Latest KFF Health News Stories
Readers Have Bones To Pick, From Health System Flaws To Covering Pot Beat
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
High Praise: Pot Churches Proliferate As States Ease Access To Marijuana
Churches that offer marijuana as a sacrament are popping up across California and the U.S., vexing state and local officials who say they’re simply pot shops in disguise.
Wrecked And Retching: Obscure Vomiting Illness Linked To Long-Term Pot Use
Emergency room doctors are seeing a growing number of marijuana users with a mysterious condition that causes extreme vomiting and abdominal pain.
Teaching Teens The Perils Of Pot As Marketplace Grows
The legalization of recreational marijuana in California and other states poses an added challenge for drug education programs targeting youths.
Stoked! Weed May Light The Flame For A Roll In The Hay
A new study of tens of thousands of Americans contradicts stereotypes that stoners have less sex.
La marihuana podría encender la llama del sexo
Contra la creencia tradicional, un nuevo estudio revela que la hierba puede fomentar el placer y el sexo, en vez de anularlo.
Your Grandma’s Guide To Grass: Calif. Rolls Out Website To Cut Through Cannabis Haze
Many Californians have been using pot for years, legally and illegally. But newbies, even Grandma, might benefit from a website that contains warnings about the risks.
Seniors Increasingly Getting High, Study Shows
Marijuana use is increasingly popular among older Americans, a new study shows.
Could Legalizing Pot Diminish California’s Gains Against Smoking?
Some experts worry that smoking pot could lead to use of tobacco, but proponents of marijuana legalization argue that the two products are different and should not be conflated.
California Lends Its Weight To Wider Marijuana Acceptance
The number of states with laws permitting marijuana use underscores a national cultural shift toward wider acceptance of the drug, despite the federal ban and limited evidence on the public health impacts of legalization.
Ballot Initiatives: Voters Reject Calif. Drug Pricing Measure; Colo. Single-Payer System
Voters across the country also considered a variety of health policy questions as they decided state ballot measures.
Election Buzz: Critics Of Legal Pot Say Addiction Becomes ‘A Disease Of The Family’
As more states consider legalizing recreational marijuana, families consider what messages to present to young people about using pot. Should it be avoidance, moderation or acceptance? Differing views from Arizona and Oregon.
Election Buzz: With Pot On The Ballot, States Weigh How To Police Stoned Drivers
Blood tests for marijuana aren’t an accurate measure of impairment for drivers, and there isn’t an easy roadside sobriety test for pot yet. The five states where recreational marijuana is on the ballot may be looking to Colorado for its experiences with the DUI problem soon.
Election Buzz: A Look At Brain Science As 5 States Vote On Legalizing Pot
Recreational marijuana is on the ballot in five states in November. What do we know about pot’s effects on the brain?
As States OK Medical Marijuana Laws, Doctors Struggle With Knowledge Gap
State health departments are beginning to require physicians to complete continuing medical education courses to learn how and when this therapy might work for patients.
Medical Marijuana Linked To Modest Budget Benefits For Medicare Part D, Study Finds
A Health Affairs study determines that Part D spending went down slightly on prescription drugs for which medical marijuana is viewed as a possible alternative.
As Marijuana Legalization Initiative Heads For Calif. Ballot, Health Groups Weigh In
Health experts remain divided on legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Customers’ Pot Smoking May Not Be A Deal Breaker For Life Insurers
A survey of officials at life insurance companies finds that many factor in marijuana use when considering coverage, but they are often concerned about the frequency of use.
As Legal Marijuana Expands, States Struggle With Drugged Driving
As more states make medical and recreational marijuana use legal, they increasingly are grappling with what constitutes DUID, or driving under the influence of drugs, and how to detect and prosecute it. And they’re finding it is more difficult than identifying and convicting drunken drivers.
