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Ottawa Sun, 21 Apr 2013 - As the clock struck 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, a haze of smoke enveloped Parliament Hill, cheers erupted and a pungent smell wafted over downtown. For at least a few hours on a cold April afternoon, some 9,000 people welcomed the opportunity to puff on a joint without legal hassle, getting stoned while speaking out in support of legalizing marijuana.

New York Times Magazine, 21 Apr 2013 - Early on a December morning, Robert Coogan pulled his red Chevy hatchback into the parking lot of the state prison in Saltillo, Mexico. It was frigid outside, the sun had not yet cleared the reddish mountains, and Coogan lingered, staring at the tall black letters on the prison's high walls: "CERESO" - Centro de Reinsercion Social, the place where criminals are supposed to be reformed. Coogan, who has served as chaplain at the prison for a decade, slowly pulled himself from the warm car. In dark jeans, brown boots and a thick gray sweater, he looked more like a factory foreman than a Brooklyn-born priest.

The Post, 20 Apr 2013 - In addition to the typical brownie sale, Students for Liberty celebrated April 20 by addressing the effects drug prohibition has on society. Students for Liberty, Ohio University's Libertarian organization, hosted three speakers from the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws to argue for the legalization of marijuana for 4/20.

Globe and Mail, 20 Apr 2013 - Here's something you won't see happen on Saturday: Christy Clark or Adrian Dix's campaign buses rolling up to the north lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery to the cheers of thousands of marijuana activists. Neither Mr. Dix nor Ms. Clark will push their way through the happy crowds and skunk-scented smoke, glad-handing potential voters. It is even less likely that either will make their way to the stage brandishing a freshly rolled spliff, spark it up and declare 4/20 officially "on." Neither will inhale deeply, nor extol the virtues of weed, nor pass the dutchie to the left-hand side. And you certainly won't hear them making speeches calling for the decriminalization, legalization, or the regulation and taxation of pot.

Ottawa Sun, 20 Apr 2013 - With nearly 15,000 people expected converge on Parliament Hill Saturday for cannabis reform, Parliament Hill may look like it's going up in smoke - pot smoke. With regulations surrounding marijuana usage appearing too lax, organizers of the Fill the Hill 2013 are hoping they're getting closer to realizing their dream to one day smoke legally in Canada.

Wall Street Journal, 20 Apr 2013 - DENVER - Like any farmer, Elliott Klug understands the highs and lows of living off the land. But his crop requires a rigorous effort. To keep output going, it is harvested every week. It is also grown only indoors. And though you won't find this tip in the Farmer's Almanac, his workers believe that blaring Grateful Dead songs boosts productivity.

Vancouver 24hours, 19 Apr 2013 - A Vancouver School Board trustee is warning students not to attend the annual 4/20 marijuana celebration in downtown Saturday, citing the health and safety concerns of minors in spite of growing support revealed in new polls to support the drug. On Thursday, trustee Ken Denike noted marijuana is still a "banned substance." He warned parents it's very unlikely children who attend the celebration in front of Vancouver Art Gallery would emerge untouched by the billowing clouds of smoke and weed offered for sale.

The Observer, 19 Apr 2013 - SARNIA - If you ask local public high school teachers what their top concern is for student wellness, the answer may be different than what you'd expect to hear. Substance use has been ranked the top socio-emotional concern for local students, according to a recent survey of Lambton Kent District School Board high school teachers.

Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr 2013 - Public Safety Compacts Reduce Sentences for MD. Inmates Who Commit to Treatment We have a great capacity for placing people into categories and minimizing their humanity. One such category is "felons" and another is "drug addicts." We can easily forget that men and women who have been convicted of crimes or are suffering from substance abuse issues are the same as the rest of us at the core - fallible but resolutely hopeful.

Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr 2013 - Those who claim there always are legal alternatives to medical marijuana are not dealing from personal experience. Twenty years ago, my dad suffered from esophageal cancer and emphysema. The nausea from his treatment was severe and the list of medications prescribed for it ineffective.

Globe and Mail, 18 Apr 2013 - It's not the "did you inhale" question many politicians have been asked, but a lobby group will be questioning want-to-be politicians on their position over a regulated marijuana market in British Columbia. Stop the Violence BC - a coalition of police, doctors, lawyers, politicians and academics - argues a regulated and taxed marijuana market could choke the flow of funds going to organized crime, reduce the proliferation of illegal grow-ops in B.C. and fund drug awareness and harm prevention campaigns.

London Free Press, 18 Apr 2013 - Even though the city won't permit it, London's annual marijuana festival isn't going up in smoke. Saturday is April 20, the day when pot users celebrate the drug and demand its legalization. And you can bet people will gather in Victoria Park even though the festival was denied a city permit, said organizer Eric Shepperd.

The Sault Star, 18 Apr 2013 - If you want smaller government and you want the government out of people's private lives, you need to support the legalization of marijuana. It's the logically consistent viewpoint for a conservative. I write this in the leadup to the annual 4/20 marijuana marches where otherwise law-abiding citizens who consume, grow or trade the substance will take to the streets nationwide to show their love of pot.

Philadelphia Daily News, 18 Apr 2013 - IT SOUNDS LIKE some alternate reality, where down is up and hot is cold, but Ed "NJ Weedman" Forchion said the words himself Wednesday morning, and even he can't believe it. "I'm getting a little stressed," said Forchion, 48. "I have no weed."

The Eagle-Tribune, 18 Apr 2013 - Thousands of people are expected to join an unofficial counterculture holiday celebrating marijuana in Colorado and Washington this coming weekend, including out-of staters and even packaged tours. The events and crowds will test the limits of new laws permitting pot use by adults. More than 50,000 are expected to light up outdoors in Denver's Civic Center Park on April 20 to celebrate marijuana legalization. Thousands more are headed here for the nation's first open-to-all Cannabis Cup, April 20-21, a domestic version of an annual marijuana contest and celebration in Amsterdam. Expected guests at the Cannabis Cup, a ticketed event taking place inside the Denver Convention Center, include Snoop Lion, the new reggae and marijuana-loving persona for the rapper better known as Snoop Dogg.

Sun-Sentinel, 18 Apr 2013 - Based on science and concern about young minds and the safety of our citizens, we believe that the crude drugs from the plant Cannabis should be illegal. There are differing views on this issue. In our democracy, divergent views are expected. The more personal the issue, the more passionate and less logical the discussion. Media articles support marijuana as a medicine. This complex weed is supposed to cure insomnia, arthritis, glaucoma, nausea, loss of appetite, epilepsy, etc.; and that, if legalized and taxed by government, as with alcohol and tobacco, it could solve our financial woes.

Washington Times, 18 Apr 2013 - Wash., Colo. Are Ready to Party DENVER - Thousands of pot smokers plan to descend on Colorado and Washington this weekend for what may be the biggest marijuana celebration in U.S. history. Saturday marks the first "420 Day" - the unofficial pot lovers' jamboree held every April 20, based on the slang identifier "420" - since voters in both states passed initiatives legalizing adult use of marijuana in November. Although pot isn't exactly legal in either state yet, that will not stop the weed-toking faithful from throwing bodacious parties.

Ottawa Sun, 17 Apr 2013 - If you want smaller government and you want the government out of people's private lives, you need to support the legalization of marijuana. It's the logically consistent viewpoint for a conservative. I write this in the leadup to the annual 4/20 marijuana marches where otherwise law-abiding citizens who consume, grow or trade the substance will take to the streets nationwide to show their love of pot.