Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful Norman Lamb has said that more than half of current government ministers “almost certainly” tried illegal drugs in their younger years.

Speaking at an event organised by the Institute of Public Policy Research thinktank on Wednesday evening, the MP for North Norfolk described the UK’s current drugs laws as pathetic and a “monumental failure of public policy”.

“We have the crazy situation that, almost certainly, more than half of this government – half of the government ministers in a Conservative government – will have taken drugs in their younger years,” said Lamb, a former care minister under the coalition government.

The five members who will make up Alaska’s first Marijuana Control Board were named Wednesday morning by Gov. Bill Walker.

The Marijuana Control Board is tasked with crafting Alaska’s regulations surrounding legalized recreational and commercial marijuana. The board is made up of volunteers and will function under the auspices of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, sharing the staff and resources of the agency.

Walker said in a release the appointees “bring with them decades of experience in public health, business development and rural issues. With their different backgrounds and diverse skill sets, they will help shepherd in regulations for this new industry.”

Yep, you read that right. The Oregonian/OregonLive is taking a stab at growing its own weed.

We've got two seeds (Blackdog variety) and two clones, or starter plants (Dogwalker OG variety). Enough to max out the four-plant limit per household Oregonians 21 and over are allowed. Plus, the bonus of a passionate cannabis gardener and weed science-geek, Jeremy Plumb, to help get us started. He serves on four cannabis-related boards and is the founding member of Farma cannabis dispensary at SE 9th and Hawthorne.

Who's growing it?

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon began easing into an era of legal marijuana Wednesday after an early morning pot celebration at the center of Portland.

A few thousand people jammed a sidewalk and bike lane on the Burnside Bridge at midnight Tuesday and counted down the moments until July 1. That's the date voters established for adults to be able to legally possess and grow limited amounts of marijuana for personal use.

With the vote last fall, the state became the fourth with legal pot, after Colorado, Washington and Alaska. More than 40 years earlier, Oregon was the first state to decriminalize small amounts of pot.

"Oregon has long been a pioneer on sensible marijuana policies," said Anthony Johnson, chief petitioner on Measure 91, the legalization initiative.

WILLIAMS, Ore. –  On the third Thursday of each month, veteran medical marijuana growers and hopeful newbies gather in the old Williams Grange hall in a small rural Oregon valley long known for growing some of the best cannabis on the planet.

Since voters last fall made the state the fourth to legalize recreational marijuana, people have been flocking to the hall to get the latest update on lawmakers' progress on crafting rules for the new industry.

The entrepreneurs also share tips on how to produce happy and healthy marijuana plants.

"Why not come to the source to learn about growing?" says Gina Erdmann, director of the Oregon SunGrown Growers' Guild, as she lays out materials on the sign-in table outside the hall, now a community center.

We have to admit, it makes sense why many people misunderstand cannabis and the benefits it holds for both individuals and society. Cannabis, after all, has been fraught with decades of misguided stereotypes, scare tactics, and inaccurate information masquerading as facts. Our legal system and anti-drug policies make it even harder to debunk these outlandish myths, as they themselves encourage misuse, perpetuate stereotypes, and spread fear-based messaging and biased conclusions, leaving society uninformed and struggling to separate the truths from the lies.

Organizers of the annual Canada Day marijuana protest are facing a frosty reception from authorities this year after refusing a last-minute request from the city to move their hazy party from downtown Vancouver.

Every year on July 1, marijuana activists hold a protest event on the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery. In a letter dated June 9, deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston asked the Cannabis Culture organization, run by pot activist Marc Emery, to cease and desist from advertising the event. Mr. Johnston’s letter said it could only go ahead if the proper permits were secured.

On the third Thursday of each month, veteran medical marijuana growers and hopeful newbies gather in the old Williams Grange hall in a small rural Oregon valley long known for growing some of the best cannabis on the planet.

Since voters last fall made the state the fourth to make recreational marijuana legal, people have been flocking to the hall to get the latest update on lawmakers' progress on crafting rules for the new industry.

The entrepreneurs also share tips on how to produce happy and healthy marijuana plants.

Wednesday marks the dawn of a new era in the Northwest recreational marijuana market. While possession becomes legal in Oregon for adults 21 and older that day, a bill ushering in a number of sweeping changes to Washington's recreational marijuana system also will become law.

Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign the measure, House Bill 2136, this afternoon, Inslee spokesman David Postman said. Whether Inslee will strike any parts of the bill isn't clear.

"We don't give advance word on vetoes," Postman said in an email to The Columbian, "but I can tell you the administration supported that bill."

Lawmakers moved methodically to ensure that when Oregonians take a drag on their first legal recreational-marijuana cigarettes or plant their first legal seeds Wednesday, that they have the full weight and force of the state behind them.

One bill sent to the governor aims to tax marijuana less than two of the three other Western states where recreational use is legal, a bid to keep smaller producers in the legal-growing system.