In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

I am an applied policy researcher who studies the economics of risky behaviors and substance use ...Read more

Many people use the new year to reflect on their relationship with alcohol. Just-released government guidelines are giving Americans another reason to consider a “dry January.”

Over the past few decades, mounting scientific evidence has shown that as little as 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day can lead to increases in the likelihood of...Read more

From the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night, and even while you are asleep, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affects your life. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the chemicals under your sink, the car you drive, products you buy, food you eat and a host of daily routines depend on actions of the agency...Read more

Walt Disney Co.'s KABC-TV Channel 7 station, which uses communications towers near Mt. Wilson, lost its over-the-air signal Friday morning as the Eaton fire continued its rampage through mountainous terrain.

Separately, radio station KLOS-FM 95.5, which also uses transmission facilities in the Angeles Crest Forest, also went off the air ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of use when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby.

Officials told The Times that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117 million gallon water storage ...Read more

The U.S. government increased the rewards Friday for the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and his number two, Diosdado Cabello, to $25 million each, minutes after it said the dictator was “fraudulently” sworn in for a third presidential term.

The U.S. government also issued a $15 million reward for the capture of Defense ...Read more

NEW YORK — The city opening a massive new migrant shelter in the Bronx, the Daily News has learned — a sign that city is still wrestling with the tens of thousands of migrants in the city’s care despite dozens of shelter closures.

The administration is also planning to close 13 additional migrant shelters by June, according to the Mayor�...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An unprecedented four-day fire siege that damaged or destroyed 9,000 structures and killed at least 10 people showed signs of finally easing Friday as winds lessened and firefighters began to contain the infernos.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said crews were in their best position yet — though still with a ...Read more

ATLANTA — Passengers on a Delta Air Lines plane evacuated via emergency slides after an engine problem, as the plane was preparing to take off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport amid the winter storm on Friday morning.

Hartsfield-Jackson said four passengers reported minor injuries, with one transported for medical treatment and ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices sounded highly skeptical Friday of TikTok's free-speech defense, signaling they are not likely to strike down the law that could shut down the popular video site the day before President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office.

The justices, both conservative and liberal, said Congress was concerned...Read more

WASHINGTON — Prosecutors say former Sen. Bob Menendez should receive at least 15 years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging corruption case, arguing that his conduct might be “the most serious for which a U.S. Senator has been convicted in the history of the Republic.”

The 71-year-old longtime New Jersey Democrat is set to be ...Read more

PLAINS, Ga. — For most of these last 100 years, Jimmy Carter was Plains and Plains, the town that nourished him and continued to call him back, was Jimmy Carter.

The former president, whose funeral was Thursday, was born in Plains, moved back after he lost the White House and, on Dec. 29, died here.

In between, he and his wife Rosalynn ...Read more

The U.S. on Friday ramped up pressure on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and his regime, including raising a reward for his arrest on narcotics charges and new sanctions on officials in response to his contested election and crackdown on opposition.

The announcement, which includes sanctions on the head of the country’s state oil firm Petró...Read more

SEOUL — They gathered in subzero temperatures, waving banners that read, "Stop the steal."

Some voiced faint hope that President-elect Donald Trump would support their cause; others accused China's Communist Party of infiltrating South Korea's news media.

All of it was in the service of one aim: to save South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol...Read more

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday morning for falsifying business records in a scheme to defraud voters in 2016, marking an official end to the explosive case that involved hush money payments to a porn star and formally making Trump a convicted felon 10 days before his return to the White House.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice ...Read more

Special counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Trump’s Jan. 6 election interference case could be released as early as Monday after a federal appeals court denied a bid to keep it secret.

Now that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided not to block the report, Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to release it anytime...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As lawmakers regrouped Thursday after fiery devastation across Los Angeles, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas vowed to back legislation to help homeowners expedite insurance claims, while Senate leader Mike McGuire delivered a tearful floor speech addressing California's "hellish week."

"Words cannot explain the absolute shock, ...Read more