In the early days of rock-and-roll, annoying AM radio disc jockeys would talk during the instrumental beginning and ending of songs. Sometimes it was just patter to promote the record, but it was usually opportunistic advertising to broadcast as many ads as possible.

An exclusive interview with John Payne, executive director of Missouri’s Show-Me Cannabis policy-reform organization.

by Noelle Skodzinski

In November 2014, Missouri cannabis-policy-reform organization Show-Me Cannabis(named after Missouri’s nickname as The Show-Me State)  filed a petition with the Missouri Secretary of State to amend the state constitution to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis. The petition was required to undergo a review and public comment period, according to the Show-Me Cannabis website, before signatures could begin to be collected.

A new study says that marijuana smoking among college students has dramatically increased to a point where it is, for the first time in US history, more popular than smoking cigarettes. It is a fact, yes, but it still does not answer the intriguing question as to why marijuana has been growing in popularity among teens and young adults over the past few years.

“It’s clear that for the past seven or eight years there has been an increase in marijuana use among the nation’s college students,” explains lead study author Lloyd Johnston; “And this largely parallels an increase we have been seeing among high school seniors.”

A National Research Center has been commissioned by the National Institute of Drug Abuse to conduct research on the effects of marijuana on the body. According to researchers, the facility, along with six other facilities across the nation, intend to put stoners under the microscope in an attempt to find out if marijuana can relieve stress while still being able to function a normal life.

“Do you smoke marijuana? Have you used in the past 30 days? If so, and you are 18 to 50 years old, you may qualify for a research study evaluating the effects of marijuana on the body.” 

Oh, police raids. With the number of times SWAT teams crack down on cannabis businesses (regardless of legality), you'd think they'd be able to recognize what an actual cannabis plant looks like. Alas, someone hasn't ascribed to the #JustSayKnow mantra, because a recent raid in Arlington, Texas came up short of cannabis but full of another versatile plant (so long as you're looking to make a BLT or a salad).

The Green Rush Tour bus showed up at UC Tuesday for a quick stop to hand out fliers.

 A caped green superhero stumping for marijuana legalization votes at college campuses and bars in Ohio has sparked debate over its impact on children.

"Buddie" is a fuzzy, ever-smiling pot bud in a bulging white muscle suit with green trunks, gloves and boots. He arrives in a truck painted with marijuana leaves declaring: "Yes on legalization."

ResponsibleOhio infographics

Happy Labor Day! If you get a chance to talk to a marijuana industry laborer, thank them for their hard work. It’s not easy to work in the marijuana industry, where there are many grey areas and seemingly constant harassment by the government. I have had more than a few friends get arrested for working at a medical marijuana dispensary, and while they didn’t get charged, they did lose their jobs, which is always a bad thing.

Almost one-fifth of high schoolers who use e-cigarette devices have operated it with marijuana, based on a new study. Electronic cigarettes function by vaporizing or "vaping" tobacco's nicotine or pot's tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), eliminating the creation of carcinogens caused by the burning tobacco or cannabis plant. However, the health effects of smoking e-cigs are still unclear.

The study involving Connecticut high school students was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Using e-cigarettes to smoke tobacco or marijuana has not been proven to be clearly safer than using traditional cigarette sticks or marijuana joints. In fact, the researchers wrote that vaping cannabis oils might cause higher amounts of THC to be released than puffing on dried hemp leaves.   

Shawnee Anderson couldn’t stop crying. On the morning of Jan. 24 last year, she sat in the front seat of a red minivan parked outside her home in Napa, California, with her 11-month-old son in her lap. Roughly 20 minutes earlier, police had arrived at the one-story house, summoned by a neighbor who’d called to complain about a loud argument between Anderson and her boyfriend, Aaron Hillyer.

The couple explained that because they were low on sleep and stressed about Anderson’s first day back at work, a disagreement over who would change their child’s diaper had escalated. “This whole argument is ridiculous,” Anderson told the officers, shaking her head no when they asked if the fight had become physical.

Michigan – Daily marijuana use among US college students continues to rise, even surpassing daily cigarette smoking for the first time in 2014. A new study found that one in every 17 college students is smoking marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis. But what is most concerning about the report is that the use of other drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy, are also on the rise.

The research conducted by the University of Michigan created a series of national surveys for US college students to fill. The results showed that marijuana use has been growing in college campuses since 2006.