Legality of cannabis

Hashish growers in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley have built up big arsenals to fight off the country’s army. Now the drug lords say they’re ready to turn their weapons against Islamic militants spilling over the border from Syria.

PRI’s Studio 360 has redesigned another of ideas and concepts, but their latest effort is their first effort to rebrand a product that has largely been illegal. We’re talking about marijuana, which has suddenly been leagalized in three states — and which Studio 360 suggests could use a new brand if it’s going to go mainstream nationally.

So who benefits financially from the legalization of marijuana? And could legalizing and taxing the drug be a good way to boost local and state economies? Ryan Nerz joins us now to talk about these issues.

The Sochi Olympics start this week, and the city has a new problem: dogs. They have a solution, but its almost as outrageous as the problem. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, mayors are asking the government for permission to grow weed. And Japanese whalers are clashing with protesters off Antarctica, in today’s Global Scan.

For our Geo Quiz–we’re looking for one of the largest island nations in the Caribbean. The island’s tropical climate is just right for growing sugarcane, bananas, citrus trees, and marijuana, or what the locals call “ganja.