For a muscular agency that combats vicious drug criminals, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration acts like a terrified and obstinate toddler when it comes to basic science. For years, the DEA and the National Institute for Drug Abuse have made it all but impossible to develop a robust body of research on the medical uses of marijuana.

"It's ridiculously blown out of proportion." That's how the mother of the 16-year-old Cedar Creek High School student arrested Tuesday described her son after local police found items at his home that could cause an explosion.

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama told ABC News' Barbara Walters. "It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal."

Mere days after the first 3D-printed nonmetallic firearm shot its first rounds, Congressman Steve Israel (a would-be political superhero) is calling for a ban on the "wiki weapons" because their manufacture is untraceable and they cannot be detected via normal screening. It'll be fun to watch Congress try to stuff this genie back into its bottle.

A Texas mother says she’s outraged after learning that her 7-year-old son’s teacher makes students “pay” to use the bathroom. "I was absolutely appalled," Sonja Cross told NBC 5. "I could not believe it." The J.O. Davis Elementary teacher requires students to pay for trips to the toilet with “Boyd Bucks,” fake money the first-year instructor uses to reward the children for good behavior. Cross said she found out about the unusual system after her son wet his pants during school because he didn’t have enough “Boyd Bucks” for a bathroom run.

Flint decriminalization of marijuana vote only 'symbolic;' arrests will continue

FLINT, MI -- Flint police will continue to arrest people for marijuana possession despite a ballot proposal that voters approved Tuesday, Nov. 6, to decriminalize the drug, according to a statement released by the city Wednesday.

In an interview with the Buffalo News, Pete was outraged: “The way we've been treated, I can't say it's anything other than being bullied.” In addition, he actively tried to comply with all the relevant paperwork before he started selling. He called town officials to see if any permits were needed and was informed he didn’t need any. Sadly, this is the third time in less than a month that a food truck has been forced to stop vending in Amherst without a permit.

The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) didn’t bother to do a background check on a priest who had been defrocked for molesting girls before they gave him a job, which included doing pat downs on children at Philadelphia International Airport.

William Binney is among a group of N.S.A. whistle-blowers, including Thomas A. Drake, who have each risked everything — their freedom, livelihoods and personal relationships — to warn Americans about the dangers of N.S.A. domestic spying; A top-secret program he says is broadly collecting Americans' personal data.

The average deaths in shooting rampage when stopped by police is 14.3

The average deaths in shooting rampage when stopped by a civilian is 2.3.

I compiled and analyzed 93 shootings, noting my methodology, complete with links to the raw data.