THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015
FEATURES
5A
Is the smoke from marijuana bad? Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: For many years, I
have heard about the dangers of sec-
ondhand smoke. I am a non-smoker,
but was married to a smoker for 13
years and have asthma.
Now that pot is being legalized
in some states, including where I
live, what are the dangers of sec-
ondhand pot smoke? I haven’t
heard a word about it. Are the
states just looking for additional
tax revenue and keeping it out of
the news? — Concerned Breather
in Oregon
Dear Breather: According to
the American Lung Association,
inhaling smoke is harmful whether
it’s from cigarettes, pot or burning
wood. Marijuana smoke contains
many of the same toxins, irritants
and carcinogens as tobacco smoke,
and pot smokers generally inhale
it for a longer period of time. Sec-
ondhand marijuana smoke contains
the same ingredients.
How dangerous is it to
non-smokers? A 2014 study found
that blood-vessel function in lab
rats dropped by 70 percent after 30
minutes of exposure to secondhand
marijuana smoke and hadn’t re-
turned to normal even after 40 min-
utes. And the rats suffered the same
effects even if the pot contained no
THC. So, you might not get a “con-
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
tact high,” but with continued ex-
posure, you could suffer impaired
lung and blood-vessel function.
Marijuana is much stronger to-
day than it was 40 years ago. More
studies need to be done, obviously,
but if you are regularly exposed to
smoke of any kind, you are likely
to develop a problem. Steer clear.
Dear Annie: I am responding
to “B” about unsolicited phone
calls. I recently fell victim to such
a scam. I purchased a lifetime re-
pair contract for my computer. A
month later, I received a call say-
ing they were going out of business
and needed to return my money. I
foolishly let them gain control of
my computer, where they claim
to have accidentally “deposited”
an amount greater than what they
owed me. They then said I needed
to send a MoneyGram for the over-
payment.
I had the person on my cell-
phone when I went to a Money-
Gram location. The woman there
told me to hang up and informed
me that it was a scam. I then went
to my bank and was able to protect
my account. I also reported it to the
police.
On my way to the bank, I re-
ceived 17 calls from the scammer
asking why I hadn’t sent the mon-
ey. The specialist at the bank told
him to stop calling. It was too late
to reverse the charges on my credit
card for the original contract, but
the bank canceled that card and
issued a new one. Here is how I
stopped these calls:
1. I blocked the numbers they
were calling from on my cellphone
and my home phone.
2. I set “call rejection” on my
home phone so if anyone called
from a “private” or “unknown”
number, they would be required
to unblock their number and call
back.
I hope others learn from my ex-
perience. — A Lesson Well Learned
Dear Lesson: Thank you for
sharing. We received a great many
letters with examples of how these
unscrupulous people work and will
print more in future columns. Stay
tuned.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
STONE SOUP
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
ARIES (March 21-April 19). The ones
who respect you will try to put you in a
position to make decisions for them. Tak-
ing this on is optional. Be careful. Power
is like dessert. Once you get a taste of it,
you want more.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When
opinions change, it can be a sign of intel-
ligence and growth, or it can be a sign of
weakness. Each scenario is unique and
must be regarded as such.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The events
of the afternoon are neither positive nor
negative, but they must be handled. This
will bring out the best in you. Working to
bring it all back into order will make you
strong.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re al-
ways learning, though on some wonder-
ful occasions the learning is so enjoyable
that you don’t feel any growing pains.
You will establish beneficial habits in the
weeks to come.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Things are
quite naturally going your way. This is defi-
nitely not the time to ask questions. Ride
the wave of happiness. Side note: It’s bet-
ter to be overdressed than underdressed.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The love
you find today is totally unique. You will
never have another experience quite
like it. Consider carefully the person who
keeps calling you back to his or her heart.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Perfection is
not a practical aim. Doing your very best
is doing enough. Tranquility around you
will eventually create tranquility inside
you. It may take a while. Give yourself
time and space.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You need
more attention, but asking for it is not
the best way. Give it to yourself first. By
taking care of your own needs you put
yourself in a better position to contribute
gladly to those around you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).
You’ll get a lot of the same old questions,
but you don’t have to give the same tired
answers. Change it up. An interesting an-
swer to something as simple as “How are
you?” will better your fortunes.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll
tend to many responsibilities today, but
fear not — there’s a way to make them
fun. When you involve people who share
your sense of humor, you can’t lose.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Pointing
out the faults of others only reminds peo-
ple that everyone has them. It’s why you
focus on what’s going right and put your
energy into making a good thing better.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If you
believed every compliment paid you, it
would cause you to lose your edge. But
don’t worry. You can trust that today’s
accolades are well earned and still stay
sharp.
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 21).
The weeks to come will be filled with
spontaneous notions and joyful emotions
as you freely follow your heart. Even so,
you will strive for a disciplined and un-
cluttered lifestyle. Living simply makes
you feel better. You’ll be passionately pur-
sued in June. Your hard work will get you
promoted in August. Love signs are Libra
and Leo. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 46,
27, 22 and 19.