There's a large article on Eminem in this weekend's "This is London" detailing the star's slide into self-destruction through comfort-food addiction:

Deeply depressed rapper Eminem has become a virtual recluse, comfort eating his way towards obesity.

The once skinny Slim Shady, who spent four days in hospital over Christmas suffering from pneumonia and suspected heart problems, is just 5ft 7inches tall but has ballooned up to 14.5 stone (that's over 210 lbs.).

His family and friends fear his massive weight gain is causing him long-term health woes but the deeply depressed star refuses to stop binge eating.

Likening M. Mathers to the fat Elivs of the King's later days, the article details the reclusive life of a pimply and overweight Eminem surrounded by sychophants and hangers-on. But you might be reclusive too...

The rapper first retreated behind the doors of his Michigan home 18 months ago after his best mate and fellow rapper Proof died in a hail of bullets outside a sleazy 8 Mile Road club.

Debbie (Em's moms) says Proof was the only person Eminem truly trusted after he shot to fame in 1999 with 'The Slim Shady LP'. They'd known each other since their teens...

Tons of info here on Eminem's real life, including the fact that he was so strung out on drugs that he has no memory of 1999. Rock and roll, dude.

A brief story with some commentary:

State lawmakers said they're considering decriminalizing marijuana possession, and they've scheduled a Jan. 23 public hearing in Montpelier to hear from Vermonters about it.

The bill in the state Senate would make it a civil offense to possess small amounts of marijuana.

Sen. Jeanette White of Windham County wants to make possession of up to 4 ounces of pot or two small marijuana plants punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

Eleven other states have similar state laws, some dating to the 1970s.

This is interesting news. But is this really decriminalization? I suppose it is a form of back-door regulation that still allows law enforcement to prosecute big dealers and seize their assets, but lets the small-time grower/user off with a slap on the wrist. Personally I think legalization, regulation, and taxation would be better for all involved, but hey, it's a step.

Does anyone know which other eleven states have relaxed laws for personal use?

The good people in Central Texas have a new visitor to deal with, PCP. Police say its use is on the rise:

PCP, also known as 'Angel dust' and 'Wet' is one of the most dangerous drugs on the market and it's popping up again in Central Texas.

The hallucinogen is known for giving people superhuman strength without any pain and it's extremely dangerous.

"It's definitely a nightmare for police to have to deal with an individual who is acting under the influence," said Sgt. Brad Hunt, with the Temple Police Department.

It's true! This neat little atavistic hallucinogen can turn people violently psychotic after prolonged use, and we here at DoseNation have heard no reports of serious PCP freakouts for the last few years at least. Where has PCP been hiding? Apparently you need to know chemistry and stuff to make it, so it doesn't show up that often(?), but recent busts may indicate that use is on the rise. Does this mean people are finally getting bored of meth?

Authorities said PCP is commonly found hidden in vanilla extract bottles or on cigarettes dipped in the chemical, also called 'wet.' The drug can be lethal if it absorbs through the skin and enter the bloodstream.

The street cost for PCP is estimated at $8,000 per gallon. Possession of even a small amount is a first degree felony.

You gotta love any drug that's sold by the gallon.

I know there's a soft spot for drug-related sketch comedy with some of our editors. I recently heard that Sacha B. was hanging up the Ali-G and Borat characters for good. The man is clearly a genius at being retarded, just stay away from "Ali-G in da House". Proper.

According to experts who should know, there is an new infusion of brain-killing happy pills rolling across the border from Canada. For those of you who like to tweak, stay up, feel good, and, um, tweak more(?), the Canadians have a new treat for you.

Canadian drug producers are now combining methamphetamine with ecstasy, which is then being smuggled into the U.S., according to information from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The meth-laced ecstasy “may produce greater adverse neurochemical and behavioral effects than either drug alone,” the agency reported.

Other interesting facts also according to people who should know:

According to ONDCP, more than 55 percent of the ecstasy samples seized in the United States last year contained methamphetamine. Cutting their product with less-expensive methamphetamine boosts profits for Canadian ecstasy producers, ONDCP reported, and likely increases the addictive potential of their product, effectively giving a dangerous “face lift” to a designer drug that had fallen out of fashion with young American drug users.

Also, ONDCP reported between 2005 and 2006, there was a 40 percent increase in the number of people in the U.S. who reported that they tried ecstasy for the first time during the past year. One-third of these new users in 2006 were under age 18 when they started using ecstasy, data stated.

So what do we call this glorious new wonder-drug? I'm tempted to call it iMeth because then I can trademark and patent it and make millions. But for street slang what are these called? Are they just sold as "E"? Get the marketing team on this. We may be missing a potential selling point...

This quite a strange story, and one I'm not really very happy about.

A Canadian woman has successfully sued the dealer who sold her an illegal street drug that put her in a coma.

Sandra Bergen, 23, suffered a heart attack and spent 11 days in a coma after taking crystal methamphetamine.

Ms Bergen said Clinton Davey had known the drug was highly addictive and dangerous but sold it to make money.

Ms Bergen is seeking $50,000 (£25,000) in compensation. A date for a hearing to determine damages has not been set.

"I sued him for negligence... for selling me drugs and getting me hooked when I was vulnerable," Ms Bergen told the French news agency AFP.

While I feel for Ms Bergen, I do not think she should be able to sue. I agree with the dealer, immoral though he might be - she voluntarily took the drug. This would in fact have likely been accepted by the judge as a defence, if not for the fact that the dealer was unwilling to give up his source.

I do think dealers should be held to an ethical standard, but in order to uphold this standard in court there must be government regulations for the court to refer to.

Common sense rules in the land of fundamentalism:

As a Christian, I strongly disagree with the assertion, “not arresting people for drug possession is sending the wrong message” (Marijuana Possession Still Means Jail Time, Jan. 7, 2008). Cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana) isn’t a drug but rather a relatively safe God-given plant.

One reason to stop caging responsible adults for using cannabis that doesn’t get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since Christ indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page. The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5).

Truth is, it sends the wrong message when government cages humans for using what God says is good.

Amen.

2007 will be a record year for opium growth in Afghanistan. Illegal drugs derived from the extensive Afghan poppy fields make their way all over the world and have started to influence drug policy in many concerned countries. Effective strategy for dealing with the opium production, which many suspect funds the Taliban, is not as easy as burning fields and arresting farmers. Growing poppy is closely integrated with Afghan culture and government and some strategists fear that harsh actions against the growers may push more of the populace against NATO forces.

Since the 1980s, drug testing in the workplace, for both prospective and current employees, has become standard practice in many American companies. Proponents maintain that drug testing cuts down on an employer’s bottom line, saving money on employee illnesses, absences and health costs. Furthermore, drug testing helps ensure safety, particularly in dangerous work environments. Critics call employee drug testing a violation of privacy that infringes on 4th amendment rights, and also question the correlation between drug use and efficiency on the job.

AlterNet recently ran a nice editorial from Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project, who notes that marijuana smokers slighly outnumber cigarette smokers amongst 10th graders, due primarily to regulation. He then makes the predictably "so common sense that no one will ever fall for it" suggestion that we regulate marijuana in the same way:

As part of the Master Settlement Agreement with 46 states, cigarette companies agreed to stop outdoor advertising and to banish kid-friendly characters such as Joe Camel. Even more important, we as a nation got serious about reducing tobacco sales to kids.

In 1992, Congress passed the Synar Amendment, requiring states to enact and enforce laws prohibiting sale of tobacco products to youth under the age of 18, and setting up unannounced inspections of retail outlets. The program has worked spectacularly well. In 1997, inspectors found that over 40 percent of retailers were violating the ban on cigarette sales to kids. By 2006, the violation rate had dropped to just 10.9 percent, and it's still dropping.

So what does this have to do with marijuana?

Simply put, we have leverage over tobacco sellers that we don't have with marijuana dealers. Because tobacco retailers and producers are licensed and regulated, we have some control over them. If they want to keep their lucrative businesses, cigarette merchants have a strong incentive to follow the laws -- even laws they don't like.

This is just crazy talk. You mean to say that taking the sale of marijuana out of the hands of dealers will not simply produce a tax bonanza for the government and reduce crime and policing costs by orders of magnitude, but it will also stop kids from smoking it at a time when their precious lungs and brains are still developing? Maybe on Bizarro World that'll happen.