It might seem like marijuana legalization only matters if you smoke pot. But more than half of states have legalized in some form, and more are considering it every year. And each state that legalizes seems to discover that it’s not just about pot. It’s about people. Colorado Public Radio and PRX introduce On Something, a podcast about how life has changed in the aftermath of marijuana legalization. Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode!

Marijuana's history in the U.S. is complicated. Colorado Public Radio reporter Ann Marie Awad explains how cannabis became illegal -- and how we got from there to the start of the modern legalization movement. If nothing else, listen just to hear the phrase "jazz cigarettes."

The episode includes stories about Harry Anslinger, an early anti-marijuana crusader; how Richard Nixon pushed to classify weed alongside harder drugs; how AIDS activists in California paved the way for medical marijuana. Interviewees include drug historians Emily Dufton and Adam Rathge.

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Expungement is an issue many states grapple with when they consider legalizing. Two people -- a white woman and a black man -- reflect on their own arrests for marijuana charges when they were 19, and walk us through how those convictions continue to affect their careers and lives today. Through interwoven stories, we put their experiences in the larger context of the growing movement to clear low-level marijuana convictions.

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