The arguments surrounding the controversial measure to legalize and tax the recreational use of marijuana have relied at least in part on speculation.
Aside from the ideological and political differences that pit the measure’s supporters against its opposition, neither side knows for sure how the initiative will affect California’s economy.
Proponents of the […]

The union’s endorsement of Proposition 19 as a way for California to avoid cuts to social programs is wrong, Gov. Schwarzenegger argues. Pension reform is a better solution.
I was surprised to read that leaders of the state’s biggest union — the SEIU — had decided to endorse Proposition 19, which would […]

The city postponed a hearing for a woman who wanted to open a medical marijuana dispensary before Royal Oak’s moratorium on such facilities expires next month.
While Angela Toma waited to talk about her proposed business, Mary Jane’s Flowers, 306 S. Main St., the City Commission voted 4-3 to move toward banning […]

Yes, it’s a party, but not that kind of party. The Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, or WAMM, has been around long enough that only the most clueless of locals mention its name in the same breath as Cheech & Chong.
The organization’s annual public celebration, known as WAMMfest, will mark […]

The Ontario government’s decision to enter the world of online gambling had me confused.
Isn’t gambling an addiction? Won’t that just encourage more people to gamble, creating more gambling addicts with all of the problems that entails? Isn’t online gambling a gateway to worse addictive behaviour?
But then I realized the government is doing […]

State health officials are overwhelmed with applicants seeking to use marijuana legally for medical conditions, a state official said Tuesday.
The Michigan Department of Community Health received 56,513 applications for its registry of authorized users in the past 19 months, including new applications and renewals. It has a policy to […]

A coalition of medical marijuana advocates came out Tuesday against a California ballot initiative that would legalize the drug for recreational use and tax its sales.
Proposition 19 would inadvertently harm the most vulnerable patients by allowing local governments to prohibit the sale and purchase of marijuana in their jurisdictions, California […]

“In almost every respect imaginable, Prohibition was a failure,” former New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent concluded at the close of his new book, “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.” “It encouraged criminality and institutionalized hypocrisy. It deprived the government of revenue, stripped the gears of the […]

California’s fall ballot battle over legalizing pot is drawing law-enforcement officials to both sides of the issue. Beer sellers want to stop legal marijuana, too, but say it’s not because they fear competition.
Proposition 19, which if approved by voters in November, would make marijuana legal for recreational use by those […]

As debate over Arizona’s medical-marijuana proposition heats up, physicians across the state say the proposition is a double-edged sword.
Physicians agree that marijuana can provide relief for patients with serious illnesses, but they also find ethical dilemmas in recommending a drug that is not federally approved. Others warn against the potential for abuse similar to […]