This morning we were stoked to see renewed momentum in Albany for medical marijuana legislation. Democratic State Senator Diane Savino expressed optimism that she could get the needed Republican votes to pass a bill in the Senate, and the Wall Street Journal speculated that the same political landscape that saw same-sex marriage pass could finally allow sick people to legally smoke grass, like they do in 16 other states. Then along came Governor Cuomo to harsh the mellow. more ›

Medical marijuana is on the agenda in Albany once again, with a State Senator working hard to corral Republicans for a soon-to-be-introduced bill. Maybe we're burned out from all the non-medical marijuana, but haven't we seen this movie before? Dude, that's right: in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and probably a bunch of other years we can't remember. But according to the Wall Street Journal, this time could be different, because the same political landscape that saw same-sex marriage pass could finally allow sick people to legally smoke grass, like they do in 16 other states. more ›

Conservative televangelist Pat Robertson is waving the white flag in the war on drugs—or the war on reefer, to be precise. In 2010, Robertson made news when he said on his show, 700 Club, "I’m not exactly for the use of drugs, don’t get me wrong, but I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing it’s just, it’s costing us a fortune and it’s ruining young people." Now he's "fully embraced the idea of legalizing marijuana," as the Times puts it, though he's quick to assert, "I’m not a crusader." It goes without saying that Robertson would never use his media profile to crusade for something he believes in. more ›

The NYPD made more than 50,680 arrests for low-level marijuana offenses in 2011, once again making low-level pot possession the number one cause of arrest in NYC. 2011 was the second-highest period for marijuana arrests in New York City history, and this despite NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly specifically ordering officers to stop arresting people who bring small quantities of marijuana into open view during a stop-and-frisk. In a September memo, Kelly told officers, "A crime will not be charged to an individual who is requested or compelled to engage in the behavior that results in the public display of marijuana." Unfortunately, most hippies were too stoned to read all the way the bottom of the memo, where Kelly included a photo of himself winking slyly. more ›

Now you have another thing to get anxious about while smoking grass in the comfort of your own home (in addition to the surveillance microphones your landlord embedded in your walls). The Supreme Court has ruled that if cops are passing by your hotbox and they smell reefer, they're legally entitled to kick your door down without a warrant if they think you're destroying evidence and you don't open up. It's going to mean big business for the rolled towel and incense companies, but a tough break for anyone who struggles with paranoia after doing a J. Did you hear those sirens? I think there are cops in the building! I HEAR THEM KNOCKING RIGHT NOW—IN PERFECT TIME WITH BONHAM'S DRUM SOLO! more ›

There's another criminal bake sale story out of Chappaqua, where two scofflaw teens were busted for selling cupcakes and other baked goods in a public park without a license earlier this month. The latest incident kicked the criminality up a notch: a 16-year-old was arrested last week for selling marijuana brownies to two 13-year-old girls who ended up in the hospital. The Associated Press wins the prize for the corniest lede of the week: "Police say a suburban New York teenager has been arrested for trying out his own interpretation of the term high school." [Emphasis added, along with this sad trombone.] more ›

Ever get the paranoid feeling you're getting burned by the guy who delivers your marijuana? With the new website Price of Weed, there's a quick and easy way to compare and contrast the current cost of pot. Someday the website's founders say they're going to track vicissitudes in the marijuana market around the world, but for now they're content to kick back on the couch and deal with North America. more ›

The federal government's annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows the rate of illicit drug use rose from 8% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009. And the government has decided that the cause of all this snorting and huffing and popping and shooting is marijuana. National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske tells CBS Radio News that young people are being exposed to "mixed messages" about pot because of growing consensus that it has medicinal properties. In other words, they learned it from watching you cancer sufferers. more ›

Reefer madness is the new black! Marie Claire exposes what they call "stilleto stoners" in their latest issue. Yes, even the well-heeled like to puff on a little pot after a stressful day in this rough n' tumble town. Take 29-year-old corporate attorney "Jennifer" for instance, she's been running around for 12 hours in her Marc Jacobs pumps and at the end of the day "reaches for a plastic orange prescription bottle alongside a glass pipe and blue Bic lighter, just as the cleaning lady left them. She twists off the cap, pinches off a piece of the fragrant green bud inside, gingerly places it in the bowl of the pipe, and lights up. Over the next 30 minutes, she takes three deep drags, enough to drown out the noise whirring in her head." Soon enough she'll be popping pills to drown out the paranoid voices! more ›