- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
America's weed legalization: five things to know
As pot smokers prepare to light up for "4/20" -- the annual counter-cultural celebration of cannabis held on April 20 -- the United States' legalization experiment blazes ahead.
Here are five things to know about marijuana in America:
- Where is it legal? -
Eighteen of the 50 US states, plus the capital Washington, have so far legalized recreational weed use for adults.
Most states allow at least some medical use -- ranging from oils with low levels of the active ingredient THC to near-legalization.
Just a few conservative states such as Idaho, Wyoming and Nebraska have held off.
Oddly, marijuana remains illegal under federal law -- in fact, it is technically a "schedule one" controlled substance, on par with heroin.
So in theory, a cannabis user is still breaking the nation's laws.
But in practice, federal prosecutors do not pursue people or businesses that are complying with their state's marijuana laws, nor have they challenged those laws in court.
- Where could be next? -
While New Jersey has already legalized recreational weed, legal sales will only begin this Thursday.
Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Louisiana and Oklahoma are the states considered most likely to allow cannabis use next.
But that could soon be moot, if efforts to decriminalize marijuana nationwide work out.
A Democrat-led bill to eliminate punishments for possessing or selling the drug was approved by House lawmakers this month.
It faces a sterner test in the Senate, where the Democratic majority is as thin as a rolling paper. It would also need President Joe Biden's signature.
- How much is legal weed worth? -
Legal weed is already big business -- worth around $25 billion in the United States last year -- and is only expected to grow faster.
Efforts are under way to clear financial red tape for legal cannabis operators, who often struggle to secure basic services such bank accounts, loans and even credit card machines at checkouts due to the sector's "grey zone" legal status.
States reported $3.7 billion in cannabis tax revenue from sales last year.
And the recent House bill projected that annual legal sales will pass $40 billion by 2025.
- What about the illegal industry? -
As big as the legal sector has grown, it is still dwarfed by illegal marijuana sales.
Illicit cannabis was estimated to be worth $65 billion in 2020 across the nation.
This is not just confined to states where weed remains illegal.
Even in California, the first US state to approve medical marijuana use back in 1996, as much as 80 percent of cannabis sales remains outside the law.
These range from loyal customers sticking with their original dealers -- either from preference for the product, or lower prices thanks to the lack of taxes -- to counterfeit operations that consumers may assume are legitimate.
- Who supports it? -
Overall, the US public is strongly behind legalization.
A Pew Research poll found last year that 91 percent of adults think marijuana should be legal, either medically, recreationally or both.
Roughly half of US adults last year told Gallup they had tried cannabis, up from one-third in 1999.
Legal cannabis companies have drawn celebrity funding or endorsements, from musicians Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa to actor Seth Rogen and former boxing champ Mike Tyson.
Billionaire Elon Musk is also a fan, controversially lighting up a joint during a "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast livestream, and tweeting his outrage about prisoners who are still behind bars for the historical offence of selling weed.
Y.Nakamura--AMWN