For the first time Republicans narrowly support legalizing marijuana TWITTER FOLLOW

Marijuana is already fully legal for recreational use in four states: Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Though marijuana remains strictly prohibited according to the letter of federal law, the federal government has effectively let states determine their own policies. A number of other states, including California, are considering initiatives to legalize marijuana this year.  

If you’ve ever taken a hiatus from your regular cannabis routine, you may have noticed one strange side effect once your eyes close for the night: your dreams change.

Why Do We Dream?They may become vivid, maybe even lucid, or they may increase in frequency. There’s also the possibility that stopping or starting cannabis doesn’t have a profound effect on your dreams at all. Research theorizes links between cannabis and dreaming, but more studies are needed to establish a clear connection between the two. For now, it’s worth exploring how cannabis consumption uniquely and personally affects your dream cycles as well as the science that currently substantiates the idea that the two may be connected.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said late Wednesday that he supports the initiative on California’s fall ballot to legalize recreational marijuana.

“Why do I support it?” Johnson, a longtime backer of decriminalizing marijuana, asked about Proposition 64 while leaving Quicken Loans Arena, site of the Republican National Convention. The initiative is supported by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and billionaire entrepreneur Sean Parker.

“Whether you agree with marijuana legalization or not, you have friends, family, coworkers that use marijuana,” the former New Mexico governor said. “Are they criminal? No, they’re not criminal.”

As she battles symptoms of lupus and depression, Alexandra Rice says she depends on easy access to medical marijuana to control widespread pain and to improve her mood.

What Does Recreational Pot Use In Cali Mean To You?

The 21-year-old resident of Grand Terrace, near Riverside, has pictures of cannabis flowers on her Twitter profile and friends whose livelihoods depend on the pot industry. She's also an unlikely opponent of a November ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana for all adults in California.

More than half of 123 minors interviewed at Juvenile Hall used marijuana as their first illegal substance and consider it to be less harmful than other drugs, according to a report issued by the San Diego Association of Governments.

Read SANDAG report: 2015 Juvenile Arrestee Drug Use in the San Diego Region. (PDF)Of the juvenile arrestees who took part in the survey, 56 percent said marijuana was the first drug they took, up from 34 percent in 2007. On the other hand, SANDAG data showed that youths’ first-time use of alcohol as a “gateway” substance fell from 39 percent in 2007 to 26 percent last year.

I’m a recreational cannabis refugee. I moved to the Pacific Northwest to avoid the potential of being thrown in a cage for smoking a flower that makes my life better.

I’m old enough to remember when good marijuana was rare and called “kine buds.” Kine comes from Hawaiian pigeon speak for “the good kind.” Since Hawaii has had a long love affair with potent pakalolo (crazy smoke), with strains like Maui Waui becoming world famous, kine became universal slang for “the good weed” even for a teenager like me in the 1990s in Connecticut.

Jim McAlpine’s plan to open the world’s first gym for marijuana enthusiasts is coming along well.

Pot-related businesses are having their moment in the United States, especially in the Bay Area, where McAlpine lives and plans to open his gym, Power Plant Fitness. Arcview Market Research estimates the size of America’s marijuana industry at a fast-growing $7.2 billion, and Y Combinator, the esteemed startup accelerator, made its first investment in a cannabis business—an “uber for cannabis” delivery app—in 2015. 

The Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation is up and running. And run it will in order to have a detailed set of recommendations for its November deadline. It has lots of issues to consider as indicated by its discussion paper and beyond. Protection of children in the shift from criminalization to regulation must be paramount.

As Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders gather for their annual summer conference, Premier Kathleen Wynne wants the inside dope from her colleagues about legalized recreational marijuana.

“I can tell you I’m going to ask people what they’re thinking about it,” Wynne told the Star in an interview before the summit begins Wednesday.

Her comments come against as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government prepares to end the prohibition of marijuana.

A squad of hungry, destructive police officers in Southern California are looking for new jobs after security camera footage caught them unlawfully raiding a dispensary's stash.

Three Santa Ana police officers who've pled not guilty to charges of petty theft and vandalism in connection with the May 2015 raid of Sky High Holistic dispensary in Santa Ana have subsequently been fired.

The officers were caught on tape eating evidence, insulting a patient in a wheelchair, and playing darts on the taxpayers' dime. The officers also attempted to destroy all security cameras in Sky High Holistic, but a hidden camera planted in anticipation of the raid captured the incidents.