Bills, Laws, Court Cases
Ganja Court Cases
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Legal Marijuana Triggers Unexpected Windfall
When marijuana was illegal across the entire United States, the pot business in Mexico was fantastically profitable. It brought a ton of American dollars into the country for nearly five decades. Now that growing cannabis is legal in parts of the United States, however – and consumers can now simply visit a local dispensary to
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Uruguay’s José Mujica: the ‘humble’ leader with grand ideas
For many years he would go to bed early listening to what ants whispered in his ear. Sometimes he would chat with a frog or two, maybe share a hunk of bread with some rats. José Mujica, aka Pépé, is a survivor from a world he himself wiped off the map. A former leader of the
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The President Forgets To Lie About Marijuana, And Prohibitionists Are Outraged
Prohibitionists were outraged by President Obama’s recent observation that marijuana is safer than alcohol—not because it is not true but because it contradicts the central myth underlying public support for the war on drugs. According to that myth, certain psychoactive substances are so dangerous that they cannot be tolerated, and the government has scientifically identified
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Eric Holder Just Announced A Major Shift On U.S. Marijuana Policy
Jan 23 (Reuters) – U.S. treasury and law enforcement agencies will soon issue regulations opening banking services to state-sanctioned marijuana businesses even though cannabis remains classified an illegal narcotic under federal law, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday. Holder said the new rules would address problems faced by newly licensed recreational pot retailers in
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Marijuana advocates lay groundwork for legalization in Mass.
Advocates of marijuana legalization, emboldened by successes with ballot questions in Colorado and Washington state, are laying the groundwork for such a battle in Massachusetts in the next presidential election year. “In 2016, Massachusetts will find itself in the crosshairs for cannabis reform,” said Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, a national group
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NFL might legalize medical marijuana for players
As more US states move to consider marijuana legalization, the country’s most popular sports league is indicating it may one day allow its players to light up. Speaking to ESPN, National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested the sport’s ban on medical marijuana could be lifted in the future if the practice has already been
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Colorado opens Marijuana shops to kick off 2014
For more than 70 years, the sale of marijuana for recreational use has been criminally prohibited in the United States. But that ban, as it has existed for decades, ended Wednesday in Colorado. The historic first, legal sales of recreational marijuana to those 21-and-older began in the morning at select dispensaries in Colorado — the
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US offers world’s first legal recreational marijuana
No wonder they look pleased. Darren Austin and his son Tyler from Decatur, Georgia, are queuing to buy the first legally available recreational marijuana in the US, from the Denver Discreet Dispensary in Colorado. From 1 January, residents of Colorado aged 21 or older became the beneficiaries of the first law anywhere in the world
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Washington cities slow to implement legal marijuana
Though Washington voters approved growing and selling recreational marijuana, few cities have taken steps to implement the law. SEATTLE — Sales of recreational marijuana are due to start in Washington around late spring, but there’s no welcome mat — at least not yet — for pot businesses in dozens of cities around the state. A
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Wyoming Highway Patrol issues warning about Colorado-purchased marijuana
The Wyoming Highway Patrol issued a warning Thursday not to bring Colorado purchased marijuana into the state. The patrol issued a news release with the words in the email’s subject in all caps: Do not bring your Colorado purchased marijuana into Wyoming. Wednesday was the first day Colorado allowed the purchase of recreational marijuana. The
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Liquor Control Board bans pot from Washington bars
The state Liquor Control Board on Wednesday adopted a rule change that makes it illegal for any liquor-licensed establishment to allow marijuana consumption of any kind on its premises. The rule change likely goes into effect 30 days from Wednesday’s unanimous board vote, said Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesman for the Liquor Control Board. That means,
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Can Uruguay hash out a progressive model for cannabis reform?
If Uruguay’s cannabis policies succeed in curbing illegal drug trafficking and promoting responsible public use of the substance, other nations have no excuse not to experiment with alternative models of narcotics regulation. The small Latin American nation of Uruguay has taken the brave step of becoming the first country in the world to fully legalize
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Louisville OKs regulations for retail marijuana shops
Retail marijuana shops in Louisville won’t be allowed to give out free samples. That’s part of the new regulations the city council approved Tuesday, the Daily Camera reports. The city’s new ordinance allows the two existing medical marijuana dispensaries to seek permission for the retail sale of the drug. A moratorium already in place will prevent
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Study looks at marijuana demand in Washington
SEATTLE — Figuring out how much marijuana people use has been one of the trickiest, and most important, questions facing the bureaucrats who are setting up Washington state’s new legal pot system. Underestimate demand, and marijuana fans might stick with their black market dealers. Overestimate it, and the surplus legal production could wind up being
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Madison Rep. Melissa Sargent supports full marijuana legalization
Mike Crute and Dominic Salvia, co-hosts of The Devil’s Advocates radio show (92.1 FM-The Mic), regularly invite politicians to their studio to discuss a wide range of policy issues. But there is one question that every guest is expected to answer, no matter the news of the day: Do you support legalizing the recreational use
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Why New York Is Considering Legalizing Marijuana
NEW YORK — Back in 1998, 14-year-old Alfredo Carrasquillo and his friends were heading to a Bronx apartment where they planned to smoke pot and listen to some Tupac when a cop car pulled up on the curb “as if it was a movie or something.” The cops ordered Carrasquillo and his friends to stand
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Hundreds expected at party to celebrate Washington’s legal pot anniversary
SEATTLE – Friday marks the first anniversary of the day Washington’s legal marijuana law took effect, and hundreds of people are expected to celebrate by lighting up beneath the Space Needle at a party permitted by the city of Seattle. Marijuana activist Ben Livingston says it took him three months to persuade city officials to
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Pot clinic owner now mayor of California city
SEBASTOPOL, Calif. (AP) — A medical marijuana dispensary owner is riding high after being named mayor of a Northern California city. Sebastopol’s City Council selected 36-year-old Robert Jacob as mayor earlier this week. Jacob runs two pot clinics in Sonoma County and officials believe he’s the first dispensary owner in the nation to serve as a mayor. Jacob has
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State Supreme Court to hear medical-marijuana arguments
Medical marijuana will be considered by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday in a hearing that could determine whether voters will decide the proposed state constitutional amendment next November. Question: If the amendment is approved, what would it do? Answer: It would allow doctors to prescribe pot under Florida law. It would require the Florida Department of
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Prominent Mexicans urge government to decriminalize marijuana
A broad spectrum of prominent Mexicans, including former ministers, businessmen, artists and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, on Wednesday urged the government to decriminalize marijuana in a bid to curb gang violence and corruption. Since 2007, about 80,000 people have been killed in turf wars between drug cartels and their clashes with security forces, leading to
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Marijuana Legalization: NYC’s Next Mayor Will Try to Legalize Weed
Marijuana Legalization: NYC’s Next Mayor Will Try to Legalize Weed © Flickr (North Cascades National Park) The next mayor of New York City will help usher in the decriminalization of marijuana, regardless of which candidate wins the seat. Mayoral aspirants Bill de Blasio and Joseph Lhota, who were selected as nominees to represent their respective
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DOJ: States won’t get pass on pot laws
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s decision not to challenge marijuana laws passed by 21 states and the District of Columbia doesn’t mean those jurisdictions have escaped federal scrutiny entirely, a Justice Department official said Tuesday. Deputy Attorney General James Cole told the Senate Judiciary Committee the administration is monitoring the states, including California and Oregon, and
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Denver police defend stand down at pot giveaway
DENVER — Denver police are defending their decision to stand down while dozens of people lit up marijuana cigarettes at a free pot giveaway in Civic Center park. Deputy Chief David Quinones tells the Denver Post (http://tinyurl.com/nhfmoc7) the department didn’t want to incite a riot Monday over a petty offense. Hundreds of people lined up to
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