Police said Ronald Hayes Jr. was high on drugs and alcohol and desperate to escape officers in Prince George’s County, Md., when he ran a red light and smashed into the side of a minivan filled with women and children, killing two of them.

Kendall Owens admitted to police that he was high on PCP and marijuana when he caused a multi-car crash that killed one driver and injured six others on Long Island. And Adrianna M. Young tested positive for marijuana, police said, after her car careened off an Ohio road, crashing into a house and killing a woman sitting on her couch.

Drunk drivers have long been the scourge of the roadways, and they still are, but now drivers on drugs are becoming a menace that rivals them, according to a new federal report.

A baby girl caught chewing on a capsule of cannabis oil had to spend three days in hospital earlier this month.

A man was sentenced in the Whanganui District Court yesterday for possession of the oil.

The child was unharmed.

Alexander Charles Holmes was moving with his partner and 13-month-old child on September 11, into his partner's sister's home. The sister has an 8-month-old daughter.

The group were unpacking at the house and had items "scattered" in the hallway, police prosecutor Sergeant Rachel Willemsen said.

They went outside for a break amidst the unpacking, when the sister discovered her daughter chewing on the capsule.

The child had greenish, blackish smudges around her mouth, Ms Willemsen said.

ONTARIO, Ore. -- You will soon be able to buy marijuana in a store for recreational use in Oregon.

In July, a new law went into effect making the use and possession of certain amounts of marijuana legal.

Starting Oct. 1 that law will also allow medical dispensaries throughout the state to sell the drug as well.

Ontario Mayor Ron Verini says community members were overwhelmingly opposed to the visibility of marijuana which is why they banned medical dispensaries, that means sales for recreational use aren't allowed in this part of the state.

"Right now the community overwhelming, definitely says, 'No we don't want to see it,'" said Verini.

A closeup of a marijuana plant shows the tiny hairs known as trichomes covering the surface of its leaves. Starting Thursday, adults can buy recreational marijuana in Oregon, the third state to permit legal sales.(Photo: Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY)

Oregon residents can buy legal recreational marijuana starting Thursday, joining just two other states with similar systems.

Adults 21 and older in Oregon may buy up to a quarter-ounce of cannabis per day, without needing a doctor’s recommendation.

Oregon is only the third state to legalize pot in the country

The Fatal Vision® Marijuana Simulation goggles are a tool meant to simulate cognitive impairments associated with recreational marijuana use. (Photo credit: Fatalvision.com)

(WTNH) — After countless failed attempts, the nation’s substance abuse counselors have a new tool in their fight to keep teens from smoking weed. “Marijuana goggles,” a set of green-tinted goggles, are designed to show users the impairing effects of THC.

A 56-YEAR-OLD man who farmed marijuana as well as cattle on his property south-west of Gin Gin has avoided spending time behind bars.

But in a bizarre twist, the court was told $5000 in cash disappeared during the police search of the farm earlier this year.

New Moonta man Michael Patrick McGuire pleaded guilty in Bundaberg District Court to using a 70m x 90m plot on his large rural property to grow 46 marijuana plants.

He was sentenced to two years jail but paroled immediately.

Crown prosecutor Katrina Overell said on March 22 police attended McGuire's house with an aerial photo of the property.

McGuire admitted he had $5000 in cash in his kitchen drawer when asked if he had any money to declare.

Recreational marijuana has been legal throughout Oregon for a few months now. While residents could use it, purchasing from a store hasn’t been possible.

That’s because retail sales of recreational cannabis have remained illegal. That ends Thursday, when the state will begin allowing recreational sales at medical marijuana dispensaries.

According to the OLCC, the state currently projects $10.7 million in revenue for the 2015-2017 biennium.

Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing pot for recreational use in Oregon.

John Rosman/OPB

Drug warriors claim that marijuana is a "gateway drug." On the contrary, it is the policy of drug prohibition--not the drug per se--that creates a gateway into a criminal underworld of crime and contaminated products.

This was brought home by a recent studyshowing a correlation between alcohol prohibition and meth use by county. When people want a substance that is prohibited, their only option is to turn to criminals who can supply it. This entree into the criminal world becomes a gateway to other illegal--and often more dangerous--activities and substances.

Drug warriors claim that marijuana is a "gateway drug." On the contrary, it is the policy of drug prohibition--not the drug per se--that creates a gateway into a criminal underworld of crime and contaminated products.

This was brought home by a recent studyshowing a correlation between alcohol prohibition and meth use by county. When people want a substance that is prohibited, their only option is to turn to criminals who can supply it. This entree into the criminal world becomes a gateway to other illegal--and often more dangerous--activities and substances.