The California National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed initiative language this week for marijuana legalization in California. It’s my understanding that the California NAACP does not intend to run a campaign itself, but is filing the initiative as a kind of ‘road map’ of what the organization would like to see in a marijuana legalization effort in California. There are multiple legalization efforts in California right now (as expected), but the one that seems to be getting the most traction is ReformCA. I could be wrong since I don’t live in California, but that’s what it seems like to me based off of my conversations with leading cannabis advocates.

Boulder-based "Top Chef" champion Hosea Rosenberg is prepping a four-course Harvest Dinner this fall that features cannabis and cocktail pairings

Even though issues surrounding the public consumption and social use of marijuana in Colorado are still plentiful, event planners in the Mile High are still finding ways to get high together.

And the state’s most recently announced event, a 420-friendly Harvest Dinner complete with a celebrity chef, will surely grab its share of headlines.

The other week, one of my friends was charged with a crime. When I say “crime”, I don’t mean anything serious.

I apologize for not using the language of the polite and the civilized; but he didn’t steal anything, he didn’t punch someone, he didn’t rape anyone, and he didn’t kill anyone.

All he did was forget to clean out his car properly, leaving 0.3 grams of cannabis in the car. That’s right, 0.3 grams. Nothing. Less than a “joint”, as those devilish hemp junkies would term it.

Menominee Tribe members have voted to approve both the recreational and medicinal usage of marijuana on tribal grounds, according to a tribal spokesperson.

The tribe said the referendum results are advisory, meaning tribal leadership isn’t bound by them.

The possibility of marijuana sales comes on the heels of the tribe’s unsuccessful effort to open a casino in Kenosha.

“This is new ground”, Gary Besaw, Menominee chairman, said in an interview Friday shortly after the results were announced. It’s just an advisory process. He says they can look at maximizing the benefits, and minimizing the potential consequences.

With its proposed changes to Ley 20.000 (Law 20,000), Chile joins a growing list of Latin American countries decriminalizing marijuana. The initiative, which would grant Chileans the right to possess up to 10 grams of cannabis and grow up to six marijuana plants at a time, was passed in Chile’s Chamber of Deputies on July 7 with 68 voting in favor and 39 against.

As you know, the National Hockey League is very protective of its trademarks, lest anyone think lesser about their Toronto Maple Leafs dog toy tosser. 

So the last thing the NHL would want is to be associated with something as destructive and nefarious – according to the cinematic classic “Reefer Madness” – as marijuana. (Although 'drinking tubes" that looked like bongs were OK for a while.)

If Colorado or Washington police pull you over and find more than 5 nanograms of the mind-altering ingredient of marijuana per milliliter of blood in your system, you're guilty of stoned driving – whether you smoked three days ago or three hours ago.

And you could lose your license.

Not so in Oregon. In this state, so far at least, there's no established limit for the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, you can have in your blood before you are presumed to be impaired while driving.

Here's a look at marijuana's role in traffic fatalities, quality-of-life issues, crime

When recreational marijuana was legalized, Washington entered the unknown, triggering questions — and predictions — about what might happen. Would drug dealers hang around the pot shops? Would it bring riffraff into the neighborhood and make shops easy crime targets? Would people abuse the drug? Or smoke and drive, putting others in harm's way?

As is evident by millions of dollars in sales each month at Vancouver's retail stores, people certainly use marijuana. And it has had some consequences on the community, but there's apparently no evidence of major behavioral shifts.

For starters, it's unclear what percentage of the population uses marijuana.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part III in this series by Dr. Ralph E. Jones. Part I & II can be found at www.valleystar.com.

I began using pot at age 13, introduced to it by my “friends.”

By age 25 with my continued use, I was really hooked on it. Despite my families urging that I get some help with it, I continued to use heavy. Denial and Rationalization were everyday tools I used to justify my use and its continuation: “Everybody does it,” “It’s just harmless marijuana and nobody gets addicted to it,” “It’s safer than drinking,” etc. I eventually loss all my jobs, wife, and my beautiful twin daughters because smoking weed was more important than they were … I just wanted to be stoned all the time.

CLIO —

The nation's largest marijuana expos "Cannabis Cup" took place in mid-Michigan.

This is the second year in a row the "Cannabis cup" has been in the Clio area.

Organizers say it's growing in popularity.

Last year there were about 4,000 marijuana enthusiasts who attended.

This year, about 6,000 are expected to pass through the Auto City Speedway near Clio.

The number of vendors has also doubled compared to last year.

People can buy items like gear for grow rooms.

Organizers say some politicians were also expected to attend.