Marijuana

Marijuana, vaping may be as harmful to heart as cigarettes, says study

E-cigarettes and marijuana may have harmful effects on the heart similar to those caused by tobacco cigarettes, opening the door to abnormal heart rhythms, according to a study conducted in mice. E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have become popular because the public perceives them as being less harmful than smoking, the researchers said. Similarly, legal recreational marijuana has become more common in recent years, and is also frequently viewed by the public as being safer than smoking tobacco, they said. "We found that cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana greatly interfere with the electrical activity, structure, and neural regulation of the heart," said study lead author Huiliang Qiu, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the US. "Often, any single change can lead to arrhythmia disease. Unfortunately, these adverse effects on the heart are quite comprehensive," Qiu said. The study, published in the journal Heart Rhythm, expo

Voters in five American states decide whether to legalise marijuana

Voters in five states are deciding on Election Day whether to approve recreational marijuana, a move that could signal a major shift toward legalisation in even the most conservative parts of the country. The proposals are on the ballot in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota and follow moves by President Joe Biden toward decriminalising marijuana. Biden last month announced he was pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law. Advocates of the marijuana initiatives have said Biden's announcement may give a boost to their efforts. Recreational marijuana is legal in 19 states, and polls have shown opposition to legalization softening. All of the states with recreational marijuana on the ballot, except for Maryland, voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The five states also currently have legal medical marijuana programs. That includes Arkansas, which in 2016 became the first Bible Belt state to appr

Risk of nuke 'Armageddon' highest since 1962 crisis, says Joe Biden

Biden said the prospect of defeat could make Putin desperate enough to use nuclear weapons, the biggest risk since US

Joe Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana possession in US

Taking executive action to change United States policy on marijuana, US President Joe Biden has announced a sweeping pardon for thousands of people convicted of drug possession under federal laws

Venezuela's armed forces make largest marijuana bust of 2.8 MT in a decade

The armed forces of Venezuela announced on Monday what they characerised as the largest marijuana bust of the last 10 years in the South American country. Members of the armed forces on Saturday intercepted a vessel carrying more than 3.1 US tons (2.8 metric tons) of marijuana, almost 18 pounds (8 kg) of cocaine and extra outboard boat motors off Venezuela's Caribbean coast, said Gen. Domingo Hernndez, general commander of the Operational Strategic Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces. He added that the vessel had departed Colombia and was en route to the island of Martinique. Twelve men travelling on the boat were arrested. Hernndez said all are Venezuelans and were working for the Colombia-based Cartel of the Guajira. Nearly 6,293 pounds (2,857 kilos) of marijuana were seized from the boat, which lacked identification and had seven extra motors as well as 33 large storage containers with fuel and a satellite phone. The arrests and seizure were part of special operatio

Thane: Crime Branch arrest man with Rs 17 lakh worth of marijuana

Crime branch arrested a person and recovered Rs 17 lakh worth of marijuana from his possession in Thane's Bhiwandi, informed Police officials.Crime Branch acted on a tip-off from a source that a huge quantity of marijuana is stored in a house in Fatma Nagar area of Bhiwandi.Police officials raided the house and arrested Hasan Raja alias Guddu and recovered 75 kg of marijuana from him on Saturday.Court has sent him to police custody till December 22.

CAIT demands strict action against Amazon for alleged sale of marijuana

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Monday demanded strict action against e-commerce giant Amazon for the alleged sale of marijuana on its platform

LIVE: Kerala sees 5,516 new Covid cases, 210 deaths in last 24 hours

Latest live news: Supreme Court orders Delhi and central governments to decide in a day steps to ease Delhi's air pollution.

CAIT to hold nationwide protests tomorrow over narcotics sale online

CAIT will hold protests on November 17 in around 1000 cities across the nation over the drug peddling gang using e-commerce sites to supply marijuana

Currently investigating use of platform for sourcing marijuana, says Amazon

The company takes strict action as may be required under the law in case sellers list such products, a spokesperson said

Currently investigating use of platform for sourcing marijuana, says Amazon

E-commerce major Amazon India on Monday said it is currently investigating an issue, wherein its platform was allegedly used to source marijuana. On Saturday, an online marijuana sale racket was busted by Bhind police in Madhya Pradesh, leading to the arrest of two persons and seizure of 20 kilograms of the contraband, according to an official. The accused were operating the racket through a leading e-commerce firm, which received two-thirds of the profits generated, as per the official. Evidence is being collected to see if it could be prosecuted for providing a platform for such drug transactions, the official added. The issue was notified to us, and we are currently investigating it. We assure full co-operation and support required to Investigating Authorities and Law Enforcement agencies with ongoing investigations to resolve the issue at the earliest, an Amazon spokesperson said. Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said on a tip-off, Kallu Pawaiya (30) and Dhaba

Allahabad HC grants bail to NDPS accused held with 350 kg ganja'

The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to an Ayodhya man arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau after allegedly being found in the possession of nearly 350 kg of ganja. A Lucknow bench of the high court granted bail to Ayodhya resident Kaleem, booked under the stringent provisions of the NDPS Act in January 2019, ruling that he has a fit case for bail according to the larger mandate of Article 21 of the Constitution of India dealing with the Fundamental Right to life and personal liberty. While granting bail to the accused on October 21, a bench of Justice Siddharth also held the case worth enlarging the accused on the bail in the view of the nature of accusations and the nature of evidence in support thereof. The accused had been in jail since January 18, 2019. The NCB had arrested the accused with heavy contraband in possession and hence booked him under the NDPS Act. The FIR in the case was lodged at the NCB police station in the Ayodhya district. In his bail plea, the ac

Washington's 'joints for jabs' Covid-19 vaccine programme falling flat

It was designed as an innovative way to promote Covid-19 vaccinations, but Washington's new 'joints for jabs' programme is off to a rough start

New Mexico Legislature approves legalisation of recreational marijuana

New Mexico's Legislature has approved the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older in a bill that the governor plans to sign

New York lawmakers agree to legalise recreational marijuana

Lawmakers reached an agreement late Saturday to legalise recreational marijuana sales in New York. At least 14 other states already allow residents to buy marijuana for recreational and not just medical use, and New York's past efforts to pass marijuana have failed in recent years. Democrats who now wield a veto-proof majority in the state Legislature have made passing it a priority this year, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration has estimated legalization could eventually bring the state about USD 350 million annually. My goal in carrying this legislation has always been to end the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana prohibition that has taken such a toll on communities of colour across our state, and to use the economic windfall of legalisation to help heal and repair those same communities, Sen. Liz Krueger, Senate sponsor of the bill and chair of the Senate's finance committee, said. The legislation would allow recreational marijuana sales to adults over th

Best of BS Opinion: Cannabis is no longer 'dangerous', gold loan, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Cannabis is no longer 'dangerous'

In India, cannabis has historically been grown and consumed for recreational, culinary, and commercial purposes.

Mexican lawmakers advance bill to legalise recreational marijuana

Mexico's lower chamber approved a marijuana legalisation bill Wednesday, setting the country on the path to becoming one of the world's largest legal marijuana markets

Virginia lawmakers give final nod to bill for legalising marijuana in 2024

Several Democrats said they hoped Northam would send the legislation back to them with amendments, including speeding up the date for legalisation

Goa government law department gives nod for marijuana cultivation

The law department of the Goa government has given approval to a proposal to allow cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes