Finally.

After decades of continuous onslaught and negative media attention on the tobacco industry, smoking gets some good publicity at last! Its about time really; and no, I am not a smoker. I get worried whenever hearing too much exclusively positive or exclusively bad press about any given topic. It feels like an autocratic informational waterhole, blindly propagating the provincialisms of the status-quo. Besides, everyone has that innate desire to cheer for the underdog sometimes… in this case its the tobacco industry.

Apparently researcher’s have found that smoking, even years after you quit, will decrease the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.¹ Smoking pipes and cigars will lower risk by 54%, having smoked at some point in your life will lower risk between 13-32%, and the more you smoke the lower your risk. Think you might be at risk? Why not light up every now and then with a friend?

All in all though, its probably not such a good idea to just pick up and start smoking. Considering, of the typical drugs, tobacco has the highest rate of addiction (higher than cocaine or heroine)² , has probably the 2nd most severe withdrawal (just behind alcohol), and is responsible for 20% of all deaths in western countries³ . Parkinson’s disease will only affect 0.5% of the general population⁴

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1. Ritz, B., et al. (July 2007), “Pooled analysis of tobacco use and risk of Parkinson’s disease.” Archives of Neurology. 64: 990-997. [↩]
2. Schelling, T.C. (1992), “Addictive drugs: The cigarette experience“. Science. 255: 430-433. [↩]
3. Laviolette, S.R., & Van der Kooy, D. (2004), “The neurobiology of nicotine addiction: Bridging the gap from molecules to behaviour“. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5: 55-65. [↩]
4. Sawada, H., & Shimohama, S. (2000), “Neuroprotective effects of estradiol in mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons“. Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews. 24: 143-147. [↩]

I suppose this is a bit of an outdated story, but I thought I would touch upon it because of its historical significance. The issue is salvia divinorum, and according to NBC,

It’s a powerful and dangerous hallucinogen — and it’s legal.

Quick! Lock up the kids, take their money, and tell them what horrors accompany consumption of this human scourge!

How bad is it parents? Well lets see… what buzz word might jar the memories of your generation for widespread panic and fear? No word, maybe 3 letters: LSD. Thats right parents, Salvia is like LSD - maybe worse. We’re talking hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, delusions, sensory confusion, and yes — short term memory loss.

Salvia is the latest straw boogieman that has attracted the gaze of panic-stricken parents and blood-thirsty crusaders. It is the newest target of fear-mongering in the tradition of the pot, LSD, and ecstasy witch hunts. In fact, there is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest salvia has any addictive or habitual properties; anecdotal evidence often suggests that many people either try once or use very occasionally. But what does science have to say about Salvia Divinorum?

• Salvia appears to have therapeutic value in the treatment of addiction and substance abuse. It is believed that salvia may help treat addiction to stimulants (speed), amphetamines (crystal meth), and opiates (morphine, heroine, codeine).¹
• Sensationalistic media pumps out misleading scientific rhetoric that salvia “is the most potent naturally occuring hallucinogen”. However, potency is often confused with toxicity. Research suggests that salvia is not considered toxic in doses that are consumed by humans and does not cause organ damage.²
  
• Reports of flashbacks and long-term negative effects have not been conclusively attributed to salvia. These reports come from users that did not exclusively use salvia, but also used other psychoactive drugs.

Meanwhile, attempts in Quebec to lower the alcohol limit for driving have been met with large opposition. Critics argue that such an act may have devastating effects on the economy and will not save many lives. What place does the government have in forcing useless legislation on mature, peaceful, and level-headed individuals? Can you imagine drinking only 3 beers instead of 5 while watching the big game? Disastrous. Thank god someone is fighting to protect our liberties…

Stay tuned for an in-depth investigation of these matters…

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1. Schenk, S. & B. Partridge (Apr 2001), “Effect of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist, U69593, on reinstatement of extinguished amphetamine self-administration behavior.“, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 68 (4): 629-34. [↩]
2. Mowry, Mark; Michael Mosher & Wayne Briner (Jul 2003), “Acute Physiologic and Chronic Histologic Changes in Rats and Mice Exposed to the Unique Hallucinogen Salvinorin A“, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 35 (3): 379-382. [↩]