RODNEY KING'S BUDS He Was a Professional Weed Smoker

Rodney King was an expert pot smoker ... and there's no way marijuana could have caused him to go off the hinges and act like a maniac on the night he died ... so say King's smoking buddies, who run his local weed dispensary. 

Ever since investigators were pictured removing a cannabis plant from King's home this week, there have been suspicions that weed may have contributed to his death ... or at least caused Rodney to exhibit some bizarre behavior on the night he died ... including loud crying spells and banging on the windows of his home. 

TMZ spoke with the people who run Arrow Alternative Remedies in San Bernardino, CA ... who tell us Rodney was a regular ... and even served as a celebrity "bud tender" during special events. 

The pot people tell us ... "We used to smoke tons of weed with Rodney and not once was he too belligerent to function."

One pot pro also notes, "I never saw him come into the shop on alcohol or hard drugs."

"Honestly, he was a great guy and was starting to get back on track with his new book."

As TMZ first reported, Rodney died on Sunday ... but his legacy will live on in the pot shop -- where his old pals have already named a strain of weed after the guy ... "Rodney King OG."

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NOBODY DIED FROM LACK OF SLEEP, AA MYTHs

Beyond leaving you drowsy and irritable, sleepless nights can take aserious toll on your physical and mental health.

"We know sleep is a critical biological function that influences a wide variety of physiological process," said Dr. Susan Redline, a sleep specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Sleep deficiency can affect mood and the ability to make memories and learn, but it also affects metabolism, appetite, blood pressure, levels of inflammation in the body and perhaps even the immune response."

Lack of sleep has been linked to stroke, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and the country's No. 1 killers: heart disease and cancer. Read on to learn the health hazards of sleep deficiency and how you can sleep better.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Stroke

A new study of more than 5,600 people found those who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to suffer a stroke than their well-rested counterparts.

"We speculate that short sleep duration is a precursor to other traditional stroke risk factors, and once these traditional stroke risk factors are present, then perhaps they become stronger risk factors than sleep duration alone," Megan Ruiter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said in a statement.

The study was presented today at the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston, Mass.

Stroke risk is also higher in people who are overweight, diabetic or hypertensive -- all conditions linked to poor sleep.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Obesity and Diabetes

Sporadic and irregular sleep can raise blood sugar levels and slow the body's metabolism,increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes, according to an April 2012 study published in Science Translational Medicine.

"The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health," said study author Orfeu Buxton, a neuroscientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Sleep deficiency can also lead to bad food choices, according to a study that found the sight of unhealthy food activated reward centers in the brains of sleep-deprived people.

"The results suggest that, under restricted sleep, individuals will find unhealthy foods highly salient and rewarding, which may lead to greater consumption of those foods," said Marie-Pierre St-Onge from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center and Columbia University in New York, and lead author of the study presented today at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston. "Indeed, food intake data from this same study showed that participants ate more overall and consumed more fat after a period of sleep restriction compared to regular sleep."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Anxiety and Depression

Sure, sleepless nights make for miserable mornings. But chronic sleep deficiency can lead to anxiety and depression -- both serious mood disorders.

"People feel more anxious, restless, irritable, less satisfied," said Dr. Mark Dyken, director of the University of Iowa's Sleep Disorders Center in Iowa City, adding sleep deficiency can impact careers and relationships. "They have difficulty focusing and sometimes feel like they just don't care anymore."

Brain imaging suggests sleep deprivation can boost activity in the brain's emotional centers, according to a study presented today at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston.

"Our results suggest that just one night of sleep loss significantly alters the optimal functioning of this essential brain process, especially among anxious individuals," study author Andrea Goldstein from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement. "This is perhaps never more relevant considering the continued erosion of sleep time that continues to occur across society."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Cancer

Sleep deficiency has also been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

A 2008 study published in the British Journal of Cancer found women who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely develop breast cancer, and a 2010 study published in the journal Cancer found those who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to have colorectal polyps, which can lead to colon cancer.

The biological mechanisms are unclear, but lack of sleep has been shown to boost levels of inflammation in the body and interfere with the immune response, both of which have been implicated in cancer.

"Sleep is restorative," said Dyken. "And if you don't get it, your health will suffer."

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Heart Disease

Short and sporadic sleep may also raise the risk of heart disease.

A 2011 study published in the European Heart Journal found people who slept fewer than six hours a night were 48 percent more likely to develop or die from heart disease.

The link could have something to do with levels of inflammation in the body, but the researchers also found higher blood pressure and cholesterol in people with sleep deficiency.

HEALTH HAZARDS LINKED TO LACK OF SLEEP

Get Your Sleep

With hectic work and family schedules, getting a good night's sleep is no easy feat. But experts say a little planning can go a long way, helping you feel refreshed the next morning and for many to come.

"Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet, and avoid reading anything that's going to make you excited or worried," said Dyken. "Try not to exercise or eat a big meal within three hours of your bedtime, but don't go to bed hungry, either."

Caffeine and alcohol can also interfere with sleep, according to Redline.

"Much of sleep deficiency is self-inflicted," she said. "But adults should do their best to get to bed at regular times and aim to have 7.5 hours on average of sleep. Set your schedule such that you honor and respect your sleep needs."

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A British woman facing the possibility of death by firing squad in Bali for importing cocaine claims Indonesian police tied her to a chair for two days and pointed a gun at her head.

A British woman facing the possibility of death by firing squad in Bali for importing cocaine claims she had no idea what was in her suitcase and says Indonesian police tied her to a chair for two days and pointed a gun at her head.

Lindsay Sandiford, 55, was arrested in Bali last month along with three other Britons when customs officials alleged they found 4.7kg of cocaine hidden behind a panel in her suitcase. The drugs had a value of $3.2 million.

In an interview with Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, Sandiford said she agreed to travel from Bangkok to Bali with unknown goods in her suitcase because she believed it would help her 21-year-old son Elliot, who she claims had been threatened by drug dealers in England.

The mother-of-two who has lived in the Himalayan region of India with her second husband for the past five years says became aware of her younger son's predicament on a trip back to England in March.

She told the newspaper she travelled back to England to help Elliot move flats and to greet her older son Louis as he finished a stint in prison for robbery.

Sandiford said a drugs gang believed Elliot was a police informer.

''I got a call from someone - I don't know who - telling me my boy was a snitch and they would kill him if I didn't put things right.''

''Elliot told me he was on the run because he had had death threats. He said, 'Mum you've got to help me'.''

Sandiford claimed she was contacted by phone by a male acquaintance she knew 20 years ago who told her to meet him in a McDonald's restaurant.

She said the man told her she should start checking out flights to Australia. Sandiford returned to India and was then contacted by the man in April who told her to travel to Bangkok and book into a hotel for seven days.

Sandiford claimed she was met in Bangkok by the man's girlfriend and the pair spent time shopping together before a man called ''Chubby'' turned up at  Sandiford's hotel room and put something in her suitcase and told her to fly to Bali.

''I knew what they were asking me to do was something dodgy,'' she said. ''They weren't asking me to bring in tulips or balls of cheese but I didn't know if it was money, gold, jewellery, guns, marijuana or heroin. I had no idea.''

Sandiford claims she did not know the man had hidden cocaine in her luggage until her arrest after touching down in Bali.

She said that after her arrest she was interrogated by Indonesian police who forced her to participate in a sting operation to capture other drug smugglers.

Sandiford said police tied her to a chair for two days, pointed a pistol at her head and forced her to stay awake by screaming every time she started to fall asleep.

She says she began to name people after the ordeal and agreed to help police trap those she implicated.

Sandiford said she was taken by police to the arranged pick-up point where she handed over a fake parcel of drugs to a man in a car.

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A British woman facing the possibility of death by firing squad in Bali for importing cocaine claims Indonesian police tied her to a chair for two days and pointed a gun at her head.

A British woman facing the possibility of death by firing squad in Bali for importing cocaine claims she had no idea what was in her suitcase and says Indonesian police tied her to a chair for two days and pointed a gun at her head.

Lindsay Sandiford, 55, was arrested in Bali last month along with three other Britons when customs officials alleged they found 4.7kg of cocaine hidden behind a panel in her suitcase. The drugs had a value of $3.2 million.

In an interview with Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, Sandiford said she agreed to travel from Bangkok to Bali with unknown goods in her suitcase because she believed it would help her 21-year-old son Elliot, who she claims had been threatened by drug dealers in England.

The mother-of-two who has lived in the Himalayan region of India with her second husband for the past five years says became aware of her younger son's predicament on a trip back to England in March.

She told the newspaper she travelled back to England to help Elliot move flats and to greet her older son Louis as he finished a stint in prison for robbery.

Sandiford said a drugs gang believed Elliot was a police informer.

''I got a call from someone - I don't know who - telling me my boy was a snitch and they would kill him if I didn't put things right.''

''Elliot told me he was on the run because he had had death threats. He said, 'Mum you've got to help me'.''

Sandiford claimed she was contacted by phone by a male acquaintance she knew 20 years ago who told her to meet him in a McDonald's restaurant.

She said the man told her she should start checking out flights to Australia. Sandiford returned to India and was then contacted by the man in April who told her to travel to Bangkok and book into a hotel for seven days.

Sandiford claimed she was met in Bangkok by the man's girlfriend and the pair spent time shopping together before a man called ''Chubby'' turned up at  Sandiford's hotel room and put something in her suitcase and told her to fly to Bali.

''I knew what they were asking me to do was something dodgy,'' she said. ''They weren't asking me to bring in tulips or balls of cheese but I didn't know if it was money, gold, jewellery, guns, marijuana or heroin. I had no idea.''

Sandiford claims she did not know the man had hidden cocaine in her luggage until her arrest after touching down in Bali.

She said that after her arrest she was interrogated by Indonesian police who forced her to participate in a sting operation to capture other drug smugglers.

Sandiford said police tied her to a chair for two days, pointed a pistol at her head and forced her to stay awake by screaming every time she started to fall asleep.

She says she began to name people after the ordeal and agreed to help police trap those she implicated.

Sandiford said she was taken by police to the arranged pick-up point where she handed over a fake parcel of drugs to a man in a car.

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A mind-altering drug banned in Britain two years ago is being blamed for the spate of cannibal attacks in America.

Narcotic Cloud Nine was blamed for the attack when Rudy Eugene ate 75% of homeless man Ronald Poppo’s face in Miami last month.

Horrific images surfaced of the attack that only ended once police shot and killed 31-year-old Eugene.

Mr Poppo is still recovering from his injuries in hospital.

Police are now warning people to stay away from Cloud Nine – also known as ‘bath salts’ - after two similar attacks were reported.

The most recent prompted an internal memo to police warning officers the case “bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man’s face”.

The memo called the synthetic drug “addictive and dangerous” and said it was part of a “disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products”.

It added: “Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.”

 

Rudy Eugene, 31: Ate 75% of a man's face in Miami before being shot dead

AP

Brandon De Leon, 21: Tried to bite two police officers after he was arrested in North Miami BeachCarl Jacquneaux, 43: Bit a man's face in Scott, Louisiania. Wasp spray was used to end the attackAlex Kinyua, 21: Accused of eating the heart and brain of friend in Maryland

Splash

Horror: Film cannibal Hannibal Lecter

Channel 5

 

During the latest attack homeless Brendon De Leon threatened to eat two Miami police officers and had to be fitted with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask to prevent him carrying his threats out.

He had been arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach while high on drugs and put in a police cruiser when he slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted: “I’m going to eat you” to officers before growling and baring his teeth.

Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs including Cloud Nine.

In another case, Carl Jacquneaux, 43, was accused of attacking Todd Credeur in his front garden in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after being upset over a domestic issue while under the influence of what is said to be bath salts.

Jacquneaux bit Mr Credeur before being sprayed in the face with wasp spray.

Scott Assistant Police Chief Kert Thomas said: “During the attack, the suspect bit a chunk of the victim’s face off.”

Jacquneaux was then said to have left the property and gone to another man’s home where he held him at knife-point and stole a handgun before being apprehended by police.

The drug, which is also known as Ivory Wave, was blamed for several deaths in Britain during 2010 before being banned. It is also illegal in Australia.

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour and is often sold in plain packaging with the contents purporting to be harmless.

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