Happy birthday, Bob. We miss you. Haile Selassie...

"Since new laws introduced by the Czech government on January 1 came into effect the possession of drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offence in this Central European country. Under the new legislation, a person can, for example, have up to 15g of marijuana, 1g of cocaine, 1.5g of heroin, 4 ecstasy tablets, 5 LSD tablets and 2g of amphetamines. The amounts have been chosen as they represent what the courts define as for "personal use," explains Justice Minister Daniela Kovarova..."

Pregnant women and their children in Jamaica were studied for over ten plus years by Melanie Dreher. Both marijuana smokers and non-smokers were included in the study. One of the tests showed that children of ganja-using mothers were superior to children of non-ganja mothers in two ways: the children had better organization and modulation of sleeping and waking, and they were less prone to stress-related anxiety. Comparing the two groups, the neonates of mothers who used marijuana showed better physiological stability at 1 month and required less examiner facilitation to reach an organized state and become available for social stimulation. Interesting stuff.

In 1913 California became one of the first states in the US to enact cannabis prohibition. But next week, Tuesday January 12, members of the Californian Assembly will hold a historic vote on statewide marijuana policy. They will then decide on Assembly Bill 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. After almost a 100 years (!) this is the first bill introduced to legalize the sale and use of marijuana in California. Exciting or what? If you're a California resident you can even help by showing your support. Please check out the website of NORML where you can find more information.

What did actually happen in 2009 for the cannabis community? Well, where to begin. A lot of positive events occurred last year which might even be the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition. There has been a tidal shift in politics and on Marijuana laws in America, from Obama lightening up on pot prosecutions to the recognition of cancer prevention properties. It seems the genie is out of the bottle. Time for the people behind NORML to make a Top 10 Of Events That Shaped Marijuana Policy in 2009.