In a first for a news network, a cable news channel has hired a chief cannabis correspondent. TVNewser.com reports that the ABC/Univision-owned news channel Fusion, which launched in October on satellite and digital cable platforms, hired Ryan Nerz for the position.

Nerz has worked for NPR, Esquire and the History Channel, and is the author of “MARIJUANAMERICA: One Man’s Quest to Understand America’s Dysfunctional Love Affair with Weed.”

Both Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana use, prompting the Denver Post to name entertainment reporter Ricardo Baca to cover the marijuana beat, the story notes. Nine other states permit medical marijuana use, the piece notes.

Ryan Nerz