The timing may be a little off for a hemp and cannabis expo in Berlin Saturday, coming on the heels of a major drug bust of some 30 illegal drug manufacturers and dealers in the city, but the coordinators of the event make no apologies.

The T.H.C Expo is being held to tout the wonders of medical marijuana and the economic potential of hemp farming.

thenorthwestern.com
examiner.com

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proposed a June ballot measure to make SF the first city to legalize the sale of marijuana -- a collection of reactions from young people.

alternet.org

Mexico's former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jorge Castaneda Gutman believes marijuana "should be legalized in both countries," the U.S. and Mexico. "The DEA says that 60% of the Mexican cartels' profits come from marijuana. If we start with that, it's a big chunk. We can't do it in Mexico if the U.S. doesn't do it at the same time."

cnn.com

In the words of comedian Dave Chappelle: “I keeps it real”

A boom for new and improved Bodegas

The definition of Bodega:

A Bodega is a Hispanic/Spanish/Latin mini-mart, kind of like a 7-11 / Time Saver, but usually smaller; an establishment of commerce where customers have the convenience to purchase a wide variety of foods, liquor, beer, cigarettes and candy; a commonly used term on the east coast, especially in the New York City region, where you will find many of these. The word came from the actual Spanish word for "grocery store" - la bodega.

The definition of Bodega in Canada:

In Canada, a neighborhood corner store, not part of a large chain, that is being used as a front to sell drugs. There will be some legitimate business selling soda, cigarettes, and candy bars, but most of the aisles in the store will be full of liquidation merchandise covered in a thick layer of dust.

The definition of Bodega for New Yorkers and Bostonians:

The candy store.

examiner.com
Wissenschaftliche Artikel zu Marijuana as a national revenue resource Ergebnisse ungefähr 9.760 [scholar.google.com]

In two weeks Nepal will celebrate the festival of Shivaratri, Shiva's night. It draws half a million worshippers and thousands of sadhus, India's mendicant pilgrims who wander the Subcontinent from holy site to holy site and live on the offerings of the pious.

Bonfires burn all night, and so do the chillums of the sadhus, who smoke vast amounts of marijuana in emulation of Lord Shiva. Nepal's government provides food and shelter for the pilgrims, and also, though this is not publicly acknowledged, their weed.

newsblaze.com

In a 15,000-square-foot warehouse just down the road from the Oakland Airport, an entrepreneur is opening a one-stop shop for medicinal marijuana cultivation that's believed to be the largest in the state.

sfgate.com
'Wal-Mart of weed' opens as marijuana users go wild

That sweet scent in the air during next month's Olympic Games might be the smell of success. Then again, it could just be the weed.

It will be far from business as usual for much of Vancouver during the Olympics, but marijuana advocates and police say the city's laissez faire attitude towards the infamous B.C. bud won't change.

metronews.ca
winnipegfreepress.com

If you really want to know about a war, ask the soldiers on the ground. In the case of the four-decades-old War on Drugs, those soldiers would be the police officers charged with busting dealers and users. And, though they may not represent a majority within their profession, some cops are beginning to break ranks, to publicly question the wisdom and effectiveness of drug prohibition.

Take David Bratzer, a Canadian police officer and a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition [LEAP], an international nonprofit organization made up of current and former law enforcement officials who support the legalization and regulation of marijuana and other drugs.

mauitime.com