Changes to the Canada Pension Plan? A piddly 47 responses. Input on the most inspirational Canadians? About 12,000 people weighed in.

But public online consultation about legalizing marijuana netted 30,000 responses, proving pot stokes the passions of the Canadian public. (Though not quite as engaging as the topic of prostitution, which drew 31,172 responses.)

A vast majority of the pot submissions — 29,000 or so — were responses to an online survey.

Questions in the survey included:

A New Zealand police officer is arguing for the decriminalisation of cannabis, saying the punishment does not fit the crime.

The frontline officer shared his opinion in a September "I Am Keen" column for Police Association Magazine Police News, where officers have the opportunity to anonymously voice their views on police operations.

"People who are stoned are generally quite jovial and the last thing they want to do is fight me," he says.

"That is a very simple reason for me to not treat cannabis possession with the same enforcement enthusiasm I once did."

The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. may grow to $50 billion in the next decade, expanding to more than eight times its current size, as lawful pot purveyors gain new customers and win over users from the illicit market, according to a new report.

Legalizing recreational use in California, where the drug is already medically permitted, is on the ballot in November, and approval of that measure alone would triple the size of the nation’s current $6 billion legal industry, according to a report from 10 Cowen & Co. analysts released on Monday. In all, voters in nine states will vote on weed-related initiatives this November -- five to legalize the drug for all adults and four to allow for medical use.

Voters in Maine and a handful of other states are deciding whether to legalize recreational marijuana this November. One thing that could swing the vote is the possibility of millions of dollars in tax revenue from retail marijuana sales. Colorado was the first state in the country to roll out a tax scheme for legal marijuana in 2013, after recreational marijuana was legalized in 2012. So how are voters in Colorado spending the cash, and what should Maine voters expect?

As a whole, the marijuana industry has come a long way in a short amount of time.

When medical cannabis was first legalized in California in 1996 for compassionate use, support for nationwide legalization of the drug was only around 25%, per Gallup. A decade ago, just a third of Americans polled supported full legalization efforts. Yet in Gallup's most recent poll, 58% of respondents favored legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use. In separate polls on the legalization of medical cannabis alone, favorability often exceeds 80%.

During almost five years on the beat, patrolling some of the roughest parts of London, Mike Abbott arrested dozens of people for drug offences. 

As a young recruit he picked up people carrying cannabis on the street in areas such as Brixton, and later participated in undercover operations against major suppliers.

‘The stench of hash was becoming more prevalent,’ he says. ‘My job was to uphold the law and cannabis, like other drugs, was illegal.’

Ex-Met Police officer Mike Abbott runs one of the most successful medical marijuana firms in the United States, Columbia Care

Modifications to the Canada Pension Plan? A piddly 47 responses. Enter on probably the most inspirational Canadians? About 12,000 folks weighed in.

However public on-line session about legalizing marijuana netted 30,000 responses, proving pot stokes the passions of the Canadian public. (Although not fairly as partaking as the subject of prostitution, which drew 31,172 responses.)

A overwhelming majority of the pot submissions — 29,000 or so — have been responses to an internet survey.

The owners of Frozen Budz have high hopes now that they've received Alaska's first retail marijuana licence.

Destiny Neade, co-owner of the Fairbanks business, received a round of applause from the audience after she won unanimous approval for the inaugural permit from the five-man Alaska Marijuana Control Board.

She clapped with both hands above her head after getting the OK.

As she walked back to her seat, she told the audience, "Now all I need is some herb."

"I'm excited because I really need to start making some money," Neade told The Associated Press.

She and her husband Nick Neade have poured more than $150,000 into their fledgling business. They hope to open the shop by Oct. 1.

One of the next frontiers in the political battles for marijuana smokers is the need to provide venues where marijuana smokers can socialize with other marijuana smokers in a marijuana-friendly lounge. Under current laws in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and the District of Columbia, it is perfectly legal for smokers to possess specified amounts of marijuana, but they are only legally allowed to exercise their newly won freedom in their home or as a guest in someone else’s home.

The abuse of marijuana by American youth has declined in recent years, even as adults’ embrace of the plant has continued to grow, according to a recent federal study.

The findings also suggest that the movement toward legalization and decriminalization of the plant in multiple states hasn’t necessarily increased young people’s access to marijuana.