THERE is good news and bad news that can be pulled from a recent survey of sixth-to 12th-grade students in Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. schools about the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The good is that the use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana among these young people has decreased from what was reported in the 1990s. The bad is that binge drinking along with the use of prescription drugs and steroids in that age category has increased. [continues 416 words]
CHICAGO -- In about a dozen states, you can smoke a joint if you have cancer or HIV and meet certain conditions, like having a doctor's note. In California, you can light up if you have just about anything -- headaches, anxiety, epilepsy -- and a physician's okay. Illinois could join these states as legislators consider a bill that would allow patients to use marijuana as medicine so long as they have one of 14 conditions and illnesses, from cancer to Crohn's Disease. [continues 1323 words]
