Noone seemed quite sure of the reason why this annual gathering in support of reform of the drug laws is called 420 day, but most of those present seemed pretty relaxed about it.

This included the police, who detained two people early in the afternoon but thereafter kept their presence low key, with a male and a female officer strolling past the stalls and temporary stage periodically in the sunshine.

Twenty years ago the attitude of the police would have been far less relaxed towards yesterday's (mon) gathering, which was part of World Cannabis Week.

BOULDER, Colo. — If you live in a state where marijuana is illegal, you don't typically get to ask your dealer if your weed was grown consciously.

What type of pesticides were used during the process of growing these plants? Where exactly where they grown? When was this plant harvested?

These questions may sound ridiculous to people who don't live in Alaska, Colorado, Washington state and the District of Columbia, where recreational marijuana is legal. But for marijuana enthusiasts who do live in those areas, asking your budtender specifics about the plants you're about to purchase is the norm.

Johannesburg - A party to raise funds for a legal challenge against dagga prohibition laws will be held in Johannesburg on Sunday, cannabis non-profit organisation Green Fields For All said on Saturday.

“This the second year of our 4.20 party, a date 'sacred' to the worldwide cannabis culture,” spokesman Julian Stobbs said.

According to Wikipedia, April 20 - or “4.20” - has become a day of marijuana celebration, particularly in North America.

“We tap into a complete cross-section of South Africa, just as the plant does. It is truly a rainbow crowd of old young, black white, straight, gay, smoker and non-smoker alike.”

Three men who identify themselves as former police officers smoke marijuana and get high on camera in a new video released in time for "420," the annual marijuana holiday.

All of the men say that they had previously smoked weed, but not for decades. And while none recalled arresting anyone for a marijuana crime during their law enforcement career, one did remember seizing "a lot of pot" from people.

Are marijuana labels the latest celebrity-owned wine or liquor brand? Maybe not, but at least one legend is getting into the game that Snoop Dogg is part of. Willie Nelson announced on April 20 (a celebratory day for stoners everywhere) that he’s launching Willie’s Reserve, a high-quality brand of marijuana, grown in Washington and Colorado.

HBO has picked up the Vimeo pot-dealer webseries “High Maintenance” for six episodes.

The webseries about a Brooklyn pot dealer is created and written by the married duo of Katja Blichfeld (Emmy-winning casting director of “30 Rock”) and Ben Sinclair (“Sisters” and “Big C”), and executive produced by Katja Blichfeld, Russell Gregory and Ben Sinclair.

The series stars Ben Sinclair as “The Guy,” a friendly pot dealer whose clients include an eccentric group of characters.

HBO will make the previous 19 episodes, originally on Vimeo, available later this year.

“High Maintenance” joins a growing number of webseries to make the jump to TV, among them “Broad City,” “Web Therapy” and “Children’s Hospital.”

With medical marijuana now legal in 23 states, and recreational use permitted in four states as well as Washington, D.C., a burgeoning cannabis industry is blooming in America.

The latest crop of potentially lucrative products? Pot for pets.

Biscuits, edibles and capsules containing cannabis compounds are being marketed to owners of ailing and elderly animals as natural pain relievers and anti-inflammatory supplements. But these products aren't getting Fido stoned, claim proponents.

Romulus, N.Y. -- Town officials here are backing a proposal by a well-known medical marijuana entrepreneur to grow pot at the former Seneca Army Depot midway between Syracuse and Rochester.

Josh Stanley, who helped develop a strain of medical marijuana known as "Charlotte's Web" used to treat epileptic children, wants to build a greenhouse to grow marijuana on a 20-acre site within the 11,000-acre former Army base that closed in 2000.

Stanley told town officials at a meeting Wednesday the project would initially create 20 jobs and eventually 250.

"After the Army left, it left a big hole in our economy," said David M. Kaiser, Romulus town supervisor. "We are really excited about this because we need living wage jobs. A lot of families here are struggling."

The president stopped short of endorsing the legalization of the drug, but did signal support for the medical marijuana bill backed by Rand Paul.

Interviewed by CNN's chief medical correspondent and vocal legalization advocate Dr Sanjay Gupta, Obama said: "You know, I think I’d have to take a look at the details.

If you walked through Hyde Park in London yesterday you might have noticed a strange smell…. and then had a sudden urge to eat some food and listen to Bob Marley.

That’s because hordes of stoners descended on the central London park to have a smoke and celebrate April 20 (or 4/20), the unofficial ‘cannabis day’.

However this isn’t just an excuse to get baked in the park – among of the thousands of smokers were many activists calling for the legalisation of cannabis.