Legalizing Pot May Be Women's Work

(NEWSER) - Don’t look now, but marijuana is essentially legal in California, the Washington Post reports. Medical marijuana facilities litter the state, some offering only the flimsiest pretext of medical care. Stride into the Medical Kush Beach Club in Venice Beach, for example, and two scantily clad women will lead you to a physician who will, for $150, dispense a “physician’s recommendation." Then you can enjoy the smoking lounge upstairs. More»

'Silver Tour' hits Florida retirement communities

(NEWSER) - After serving nearly 30 years in federal prison for his role in a marijuana-smuggling ring, Robert Platshorn is still pushing pot—but this time it's political. The 69-year-old has founded a group called the Silver Tour that aims to convince seniors of the benefits of medical marijuana, the Wall Street Journal finds. "Nobody in the marijuana movement is talking to seniors," who are more likely than other groups to vote against legalization, says Platshorn, but "seniors are the only damn people that go to the polls." More»

Andy Caffrey often lights up on the campaign trail

(NEWSER) - Andy Caffrey is for the most part a pretty standard-issue progressive, but he's got one campaign promise that makes him stand out: He's vowing to smoke pot on the steps of Capitol Hill if he's elected. Caffrey, 54, is running for Congress in California and happens to have a prescription for medical marijuana for his ADD and PTSD. And he isn't shy about lighting up a joint on the campaign trail, which Politico points out he did twice last week. More»

'WSJ' looks at state's struggle to implement medical marijuana program

(NEWSER) - Opposition to pot dispensaries around New Jersey is slowing the rollout of medical marijuana there, and officials say the first doctor-prescribed doobies won't be available until the end of the year at the earliest, reports the Wall Street Journal . So how long has the wait been? The New Jersey legislature voted to allow marijuana for medical reasons in January 2010, but some towns' decision to deny would-be dispensaries approval isn't the only issue. The state is also trying to set up a complicated system of safeguards to ensure recreational users can't get their hands on the goods. More»

Young people use drug at same rate before, after legalization

(NEWSER) - Sobering news for those who argue that legalizing medical marijuana will lead to more stoner kids: Researchers reviewed the habits of some 25,000 youths in Massachusetts, where medical pot isn’t legal, and 13,000 in Rhode Island, where it became so in 2006. Studying data from 1997 to 2009, they found that no matter the state or the year, about 30% of the youngsters indulged in the drug, Time reports. More»