Sacramento News & Review, 27 Jun 2013 – I’ve heard that marijuana can ease anxiety, but I have also heard that it can cause anxiety. Which is true? – -Jennifer Um, both. According to a 2001 study from Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at UC San Francisco, cannabis can increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, which should calm you down and smooth you out. However, anxiety and panic attacks are the biggest reported side effects of cannabis use.

Sacramento News & Review, 20 Jun 2013 – Did Nevada really just pass a law allowing medical-cannabis dispensaries? – -Hank the High Roller Yes! Gov. Brian Sandoval just signed a law allowing medical-cannabis dispensaries. The law came into being after a Nevada Senate judiciary committee determined that the state wasn’t doing enough to help medical-cannabis patients access their medicine. Imagine that. A state is actually helping medical-cannabis patients. California, I’m looking at you.

Sacramento News & Review, 13 Jun 2013 – Remember back in May when I asked people to tell me their favorite spot to toke in Sac? This is one of the responses: I like the park atop the subterranean building [Seventh and Eighth streets at N and O streets]. There’s a sculpture garden, an amphitheater, lots of park seating, and a big, open space for pacing back and forth. (Why they don’t hold food-truck events [here] is beyond me-there’s even driveway access up there.) Great view of downtown buildings, including the light show atop the building that houses Morton’s [the Steakhouse], and a view of the harlequin building that is the state power station, plus the Stanford Mansion and a view of the state Capitol dome. There is hardly anyone up there day [or] night, and especially weekends. For a cozy smoke spot nearby, try the passageway beneath N Street that connects the subterranean building with the state [Employment Development Department] building. When I’m really stoned up there, it’s fun to pretend that the place is an empty Star Trek set, and Kirk and Spock are just around the corner getting high.

Sacramento News & Review, 06 Jun 2013 – Ngaio Looks at the Legalization Timeline When is Colorado gonna have legal pot stores? – -Irma the Impatient

Sacramento News & Review, 30 May 2013 – So, voters in Los Angeles just passed a ballot measure to shut down all but 135 or so cannabis clubs. What gives? – -SoCal Sal Who knows? The voters just kicked through a law that enacts most of the regulations from an ordinance passed by the Los Angeles City Council in 2007. This law states that all the clubs that registered with the city prior to the 2007 cutoff date will be allowed to stay open. Everyone else has to shut down.

Sacramento News & Review, 23 May 2013 – Can you update us on some of the latest developments in the world of medical-cannabis research? – -Wanda Wellness Yes, I can! A new study by Israel’s Meir Medical Center has found that inhaled cannabis is very effective for people with Crohn’s disease. The study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, gave 11 people two joints per day for eight weeks. They also gave 10 other people placebo doobies. Out of the 11 people on the real weed, five of them saw their Crohn’s disease go into complete remission, with the others reporting that their symptoms had been cut in half. All patients reported increased appetite and better sleep, with no adverse side effects.

Sacramento News & Review, 16 May 2013 – So, there will never be pot clubs in Sacramento County after last week’s California Supreme Court ruling, right? – -Despondent Dave Nil desperandum, Dave! It’s not as bad as you may think. Yes, the California Supreme Court ruled that cities and counties are allowed to ban medical-marijuana dispensaries, stating that while Proposition 215 does indeed "remove state-level criminal and civil sanctions from specified medical marijuana activities, [it does] not establish a comprehensive state system of legalized medical marijuana; or grant a . right of convenient access to marijuana for medicinal use; or override the zoning, licensing, and police powers of local jurisdictions; or mandate local accommodation of medical marijuana cooperatives, collectives, or dispensaries."

Sacramento News & Review, 02 May 2013 – I heard that California medical cannabis is going to be regulated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Is this true? – -Teetotaler Terry It could happen. Assembly Bill 473, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, would indeed place medical marijuana under the purview of the ABC. The bill has gained traction, passing through the Committee on Public Safety, and could soon become law.

Sacramento News & Review, 18 Apr 2013 – What’s this I hear about California trying to pass a law making driving with any amount of THC in your bloodstream a driving-under-the-influence offense? Can they even do that? – -Wanda the Wonderer

Sacramento News & Review, 04 Apr 2013 – Medical pot’s legal in California, so can I bring some on the plane when I fly to Los Angeles? – -Jet-Set Jeff Yes. Over the past 20-plus years of bringing weed with me dang near everywhere I go, I have had no real problems.