Reactions to the “Responsible Ohio” cannabis-legalization initiative have a lot to tell us about the changing politics of the marijuana question. No much of what they have to tell us is encouraging.

Cannabis policy change in the United States has been driven, until now, by people whose interest in the matter was primarily non-commercial: pot smokers yearning to toke free, culture warriors of the (cultural) left, libertarians, criminal justice reformers concerned about arrest and incarceration, and people who think that it’s bad policy to criminalize the behavior of tens of millions of people unless there’s a stronger reason to do so than the risks of cannabis create.

This is a first in an occasional college debate series hosted by Today’s Question where we invite debate clubs to frame and guide the day’s discussion. Positions taken by the debaters don’t necessarily reflect their views. As always, personal attacks aren’t allowed in this space. The comment thread continues to be open to all. Join in!

For this series, we welcome members of the University of Minnesota debate team to defend or challenge the argument for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

Defending the argument is Rohit Asirvatham, a junior majoring in political science.

Police said Ronald Hayes Jr. was high on drugs and alcohol and desperate to escape officers in Prince George’s County, Md., when he ran a red light and smashed into the side of a minivan filled with women and children, killing two of them.

Kendall Owens admitted to police that he was high on PCP and marijuana when he caused a multi-car crash that killed one driver and injured six others on Long Island. And Adrianna M. Young tested positive for marijuana, police said, after her car careened off an Ohio road, crashing into a house and killing a woman sitting on her couch.

Drunk drivers have long been the scourge of the roadways, and they still are, but now drivers on drugs are becoming a menace that rivals them, according to a new federal report.

A few weeks ago we ran a post examining the “illegal” nature of marijuana contracts and the challenge of enforcing such agreements, entitled, “Your Cannabis Contract: Is it Worth the Paper its Written On?” Today we follow up on that post and discuss how to draft your contracts so they have the best chance at enforceability. Although states are increasingly moving towards partial or full legalization, as long as federal prohibition remains the law of the land, your adversary in a contract dispute has a colorable illegality argument that you need to be ready for.

A closeup of a marijuana plant shows the tiny hairs known as trichomes covering the surface of its leaves. Starting Thursday, adults can buy recreational marijuana in Oregon, the third state to permit legal sales.(Photo: Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY)

Oregon residents can buy legal recreational marijuana starting Thursday, joining just two other states with similar systems.

Adults 21 and older in Oregon may buy up to a quarter-ounce of cannabis per day, without needing a doctor’s recommendation.

Oregon is only the third state to legalize pot in the country

The Fatal Vision® Marijuana Simulation goggles are a tool meant to simulate cognitive impairments associated with recreational marijuana use. (Photo credit: Fatalvision.com)

(WTNH) — After countless failed attempts, the nation’s substance abuse counselors have a new tool in their fight to keep teens from smoking weed. “Marijuana goggles,” a set of green-tinted goggles, are designed to show users the impairing effects of THC.

Recreational marijuana has been legal throughout Oregon for a few months now. While residents could use it, purchasing from a store hasn’t been possible.

That’s because retail sales of recreational cannabis have remained illegal. That ends Thursday, when the state will begin allowing recreational sales at medical marijuana dispensaries.

According to the OLCC, the state currently projects $10.7 million in revenue for the 2015-2017 biennium.

Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing pot for recreational use in Oregon.

John Rosman/OPB

SPRINGFIELD — 

Drug warriors claim that marijuana is a "gateway drug." On the contrary, it is the policy of drug prohibition--not the drug per se--that creates a gateway into a criminal underworld of crime and contaminated products.

This was brought home by a recent studyshowing a correlation between alcohol prohibition and meth use by county. When people want a substance that is prohibited, their only option is to turn to criminals who can supply it. This entree into the criminal world becomes a gateway to other illegal--and often more dangerous--activities and substances.