PROFILE
FROM Allison Margolin
Overturning marijuana-related convictions On January 1 , you’ll be able to legally buy an ounce of pot for recreational use in California. Prop 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, also made it possible for people already convicted of a pot-related crime to petition to have their convictions expunged or reduced. As many as one million people could be eligible.
With mouth swabs, police check if drivers are high At a DUI checkpoint in downtown San Diego on Friday, police officers were using a special device -- the Dräger 5000 -- to test for seven drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines. But the device doesn’t reveal the levels of drugs in someone’s system -- just whether they’re there. And there could be some civil rights violations when police use it.
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Raising the bar: a world of drinks in LA “You know, Sinatra drank here.” This week you’ll hear about the past, present, and future of Los Angeles’ bar scene: from history buffs to the mavericks shaking up the bar industry by making it a more equitable and just place for all. Plus: a Koreatown cocktail bar with a tasting menu, and a visit from a vermouth maker.
Rethinking mobility with “Flipping the Bird!” design jam Love ‘em or hate ‘em, dockless e-scooters have disrupted the cities they land in. Can "game thinking" help us think more creatively, and less reactively, about their potential? That’s the question at the heart of an event this Saturday at noon called "Flipping the Bird!" It’s a collaboration between KCRW, DnA and IndieCade, the international festival of independent games.
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Vijay Gupta on trauma, choices, and excellence LA Phil violinist Vijay Gupta recently won a MacArthur “genius” grant. He’s known for launching Street Symphony, a nonprofit that brings classical music to Skid Row, homeless shelters, and the LA County jail. He explains that now, he can finally write his own rules and choose his own excellence. He didn’t have many choices as a kid, raised by Indian immigrant parents in New York.