Donuts, Cookies, Peanut Butter Linked To Weight Gain, or: Context Matters

In yet another example of journalists and press release authors blurring important distinctions, there’s a new headline scarily declaring “Cocaine, Cannabis, and Amphetamines Linked to Stroke Risk“. It isn’t just the journalist being sloppy and sensationalist, the press release also blurs the line from “illicit drug use” that was actually used in the UK study to “recreational drug use”. And the implications of that one-word change cascade outward. Blurring those distinctions leads to Discover reporting : After examining research involving more than 100 million people, scientists linked cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamine use with a higher likelihood of stroke. Published in the International Journal of Stroke, the findings suggest these substances may contribute directly when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked or ruptures. Scary, right? Here’s three drugs, grouped together, and they increase your risk of stroke! Yikes! It’s not until a bit later (and behind the paywall) that…