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State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, left, kisses Haleigh Cox, daughter of Janea Cox, right, after a bill Peake sponsored that would legalize medical marijuana in Georgia for patients with certain illnesses like Haleigh passed on the House floor on Tuesday in Atlanta. The House voted 171-4 on Monday to approve the proposal ahead of an important legislative deadline. It now heads to the state Senate. Republican state Rep. Allen Peake's bill would revive a long-dormant program allowing academic institutions to distribute medical cannabis to those suffering from medical conditions. The cannabis oil would be administered orally in a liquid, pill or as an injection. Peake says it will help children who suffer hundreds of seizures daily.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Medical marijuana is about to make TV history: Comcast has agreed to air commercials for a company that links people who want medical marijuana with doctors who will recommend it for them.

Don't expect to see the ads in Oregon.

that the cable operator will air the spots only in New Jersey, Massachusetts and greater Chicago.

, national reporter for USA Today, writes:

The campaign is one of the first examples — possibly the first — of commercial broadcast advertising related to marijuana. The ads begin airing this month in New Jersey and will start next month in the other media markets.

Melissa Kennedy, a Comcast spokeswoman, said she knew of no other such televised ad campaign. Although Colorado has legalized pot for recreational use, state law restricts retail advertising, and advocates on both sides of the issue said they'd seen nothing like the Comcast spots.

, staff writer at The Sacramento Bee,

. (Hecht, by the way, is the author of

a new book that examines the politics of marijuana.)

He reports:

Expressing alarm over the changing "marijuana arena," the League of California Cities and the California Police Chiefs Association announced Feb. 21 that they are dropping their policy of "unconditional opposition" to laws sanctioning marijuana businesses in California.

They are backing a new bill that would license medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivators while setting new restrictions on doctors recommending marijuana to patients.

A battle looms over language in the bill targeting physicians specializing in medical marijuana. Yet cannabis advocates say the willingness of the two organizations to even consider state oversight is a concession that finally could put California on a path to regulating its teeming marijuana economy.

Speaking of regulation, Monday represented

. The state's registry of medical marijuana dispensaries

beginning the process of registering with the state. Officials said the day went smoothly.

From The Oregonian:

Rip City Remedies has dispensed medical marijuana for nearly three years from a storefront on Southeast Division Street and yet it wasn't until Monday that the three guys behind the business felt truly legitimate.

That's when Rip City Remedies' general manager Scott Grenfell, 39, sat down at a folding table in the shop and logged onto the Oregon Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program website to register the business with the state. Rip City Remedies' owners, Shawn Huguley, 30, and Tony Merton, 34, stood nearby watching silently as Grenfell's shaky fingers pecked at the keyboard.

"I feel more anxious today than when me and Tony first opened," Huguley said moments before the state medical marijuana dispensary registry opened.

And finally,

reports on

, which allows local governments to regulate dispensaries. The House version gives cities and counties the ability to ban the establishments.

reports:

Controversy over the timing of a vote on the bill led to an early end to the House floor session Friday.

The bill has support in the House to pass, but it faces challenges in the Senate.

"I think there is a very uncertain path in the Senate if there isn't some more discussion," Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, said. "I don't think this bill will become law without further negotiation."

-- Noelle Crombie