Michigan teen might have given teacher a marijuana cookie

Police in Birmingham, Michigan, suspect that an 18-year-old student may have given a marijuana-laced cookie to a teacher.

The teacher became ill after eating the cookie and was taken to a local hospital, according to the Birmingham Eccentric. Authorities said a sample of teacher’s blood would be tested for marijuana but did not disclose why pot was suspected in the case.

According to the Eccentric, the teacher was released from the hospital and “is currently home recuperating.” Our recommendation: a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and some Netflix.

NBC’s ‘Buds’ brings marijuana culture to television

The rest of America hasn’t caught up to Colorado when it comes to understanding marijuana culture, according to Joanne Ostrow, a television critic for the Denver Post.

“The act of inhaling is still defined as illicit activity, the subject of weed a tittering punchline, the cultivation of pot plants a less-than-respectable line of work, especially on network TV,” she wrote on Sunday.

She sees a possible savior for the outmoded portrayal of pot on television: NBC’s new comedy “Buds,” which will be set in a Denver marijuana dispensary. Cable TV has done its share of weed shows (“Weeds,” for example), but this would be the first cannabis-themed series on regular old television.

Of course, there’s another important question here: who still watches television?

Rally for man serving 13 years over marijuana charge

As marijuana becomes more mainstream in the U.S., we’ll have to deal with an uncomfortable question: what happens to all the people who have been locked up for pot crimes?

Hundreds of New Orleans residents rallied on Saturday for the release of a man serving a 13-year sentence for carrying 2.8 grams of marijuana (the equivalent of a few joints).

Police stopped Bernard Noble in 2010 for biking the wrong way on a one-way street and found weed. Since his offense followed three prior drug convictions, Noble, who is now 49, was eventually given a sentence of 13 years and four months.

Rally organizers hope Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) will grant Noble clemency, The Times-Picayune reported.

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.