Even by the usual standards of politics, this election’s campaign against marijuana legalization has made strange bedfellows. The largest donors to the various anti-weed political groups around the country include a billionaire casino tycoon, a woman who believes in reefer madness, a drug-crusading former U.S. ambassador, cops, prison guards, booze merchants, and a pharma company that sells the powerful painkiller fentanyl.

With nine states voting on different forms of marijuana legalization on Election Day, the red and blue map U.S. residents are used to watching on election nights should have a little green on it.

Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington have passed recreational marijuana laws in the last four years. California, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona and Nevada have legalization initiatives on the ballot in November. Florida, Arkansas, Montana and North Dakota also have forms of medical marijuana legalization on the ballot next month.

The Puget Sound Business Journal looked back at Washington's recreational marijuana industry since the passage of Initiative 502 in November 2012 and the opening of the first retail store – Cannabis City – in July 2014.

Police and crime commissioner Arfon Jones claims the use of cannabis is of 'considerable benefit' to sufferers of many illnesses.

A police boss is calling for cannabis to be legalised.

Arfon Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, wants the drug to be legal for medicinal purposes.

He says the use of cannabis, currently a class B controlled drug, is of “considerable benefit” to sufferers of many illnesses.

Mr Jones, a member of Plaid Cymru and a former superintendent in North Wales Police , has sent a letter to politicians across the region to try and judge support for the proposal. 

In 2014, Colorado became the first U.S. state to implement full legal sales of marijuana.

It had never been done before, and there were bound to be some surprises.

One was that, despite the decades of associating pot use with the haze and skunky smell of a joint, nearly half the marijuana sold wasn’t designed to be smoked, but ingested — eaten or drunk.

If you still have questions about legalizing marijuana under Proposition 64, tune in to the Register's Facebook page at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, for a live Q&A with editor Andre Mouchard and reporter Brooke Edwards Staggs. Email questions ahead of time to bstaggs@scng.com or ask them live via Facebook during the chat.

Proposition 64, on its surface, poses a simple question: Should people be free to smoke pot in California?

Researchers have the clearest-ever picture of the receptor that gives humans the 'high' from marijuana, which could lead to a better understanding of how the drug affects humans. 

Scientists have long known that molecules from THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, bind to and activate the receptor known as CB1. But now they know that it has a three-dimensional crystal structure.

The authors of the paper, which was published Thursday in the journal Cell, say this information is crucial to improve our understanding of this receptor as marijuana use becomes widespread and, in many places, legalized.

Now that they know the shape of the receptor, they can get a better idea of how different molecules bind to it, which is what causes reactions in humans.

The first medical cannabis club in Chile, Botánica Orgánica Cannabis Internacional (BOCI), opened in the northern city of Arica in early September.

BOCI provides access to premium quality cannabis for people who are prescribed cannabis-based medicines but unable to self-cultivate. Such patients may be unable to do so because of lack of knowledge about the cultivation process, limited access to growing space, or simply the debilitating nature of their illness. The club currently has around 20 members.

The creation of BOCI is the latest step in Chile’s journey away from strict prohibition of cannabis. The country, once renowned for its conservatism, is now leading the way on medicinal cannabis in Latin America.

If you’re on the fence about whether to vote yes or no on Proposition 205—the Nov. 8 ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona—you’re not getting a lot of useful information through one-minute TV ads.

You’re probably not inclined to slog through the initiative’s 20 pages of legal jargon, either.

Fortunately, Will Humble has done that. He developed the regulations for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act as former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. At a recent Mini-Medical School lecture at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Humble impartially broke down Prop. 205 into everyday language.

Edibles producer Spot is trying to keep first-time marijuana eaters from biting off more than they can chew.

"Well, you know the Maureen Dowd story," sighed Tim Moxey. "And it's just not a good story."

True, Dowd's experience was less than ideal: She ate a couple bites of a pot-infused candy bar, then curled into a ball in her Denver hotel room and had a panic attack. The next day she discovered the bar was supposed to have been broken into 16 pieces, not munched on bite by bite.

Max Groso, budtender at P.S.A. Organica in Palm Springs, discusses the concerns and hopes for Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act on the November ballot. (July 21, 2016) Lauren Hernandez/The Desert Sun

When voters step up to the polls Nov. 8, they'll determine the future of recreational marijuana statewide. There are strong feelings from those on both sides of the aisle, but while some see legalization as a step forward for California, others say it could be the beginning of the end.