Maryland cannabis regulators tell dispensaries they need to open by Sept. 30 or else
Medical cannabis companies still struggling to open stores in Maryland will have their preliminary approvals to operate revoked by state regulators if they do not finalize their licenses and open their doors by Sept. 30. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission issued a bulletin Thursday alerting companies of the deadline and advising them to complete their final inspections by […]
New Mexico Decriminalizes Adult Use Cannabis
Santa Fe, New Mexico — The Midwestern state of New Mexico is poised to become the 24th to decriminalize cannabis. Local Albuquerque station KRQE reports that “Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation last week that will decrease penalties for cannabis possession from a criminal to civil violation. Individuals caught with less than half an ounce of cannabis will face a $50 fine, instead of jail or prison time. […]
Marijuana Midterms: What to Watch on Election Day
This year’s midterm elections are, by far, one of the most crucial in American history. Millions of voters will take to the polls on Tuesday, November 6th, and ultimately determine the fate of the country moving forward. In addition to voting people into office, people across the country will also decide on hundreds of significant […]
New online tools available for Michigan medical marijuana users
Michigan residents who use medical marijuana now have online tools to register and get needed certification from their doctor. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs says patients without a caregiver can use the internet to apply for medical marijuana registry identification cards. They also can check the status of their application through a secure online account. […]
Australia’s cannabis industry set to boom: report
AUSTRALIA’S medical marijuana industry is in its early stage but it could soon be worth billions as a new report reveals a surprising statistic. ABOUT seven people a day are being approved for medicinal cannabis as new research suggests the $18 million industry could be worth billions within a decade. Access to the drug is still […]
Work, investment in cannabis industry shouldn’t affect travel to U.S., lawyer says
People who engage in legal cannabis activities in Canada when pot becomes legal next month should not have to fear to cross the border into the United States says U.S. immigration lawyer Julie Kruger. Kruger was responding to a warning from a top official at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency that anyone showing […]
Girl can attend school with her cannabis-based medicine, California court rules
It took a fight in court, but a 5-year-old girl will be allowed to bring her cannabis-based medicine to school and attend class with other students, according to a ruling by a California administrative court on Friday. Brooke Adams, a Santa Rosa, California, kindergartner, has Dravet Syndrome. It’s a severe and rare form of epilepsy […]
Newsom’s marijuana commission to hold first forum at UCLA
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A panel established by California lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is scheduled to hold its first public forum. Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy will have an open meeting at UCLA on Tuesday, and the public is encouraged to contribute either in person or online. Newsom, who was […]
Medical Marijuana Bill Signed By Gov. Nathan Deal, Becomes Law
A type of medical marijuana is now legal in Georgia. Gov. Nathan Deal signed a bill legalizing cannabis oil for Georgians with eight different medical conditions. That means some families who had left the state to get the oil can now return home. The bill is named for 5-year-old Haleigh Cox who suffers from a […]
Ruling on marijuana classification disappoints advocates
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge in California declined Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of most dangerous drugs, disappointing activists who saw the case as a chance to get closer to their goal of nationwide legalization. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller said during a brief court hearing that she was initially prepared […]
2,500 Illinoisans Apply for Medical Marijuana Cards
Illinois health officials over the weekend said about 2,500 residents have applied for medical marijuana cards, even as the four-year pilot program remains stalled. About 1,600 of those applicants have received approval letters, Department of Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold told the Belleville News Democrat She could not say where the applicants live. A series of […]
Recreational Marijuana Now Legal In D.C.
After months of debate, threats and uncertainty, recreational marijuana became legal in Washington, D.C., Thursday — at least according to the city government. Adults 21 and over may now legally use marijuana, possess up to two ounces and grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes for personal use. Marijuana sales remain illegal, but […]
Jamaica Decriminalizes Marijuana In Small Amounts
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Marijuana has been pervasive but illegal in Jamaica for decades, consumed as a medicinal herb, puffed as a sacrament by Rastafarians and sung about in the island’s famed reggae music. After many years of dialogue about the culturally entrenched drug, and emboldened by changes to drug laws in U.S. states, Jamaica’s […]
Tennessee seeks farmers to grow hemp
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is looking for a few farmers interested in growing industrial hemp. Applications are now open for farmers and producers to work with department in the production of industrial hemp. The Tennessee General Assembly last year passed a law that legalized strains of low-THC varities of cannabis, as well as the […]
Doctors Call On DEA To Reschedule Marijuana For Medical Research Purposes
The American Academy of Pediatrics is requesting that the Drug Enforcement Administration reclassify marijuana as a less harmful substance in order to facilitate research of the substance for medical use, according to a policy statement released Monday. “The AAP strongly supports research and development of pharmaceutical cannabinoids and supports a review of policies promoting research […]
Virginia state senator pushing marijuana decriminalization
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Some Virginia lawmakers want to loosen the state’s marijuana laws. One state senator says it’s time to decriminalize marijuana outright. Other legislators want to legalize derivatives of the drug for treating epilepsy. Sen. Adam Ebbin, an Alexandria Democrat, has introduced a bill that would eliminate jail time for possession of marijuana and make […]
Bills would legalize medical marijuana in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS — Two Democrats — one in the Senate and one in the House — have introduced bills that would allow the use of medical marijuana in Indiana. Senate Bill 284, by Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, and House Bill 1487, by Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, would allow people with a doctor’s recommendation to use marijuana […]
Investors Put More Than $100 Million Into the Marijuana Industry Over the Past Two Years
It looks like investors have gotten a serious case of the munchies. During the past two fiscal years, investors spent $104.5 million to gobble up stakes in cannabis and cannabis-related companies, according to research firm CB Insights. In 2014, funding in the industry grew a whopping 941.5 percent. The biggest news in the space hit last week, when Peter Thiel’s […]
Pot Sellers Lobby Against Medical Marijuana in Washington State
Washington state’s first recreational marijuana stores opened last July, the culmination of a broad-based and long effort to legalize the drug. In 1998 voters passed a ballot initiative offering pot smokers legal protection against prosecution if they had a doctor’s note saying they needed the drug for medical reasons. A legal loophole let marijuana dispensaries […]
Colorado sets standard for marijuana regulation
As Oregon and Alaska gear up to implement the will of their voters to legalize recreational cannabis use, they would be well served to look to Colorado for guidance. After years of hearings and task force meetings, Colorado has created a sound template for regulating the retail cannabis industry. It simultaneously balances the need to […]
Parents ask Kansas lawmakers to legalize cannabis oil
TOPEKA, Kan. —Parents have appealed to Kansas lawmakers in an effort to legalize cannabis oil for certain types of medical conditions. Tracy Robles, a mother who lives near Wichita, said her daughter suffers from violent seizures every day. She said the family must decide whether to move to Colorado, where marijuana is legal, in an […]
Lawmakers block D.C.’s marijuana legalization
A plan to regulate and tax marijuana in the District fell victim on Tuesday to federal budget negotiators, who inserted an amendment into a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that effectively overturns a voter-approved initiative legalizing recreational use of the drug in the District. But the measure appeared to go much further, also rolling back […]
Colorado law sets up world’s first marijuana banks
DENVER — Seeking to move marijuana businesses away from cash-only operations, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation Friday that tries to establish the world’s first financial system for the newly legal industry in Colorado. + caption The legislation seeks to form a network of uninsured cooperatives designed to give pot businesses a way to access basic […]