Boulder Weekly, 22 Oct 2010 – LOS ANGELES – Proposition 19, the California initiative that would legalize marijuana, got a boost Thursday from several Hollywood celebrities who announced they were throwing their support behind the measure. Rock singer Melissa Etheridge joined actors Danny Glover and Hal Sparks, former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Steve Downing, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and activist Sarah Lovering at a news conference at Cafe Was in Hollywood to announce their support for Proposition 19. The ballot measure would allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess marijuana and would authorize cities and counties to approve the cultivation, sale and taxation of pot.

New York Times, 24 Oct 2010 – Leslie Hennessy, owner of Hennessy’s Wines & Specialty Foods in San Francisco, waved his hand over a glass case that sits next to his cash register, across from the deli section where he sells cheeses, gourmet salads and olives. Inside the case were colorful boxes of Macanudo and Romeo y Julieta cigars. But Mr. Hennessy imagines that the case will soon contain another smokable product – marijuana, packaged attractively because "a rolled up joint in a baggy isn’t going to do it," he said.

New York Times, 24 Oct 2010 – Leslie Hennessy, owner of Hennessy’s Wines & Specialty Foods in San Francisco, waved his hand over a glass case that sits next to his cash register, across from the deli section where he sells cheeses, gourmet salads and olives. Inside the case were colorful boxes of Macanudo and Romeo y Julieta cigars. But Mr. Hennessy imagines that the case will soon contain another smokable product – marijuana, packaged attractively because "a rolled up joint in a baggy isn’t going to do it," he said.

Ottawa Citizen, 23 Oct 2010 – Despite Opposition From Lawmakers Of All Political Stripes Right Up To The White House, The Left-Leaning State Is Once Again At The Forefront Of America’s Culture Wars, Sheldon Alberts Writes. Gripping his Bic lighter in one hand and a blue bubbler pipe in another, David Goldman leans forward on his living room couch and begins to medicate. The pipe burbles as he takes a long drag of the premium marijuana doctors have recommended for his chronic pain and headaches. He waits a moment to exhale, savours the taste, then releases a long plume of smoke into the air. "That," he says, "feels wonderful." It’s a feeling Goldman, 59, hopes all adult Californians will be able to share – without fear of arrest or jail time – before much longer.

National Post, 23 Oct 2010 – Revenue From Marijuana Tax Would Be Boon For Cash-strapped California, Activists Say Gripping his Bic lighter in one hand and a blue bubbler pipe in another, David Goldman leans forward on his living room couch and begins to medicate. The pipe burbles as he takes a long drag of the premium marijuana doctors have recommended for his chronic pain and headaches. He waits a moment to exhale, savours the taste, then releases a long plume of smoke into the air.

Vancouver Sun, 23 Oct 2010 – Proposition 19, On The Nov. 2 Ballot, Would Allow Those 21 And Older To Possess And Grow Pot Gripping his Bic lighter in one hand and a blue bubbler pipe in another, David Goldman leans forward on his living room couch and begins to medicate. The pipe burbles as he takes a long drag of the premium marijuana doctors have recommended for his chronic pain and headaches. He waits a moment to exhale, savours the taste, then releases a long plume of smoke into the air.

Appeal-Democrat, 22 Oct 2010 – Science tells us cannabis is safer than over-the-counter drugs. It was endorsed by the AMA in 1937 and just last year the AMA called for the rescheduling of cannabis. The 1999 federally funded Institute of Medicine Report debunked the so-called "gateway effect." Marijuana has been legal for years in Alaska with no apparent ill-effect on the populace. Cannabis is legal in Portugal and Spain and essentially legal in the Netherlands, with no adverse effects there. Data from the Netherlands reveals only 13 percent of high school kids use marijuana compared to 19 percent in the U.S.

Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct 2010 – CELEBRITIES LEND SUPPORT TO MEASURE LEGALIZING POT Opponents of the Nov. 2 Initiative Say They Are Unfazed by the Stars’ Actions. Proposition 19, the California initiative that would legalize marijuana, got a boost Thursday from several Hollywood celebrities who announced they were throwing their support behind the measure.

Sacramento Bee, 22 Oct 2010 – For months, proponents of California’s Proposition 19 marijuana initiative hyped the local tax benefits of legalizing pot for recreational use. Now, as voters in Sacramento and other cities consider companion ballot measures to impose taxes on the retail pot businesses that could open if Proposition 19 passes, the promised revenues may be in jeopardy.

Arcata Eye, 21 Oct 2010 – To all the ganja farmers, hustlers, bucket spinners and trimmers, First off, allow me to remind you that we all owe our livelihoods to this sacred plant. In fact, everyone in the Emerald Triangle, if not the entire state, benefits from this plant directly or indirectly on a daily basis. The huge down side to all of this is the thousands of lives being wasted in jail. On top of that, for every person in jail are families and friends paying the price. Millions if not billions of dollars are wasted enforcing these antiquated laws, and precious resources are wasted by growers trying to keep themselves safe; i.e. the garbage bags of fertile soil brought to the dump every day. Paranoia and secrecy abound, isolating communities and severing us from living our truth as we try to protect ourselves.