Vermont man grew pot because he thought it’d be legal soon, police say

/in , , , , , , /by

ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Vermont police have arrested a man who acknowledged growing marijuana to prepare for possible statewide legalization of the drug.

St. Albans police say they came across Michael Marshall while investigating a hunting violation. Marshall fled into a house after a confrontation with police, and then consented to a search of the residence. Police say they then found and seized 13 full-grown marijuana plants and 27 smaller plants.

Police say Marshall told them he thought…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Colorado House votes to bar cops from helping with federal marijuana crackdown

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

DENVER — Colorado may prohibit law enforcement officers from assisting in a potential federal marijuana crackdown.

The state House voted 56-7 Wednesday to bar public employees from assisting federal agents in “arresting a Colorado citizen for committing an act that is a Colorado constitutional right.”

The Colorado bill doesn’t specifically mention marijuana. But sponsors say it is inspired by threats that federal authorities may try cracking down on the marijuana industry. Federal…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

In a first, drug use eclipses alcohol in fatal crashes

/in , , , , , , /by

By Ashley Halsey Iii, The Washington Post

For the first time, statistics show that drivers killed in crashes are more likely to be on drugs than drunk.

Forty-three percent of drivers tested in fatal crashes in 2015 had used a legal or illegal drug, eclipsing the 37 percent who tested above the legal limit for alcohol, according to a report released Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.

Of the drivers who tested…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

7 protesters arrested for handing out free joints near U.S. Capitol

/in , , , , , /by

WASHINGTON — The conflict between federal and local laws on marijuana played out in the shadow of the Capitol on Thursday, when seven pro-pot activists were arrested for doing something that’s been legal in Washington for the past two years — handing out free joints.

U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that they invoked federal law in making the arrests. Two women and one man were charged with possession with intent to distribute pot, while four women were charged with simple possession,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Marijuana has truly gone mainstream, survey finds

/in , , , , , , , /by

By Christopher Ingraham, (c) 2017, The Washington Post

Many marijuana users hide their stash in their closets. Most people who use marijuana are parents. There are almost as many marijuana users as there are cigarette smokers in the U.S.

Those facts and many more are among the conclusions of new survey from Yahoo News and Marist University, which illustrates how pot has become a part of everyday life for millions of Americans.

—

1. Nearly 55 million adults currently use marijuana

More…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Digging into the details of Canada’s new law legalizing marijuana nationwide

/in , , , , , , , /by

Canada on Thursday released a plan to legalize recreational marijuana use across the country by July 2018. With a solid Liberal majority in government the plan is widely expected to become law, but it would leave the details of implementation, including commercial regulations, to individual provinces.

The bill’s backers framed it as an effort to reduce adolescent drug use and take profits out of the black market. “Criminal prohibition has failed to protect our kids and our communities,” said…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Canada unveils official marijuana legalization plan

/in , , , , , /by

Canada is advancing plans to become the first Group of Seven nation to legalize recreational marijuana nationally, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is keeping key details hazy and allowing arrests to continue while parliament debates his plan.

Trudeau’s justice minister introduced proposed laws Thursday in the Ottawa legislature that set a minimum consumption age of 18, with individual provinces allowed to raise it as they see fit. Rules on retail sales will also be left to the provinces,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Cannabis companies flock to Canada as US laws keep them off stock exchange

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

When Hadley Ford created a company for investing in the fast-growing business of legal marijuana, the former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker left New York and headed north of the border.

While more than half of U.S. states allow marijuana for medical or recreational use, the drug is still outlawed by the federal government, starving pot entrepreneurs of institutional capital. Major stock exchanges won’t accept listings for businesses that Washington deems illegal, and banks and…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

New federal bill would reschedule marijuana as Schedule III

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

The latest marijuana-centric bill before Congress would place cannabis as a Schedule III substance, a classification shared by Tylenol with codeine, ketamine and dronabinol.

Two Florida congressmen, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, introduced legislation Thursday that would transfer marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act from its current standing as a Schedule I substance, the strictest of the classifications.

Read the complete story at The…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Senator demands docs from big pharma as she probes their role in opioid epidemic

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri demanded information Tuesday from five top opioid manufacturers, saying she would investigate their alleged role in the drug epidemic responsible for more than 200,000 overdose deaths since 2000.

“This epidemic is the direct result of a calculated sales and marketing strategy major opioid manufacturers have allegedly pursued over the past 20 years to expand their market share and increase dependency on powerful – and often deadly – painkillers,” McCaskill,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

A different kind of sea-weed: Man finds marijuana bale on Florida beach

/in , , , , /by

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Authorities say a 52-year-old man called 911 after finding a bale of marijuana that had washed up on a Florida beach.

Jeff Stolowitz tells local news outlets he was walking on Daytona Beach on Saturday morning when he spotted the object, which was shaped like a giant cigar. As he got closer on Saturday morning, he saw a ripped edge and what appeared to be blood. That’s when he called for help.

Read the full story at thecannabist.co.

 

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Report: Canada to legalize marijuana by July 2018

/in , , , , , , , /by

The frenzy surrounding Canada’s marijuana market intensified Monday after a report the government will unveil plans to legalize sales for recreational use in April.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will introduce legislation the week of April 10 to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018, according to a report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. David Taylor, a spokesman for Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, declined to comment on the reported timelines. He reiterated a…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

One big thing opponents of marijuana warned about is not happening

/in , , , , , /by

By Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post
A state-run survey of 37,000 middle and high school students in Washington state finds that marijuana legalization there has had no effect on youngsters’ propensity to use the drug.

The Washington State Healthy Youth Survey found that the 2016 rate of marijuana use was basically unchanged since 2012, when the state voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. In the survey, researchers used the measure of “monthly use,” asking students…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Was there a weed deal between Michael Brown and store clerk?

/in , , , , , /by

Read more at The Cannabist: Was there a weed deal between Michael Brown and store clerks?

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Israel takes step toward marijuana reforms

/in , , , , , /by

JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has taken a step toward decriminalizing marijuana use.

Israeli media say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet has approved a measure that would reduce penalties for possession of marijuana. If caught, smokers would pay a fine, instead of facing criminal charges.

Netanyahu said ahead of Sunday’s meeting that a “new enforcement policy” should be drawn up “cautiously and in a controlled manner.”

The decision does not mean that Jerusalem…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

119-year-old global standards group wants to guide marijuana industry

/in , , , , , , /by

A 119-year-old international organization that develops voluntary standards for items ranging from children’s toys to commercial spaceflight could soon do the same for cannabis operations.

ASTM International on Tuesday launched a volunteer committee on cannabis to discuss and develop standards in areas such as personnel training, cultivation and security, officials and committee members told The Cannabist. The committee was formed following an all-day meeting and vote of 60 stakeholders —…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Sessions: More violence around marijuana than ‘one would think’

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Read the whole story at The Cannabist.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Trump administration puts recreational marijuana in crosshairs

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Recreational marijuana is in the sights of the Trump administration, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday.

Spicer, during his daily briefing, gave the first clear glimpse at how the new administration views the burgeoning rise of legal marijuana.

“There’s a big difference between (medical marijuana) and recreational marijuana, and I think when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

America’s marijuana industry headed for $24 billion by 2025, report says

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

The latest gaze into the crystal ball puts the U.S. marijuana industry north of $24 billion by 2025.

New Frontier Data, a cannabis market research and analytics firm, gave The Cannabist a first look at its 2017 annual report, which aims to track the long-term potential for the industry. The report acknowledges external factors such as federal rescheduling or a full-scale crackdown could shake up the near-term.

By mapping out state-by-state sales to $24.5 billion in 2025 and projecting that…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Maryland lawmakers to push for recreational marijuana

/in , , , , , /by

By Ovetta Wiggins and Fenit Nirappil, The Washington Post

A group of Democratic lawmakers in Maryland want the state to join a growing number of others that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, taxing and regulating sales of the drug similar to the way the state deals with alcohol.

Legislators said Monday that adults aged 21 and older in Maryland would be able to possess and grow limit amounts of marijuana if the two bills sponsored by Sen. Richard Madaleno, D-Montgomery, Del. Curt…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Pot tax trouble: What legalized states need to know about sketchy predictions

/in , , , , , , /by

Colorado’s cannabis industry is on pace to generate north of $213 million in state tax revenue by 2019, according to the Colorado Legislative Council’s latest economic and revenue forecast released this week.

By The Cannabist’s calculations, that amounts to nearly $1.7 billion in sales of flower, concentrates, edibles and other infused products in the recreational and medical marijuana markets.

But what’s in a number?

This fledgling industry is laden with projections, estimates…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Aging baby boomers increasingly embrace marijuana, heavy alcohol use

/in , , , , /by

By Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

I wrote last week on how fewer teens are using drugs or alcohol than at any point in the past few decades.

Indeed, while anti-drug PSAs still encourage parents to talk to their teens about drugs before someone else does, two recent studies suggest there’s another high-risk population we should be worried about: our kids’ grandparents.

The first study found that, since 2006, marijuana use has increased significantly among adults age 50 and…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Canada marijuana task force releases report on legalization

/in , , , , /by

Now is the time for Canada to move from prohibition and become the largest developed country to establish a well-regulated legal marijuana industry, members of the country’s marijuana task force said Tuesday.

Canada’s marijuana legalization task force has outlined 80 recommendations for the country’s potential legal cannabis regime, including a minimum purchase age of 18; penalties against trafficking and impaired driving; regulations for packaging and pesticides; mail-order delivery…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Death penalty, gun control, pot among ballot-measure issues

/in , , , , , , /by

NEW YORK (AP) — Voters in some states weighed in Tuesday on several of most volatile issues facing America — gun control, marijuana legalization, the death penalty and the right of a terminally ill person to get a doctor’s help in dying.

Proposals addressing those topics were among more than 150 measures appearing on statewide ballots. California led the pack with 17 ballot questions, including one that would require actors in porn movies to wear condoms during filming of sexual…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Marijuana ballot drives put medical, recreational users at odds

/in , , , , , , /by

PORTLAND, Maine — A handful of recreational marijuana legalization drives has the medical pot industry bracing for something it never expected to deal with: competition.

Legalization is on the ballot in five states this November, and all five currently allow some form of medical marijuana already.

Growers, medical professionals and users of medical marijuana say they worry that people who want medical marijuana will buy it on the open market instead of going through the hassle of…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Millennials, Boomers or Gen X: Who favors marijuana legalization the most in the U.S.?

/in , , , , /by

Public support for marijuana legalization continues to hit new heights, but opinions on the matter do continue to be divided by age and ideology, the latest Pew Research Center poll shows.

The share of Americans who favor legalization totals 57 percent, according to a Pew Research survey of 1,201 U.S. adults conducted in late August and early September. The survey showed that 37 percent believed marijuana should be illegal and another 5 percent were undecided. The margin of error was…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Legal pot could upend years of drug smuggling in Arizona

/in , , , , , /by

NOGALES, Ariz. — The hills on the Arizona border with Mexico are steep and bumpy as Paul Estrada drives along the fence, patrolling for drug and human smugglers.

Passing traffic signs pocked with bullet holes, the sheriff’s deputy points at parts of the wall that are but a few feet tall and laments how easy it is to get drugs into Arizona. In a mere month, Estrada and his colleagues on the border could confront a new challenge: legal marijuana.

Five states will vote Nov. 8 on whether…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Authorities: Man grew pot plants at Vermont cemetery

/in , , , , , , , /by

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A 23-year-old man has been charged with growing more than 40 marijuana plants in a Vermont cemetery.

The Rutland Herald (http://bit.ly/2dXtY7d ) reports that Adam Mahoney pleaded not guilty Monday in Rutland to a felony marijuana cultivation charge.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Marijuana really can be deadly – when encountering police officers

/in , , , , , /by

Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

New details released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department last weekend indicated that suspected marijuana use was a key factor in police officers’ decision to approach Keith Lamont Scott in a confrontation that turned fatal.

Plainclothes officers were sitting in an unmarked car waiting to serve a warrant in an unrelated case when Scott’s car pulled in nearby, according to a police summary of the incident. The officers say they saw…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Phoenix chief: 3 officers resign after forcing man to eat pot

/in , , , , /by

PHOENIX — Three Phoenix police officers have resigned after a man alleged they forced him to eat marijuana found in his vehicle to avoid going to jail, Chief Joseph Yahner said Thursday.

A fourth officer, Jeff Farrior, was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant for being aware of last week’s incident and not taking appropriate action, Yahner told reporters.

“Their actions are appalling and unacceptable. This conduct is against everything that we stand for,” Yahner said.

Police…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Mexican police find “homemade bazooka” that may have launched contraband over border

/in , , , , /by

By Lindsey Bever, The Washington Post

Federal authorities in Mexico have discovered a van outfitted with a makeshift bazooka, apparently intended to launch packages over the border with the United States, according to a statement from the Mexican national security commission.

In the past, drug smugglers have found creative ways to transport illegal goods – using air space, intricate underground tunnels and oceans to do so. It was unclear if the cannon used in this instance was intended…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …