recreational drugs

20 Stories

Recreational Marijuana Becomes Legal in 19th State

Connecticut plans to address harm done by war on drugs

(Newser) - Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday signed a bill making Connecticut the 19th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana, which remains an illegal drug under federal law. People age 21 and older will be allowed to possess and consume marijuana beginning on July 1 under the new law, which also...

First Marijuana Shop in Major East Coast City Opens

Boston's Pure Oasis expects big crowds

(Newser) - The first recreational marijuana shop in a major East Coast city opens Monday in Boston, where owners are bracing for large crowds. Pure Oasis owners Kobie Evans and Kevin Hart say they're preparing for up to 1,000 customers a day to visit the store—which is also the...

First Day of Legal Pot Sales in This State Was a Big One

Nearly $3.2 million of cannabis was sold in Illinois on Wednesday

(Newser) - It was freezing in many parts of Illinois on New Year's Day, but that didn't stop droves of people from standing in line for the state's first day of legal marijuana sales. And the day brought in a hefty haul: NBC Chicago reports that, per the state'...

Canada's Pot Move Makes It the 2nd Country of Its Kind

Only 2 nations on Earth have legal recreational pot nationwide

(Newser) - Canadian lawmakers have taken the final step toward legalizing recreational marijuana—and it will become official as soon as Queen Elizabeth II's representative signs off on it. A bill ending the country's 95-year prohibition on cannabis passed Canada's Senate by a vote of 52 to 29, CTV...

After 7 Days of Legal Pot Sales, Nevada Declares Emergency

Yes, really, a statement of emergency, via the Department of Taxation

(Newser) - Nevada on July 1 became the fifth state to sell recreational marijuana to the public, and one week later, it declared an emergency. But the chaos is on the licensing side of things. The new law allows those 21 and up to buy up to an ounce of pot from...

Study Finds World's Safest Recreational Drug

Magic mushrooms resulted in fewest emergency room visits in 2016

(Newser) - A massive drug survey has labeled hallucinogenic mushrooms as the safest recreational drug in the world—though ensuring you're consuming a psychedelic variety of fungi, rather than some poisonous version, is rather important. This year's Global Drug Survey , with 120,000 participants in 50 countries, found that 0....

Spicer Suggests Crackdown on Recreational Pot Is Coming

We may soon see 'greater enforcement,' he says

(Newser) - Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, and the White House has signaled that the eight states that have legalized recreational use will soon be reminded of that fact. At a press briefing Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters he believes we will soon see "greater...

This Could Be First Wrongful-Death Lawsuit Against Recreational Pot

Man allegedly killed his wife after eating a marijuana edible

(Newser) - A Colorado family is suing the maker and seller of a marijuana edible for wrongful death after a man ate the candy before allegedly killing his wife. The Denver Post reports it's likely the first-ever such lawsuit against the recreational marijuana industry. Authorities say Richard Kirk ate a Karma...

Toker Fired After Legally Smoking Pot Has His Job Back

Agency says the incident with Michael Boyer was just a misunderstanding

(Newser) - Some parts of the story are still in dispute, but all parties seem to agree on one fact: Michael Boyer, the first man in Spokane, Wash., to legally purchase recreational marijuana on Tuesday, has his job back. According to NBC News , TrueBlue Labor Ready, Boyer's former (and once-again present)...

Washington's 1st Legal Pot Buyer Got Canned

Mike Boyer says his boss made him take a drug test, which he failed

(Newser) - Mike Boyer made history on Tuesday in his tie-dye as the first person to legally buy recreational marijuana in Spokane, Wash. Less than 48 hours later, Boyer tells KREM 2 News , he was out of a job. The security guard says that after making his 4-gram purchase at a local...

Planet's Heaviest Ecstasy Users: Australians

It takes top spot in UN report, with 3% of population having used it

(Newser) - They're not just drinking Foster's oil cans Down Under. According to the 2014 "World Drug Report" released by the United Nations and cited on Mashable , Australia claims the world’s highest proportion of ecstasy users, with a 3% prevalence rate. It ranks fairly high in other categories,...

Scientists Find Way to Kill Pot Addiction—in Monkeys

Treatment blocked effects of THC

(Newser) - Scientists searching for ways to help people quit smoking pot have come up with an effective new buzz killer. The treatment involves a naturally occurring chemical that blocks marijuana's effect on the brain's pleasure centers, Smithsonian magazine explains. Researchers say the kynurenic acid treatment was able to block...

Obama on Pot: 'We've Got Bigger Fish to Fry'

He says government won't prioritize going after users in WA, CO

(Newser) - Can potheads in Washington and Colorado toke up without fear of the DEA? Maybe. ABC News released an excerpt from President Obama's interview with Barbara Walters today in which the president indicates that cracking down on marijuana use in states where it's legal isn't a "top...

Wash., Colo. Vote to Legalize Recreational Pot
 Wash., Colo. 
 Vote to Legalize 
 Recreational Pot 
BALLOT MEASURES
Nov 7, 2012 7:00 AM CST

Wash., Colo. Vote to Legalize Recreational Pot

But Oregon says no

(Newser) - Marijuana-related measures were on the ballot in six states and the weed's supporters scored major victories in Washington, Colorado, and Massachusetts. A look around the landscape:
  • Washington state has voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, Bloomberg reports. The measure allows people over 21 to buy up to an
...

Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession

(Newser) - Mexico has enacted a controversial law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum "personal use" amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer...

Drug Users Worldwide Fall into 'K-Hole'

Ketamine remains legal in some places, but can cause severe problems

(Newser) - “Special K” isn’t part of the most important meal of the day. It’s part of a dangerous trend that’s seeing recreational drug users turn to ketamine, a substance commonly used as a horse tranquilizer, GlobalPost reports. In humans, ketamine induces a hallucinogenic, immobile state. “Everything...

In Video, Teens Force Toddler to Smoke Pot

Two Ohioans charged after camcorder ends up in a pawnshop

(Newser) - Two Ohio teens have been arrested after police acquired a video in which they forced a toddler to smoke pot, NBC reports. The video, in which the smoking babysitters pass the pipe to the 18-month-old, was recovered after it was left inside a camcorder sold to a pawnshop. The teens...

Viagra Linked to Reduced Fertility
Viagra Linked to
Reduced Fertility
Feb 24, 2008 6:32 AM CST

Viagra Linked to Reduced Fertility

New concern for fertility clinics that provide drug to male partners

(Newser) - Popular sexual potency drug Viagra has been linked to sperm effects so dramatic that it could seriously affect male fertility, researchers have discovered. The findings are particularly troubling because in-vitro fertilization clinics often provide Viagra to men to increase sperm production. The new studies show that while Viagra increases sperm...

Absinthe's Back but Thrill's Gone
Absinthe's Back but Thrill's Gone
Dec 2, 2007 5:49 AM CST

Absinthe's Back but Thrill's Gone

Hallucinogenic ingredient has all but disappeared

(Newser) - The "Green Fairy" may have led Van Gogh to cut off his ear, but don't expect newly legal absinthe to cause anyone to do the same, reports Time magazine. New federal regulations allow the anise-flavor liquor only a trace of thujone, the chemical from wormwood that supposedly causes hallucinations....

Packed Prisons 'Costly Failure'
Packed Prisons 'Costly Failure'
Nov 20, 2007 2:45 AM CST

Packed Prisons 'Costly Failure'

Report calls for shorter sentences, quicker paroles, aid on release

(Newser) - America's prisons, crammed with 2.2 million inmates, are an expensive failure, according to a report by a Washington criminal justice research group. The JFA Institute calls for shorter sentences and parole terms, alternative punishments and decriminalizing recreational drugs—steps that would cut the prison population in half and save...

20 Stories
Most Read on Newser