Anything is better than an invasion of arrogant, drunken football fans from England—including cannabis—at least according to German police who spoke out on the matter recently, as a major sporting event transforms the area.

UEFA Euro 2024 will take place in Germany from June 14 until July 14, and fans from all parts of Europe are preparing for a showdown. England and Scotland are two of 24 teams who will compete for the European Championship trophy. Around 40,000 Three Lions fans are expected to converge in Gelsenkirchen this weekend ahead of England’s opening group stage game against Serbia.

Metro.co.uk reports that an unprecedented security operation has been launched in order to prevent potential “hooliganism.” England football fans have already been warned against taking part in offensive chants in an attempt to provoke the opposing fans.

The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship is now in the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football (soccer) championship organized by UEFA for the European men’s national teams of its member associations. The winner of UERA Euro 2024 will later compete in the 2025 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions against the 2024 Copa América winner. 

German police told England fans heading to UETA Euro 2024 this summer and encouraged them to smoke cannabis instead of downing pints. The Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen is set to serve low-alcohol beer in an attempt to keep potential trouble to a minimum but local police have another card up their sleeves: offering pot instead.

Instead of elevating emotions, potentially causing aggression and creating problems, pot induces a different, calmer state of mind—something that German police can deal with.

“It’s no problem for fans to smoke cannabis on the street,” a Gelsenkirchen Police spokesman told The Sun. “If we see a group of people drinking alcohol and looking a bit aggressive, and another group smoking cannabis, of course we’ll look at the group drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol can make someone more aggressive, and smoking cannabis puts people in a chill mood. We want to prevent violence and keep people safe.”

“Our focus will be on fans who are drinking and potentially getting violent—that’s why we in place safety precautions on alcohol,” the spokesperson continued.

Chief Inspector Christof Burghardt told Sky News that he also agrees that England’s opening game will be “high-risk.”

“I think it’s a very high-risk game because of the history, because of the hooligans both sides have,” Burghardt said. “Serbia has many hooligans. The English guys, with alcohol, they are very aggressive. So it’s a great job to do this, to prepare, so that hopefully nothing will happen.’

He added: ‘The biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans.”

Germany Legalizes Cannabis for Personal Use

Earlier this year, Germany legalized cannabis for personal use. The German government in March adopted a bill to end the prohibition of cannabis for adults that will make possession and home cultivation of cannabis legal in the country, which began on April 1. 

The legislation, which also allows for the establishment of cannabis clubs, was given final approval in March in the Bundesrat, Germany’s legislative chamber representing the country’s 16 federal states. The bill has already been approved by the second chamber of parliament known as the Bundestag, which voted to pass the legislation earlier this year.

Under the limited legalization bill known as CanG, adults ages 18 and older will be permitted to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis and store up to 50 grams of it at home beginning on April 1. The measure also permits adults to grow as many as three cannabis plants at their residences. 

On July 1, Germany’s cannabis legalization plan kicked off, permitting non-commercial cannabis clubs, where members will have access to legally cultivated cannabis. Each cannabis club will be limited to no more than 500 members. The legislation does not include provisions that allow for-profit adult-use cannabis producers or retailers.

“The fight was worth it,” Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wrote on X, according to a translation from Politico. “Please use the new option responsibly.”

“Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for the black market today,” he added. 

 The Bundesrat then voted to approve the plan to legalize cannabis in Germany, which will join Malta and Switzerland in the small group of European nations that have approved limited cannabis legalization plans.

With legal cannabis for adults, it provides another way to get inebriated at football events without causing too many problems. It’s a chance for British football fans to reestablish their reputation.

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The Canadian government is proposing a series of amendments to federal cannabis regulations ranging from packaging to reporting requirements, all part of an effort to help ease the regulatory burden cannabis businesses in the country face. It would allow, among many other things, for producers to contain individual packages in bulk outer packaging.

CTV News reports that a raft of changes are expected as a push to fix several problems burdening cannabis producers remains a priority. Health Canada indicated that the amendments are expected to return about $41 million in annualized net benefits in terms of administrative and compliance cost savings. The amendments remove problematic regulations that make it more difficult to market cannabis. 

Changes to Canada’s Cannabis Act include an Order Amending Schedule 2 to the Cannabis Act, and a second Order Amending the Cannabis Tracking System Order (Cultivation Waste).

Changes to the Cannabis Act and Food and Drugs Act included Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Cannabis (Streamlining of Requirements).

“Health Canada recognizes that there may be regulatory measures that could be made more efficient and streamlined without compromising the public health and public safety objectives,” a representative of Health Canada said.

Proposed amendments including packaging changes, such as allowing the lids and containers of cannabis products to display different colors, allowing cut-out windows or transparent packaging, and allowing QR codes on packaging so buyers are able to find more information.

Producers would also be allowed to package multiple products together as long as the package is still under the 30-gram limit, and products inside also meet packaging requirements. The change would mean producers could sell higher quantities of edibles in one single, outer package.

Images or information on the packaging would still not be allowed, for the most part, but images would be exempt if other statutes require it, such as the recycling icon.

The changes mean that producers no longer have to provide paper copies of information sheets to retailers, wouldn’t have to submit a notice to the government on every new dried or fresh cannabis product they want to sell, and the sale and distribution of cannabis pollen would be allowed. Producers also wouldn’t be required to report annually on promotional efforts, and would no longer need to report on cultivation waste.

The changes aim to ease some of the problems the industry is grappling with. This includes bankruptcies and market consolidation following legalization in 2018.

The problems impacting the industry were identified earlier. Canada’s oversupply of cannabis led to $53.7 million unsold cannabis products last December.

A group organized by the federal government to study Canada’s cannabis laws earlier this year made 54 recommendations. The updates that range from packaging and labeling rule changes to a review of the excise taxes imposed on cannabis producers.

Cannabis Sales Impact Alcohol Sales in Canada

Cannabis and alcohol are highly regulated, and sales of the two impact one another.

A study conducted in Canada and recently published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence shows that beer sales have declined since cannabis sales rolled out in the country in 2018. The study was conducted by researchers associated with the College Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, School of Pharmacy at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto.

The study, which was published last February, shows that beer sales in Canada have dropped significantly. “Canada-wide beer sales fell by 96 hectoliters per 100,000 population immediately after non-medical cannabis legalization and by 4 hectoliters per 100,000 population each month thereafter for an average monthly reduction of 136 hectoliters per 100,000 population post-legalization,” authors wrote. A hectoliter is a unit of measurement frequently used in reference to wine, beer, grain, or other agricultural goods, and is the total of 100 liters (1 liter is approximately 0.26 liquid gallons).

Researchers also explained that cannabis legalization did not impact spirit sales in the same way. Additionally, researchers believe that cannabis use could potentially lead to higher alcohol use in some people, specifically “those with greater sensation-seeking behaviors.” However, they also wrote that some consumers are substituting cannabis in the place of alcohol. 

Data on beer and spirits sales in Canada were compiled by Beer Canada and Spirits Canada. 

Beer Canada provided details about approximately 90% of total Canadian beer sales, while Spirits Canada showed sales in relation to whisky, rum, gin, tequila, liqueurs, and vodka but did not include ready-to-drink cocktails. Beer sales were reviewed between January 2012-February 2020, and spirits sales were examined between January 2016-February 2020.

The new proposed changes to Canada’s Cannabis Act and Food and Drugs Act could propel these sales even more if producers are better equipped to handle it. 

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Ladies and gentlemen I’m proud and brutally disgruntled to say that I’m just over six months clean and sober (yes this includes weed) after over 12 years of doing drugs.

Hold your applause, please. I’m happy about it and shit but I didn’t ever want to come to this. I love drugs like a fat kid loves cake. I just personally can’t be trusted with them anymore (if I ever could). I have kids now, I’m getting a little older and it was just time to hang up my drinking and drugging boots for a long and indefinite period of time. 

That said, sobriety is damned difficult. I got high as a kite on all kinds of shit all day every day for over a decade and it’s no easy task to change my ways after such an extended jaunt down the proverbial rabbit hole. The general state of my life is undeniably better since I got sober but as a fellow wagon rider I know likes to say: sobriety is not all rainbows and blowjobs. It sucks dirty dog ass just to get out of bed some days and I’ve had to develop little tricks to keep my head in the game.

I was in the throes of one of those no good dirty awful very bad days when the idea for this article was born. I was in a group chat with some fellow drug reporters and derelicts talking about how Hunter Biden would make a way better president than his geriatric father or that fast talking orange fellow when I lamented that I would almost certainly break sobriety to smoke crack with Hunter Biden. 

I would love to say I was joking but it’s a mortal sin to lie in print. If Hunter Biden invited me to smoke crack, ride water slides and fire off automatic weapons with Ukrainian hookers I would have absolutely no choice but to say yes. I may be trying to live a better life but I’m not fucking daft. That shit would rule.

Thus, I was reminded about the episode of Friends where Ross makes a list of all the celebrity women he’s allowed to sleep with while in a long-term relationship. A hall pass list if you will. As somebody deadlocked in a long term relationship with sobriety, I thought it might be helpful and motivating to have my own hall pass list of people I’m allowed to do drugs with should the opportunity arise. 

Obviously, smoking crack with Hunter Biden is at the top of that list and I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to ask him in writing if he would be down to get high and ride water slides with me and some of my fellow drug journalist friends. So, Hunter, if you happen to be reading this please get ahold of me. Your dad, lawyers, girlfriends and/or ranking members of The Justice Department absolutely do not have to know.

Now it is at this time I feel I should be absolutely clear for my fellow sober people, this is just to have a laugh. I’m fully committed to sobriety and better living and I really don’t want to overdose again. I’m just trying to be funny, mostly. I also don’t think I’ll ever realistically be put into any of the following situations but who knows, life is cool sometimes. The point is this is supposed to be funny and I’m only like 2 maybe 40 percent serious so don’t yell at me and don’t tell my sponsor, wife, parents or kids that I wrote this. 

Now that we got the disclaimer out of the way, here’s my sobriety hall pass list complete with the people I’m allowed to get high with and the substance we’re allowed to do together. 

1. Drinking Lean with Future

This one should be obvious. I have listened to the 56 Nights mixtape well over 10,000 times. When I found out my lady was pregnant with my first son I swear to God I put an earbud in her belly button and played Codeine Crazy at max volume. I never had enough access to lean in the mountains of NorCal to really sip like I wanted to but on the rare occasion it was around I loved me some dirty sprite. If DJ Screw or Pimp C were still alive I’d choose to sip with them instead but I’d still want to do drugs with Future even though I’m pretty sure he’s actually sober in real life. His music was the soundtrack to so many of my degenerate activities it would only be right to sip a double cup or three in the studio with the man himself. 

2. Whiskey with Johnny Depp

Hear me out on this one, I don’t want to drink with Johnny Depp just because I’m secretly a little gay for him. I want to drink with Johnny Depp because he’s one of the few remaining people walking the Earth who knew and loved the late and great Hunter S. Thompson while he was still alive. As a die-hard Thompson fanatic with a Gonzo fist tattooed on my chest, I would love nothing more than to hear some stories about him from one of his closest friends and allies. I also know Johnny appreciates great literature and writing which I can sit and nerd out about with anybody, but to toss a few back with the guy who played Hunter in real life and trade stories from the dark and bloody ground would easily be the coolest moment I’ll ever experience in this lifetime. 

3. Acid with Ralph Steadman

Could it be any more obvious that I’m a Gonzo fanatic? Not only that, Ralph Steadman is one of my favorite artists and a noted lover of psychedelics, though maybe not so much in his old age. Either way, it would be an absolute gaggle of fun to dose with Steadman, watch his process, throw some paint around a studio and hear stories from his life. Art and acid also just go hand in hand for me. I used to dose up and spray paint manic scenes of pigs, butterflies and grim reapers (oh my!) on bedsheets in my old garage, so this would be a much more well-thought out version of that with one of the true godfathers.

4. Cocaine with Grace Slick

The 60’s are, naturally, my favorite bit of American history I wasn’t around for and Jefferson Airplane is one of my all-time favorite bands. As the lead singer and mastermind behind some of my favorite tracks from that era, it would be unbelievably rad to toss back some nose-beers with Grace Slick and fast-track a conversation about the 60’s, the Vietnam War, the Chicago Seven, the original Woodstock and how shitty the weed was back then compared to now. She’s probably a little old to be railing lines now but hey, this list was never supposed to be super realistic. I actually reached out to her for an interview once but never heard back so if anyone knows Grace Slick, tell her to call me so I can pick her brain. Doing drugs together would not be required.

5. Smoking Weed with Barack Obama

I stole this one from Jon Cappetta but it was too good to leave out. I’m not the most political person in the world. Frankly, everyone who gets too into politics seems to be fighting a losing fight against what I can only assume to be a superhuman race of reptilian overlords. That said, Obama was by far the coolest lizard-person ever to grace the White House since I’ve been alive (Although Slick Willy was in office the year I was born I was just too young to remember and too young to know what a blowjob was). The Secret Service would likely have to be there which would be really, really funny to me. They might even have to test the weed first, in a highly classified fashion of course. I also want to ask the former president about the night we killed Bin Laden, what it was like in the Situation Room, etc. That seems like it would make for some fun, light weed conversation.

6. MDMA with Emma Watson

Before anyone accuses me of anything let me be clear: this is not a sexual thing. Emma Watson just seems like she’d be fun to party with and I don’t want to take Molly with dudes. Not to mention I already saw Daniel Radcliffe in person once after doing a bunch of cocaine on a sea cliff (the details of which are here) so as my other favorite character from the Harry Potter series and somebody who generally seems cool as shit, I just have a weird feeling that it would be super fun to take Ecstasy and go to a light show with the brilliant Hermione Granger. Maybe we’d fake magic fight just for fun. Miley Cyrus also seems like she’d be fun to take Molly with, for whatever that information is worth.

During the course of writing this I was surprised to find this was actually a bit of a difficult list for me because all the people that came to mind originally are dead. Mac Miller, Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut, Warren Zevon, Joan Didion, MF Doom, James Gandolfini, Charles Bukowski and plenty more I can’t be bothered to remember at the moment would have all made the list ahead of the rest but they tragically passed before the fateful day I sat down to write this silly little article, many of them far too young. Maybe that says something about who I choose to look up to but I think it says more about the bargain you make between heaven and hell when you decide how you want to be remembered. Greatness takes a heavy toll on the mind, body and soul after all. Live fast, die young and don’t leave enough money behind to pay for the casket.

Anyway, I won’t turn this into a philosophical diatribe. I’d have to be high for that and I am regretfully…not…. I’ll end by saying that getting sober was a smart choice for me at the time I decided to do it but I don’t regret getting after it as hard as I did, not for a second. You gotta get a little weird with it sometimes. You gotta balance out the mundane with some good old fashioned freak power. You gotta have a backup plan to get through the pain of being a well-functioning human. You don’t necessarily need drugs to do that and I would be remiss if I did not take the time to strongly recommend sobriety to anyone struggling with substance abuse. It helps, it really does. Everyone else feel free to party on for the rest of us who can’t anymore.

That said, if anyone listed above wants to get high with me you can find me on AOL Instant Messenger. My screen name is “5ubstanc3Dumpst3r143.” Until then, you can find me hanging out with my kids, fully present, telling better stories than the other parents and casting my vote for Hunter Biden this November. 

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The rising prominence of regular cannabis use over alcohol use is nothing new. 

We’ve witnessed myriad research in recent years showing that states with legal recreational cannabis see decreases in alcohol use, that Gen Z tends to prefer cannabis over alcohol and other reports noting that cannabis has consistently generated more tax revenue than alcohol and cigarettes in states like Colorado and Washington. 

So it’s not necessarily a surprise that, for the first time, the number of Americans who use cannabis on a daily, or near-daily, basis has eclipsed those who drink alcohol at the same frequency. Associated Press first reported on the recent analysis of national survey data, finding that an estimated 17.7 million people reported daily or near-daily cannabis use, compared to 14.7 million daily or near-daily American drinkers.

For comparison, 1992 was the low point for daily cannabis use as less than 1 million people at the time said they used cannabis every day.

Daily Use Among 40% of Cannabis Consumers

According to study author Jonathan Caulkins, who researches cannabis policy at Carnegie Mellon University, alcohol is still more widely used, but 2022 was the first time that the level of cannabis use overtook daily or near-daily drinking.

“A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use,” Caulkins said.

Caulkins’ study, titled “Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022,” is based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and published in the journal Addiction on Wednesday. It notes that there was a 15-fold increase in the per capita rate of reporting daily or near-daily cannabis use from 1992 to 2022, whereas the 1992 survey found 10 times as many daily or near-daily alcohol users compared to cannabis users.

Reflecting alcohol as the more commonly used substance, the study notes that the median drinker reported alcohol use on four to five days in the past month, versus 15 to 16 days of past-month use for cannabis users. Past-month cannabis consumers were almost four times as likely to report daily or near-daily use and 7.4 times more likely to report daily use, according to the study.

A Decades-Long Journey for Cannabis

Of course, this trend is no accident. It’s the product of gradual policy changes, advocacy and broader education surrounding the true nature of cannabis use and cannabis consumers following decades of skewed propaganda and harsh criminalization.

The study notes four major periods of cannabis policy fluctuation in the U.S., starting with liberalization in the ‘70s as 11 states decriminalized or reduced cannabis-related penalties. This is alongside the Shafer Commission report, which countered the popular notion that cannabis users were dangerous, concluding that users tend to be more passive and cannabis does not cause widespread danger to society. It also recommended social measures to curb usage rather than criminalization.

The more conservative policies of the 1980s and early ‘90s followed, with President Reagan and Bush Sr.’s now somewhat infamous War on Drugs in full force. The third major period outlined by the study spans 1993 to 2008, a period of “state-led liberalization” underscored by an increasing recognition of medical cannabis contrary to federal policy.

Finally, we witness the period of “explicit non-interference by the federal government” starting in 2009, with Deputy Attorney General David Ogden’s memo prompting American attorneys not to focus “federal resources in your states on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

Just a few years later, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis.

“There were myriad other changes at the local, state and federal level in both law and policy,” the study notes. “Change has been continual, so these epochs are just signposts, not the only moments of change.”

Weighing Impacts of Daily Cannabis Use Over Daily Alcohol Use

For those who have tried cannabis and who use it routinely, this information may not come as much of a surprise. American attitudes around cannabis have shifted, with the majority routinely sharing they consider cannabis as a safer alternative that alcohol and cigarettes.

Research is also increasingly finding a lack of “hangover” effects in cannabis users, showing no evidence of next-day effects following THC consumption. This, of course, acts in stark contrast to alcohol use, so those who use cannabis frequently arguably have fewer obstacles to navigate surrounding general day-to-day functions. In addition, research is increasingly finding that even chronic pot use has minimal effects on motivation.

Regular cannabis use isn’t without its faults. The Associated Press report includes the perspective of University of Maryland School of Medicine psychiatry professor Dr. David A. Gorelick, who notes that high-frequency cannabis users are more likely to become addicted to cannabis. Gorelick was not involved in the original study.

Some studies have also pointed to increased risk in heart problems among heavy cannabis users (though other studies have suggested the opposite). 

There’s also been a recent influx in studies suggesting that cannabis use, especially surrounding high-potency products, produces greater risk in developing psychosis. While substance abuse disorders indeed carry psychiatric comorbidities, there is limited evidence surrounding how this relationship translates to the general population and how much substance use disorders are driven by such comorbidities. 

A number of studies have combated that narrative with advocates often arguing that touting this relationship between cannabis use and psychosis is simply the newest iteration of “reefer madness” of past years.

Of course, more research is needed to fully determine the health impacts of regular cannabis use — something that the upcoming Schedule III status of cannabis will likely aid in. 

That said, regular alcohol use is known to affect how the brain works over time, damage the heart, increase risk of stroke and high blood pressure and weaken the immune system, leaving people more susceptible to illness. There’s also the toll it takes on the liver and pancreas and its potential to cause several types of cancer.

While cannabis may not be perfect, even your standard “recreational” user is likely to cite a number of medical-specific benefits they enjoy from their use. Many regular cannabis users utilize it as a means to better wellness or to usher in specific symptom relief while also helping to provide a sense of ease and escape from their struggles. 

All to say, research like this often affirms what those in the cannabis community have been saying for years. Perhaps society is finally beginning to catch up.

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Newly published research indicates that recreational cannabis legalization in Washington did not result in a spike in impaired driving among younger demographics.

The research, published last month in the journal Prevention Science, was based on data collected in the five years following legalization.

“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for young adults (YA) in the USA, and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA), cannabis (DUIC), and simultaneous use of both substances (DUIAC) are prominent risk factors,” the authors explained in the study’s abstract. 

“Trends in YA impaired driving behaviors after opening of cannabis retail stores have been understudied. We examined YA trends in DUIA, DUIC, and DUIAC from immediately prior through 5 years following the opening of cannabis retail outlets in Washington State (2014–2019).”

They noted that differences “in trends were assessed across age, sex, and urbanicity,” and that “weighted logistic regressions assessed yearly change in prevalence of DUIA, DUIC, and DUIAC from 2014 to 2019, using annual statewide data from the Washington Young Adult Health Survey (n = 12,963; ages 18–25).” 

“Moderation of trends by age, sex, and urbanicity was assessed. Prevalence of DUIA decreased overall (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.90, 0.97) and among drinkers (AOR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.91, 0.99) but remained at concerning levels in 2019 (10% overall; 16% among drinkers),” they said.

Ultimately, the researchers found that driving under the influence of cannabis “did not change significantly…but decreased among those who used cannabis.” 

Driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis simultaneously “decreased but not significantly,” according to the researchers, who said that the “prevalence of [young adult] DUI remained concerning.”

As NORML pointed out, the findings have echoes of a 2022 study that found that the “risk of self-reported [driving under the influence of cannabis] was lower in recreational and medical cannabis states compared to states without legal cannabis.”

The authors of that study, published in Preventive Medicine Reports, said they were motivated to research the matter because the “relationship between cannabis legalization and traffic safety remains unclear.”

“Physiological measures of cannabis impairment remain imperfect. This analysis used self-report data to examine the relationship between cannabis legalization and driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC),” they said.

Those researchers said they used “a cross-sectional national sample (2016–2017) of 1,249 past–30-day cannabis users,” and then “regressed self-reported DUIC (driving within three hours of ‘getting high’) on cannabis legalization (recreational and medical (recreational), medical only (medical), or no legal cannabis), adjusting for demographics, days of use (past 30 days), days of use, legal status, calibration weights, and geographic clustering.”

“The risk of DUIC in recreational (risk ratio [RR] = 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.23–0.72) and medical (RR = 0.39, 95% CI:0.20–0.79) states was lower than in states without legal cannabis, with one exception. Among frequent cannabis users (≥20 days per month), there was a significantly lower risk of DUIC for those living in recreational states (RR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.49–0.99), but not for those living in medical states (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.60–1.24), compared to users living in states without legal cannabis,” the authors explained.

They said that while “all states should educate its citizens about the potential dangers of using cannabis and driving, this analysis suggests that states without legal cannabis are particularly in need of DUIC prevention efforts.” 

“States should consider mass media campaigns as a method of reaching all cannabis users, including more frequent users, with information about the dangers of DUIC. Medical states may consider targeting frequent users by disseminating information about DUIC through medical dispensaries. Further research is warranted, particularly given the constantly evolving nature of cannabis legalization and the noted limitations of this analysis,” the authors said, as quoted by NORML.

The findings are encouraging because, generally, toking and driving should be avoided.

A study released earlier this year using cannabis could be particularly detrimental to older drivers.

“Epidemiological studies have established that cannabis increases the risk of a motor vehicle collision,” the study’s authors wrote. “Laboratory studies have demonstrated that this impairment results in increased weaving, slowed reaction time, and compensatory changes in speed and following distance.”

“Older adults may be particularly affected by cannabis, given age-related changes in cognition, metabolic changes that may prolong or enhance the effects of cannabis, and the concomitant use of medications,” they added. “Conversely, older users of cannabis may have been using cannabis for many years and cannabis may have a diminished impact in this population due to development of tolerance.”

The study was conducted by researchers in Canada, where marijuana is legal for adults.

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In the opening verse of The Tortured Poets Department, her 11th studio album, Taylor Swift sings that she was a functioning alcoholic until nobody noticed her new aesthetic. 

They do now. 

In the album, a sprawling 31 tracks (that’s her signature 13 backward), Swift is the most unmasked (and turned on) she’s ever been. She’s done impressing the “wine moms” (even if the blood of fermented fruit is her drug of choice). Sung in a low register, the first 16 songs of TPD are primarily dark, twinkling synthy pop tunes, primarily written with long-term collaborator Jack Antonoff, with help from Aaron Dessner of The National. Dessner, whose Swift collabs are more of the folk music, indie variety, primarily encompass the latter half of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, a surprise bonus album dropped shortly after listeners finished streaming the original album at midnight (shout out to everyone else who got a notification from Spotify that they were in the first ten percent of streams). 

TPD racked up 891 million streams in its first week in the United States, setting a new record that surpasses the previous high of 746 million streams, achieved by Drake’s 25-track Scorpion in 2018. 

On the title track, “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift sings about a love interest who “smoked and ate seven bars of chocolate.” Despite acknowledging that this person isn’t Dylan Thomas, and she isn’t Patti Smith (“This ain’t the Chelsea hotel, we’re modern idiots”), Swift is unabashedly captivated, which is why it’s so heartbreaking when deeper into the anthology side of the album, she’s realizing that this person needed her but needed drugs more.  

If the tabloids are to be believed, the “tattooed golden retriever” in question is the problematic charismatic Matty Healy of The 1975, who’s openly discussed seeking treatment for a heroin addiction. On “The Alchemy,” she finds a new lover who is into heroin, but this time, with an “e,” (heroine). It’s easy to simply say that she’s singing about drugs on TPD because she was linked to Healy in 2023 when it was primarily written, but looking to tabloid reports on her dating history to explain songwriting decisions is so tired. And, plus, while their recent “situationship” is captivating TikTok, the pair have at least known each other and supported one another’s work for a decade. 

So why is Swift getting so real and singing about the munchies and balancing love and addiction now? Is it that cannabis, set to be declassified, isn’t as shocking as it was when she was first involved with bad boys? No. 

It’s actually not the first time she’s covered substance use disorders; 2020’s “This Is Me Trying,” as discussed in Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, is about exactly that. Just no one noticed her new aesthetic! And now she’s totally out of fucks, even if she’s dropping the f-bomb more regularly than ever before. It’s not just drugs. TPD is not just love song after love song about an ex, as many reviews would have you believe. There’s line after line dissecting religion. She’s critical of her seemingly picture-perfect family, perhaps most shockingly, and even her fans. 

She’s levitating down the street in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” like some vampire defanged to perform in the circus (The internet wants to know: Is she beefing with Olivia Rodrigo? What about the diss track allegedly about Kim Kardashian? You fools, if anything, she’s drumming up drama for Reputation: Taylor’s Version!). She’s very horny on “Guilty As Sin?” which continues the album’s investigation into sex and religion. She’s watching American Pie on the garage rock “So High School.” Post Malone contributes smokey vocals on “Fortnight,” and in the video, we get to see what Swift looks like with face tats. The whole thing is honestly a stoner’s delight. And it’s definitely an album for people in their 30s. On “Florida!!!” featuring Florence Welch, which is basically about escaping to the state to dispose of bodies, those that have been on top of you, Swift is observing that her friends “all smell like weed or little babies,” and on the gorgeous “Robin” she’s begging a lover to take her higher and higher while cackling “you look ridiculous,” like she’s Alabama from True Romance in the scene where she kills James Gandolfini with the help of hair spray. “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” is pop perfection, and Swift singing about crying a lot while remaining productive is as on-brand as it gets. This song will definitely be performed at the remaining 2024 Eras tour dates. 

Plus, we get to hear Swift sing the word “daddy” again. The stuff about the exes is largely interesting for Easter Eggs-obsessed fans (The Tortured Poets Department came out on April 19, the day before 4/20, but also the date that, in 1775, the Revolutionary War began as America declared its intentions to leave Britain, and both Healy and her ex of six years who apparently wanted to de-jewel her, are British). The track “So Long London” brings Miss Americana back home. What’s next, the critics and fans want to know. After seeing a video on IG of her singing along to Garth Brooks’s iconic “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” at a football game, I’m personally crossing my fingers that, as the country genre has become surprisingly cool in recent years, thanks to stars like Kacey Musgraves, who often sings about cannabis, as well, of course, as Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Swift collaborator Lana Del Rey’s forthcoming country album, Lasso, that Tay Tay will go back to her Tim McGraw lovin’ roots, and we’ll eventually get another country album. 13/10 stars for The Tortured Poets Department. 

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Legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis, as well as an increase in retail sales in Canada and the U.S. did not lead to an overall increase in teen substance abuse, a team of researchers found. They also found that adult-use legislation led to a “modest decrease” in teen alcohol and e-cigarette use.

The research was led by co-principal investigators Lynch School of Education and Human Development professor Rebekah Levine Coley, School of Social Work Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins, and Economics Department Chair Christopher F. Baum. They believe they are among the first to evaluate associations between adult-use cannabis legislation and recreational cannabis retail sales through 2021, and teen substance abuse. Naoka Carey, a doctoral candidate in the Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology department of the Lynch School, as well as Claudia Kruzik, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maryland-College Park, also contributed to the study.

The cross-sectional study is entitled “Recreational Cannabis Legalization, Retail Sales, and Adolescent Substance Use Through 2021,” and was published online and in JAMA Pediatrics on April 15. Researchers used survey datasets to evaluate adult-use cannabis legalization and retail sales policies, as well as adolescent substance use through 2021.

Adult-use cannabis legalization was associated with modest decreases in cannabis, alcohol, and e-cigarette use, while retail sales were associated with lower e-cigarette use, and a lower likelihood, but also increased frequency of cannabis use among youth consumers, essentially canceling out and leading to “no overall change in cannabis use.”

They found no evidence suggesting otherwise, as the dust settles from 24 states and Washington, D.C. enacting adult-use cannabis legislation, and 18 states implementing adult-use cannabis sales.

The Findings Show Effects of Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

Researchers wanted to sort through perceived effects of cannabis legalization to determine if it indeed leads to an increase in substance abuse, but didn’t find a link. 

 “Although studies of early-enacting states and Canada reported few effects of recreational cannabis legislation on adolescent substance abuse, experts have highlighted the need to further assess policy outcomes in youth as legislation and retail availability spread, and other policies targeting youth substance use shift,” the authors said. “We found limited associations between recreational cannabis legalization and retail sales with adolescent substance use, extending previous findings.”

Overall however, since findings were mixed, with data showing a lower likelihood of cannabis use despite increased frequency, it shows no increase in teen substance use. They also arrived at other conclusions regarding adult-use cannabis’s impact on alcohol use, and e-cigarette use that are worth noting.

“According to the researchers,” an April 18 announcement reads, “recreational cannabis legalization was associated with modest decreases in cannabis, alcohol, and e-cigarette use, while retail sales were associated with lower e-cigarette use, and a lower likelihood, but also increased frequency of cannabis use among youth consumers, leading to no overall change in cannabis use.”

The findings show that there wasn’t a substantial increase in teen substance use overall.

“The results suggest that legalization and greater control over cannabis markets have not facilitated adolescents’ entry into substance use,” noted the study co-authors.

Other Studies Show No Link Between Adult-Use Cannabis and 

The study aligns for the most part with previous data showing no link between legalization and increased drug abuse. A previous study also found an increase in cannabis use but lower rates of alcohol abuse, with no overall increase in substance abuse disorders.

Researchers published a study, “Recreational cannabis legalization has had limited effects on a wide range of adult psychiatric and psychosocial outcomes,” via  Cambridge University Press on Jan. 5. In it, researchers sought to “quantify possible causal effects of recreational cannabis legalization on substance use, substance use disorder, and psychosocial functioning, and whether vulnerable individuals are more susceptible to the effects of cannabis legalization than others.”

Living in a legal state was “not associated” with substance abuse disorders, although they found it led to higher pot use but lower alcohol use. Living in a legal state was associated, in fact, with lower alcohol use disorder (AUD) rates.

“In the co-twin control design accounting for earlier cannabis frequency and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms respectively, the twin living in a recreational state used cannabis on average more often, and had fewer AUD symptoms than their co-twin living in an non-recreational state. Cannabis legalization was associated with no other adverse outcome in the co-twin design, including cannabis use disorder. No risk factor significantly interacted with legalization status to predict any outcome.”

The findings mount as experts determine the impact of adult-use cannabis policy, laws, and retail sales on public health in multiple states.

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The Drug Abuse Resistance Education, aka D.A.R.E., has been teaching kids about substance abuse since 1983 with a mission of delivering science and evidence-based curricula. Recently, a D.A.R.E. documentary published by Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan on April 12 spoke with numerous individuals regarding the D.A.R.E. program and discussed the failure of the War on Drugs. Callaghan attended D.A.R.E.’s annual conference, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada last July. An estimated 500 attendees were present for D.A.R.E. officer training.

Part of the conference included presenting awards for 2023 D.A.R.E. Student of the Year and 2023 D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year Mark Gilmore, from Kosciusko, Mississippi. Gilmore commented on his ability as a D.A.R.E. officer to apprehend any students who possess any amount of drugs, which includes even the smallest amount of weed.

D.A.R.E.’s 2022 Officer of the Year, Alex Mendoza of the Irvine Police Department spoke with Callaghan about shifting D.A.R.E.’s approach to drug prevention deterring kids from using drugs. “For me, it’s really about educating the youth that are out there,” Mendoza said. “To give them the tools necessary to navigate whatever pain that they’re going through. I think that if you don’t have that self-love for yourself and that resiliency, then you’re gonna go to that external source, whatever that might be.”

Callaghan asked, “Do you feel the same way about alcohol?” to which Mendoza replied, “Absolutely. I mean, alcohol is a gateway drug.” Callaghan then asked Mendoza if he drinks alcohol, and Mendoza confirmed that he does so rarely, or “maybe once or twice within a month period of time.” He gave an example, stating that he recently had an alcoholic drink at his daughter’s wedding during a toast.

Callaghan addressed this issue in the documentary, citing the validity of calling alcohol a gateway drug. He asked Mendoza if he felt cannabis could be treated in the same way as alcohol. “You know, there’s so many things about marijuana that go far beyond, I guess, really our understanding, right?” said Mendoza. “From a lot of the statistics that are out there, obviously, they say that it can be more dangerous than tobacco products.”

However, he did note that there are many instances where cannabis is being used to help patients to deal with the symptoms of their condition. “I think the problem that you run into is that you have the people that truly legitimately have a need and a purpose behind it and will use it to help them navigate their pain,” said Mendoza. “My brother-in-law recently passed away of cancer, and he didn’t want to go with any type of prescription medication. He wanted something natural and he resulted to using THC to deal with his pain. And it helped him. He passed away, but it helped him navigate that, right? And then you have, unfortunately, people that will use that as an excuse to try to use that product for recreational purposes.”

D.A.R.E. President and CEO Francisco Pegueros, who formerly worked for the Los Angeles Police department, concluded the conference with a speech. In a one-on-one interview, Callaghan mentioned that people being critical of the War on Drugs, Pegueros said “Well, there was some evidence that certain governmental agencies were involved in a lot of activity that were kind of contrary to the whole concept of the war on drugs,” Pegueros said. Callaghan called the “CIA giving crack to Freeway Ricky Ross,” or how the federal government was supplying Ross with cocaine for illegal sales. “It’s an unfortunate part of our history. But evidently, it’s reality,” Pegueros said.

The documentary also interviewed one individual named Hailey, who was the only protester outside of last year’s D.A.R.E. conference last year. “We don’t try to outlaw sex. We don’t try to outlaw driving. We don’t try to outlaw guns,” Hailey stated. “We don’t try to outlaw all these things that come with risk but can be easily have these safety measures put in place, much like we do with pharmaceuticals.”

Callaghan briefly spoke with Bill Russel, also known as RETRO BILL, who has spoken to kids across the country for more than 25 years in partnership with D.A.R.E. to warn kids about how drugs, including cannabis, are harmful and dangerous.

The documentary stated that the D.A.R.E. program cost American taxpayers up to $750 million per year in the 1990s, up until a 1998 University of Michigan study showed that drug use continued to rise between 1992-1995, despite the nationwide prevalence of D.A.R.E.

It also reviewed the rise of the War on Drugs through actions from former presidents Richard Nixon and later, Ronald Reagan. Former President Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act in 1994, and D.A.R.E. lost its federal funding in 1998.

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Entertainment hosts in Las Vegas are noticing a significant decrease in Gen Z (those born between 1997-2012) drinking alcohol. Paired with an overall increase in cannabis use by younger consumers, this shift could lead to great success for consumption lounges.

Las Vegas-based promoter of Pulsar Presents, Patrick Trout, has 20 years of experience promoting local music. Trout recently spoke with Las Vegas Weekly about the trend of Gen Z drinking less alcohol. “It’s something I’ve observed since the shutdown ended, but especially in the last year,” Trout said. “I’ve seen a dramatic increase in people not drinking at shows or drinking non-alcoholic stuff, but then simultaneously also wanting to smoke more. We are really seeing a generational, cultural shift.”

Trout’s observation is also reflected in a 2023 Billboard article, which cited a shift in alcohol consumption when businesses reopened after the pandemic. One Tucson, Arizona-based club manager noted that especially with shows that catered to Gen Z, alcohol sales dropped by 25%. Some researchers believe that this is partially because people pre-game, or start drinking alcohol prior to their arrival at a bar or entertainment venue, which is also a way to save money on a night out. Venue owners have attempted to switch their strategies to appeal to Gen Z attendees, such as expanding their non-alcohol options. In 2019, Global Market projected that the non-alcoholic industry could reach a value of $30 billion by next year.

Psychiatrist Akhil Anand, MD, told Cleveland Clinic that an increase in mental health awareness deters Gen Z from imbibing. “Alcohol is a depressant and never the answer to a bad day,” Anand said. “Gen Z seems to understand that concept and they’ve moved in a different direction.”

A New Frontier Data report from 2022 shows that 69% of people between 18-24 prefer cannabis over alcohol, while the same preference is seen with 70% of those 25-34, 68% of 35-44 year olds, 55% of people 45-54, 52% of 55-64, and 44% of those 65-74.

Christopher LaPorte, Vegas-based manager of Reset, a cannabis hospitality group, told Las Vegas Weekly that cannabis is becoming highly preferred over alcohol. “Everyone has the pot brownie story that was horrible. But everyone also has a lot more of ‘Oh my god, that one night with tequila,’” said LaPorte. “People are more educated now because we are out of the closet. More people know about cannabis. More cool people are very open about their cannabis-smoking habits.”

Nevada’s first consumption lounge, Smoke and Mirrors, which is owned by Thrive Cannabis, opened in late February. LaPorte helped design the consumption lounge, which made him think of listening cafes in Japan and New York, some of which only offer non-alcoholic drink menus. “There was this buzz, I would say three years ago, about this new culture of non-alcoholic spirits, and we saw that there were bars actually dedicated to that. It wasn’t just an Alcoholics Anonymous kind of center. We [thought] this might be something,” said LaPorte. “We saw a lot of products like Lyre’s and Seedlip … they were starting to percolate. And, again, it was like, how can we tie this into a cannabis lounge?’”

That thought culminated into Smoke and Mirrors’ non-alcoholic, THC-infused drinks, which LaPorte described as a way to “attract another market into the cannabis space.”

Las Vegas Weekly was given a tour of Planet 13’s new cannabis lounge, led by Frankie Anobile, who has had an extended career as a DJ and developing Vegas nightlife entertainment, but is now Planet 13’s entertainment director. While he explained that he doesn’t expect “bong service” to replace “bottle service,” he stated that offering both services is the best way to go.

Planet 13’s consumption lounge, Dazed!, opened on April 5, but the company is also planning on building a three-story, 60,000 square-foot nightclub that only serves alcohol sometime in 2025.

While Nevada state law prevents cannabis businesses from selling alcohol, and vice versa, Planet 13’s nightclub plan would allow club goers to walk next door to the club after the consumption lounge closes. “You can stay all night drinking for hours; you can’t stay all night smoking. It’s a totally different culture, from what they want musically to what their stay time is,” said Anobile. “A lot of these people don’t usually like to leave their house. They’re not the ones who want to spend an hour getting ready to go out there and be seen like they’re doing an Instagram post.”

Trout added that he’s excited to see how consumption lounges will alter the music scene. “One thing I’m really interested to see with the pot lounges that decide to utilize live music is seeing what the spread is, what genres they go after,” Trout said. “There’s some sub genres of metal like doom and stoner rock and desert rock where I think it would absolutely appeal to them to have a place like that where you can smoke and watch music.”

According to the Nevada Independent, there are 38 more cannabis consumption lounge license holders currently working on their businesses at various stages.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently released a report sharing new data on U.S. truck drivers. The report consists of a year-end compilation of data from 2023, as well as data specifically from December 2023, published by the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. This includes other data regarding “queries conducted, violations reported, and drivers in the return-to-duty (RTD) process.”

The report shows that there has been an increased number of truck drivers with positive drug tests in 2023, as well as a high number of drivers who refused to be screened. The number of registered truck drivers has dropped every year since 2020, landing at the current number of 858,000 in 2023. Trucker drug violations rose between 2022 and 2023, with 67,775 recorded in 2022, followed by 68,229 in 2023. However, the number of trucker drug tests decreased, with 57,597 in 2022 and 54,464 in 2023. 

The FMCSA wrote that there were fewer trucker screenings overall because they refused to be tested. “We’ve observed that even though the number of positive drug tests dropped for the first time in relation to the previous calendar year, the number of overall drug violations reported to the Clearinghouse continued to increase.”

“The overall rise in drug violations in 2023, even though there are fewer positive tests, is attributed to a nearly 40% increase in reported drug test refusals—9,214 in 2022 versus 12,804 in 2023,” the report stated. “Drug test refusals include employer reported refusals like failing to show up for a random test, or leaving a test collection facility after a test has begun but before it’s complete.”

A more complete breakdown shows that in 2020, there were 44,243 positive drug tests (with 7,092 refusals). This was followed by 48,407 positive drug tests in 2021 (with 7,941 refusals), 57,597 positive drug tests in 2022 (with 9,214 refusals), and finally 54,464 positive drug tests in 2023 (with 12,804 refusals).

Alcohol drug tests are also conducted for truck drivers, although the rate of positive alcohol tests pales in comparison to positive drug tests. In 2020, 697 truck drivers tested positive for alcohol (with 257 refusals), followed by 859 positive tests in 2021 (with 305 refusals), 904 positive alcohol tests in 2022 (with 330 refusals), and finally 1,036 positive alcohol tests in 2023 (with 315 refusals).

Overall, drug tests had decreased over time for all major substances. This includes cannabis (40,916 positive tests in 2022 versus 37,657 in 2023), cocaine (10,953 in 2022 versus 10,326 in 2023), methamphetamine (5,569 in 2022 versus 4,515 in 2023), and amphetamine (5,349 in 2022 versus 4,222 in 2023).

The news outlet Transport Topics discussed the newest data from the report. The article points out that the one thing that hasn’t changed is that drivers who previously tested positive for one of the aforementioned drugs, a majority of them did not return to driving. “Of the 226,598 CDL/CLP [commercial driver’s license/commercial learner’s permit] drivers who tested positive for at least one drug since the Clearinghouse opened in January 2020, 158,330 remain in ‘prohibited driving status,’” Transport Topics wrote. “A total of 68,268 drivers with at least one violation are currently in ‘not-prohibited status,’ and 15,699 drivers have successfully completed follow-up testing.”

American Trucking Associations (ATA) senior vice president of regulatory affairs and safety policy, Dan Horvath, explained that the Clearinghouse system is the leading cause of a decrease in positive drug tests for truckers. “While there could be a few unknown variables that are impacting the decline, I’m cautiously optimistic that the decline in the number of positives is simply because the Clearinghouse is working,” Horvath told Transport Topics. “We are now more than four years into having an active Clearinghouse system, and I’m hopeful that the message is out there that illegal drug use will be detected.”

Horvath also added that this data shows the increase in education for truckers, and knowledge about the consequences of receiving a positive drug test. “Motor carriers have increased the education they provide to drivers to ensure they are aware of the consequences of testing positive. Now, we must ensure that oral fluid testing labs are approved so that carriers can begin using that testing method if they choose,” Horvath said. “ATA has also reiterated the need to correct and finalize the long-overdue hair testing guidelines that have been in Office of Management and Budget review for over a year now.”

American Transportation Research Institute senior vice president, Dan Murray, also provided a comment about the drug test changes seen in 2023 data. “2023 was a really bad year for the trucking industry.” We were technically in a recession,” said Murray. “So I think the number of people entering the industry was considerably smaller than the previous years.”

Murray believes that truckers are leaving the industry before they get drug tested, knowing what will happen. “So I think some people are proactively thinking ‘Well, before I get caught, I’m outta here,’” Murray explained. Additionally, he thinks that another portion of drivers don’t want to risk their jobs. “They say, ‘It’s not worth it to push my luck. If I use, I’m going to get tested. If I get tested I’m going to lose my job. So it’s time to clean up my act.’”

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