By Paul Penney The state of marijuana laws in the United States has changed considerably over the last two decades. Only 13 states had made marijuana use lawful for medicinal reasons at the time President Barack Obama took office, and none had made it legal for recreational use. Colorado became the first state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for recreational use and sales when voters there…

By Richard P. Ormond Starting in the 1930s when the modern era of drug enforcement laws was launched, communities of color were disproportionally caught in the crosshairs of the criminal-justice system in the United States, with prison populations looking nothing like a true cross-section of society. It is no secret that 1930s marijuana legislation was designed to target Amerindian, Mexican and…