OUR SOCIETY has never dealt rationally with drug use, always falling victim to the scare-mongering by self-appointed anti-drugs crusaders who were more concerned about making a name for themselves rather than adopting a sensible approach to the issue. They were greatly assisted by the sensationalism of the media, which for years referred to cannabis as ‘white’ or ‘slow death’, regardless of the fact that the drug does not cause death and is said to be less harmful to health than alcohol.

More than prior elections, pot is becoming a prime time topic in the 2016 presidential race

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take the stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (Chris Carlson, Associated Press)

WYOMING-COLORADO BORDER – The Rev. Brandon Baker held in his hands two cannabis plants, one industrial hemp and the other marijuana.

They looked similar to the untrained eye, but Baker said the easiest way to spot the difference are the sparkly crystals in the marijuana plant. Industrial hemp doesn’t have them.

Most of the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, is in the crystals, he said.

Owners of two Denver marijuana growing facilities on Friday said they were voluntarily recalling their products after city health officials learned tests found unapproved pesticides.

The recall of an undisclosed amount of plants and edible products is the second issued by the Denver Department of Environmental Health in just over a week, underscoring the city’s enforcement efforts on companies allegedly using disallowed chemicals.

Department officials said retailers should either destroy the recalled products or return them to the manufacturer. Consumers who have the products should return them to the store of purchase or dispose of them.

An 1865 San Francisco newspaper report of the author's 'Hasheesh mania' recalls high times not unlike today. Exactly 150 years later, well-appointed dispensaries and a vast array of concentrates have given new meaning to the Gold Rush

SAN FRANCISCO — One hundred and fifty years ago in America, cannabis was legal and regulated. Pharmacies sold patented tinctures and hashish candies.

Richards and Co., located in this city’s iniquitous Barbary Coast, was a popular pharmacy of the day that advertised concentrated cannabis products in newspapers.

One of those newspapers, the San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle, reported the following on Sept. 18, 1865:

Marijuana, weed, bud, herb, spliffs, ganja, wacky tobaccy — whatever you call your friendly neighborhood cannabis, it's actually got a stranger and longer history than you likely knew.

Bud tenders Ieasha Semler, 23, left, and Anna Marie Alcantara, 22, roll marijuana cigarettes at the Chalice Farms dispensary in Dundee, Ore. Oregon is exploring a new path in regulation and punishment as its legal recreational market takes shape. By KIRK JOHNSON September 20, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. — About 15 years ago, when she was in her 20s, Erika Walton handed a bong to someone who turned out be a police officer, and was cited for marijuana possession. She paid the fine, she said, but the violation lingered on, haunting her record.

What do you think about the legalization of marijuana? An Omaha man believes so strongly, that he set out to make a new political party.

Mark Elsworth experienced politics during his run for governor last year. This year, however, Elsworth is in a new position as Chairperson of the Marijuana Party.

"We aren't an official party yet so we haven't actually started registering people," Elsworth said. "but we hope to register lots of people. We hope to get, you know, 20% of the registered voters in Nebraska."

The party revolves around the legalization of marijuana and support of political candidates that want to make marijuana legal.

WEST PALM BEACH (CBS12) - A state lawmaker from the Lake Worth area, has filed a bill named for a Wellington teenager who lost her life in a tragic crash.

The legislation, filed by State Representative David Kerner, a Democrat, would set a blood test standard for marijuana in prosecutions involving fatalities and property damage.

“Everybody that met her, loved her; she was a gift, said Steven Turner, talking about his granddaughter, 16-year old Naomi Pomerance.

“A beautiful young lady, whose life was cut short,” said Turner.  “And everybody misses her.”

It still seems like a very bumpy ride for weed, Marijuana, pot, to be recognized as one of this planet’s most medicinal plants and to be acknowledged as such. I guess we have to thank the U.S. propaganda machine for that. This is an excellent background piece: “How Did Marijuana Become Illegal in the First Place?”