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October 11, 2008 4:05:02 AM CDT

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Stronger Weed Ignites Controversy

Posted Jun 23, 08 4:11 PM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Marijuana is getting stronger, but what exactly that means is open to interpretation. The Boston Globe looks at a dispute with clearly drawn sides but fuzzier facts. Is pot addictive and highly hazardous, or no more harmful than caffeine and perhaps medically beneficial? With minimal research to draw on, experts say, opponents and proponents of weed are cherry-picking their data.

One expert who sees a link with an increase in the number of teens admitted to ERs for pot-related conditions says the trend should "sound an alarm for parents and teens across the country." But another says, "More research is needed to determine whether increased potency . . . translates into harm for users."

Source Boston Globe

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Marijuana plants are seen growing under a heat lamp at the home of George and Jean Hanamoto in the Mendocino County community of Willits, Calif., Wednesday, May 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
In this May 3, 2008 file photo, a man smokes marijuana during a protest to fight stigmatization of marijuana consumption in Mexico City.   (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, file)
The bud of a marijuana plant grown by George and Jean Hanamoto is seen at their home in the Mendocino County community of Willits, Calif., Wednesday, May 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
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