1. As of February 2017, marijuana is legal for recreational use in how many states?
- a.) 2
- b.) 4
- c.) 6
- d.) 8
- e.) 10
ANSWER
The correct choice is D. Recreational use of marijuana is legal in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
2. Which country has the highest per capita cigarette consumption?
- a.) France
- b.) Italy
- c.) India
- d.) China
- e.) Greece
ANSWER
The correct choice is E.Greece tops this list averaging 2,795 cigarettes per person per year. It is followed by China (1,711), Italy (1,475), France (854), and India (96). Consumption in the U.S. is between that of Italy and France at 1,028.
3. E-cigarettes contain:
- a.) nicotine, but neither tar nor benzene
- b.) neither nicotine nor tar nor benzene
- c.) nicotine and tar, but not benzene
- d.) benzene and nicotine, but not tar
- e.) benzene and tar, but not nicotine
ANSWER
The correct choice is A.E-cigarettes contain nicotine, but neither tar nor benzene. However, according to the American Lung Association, “in initial lab tests conducted in 2009 the FDA found detectable levels of toxic cancer-causing chemicals, including an ingredient used in anti-freeze, in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various cartridges.”
4. Which beverage contains the most added sugar in grams per ounce?
- a.) Mountain Dew
- b.) Rockstar
- c.) Starbucks Frappucino (bottled)
- d.) Sunkist Orange Soda
- e.) Coca Cola
ANSWER
The correct choice is D. Sunkist Orange Soda has the most with 4.33g./oz., followed by Mountain Dew (3.83), Rockstar (3.62), Starbucks bottled Frappucino (3.37) and Coca Cola (3.25). Of course, one needs to consider the size of the bottle or can for further comparison.
5. The Chinese funded the construction of the Great Wall by taxing which hedonic compound?
- a.) sugar
- b.) salt
- c.) tobacco
- d.) alcohol
- e.) opium
ANSWER
The correct choice is B. The Chinese weren’t alone in taxing salt. An unfair tax on salt was one of the causes of the French Revolution.
6. Which beverage contains the most caffeine in one serving?
- a.) Monster Energy (16oz)
- b.) Red Bull (8.4 oz)
- c.) Starbucks House Blend (Tall = 12oz)
- d.) 1 NoDoz Pill
- e.) 5-Hour Energy Shot
ANSWER
The correct choice is C. Did this answer surprise you? Starbucks coffee is stronger – has twice the caffeine – than the coffee popular prior to its introduction.
7. Which country had the highest consumption of alcohol in 2014 as measured by liters consumed per person per year? (For extra credit, put them in order from highest to lowest!)
- a.) Saudi Arabia
- b.) United Kingdom
- c.) Russia
- d.) France
- e.) South Korea
ANSWER
The correct choice is C. Russia comes in first at 18 liters per person per year, followed by South Korea (14.8), France (13.7), the United Kingdom (13.4), and Saudi Arabia (0.3). The United States is intermediate in consumption at 9.4 liters.
8. Hernando Cortes called this “the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue – a cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.”
- a.) hot chocolate
- b.) coffee
- c.) cannabis leaf tea
- d.) coca leaf tea
- e.) opium poppy tisane
ANSWER
The correct choice is A. This wasn’t the sweet stuff we enjoy today, but a bitter concoction of dried cocoa beans and water, sometimes with vanilla or chilies added. The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs drank it and introduced it to Cortes and other European explorers.
9. In the late 1800’s, Parke-Davis paid this man to promote its brand of cocaine:
- a.) Arthur Conan Doyle
- b.) Sigmund Freud
- c.) Theodore Roosevelt
- d.) Robert Louis Stevenson
- e.) Thomas Edison
ANSWER
The correct choice is B. Freud drank cocaine himself, and found it exhilarating. He proposed its use in the treatment of depression, digestive disorders, addiction, and asthma. He also thought it had potential as an anesthetic and an aphrodisiac.
10. In 2001 and 2002, how many prescriptions were written for Oxycontin?
- a.) 14,000
- b.) 140,000
- c.) 1,400,000
- d.) 14,000,000
- e.) 140,000,000
ANSWER
The correct choice is D. Thanks to a massive promotional push by the manufacturer, Purdue, there was a huge increase in the number of prescriptions for Oxycontin over a five year period. By comparison, in 1996 only 316,000 prescriptions were written for Oxycontin.
11. This spice kills the most Americans and costs the U.S. an estimated $1 trillion in related treatments:
- a.) opioids
- b.) alcohol
- c.) tobacco
- d.) salt
- e.) sugar
ANSWER
The correct choice is E. The over consumption of sugar causes obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, renal failure and cardiovascular disease (the number one cause of death in the U.S.).
12. Which country has the highest per capita consumption of salt?
- a.) Kazakhstan
- b.) Kenya
- c.) Finland
- d.) Norway
- e.) Japan
ANSWER
The correct choice is A. Kazakhstan is number one with 5980 mg/day per person. It is followed by Japan (4890), Finland (3850), the Netherlands (3320) and Kenya (1480). Though there is some inconsistency in the dietary recommendations, most medical groups suggest a daily intake of 2000 to 3000 mg. Higher amounts can lead to high blood pressure, which is turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
13. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, which of the following psychoactive substances produced dependence in the smallest percentage of users?
- a.) heroin
- b.) alcohol
- c.) tobacco
- d.) cocaine
- e.) marijuana
ANSWER
The correct choice is E. Marijuana is less likely to produce dependence then any of the other drugs on the list – perhaps this is why more states are legalizing its recreational use.
14. In order to switch the Japanese preference for tea to a preference for coffee, the Nestle company came up with which of the following schemes?
- a.) selling coffee-flavored tea
- b.) providing companies with free coffee and coffee makers
- c.) marketing coffee-flavored desserts to children
- d.) creating coffee-flavored soy sauce
- e.) offering free coffee to train commuters
ANSWER
The correct choice is C. Nestle marketers realized that the Japanese had a strong emotional connection to tea. In order to create an emotional connection to coffee, Nestle reasoned that it would have to start with children.
By selling coffee flavored sweets to children they were hoping to create future adults with a nostalgic connection to coffee flavor, who would thus be more attracted to coffee as a beverage.
15. Opioid pain relievers kill more people in every age group than illegal drugs. Which age group had the most deaths from opioid pain relievers in 2011?
- a.) 15-24
- b.) 25-34
- c.) 35-44
- d.) 45-54
- e.) 55-64
ANSWER
The correct choice is D.In much of its promotional campaign targeted at physicians, Purdue claimed the that the risk of of addiction from OxyContin was extremely small. Given that people in this age group are prone to aches, pains and injuries, it is not surprising that they are the group most likely to be prescribed and eventually, overdose on pain relievers.