Facilitator Articles

Alcohol and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A meta-analysis which concludes that there is a correlation between “problem” alcohol consumption and the possession of STD(s). 

The Upside of Marijuana Legalization
An undergrad economics thesis which undertakes an exhaustive attempt to estimate the revenue that would be gathered were marijuana legalized and taxed by the US Government.  Estimates range from 80 to 300 billion dollars annually.

Is Ritalin prescribed for a Culture Problem or a Medical One?
This author attempts to explain the cultural cachet which has grown up around Ritalin use for ADD and ADHD children, in the process questioning why certain drugs are legal and others not.  She examines the recent history of attention disorder advocacy and diagnosis and concludes that the popularity of Ritalin is more indicative of a cultural pathology than a medical one.

Reducing High Risk Drinking in College Students
A series of teaching modules for clinicians based on what the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism considers best practices.

Pot Perceptions
An extensive historical work documenting the introduction of cannabis in California, and the ways in which changes social values altered the ways in which cannabis was perceived. 

Drinking Games.  The New Yorker.
The way we behave when we drink may be our ancestors’ fault- behavior associated with drinking is more culturally determined than is often thought.

Blowup.  The New Yorker.
Worth the Risk? - discusses how humans negotiate risk, using several different examples to assert that when risk is removed from a given activity people typically compensate by adding more risk back in a different way (For example, antilock brakes encouraged people to drive faster and brake later.)  The application to substance use, while not mentioned, seems obvious.

Alcohol Kills
An analysis documenting a 6% increase in alcohol-related mortality in the relevant age group during the study period.

Mixing Drugs
A single-case study of how Adderall and alcohol can be a problematic combination.

College Drug Misuse
This commentary exhorts doctors to be careful in diagnosing and prescribing medications for ADHD, noting the high incidence of abuse in college.

Does Alcohol Make You Forget Safe Sex?
This article discusses four studies of college students that confirmed the decreased likelihood of intoxicated individuals to use condoms during a hook up.  It also posits an explanation; alcohol myopia, a condition when decreased cognitive functioning leads individuals to focus on only the most obvious clues or stimuli, to the exclusion of others.

Which is Worse: Cigarettes or Joints?
This article discusses ways in which tobacco can, on the whole, be construed as more hazardous than marijuana smoke.

Another Look at Tobacco vs. Marijuana Smoke
A study comparing health effects in marijuana smokers to those in tobacco smokers, using a large, nationally representative sample.  CONCLUSION: The impact of marijuana smoking on respiratory health has some significant similarities to that of tobacco smoking. Efforts to prevent and reduce marijuana use, such as advising patients to quit and providing referrals for support and assistance, may have substantial public health benefits associated with decreased respiratory health problems.

Does Marijuana Help You Study?
A study comparing 65 heavy marijuana smokers with 64 light smokers.  Participants undertook cognitive tests after being sober for >19 hours.  The study found that heavy smokers did significantly worse across the board.

Marijuana Smoke is a Carcinogen
This is an exhaustive historical and chemical analysis of the carcinogenic capacity of marijuana smoke.  It includes meta-analyses of human and animal data, addresses the full range of affects, and compares marijuana with tobacco smoke.

Girls, Pot, and Identity
A qualitative study of how high school girls view marijuana usage and the way in which this influences identity formation.  The cultural weight of male and female differences with respect to marijuana use is discussed.

Who Drinks Less in College?
A brief discussion of how school demographics seems to correlate with different types of alcohol use.  Binge drinking is lower at schools with larger populations of female, minority, and older students.

Other Links:  

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/all/play_music/play_full.php?play=396 This NPR show investigates the culture of Penn State University, after it was named the #1 party school in 2009 by The Princeton Review.

http://interwork.sdsu.edu/etoke/index.php?id=SDSU -E-Toke- Gives personalized feedback about your marijuana use.

http://brainplace.com/ -Shows imaging of alcohol and drug damaged brains.