Lay Off the Pot, Cops

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Initiatives to make marijuana the “lowest law enforcement priority” are on ballots in five cities this year – California’s Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Monica, as well as Missoula, Montana and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It’s not quite as goofy an idea as it sounds – similar measures have already passed in Seattle and Oakland. No big surprise that three coastal California towns are thinking of following suit – but it sure does make me curious about Eureka Springs.

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Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

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