SOCIETYWATCH
Sugar is like a drug
In the United States, the average person consumes more than 126 grams of sugar per day, according to data from market research firm Euromonitor published in February. That’s about five times the sugar intake recommended for adults by the World Health Organization.
The U.S. diet has changed dramatically in the past two centuries. In 1822, the average American ate about 6 pounds of sugar per year. The average American now eats over 100 pounds.
A study carried out by Australia’s Queensland University of Technology confirmed that excessive sugar consumption increases dopamine levels in a similar way to drugs such as cocaine.
Withdrawal symptoms from sugar addiction are similar to going “cold turkey” from drugs. These findings contradict previous research, such as a 2014 Edinburgh University study, which found that sugar addiction was a psychological addiction but not a biochemical dependency. But psychological and/or biochemical addiction to sugar is having real effects. Sugar-related ailments among Americans are soaring.
Canada to legalize marijuana
Around 25,000 people attended Vancouver’s annual marijuana rally on April 20 to celebrate “National Weed Day.” That same day, Canadian Health Minister Jane Philpott announced new legislation intended to “keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals.” That legislation legalizes recreational marijuana.
Many Canadians will be happy: An April 20 Angus Reid Institute poll revealed that 68 percent of Canadians support the legalization of marijuana. Yet the poll also found that 51 percent of those surveyed worried the legalization would make it “easier for children to get and use marijuana,” contrary to Philpott’s position that it will be “the best way to protect our youth while enhancing public safety.”
One argument for legalizing marijuana is that people will obtain it illegally anyway, so legalization keeps many people from entering the criminal justice system. However, legalizing marijuana will also inevitably make it more prevalent and accessible. According to Canada’s Youth Smoking Survey 2012–2013, nearly three in four youths who smoke cigarettes report that they obtain them from family and friends who purchase cigarettes legally.
It’s ironic that Canada’s health minister is discussing legalization of a drug proved to be very detrimental to health. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that solid scientific evidence proves that teenagers who use marijuana have reduced thinking, memory and learning functions, and experience depression and anxiety. A Northwestern Medicine study found that even teens who stopped using the drug for two years showed brain abnormalities that appeared “similar to brains of schizophrenics.” Usage can cause breathing problems, bronchitis and increased risk of heart attack. Heavy marijuana users also report more relationship problems and lower life satisfaction.
Schools must have gender-neutral bathrooms
The Obama administration took executive action May 13, ordering all public schools in America that receive federal funds to provide gender-neutral bathrooms to students. It ignited a ferocious argument over states’ rights and whether the rights of transgenders supersede the rights of students to use restrooms and locker rooms with only those of the same biological sex.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot vowed that if pushed, Texas will reject federal funding. “Texas is fighting this,” declared the governor. “Obama can’t rewrite the Civil Rights Act. He’s not a king.”
In April, the White House began using gender-neutral restrooms. And in an April speech in Selma, Alabama, marking a civil rights struggle, President Obama saluted the struggles of homosexual Americans, declaring: “We’re the gay Americans whose blood ran in the streets of San Francisco and New York, just as blood ran down this bridge.”
President Obama’s closest adviser, Valerie Jarrett, wrote in Advocate magazine, “The president is determined to lead by example. He has hired more openly
The New York Times reported in May that President Obama is considering creating a national monument in tribute to the homosexual-rights movement.
