Recently in new laws Category

Just because marijuana is now legal under some states' laws, that doesn't mean it's any easier to get a hold of it. In Colorado, however, some Craiglist "free pot" ads have made it a little easier.

Colorado voters have twice legalized cannabis for different purposes. In 2000, voters passed Amendment 20 relating to the medical use of marijuana. This law allowed patients to possess up to two ounces of medicinal marijuana and to cultivate no more than six plants, three of which were allowed to be flowering at any given time.

The only way registered medical marijuana patients could get cannabis was through a registered dispensary.

Everyone knows that the DMV is no fun. In fact, in New Jersey (where the DMV is technically called the MVC, or Motor Vehicle Commission) they've gone so far as to ban big smiles in their license photos.

Just in case people were enjoying themselves too much while waiting in line, New Jersey is putting a stop to it. It's one of several states with a "neural facial expression" rule when it comes to license photos.

It's not that the Garden State wants to hide the great time its residents are having while they wait to renew their licenses. There is actually a reason behind the policy: New Jersey doesn't want people to smile because they want citizens to look like androids.

Call it vestiges of New England Puritanism. Last week, a small town in Massachusetts made news with a ban on swearing. This week, Rhode Island is in the news for rescinding a law that made it illegal to lie over the Internet.

What's going on up in the Northeast lately?

Passed in the nascent days of the Internet, when there was still fear of the unknown world wide web, the Rhode Island legislature passed an Internet law that made it a crime to tell a fib over the Internet, reports the Los Angeles Times. Perhaps not foreseeing the emergence of online dating, message boards, and other forums where lies and exaggerations proliferate, almost every citizen of Rhode Island could have been branded a criminal in the time since the law passed.

Would you like to be rewarded for your vices? How about your love of alcohol? Then it may be time to move to Utah.

Two of the state's top regulatory spots will soon be reserved for burgeoning alcoholics if state Rep. Brian Doughty gets his way. He's proposed legislation that would make recent liquor consumption a prerequisite for at least two members of Utah's alcohol commission.

Ostensibly, that would mean at least two members can't be Mormon.

Want to plan a marijuana trip? Go to California! Oh, wait, technically federal law still bans marijuana sales. OK, then go to the Netherlands!

The Netherlands' marijuana laws make the country the envy of weed-lovers everywhere. Foreign visitors often trek over to the nation to enjoy legal joints.

Alas, those days are almost over. The Dutch government recently passed new laws that limit pot sales to foreigners.

The new rules, which effectively eliminate many tourists' reasons to visit the Netherlands in the first place, will come into effect soon. Some parts of the country will feel the brunt of the new laws starting January 1, 2012. The rules will hit Amsterdam in 2013.

Unsuspecting tourists might be a little surprised when walking through the streets of San Francisco. Currently, there is no S.F. nudity law that makes it illegal for nudists to walk around in the buff. And, some nudists take this to heart, baring all while strolling through city streets and eating at local restaurants.

Until now, that is. S.F. Supervisor Scott Wiener is about to put a dent in some nudists' plans.

Wiener has recently introduced legislation that would force nudists to put some sort of covering (a towel would suffice) down before they plunk their junk down onto a public seat, reports CBS News.

Apparently North Dakota is not a state.

Well, it probably is, but despite 122 years of statehood, the North Dakota Constitution still isn't quite right.

Flouting the requirements of the U.S. Constitution, the state's executive branch isn't required to swear allegiance to...the U.S. Constitution.

Damn federalism.

In a move to keep up with the predicted wave of the future, Nevada became the first state in the country on Monday to pass a self-driving car law.

In other words, it will soon be legal in Nevada to kick back, relax and text while driving.

As long as your car is doing the driving for you.

As always, blame Google.

Recent changes enacted by a new Utah solicitation law appear to have made "acting sexy" illegal, according to a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two Salt Lake City escort services.

Putting aside the miracle that Utah is actually home to escort services (and strip clubs!), the law criminalizes the performance of lewd acts to indicate that a person wishes to exchange sex for money.

In other words, the changes made to Utah solicitation law make it illegal for a person to expose or touch herself--or "act sexy"--as a means to convey that she is a prostitute.

How will officers know whether a self-groper is a drunk co-ed, a stripper, or a prostitute?

New Jersey's Hopewell Township is putting the kibosh on free range chicken sex.

Unlike their human counterparts, roosters located within city limits will no longer be able to freely sow their seed, transmit disease, and then crow about it.