Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) opened up its application process for adult use cannabis sales licenses, and also started accepting applications for the cultivation and manufacture of marijuana. Maine’s voters opted for cannabis legalization back in 2016, but former Governor Paul LePage blocked the bill that would officially regulate marijuana, citing Maine’s high number […]
A new study shows that marijuana legalization might be making the roadways safer by helping to reduce drunk driving accidents. The study shows an 18% reduction in drunk driving accidents after Washington state made the move to legalize marijuana. See the original article at Cannabis Now
A key congressional committee plans to hold a historic vote on a bill to end the federal prohibition of marijuana this week. The legislation, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and set aside funding to begin repairing the damage of the war on drugs. See […]
Two-thirds of Americans say the use of marijuana should be legal, reflecting a steady increase over the past decade, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. The share of U.S. adults who oppose legalization has fallen from 52% in 2010 to 32% today. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (91%) say marijuana should […]
The Chicago Housing Authority, which is the third largest agency of its kind in the country with over 20,000 households in its system, has released a statement confirming that residents living in public housing won’t be able to use legal cannabis in their homes. “While federal law prohibits marijuana use and possession in federally subsidized […]
New research found that binge drinking in US states that legalized the drug has dropped 9% below the national average. Excessive drinking in states with a legal cannabis market is also 11% lower than states where cannabis remains illegal. While the study found that alcohol consumption rates in the US fell up to 2016, the […]
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont unveiled a plan to legalize cannabis and expunge convictions for marijuana offenses. “We’re going to legalize marijuana and end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” said Sanders. “It has disproportionately targeted people of color and ruined the lives of millions of Americans.” See the original article at High […]
The governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York are making a concerted effort to coordinate their state’s cannabis policies. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont attended the Regional Cannabis Regulation and Vaping Summit, hosted by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Oct. 17. All four […]
In what appears to be the nation’s biggest pot recall ever, Colorado company Bonsai Cultivation voluntarily moved to take its products off of shelves at 144 retail stores in Colorado. During a Denver Department of Public Health investigation, samples of dried marijuana were checked at labs and found to contain potentially unsafe levels of yeast […]
Whether it be vaping-related pulmonary maladies, opioid addiction or cancer-related symptoms, cannabis prohibition is having deadly consequences. Prohibitionist policies both cripple the legal market of good and regulated actors, and ensure that the illicit market flourishes. See the original article at San Francisco Chronicle
Politicians have been taking action to get ahead of the problem, with most relying on some form of vape ban. A handful of governors and President Trump have proposed banning all flavored vape cartridges If policy makers truly want to reduce or eliminate vaping-related illnesses, the most responsible solution would be to fully legalize marijuana nationwide, and ensure robust […]
The total number of persons arrested in the United States for violating marijuana laws rose for the third consecutive year, according to data released by the FBI. Police made 663,367 arrests for marijuana-related violations in 2018. That total is more than 21% higher than the total number of persons arrested for the commission of violent crimes (521,103). […]
The federal legalization of cannabis could help reduce America’s staggering debt while also creating millions of jobs, according to a new report. In their new report, Cannabis in the US Economy: Jobs, Growth and Tax Revenue, 2019 Edition, New Frontier’s analysts predict that a flat 15 percent federal sales tax on all legal weed sales could bring in $73.7 […]
Hemp production in the U.S. has quadrupled since last year, according to Vote Hemp’s 2019 License Report, which estimates 230,000 acres of hemp will be planted this year. In all, 511,442 acres of hemp has been licensed throughout the U.S. and 16,877 grower licenses have been issued. The licensed acreage increase represents a 455 percent increase […]
Since 2008, Ferrell Scott has been serving a life sentence in federal prison for selling large quantities of marijuana. Ferrell Scott and hundreds of other people of color have been living behind bars, watching businessmen like Kevin Murphy, the CEO of one of the nation’s most lucrative marijuana companies, get rich. See the original article at USA Today
Last month, a team of researchers from Canada and the United States surveyed over 2,000 federally registered medical cannabis patients with regard to their use of cannabis and other substances. Investigators reported that nearly 70 percent of respondents said that they substituted cannabis for prescription medications, primarily opioids. Forty-five percent of those surveyed acknowledged substituting cannabis for […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reopening the comment period for the rescheduling of marijuana. The Agency is taking this action to allow interested persons additional time to submit comments. Anyone who is interested can submit their comments either electronically or handwritten by September 30, 2019. See the original article at the Federal Register
A new ruling out of the California Supreme Court this week will create yet another obstacle to the expansion of legal cannabis, at a time when more than half of the state’s cities and counties still ban retail stores. The state’s highest court ruled that San Diego failed to adequately analyze the potential environmental impacts of […]
State contortions to legalize hemp in Ohio got so complicated that it now looks like misdemeanor marijuana charges won’t be prosecuted — in effect legalizing pot for the time being. That’s pretty much the conclusion of legal experts and the state attorney general. Columbus officials have already declared they’re dropping prosecution of pot misdemeanors. See […]
In a study published this week in the journal Economic Inquiry, researchers found that the legalization of adult-use cannabis reduced opioid overdose deaths by 21%. “Our principal finding is that recreational marijuana access significantly decreases opioid mortality, with the most pronounced effects for synthetic opioids,” the researchers concluded. The effect “stems primarily from access via dispensaries […]
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris are introducing legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and repair “the damage done by the war on drugs” as cannabis reform gains steam in Congress. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or the MORE Act, would remove marijuana from […]
There are currently 25 candidates running in the Democratic primaries. Their views can be broken down into two basic categories: ‘Legalize It’ or ‘Let the States Decide.’ The ‘Legalize It’ group actually contains the majority of Democrats running in the primaries, with the ‘Let the States Decide’ list comprising a much smaller number of Democratic […]
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the state’s historic cannabis legalization and regulation bill today, making Illinois the 11th state to end cannabis prohibition. Illinois’ legalization law — which was passed by state lawmakers on May 31 — goes into effect starting January 1, 2020. Under the law, Illinois residents aged 21 or older will be […]
Illinois is poised to become the 11th state to legalize recreational cannabis. The Illinois house approved a bill with a vote of 66-47 and now only needs a signature from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who campaigned on a promise to legalize weed. See the original article at Retroworldnews
Legalizing medical marijuana in Wisconsin, which is one of only 16 states not to have any form of cannabis legalization, would yield a net benefit of $1.1 billion to the state over five years. That’s the conclusion of a recent cost-benefit analysis undertaken by the University of Wisconsin’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. See […]
A new study reveals that home values increased on average by $6,337 in cities where recreational marijuana is legal compared to cities without legalized marijuana. Cities in close proximity to legal dispensaries saw the greatest increase in home values with an average of 8.4%, or $22,888 between 2014 and 2019. See the original article at […]
Many conservative states are finally coming around to medical cannabis because veterans have started demanding change. In 2018, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah all passed laws legalizing medical use of the drug. In 2017, West Virginia voted in favor. All four states have Republican governors and voted overwhelmingly for President Trump in 2016. Servicemembers often come […]
In a new Hill-HarrisX poll, 84 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. The April 12-13 survey of found overwhelming support across all ages, races, genders, and even political affiliations. 42% of respondents said that weed should be legal for any use, the same percentage said that it should be legal for medicinal purposes. A small […]
White House hopeful Andrew Yang would do more than just end the federal government’s prohibition on marijuana if elected president, the Democratic candidate said Wednesday. “I would legalize marijuana and then I would pardon everyone who’s in jail for a nonviolent, drug-related offense,” Mr. Yang said at an event in Manhattan. “I would pardon them all on April […]
As the final agreement on a state budget comes into form, legalizing pot won’t make the cut, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders said. Cuomo proposed a plan to tax and regulate marijuana as part of the budget for the fiscal year that starts Monday. But Cuomo and lawmakers indicated in recent weeks that it was increasingly unlikely a deal could […]
Garden State lawmakers are expected to vote Monday on legalization and it’s looking like it could be a close call. This may be the state’s last chance to pass the bill before legislators have to turn their attention to budget negotiations, meaning legalization could get pushed back to 2020. See the original article at Bloomberg
Alaska is the first to pass a law allowing so-called “social consumption” of marijuana at specially licensed retail locations. Essentially, it will allow people to both buy and smoke cannabis at “cannabis cafes” associated with dispensaries that get the proper licensing from the state. Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, a Republican, signed the bill into law […]
Florida medical cannabis patients are officially able to buy and consume smokable cannabis products after Republican Gov. Rick DeSantis signed legislation this week overturning the state’s controversial smoking ban. Senate Bill 182 passed Florida’s Senate on March 7 in a 34-4 vote and was approved by the House on March 13 by a vote of […]