Pot stocks soar as Sessions resigns — but will his replacement relax laws?

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions imposed stricter guidelines on marijuana policy during his tenure. It's still unclear where his replacement, Matthew Whitaker, stands on the issue.

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  • Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned on Wednesday. In the following hours, stocks of marijuana companies soared.
  • The interim attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, has expressed support for a law that legalizes a non-psychoactive form of cannabis, though it's unclear where he stands on medicinal or recreational legalization of other forms of the drug.
  • Six out of 10 Americans support legalization — up from 3 out 10 in 2000.
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Jeff Sessions resigns at Trump's request

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions often found himself at odds with the president during his nearly two-year tenure.

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  • Matthew G. Whitaker, the former chief of staff to Sessions, will take over as acting attorney general.
  • President Donald Trump requested Sessions to resign one day after the midterm elections.
  • Sessions was often brutally criticized by Trump, primarily for recusing himself from the Russia probe.
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Innocent on death row: How I survived 18 years

Meditation with a mystical edge? Don't knock magick 'til you've tried it.

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  • Damien Echols was a member of the West Memphis Three, a group of young men who were wrongfully convicted of murdering three children. He served nearly 20 years on death row before being exonerated and released.
  • Some have described his plight as exploitative, in that the case became a media circus first and a murder case second.
  • While in prison, he practiced High Magick, a form of theurgical ceremonies and rituals, much in the tradition of Eastern spirituality, but retooled for the Western psyche. He credits it with helping him survive 18 years on death row.
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10 of Europe's weirdest laws

Amongst other things, you can't get away with handling a salmon suspiciously in Scotland.

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  • While a few of the laws on this list are holdovers from long ago, some laws are as recent as 2011.
  • While marrying a dead person or handling salmon suspiciously might sound morbid or hilarious, these laws have historical context.
  • Some of today's laws might seem as antiquated as these in 100 years, too.
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Canada has legalized marijuana. Here's why they did it.

The tax coffers for the entire country will be growing rapidly, and citizens of Canada will be able to access what they need.

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  • The new Canadian law goes into effect Wednesday, October 17, 2018
  • The first legal sale? A place called "Tweeds" in Newfoundland
  • Commercial edibles aren't yet legal, but they soon will be. Individuals wishing to make their own can do so, however.
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