The term "Spice" is drug slang for a class of herbal concoctions that have gained a reputation as a safe and way to get high. Sold as incense or potpourri in convenience stores, head shops and over the Internet, Spice consists of a mixture of dried plant leaves and stems that have been soaked in synthetic chemicals. When smoked, Spice produces psychoactive (mind-altering) effects that have been compared by some to marijuana.

Prolonged use of marijuana by our nation's students and the drug's harmful effects were the focus of this year's "Monitoring the Future" survey. This annual survey of students from the eighth, tenth and twelfth grades recently completed by researchers from the University of Michigan.

The majority of marijuana users believe the myth that it’s a harmless, non-addictive drug. They may even extol the medicinal value of the drug, despite the fact that the FDA has never approved its use for the treatment of any medical conditions. They may not be aware that recent research indicates that marijuana use can have a lasting effect on the brain.

The debate is long-lasting and as controversial as ever:  should marijuana use be legalized? Advocates of the legalization of the drug maintain that its usage does not involve health complications—at least none that are as significant or harmful as the ones that arise through inhaling cigarette smoke.  Additionally, they suggest that marijuana—most commonly used for medicinal and recreational purposes—poses no serious threat to society as a whole.  Beliefs such as these, regardless of veracity, have led to marijuana being the most widely used and abused drug.

The stories of murders and public display of corpses are so out of hand in Mexico that they almost defy reality.  This latest chain of events is almost commonplace but sounds like it's out of a movie.

After 10 people were beheaded in Teloloapan and their heads put on display in the street on Sunday, a team of police were sent in a convoy to crack down.  There was a message threatening the La Familia gang.

A senior writer at High Times magazine, the long-running marijuana advocacy journal, is about to face charges related being a member of one of New York's largest marijuana rings.

A British company named GW Pharma is seeking FDA approval to sell a marijuana-based prescription painkiller in the U.S.  The drug, which is administered as an oral spray and is intended for cancer patients, is the world's first prescription drug that contains raw marijuana.  According to API reports, GW Pharma hopes to begin marketing the new drug, which it calls Sativex, in 2013.

The Drug Cartels have literally changed the face of Mexican Culture and the government has really gone to great lengths to fight back against the Mexican Drug Cartels.

As we cover the news of drug addiction and arrests, we have noticed an inordinate amount of those arrests having to do with Reggae artists.

What is it about the music of Jamaica that tends to appeal to a rough and lawless crowd?

Particularly dancehall reggae artists themselves seem to be getting arrested in high profile criminal cases.

A Seemingly Troubled Nation and Culture

What do you think of when you read the below lineup.  This is the lineup for a "420 festival" to be held on April 23rd in Silverado (Orange County, California).