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.

Sign up for our newsletter: [onsomething.org](http:// "On Something website")

On Twitter: @OnSomethingPod

On Instagram: @OnSomethingPod

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.

Sign up for our newsletter: OnSomething.org

Texas-based satirist Neal Pollack -- who’s written plenty of pot jokes over the years -- reveals how he became addicted to marijuana, and what he'd tell people who don't believe that's possible.

Full transcript and sign up for our Newsletter: OnSomething.org

Up on a Colorado mountainside, Rob Trotter grows marijuana with a goal of producing as little waste as possible. It’s not easy. Cannabis cultivation tends to be a wasteful industry with a fairly large carbon footprint. Environmental reporter Grace Hood joins On Something to talk about Rob’s quest to make weed sustainable.

Sign up for our Newsletter: https://OnSomething.org/

What does it mean to have a spiritual experience with marijuana? We visit a cannabis church and talk with a psychedelic therapist, and explore how more Americans are seeking enlightenment in surprising new places.

Sign up for our newsletter: OnSomething.org

Two star-crossed lovers from different countries hit a major roadblock in their plans to spend their lives together after a brief encounter with weed becomes an issue.

We’d love to hear from you! If you like what you hear, have feedback for us or have a cannabis or legalization story you want to share, please leave us a voicemail at 720-420-6587 or email us at humans@onsomething.org

Sign up for our newsletter at OnSomething.org

Twitter: OnSomethingPod
Instagram: OnSomethingPod
Facebook.com: /Onsomethingpod

Meet Buck Angel, trans porn star and recent cannabis entrepreneur. His story helps explain why marijuana legalization has special meaning to the LGBTQ community and how AIDS activist and pot dealer Dennis Peron and the Compassionate Use Act paved the way to legalization in the country.

We want to hear from you! Email us at humans@OnSomething.org or call us at 720-420-6587 to let us know what you think of the show.

Sign up for our newsletter: onsomething.org

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @OnSomethingPod.