Policy

Uruguay Undercuts Drug Cartels by Eliminating Cannabis Tax

Uruguay will exempt cannabis production and sales from taxes in an attempt to ensure that prices undercut black market participants, according to consultants advising the government quoted by Reuters. Unlike many U.S. states that have legalized the drug, the country’s goal isn’t to increase tax collection, but rather reduce the impact of the criminal elements […]

Minnesota Lawmakers Strike Deal to Legalize Medical Cannabis

Minnesota lawmakers struck a deal this week to legalize medical cannabis for severely ill children and adults. With competing House and Senate bills, Governor Mark Dayton indicated that he would sign legislation that ended up being closer to the House’s more conservative bill rather than the Senate’s proposed bill. The move is considered to be […]

Colorado Moves to Provide Banking to Cannabis Sector

The Colorado legislature voted to create the nation’s first state-run financial cooperative for cannabis vendors earlier this week. Working through the U.S. Federal Reserve, newly legalized cannabis dispensaries would have access to banking services for the first time ever. Many commercial banks and credit unions have been hesitant to work with the industry given the […]

Colorado Cannabis Revenues on the Rise as Crime Falls

Colorado’s recreational cannabis experiment recently celebrated its 3-month anniversary at the end of March and the benefits continue to impress. According to state tax reports issued on May 8th, the state brought in $19 million in tax revenue in March, which is up almost a third from February. Meanwhile, property crime fell 14.6% and violent […]

No Health Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis… Yet

Medical marijuana treatments for pain and other chronic symptoms can cost as much as $1,000 per month. Unfortunately, many patients are forced to cover these costs out of pocket after being denied by their insurance companies. Despite state laws approving the drug for medical use, the federal government’s tough stance on the drug has forced […]

Medical Cannabis Legalization Moves Forward in Minnesota

Minnesota senators voted 48-18 to advance a bill that would make physician-prescribed medical cannabis legal for a broad range of patients. Patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions could obtain and possess up to 2.5 ounces under the Senate’s proposed bill, which would also permit up to 55 dispensary centers […]

Cannabis Valuations Are Lofty Now, but Could Be Cheap Long-term

There are many different ways to value public companies, but ratio analyses using price-earnings, price-sales, and price-book metrics are among the most popular. In aggregate, the S&P 500 trades with a price-earnings ratio of 18.72x, a price-sales ratio of 1.68x, and a price-book ratio of 2.62x, which are historically lofty. Our analysis suggests that cannabis […]

DEA Head Warns of Cannabis Legalization Risks

DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week warning of the dangers of cannabis legalization and reiterating her support for mandatory minimum sentences. The comments come despite President Obama’s increasingly liberal stance on the issue of cannabis legalization. In September of last year, the Obama Administration made it clear that it […]

Medical Cannabis May Benefit MS Patients

Multiple sclerosis (“MS”) sufferers may benefit from taking medical cannabis, according to a new study in the journal Neurology. Patients that used cannabis as a pill or oral spray found relief from a number of symptoms, including spasticity, pain related to spasms, or central pain from lesions, although the drug didn’t help with late-stage patients […]

Coloradans Still Support Legalized Cannabis (but Not for Politicians)

The majority of Coloradans believe that legalizing cannabis has been good for the state, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. The survey found that 52% of respondents have a favorable opinion of legalized cannabis, but the majority of Republicans and elderly held the opposite opinion. With legalization moving into its fourth month, these figures […]

Iowa Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Bill

The Iowa Senate voted 36-12 to approve a bill that would decriminalize medical cannabis oil for the treatment of epilepsy after an emotional debate. Republican Senators had serious reservations, warning that legalizing any form of marijuana would send the wrong message to young people, but stories from children who suffered hundreds of seizures per day […]

Swedish Study Finds Cannabis Use Reduces At-Risk Drinking

Those who report consuming cannabis two or three times per week were found to be less likely to engage in at-risk drinking behavior, according to Swedish researchers. The findings published online in The American Journal of Addictions were derived from a nationwide survey by the National Institute of Public Health of over 22,000 respondents aged […]

ProjectSAM Steps Up Campaign Against Cannabis Legalization

A national anti-marijuana group met with Obama Administration officials to encourage the federal government to reverse legalization in Colorado and Washington. ProjectSAM released a 4/20 Report Card last week showing “troubling developments” after Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana. The 4/20 Report Card points out that THC-positive workplace drug test results in Colorado Springs rose by […]

Marijuana Goes Mainstream on 4/20 in Denver

Tens of thousands of marijuana enthusiasts gathered at a central Denver, Colorado park for the industry’s April 20th holiday. While celebrations occurred underground in the past, the legalization of marijuana in Colorado resulted in an official city permit and even an events management company getting involved. These changes mark yet another key turning point in […]

Wisconsin Takes the Conservative Road to Legalization

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed two cannabis-related bills into law over the past week, including a very limited medical marijuana bill and a bill that authorizes municipalities to file charges in pot cases rejected by local district attorneys. While the medical marijuana bill received tremendous support across the board, the second bill prompted outrage among […]

Colorado Angel Investors to Hold Marijuana Summit

The Rockies Venture Club, a 28 year old organization focused on connecting investors and entrepreneurs, will hold the first Cannabis Capital Summit on May 29, 2014 to bring together marijuana industry leaders, venture capitalists, angel investors, legal/banking experts, and entrepreneurs to assess potential risks, opportunities, and the industry’s future moving forward. According to its website, […]

Medical Marijuana School Set to Open in Palm Beach County

The Institute of Medical Cannabis is preparing to open its doors as Palm Beach County’s first medical marijuana school. With four courses initially available focused on cultivation, students attending the school will learn about medical cannabis through a combination of lectures and hands-on training in fully operational grow rooms, although only vegetables and legal herbs […]

CBD-based Medical Marijuana Support Grows Across U.S.

Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (“SMEI”) is a dangerous form of epilepsy that occurs in roughly one in 30,000 live births. Aside from developmental delays, the syndrome is associated with higher rates of sudden and unexplained death. Those suffering from SMEI often experience seizures as frequently as every 30 minutes and sometimes upwards of 300 […]

Growing Marijuana Is No Longer Attractive to Cartels

Mexican farmers have stopped growing marijuana for the first time in generations after the price for a pound plummeted 75% from $100 per kilogram to less than $25 per kilogram. Legalized cannabis in the United States – albeit on a limited level – may have already cost drug cartels billions of dollars. Less money flowing […]

German Law Professors Push for Cannabis Legalization

Germany is already well ahead of the United States when it comes to laws governing the use of cannabis. With around 3 million regular users and 14 million estimated to have tried marijuana at least once, Germany does not punish anyone using or possessing marijuana, but it is illegal to sell or grow the substance. […]

Billionaire Investor George Soros Spends Millions on Cannabis Legalization

Most investors know George Soros for his famous billion-dollar bet against the British Pound and Bank of England on September 16, 1992. When Britain was planning to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (“ERM”), Soros realized that the low interest rates and high inflation were ultimately unsustainable. He was ultimately proven right and raked in […]

Crime Rates Fall in Colorado after Cannabis is Legalized

Colorado’s crime rates have been falling after cannabis was legalized for recreational purposes on January 1, 2014. According to the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the doomsday scenario that law enforcement officials predicted failed to occur and crime rates have actually fallen quite rapidly across the board. Property crime fell 14.6%, homicides fell 66.7%, and […]

Missouri Considers Legalizing Cannabis Extract Medicines

Missouri’s leadership has long been opposed to the legalization of marijuana, despite a recent survey showing 54% vs. 44% of citizens in favor of legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana when the proposed system was fully explained to the participants. Two bills that would have improved the state’s policies died in committee without even getting to […]

California’s MCLR In Final Push to Get On This Year’s Ballot

In need of funding and signatures, the effort to get California’s Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2014 on this year’s ballot is at a critical juncture. We interview John Lee, Director of Americans for Policy Reform and a driving force behind the initiative. For more information, visit mclr.us or email John Lee at […]

Three in Four Say Legalized Cannabis is Inevitable

A national survey conducted by Pew Research Center found that 75% of U.S. citizens believe that the sale of marijuana will eventually become legal across the nation regardless of their personal beliefs about the drug. The survey of 1,821 adults also found that two-thirds of Americans believe the government should focus on providing treatment for […]

WebMD Survey Finds Solid Support for Legalization Among Doctors

The majority of doctors believe that medical marijuana should be legalized nationally and offers real benefits to patients, according to a recent survey from WebMD and Medscape. The survey of 1,544 doctors founds solid support for legalization efforts with many doctors saying the drug should be legalized in their states and made available as an […]

Medical Marijuana Legalization Might Actually Lower Crime

Opponents to legalizing cannabis often point to public safety as a primary concern, but research seems to indicate the opposite. In a study published on March 26th, researchers studied data from 1990 to 2006 and found that medical marijuana legalization didn’t exacerbate criminal offenses. In fact, legalization may actually be correlated with a reduction in […]

New Jersey Cannabis Initiatives Get Boost from Unexpected Source

The New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association has come out in favor of legalizing the possession of cannabis. Seven of the group’s eleven trustees voted to back the idea with two opposed and one abstaining. President Jon-Henry Barr told the Asbury Park Press that most municipal prosecutors favor legalization because of the damage that a […]

Colorado Legalization Draws Immigrants, Patients & Tourists

Colorado became the first state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014. During the first month, the state government realized $2.1 million in tax revenue on $14 million in product sales. The Denver Post is reporting that tax revenue may be so far above expectations that they may have to […]

OTC Markets Tightens Standards & Eligibility Requirements

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTC: OTCM), operator of three over-the-counter equity markets, is tightening its reporting standards and eligibility requirements for venture-stage markets to crack down on scams and bolster transparency. On May 1st, the OTCQB will introduce a new minimum $0.01 bid price requirement and require CEOs and CFOs to certify that the company’s […]