Michelle Malkin

Im sure theyll want to have some input. Until those regulations and laws are adopted, he said, theres no way to answer such questions as how many treatment centers there would be, what the qualifications for growing marijuana or operating a treatment center would be, or how quality control on products would work. Approaches vary among states with legal medical marijuana. Colorado, for example, requires for quality control purposes that all marijuana growers also own dispensaries and that dispensaries produce 70 percent of the products they sell. Colorado also requires that dispensary operators and investors undergo extensive criminal history checks and be free of government or child support debt. Massachusetts requires that all dispensary operators have at least $500,000 in liquid capital, said Taylor West of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Michael Mayes of Quantum 9, a Chicago-based consulting firm that advises marijuana producers, said some states seek to regulate marijuana the same way as alcohol, in which producers, distributors and retailers generally are kept separate, known as horizontal integration, while others use vertical integration, requiring a single firm to produce and distribute.

With health law, workers ponder the I-Quit option

Payne, 62, plans to plans to retire early from her nursing career and take advantage of health care coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act, allowing her spend more time pursuing other interests while not being tied to employer-sponsored coverage. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) CHICAGO (AP) -- For uninsured people, the nation's new health care law may offer an escape from worry about unexpected, astronomical medical bills. But for Stephanie Payne of St. Louis, who already had good insurance, the law could offer another kind of escape: the chance to quit her job. At 62, Payne has worked for three decades as a nurse, most recently traveling house to house caring for 30 elderly and disabled patients. But she's ready to leave that behind, including the job-based health benefits, to move to Oregon and promote her self-published book. She envisions herself blogging, doing radio interviews and speaking to seniors groups. "I want the freedom to fit that into my day without squeezing it into my day," she said.