Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)

Humans have been using drugs since the beginning of recorded time, and historian Sam Kelly can prove it.

The witty and engaging “Human History on Drugs,” by author Sam Kelly, explores how substance use and abuse shaped figures like Queen Victoria, Richard Nixon and Sigmund Freud. (Provided by Plume)

In his book “Human History on Drugs,” Kelly provides an “utterly scandalous but entirely truthful look at history under the influence,” as the book cover states. Since it came out last July, it has been one of my favorite reads not only because the subject matter is fascinating but also because the format makes it a noncommittal nightstand staple.

Kelly explores prominent figures throughout history – from Alexander the Great and Marcus Aurelius to Queen Victoria, Elvis Presley and Steve Jobs – and their relationship with substance use and abuse. Each one is spotlighted in a concise yet engaging story that typically lasts a couple of pages. You can pick up the book sparingly or jump around the various chapters without feeling like you’ve missed anything.

Ultimately, “Human History on Drugs” is a piece of entertainment that you can tune out and drop into for a few minutes when you’re in need of a lighthearted distraction. Plus, the stories will make you rethink everything you learned in history class.

Kelly was initially inspired to dig into the ways history’s tastemakers used drugs while discussing Sigmund Freud in his first college psychology class. He recalls the lecture turned to how, despite shaping the field, some of Freud’s beliefs are no longer accepted in mainstream psychology.

“Some of his stuff is pretty odd,” Kelly said in an interview. Admittedly, it piqued his interest, so Kelly dug into some of Freud’s lesser-known work. He found “Über Coca,” written in 1884, in which Freud advocates for cocaine as a miracle drug and explores the myriad ways humans could benefit from using it.

“I couldn’t help but think, whoa, this is a fascinating thing that Freud is really into cocaine. How into it is he? It turns out that for like 12 years, almost day in and day out, the guy is doing tons of cocaine,” Kelly said.

It made him wonder where else in history class he may not have gotten the full story. Kelly, who is autistic, spent seven years poring over records and historical texts in hopes he could paint a more complete picture. After all, it’s likely that people’s state of mind, however altered, influenced what they did and the decisions they made.

“All you have to do is pull on threads, follow some rabbit holes and it is amazing how many things you will find, even about people who are well known. Certain parts of these people’s stories don’t get told very often,” Kelly said. “It became clear to me that there were a bunch of different major historical figures whose substance use is very pertinent, and a lot of mainstream accounts will bat it away like it’s not interesting.”

Take, for example, Pope Leo XIII, one of the longest-serving popes and one of the most prolific, writing about 90 encyclicals during his tenure. Scholars have always marveled at Pope Leo XIII’s output, Kelly said.

But the pope may have had help from one of his favorite beverages: Vin Mariani, a wine laced with cocaine.

“In fact, he loved cocaine wine so much that he decided that he needed to honor the man who invented it. He summoned winemaker Angelo Mariani to Rome and presented him with an official Vatican gold medal for his remarkable achievement in the field of cocaine vitnery,” Kelly writes. The book features a print advertisement in which the pope endorses the product.

Though cocaine, which was legal in the 19th century, was the vice of many in the book, many other substances make an appearance, including cannabis, amphetamines, alcohol, acid, painkillers and even yellow paint. Chapters include “Queen Victoria was the biggest drug dealer of all time,” “Elvis Presley was a narc,” and “Andrew Johnson was a blackout drunk.”

Kelly believes a book like this hasn’t been written before because people weren’t ready to hear the truth – as though acknowledging these famous people’s complete life experiences would be besmirching their legacies. But Kelly doesn’t think so, and I don’t either. Perhaps it helps make more sense of history’s complex personalities, and explains why “Richard Nixon wanted to nuke everyone” and “Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was Jesus,” as two other chapters explore.

The book also shines a prominent light on how attitudes toward certain drugs have changed over time by showing when and where they were embraced. It’s a long, strange trip, I promise you that.

“Human History on Drugs” is available for purchase online via Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Kelly also features snippets from the book on his TikTok page (@Human_History_On_Durgs) and Instagram (@Human_History_On_Drugs).

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Meals and snacks with “GLP-1 Friendly” labels on the packaging are becoming more common in U.S. supermarkets as a growing number of Americans try obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound to lose weight.

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But the labels aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, unlike the popular medications themselves. Dieticians say people taking GLP-1 drugs need to read ingredient lists and talk to experts about what nutrients they need – and don’t need.

“A drug does not educate you on how to eat properly,” said Suzy Badaracco, a registered dietitian and president of the food trends forecasting firm Culinary Tides. “You’re not magically going to be educated — without a doctor’s help — to eat healthy.”

Nutritional needs

The nutritional needs of GLP-1 users aren’t that different from those of the general population, said Shannon Christen, a dietitian and diabetes educator with UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

The difference is that GLP-1 users eat less because the drugs suppress their appetites, so the foods they do eat need to be packed with nutrients, Christen said. They can expect to eat around 50% less than they ate before they started taking the medications, she said.

“Every bite needs to be nutritious,” Christen said.

Protein helps GLP-1 users maintain muscle mass as they lose weight. Christen said she generally recommends that patients eat 20-30 grams of protein per meal, or 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight daily.

Samantha Snashall, a registered dietitian at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, said GLP-1 users should also try to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended daily amount of fiber, which is around 14 grams for every 1,000 calories consumed. Fiber is important for everyone, but it’s particularly helpful for GLP-1 patients because constipation is a frequent side effect of the medications, she said.

Badaracco said it’s easy for GLP-1 users to get dehydrated since the drugs may block the body’s thirst signals. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide hydration, she said, and patients should also drink water throughout the day.

Meals with “GLP-1 Friendly” labels sit on the shelf of a Kroger grocery store Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin)

GLP-1 users should avoid meals and snacks that are deep fried, high in sugar or saturated fat and spicy or acidic, since those foods can worsen side effects and work against weight-loss efforts, Snashall said.

Food makers see a market

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1, which the body produces in the small intestine to control blood sugar levels, digestion and appetite. Around 12% of U.S. adults were taking GLP-1 medications as of November to lose weight or treat a chronic condition like diabetes, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Big food companies expect the demand for GLP-1 drugs only to grow as the injected medication becomes available in pill form, which happened with Wegovy last week. Meals marketed for GLP-1 users also are attracting non-users, including people who have come off the drugs but want to maintain weight loss.

Nestle targeted GLP-1 users when it launched its Vital Pursuit frozen meal brand in the fall of 2024. The company didn’t use a “GLP-1 Friendly” label at first but added one to the packaging after customers reported that a label would help them identify products that met their dietary needs, according to Jennifer Barnes, vice president of brand marketing for Nestle’s frozen meals.

Sales have been brisk and the company is adding new meals to the lineup, Barnes said. She said the products have broad appeal; 77% of Vital Pursuit sales are coming from households where no one is using GLP-1 drugs.

Meals with “GLP-1 Friendly” labels sit on the shelf of a Kroger grocery store Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin)

Conagra Brands added a “GLP-1 Friendly” label to 26 of its Healthy Choice frozen meals in early 2025. The Smoothie King chain has a “GLP-1 Support Menu,” while several meal kit brands cater to patients, like Factor’s “GLP-1 Balance.”

Both Conagra and Nestle got approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to use “GLP-1 Friendly” labels. The USDA said it granted approval because the labels are accompanied by statements about protein and fiber content and aren’t misleading. But the USDA reiterated that there is no regulatory standard for the term “GLP-1 Friendly.”

Other companies are targeting GLP-1 users but not mentioning the drugs on their labels or menus. In November, French yogurt maker Lactalis began selling Ratio Pro Fiber yogurt in the U.S. The company said the yogurt, which contains 20 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per serving, was formulated with GLP-1 users in mind. Restaurant chains Chipotle and Shake Shack also mentioned GLP-1 users last month when they debuted new protein-heavy menu items.

Watch for added ingredients

Packaged foods may benefit GLP-1 users who live alone or don’t want to do a lot of cooking, Snashall said. But consumers should be wary of added ingredients like sugar or sodium.

“Labels can be very misleading, making a person think it’s healthier than it is,” Snashall said.

Vital Pursuit’s Cauliflower Crust Three Meat Pizza has 400 calories and 32% of the recommended daily value of protein, for example, but it also contains 40% of the recommended sodium and saturated fat. Christen said she advises GLP-1 users to choose foods with less than 10 grams of fat per serving because fat can worsen symptoms like nausea and acid reflux. The Three Meat Pizza has 18 grams of fat.

Smoothie King’s 20-ounce Gladiator GLP-1 Vanilla smoothie has more calories, sodium and cholesterol than an original glazed donut from Krispy Kreme.

Christen said that if foods are going to be labeled “GLP-1 Friendly,” she hopes they are truly nutrient dense and come in reasonable portions.

“Done responsibly, I think the labels could actually help people make smart choices while they’re on therapies, but done poorly, it could trivialize the medical treatment and drift into diet culture marketing,” Christen said.

Meeting nutritional needs

Badaracco said she advises clients not to put “GLP-1 Friendly” on their packaging. The labels aren’t backed by standards and may confuse some customers by making them think that eating frozen and ready-made meals that mention the medications will give them the benefits of the drugs.

Badaracco said labels should instead focus on how products will benefit consumers.

“You want to talk to the consumer about what it is that they’re looking for. They’re looking for protein, they’re looking for fiber, a good source of hydration, great flavor, it keeps your energy up,” Badaracco said.

Baytown Township is adding rooftop solar to power the township’s community center.

A crew from All Energy Solar this week installed solar panels on the roof of the Baytown Community Center, located at 4020 McDonald Dr. N.

The township board voted unanimously in September to have the solar panels installed.

The township received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Solar on Public Buildings Program to fund the $28,615 installation, said Avis Peters, a township board member who spearheaded the project.

The grant is covering 50 percent of the cost of the installation. Forty percent of costs will be covered by federal “direct pay” tax credits (30 percent from Investment Tax Credit and 10 percent for using domestic content materials). The remaining 10 percent – $2,862 – will be covered by the township, Peters said.

Payback, then savings

The installation of the 8.5-kW solar array will reduce the township’s energy costs and help reduce electricity-based greenhouse gas emissions, said Peters, who has had a ground-mounted solar array on her four-acre property since 2017.

“My solar array paid for itself in about four years,” she said. “There will be a two-year payback for our Baytown solar investment, and then we will have free community center electricity for 40-plus years, the life of solar panels. That amounts to $141,000 in savings.”

The township’s system is expected to be delivering power to the community center by early spring, Peters said.

“Solar produced electricity is much better for the environment because we’re not burning any fossil fuel (coal, oil or natural gas), nor using nuclear power to get our electricity,” Peters said.

Electric overproduction from the solar array will be automatically exported to the electric grid, and “Xcel Energy will pay us for that extra electricity at the rate they charge to other customers,” Peters said. “That’s another benefit of this program.”

Solar on Public Buildings program

The Solar on Public Buildings program launched in April 2024, and 187 projects – spread across 71 local units of government – have thus far received grants, said Lissa Pawlisch, assistant commissioner of the Division of Energy Resources at the Minnesota Department of Commerce.  The total amount of grants given to date: about $14.7 million, she said.

An additional 45 projects have been approved and are currently moving through the grant-contracting process, Pawlisch said. No additional funding rounds are expected, she said.

The program “is about more than clean energy — it’s about investing in our communities,” Pawlisch said. “By putting solar on fire stations, wastewater-treatment facilities, libraries and other public spaces, we’re reducing energy costs, creating local jobs and demonstrating Minnesota’s commitment to a sustainable future.”

Other east-metro projects of note: Bayport Public Works Building; Falcon Heights City Hall; Little Canada City Hall; Mahtomedi Public Works Building; Roseville Booster Station; St. Anthony Village Public Works Building; St. Paul North End Community Center; St. Paul Animal Services; St. Paul Fire Station No. 3; Hamline-Midway Library; Shoreview Water Treatment Plant; South St. Paul City Hall; Vadnais Heights City Hall, and the Washington County Emergency Housing Services Building.

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If you own a home in Minnesota, there’s a roughly 2-in-5 chance that your home has dangerous levels of radon gas.

Free or inexpensive radon gas test kits are available from many the public health departments. (Courtesy of Meeker County Public Health Department)

State and local officials are encouraging residents to test their homes for radon, a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that naturally occurs in Minnesota soils. Homes in south and southwestern counties have a higher percentage of detectable radon, Dakota County said in a news release.

The leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, radon is at elevated levels in about 40% of all Minnesota homes, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Radon can enter homes and other buildings through cracks or openings in walls or foundations.

“You can’t see or smell radon, so the only way to know how much is in the air is to test for it,” said Dan Tranter, supervisor of the MDH Indoor Air Unit, in a news release.

Radon gives off radioactive particles that can damage the lining of the lungs when breathed in, according to MDH.

Radon is a serious public health issue in Minnesota due to the state’s geology and cold climate, according to MDH. In the winter, home heating systems “tend to draw in radon gas from the soil, increasing radon levels inside the home,” MDH states.

While there is no safe level of radon, the risk from radon is largely preventable and winter is the best time to test for it.

“All homes should be tested for radon about every two to five years,” Tranter said in the release. “If tests indicate radon levels of 4.0 picocuries per liter or more, we highly recommend installing a radon mitigation system to lower those levels.”

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Dakota County residents can pick up a free radon test kit at the Northern Service Center, located at 1 Mendota Road in West St. Paul, or the Western Service Center, located at 14955 Galaxie Ave. in Apple Valley. Residents are also welcome to phone consultations with Dakota County Public Health staff.

Washington County residents can pick up a free radon test kit during operating hours at the Cottage Grove Service Center, Forest Lake Service Center, North Environmental Center, South Environmental Center and the Stillwater Government Center.

Ramsey County residents can order a radon test kit for $2 at http://pipr.es/VIHgGys.

Homeowners from other Minnesota counties can also order radon test kits from Air Chek, which is partnering with MDH to offer the kits for $12.95 at mn.radon.com.