Small-Scale Marijuana Growing: Deviant Careers as Serious Leisure

Previous research on marijuana growers in the United States has primarily focused on those who have been incarcerated for the activity (Weisheit, 1990; 1998). These growers tend to produce large amounts of the product. It may be that large scale marijuana growers who have been arrested may differ in their reasons for growing, their style of growing and distributing and in how they view marijuana growing as an activity from different types of growers; namely small-scale, indoor hydroponic growers who grow primarily for personal use and enjoyment. Our study analyzes one social network of marijuana growers in central and northern Florida. Through intensive field observations and qualitative interviews with 8 people involved in this closed social network of marijuana growers, we discovered that the growers all followed a similar pattern of initial trial and error, learning new techniques from one another to improve their product, to finally maintaining techniques that enabled them to maximize taste, potency and yield. All of the growers in our sample were white middle class men (6) and women (2) with at least a college degree who had already or planned to enter white collar occupations (e.g., a teacher or business owner). Although profitable, the growers greatly downplayed the importance of making money as a reason for growing, describing the endeavor as a passionate activity they performed for enjoyment, to save their own money, and for the high regard they have of plants in general. Discontinuing the activity (thus exiting the deviant career) is often influenced by such contingencies as risk of detection, commitment to family, and conventional occupations. Future research is needed to compare and contrast different kinds of marijuana growers including those whose growing activities are legitimated by state law

Quality Measures for the Diagnosis and Non-Operative Management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Occupational Settings

Introduction: Providing higher quality medical care to workers with occupationally associated carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may reduce disability, facilitate return to work, and lower the associated costs. Although many workers’ compensation systems have adopted treatment guidelines to reduce the overuse of unnecessary care, limited attention has been paid to ensuring that the care workers do receive is high quality. Further, guidelines are not designed to enable objective assessments of quality of care. This study sought to develop quality measures for the diagnostic evaluation and non-operative management of CTS, including managing occupational activities and functional limitations. Methods: Using a variation of the well-established RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method, we developed draft quality measures using guidelines and literature reviews. Next, in a two-round modified-Delphi process, a multidisciplinary panel of 11 U.S. experts in CTS rated the measures on validity and feasibility. Results: Of 40 draft measures, experts rated 31 (78%) valid and feasible. Nine measures pertained to diagnostic evaluation, such as assessing symptoms, signs, and risk factors. Eleven pertain to non-operative treatments, such as the use of splints, steroid injections, and medications. Eleven others address assessing the association between symptoms and work, managing occupational activities, and accommodating functional limitations. Conclusions: These measures will complement existing treatment guidelines by enabling providers, payers, policymakers, and researchers to assess quality of care for CTS in an objective, structured manner. Given the characteristics of previous measures developed with these methods, greater adherence to these measures will probably lead to improved patient outcomes at a population level

From “Just Say No” to “I Didn’t Inhale” to We Have “Bigger Fish to Fry”: The President, The Media, and Attitudes Toward Marijuana Legalization

Public opinion concerning marijuana legalization has varied greatly over time. While prior research suggests presidential drug rhetoric is related to public opinions on drugs, the relationship between the sitting president and attitudes specifically toward marijuana has not been explored. This study utilized data from the General Social Survey and the American Presidency Project to examine the relationship between the president and Americans’ attitudes toward marijuana legalization from 1975 through 2016. Findings indicate that confidence in the executive branch, fear of crime, and presidential drug rhetoric predict attitudes toward legalization despite controls for other factors such as estimated levels of marijuana use and arrests. These findings are discussed in the context of prior research that suggests presidential rhetoric, drug enforcement, and fear of crime may be related to American attitudes toward marijuana legalization

Maternal Ileal Interposition Surgery Confers Metabolic Improvements to Offspring Independent of Effects on Maternal Body Weight in UCD-T2DM Rats

BackgroundIncreasing numbers of people are undergoing bariatric surgery, of which approximately half are women in their childbearing years. However, information on the long-term effects of maternal bariatric surgery in their children is lacking. Furthermore, since bariatric surgery is performed to reduce body weight, clinical studies have not been able to differentiate between benefits to the child due to maternal body weight loss versus other maternal postoperative metabolic changes. Therefore, we used the University of California, Davis, type 2 diabetes mellitus (UCD-T2DM) rat model to test the hypothesis that maternal ileal interposition (IT) surgery would confer beneficial metabolic effects in offspring, independent of effects on maternal body weight.MethodsIT surgery was performed on 2-month-old prediabetic female UCD-T2DM rats. Females were bred 3 weeks after surgery, and male pups were studied longitudinally.ResultsMaternal IT surgery resulted in decreased body weight in offspring compared with sham offspring (P < 0.05). IT offspring exhibited improvements of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and nutrient-stimulated glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) secretion (P < 0.05). Fasting plasma unconjugated bile acid concentrations were 4-fold lower in IT offspring compared with sham offspring at two months of age (P < 0.001).ConclusionsOverall, maternal IT surgery confers modest improvements of body weight and improves insulin secretion and nutrient-stimulated GLP-2 secretion in offspring in the UCD-T2DM rat model of type 2 diabetes, indicating that this is a useful model for investigating the weight-independent metabolic effects of maternal bariatric surgery