The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision regarding the ballot language and title of state Issue 3 could make it tougher for investors in a $20 million campaign to persuade voters to approve the Nov. 3 measure, which would legalize the commercial growing and selling or marijuana.

In less than two weeks, Oregonians -- and any one else 21 and older -- will be able to walk into a marijuana shop and buy pot, the latest milestone in the state's long history with the drug.

Though the Oregon Liquor Control Commission doesn't plan to launch a regulated recreational market until late next year, the Legislature authorized medical marijuana dispensaries to sell to the recreational market starting Oct. 1. Until now, dispensaries served only medical marijuana patients and their caregivers. Starting next month, they will be able to sell to anyone with a government-issued ID that shows they are 21.

One of the lighter moments of Wednesday’s epic slog of a Republican presidential primary debate came when former Florida governor Jeb Bush joked that his mother, the former first lady, would not be happy that he admitted having smoked marijuana “40 years ago.”

The line got a fair amount of laughs from the audience, but it also came amid a broader debate among the candidates over federal drug laws. Defending marijuana legalization, Sen. Rand Paul asserted that “kids who had privilege like [Bush]” are often given a pass when it comes to admitting past drug use, whereas people from poorer backgrounds — often minorities — are more likely to go to prison for using marijuana.

'Historic' marijuana bill spotlights the importance of initiatives

SACRAMENTO — It’s commonplace for legislators and commentators to criticize the “excesses” of direct democracy and propose reforms that limit the ability of voters to enact laws — or at least insert lawmakers more deeply into the initiative process. Yet a recently passed bill, approved in the final moments of the recently concluded legislative session, showcases why voters continue to take important matters into their own hands.

Florida hasn’t been particularly friendly to cannabis, and the procedure of legislating medical cannabis has actually been absolutely nothing if not a long, uphill struggle. This hasn’t prevented advocates though, and recreational cannabis is starting to wind its method up the very same road.

Since the advent of the television modern American presidential debates have become steadily more theatrical, now focused mostly on political pageantry and whether candidates can pull off a selfie or a fist-bump without looking confused or senile. Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate offered plenty of bizarre moments for the canon: Jeb Bush suggested that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher replace Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill; Donald Trump claimed to have witnessed a baby get autism from a vaccine; Rand Paul said his Secret Service code name would be "Justice Never Sleeps."

Toledoans’ vote to decriminalize marijuana has implications for voter turnout, campaigning, and public policy Issue 1 supporters convene on election night to hear vote results.

Anti-pot shop crusader alleges police not enforcing laws against illegal marijuana dispensaries

The Vancouver Police Department has recommended the Vancouver Police Board dismiss a complaint from an anti-pot shop crusader accusing police of failing to shut down the city’s 100 or so illegal marijuana dispensaries.

In a 15-page report that goes before the board Thursday, Deputy Chief Doug LePard provided a detailed analysis of the complaint from Pamela McColl of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada and outlined why the majority of dispensaries continue to operate without police interference.

In the UK the only democratic power you have is through your MP.

The arcane nature of our Parliament and the unaccountability of MPs makes that sad and depressing but it is reality.

The only alternative routes to power are to spend millions on advertising and PR or to chance on gaining the fickle and unreliable support of the popular media.

So, it is to your MP you must turn if you want to exercise influence in the cannabis debate.  However poorly informed, bigoted or slave to the media your MP is, your role is to do what you can to inform and persuade. It is your responsibility to make your MP do their job and represent your views.

In a visit to Denver, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley said he is looking to Colorado as he considers whether to support federal legalization of marijuana. But for now, he said, it's a step too far.

"I think we still have to watch, and we have to learn in Colorado and Washington state," he told reporters after a meeting with marijuana industry and legalization advocates Thursday. "I'm not there yet, but I am watching very closely what's happening."

The focus on the issue is emerging as a hot topic in the 2016 presidential campaign amid questions about how the federal government should respond to the increasing number of states moving toward legalization.