Denver City Council Says It's Okay To Smoke Pot In Front Yards

After an overreaching proposed ordinance last month which would have made the smell of marijuana illegal in Denver, the city council has given preliminary approval to much looser rules that would allow citizens to smoke pot on their property and even on their front lawns.

The Denver Post reports that marijuana consumption would only be legal on property that is

owned by the marijuana user and also legal where permission has been given by the owner to smoke pot on rented or leased property.

The city council is attempting to define what "open and public" consumption will mean for marijuana users in Mile High City. This new proposed rule stands in stark contrast to the original draft from October; which, if passed, would have made the smell of marijuana, or even just the sight of someone smoking marijuana, illegal if it could be smelled or seen by others . It also could have carried a fine of $999 or a year in jail, 7News reported.

Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 last November making the limited sale, possession and growing of marijuana for recreational purposes legal for adults 21 and over. A64 states that adults can possess up to an ounce of pot, can grow as many as six marijuana plants at home (with only three flowering at any given time), but home-grown marijuana can only be for personal use and cannot be sold. However, adults can gift one another up to an ounce of pot.

Backers of A64 said the original proposed ordinance which would criminalize marijuana use in private was unconstitutional.

The final vote on the "open and public" consumption rules will take place in early December. The first retail marijuana shops are expected to open around the state on Jan. 1. 2014.

British Man Dies After Drinking Liquid Meth Worth $54,000 Hidden As Fruit Drink

A British man has reportedly died after accidentally drinking liquid methamphetamine from a bottle he thought contained a fruit juice, according to British media outlets.

Romano Dias, a 55-year-old from Cambridgeshire, England, fell ill after consuming what he thought was a fruit-based drink given to him by his daughter, Cambridge News reported. After drinking half a glass, the man reportedly said it tasted "awful" and began complaining of a burning in his throat. He then purportedly said: “I am in trouble here. I am

dying, I am dead."

It was later determined the liquid was not juice, but $54,400 (£34,000) worth of pure methamphetamine, according to Cambridge News. The bottle was delivered to Dias' daughter's home some three years ago under the correct address but a wrong name. She kept the package for months and eventually gave it to her father. Detective Inspector Ian Simmons said, due to the high value of the contents, officials believe the bottle was destined for a drug dealer who may have been planning to introduce meth to the area.

This is not the first time the drug has been disguised as an everyday beverage.

Meth is typically found in solid form, but traffickers are apparently developing new ways to transport the drug. When distributors receive the liquid substance, they convert it into crystal meth, the Denver Post noted. Rob Saccone, a supervisor with the Drug Enforcement Administration, told the paper that eight pounds of the liquid yields about four pounds of the crystal form.

In August, 15 people were indicted on suspicion of transporting liquid methamphetamine across the Mexican border in sealed drink bottles and in wiper fluid reservoirs, the Denver Post reported.

The most common ingredients found in meth include acetone, lithium, hydrochloric acid and anhydrous ammonia, according to the Meth Project Foundation. The drug releases dopamine rapidly in the brain, producing an intense euphoria. Dangers can include addiction, heart palpitations, paranoia, insomnia, seizure and stroke.

The Science of Addiction: What Causes Some People to Become Addicted to Drugs While Others Do Not?

No matter how it is that you get your news - the morning paper, the evening news programs, RSS feeds, or Twitter - you have most likely heard many reports of doctors under investigation for writing too many prescriptions for pain killers, meth labs being found and destroyed, and celebrities entering rehab for cocaine addiction.

Many Americans however, are unaware of the substance abuse epidemic sweeping our nation today. Substance abuse seems like a problem that exists in a far-away place, away from their neighborhood; it is certainly not a part of their own household. There is a lot of confusion about drug addiction. Many still believe the abuse of drugs is a choice, and simple willpower is all that is need to overcome the problem.

Due to scientific research, we now know that addiction is a brain disease. Addiction is considered a brain disease because drugs change the structure of the brain as well as how the brain works.

Why do some people become addicted while others experiment and then stop?

Susceptibility to addiction differs from person to person and has risk factors and protective factors, just as any other disease. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to addiction. Protective factors reduce the chance of a person becoming addicted.

Scientists estimate that genetics and environmental factors account for somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of a person's susceptibility. Adolescents are even more susceptible to drug addiction since their brains are not yet fully formed. Ethnicity, gender, and the presence of any mental disorders can influence the risk as well. The genetic causes of drug addiction involve multiple gene sequences. Science has yet to identify all of the genes involved.

Many environmental influences can increase, or decrease, a person's risk for drug addiction. Home and family is usually the most important. Family relationships, parental involvement, socioeconomic status, and conditions at home and in the surrounding neighborhood can greatly influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in teens.

School and peers are a key influence. A child with poor social skills may find it impossible to fit in with others, greatly increasing the risk for addiction. Stress and academic failures also increase susceptibility and risk. During adolescence, friends have the most influence. Adolescents' brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision-making, judgment, and self-control, making them especially susceptible to pressures from friends to try drugs.

Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, research shows that the earlier drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse followed by addiction. In addition, to early drug use the method of administration can greatly influence a person's vulnerability to addiction.

Because addiction is a disease it is treatable and most importantly it is preventable.

To learn more about substance abuse, addiction, and how to prevent your teen from using drugs, visit Secret Drug Test now.