High Childhood IQ Linked to Subsequent Illicit Drug Use, Research Suggests

Link: High Childhood IQ Linked to Subsequent Illicit Drug Use, Research Suggests

A high childhood IQ may be linked to subsequent illegal drug use, particularly among women, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

War, On Drugs: The Military’s Complicated Relationship With Narcotics

Link: War, On Drugs: The Military’s Complicated Relationship With Narcotics

Just think of them as the secret weapons — or handicaps — of soldiers around the world: booze, weed, ecstasy, heroin and a handful of other illicit pills, plants and elixirs. Because whether top brass want to admit it or not, the storied history of global warfare would be way less interesting without them.

From some boozy bonding in the barracks or a few uppers to stay alert on an aerial mission, to scoring psychedelics that pass a urine test or experimenting with rave drugs to alleviate trauma, controlled substances are, for better or for worse, surprisingly ubiquitous in military circles.

So whatever your vice of choice, light it, pop it or drink it, and then indulge in a little war — on drugs.

America's self-defeating 'war on drugs'

Link: America's self-defeating 'war on drugs'

The murky doings of the hacker group Anonymous took a remarkable turn in recent days. A Mexican drug cartel allegedly kidnapped anAnonymous member, and then, after the loosely organised hackers said they would reveal names of cartel personnel, released him with threats to kill the hacker’s family if the names were revealed.

The affair, which played out in blogs and on Twitter, coincided with a week I spent in central Mexico, where I led several workshops for new-media creators. In conversations with a number of people during my visit, I got a clearer understanding of the fear that pervades Mexican society – an undercurrent that also combined despair and anger at the way the cartels have corrupted the country’s institutions.