Jaunākajā The Lancet izdevumā ir neliels raksts par Ķīnas nespēju izpildīt PVO tabakas izstrādājumu marķēšanas prasības un kopumā veicināt vispārēju tabakas lietošanas ierobežošanu. Kā izrādās, iemesls tam ir gandrīz politiski triviāls, proti "the serious conflict of interest presented by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, a government agency responsible for maintaining country's tobacco industry and also responsible for leading national tobacco control efforts [...] The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration is not only a governmental agency with major vested interests to support tobacco industry, it is also one of the key members of the interministerial coordinating group on FCTC* to lead the development and formulation of tobacco control policy in China."

*WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)



The integration of government administrative power with strong financial resources into tobacco industry has completely transformed China's tobacco industry. Tobacco production has increased from 1 789 billion units in 2003, when China signed the WHO FCTC, to 2516 billion units in 2012, an annual increase rate about 3—6%

Krievija izplata arī šo:

Russia has one of the fast-growing tallies for HIV infections in the world. Experts say the spread is being driven by intravenous drug use, but is now entering the mainstream community.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-crimea-human-tragedy-aids-envoy.html

"The initiative also aims to curb deaths and significant illnesses from noncommunicable diseases, particularly smoking. Mr. Summers identified tobacco-related sickness as one of the “lowest-hanging fruits,” fixable primarily through raising taxes on cigarettes, though avoiding taxing them too high and creating a black market." - Gates and Summers Push Global Health Drive as Moral Imperative

Kāpēc tāds pats arguments par (pret) melno tirgu nedarbojas ar šobrīd nelegālajām psihoaktīvajām vielām? Vai tāds melnais tirgus ir kaut kā izdevīgs globālās veselības uzstādījumam?

Tikmēr Skotijā policija izziņo par "bīstamu MDMA" melnajā tirgū.

Lasu apreibinošo vielu izplatīšanas un lietošanas vēsturi. Nereti var secināt, ka "nav nekā jauna šajā pasaulē". Lūk, piemēram, smēķēšanas aizliegumi nav nekas jauns. Gluži pretēji, kad tabaka strauji izplatījās Eiropā un Āzijā 17.gs., tās lietošana ikdienā un saistītie paradumi itin nemaz netika uzņemti viennozīmīgi labvēlīgi:

"English smokers risked the disapproval of James I, who declaimed against the Stygian weed. Monarchs of more absolute sway meted out cruel punishments. Russian smokers suffered beatings and exile; snuff-takers had their noses torn off. Chinese smokers had their heads impaled on pikes. Turkish smokers under the reign of Ahmed I endured pipe stems thrust through their noses; Murad IV ordered them tortured to death. Priests who indulged in tobacco during Mass - one vomited up the Sacrament after dipping snuff - were threatened with excomunication. Added to fines, floggings, mutilations, and threats of death and damnation was the everyday obloquy of those who did not indulge. Tobacco, as its critics tirelessly pointed out, fouled the breath, stained the teeth, soiled the clothing, and brought forth streams of snot and spittle. Smoking also entailed the risk of fire, a mortal danger in a world of combustible dwellings." - Courthwright D., Forces of Habit.

Šķiet, ka 17.gs. iebildumi galvenokārt būs bijuši estētiski un saistīti ar ugunsdrošību. Interesanti, ka vienlaicīgi ar oficiālu nosodījumu, tabaka ļoti interesēja medicīnas profesijas pārstāvjus, kurus arī uztrauca tās nepārdomāts lietojums ikdienā. Šeit atkal var pieminēt, ka spriedze starp oficiāliem apreibinoso vielu lietojuma, izplatīšanas un ražošanas aizliegumiem un medicīnas interesēm pastāv arī šodien - ir apgrūtinati pētījumi, kas potenciāli var rezultēties efektīvākās ārstēšanas metodēs, pielietojot vielas, kas šobrīd ir aizliegtas.
Tiek uzskatīts, ka 18.gs. smēķēšana Eiropā mazinājusies, bet to atsver šņaucamās tabakas popularitātes pieaugums šajā periodā. Savukārt 19.gs. smēķēšana atkal kļūst plaši izplatīta, populāra un varētu teikt, modīga, kas turpinās arī 20.gs., līdz atkal esam nonākuši pie apjausmas, cik tas viss ir slikti. Loks noslēdzies.

Avots.

Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study

Results: 21,967 respondents (13.4% weighted) reported lifetime psychedelic use. There were no significant associations between lifetime use of any psychedelics, lifetime use of specific psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, peyote), or past year use of LSD and increased rate of any of the mental health outcomes. Rather, in several cases psychedelic use was associated with lower rate of mental health problems.
Conclusion: We did not find use of psychedelics to be an independent risk factor for mental health problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkcO_wJ9yKo

Ķermenis, attīstība, iedomātais, robežas un biotehnoloģijas, visnotaļ interesanti mākslinieki un projekti. Piemēram, Stelarc un Orlan; pētnieciskā laboratorija SymbioticA, kurā sadarbojas biomākslinieki un zinātnieki, arī radot platformu publiskās izglītības projektiem par biozinātni.



"Bioartistic experimentation beyond the current state of the craft of biology is in dialogue both with the (secularised) medical imaginery and with the religious and familial imaginary of the people suddenly on dialysis machines, living with organs from others, with prostheses, immunosuppresants, and other interventions and pharmakons [...] Art performances only gesture in the direction of these technologies and seem crude in comparison, yet provide a kind of advance publicity in a realm protected from the ethical frontiers of medicine." - Michael M.J. Fischer, Body Marks (Bestial/Natural/Divine): An Essay on the Social and Biotechnical Imaginaries, 1920-2008, and Bodies to Come

BBC - In pictures: Tanzania's traditional healers