io9: Pot

Driving stoned doubles your risk of a serious car crash

Robert T. Gonzalez — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:20:00 PST

Evidence suggests that driving high may be less dangerous than driving drunk, but driving stoned is still driving impaired — and assuming otherwise could get you killed. More »

This is what your brain on drugs really looks like

Robert T. Gonzalez — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:05:00 PST

really looks like" alt="Click here to read This is what your brain on drugs really looks like" src="http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/8/2012/01/small_4f354c1995a488707cd1d5a95cc99513.jpg"/>

Scientists this week published a study that reveals what the human brain looks like under the influence of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms. More »

Legalizing marijuana could reduce traffic fatalities

Robert T. Gonzalez — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:18:00 PST

On the fence about legalizing marijuana? If so, consider this: legalizing weed could save your life. In the most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, the Institute for the Study of Labor has revealed in a provisional discussion paper that the legalization of medical marijuana in the United States is linked to a dramatic decrease in traffic fatalities. More »

Obesity is less common in pot smokers

Robert T. Gonzalez — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:00:00 PDT

Here's a scientific finding you probably never saw coming: two studies that examined over 50,000 people between them have revealed that pot smokers — despite being prone to serious cases of the munchies — actually have a lower risk of obesity than people who pass on the grass. More »

What cannabis actually does to your brain

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:25:35 PDT

Archaeologists recently found a 2,700-year-old pot stash, so we know humans have been smoking weed for thousands of years. But it was only about 20 years ago that neuroscientists began to understand how it affects our brains. More »

10 science fiction and fantasy characters who were stoners

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:35:00 PDT

Today is April 20, a day better known as International Planetarium Laser Show and Ding Dong Appreciation Day. In honor of this momentous celebration, we bring you a bevy of fantastical characters from speculative fiction who probably smell like patchouli. More »

The scientific breakthrough that will turn cannabis into the new aspirin

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:00:00 PDT

Yesterday scientists announced that they'd discovered a way to harness the painkilling powers of the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, while eliminating the high. What this means is that a special, non-hallucinatory version of THC could become the new aspirin. More »

10 ways to party hard (from beyond the grave)

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:35:08 PDT

Just because you've got a mouthful of formaldehyde (instead of Jägermeister) doesn't mean you have to give up your party-hearty ~~lifestyle~~ deathstyle! Here are 10 documented ways you can become a weekend warrior for all eternity. More »

The Best Scifi Movies to Watch While Stoned Into Orbit

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:56:32 PDT

Today is 4/20 and it's time to celebrate by contemplating the wonders of outer and inner space. Here's what to watch today at 4:20 in order to blow your mind. More »

Sinus Infection? Try Marijuana!

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:30:00 PDT

Good news and bad news, pot smokers. Marijuana contains highly-effective antibiotics that could be the key to stopping antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But unfortunately if you smoke the stuff, you become more vulnerable to infection — probably due to smoke damage in your lungs. Nevertheless, your prescription for medical marijuana just got a lot more useful. New research confirms that molecules found in pot called cannabanoids are powerful antibiotics. According to Environmental Graffiti:

Scientists studying cannabis related antibiotics were now able to pinpoint the basic backbone structure that is common to all cannabanoids, to be the active component in killing off bacteria. Now that the bio-active section of the cannabanoid molecules has been identified, researchers and drug makers are busy developing and testing antibiotic drugs as well as considering potential uses for cannabanoids in various soaps and cleaning products. At present they are focusing their efforts on the derivatives of the non-psychoactive cannabanoids. This is presumably because the US FDA, and other governing bodies world-wide, might have a hard time with people getting high in order to cure a bacterial infection.

But aren't people with really bad infections the ones who are most in need of a good high? I mean, think about it. When you're sick, you're usually so out of it that all you can do is sit on the couch and watch all the episodes of True Blood stored on your DVR. Wouldn't a nice buzz make that experience better in every possible way? How Cannabis Could Save Your Life [via Environmental Graffiti] More »

4 Out of 5 Doctors Recommend Marijuana for Your ADHD Kid

Annalee Newitz — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:00:51 PST

Pot could replace Ritalin as the cure for hyperactivity in children. A group of 124,000 physicians is lobbying the government to make it easier for them to study and prescribe marijuana to their patients. Once they've fully studied the drug — something that hasn't happened before — they're anticipating finding a lot of new, legitimate medical uses for the drug. Like calming hyperactive people down. More »