Author: Adam Clare

Get High and Fight Cancer

A new drug derived from marijuana is now available to Canadians, but you don’t actually get high from it. Sativex is a drug that uses part of the marijuana plant that has no psychoactive effects to relive pain – relatively, this can be like getting high. The U.K. has already approved drugs based off of marijuana which means Canada isn’t the first nation to do this.

Gordon said Sativex, which is primarily composed of THC and cannabidiol – a non-psychoactive cannabinoid – hasn’t produced any adverse side-effects in patients, something other pain medications, particularly opioids, can’t claim.
…
She said patients who react negatively to other medications shouldn’t have to suffer because of their sensitivity.

“Any extra tool in that tool kit to allow for increased comfort is welcome,” she said.

Hybrid Cars Selling Fast

Ironically, or appropriately, climate change and increasing gas prices have increased consumer interest in saving the environment. The Toronto Star is reporting that hybrid sales in Canada have increased by 90%. It’s good to see Canadians realize that their driving habits are connected to climate change.

In its pursuit of hybrids, Beatty said Toyota found it is more than a transitional technology to other auto power alternatives.

“It took a while for us to figure it out, but the hybrid really is a platform you can build other technologies on,” he said.

Several automakers are working on technologies such as electric plug-in cars that improve fuel efficiency or other projects that give consumers alternatives to meet their needs.

GM and Chrysler already offer deactivation technology that seamlessly shuts down in highway driving.

“The bottom line is there needs to be a multiplicity of technologies for consumers to choose from depending on their needs and driving habits,” said Stew Low, director of communications for GM of Canada.

Climate Change Brings Political Change in the UK

Unfortunately there’s too much water in the UK right now and it has caused lot’s of flooding. Instead of standing (or wading) around the Brits have decided to take upon themselves to champion the fight against climate change. The World Development Movement has called on the government to act on fighting greenhouse gases more than ever after the floods are dealt with. “After the clean up operation has finished, we need leadership from the government to avert a global climate change crisis by a commitment to massively cutting CO2 emissions.”

Meanwhile, the National Trust, 3.5 million member strong, is apparently ready to takle climate change head-on.

It controls 900-square miles of land and 710 miles of coastline and has far moremembers than the armed services, the teaching profession, the prison population, environmental groups and political parties combined.

Now the National Trust is hoping to become a new green army. To mark membership in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reaching 3.5 million – equivalent to the population of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Sheffield (Britain’s four largest cities after London) – the trust yesterday declared that it wants to become “the largest green movement in the world”.

Hybrid Highlights

The United States’ Department of Energy has concluded that hybrids save a LOT of gas:

The lab crunched all the statistics — number of hybrids on the road, new and old EPA mileage ratings, user-reported mileage figures, and the same mileage numbers for vehicles that most closely matched hybrids in terms of size, weight, and performance — and produced the following figure: To date, hybrids have saved 230 million gallons, or 5.5 million barrels, of fuel.

In Japan, Toyota has received approval to test their plugin hybrid:

While the car is still in testing phase, with eight plug-in OEM vehicles being manufactured and released for testing in Japan, hopes are high that Toyota will soon release this car to the general public.