Monkey Business: $3.6 Million of Taxpayer Money Went to Dope-Smoking, Menstruating Monkey Study

I found this info via Creative Minority Report. What??? $3.6 million of taxpayer money went to a study on dope-smoking, menstruating monkeys? Alright, if this wasn't so absurd I'd be laughing.  Okay, folks I know that we know that we are in a recession or in an extremely fragile, weak recovery from a recession but it is obvious that these freaking clowns in Washington don't have a clue that we are suffering through a recession and that our government piggy bank is broke.  This is totally absurd! We obviously need to do some more house cleaning in congress come next election.





CNS News reports:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), has spent $3,634,807 over the past decade funding research that involves getting monkeys to smoke and drink drugs such as PCP, methamphetamine (METH), heroin, and cocaine and then studying their behavior, including during different phases of the female monkeys’ menstrual cycles.

The study also uses “interventions” as “treatment models” for monkeys who have been taught to use drugs.

Is Diet Soda Unhealthy, & Even Harmful?

A study shows that people who drank diet sodas daily had a 61% increased risk of cardiovascular mishaps compared to those who had drank no soda.  This study shows this risk even when factoring in smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption, and calories consumed each day.

"This study suggests that diet soda is not an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages, and may be associated with a greater risk of stroke,"Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami and her colleagues reported at the conference.

"But the questionnaire-based study garnered criticism by experts in diet, nutrition and vascular disease."

"This study has major flaws and should not change anyone's diet soda consumption," said ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser.  It has been pointed out that many people who drink  diet sodas also have poor dietary habits as well.  


It looks like this study is flawed.  I think most of us already knew that it is much healthier to drink water and other juices rather than diet or regular sodas.  As for me, I still drink regular sodas but in the past 8 months I have added drinking water to my diet on a daily basis.  Its sad but I do have to say I became partial to drinking sodas (yes, maybe even slightly addicted) because in high school we had a snack break session where we could buy all sorts of candy, other goodies, and sodas to benefit the juniors in planning for prom.  I have been hooked onto sodas ever since.