Newspaper seeks marijuana reviewer

Marijuana reviewer wanted!

A US newspaper is inviting applicants for a highly specialised job in editorial - as marijuana reviewer.

Westword, a local newspaper in Denver, Colorado, has placed an advertisement for a medicinal marijuana reviewer.

The paper says that "Denver is the wild, wild West of the medical marijuana business", with new dispensaries in the city opening daily.

It had been running reviews by a staff writer under the pseudonym Mae Coleman, named after a character in the 1936 movie Reefer Madness.

However, the writer "wanted to return to the day job", according to the paper, so the position was opened up to the public.

The job application involved writing a short essay on 'What Marijuana Means To Me'. The first response came within five minutes - "fast work for a stoner", the paper comments.

A few minutes later, the first enquiry from the media arrived. "Really fast work for a journalist", Westword added wrily.

Marijuana users in Denver are required to hold a state-issued Medical Marijuana Registry identification card, asserting that they require the drug to alleviate a medical problem.

The Westword job is only open to those Denver residents who hold such a card. Colorado is one of 14 states in the US where marijuana is allowed for medicinal purposes.