"Health & Medical News"

Nearly one in ten first-year college students at a mid-Atlantic university have a cannabis use disorder (CUD), according to a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded study of drug use conducted by Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) investigators.

First-year students attending new student orientation were randomly selected to participate in a multiyear follow-up study. Overall, 9.4% of first-year students met the clinical definition for cannabis abuse (5.4%) and/or dependence (4.0%).

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Absinthe, a long-banned liquor that recently became legal for sale in the U.S., is attracting new fans with its legendary reputation and air of exclusivity, the Chicago Tribune reported Dec. 22.

The green, 120-proof liquor distilled from wormwood and tasting of anise costs $75 and up and is only sold in a handful of stores. Experts say that the high price and rarity is part of absinthe’s appeal, along with a reputation for hallucinogenic effects and a long list of artists and authors who have sung absinthe’s praises over the centuries.

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Some Pennsylvania bars are demanding customers’ credit-card numbers and charging them if they vomit or otherwise damage property while drinking, Washington Square News reported Sept. 25.

Groups of six or more patrons at El Azteca restaurant and bar near Pennsylvania University, for example, are required to sign a contract that includes a credit-card number as insurance against damages by drunk patrons. If any member of the party vomits on the premises, for instance, all members of the group are hit with a $50 charge.

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Women who consume alcoholic drinks daily face an increased risk of breast cancer, Reuters reported Sept. 27.

Researchers found that women who had one or two alcoholic drinks daily had a 10-percent increased risk of breast cancer, while risk of the disease rose 30 percent among those who had three or more drinks daily.

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