A California panel voted Wednesday to declare marijuana smoke and the drug's high-producing chemical — THC — a risk to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and require warning labels for products legally sold in the nation's largest pot market.

The decision by the little-known Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee will not take effect for a year, and it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the state's emerging marijuana industry.

The vote came after hours of discussion by a nine-member panel of scientists who delved into the reliability and accuracy of dense research studies involving people and animals, including mice, rats and fish.

Surveys have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana products for relief from morning sickness and headaches, though it's effectiveness has not been backed by science.

Since 2009, California has listed marijuana smoke as being known to cause cancer, similar to tobacco smoke. The vote adds THC and pot smoke to the list of chemicals the state has judged to be known to cause birth defects or other developmental problems and must carry warning labels.

Cannabis industry officials say too little sound research is available to support such a move and warn that it could make marijuana companies a target for lawsuits with unverified claims of injuries from pot use during pregnancy.

Ellen Komp, deputy director of the legal pot advocacy group California NORML, told the panel that the studies only examined women who smoked marijuana, not those who used vapes, topical lotions or other methods. Taken together, the studies "produced conflicting results," she said.

Some studies didn't make clear how frequently a mother used cannabis during pregnancy or what products were being used. Others didn't account for instances when mothers were using marijuana and tobacco and whether that could skew the results. In other cases, studies relied on self-reporting by new mothers, putting the reliability of the information in doubt.

The panel spent several hours debating the studies, and in the end, it found the weight of the evidence was sufficient.

The review was carried out under the umbrella of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65. It requires warning labels for chemicals judged as dangerous and allows residents, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings.

The 1986 law has been credited with weeding out cancer-causing chemicals from products but also faulted for setting the stage for legal shakedowns.

Lawyers looking for a quick buck will say "give us $10,000 or we are going to take you into a long court case," said Los Angeles dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group.

The California Cannabis Industry Association echoed that fear, noting that pot's standing as an illegal drug at the federal level has choked off research by government agencies.

"Good policy and consumer protections are based on facts and data," spokesman Josh Drayton said.

The U.S. surgeon general warned in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. Mainstream medicine advises against pot use in pregnancy because of studies suggesting it might cause premature birth, low birth weight or other health problems, but many of those studies were in animals or had findings that were open to dispute.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is paying for several studies on marijuana use during pregnancy.

The California panel's decision raises questions about the impact on the state's legal pot industry.

During the one-year grace period, state officials will determine a level of exposure that does not present significant health risk and require warnings.

Presumably, packaging would need to be changed over time to carry warning labels for pregnant women. But such requirements would likely take additional steps by agencies that oversee marijuana regulation and packaging.

State law already requires pot packaging to carry a warning that marijuana use during pregnancy or breast feeding "may be harmful."

Even products containing CBD, a trendy ingredient extracted from marijuana or hemp, can contain trace amounts of THC.

An exhibition featuring more than 300 valuable historical documents about previous World Expos opened in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The exhibition, held at the World Expo Museum, showcases documents of various descriptions, including official reports, pavilion designs, media clippings and books, offering visitors a chance to learn about the development of World Expos over more than a century.

"It allows visitors to view expos from a new angle by offering minute details as well as grand schemes, initial plans as well as post-event summaries," said Vicente G. Loscertales, secretary-general of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

A highlight of the exhibition is the first Chinese monograph detailing a World Expo. The book was written by Chinese official Li Gui after he visited the expo held in Philadelphia in 1876 as a member of the Chinese delegation.

Located at the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the World Expo Museum is the only official museum and documentation center in the world entirely dedicated to expos and authorized by the BIE.

More than three years after California voters broadly legalized marijuana, a state panel is considering if its potent, high-inducing chemical — THC — should be declared a risk to pregnant women and require warnings.

Studies have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana products for relief from morning sickness and headaches, though it's effectiveness has not been backed by science.

Cannabis industry officials say too little sound research is available on THC to support such a move and warn that it could make marijuana companies a target for lawsuits with unverified claims of injuries from pot use during pregnancy.

"That seems like an open-ended checkbook. How do we defend ourselves?" said Los Angeles dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group.

Lawyers looking for a quick buck will say "give us $10,000 or we are going to take you into a long court case," he added.

The California Cannabis Industry Association echoed that fear, noting that pot's standing as an illegal drug at the federal level has choked off research by government agencies. Those studies are needed to determine if THC poses health risks for pregnant women.

"Good policy and consumer protections are based on facts and data," spokesman Josh Drayton said.

The meeting Wednesday of the obscure state Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee in Sacramento will focus on whether THC causes "reproductive toxicity." The panel is made up of scientists appointed by the governor.

An affirmative finding would make THC one of hundreds of chemicals judged to cause cancer or birth defects that the state requires to carry warning labels, such as arsenic and lead.

The review is being carried out under the umbrella of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65. It requires warning labels for chemicals judged as dangerous and allows residents, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings.

The 1986 law has been credited with weeding out cancer-causing chemicals from products but also faulted for setting the stage for legal shakedowns.

Since 2009, the state has listed marijuana smoke as being known to cause cancer, similar to tobacco smoke.

"The expansion of Proposition 65 as it relates to cannabis is premature and lacks both the facts and the data that would justify this move," Drayton said.

The U.S. surgeon general warned in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. Mainstream medicine advises against pot use in pregnancy because of studies suggesting it might cause premature birth, low birth weight or other health problems, but many of those studies were in animals or had findings that were open to dispute.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is paying for several studies on marijuana use during pregnancy.

If the California panel declares pot a risk for pregnant women, it's not clear what the immediate impact would be on the state's legal pot industry.

Presumably, packaging would need to be changed over time to carry warning labels for pregnant women. But such requirements would likely take additional steps by agencies that oversee marijuana regulation and packaging.

Even products containing CBD, a trendy ingredient extracted from marijuana or hemp, can contain trace amounts of THC.

A massive bronze sculpture of a young black man with dreadlocks astride a muscular horse was permanently installed Tuesday in Virginia's capital city, not far from one of the country's most prominent displays of Confederate monuments.

Thousands of people crowded the lawn of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as "Rumors of War" was unveiled. The piece, the first public sculpture by prominent artist Kehinde Wiley and Wiley's largest work to date, was previously on display in Times Square.

"Rumors of War" was Wiley's response to the Confederate monuments that pepper the U.S. and the South in particular. The new monument arrived  amid an ongoing debate across the country about what do with Confederate imagery and as  Richmond grapples with how to tell its history as both the capital of the Confederacy and a former hub of the international slave trade.

"It's a story about America 2.0," the artist said, adding he was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd.

Wiley is known for his regal portraits of black Americans, including one of former President Barack Obama that's displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. He said he was inspired to create "Rumors of War" after seeing a massive equestrian monument honoring Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart during a visit to Richmond in 2016. The Stuart monument is one of five giant Confederate statues along Monument Avenue, a prestigious residential street and National Historic Landmark district.

Both the Stuart statue and "Rumors of War" feature horses in virtually the same pose, with one front leg lifted. Both riders are turned to the side. But instead of Civil War-era garb, Wiley's equestrian is dressed in streetwear: a hoodie, ripped jeans and sneakers, with dreadlocks gathered atop his head.

Virginia's governor hailed the twist on history as he addressed the crowd Tuesday.

"People in Richmond will recognize its shape and its form, but it depicts a person who looks different from every other statue in this city — and there are a lot of them," Gov. Ralph Northam said. "And so today we say welcome to a progressive and inclusive Virginia."

Wiley said the statue wasn't a tribute to any one individual.

Instead, he said, it is about "about black men and their place in this society. And in a much broader way, a society that can say yes to black men and their place in this society."

Mounted on a large stone pedestal, Wiley's sculpture is just blocks from Monument Avenue. It is prominently displayed along the city's historic Arthur Ashe Boulevard, a thoroughfare renamed in honor of the black tennis great earlier this year. It sits next to the headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The silver, shimmery drape that covered the statue got caught in the figure's hair during Tuesday's unveiling. Hundreds of people stood for about 35 minutes in cold, drizzling rain until a firefighter clambered up a ladder and finally pulled the covering off, to a roar from the crowd.

Richmond's mayor told the crowd the statue shows the city that is moving on from its past.

"See, Richmond, we have a complex history," Mayor Levar Stoney said. "We've got the good, the bad and the ugly. All right? But this monument firmly establishes that our city is not living in the past but embracing the future and the good."

Stoney noted that Richmond has changed even since Wiley visited in 2016. He noted the addition of a statue honoring black banking pioneer and community leader Maggie Walker, a women's monument at the state Capitol and the renaming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard.

But the city has moved slowly on deciding the future of Monument Avenue.

A commission Stoney formed in 2017 to study the issue made nonbinding recommendations that called for removing a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, leaving the rest and adding historical context. A second commission has been tasked with figuring how to implement those recommendations.

Other Virginia cities have been hamstrung in their attempts to remove or relocate Confederate monuments because of a state law that protects memorials to war veterans. That issue could get another look in January after the reconvening of the state legislature, which is controlled by Democrats for the first time in a generation.

The issue has largely split the legislature along party lines, and at least one Democratic delegate has pledged to introduce a bill that would give localities control over what to do with their monuments.

"Rumors of War" was purchased with funds from private donors, said Alex Nyerges, the museum's director, in an interview after the unveiling. It cost $2 million, and the museum spent about $600,000 to $700,000 more in expenses, including the cost of having the 30-ton piece shipped and installed.

While museum staff initially thought there might be a public backlash to the statue, Nyerges said "that just hasn't happened."

Museum officials estimated there were more than 3,400 visitors present Tuesday.

Among them was Hannah Buchanan, a 20-year-old student at Virginia Commonwealth University, who said she thought the statue and its placement in proximity to Monument Avenue were significant.

"I think it speaks louder than any words that could be said about the transformation that we want to see for this city," she said.

The winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize says his horrifying experiences as a young Ethiopian soldier informed his determination to seek the end of a long conflict with a neighboring country.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke at Oslo City Hall during the ceremony in Norway's capital where he received his Nobel on Tuesday, saying: "War is the epitome of hell for all involved. I know because I was there and back."

Abiy won the prize, in part, for making peace with Eritrea after one of Africa's longest-running conflicts. Abiy served in the army during the war.

"Twenty years ago, I was a radio operator attached to an Ethiopian army unit in the border town of Badame," he recalled. "I briefly left the foxhole in the hopes of getting a good antenna reception....It only took but a few minutes. Yet upon my return I was horrified to discover that my entire unit had been wiped out in an artillery attack."