Gurugram:

The Gurugram Police has recovered around 762.15 kilograms of illegal marijuana worth crores from an empty house in Nanu Khurd village in Pataudi area, an officer on Wednesday said.

Following a tip-off, the DLF Phase 4 crime unit team, led by Inspector Sandeep Kumar, conducted a raid at a house in Nanu Khurd village on Monday night.

A Police team visited the house which they found locked.

They then contacted the homeowner Ram Singh, a native of Daulatabad Kuni village.

A duty magistrate was appointed, and in the presence of the village Sarpanch and a guard, the lock of the house was broken. The entire raid was videographed, said Police.

“During the investigation, the team found 762.15 kilograms of illegal marijuana in plastic sacks. Later, an FIR was filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) against an unknown suspect at the Pataudi Police Station,” they said.

Police are conducting raids to hunt down smugglers who had stored the marijuana in the house for sale, the officer said.

Varun Dahiya, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), said the estimated value of the marijuana is in crores of rupees.

“The house had been empty for the last few years and the house owner claims that he never rented out his house. We are searching for the smugglers,” Dahiya said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Brasilia:

 A majority of the justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court are in favor of decriminalizing the possession of marijuana for personal consumption, following a crucial vote on Tuesday.

“The position is clear that no user of any drug can be considered a criminal,” said Justice Dias Toffoli, the sixth judge on the 11-member top court to vote for decriminalization.

So far, three justices have opposed a decision to no longer make possession of cannabis a crime, including its most recent member, Cristiano Zanin, who was appointed by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The consumption of marijuana in public will continue to be prohibited and cannabis remains illegal in Brazil.

Decriminalizing its use has been discussed by the Supreme Court since 2015 and the justices reached a majority at a time when politicians are proposing a constitutional ban on the use of illegal drugs.

A bill advancing in Congress, with the support of conservative and evangelical lawmakers, proposes amending the Constitution to make the use and possession of any kind of narcotics a criminal offense.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

New medical research has revealed an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and strokes, among individuals grappling with marijuana addiction. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Addiction’, reported a 60% higher risk of experiencing their initial cardiovascular event for adults misusing cannabis, as per The New York Post. 

The study shows that Canadians dealing with cannabis use disorders face a substantially elevated risk of cardiovascular issues compared to those without such disorders, although it doesn’t definitively establish a causal link. The research, which includes an eight-year analysis of data from roughly 60,000 Canadians, indicates a potential under-diagnosis of this addiction. Lead author Dr. Anees Bahji was quoted by The New York Post as saying, “Our study doesn’t provide enough information to say that cannabis use disorder causes adverse cardiovascular disease events, but we can go so far as to say that Canadians with cannabis use disorder appear to have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people without the disorder.” 

Between January 2012 and December 2019, the study found that 2.4 per cent of people with the disorder experienced their first cardiovascular disease event, in contrast to only 1.5 per cent in the control group. These events encompassed peripheral vascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes. 

Even individuals initially considered as healthy due to the absence of known medical conditions, prescriptions, and infrequent doctor visits still faced a 1.4-fold higher risk of developing heart issues. This heightened risk may be attributed to these participants’ self-perceived health, potentially causing them to overlook early signs of declining cardiovascular well-being. 

This study aligns with existing research highlighting potential health risks associated with frequent cannabis use. Research presented to the American College of Cardiology earlier this year also indicated that regular marijuana use is linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Additionally, individuals who use marijuana regularly have a greater likelihood of developing coronary artery disease compared to non-users. 

Following the legalisation of recreational marijuana in 2021, an estimated 2.7 million New Yorkers were reported to use it at least once a month. Several specialists advise individuals using marijuana to disclose this information to their healthcare providers. 

Heart disease is a global leading cause of death, responsible for roughly one in every five fatalities in the United States, with someone succumbing to it approximately every 33 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.