PEOPLE WHO WOULD rather ingest marijuana than smoke it have plenty of options. You can buy weed-infused pasta sauce, chewing gum, beef jerky… even vegan caviar. The edibles market is big. And this November, voters in California and several other states will decide whether to legalize the recreational use of pot—which means it’s poised to get a lot bigger.

The issue with edibles is their notoriously unpredictable user experience: They’re potent, take a while to kick in, and can take a long time for your body to metabolize. All that makes dosing an intimidating guessing game.

After a nearly four-hour public hearing Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to place a measure on the November ballot to tax legalized marijuana to bolster local funds for homeless services.

The board voted 3-2 to levy a countywide tax on recreational cannabis should California voters pass the Adult Use of Marijuana Act Initiative in the November election. Based on rough estimates, a 5 to 10 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana, for example, is projected to generate between $78 million and $130 million annually.

Further investigation into the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry has produced a dangerous revelation that suggests what you don’t know could hurt you.

As Yolo County, along with the rest of the state, works to regulate the once underground industry, local ag officials are uncovering unanticipated problems.

The latest, reported by Yolo Ag Commissioner John Young this past week, is that some of the county’s marijuana crops are being treated with unapproved pesticides and legitimate labs have federal licenses that prohibit them from testing these products — which means even marijuana labeled “pesticide free” at dispensaries may still contain anywhere from trace to large amounts of pesticides.

The marijuana legalization initiative that will be on the November ballot in California is a disappointment to many in the cannabis decriminalization movement. California NORML, the granddaddy of political pot groups, has not fully endorsed it.

These critics say that Proposition 64, which will allow Californians 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, is about as conservative as it could be without defeating the very purpose of legalization, which is allowing folks to enjoy weed without fear of arrest.

"It's 60 percent legalization," Ellen Komp, deputy director of California NORML, told us earlier this year.

A former pro football player and a Novato advocate for athlete marijuana use have teamed up to open a gym in San Francisco that they say will be one of the first in the world to allow members to smoke pot while working out.

Former running back Ricky Williams, who played for the Saints, Dolphins and Ravens, and Jim McAlpine, a snowboard company executive, said Power Plant Fitness also will offer edibles and topical gels for those who don't like smoking the plant. They say using pot while exercising can help them focus or relax.

Members of the gym, which plans to open this year, will need a medical marijuana prescription to join, but that could change if California voters legalize recreational pot in November.

The annual Los Angeles Food Fest showcases the best of the city's vibrant and diverse food scene.

This year, MERRY JANE teamed up with New York City's Mikey Likes It, a pop-culture ice cream shop with a cult-like following. Together we present the ultimate cannabis-infused dessert!

Presenting MERRY JANE's Addiction, a cannabis-infused pistachio ice cream dish with toasted nuts, chunks of baklava, and between 7 to10 milligrams of CBD in each serving.

Team MERRY JANE was on site to educate festivalgoers on the difference between CBD, THC, and answer questons. 

Within less than a year, as many as 50,000 marijuana growers in California could be required to obtain state permits for the irrigation water they consume. It is an unprecedented step aimed at preventing harm to the environment and other water users resulting from the rapid growth of marijuana cultivation in the state.

“Most of them are operating below the radar,” said Cris Carrigan, chief of enforcement at the State Water Resources Control Board. “As a result, we’ve gotten ourselves into an acute problem with streamflow and pollution associated with these activities.”

This is going to be a transformative year for the United States. Not only are we set to vote in a new president for the first time in eight years this November, but we could also see the most rapid expansion of marijuana ever, with eight states now set to vote on recreational or medical cannabis initiatives or amendments this fall.

What's at stake

The expansion of the cannabis industry was initially put in motion 20 years ago when California approved a compassionate use law for medical marijuana. Today, half of all U.S. states have approved a medical marijuana law. The two most recent approvals came from Pennsylvania and Ohio, which used the legislative process to pass medical cannabis laws.

County has permitted about 800 growers.

The destruction left by the Butte Fire was still evident Thursday morning in remnants of charred, leafless trees and gaping holes on hillsides, but vegetation does grow from the ruins: marijuana. 

In an area hit hardest last year, not far from Baker Riley Way in Mokelumne Hill, lies a pocket of cannabis cultivators. 

Among them is Max Cirello, 19. He said Calaveras County officials told him he was among the youngest in the area to obtain a commercial license last week. 

After a six-week window to obtain a permit to cultivate within the county, registration for cannabis cultivators ended June 30. 

When three Colorado marijuana entrepreneurs made a presentation to 40 Silicon Valley investors last year, it was as though they were discussing something dirty.

“There was an uncomfortable chuckle in the room, kind of like you’re talking about porn,” says Fulton Connor, the Sand Hill Angels Inc. member who arranged the meeting. His fellow venture capitalists just couldn’t get past the fact that marijuana remains prohibited under federal law.