As a rookie smoker years ago I probably couldn’t tell what type of strain I was smoking based on its smoke, appearance, or smell but with time I was able to determine the effects of the strains I obtained. The differences in strain appearance were always vivid with almost all strains showing plenty of sticky resin but the smell would always differ. It wasn’t until about a few years down into smoking medical marijuana I was able to tell the difference between sativa and indica strains. Also, with the introduction of “hybrid strains” the possibilities of effects are almost endless.

A ballot question on whether marijuana can be sold recreationally in Massachusetts can appear on the November ballot, the Supreme Judicial Court announced in an opinion Wednesday.

However, the court also ruled that the title and one-sentence statement describing what a “yes” vote would mean were misleading — leaving out the full array of “marijuana products” that would be legalized — and said it should be amended by the Attorney General and Secretary of State offices.

Minimum ages for marijuana consumption may vary across Canada when it becomes legal, but authorities will be firmly against drug tourism and cross-border movement of the substance, the Liberal government’s point man on the issue said on Wednesday.

The government also wants consistent nation-wide impaired-driving laws for marijuana, said Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the justice minister, as the country formulates a new drug law ahead of a spring 2017 deadline.

“We would like to see consistency and a consensus across the country on the best way to keep our roadways safe,” Blair, the former Toronto police chief, said at an interview in his Toronto constituency office.

When Lynette Davies, co-operator of the Canna Care medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento, pays her California taxes she needs to haul a bag with $20,000 in cash to the state tax office.

“That’s really unsafe for me, and it’s unsafe for my employees to have this cash in the store,” said Davies, whose business is legal under state law as a result of California’s 1996 vote on the use of medical marijuana. “All because the banks that want to bank with us can’t.”

The November ballot in Costa Mesa will get a bit longer after City Council members decided Tuesday night to put city-authored initiatives on medical marijuana and growth up for a public vote this fall.

Council members voted 3-2 to approve the proposed growth initiative, which was pitched as a competing measure against one sponsored by Costa Mesa First, a political action committee.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer has characterized the Costa Mesa First initiative as overly strict and said he thinks residents should have the option to vote on an alternative.

"I'll be fine with the vote, whatever it is in the end," Righeimer said Tuesday.

Calabria is considered Italy’s wildest region. Besides being home to one of the most secretive and ruthless mafia organizations, the 'ndrangheta, it also gave name to the Italy’s only psychoactive cannabis landrace strains. 

Located in the southernmost part of the sunny, hilly countryside, Calabria forms the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. To foreign visitors, Calabria might sometimes be overwhelming. The food is a bit coarse and very spicy — peperoncino, the local chili peppers, are sold not by the gram but by the kilo.

On November 8, voters registered in California will get a chance to end cannabis prohibition. Here’s the 10 Things You Need to Know:

1) Only registered voters in California can end cannabis prohibition. The deadline to register is October 24, 2016.

2) California legalization is called the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, and it’s going to be listed as Proposition 64.

Being fired from his job in May was a wake-up call that permeated through the relaxed mellowness induced by the marijuana Devank was hooked to. 

“I realized I had to get my act together before it was too late,” Devank says.

Devank smoked pot for the first time during a college fest at the age of 19, giving in to his friends’ cajoling. After that first time, it became a weekend affair, but soon, he was cutting classes to smoke up with his friends.

He kept this up for four years before college authorities called his parents and told them he was missing too many classes. That’s when his parents found out that he smoked weed. All Devank could say in his defense was, that he was not an addict.

California's Adult Use of Marijuana Act could have ramifications far beyond the state's borders.

Last week California's pot legalization initiative, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, qualified for the ballot in November, setting the stage for a vote that will have ramifications far beyond California's borders.

Jamaica is set to become one smoked out tourist destination.

Looking to jet off on vacation soon? Well, if you enjoy tropical beaches, rastaman vibrations, and plentiful herbs, it seems as if Jamaica might just be the next travel destination for you. The country’s government has been hard at work over the last couple of years, reformatting their cannabis laws to enhance the Jamaican experience. Here’s a few reasons why a trip to Jamaica should be on every vacationing tokers to-go list. 

Small Fine for a Good Time