s the spirits, wine and beer companies. Legalized marijuana represents a direct threat to this industry’s business model. The more people can legally smoke a bud, the less need they’ll have to buy a Bud.

In 2010, the California Beer and Beverage Distributors contributed $10,000 to help defeat California’s Proposition 19, which sought to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

Law Enforcement

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Law enforcement groups also want to maintain criminal penalties for pot possession. If the country stops waging its war on drugs, including marijuana, fewer government dollars will flow to police efforts to address this public policy issue. Municipalities will also receive less money from property seized in drug raids.

Prison System

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Others in the criminal justice world that want to keep the status quo of locking up marijuana offenders are private prison operators and prison guard unions. States that legalize marijuana use are likely to experience a decline in prison populations—and that will reduce the need for government to hire private prison companies and correctional officers.

Another example is the Golden State’s mighty prison guards union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), a major player in state politics for decades. CCPOA contributed $1 million in 2008 to defeat Proposition 5, which sought more drug treatment and rehabilitation programs for inmates.

Pharmaceutical Industry

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Finally, there’s the legal drug industry: Big Pharma. It opposes marijuana decriminalization because it could mean people spend less money on painkillers and anti-inflammatory remedies like ibuprofen.

Its primary lobbying group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), has loads of money to spend. Two years ago, it dropped nearly $22 million on congressional races, demonstrating how big a war chest it can muster.

Who’s Funding the Anti-Marijuana Movement? Private Prisons, Prison Guards, Police and Alcohol, Beer and Pharmaceutical Companies | AllGov

Legalizing Cannabis Will Create Safer Drivers

Legalizing Cannabis Will Create Safer Drivers | Third Monk image 1

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Evidence suggests that legalizing marijuana could make the roads safer, reducing traffic fatalities by encouraging the substitution of marijuana for alcohol.

A major reason to doubt the premise that more pot smoking means more deadly crashes: Total traffic fatalities have fallen as cannabis consumption has risen; there were about 20 percent fewer in 2012 than in 2002. Perhaps fatalities would have fallen faster if it weren’t for all those new pot smokers. But there is reason to believe the opposite may be true, that there would have been more fatalities if marijuana consumption had remained level or declined.

While marijuana can impair driving ability, it has a less dramatic impact than alcohol does. A 1993 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for example, concluded:

The impairment [from cannabis] manifests itself mainly in the ability to maintain a lateral position on the road, but its magnitude is not exceptional in comparison with changes produced by many medicinal drugs and alcohol.

Drivers under the influence of marijuana retain insight in their performance and will compensate when they can, for example, by slowing down or increasing effort. As a consequence, THC’s adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small.

Cannabis, the Safer Alternative

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Given these differences, it stands to reason that if more pot smoking is accompanied by less drinking, the upshot could be fewer traffic fatalities. Consistent with that hypothesis, a study published last year in the Journal of Law and Economics found that legalization of medical marijuana is associated with an 8-to-11-percent drop in traffic fatalities, beyond what would be expected based on national trends. Montana State University economist D. Mark Anderson and his colleagues found that the reduction in alcohol-related accidents was especially clear, as you would expect if loosening restrictions on marijuana led to less drinking. They also cite evidence that alcohol consumption declined in states with medical marijuana laws.

A study published last month by the online journal PLOS One suggests that the substitution of marijuana for alcohol, assuming it happens, could affect crime rates as well as car crashes. Robert G. Morris and three other University of Texas at Dallas criminologists looked at trends in homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft in the 11 states that legalized marijuana for medical use between 1990 and 2006.

While crime fell nationwide during this period, it fell more sharply in the medical marijuana states, even after the researchers adjusted for various other differences between states. Morris and his colleagues conclude that legalization of medical marijuana “may be related to reductions in rates of homicide and assault,” possibly because of a decline in drinking, although they caution that the extra drop in crime could be due to a variable they did not consider.

More Pot, Safer Roads: Marijuana Legalization Could Bring Unexpected Benefits | Forbes

Our Government Holds a Patent for Medical Cannabis, Why is it Illegal? – Dr. Gupta

Our Government Holds a Patent for Medical Cannabis, Why is it Illegal? - Dr. Gupta | Third Monk image 4

sanjay-gupta-animal-new-york - Dr. Gupta

It’s been eight months since I last wrote about medical marijuana, apologizing for having not dug deeply into the beneficial effects of this plant and for writing articles dismissing its potential.

I apologized for my own role in previously misleading people, and I feel very badly that people have suffered for too long, unable to obtain the legitimate medicine that may have helped them.

There is emerging science that not only shows and proves what marijuana can do for the body but provides better insights into the mechanisms of marijuana in the brain, helping us better understand a plant whose benefits have been documented for thousands of years. This journey is also about a Draconian system where politics override science and patients are caught in the middle.

The Undeniable Medical Value of Cannabis

Dr. Gupta

Since our documentary “Weed” aired in August 2013, I have continued to travel the world, investigating and asking tough questions about marijuana.

I have met with hundreds of patients, dozens of scientists and the curious majority who simply want a deeper understanding of this ancient plant. I have sat in labs and personally analyzed the molecules in marijuana that have such potential but are also a source of intense controversy.

I have seen those molecules turned into medicine that has quelled epilepsy in a child and pain in a grown adult. I’ve seen it help a woman at the peak of her life to overcome the ravages of multiple sclerosis.

I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am doubling down.

I should add that, although I’ve taken some heat for my reporting on marijuana, it hasn’t been as lonely a position as I expected. Legislators from several states have reached out to me, eager to inform their own positions and asking to show the documentary to their fellow lawmakers.

One place where lawmakers saw a long clip was Georgia, where the state House just passed a medical marijuana bill by a vote of 171-4. Before the legislative session started, most people didn’t think this bill had a chance.

Federal Hypocrites

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Along the way, the public has become intensely engaged. Our collective society has paid closer attention to this issue than ever before, and with that increased education, support for medical marijuana has only grown, including in some unexpected places.

Pete Carroll, the coach of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks, said the NFL should explore medical marijuana if it helps players. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn’t dismissed the idea, saying that if marijuana is reconsidered by the medical establishment, the league would treat it the same as any other medicine. Goodell also says the NFL is following the science that suggests marijuana may help recovery from concussions.

Recently, I had the chance to tell him that the United States already holds a patent on medical marijuana for that very purpose. Patent No. 6630507: Cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke or trauma.

However, this particular issue still bothers me: How can the government deny the benefits of medical marijuana even as it holds a patent for those very same benefits? Members of the Food and Drug Administration declined my repeated requests for an interview.

Weed Vs Government Approved Drugs

cannabis-vs-other-drugs-deaths

This past year, President Barack Obama told the New Yorker magazine, “I don’t think (marijuana) is more dangerous than alcohol.” And yet, as alcohol remains available to any adult, the president has not moved to remove marijuana from the list of the most tightly controlled substances in the country.

Since I started my reporting on this topic, I have mostly resisted temptation to inject a subjective moral equivalency into this discussion, such as pitting alcohol against marijuana or reminding you that cocaine and methamphetamine are actually more available than marijuana to patients, physicians and medical researchers: They are Schedule II drugs, with recognized medical uses. Or telling you that on average, a person dies every 19 minutes in this country from a legal prescription drug overdose, while it is virtually unheard-of to die from a marijuana overdose.

> Dr. Gupta: ‘I am doubling down’ on medical marijuana | CNN

Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths (Study)

Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths (Study) | Third Monk image 3

cannabisplant

A study by the University of Colorado Denver and Montana State University shows that laws legalizing Medical Marijuana have resulted in a nearly 9 percent drop in traffic deaths and a 5 percent reduction in beer sales.

The study is the first to examine the relationship between the legalization of Medical Marijuana and traffic deaths.

Our research suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana reduces traffic fatalities through reducing alcohol consumption by young adults. – Daniel Rees, Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado Denver, who co-authored the study with D. Mark Anderson, Assistant Professor of Economics at Montana State University.

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We were astounded by how little is known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana, so we looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor. – Daniel Rees

Anderson noted that traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint:

Traffic fatalities are an important outcome from a policy perspective because they represent the leading cause of death among Americans ages five to 34.

Medical-Marijuana-Traffic

The economists analyzed traffic fatalities nationwide, including the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana between 1990 and 2009. In those states, they found evidence that alcohol consumption by 20- through 29-year-olds went down, resulting in fewer deaths on the road. 

They noted that simulator studies conducted by previous researchers suggest that drivers under the influence of alcohol tend to underestimate how badly their skills are impaired.  They drive faster and take more risks.  In contrast, these studies show that drivers under the influence of marijuana tend to avoid risks.

Our results suggest a direct link between marijuana and alcohol consumption. – D. Mark Anderson

“Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption” can be found here.

cannabis_traffic_light_by_forsakenfashiondoll

> Medicinal Marijuana Reduces Traffic Fatalities | UC Denver

Alcohol vs Cannabis – No Contest (Video)

Alcohol vs Cannabis - No Contest (Video) | Third Monk image 4

oregon-billboard-marijuana-alcohol

 The legalization of marijuana is moving forward and picking up steam when the president openly admits that cannabis is not as dangerous as alcohol.

When faced with these types of questions in front of an informed public, our federal representatives risk looking like jack asses if they let their biases lead to uninformed responses. DEA Chief, Michelle Leonhart, has already been labeled as a jack ass for her inability to admit that cannabis is less dangerous than heroin.

The argument of cannabis vs alcohol is another landslide victory; for anyone keeping score cannabis is safer than alcohol, cigarettes and…oh yea, heroin.

5 Ways Alcohol is More Dangerous Than Cannabis

Ever since Reefer Madness, myths and rumors about the negative health effects of marijuana have crowded out actual scientific evidence about pot.

But new research is telling us that marijuana use is actually much healthier and better for your body than alcohol consumption!

alcohol vs cannabis

alcohol vs marijuana

Jon Stewart Slams Media For Lying About Cannabis While Glorifying Alcohol (Video)

Jon Stewart Slams Media For Lying About Cannabis While Glorifying Alcohol (Video) | Third Monk

jon-stewart-cannabis

Jon Stewart devoted two segments on The Daily Show to Colorado legalizing cannabis, and to the cable news (mostly Fox) freakout over said legalization.

Stewart took on the new rules and regulations surrounding the marijuana laws, and in particular set his sights on Bill O’Reilly and his “old timey Americana restoration hour.”

Stupid Stoners, You Should Get Drunk!

Jon Stewart made the point that pot is far less harmful than alcohol, yet far from condemning it like they do pot, cable news personalities celebrate alcohol and openly talk about getting drunk!

Cannabis is as Dangerous as Guns?

Jon Stewart took on Bill O’Reilly’s assertion that pot-smoking is “literally Russian roulette,” which is true, except for the fact that guns “must never be criminalized and restricted in any way ever.”

Stewart also took on O’Reilly’s bizarre connection between pot-smoking and texting and why both are just so horrible for young people.

Please Drink Responsibly – A Message from South Park

8 Animals That Love Getting High More Than We Do

8 Animals That Love Getting High More Than We Do | Third Monk image 8

Everyone loves drugs.

Whether it’s a cigarette break after a high-powered business meeting, a cold beer after a hot day on the job or a half-ounce of shroom juice injected directly into the scrotum to ease the stress of writing, people love their intoxicants.

But it turns out that it’s not strictly a human convention. Experts have found that animals also seek out a quick chemical high from plants, bugs and, well, wherever they can find it.

8 Animals That Love Getting High More Than We Do

Elephants

elephants-rhcom6

Elephants drugs of choice are liquor and opiates.

Throughout history, elephants have been worshiped as gods, lauded for their wisdom and memory, and made into mascots for the Republican Party. Like people, elephants are very complex, social animals. This means they exhibit a lot of humanlike behavior. They nurture their young, mourn their dead and love to get absolutely fucked up. Seriously.

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In October of 2007, six young elephants charged into an Indian village, broke into their beer supply, got drunk, uprooted an electrical pole and died horribly. In 2002, another squadron of alcoholic elephants rampaged through a different village, killing six people.

Drunk Elephant Sex Party

Horses

Horse-Pictures-7

Horses prefer to get high on potted locoweed, a type of legume that acts as a mind-altering drug.

Apparently locoweed is to horses what nicotine is to people: an extremely addictive drug that kills them slowly over the course of several years. During the lean winter months, locoweed is the only green plant available in some pastures.

Horses first seek it out for its nutritious goodness, but keep coming back for its psychoactive effects. 

treehorse

Long-term users exhibit signs of depression, weight loss and behavioral instability.

Latawnya, The Naughty Horse, Learns To Say “No” To Drugs – A Dramatic Reading

Bighorn Sheep

Big-Horn-Sheep

Bighorn sheep like to get high on narcotic lichen.

And luckily for them, in the vast wilderness of the Canadian Rockies lives a unique species of yellow-green lichen that will fuck you up.

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The lichen is extremely rare (it can take decades for them to grow over a single rock) and only grow in very inhospitable regions of the Rockies. Despite the fact that it is dangerous to get at and contains no nutritional value, the sheep will risk life and limb to get some. 

Once they reach the lichen, they will rub their teeth down to the gum line to scrape off every last bit of it – in the process getting super high.

Reindeer

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Reindeer apparently love shrooms, their favorite being the amanita muscaria strain.

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Let’s talk about urine for a moment.

The body does not actually metabolize psychedelic mushrooms, so most of the psychoactive compounds get washed out with the user’s pee. If you collect that urine and drink it, you will trip almost as hard as if you’d eaten the mushrooms yourself.

Many native Alaskan tribes stretch out their supply of mushrooms this way. The priests eat the ‘shrooms and the followers drink their urine. How does this tie into reindeer?

Like most wild herbivores, reindeer have a very firm constitution that allows them to eat all manner of nasty plants and fungi without getting sick. Many strains of hallucinogenic mushrooms are toxic to human beings, but not toxic to reindeer.

urine

Being the practical sort of fellows that primitive shamans were, the priests started collecting reindeer urine and drinking it to get high. But the piss train didn’t stop there. The reindeer discovered that they could get the same high off of human urine. Thus was born…

THE CIRCLE OF PISS:

  1. Reindeer eat mushrooms and pee.
  2. Humans collect the pee and get high.
  3. Humans pee, and reindeer drink their own people-filtered-urine to get high again.
  4. The reindeer pee, and the circle begins anew.

Would you drink this guy’s piss?

reindeer

Bees

honey-bee

Bees get high on Satan’s Bathwater (alcohol). As it turns out, the bee, nature’s communist labor drone, is also another one of nature’s alcoholics. Since they have a similar nervous system to humans, scientists love to provide captive colonies with alcohol to test the effects of intoxication.

Scientists have noted that drunk bees are less likely to fly, less likely to engage in social behavior and prone to random fits of violence.

Some bees get so blitzed that they lose the ability to do anything but lay on their back and kick their fuzzy legs feebly in the air.

Drunk Bees

Jaguars

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Jaguars drug of choice is banisteriopsis caapi, a root found in the jungles of South America.

Jaguars love to get high, and their choice in intoxicants is badass. Wild cats looking for a high will seek out the roots of the caapi plant and gnaw on them until they start to hallucinate. It looks even cuter than it sounds.

Jaguar Gets High

Caapi root contains a variety of powerful MAOIs (chemicals like you find in antidepressants), which allow the animal’s brain to be flooded with DMT, causing them to trip balls.

In fact, some scientists believe that humans first learned to use the root by observing jaguars getting high off of it. 

Capuchin Monkeys and Lemurs

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These two species love to get high on hallucinogenic millipedes.

Yes, both capuchin monkeys in South America and lemurs in Madagascar have learned how to get high off of passing insects. Apparently, several species of millipedes squirt out a poisonous compound when agitated.

By covering themselves with the poison, lemurs and monkeys are able to ward off parasitic insects and get a delightful narcotic buzz.

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Unfortunately, millipede venom is also filled with cyanide, which is deadly to pretty much everything.

Of course the risk of agonizing death has never stopped anyone from getting high, so the capuchins (one of mankind’s closest relatives) gather in huge groups and swap hits of ‘pede.

Drunken Monkeys and Smashed Lemurs

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> 7 Species That Get High | Cracked

Stoner Drinks – Recipes for Cannabis Infused Beverages (Guide)

Stoner Drinks - Recipes for Cannabis Infused Beverages (Guide) | Third Monk image 5

To celebrate the awesome year that cannabis reform has had in 2013, let’s have some stoner drinks!

Raise a glass with one of these cannabis infused drinks and feel good about the future of Mary Jane.

Almond Joy

Almond-Joy-Stoner Drinks

This gorgeous dessert cocktail can be made with or without booze. A swirl of cannabis-infused coconut cream, chocolate syrup and almond milk can be doctored with Kahlua or Amaretto, but your taste buds and mind will be blown, with or without liquor.

2 grams cannabis shake or bud, finely ground
7 fluid ounces coconut cream
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 pint almond milk
1/2 fluid ounce Kahlua or Amaretto (optional)

1. Infuse the coconut cream with cannabis. You’ll need to make what the French call a “bouquet garni,” or an herb bundle, but in this case “bouquet ganja,” would be the proper term.

Grind your herb and wrap it in cheesecloth, tying the bundle closed so you have a “tea bag.” Make sure the string is long enough to tie to the pan’s handle so you can retrieve the “bouquet ganja” later.

2. Cook it slowly with the coconut cream in a small saucepan over a very low flame for at least 2 hours, and up to 4 hours if you have the time. After the infusion is complete, remove the “bouquet ganja” and discard.

3. Combine the coconut cream with the chocolate syrup and almond milk. Shake in a shaker with ice. Strain and garnish with whipped cream, mint, and strawberries, if desired.

Jamaican Me Crazy

Jamaican-me-crazy-Stoner Drinks

Pot-infused rum, Amaretto, and coconut water make this drink a cannasseur classic. No matter how crazy your day was, this sweet, boozy treat will spirit you away to an island where it’s always 4:20.

Cannabis Tincture (Vegetable Glycerin Based) or Hash Oil
2 fluid ounces Dark Rum
1 fluid ounce Amaretto
3 fluid ounces Coconut Water

Mix your desired amount of cannabis (oil or from tincture) with the rum. Then combine the cannabis infused rum, Amaretto, and coconut water in a shaker and strain over ice in a highball glass.

Hash Hot Chocolate

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Made with half-and-half, kief, melted chocolate chips, cinnamon and sugar and topped with gooey marshmallows, this choco-cannabis concoction will take away your blues and soothe your soul. Drinking it is just like getting tucked into bed by your favorite girl, Mary Jane.

3 1/2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp cannabis flowers, finely ground
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp cannabis-infused chocolate, grated (such as Bhang Chocolate or 420 Venice Cookie Co)
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1. Infuse your milk with the ground cannabis flowers. Start by mixing milk and water in a large stainless steel or glass bowl.

2. Make a double boiler by placing your bowl over a pot that has several inches of water in the bottom. Heat the pot on high, until the water begins to boil. You do not want the milk in the top bowl to boil however, so watch it carefully and turn down the heat if necessary.

3. Sprinkle two heaping tablespoons of finely ground cannabis flowers into the top bowl along with the milk and water mixture. Let cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Strain mixture through the cheesecloth, reserving the cannabis-infused milk.

5. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch.

6. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of cannabis-infused milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla and the grated cannabis-infused chocolate, stirring until it has melted.

7. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. You can refrigerate any leftovers for several days.

Lawnmower

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Named Lawnmower because it’s cutting grass with vodka. This refreshing ganja drink blends pot, carrots, apples, ginger and lemon with cannabis-infused vodka. First invented by a group of vegan growers in Mendocino County, this drink balances health with hedonism.

Cannabis Tincture (Vegetable Glycerin Based) or Hash Oil
10 to 15 Cannabis Leaves
4 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 apples, cored but not peeled and cut into chunks to fit the juicer
2 inch long piece of ginger
1 large lemon, peel removed and reserved
4 fluid ounces Vodka

1. Use a vegetable juicer to process your cannabis leaves, carrots, apples, ginger, and lemon. Fold several leaves into a clump and push it down the feeder tube, followed by a piece of carrot or apple. Alternating your ingredients helps keep the cannabis fiber from clogging the juice.

2. Mix your desired amount of cannabis (oil or from tincture) with the vodka.

3. Fill a shaker with ice. Combine 1 cup juice and 2 fluid ounces of the cannabis infused vodka, shake with the ice, then strain into a shot glass.

4. Make lemon zest by grating the peel of the lemon and top the drink with it.

Bonghitters’ Mota Mojito

mojito

The legendary High Times Bonghitters softball team has a fearsome reputation for blasting their opponents out of the ballpark with their skills and their toking abilities. Their signature libation, the Mota Mojito, adds to their mojo. The combination of pot-infused rum, sugar, lime and mint will swing away, and fly you over the outfield fence.

Cannabis Tincture (Vegetable Glycerin Based) or Hash Oil
2 fluid ounces Rum
4 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 4 key limes
Half liter soda water
8 sprigs of mint
Crushed Ice

1. Mix your desired amount of cannabis (oil or from tincture) with the rum.

2. In a blender, combine the cannabis infused rum, sugar, and lime juice and blend on low for about 30 seconds. Add soda water and stir to combine.

3. Prepare four 13 oz glasses by muddling 2 sprigs of mint in the bottom of each glass, crushing and mashing it thoroughly. Fill each glass half way with crushed ice.

4. Pour the contents of the blender over the ice to fill each glass.

5 Delicious Pot Libations | High Times

Cannabis Prevents Brain Damage Caused by Binge Drinking (Study)

Cannabis Prevents Brain Damage Caused by Binge Drinking (Study) | Third Monk image 3

A study published online by the journal of  Neurotoxicology and Teratology suggests that cannabis may protect the brain from some of the damage caused by binge drinking.

marijuana-alcoholThe study, by researchers at the University of California San Diego, used a type of high-tech scan called diffusion tensor imaging to compare microscopic changes in brain white matter.

The subjects were students aged 16-to-19, divided into three groups: binge drinkers (defined as having five or more drinks at one sitting for boys or four or more for girls), binge drinkers who also smoked marijuana, and a control group who had very little or no experience with either alcohol or drugs.

Brain_Cortex_Harvard Cannabis Prevents Brain Damage

As expected, the binge-drinking-only group showed evidence of white matter damage in eight regions examined, as demonstrated by lower fractional anisotropy (FA) scores.

But in a finding the researchers described as “unexpected,” the binge-drinking/marijuana group had lower FA scores than the controls in only three of the eight regions, and in seven regions the binge-drinking/marijuana group had higher scores – indicating less damage – than the binge drinkers who didn’t use marijuana (unfortunately, not all of these stats are in the summary linked above; access to the full article requires payment).

Brain white matter tracts were “more coherent in adolescents who binge drink and use marijuana than in adolescents who report only binge drinking,” the researchers wrote.

“It is possible that marijuana may have some neuroprotective properties in mitigating alcohol-related oxidative stress or excitotoxic cell death.” The scientists noted that such protection has already been shown in lab and animal studies.

This study suggests that not only is marijuana safer than alcohol, it may actually protect against some of the damage that booze causes.

It’s far better for teens not to drink or smoke marijuana, but our nation’s leaders send a dangerous message by defending laws that encourage the use of alcohol over marijuana. – Director of State Campaigns Steve Fox, in a statement issued by MPP

Indeed, the U.S. government has a patent on cannabinoids as neuroprotectants. Yes, the same government that wants you to believe that marijuana will rot your brain knows that its active components protect brain and nerve cells from many kinds of damage.

Cannabis Prevents Brain Damage

Marijuana Protects Against Brain Damage from Binge Drinking | MPP Blog

Legalizing Cannabis Will Decrease Alcohol Consumption (Study)

Legalizing Cannabis Will Decrease Alcohol Consumption (Study) | Third Monk image 3

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Americans are growing more comfortable with cannabis, with 58 percent favoring legalization, according to the latest Gallup poll. Some researchers believe they have identified a side benefit to increasing availability of the plant: It could lead to decreased consumption of alcohol among young people.

In the winter issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, two researchers — D. Mark Anderson of Montana State University and Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado at Denver — report that:

Legalization of cannabis for medical purposes has been associated with reductions in heavy drinking, especially among 18-29-year-olds, and with an almost 5 percent decrease in beer sales.

In addition, the increase in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 seems to encourage greater cannabis use among people under 21, usage that drops sharply when they reach the legal drinking age.

Stoned Driving

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If cannabis is widely legalized for recreational purposes (only Washington State and Colorado have taken that step), the new freedom will have an impact on various industries. Assuming the argument that alcohol and cannabis are “substitutes” bears out, that could be good news, especially for road safety.

Of the two substances, alcohol is far more hazardous. For the most part, marijuana-intoxicated drivers show only modest impairments on road tests. Several studies have suggested that drivers under the influence of marijuana actually overestimate their impairment. They slow down and increase their following distance. The opposite is true of drivers under the influence of alcohol.

weedvsalchol_flat-Cannabis

Marijuana and Alcohol | New York Times