A university in Northern California has formed an academic institute devoted to marijuana.

Humboldt State University’s Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research plans to sponsor scholarly lectures and coordinate research among 11 faculty members from fields such as economics, geography, politics, psychology and sociology. One professor is studying recent campaigns to legalize marijuana, while another is investigating the environmental effects of pot cultivation. The University of California has a medical marijuana research center in San Diego that conducted scientific studies on the drug's health effects until its state funding ran out. The implementation of Arizona’s own medical marijuana program, approved by voters in 2010, has been delayed by lawsuits. Steve Goldstein, KJZZ News, Phoenix.