andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

New legislation from the Obama government is urging American prosecutors to crack down on violent marijuana dealing circles, rather than reprimanding those who legally buy and sell the drug.

Fourteen states in America have legalized the selling and smoking of medicinal marijuana, which is where the new policy will be enforced.

According to My Way News, two Justice Department officials say the legislation will encourage prosecutors to avoid wasting their time pursuing people who comply with state laws to provide medical marijuana. However those using medical marijuana to cover other crimes will still be under scrutiny.

The Bush administration enforced federal anti-pot laws across all states, regardless of the individual state laws in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Dispensaries - that is, stores selling marijuana (similar to the ones you see in Weeds) - are common California, and Colorado is catching up. Rhode Island and New Mexico are currently working to provide licenses to some businesses, according to My Way News.

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Alanis Morissette has landed a recurring role in the upcoming fifth season of the Showtime series “Weeds.”

The Canuck singer will play an obstetrician who treats the pregnant Nancy Botwin (played by Mary Louis Parker), whose exploits as a suburban-widow-turned-marijuana-dealer form the series’ premise.

Morissette will appear in at least seven of the season’s 13 episodes, which kick off on Showtime in the U.S. on June 8 and on Showcase in Canada this fall. She may also return for season six.

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Showcase has ordered 13 episodes of “Weeds’” fourth season.

The Golden Globe-nominated show should go back to filming in April, depending on the length of the WGA strike. It would then premiere in the summer.

The show about a suburban single mother who just so happens to also be a pot dealer rose eyebrows even higher this season by casting Mary-Kate Olsen as a heavily religious girl convinced that God wants her to sell pot.

The success of the show might not be the greatest thing for star Mary Louise Parker, however. She was filmed by TMZ this weekend at JFK airport, terrified by a storm of paparazzi. She is seen in the video cradling her newly adopted son and trying to protect his eyes from the flashing bulbs.