Calif. DMV Sued for Suspending Licenses of Med Marijuana Users

Culture is changing in a way that locals don't like

(NEWSER) - Hey, man, things aren't so cool anymore with marijuana farming in Mendocino County. Sure, it was great for years while "steel-haired" California hippies tended their crops, but things are getting out of hand, reports the Washington Post. Little kids started coming to school reeking of pot, while outsiders, some armed, poured into the area hoping to cash in on the drug business, and home invasions soared. More»

(NEWSER) - Supporters of medical marijuana are celebrating a remark by Attorney General Eric Holder that went largely unnoticed this week, MSNBC reports. Asked about federal drug raids on state-approved dispensaries that led to 775 arrests, Holder said such busts are a thing of the past. What President Obama "said during the campaign ... is now American policy," Holder said, referring to Obama's support for medical marijuana. More»

We'll be the 'go-to' association, boasts director

(NEWSER) - Heavy, man. No more hippie-dippie peace-and-love arguments to legalize pot: marijuana supporters have launched a professional lobby organization in DC to press their case. The National Cannabis Industry Association will be the "go-to organization in Washington" for this fight, said director Aaron Smith, who has worked for 5 years as head of California's Marijuana Policy Project. Smith will likely have a cold awakening in DC after time on the Left Coast, where he's convinced marijuana legalization is "inevitable," notes the McClatchy newspapers. More»

Bid to legalize marijuana is suddenly trailing in the polls

(NEWSER) - Proposition 19 may have captured a lot of media attention, but the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in California is suddenly in jeopardy. It's trailing 51% to 39% in a new Los Angeles Times poll after leading much of the way until now. The problem, apparently, is that supporters haven't raised the kind of money necessary for a sustained ad campaign on television. More»

Madison Ave gets ready for Golden State to legalize weed

(NEWSER) - Seems California can sex up anything from starlets to, well, anything, so why not something as basic as pot? With marijuana legalization drifting toward a ballot measure this fall, weed is becoming less hippie stoner and taking on more of a designer sheen, reports NPR. Some strands are being marketed—yes, marketed—as having superior highs, shorter lows, or even one that reputedly won't get you stoned. More»