Nation's First Marijuana Cafe Opens in Portland

Libertarianism trumping Reagan-era attitudes in California

(NEWSER) - Smaller government, lower taxes ... and legal marijuana? Tea Partiers aren't generally associated with toking, but Californians backing Proposition 19 say a surprisingly large share of the movement is planning to vote to legalize pot. Tea Partiers— as well as many Republicans in general —have a strong libertarian streak and leaders like Colorado's Tom Tancredo and Kentucky's Rand Paul have voiced their support for legalization. More»

Dustin Moskowitz, Sean Parker for it, but ads with pot leaves still banned from site

(NEWSER) - Ads with images of marijuana leaves have been banned from Facebook but two of the site's movers and shakers have made hefty donations to the same cause backed by the ads. Co-founder Dustin Moskowitz has donated $50,000 to support legalizing marijuana in California, and Sean Parker, Facebook's first president, has kicked in $100,000, according to a spokeswoman for the Proposition 19 campaign. More»

'Emerald Triangle' suffering amid glut

(NEWSER) - Moves towards legalizing marijuana are creating hard times for the marijuana farmers of northern California. The growers—who prospered when government crackdowns sent prices soaring—are suffering from increased competition and consumer preference for indoor-grown marijuana. Pot's wholesale price has plummeted, and many fear the 30-year-boom in California's "Emerald Triangle" is coming to an end. More»

Daily Beast ranks America's pot-loving locales

(NEWSER) - In honor of today's date, 4/20—and the pot-steeped lore of those numbers—the Daily Beast has ranked the nation's 40 "highest cities," where weed culture reigns supreme. To read the full list and see how it was compiled, click here . The top 10:

1. Eureka, California
2. Tallahassee, Florida
3. Manhattan
4. Boston
5. San Francisco

Today's users don't fit the stoner stereotype: Parker

(NEWSER) - Good for AG Eric Holder for announcing that the Justice Department will let medical marijuana laws stand, writes Kathleen Parker—at last, the 14 states that give cannabis to the chronically ill won't face further raids by the feds. But it's not enough: 44% of Americans favor full legalization, and these days, writes the Washington Post columnist, it's not hippies or liberals who are leading the charge, but soccer moms who don't want to see their children criminalized by irrational laws. More»