Does Cannabis Legalization Decrease Violent Crime? (Study)

The increasing reform of cannabis policies is taking away power from Mexican cartels and reducing violent crime.

In a new research study, Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime, when a state on the Mexican border legalized medical use of the drug, violent crime fell by 13% on average.

These laws allow local farmers to grow marijuana that can then be sold to dispensaries where it is sold legally.

These growers are in direct competition with Mexican drug cartels that are smuggling the marijuana into the US. As a result, the cartels get much less business.

Whenever there is a medical marijuana law we observe that crime at the border decreases because suddenly there is a lot less smuggling and a lot less violence associated with that.

-Evelina Gavrilova, Author of the economic journal study

Taking Cannabis Away from Dirty Hands

While the Mexican cartels smuggle other drugs such as cocaine, heroine and meth across the border, the market for cannbis is the largest drug market in the US and the one from which the cartels can make the fattest profit. It costs around $75 to produce a pound of marijuana in Mexico, which can then be sold on for $6,000 depending on the quality.

Gavrilova, along with fellow researchers Takuma Kamada and Floris Zoutman, studied data from the FBI’s uniform crime reports and supplementary homicide records covering 1994 to 2012 to report these findings:

Among the border states the effect of the change in law was largest in California, where there was a reduction of 15% in violent crime, and weakest in Arizona, where there was a fall of 7%.

The crimes most strongly affected were robbery, which fell by 19%, and murder, which dropped by 10%. Homicides specifically related to the drug trade fell by an astonishing 41%.

Mislabeled Drug to Legal Medicine


The authors claim their study provides new insights into methods to reduce violent crime related to drug trafficking. But its publication comes as the US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, is rescinding the Obama-era policy that ushered in the medical marijuana laws.

When the effect on crime is so significant, it’s obviously better to regulate marijuana and allow people to pay taxes on it rather than make it illegal.

For me it’s a no brainer that it should be legal and should be regulated, and the proceeds go to the Treasury.

-Evelina Gavrilova, Author of the economic journal study

As of January 2018, more than 20 states have implemented medical marijuana laws. In those cannabis friendly states, there is now one marijuana dispensary for every six regular pharmacies. The increasing amount of positive medical marijuana stories have convinced many people to use it for their health. Compassionate dispensaries even offer discount programs for low income patients who qualify.

The study suggests that the full recreational legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington will have an even stronger impact on the drug trade as their large-scale cannabis production facilities will push cartels out of the industry.

DISCLAIMER: All Information Displayed In This Post Is For Educational Purposes Only, And Is Not To Be Construed As Medical Advice Or Treatment For Any Specific Person Or Condition. Cannabis Has Not Been Analyzed Or Approved By The FDA. Individual Results May Vary.

Legal marijuana cuts violence says US study, as medical-use laws see crime fall | The Guardian

Brain on Weed – Less Gray Matter But Increased Connections? (Video)

Brain on Weed - Less Gray Matter But Increased Connections? (Video) | Third Monk

Using the above video as a quick reference to how cannabis may affect the brain let us move now to the present study at hand. Researchers state that they find a decrease in gray brain matter in the orbitofrontal cortex in chronic cannabis users, users who medicate at least 3 times a day, versus non cannabis users.

These same cannabis users also show more connections in the same region of the brain. What does this mean really? The results are basically (SPOILER ALERT) inconclusive in the way they describe it’s affect on the test subjects.

Although the above is true, neither the users or non users show a decreased quality of life or an inability to perform daily functions. Francesca Filbey, the author of this study, speculates that the increased connections may be the way cannabis users adapt to having less gray brain matter so that they may function with no issues in their daily lives.

I’m happy to find that we are diving deeper into how marijuana affects the human body. Some of the other findings, such as lower IQs for the marijuana users is also inconclusive because there is no correlation between IQ and the function of the orbitofrontal cortex.

This study was funded by Parternship for a Drug Free America. Even with their hopes to find a way to bury cannabis through science, no conclusive negatives were found through this study.

Regardless of the motive, I hope studies like this continue to pop up for cannabis and psychedelics so that we may learn more about how these substances affect us and how we may use them to our advantage.

Check out the source article below, the article contains plenty of sources to feed your need for scientifically generated cannabis info.

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Chronic Pot Smoking Associated With Reduced Gray Matter, But Increased Connections | I Fucking Love Science

How Does Cannabis Create the Munchies? (Study)

How Does Cannabis Create the Munchies? (Study) | Third Monk

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Researchers from the Université De Bordeaux suggest that the desire to consume food after ingesting cannabis stems from how THC, the herb’s psychoactive compound, meshes with the olfactory bulb in the brain.

Weed magnifies our sense of smell, which in turn stimulates the appetite (munchies) and makes food more attractive – a major benefit for those patients suffering from eating disorders.

Marijuana can be salvation’s wing for people inflicted with conditions like anorexia nervosa, which has a tendency to contribute to the perception that food is evil.

However, by using cannabis to put a patient’s sense of smell into overdrive, they experience an increased appreciation for food that is typically lost with these types of disorders.

– Lead Researcher Giovanni Marsicano, Marijuana and Food – Nature Neuroscience

The study monitored several groups of stoned and sober mice by watching how they reacted to the presence of almond and banana oils. The stoner mice consumed a lot more oil than their sober counterparts.

In a special group of stoner mice genetically engineered without olfactory bulbs, THC did not cause them to crave food anymore than the sober mice.

Why Does Pot Make Food Smell and Taste Better? | High Times

Getting Stoned Before Sleeping – More Rest But Less Dreams (Study)

Getting Stoned Before Sleeping - More Rest But Less Dreams (Study) | Third Monk

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Some people who smoke cannabis before bed often struggle to recall their dreams the next morning. But there’s a simple reason why marijuana users tend to have less dreams.

This phenomenon can be explained by how marijuana affects the sleep cycle, specifically a stage known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Cannabis and REM Sleep Activity

The brain is most active during REM sleep and most dreaming is thought to occur during this stage. Numerous studies have shown that using marijuana before bed reduces REM sleep.

During the night, the brain cycles through 4 different stages of sleep, spending the most time in deep sleep (or slow-wave sleep) and REM sleep. The amount of time spent in these two stages is closely related. In fact, studies show that cannabis lengthens the time the brain spends in deep sleep, which leads to less REM sleep.

Deep Sleep Vs REM Sleep

It’s not clear whether the effect of marijuana on REM sleep is actually harmful. In fact, experts are still not sure why we need REM sleep.

On the other hand, deep sleep is believed to be the most important sleep stage for repairing and restoring the body. Likewise, studies show that when deprived of sleep, the brain prioritizes deep sleep over REM sleep.

While more research is needed, it’s possible that the ability of cannabis to increase deep sleep, even at the expense of REM sleep, might turn out to be a good thing. Getting into Lucid Dreaming can help produce vivid dreams even after smoking weed.

Marijuana, REM Sleep, and Dreams | Leaf Science

DEA Blasted for Spending 4 Decades Obstructing Marijuana Science

DEA Blasted for Spending 4 Decades Obstructing Marijuana Science  | Third Monk image 6

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The Drug Enforcement Administration has been impeding and ignoring the science on marijuana and other drugs for more than four decades, according to a report released this week by the Drug Policy Alliance, a drug policy reform group, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a marijuana research organization.

The DEA is a police and propaganda agency, it makes no sense for it to be in charge of federal decisions involving scientific research and medical practice. – Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance

The report alleges that the DEA has repeatedly failed to act in a timely fashion when faced with petitions to reschedule marijuana. The drug is currently classified as Schedule I, which the DEA reserves for the “most dangerous” drugs with “no currently accepted medical use.” Schedule I drugs, which include substances like heroin and LSD, cannot receive federal funding for research. On three separate occasions — in 1973, 1995 and again in 2002 — the DEA took years to make a final decision about a rescheduling petition, and in two of the cases the DEA was sued multiple times to force a decision.

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The report criticizes the DEA for overruling its own officials charged with determining how illicit substances should be scheduled. It also criticizes the agency for creating a “regulatory Catch-22” by arguing there is not enough scientific evidence to support rescheduling marijuana while simultaneously impeding the research that would produce such evidence.

The feds have long been accused of only funding marijuana research that focuses on the potential negative effects of the substance, but that trend appears to be changing.

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse has conducted about 30 studies to date on the potential benefits of marijuana. NIDA oversees the cultivation, production and distribution of marijuana grown for research purposes at the University of Mississippi in the only federally legal marijuana garden in the U.S. — a process through which the only federally sanctioned marijuana studies are approved.

Nobody should be afraid of the truth. There’s a lot of other drugs that have harmful side effects. Is the downside of marijuana a harmful side effect? Or is there a positive side that actually does help? That needs to be proven. – Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.).

The federal government’s interest in marijuana certainly appears to be growing. Since 2003, it has approved more than 500 grants for marijuana-related studies, with a marked upswing in recent years, according to McClatchy. In 2003, 22 grants totaling $6 million were approved for cannabis research. In 2012, that number had risen to 69 approved grants totaling more than $30 million.

The DEA has obstructed research into the medical use of marijuana for over 40 years and in the process has caused immeasurable suffering that would otherwise have been treated by low-cost, low-risk generic marijuana. The DEA’s obstruction of the FDA approval process for marijuana has — to the DEA’s dismay — unintentionally catalyzed state-level medical marijuana reforms. – Rick Doblin, executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

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Currently, 22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight other states — Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin — have legalized CBD oils, made from a non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana frequently used to treat epilepsy, for limited medical use or for research purposes.

A number of recent studies have shown the medical potential of cannabis. Purified forms may attack some forms of aggressive cancer. Marijuana use also has been tied to better blood sugar control and may help slow the spread of HIV. One study found that legalization of the plant for medical purposes may even lead to lower suicide rates.

Nadelmann said the DEA has “demonstrated a regular pattern of abusing its discretionary powers.”

We believe this authority would be better handled by another government agency in the health realm, or even better still, by an organization that is truly independent, perhaps something that involves the National Academy of Sciences. We will be working to encourage greater congressional oversight and also to call for reforms of federal law. – Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance

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> New Report Blasts DEA | Huffington Post

Eating Mangos Increases Your Marijuana High (Study)

Eating Mangos Increases Your Marijuana High (Study) | Third Monk image 2

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The chemical compounds found within mangos have been discovered to increase, strengthen, and even lengthen the euphoric feelings felt after smoking marijuana.

Eating fresh mangos or even drinking a fresh mango smoothie one hour prior to smoking will dramatically increase the euphoric feelings felt by marijuana and help medical marijuana patients more effectively ease their pain.

A chemical compound known as myrcene terpenes, which is often used for fragrances, is found within cannabis as well as many other various plants such as lemon grass, hops, and of course mangos. This is what gives these plants their unique smells.

Mango Kush

Once ingested, the myrcene terpenes assists the THC by allowing it to pass through the Blood Brain Barrier more efficiently. By eating a mango up to one hour prior to smoking, the time it takes THC to reach the brain is cut in half. Amazingly, the length of the high may last twice as long.

Individuals who have eaten a mango, digested it, and then smoked have also noted that the euphoric feelings felt by marijuana are much more intense.

How to Cut a Mango

What are some of your favorite ways to increase your cannabis high? Have a preferred mango recipe? Share in the comments below!

> Increase Effects of Marijuana Consumption | The Weed Blog

Marijuana Use Relieves the Pain of Social Exclusion (Study)

Marijuana Use Relieves the Pain of Social Exclusion (Study) | Third Monk image 4

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Newly published research suggests that Marijuana use can relieve the intense discomfort of social exclusion.

Marijuana has been used to treat physical pain, and the current findings suggest it may also reduce emotional pain. – Research team led by University of Kentucky psychologist Timothy Deckman

Deckman and his colleagues are building on two lines of recent research: One that shows the pain of social exclusion is more intense than previously believed, and another revealing that physical pain and emotional pain travel similar pathways in the brain.

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The Studies

The first incorporated data on 5,631 Americans, who reported their level of loneliness, described their marijuana usage (if any), and assessed their mental health and feelings of self-worth. Not surprisingly, the researchers found a relationship between loneliness and feelings of self-worth, but it was significantly weaker for regular pot smokers.

Another experiment, featuring 537 people, found those who were experiencing social pain were less likely to have suffered a major depression in the past year if they smoked pot relatively frequently.

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The Results

Those who smoked marijuana relatively frequently felt less threatened than those who smoked it less frequently, or not at all.

Together, these studies show that “marijuana use consistently buffered people from the negative consequences associated with loneliness and social exclusion,” Deckman and his colleagues conclude. But buffers are of limited usefulness.

In that sense, avoiding social pain by smoking pot does not necessarily address its root cause. It does work, at least for a while, but it’s also a way to avoid dealing with the underlying issue.

If you are dealing with social exclusion, I recommend consistent meditation and an open, honest inner dialogue. This has helped me find the true cause of underlying issues I was unaware of consciously. A psychedelic trip under the right conditions and with a positive inquisitive mind-set was also very helpful.

In the end remember to do whatever feels right for you, and don’t hesitate to ask for help.

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> Pot Relieves Loneliness | PS Mag

Stoners Have Better Cognitive Skills Than Non-Tokers (Study)

Stoners Have Better Cognitive Skills Than Non-Tokers (Study) | Third Monk image 4

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Despite popular belief, new findings from a team at the University of Minnesota suggest marijuana use at an early age may not be detrimental to cognitive skills.

The study, published March 12 in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, found that college students who used marijuana scored better on tests of processing speed and verbal fluency.

Marijuana users were high functioning, demonstrating comparable IQs to controls and relatively better processing speed. – Research Team

The study compared the performance of 35 non-users with 35 daily marijuana users who began using marijuana before the age of 17.

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Marijuana use during this age span has been most strongly associated with cognitive impairment. – Research Team

All participants were university students between 18-20 years of age, and were told to abstain from using any substances for at least 12 hours before the study.

Interestingly, the two groups showed no significant differences in tests of working memory and verbal learning.

However, contrary to their better performance on other tests, marijuana users scored slightly lower on tests of motivated decision making, engagement and verbal memory.

Overall, the team concludes that the study provides “a comprehensive cognitive profile of college-aged daily marijuana users.” But they also warn that the results suggest a few “discrete” impairments associated with marijuana use.

The researchers say more studies should be conducted to pinpoint underlying factors.

> Marijuana Users Have Better Cognition | Leaf Science

Cannabis Madness – Patients Vs Politicians (Video)

Cannabis Madness - Patients Vs Politicians (Video) | Third Monk

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates the politics of cannabis in Weed 2: Cannabis Madness. 

Gupta takes a look at U.S. federal laws that consider marijuana a drug with no medicinal value and serious scientists who say they’re wrong. It is the politics of cannabis – the politicians vs. the patients.

This is Gupta’s second CNN Special on cannabis, showing the clear proven medical benefits of high CBD marijuana and why marijuana should not be classified as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance by the U.S. Government.

History books may one day draw a parallel between this chapter of medical marijuana and the story of David and Goliath. Playing the role of David’s slingshot, which ultimately brought Goliath to his knees, would be a 2-year-old girl named Vivian Wilson.

She inspired her father to challenge the system in a spectacular way that caused a nation to stop for a moment and take note. – Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Doubling Down on Medical Marijuana

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Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths (Study)

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

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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.

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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.

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> Medicinal Marijuana Reduces Traffic Fatalities | UC Denver

Cannabis Prevents Loss of Vision, Blindness (Study)

Cannabis Prevents Loss of Vision, Blindness (Study) | Third Monk image 1

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Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic eye disease that leads to severe vision loss and blindness. The disease affects 1 in 4,000 people and worsens as cells in the retina, called photoreceptors, die off.

But a study published in Experimental Eye Research shows the chemicals in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, may slow down this retinal degeneration.

Using a synthetic form of THC, the compound responsible for cannabis’ high, researchers at the University of Alicante in Spain were able to prevent vision loss in rats with the disorder.

The data suggests that cannabinoids are potentially useful to delay retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa patients. – Dr. Nicolás Cuenca, Study’s Lead Author.

At the end of 90 days, rats that received treatment performed better on vision tests and had 40% more photoreceptors than untreated rats. THC also seemed to protect a number of other eye structures, including inner layers of the retina.

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Although encouraging, the results were not much of a surprise.

As the team notes, cannabinoids have shown promise in treating a variety of degenerative disorders, ranging from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to Strokes

They’re even seeing use in other vision related problems, such as Glaucoma.

While the latest study did not look at the mechanisms underlying the benefits of cannabinoids in Retinitis Pigmentosa, the authors conclude that further research is required.

> Marijuana Stops Vision Loss | Smell the Truth

How Cannabis Can Benefit Athletic Performance and Recovery

How Cannabis Can Benefit Athletic Performance and Recovery | Third Monk image 1

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Many world-class athletes have been penalized for smoking cannabis, but science suggests it could be the smarter choice.

At the start of 2014, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that he might be open to allowing injured players to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

A number of top athletes in the NFL, along with various other sports leagues, have been known to enjoy cannabis. And there are many good reasons why athletes should be allowed to use the substance without fear of consequences.

It’s a Safer Way of Managing Pain

Marijuana’s potential to relieve pain has been noted by many players in the NFL, and was also acknowledged by their commissioner.

As former Denver Broncos player Nate Jackson explained to The Denver Post,

NFL players live in a great deal of pain on a daily basis, and marijuana helps with that.

Teams pass out opioid painkillers, which are highly addictive. And that can affect a player long after they are done playing.

Marijuana doesn’t have those types of effects.

It Doesn’t Harm Lung Function

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One might wonder why athletes would be okay with smoking cannabis, considering the importance of lung health in professional sports.

But the largest study ever to investigate this effect, published in 2012, helps to explain why.

The 20-year-long study, which involved over 5,000 adults, concluded that regular marijuana smoking (a joint a day for 7 years or a joint a week for 20 years) had no negative impact on lung function.

It May Even Improve Lung Function

On the contrary, the study found evidence of slight improvements in lung capacity for those who smoked cannabis.

The researchers suggest that the traditional method of smoking cannabis, which involves deep inhales, could actually contribute to better lung function over time.

Unlike Alcohol, It Doesn’t Cause Hangovers or Bodily Harm

Banning athletes from using cannabis forces many to turn to alcohol instead, which poses a number of disadvantages.

As former Seattle Seahawks player John Moffitt recently explained:

If you’re an athlete and you’re drinking (alcohol), you’re deteriorating your body far more than if you’re an athlete and you’re using marijuana.

It Aids Recovery and Performance

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There are many other reasons why cannabis is so popular among athletes. In fact, some researchers argue that it should remain banned as a performance enhancing drug, due to its long list of benefits.

Writing in Frontiers in Psychiatry, a pair of neuroscientists from Brazil’s University of Sao Paulo provided this summary:

Cannabis smoking can be helpful for some activities such as extreme sports, as it improves muscle relaxation, reduces anxiety, and extincts fear memories (e.g., negative experiences) leading to enhanced performance.

It is also worthwhile to note that cannabis smoking improves sleep time and recovery, which may favor performance when an athlete is facing multiple competitions in a short period of time.

The debate on cannabis as a banned substance has led to recent changes in Olympic drug testing rules as well.

Top 5 Reasons Why Athletes Prefer Marijuana | Leaf Science