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What did YOU do with your weekend?

Pulitzer Prize winner Maureen Dowd follows a growing trend among traditional print journalists writing about modern drug culture. In this case, it's legally-recognized marijuana in Colorado. Here's the story in question with some great responses below:

This year alone, 29,500 individually designed beer labels have been submitted for approval to the Trade Department's Tax and Trade Bureau. And every single one of those label designs was approved or denied by a single man: Kent "Battle" Martin, a man who is the bane of the beer industry for his power to reject labels for the flimsiest of reasons.

Battle has rejected a beer label for the King of Hearts, which had a playing card image on it, because the heart implied that the beer would have a health benefit.

He rejected a beer label featuring a painting called The Conversion of Paula By Saint Jerome because its name, St. Paula's Liquid Wisdom, contained a medical claim--that the beer would grant wisdom.

He rejected a beer called Pickled Santa because Santa's eyes were too "googly" on the label, and labels cannot advertise the physical effects of alcohol. (A less googly-eyed Santa was later approved.)

He rejected a beer called Bad Elf because it featured an "Elf Warning," suggesting that elves not operate toy-making machinery while drinking the ale. The label was not approved on the grounds that the warning was confusing to consumers.

A Bavarian brewmeister is touting its no-alcohol beer as the latest sport drink for athletes, handing it out at the finish line of sporting events and touting its regenerative benefits.

In their study, researchers looked at elderly men with a genetic variation that produces an enzyme responsible for the metabolism of alcohol that is up to 80 times less competent at doing the task.
It was associated with reduced alcohol use, "but it had no association with depression whatsoever," Prof Almeida said.
"The conclusion is that alcohol use neither causes nor prevents depression in older men.
"Our results also debunk the view that mild to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of depression."

Maybe spring break isn't totally ruined but Panama City Beach City Council has just voted to ban alcohol consumption during the month of March in 2016. That does put a damper on one of the most popular activities of the college spring break season. Those in favor of the ban argue that the money brought in by spring breakers does not outweight the the overall negative impact of the month of drunken chaos that comes with them. The ban is meant to discourage wild spring breakers in an effort to bring in other types of tourists, like families, who will spend more money and cause less damage. 

Identified only as Mr Huang, the liquor maker was unable to keep up the illegal practice after customers noticed the unusual side-effect of drinking the spirits, which were marketed as 'nutritional healthy liquor', according to China News Agency.

Huang, who founded Nine Springs Ecological Agriculture Development Company in Hubei province, was said to have purchased 1kg of Sildenafil – marketed as Viagra and Revatio – on the internet in January and added it to his alcoholic beverages without mentioning it on the label.

The federal government might be shut down but Michigan lawmakers are hard at work protecting our right to a good value. Rep. David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights) and Rep. Brandon Dillon (D-Grand Rapids) have written a proposal to amend the state Liquor Control Act to make sure that when a pint of beer is offered at a bar or restaurant, customers are getting an "honest pint."