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sept. 26, 2018 high 83°, low 58°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
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Syracuse University switched its career services database from OrangeLink to a platform called Handshake before the start of the fall 2018 semester. Page 3
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dailyorange.com
University Union President Andrew Idarraga was the answer to criticism from last year’s Juice Jam Music Festival. He’s using music as a way to connect the SU community. Page 8
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Nykeim Johnson, one of Syracuse football’s smallest players, has starred at wide reciever for the Orange since his return from a hamstring injury in Week 2. Page 12
city
MIXED SIGNALS
Onondaga Lake cleanup complete By Matthew Gutierrez senior staff writer
Jim Mollica and his 20-year-old son, Alex, wrapped up an afternoon at Onondaga Lake Sunday night as the sun set. Their biggest catch was about four and a half pounds. Jim and Alex, bass fishermen, said this time of year at Onondaga Lake is the best lake to fish in the area because the fish are big and healthy. They’d rather fish here than Lake Ontario, Cazenovia Lake or Oneida Lake. “We’re impressed by the fact that the lake is starting to clean up,” said Jim, a native of Syracuse. “It looks like it’s kinda getting there. I’m very hopeful, because this was a disaster for many, many years.”
Syracuse University team conducts first research on how cannabis affects pain illustration by bridget slomian presentation director
By Colleen Ferguson asst. news editor
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team of researchers at Syracuse University has found that cannabinoid drugs such as marijuana can have relieving effects on a user’s state of mind but don’t actually diminish pain intensity. Doctoral candidates Martin De Vita and Dezarie Moskal, along with professors Stephen Maisto and Emily Ansell, sorted through data from more than 1,800 experimental cannabis studies. Their study is the first systematic review of research on how cannabis affects pain. The researchers are all in SU’s department of psychology. Their findings were published on Sept. 19, during Pain Awareness Month. Medical marijuana is now legalized in 30 states despite its classification as a Schedule I drug by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Experts at SU said cannabis is being used increasingly for pain-related conditions. Research, though, doesn’t fully back up this practice. “I think as a whole, popular belief is that cannabinoids reduce pain intensity, and that’s not what we found,” Moskal said. De Vita and his team said their analysis clarified the already-existing mixed results in cannabis research and allowed for a better understanding of the kinds of effects cannabis could have on healthy adults. But they also said it raises as many questions as answers. Ansell said the team was surprised that this type of study hadn’t yet been conducted because of the prevalence
of medical marijuana. When the results were finalized, she said they were even more surprised to find that cannabinoids don’t really diminish the intensity of pain, which is what they expected given prevailing medical knowledge. “In some ways it makes sense, but in some ways it contradicts a lot of the discussion that’s been taking place around the legalization of medical marijuana,” Ansell said of their findings. Plant-based cannabis differs from place to place and is “much more complex” than nicotine or alcohol, De Vita said. There are hundreds of cannabinoids in existence, with many different compounds and cannabinoids typically present in plant-based cannabis. THC is the most common cannabinoid in plant-based cannabis, he said. About five different types of cannabis were examined in the researchers’ meta-analysis, De Vita said, including synthetic cannabinoids — purified or artificially produced versions of the chemical compounds in organically occurring cannabinoids. All the cannabinoids evaluated in the meta-analysis had psychoactive properties, meaning they produce a “high,” including euphoria and changes in cognition. Not every cannabinoid produces psychoactive effects, De Vita added. Pain is a multifaceted, biopsychological process affected by both the body and mind, De Vita said. The group’s primary findings indicated that the use of cannabinoids didn’t affect the physical intensity of pain, but it did decrease some of the unpleasant aspects of pain so that people were able to better tolerate it. see research page 4
Almost all of the chemical pollutants and toxins are being left in place. Our grandkids will have to clean this up. Joe Heath onondaga nation general counsel
Once considered the most polluted lake in the United States, Onondaga Lake has undergone a cleanup project over the past several decades. Honeywell, the company found to be responsible for much of the lake’s pollution, has spent more than $1 billion on the project. Honey well announced in June that it had finished a statemandated plan for monitoring the cleanup. Travis Glazier, director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment, said there are no more harmful algae blooms on the lake. The phosphorous-tonitrate balance of the lake is controlled, he said, and the county is managing sewage overflows. But there are mounting tensions between county officials and environmentalists over how clean the lake actually is and about whether the cleanup is effective. Environmentalists, as well as the Onondaga Nation, have said there are still toxins in the lake. “Almost all of the chemical pollutants and toxins are being left in place,” said Joe Heath, general see lake page 4