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The father of a 12-year-old Omaha boy charged with first-degree murder is serving a life sentence in Minnesota for killing a man in 2010. Javaris Eugene Milton, 37, was convicted of first-degree murder in what Minneapolis authorities said was a marijuana-related robbery attempt. The crime is eerily similar to accusations that the boy, Jarrell Milton, his older brother and another teenager are facing in Douglas County.

To mark the anniversary of recreational-marijuana stores opening in Washington, we look at The Seattle Times’ coverage of pot over the past 115 years.

<p>Acres of ancient trees are disappearing and illegal marijuana farms are popping up in their place. Streams and rivers are being sucked dry, diverted sometimes miles away through plastic pipes into tanks. Several species of fish, along with a rare breed of wild rodent, are on the verge of extinction.</p>

On Chicago’s lakefront bike path, across the lawns of the museum campus and in the stands of Soldier Field, Grateful Dead fans toasted to the band’s farewell tour this weekend by lighting up. A pungent fog of marijuana smoke wafted throughout the arena packed with 70,000 Deadheads over three straight nights of concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But almost none of those fans needed to fear any repercussions for breaking the city’s ordinances prohibiting public weed consumption. Chicago Police officers made only one arrest for possession of cannabis on Friday and wrote only two possession of cannabis tickets Sunday...

<p>DENVER Presidential candidates are talking about marijuana in ways unimaginable not long ago.</p> <p>White House hopefuls in both parties are taking donations from people in the new marijuana industry, which is investing heavily in political activism as a route to expanded legalization and landed its first major candidate, Rand Paul, at a trade show last month.</p>

CannaCamp couldn't cultivate kush resort after national derision becomes a real downerA planned pot-friendly ranch resort in southwest Colorado has been snuffed before it opened. The 170-acre CannaCamp resort touted weed-friendly activities such as hiking and fishing. But a deal with the landowner fell through, and the marijuana-tourism company promoting CannaCamp announced Thursday that the resort won’t open after all. The MaryJane Group, which runs marijuana-friendly inns in Denver and Silverthorne, announced that it hopes to find a new home for CannaCamp by 2016. Guests who already booked stays starting at $395 per person per night are being offered stays...

On June 30, US Senator and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul attended the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Cannabis Business Summit at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO and held his own private, $2,700-per-ticket fundraiser. An invitation to the fundraiser, which was originally obtained by Yahoo News, can be seen below. As The Associated Press points out, Rand Paul’s pot industry fundraiser marks the first time in US history that a major-party presidential candidate has attempted to openly seek campaign cash from America’s new legal marijuana industry. Around 40 marijuana business leaders met with Paul at the event. “This is...

Forty-two years after Oregon became the first state to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, the state is taking its first steps along a road leading to state-licensed stores selling limited amounts of it to anyone over 21. "Oregon has long been a pioneer on sensible marijuana policies," said Anthony Johnson, chief petitioner on Measure 91, which on Wednesday makes Oregon the fourth state to adopt laws legalizing recreational use of cannabis for people old enough to drink. He added though that he doesn't expect much increased demand for it. Smoking it in public is illegal, but in Portland police are...

DENVER (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul courted donors from the new marijuana industry Tuesday, making the Kentucky senator the first major-party presidential candidate to publicly seek support from the legal weed business. Paul's fundraiser at the Cannabis Business Summit - tickets started at $2,700, the maximum donation allowed for the primary contest - came as the marijuana industry approached its first presidential campaign as a legal enterprise....

DENVER — Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry may not agree with Colorado’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana, but he said Saturday he will defend the state’s right to make a hash of things. Speaking at the Western Conservative Summit, Mr. Perry made a vigorous defense for the states’ role as “laboratories of democracy,” in the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, even if it means sticking up for Colorado’s retail pot market. “Let this country compete again. I am so optimistic about the future of America if we would free up these states from this one-size-fits-all,”...

A large pro-legalization group ranks Paul above all Democratic candidates.Sen. Rand Paul bested his rivals for the White House in a candidate report card issued Friday by the Marijuana Policy Project, one of the largest organizations pushing to regulate the drug like alcohol. The group gave the Kentucky Republican an A- in recognition of his efforts to overhaul federal drug laws and his support of states’ right to legalize marijuana. Second place – a B+ – went to former Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who has not officially announced a bid, and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, a former Republican seeking...

An estimated 100,000 marijuana plants are expected to be eradicated this week at an enormous, multi-farm bust in remote Northern California — the heart of the famed Emerald Triangle. Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies — with no federal involvement — began serving search warrants Monday in a remote area at the intersection of the three counties. Dozens of deputies are staging a four or five-day operation in what is being called the largest raid in a decade. The raid targeted some very prominent members of the community, including public members of lobbying groups and marijuana PACs like the...

When it comes to smoking marijuana and driving, many variables affect impairment—the potency of the drug, the tolerance of the toker, when the drug was taken, how the drug was taken—making guidelines difficult to implement. But with some states decriminalizing the possession of weed, the feds are investigating a pot version of the .08 breath alcohol concentration set as the legal driving limit in most of the country.

Which, of course you all knew, since you only pretended to think otherwise so you could get high without the pigs harshing your mellow. Honestly, if you ever believed the nonsense that marijuana was “medicine,” you probably don’t have the brain capacity to process the information I’m about to give you. Then again, there’s dumb and there’s willfully delusional. You can have the ability to know better, but choose to embrace nonsense anyway because you want so desperately to get high. I’d say that still makes you an idiot. Just that you’re an idiot by choice. At any rate, you...

Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, and Tourette's syndrome and the authors recommend more research.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, and Tourette's syndrome and the authors recommend more research.

SALINAS, Calif. —Altai Brands has set up shop in northern Salinas to make and distribute medical marijuana products despite the fact that medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal in the city. The company found a legal loophole because they're not actually growing or selling the pot there. "This is a manufacturing business that is going above and beyond to assure safety and security," Salinas City Councilman Steve McShane said. Altai Brands is housed in a warehouse off Quail Run Circle. Large batches up pot-infused chocolate are made there and sent to dispensaries around the state. The warehouse is in McShane's district,...

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that businesses can fire employees who use marijuana during their off-time, including those with a legal prescription for medical pot. In a case that has been closely watched by employers in some states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, the Colorado court found that Dish Network lawfully fired a quadriplegic employee and medical marijuana user who failed a drug test. Customer service representative Brandon Coats, 35, used marijuana in his off-time to deal with painful muscle spasms. The court ruled that the federal prohibition on pot makes the drug unlawful despite...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A clear majority of New Jerseyans supports legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana for adults 21 and over, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today. Just under one-third of residents strongly support making marijuana use legal, assuming it would be taxed and regulated, while another 26 percent somewhat support the idea. Twelve percent are somewhat opposed while 27 percent are strongly opposed. An April 2014 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll found that while about two-thirds in New Jersey favored eliminating marijuana possession penalties, just 49 percent supported “completely legalizing” the drug. “The trend in New Jersey mirrors the nation as...

Pot may be legal in Colorado, but you can still be fired for using it. The state Supreme Court ruled 6-0 Monday that a medical marijuana patient who was fired after failing a drug test cannot get his job back. The case was being watched closely by employers and pot smokers in states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana. Colorado became at least the fourth state in which courts have ruled against medical marijuana patients fired for pot use. Supreme courts in California, Montana and Washington state have made similar rulings, and federal courts in Colorado and Michigan also...