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Marijuana use may cause cognitive impairment even when not still high

Scott Isbell had been smoking weed since he was 17. By the time he turned 19, he was having difficulty setting goals and meeting deadlines at college. His grades had dropped from A’s to B’s and he was losing friends. Still, none of it seemed important enough to give up marijuana — until he started theater class.

A recent analysis of previous research on the impact of cannabis on young’s people’s cognition found that many of the known learning and memory difficulties — such as slowed processing speed, and difficulties in focusing — could linger for weeks. Verbal learning, retention and recall were especially affected for longer periods when the person was no longer high, researchers from the University of Montreal found.

Carrie Cuttler.
Cuttler

“The cannabis of today is very different,” said Carrie Cuttler, an assistant professor in the department of psychology and director of the Health and Cognition lab at Washington State University. “Back then cannabis had maybe 3 percent THC, now we’re seeing as much as 90 percent in some samples.”

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nbc news

 

Opinion: We the People: In an era of great polarization, is the preamble based on an eroding idea?

Excerpts from a “We the People” article by Steven Stehr, professor of public policy and public service at Washington State University

Steven Stehr.
Stehr

“We the People” is one of the best-known phrases in the American political lexicon. They are the first three words of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States and propose that the “people” should be the driving force behind what government does or doesn’t do.

When the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United vs. FEC (2010) that corporations have a First Amendment right to make independent expenditures in political campaigns, the definition of personhood for political purposes was expanded again. Not all changes to voting laws have been inclusive. For example, in 2013 the Supreme Court struck down some portions of the Voting Rights Act. As the U.S. Congress considers the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 and a number of states debate the topic of voting rights, it is clear that the question of the meaning of “We the People” is far from settled.

These are not policy differences, which might be open to bargaining and negotiation. Rather, it represents an existential divide in which each side sincerely believes that the other is trying to destroy America.

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The Spokesman Review

WSU professor to talk about missionary spies in WWII

Matthew Avery Sutton.
Sutton

There are all sorts of interesting nuggets to be found in government documents, something that Washington State University history professor Matthew Sutton knows well.

It was there that he found the material he needed for his third book, titled “Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War.”

Sutton will give a virtual lecture on the same topic at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, through the Spokane County Library District. It’s being offered in partnership with Humanities Washington, which organizes a speakers bureau to give lectures on a variety of topics across the state. Those interested in attending the lecture can sign up online at scld.evanced.info/signup/calendar.

“They know cultures, they know languages, they know geography,” Sutton said of the missionaries.

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The Spokesman Review

WSU Experts discuss work linked to environmental justice

WSU experts in diverse fields, ranging from environmental science to sociology, economics, biosystems engineering and community building, will discuss links between their work and environmental justice issues during a free, public event hosted by the School of the Environment on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 1:30 p.m.

Seats are still available in the CUB Junior Ballroom at WSU Pullman. Registered guests can also participate in the event online.

The panel features educators from across the university whose work intersects the theme of “Environmental Justice in Rural America,” the topic of SoE’s 2022 Lane Family Lecture in Environmental Science.

Four faculty and staff members and one graduate student will provide insights about their teaching and research as well as related engagement opportunities for WSU students and the broader community.

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WSU Insider

First jazz concert of the semester Feb. 15

The Washington State University School of Music will present their first jazz concert of the semester at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Kimbrough Concert Hall. The concert will feature faculty ensemble Jazz Northwest and the award-winning WSU Jazz Big Band under the direction of Regents Professor and Coordinator of Jazz Studies Greg Yasinitsky.

Jazz Northwest will perform “JP” by Darryl Singleton, percussionist with the group, and “Funky Changes” and “Chimera” by César Haas, guitarist with the ensemble. Jazz Northwest also includes David Turnbull, trumpet; Horace Alexander Young, alto saxophone; Jake Svendsen, piano; David Bjur, bass; and Yasinitsky, tenor saxophone.

The Jazz Big Band has received numerous accolades including a prestigious invitation to perform in February at the conference of the Washington State Music Educators Association (WMEA).

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