Ask a Stoner: To Test or Not to Test?

Dear Stoner: The holidays are coming up, and I’m thinking about getting a seasonal job for extra income. Something with low responsibility, like retail or working with Christmas trees. I enjoy cannabis recreationally. Do you have any advice on how to surreptitiously find places of employment that do not conduct…

Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer Touts Marijuana Legalization at ASU

Approving Proposition 205 in Arizona would mean a new level of freedom for adults and help lead a national reform of marijuana laws, Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer said in a speech in Tempe on Wednesday. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol brought Blumenauer to Arizona State University to speak…

The Millennial’s Dilemma: A Young Writer’s Search for Our Nuclear Future in Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Phoenix

The Nuclear Question, Part One: Walking Around Chernobyl After a cold and drizzly morning this past May, the sun is finally out in the Exclusion Zone, the heavily guarded area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine. The circular-shaped zone — which has a radius of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) — is located about 60 miles north of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, and about nine miles south of the border with Belarus…

Arizona Democratic Lawmaker Pleads Guilty to Misusing Food Stamps

Arizona Democratic lawmaker Cecilia Velasquez pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one misdemeanor count of misusing food stamps, despite previous denials and accusations of a “political witch hunt.” Velasquez, one of two State Representatives for Legislative District 29 in Litchfield Park,  originally pleaded not guilty back in June, when she was…

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Joins Fight Against Arizona Marijuana Legalization

New campaign-finance records show that billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson forked over $500,000 last week to the group fighting Arizona’s marijuana-legalization measure, Prop 205. Adelson — CEO and founder of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation — has been using his money to challenge marijuana legalization across the country, and his gift…

Ducey Appointee David Farca Sued for Fraud

When Governor Doug Ducey announced his appointment of David Farca to lead the Arizona-Mexico Commission last year, he attributed his choice to Farca’s “exceptional entrepreneurial experience.” But records in an ongoing lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against Farca and ToH Design Studio, his Scottsdale interior-design and furnishings company, put a negative…

Joe Arpaio Is OK with Deputies Drinking on Duty (Audio)

If recent polls are to be believed, Sheriff Joe Arpaio trails Democratic challenger Paul Penzone by double digits, signalling the end may be near for the 84 year-old GOP icon, who recently was charged with criminal contempt of court by the U.S. Department of Justice for his obstreperous behavior in…

Best of Phoenix 2016: Pot Stuff!

The 2016 edition of New Times’ Best of Phoenix is out now, making an argument for our status as a border town. Here’s our list of the best our town has to offer when the subject is weed. Best Cannabis Festival: The Errl Cup The Errl Cup was created by Jim…

When It Comes to Health Benchmarks for Children, Arizona Ranks … 49th

In a new study of health benchmarks for children, Arizona ranks nearly last. America’s Health Rankings, released last month, provides a comprehensive overview of how all 50 states and the District of Columbia compare with one another on a broad range of health measures, ranging from adequate health insurance to immunizations…