Only in America

A Colorado couple are suing state police who confiscated their marijuana plants, claiming that when the plants were returned, they were dead. James and Lisa Masters say they were using the marijuana to treat medical conditions, although at the time they had no license to do so. Now that they do have a valid prescription, they say, they should be compensated for the three dozen plants. A spokeswoman for the Fort Collins police said, however, that “the normal process of confiscating contraband does not require jurisdictions to keep it alive.”

A federal judge is to rule on whether car-horn honking is protected by the First Amendment. The case has been brought by peace activists who have been holding a weekly “Honk for Peace” event on a street corner in the city of Ferndale, Mich. State and city ordinances ban motorists from honking their horns unless doing so to warn others of danger, but the activists say their honking is an exercise in free speech. “We have a right to political expression,’’ said Nancy Goedert, 74, of the peace group Raging Grannies. “That’s what honking is.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up