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"gewg_" writes:

from the don't-trust-anyone-under-60,-man dept.

Paul Armentano of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports [alternet.org] via AlterNet

Scientific discoveries are published almost daily rebuking the federal government's contention that cannabis is a highly dangerous substance lacking therapeutic efficacy. But most of these findings appear primarily in obscure, peer-reviewed journals and often go unnoticed by the major media and the general public. Here are five new [revelations] that warrant mainstream attention.

- Early Onset Pot Use Isn't Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Adulthood

- Providing Medical Cannabis Access Reduces Opioid Abuses

- Pot Is a Frequent Substitute For Alcohol [and] Other Drugs

- Despite Legalization, Teens Aren't Using More Pot (But They Are Consuming Far Less Alcohol and Tobacco)

- Forget "The Munchies" -- Pot Consumers Are Less Likely to Be Obese

[...]Researchers reported that cannabis users possessed an average BMI of 26.8 compared to an index of 28.6 for non-users, after controlling for age, gender, and other factors. Investigators further discovered that pot users possessed fewer diabetic markers than non-users.

[...]While these latest findings run counter to stoner stereotypes, they are hardly novel. Observational trial data published in 2012 in the British Medical Journal reported [bmj.com] that marijuana users possessed a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and possessed a lower risk of contracting the disease than did those with no history of cannabis consumption, even after researchers adjusted for social variables such as subjects' ethnicity, family history, and levels of physical activity. Additionally, cross-sectional data published in 2011 in the American Journal of Epidemiology similarly reported [nih.gov] that the prevalence of obesity in the general population is sharply lower among those who consume the herb compared to those who do not.

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