Policy

First Cannabis School to Open in Florida

Plans are in the works to open the first school dedicated to studying cannabis from a historical, legal, botanical, and pharmacological perspective in Florida. Jeremy Bufford aims to open the school in a 131-year-old former cigar factory in west Tampa, Florida if a cannabis amendment is approved by voters. “We know that the opportunities for […]

California Cannabis Supporters Push for November Ballot

The Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act for California could legalize recreational marijuana use for adults over 21 years of age if it’s passed into law. The proposed ballot measure would also strengthen existing medical marijuana laws and legalize hemp production in the state. The law is structured similar to the marijuana legalization in Colorado, […]

Colorado Revamps Food Safety System to Support THC

Colorado became the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana in January of 2014, although the drug remains illegal on a federal level. This means that state regulators have been tasked with creating an entire regulatory framework from scratch given that no official federal guidelines exist. The latest guidance from the state has been on […]

Support for Legalized Cannabis is Soaring

The majority of U.S. citizens favor laws allowing adults to buy small quantities of marijuana from state-licensed businesses, according to a recent poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. A full 55% favored regulated businesses selling marijuana with 25% saying they actively support the measure. Interestingly, 25% of respondents opposing the legalization of […]

Medical Marijuana Legalization Draws Closer in Florida

Florida could become the next U.S. state to legalize the use of medical marijuana. In a 4-3 Supreme Court decision, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow medical marijuana use will go before the state’s voters in November. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia, while Colorado and Washington have […]

Coming Soon: Cannabis Banking Regulations

Attorney General Eric Holder indicated last week that the Obama Administration was planning to roll out regulations soon that would provide legal marijuana sellers with access to the banking sector. At the University of Virginia, Mr. Holder suggested that banking was necessary in order to avoid having large amounts of cash lying around that could […]

UK Appears to Be Embracing Cannabis Reform

Border officials in the United Kingdom have been told not to arrest passengers caught with cannabis in their luggage, according to a report by the Daily Mail. Official notices inform staff not to arrest anyone with “personal use” quantities of Class B drugs like cannabis. The move suggests that ministers have started to green-light drug […]

Illinois Releases Plans for Cannabis Regulation

Illinois released a long list of planned regulations of cannabis for public comment this week. Patients that wish to consume medical cannabis would have to be fingerprinted for a background check, give up their right to own a gun, and pay $150 per year for the privilege, according to plans released by the Illinois Department […]

Obama Says Marijuana No More Dangerous than Alcohol

Obama admitted that he doesn’t believe cannabis is more dangerous than alcohol in a recent interview with the New Yorker, and called the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington as a challenging “experiment”. In the interview, the President also said that it’s wrong to think that legalizing marijuana would be “a panacea” that could […]

California Activists Hoping for a Green 2014

California could become the next state to legalize recreational marijuana. At least four legalization efforts are taking aim at the November elections after a survey last month showed that 55% of residents favored legalization – the first majority ever. In 2010, California voters defeated Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana. While the dynamics were much different […]

Survey Finds That U.S. Supports Pharmaceutical or Alcohol Grade Cannabis Regulation

A nationwide survey conducted by TheStreet found that 63% of U.S. citizens believe cannabis should be sold at the pharmacy, 60% in its own store, 39% at liquor stores, 17% in coffee shops, and 13% in supermarkets. Moreover, the survey found that 80% of those surveyed believe marijuana should be regulated just like alcohol which […]

Washington D.C. Activists Push for Cannabis Legalization

Washington D.C. could become the latest part of the U.S. to legalize cannabis if the D.C. Cannabis Campaign achieves its goals. The organization contends that its the number one civil rights issue of the day, with nobody going to jail for anything quite like it. A ballot initiative was submitted on Friday in hopes to […]

FINRA Offers Advice to Avoid Scams

New laws legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational purposes recently went into effect in a number of states. The increased news coverage following these events led to strong investor interest in many marijuana-related companies. In some cases, volumes for thinly traded stocks in the sector dramatically increased and prices became quite volatile. The Financial Industry […]

Massachusetts is in the Crosshairs for Cannabis Reform

The successful legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington has emboldened advocates in many other states to pursue similar measures. After legalizing possession of small amounts of the drug in 2008, cannabis advocates are now pursuing full legalization in Massachusetts in 2016. When legalizing small possession and medical use of cannabis in 2012, more […]

A Look at Legalized Pot’s Strange Economics

Bloomberg BusinessWeek recently published a story covering the strange economics surrounding marijuana following its legalization in Colorado. Legal cannabis retailers are selling out of marijuana priced at $400 per ounce when medical dispensaries are charging just $200 per ounce and black market rates are as low as $156 per ounce. While some of the rate […]

Alaska Moves Towards Fully Legalizing Cannabis

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana, a cannabis activist group, delivered a petition with over 45,000 signatures to Alaska’s Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell on Wednesday, according to a recent Huffington Post story. If sufficient in number, the signatures will bring the issue to ballot in August, giving the state’s residents the chance to vote on legalizing […]

A Look at Colorado’s Successful Cannabis Rollout

Colorado legalized the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana nearly a week ago after being available for medical users for over a year. Across the state, some 136 stores have been issued licenses to sell recreational marijuana with another 22 applications pending, although just 40 are estimated to be operational, according to officials cited by […]

Majority of U.S. Supports Legalized Cannabis

According to a new CNN/ORC International survey, the majority of U.S. citizens support the legalization of marijuana for the first time ever. Fifty-five percent of those questioned nationally said marijuana should be made legal, while only 44% disagreed with that sentiment. However, the support comes largely from the younger generation, with only 39% of those older […]

New York Moves to Legalize Medical Marijuana

New York is set to become the latest state legalizing medical marijuana under plans drawn up under its new governor, according to a recent Telegraph story. The move is expected to be announced over the next few days, which would add New York to the list of over 20 states that have already legalized the […]

Big Cannabis May Be Just Around the Corner

Big tobacco has grown to become a multi-billion dollar industry over the past several years, despite setbacks from inappropriate product labeling and billion-dollar lawsuits. The legalization of cannabis in Colorado begins the first large-scale experiment with commercial marijuana that goes beyond medical use cases to recreational users throughout the state. According to a recent article […]

Colorado Residents Line Up for Legal Cannabis

Colorado residents turned out in droves to the world’s first state-licensed sale of cannabis to anyone over 21 years of age, despite long lines and cold weather across the state. A total of 136 stores were authorized to make the sales with the majority of them being in Denver. State officials expect to generate $67 […]

A Make or Break Year for Cannabis in the U.S.

The upcoming year will be a make-or-break time for cannabis legalization efforts in the U.S., as the movement could either gain political traction or face setbacks if legalization efforts in states like Colorado prove to be ill-fated, according to a recent opinion piece on CNN. Organizations like NORML and the Marijuana Policy Project will also […]

Colorado Cannabis Retails Begin Stocking Shelves

The world’s first state-licensed cannabis retailers will open their doors in Colorado this week after new laws go into effect on January 1, 2014. New state regulations permit the recreational and medicinal consumption of marijuana sold through approved retail locations. Government officials and citizens around the world will be watching the move to see how […]

Uruguay’s President Accuses UN of Double Standards

Uruguay recently became the first country to fully legalize the production and sale of marijuana. Despite legalization in U.S. states like Colorado, the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board criticized the South American country for failing to consult it before enacting the new law. Uruguay’s President called this a double standard and noted that no attempts […]

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Litigation is Dead

The California Cannabis Industry Association (“CCIA”) recently posted an article discussing the lawsuits involving medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California. In the article, Mr. Lance Rogers concludes that “it is my opinion that medical marijuana dispensary litigation is for the most part dead and that rather than bring costly and largely ineffective legal challenges, collectives should […]

Harper Government Reveals New Medical Marijuana Regulations

Today, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced new regulations that will change the way Canadians access marihuana for medical purposes. The new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on June 19, 2013. “While the courts have said that there must be reasonable access to a legal source […]

Majority of Texans Support Legalization of Marijuana

A strong majority of Texas voters (58%) support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday by the Marijuana Policy Project. Only 38% said they were opposed. “Marijuana prohibition has been just as big a failure as alcohol prohibition,” said MPP executive director Rob […]