A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that more 12-year-olds in the U.S are getting high by sniffing inhalants than by smoking marijuana. Easy to obtain products like glue, air fresheners, computer cleaners, and nail polish are the most popular choice of inhalants but some kids will even resort to huffing freeon from air conditioners. Inhalants come with a high risk of serious health problems like cardiac arrest, also known as “sudden sniffing death.” While sniffing glue is not a new problem for society, the increase in usage by young kids is alarming. Illegal prescription medications are the second most used drug among 12-year-olds with marijuana a distant third. (more…)

Multiple media outlets are reporting that a truckload of marijuana has gone missing during a controlled drug delivery from Memphis to Louisville. According to the reports, members of the Interstate Interdiction Unit pulled over a tractor trailer on February 10th that contained 1,700 pounds of marijuana. Under the direction of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Memphis police and Shelby County sheriff’s deputies trailed the shipment to its destination in Louisville. Somewhere in Kentucky things get hazy… (more…)

Some marijuana consumers around the U.S may experience shortages or price increases after a sharp increase in the frequency of one ton or more marijuana busts along highways. Avocados, bananas, batteries and toilet paper are just a few of the things police have found more than 29,000 pounds of marijuana hidden inside while conducting searches of tractor trailers already during the month of February. (more…)

In August, Spark Report featured a story about Riverside, California police making a huge bust which netted over 25,000 pounds of marijuana. It all went down after a deputy pulled over a 18-wheel truck near Temecula, California for an illegal lane change. Deputies opened the trailer and found pallets of marijuana stacked to the ceiling. (more…)

New Jersey recently became the 14th state to approve an effective medical marijuana law. There are actually 31 states plus the District of Columbia that have medical marijuana laws recognizing the medical benefits but most are not generally recognized because they rely on the national government to provide or authorize a legal supply of marijuana. Some advocacy groups recognize Maryland as a 15th state because they have what the Marijuana Policy Project calls a “working law” which lets patients obtain a recommendation from a doctor but only protects patients from jail time and not fines. (more…)