Washington Lawmakers Send Marijuana Reform Bill to Governor

OLYMPIA, WA — Lawmakers in Washington state have sent a comprehensive marijuana reform bill to the desk of Governor Jay Inslee (D), making several changes to the state’s cannabis regulation policies.

The bi-partisan Senate Bill 5131 was sponsored by Sens. Anna Rivers [R] Steven Conway [D], and received overwhelming support in both chambers of the legislature.

Among the notable changes made by SB 5131 is a provision that makes it legal for adults 21 or older to share up marijuana…

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Washington: Marijuana Use By Young People Largely Unchanged Post-Legalization, Survey Says

OLYMPIA, WA — The percentage of young people consuming marijuana has not been adversely impacted by changes in state law regulating its adult use and distribution, according to 2016 data compiled by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

Results from the 2016 Healthy Youth Survey, which surveys over 230,000 students in grades 6 through 12, “rates of teen marijuana use have remained steady” post legalization. The Department issued similar findings…

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

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…

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Rural Colorado town to get state’s first marijuana drive-thru

The tiny western Colorado town of Parachute is getting what is believed to be the state’s first marijuana retailer with a drive-thru window, a move that could attract on-the-go cannabis customers who don’t want to get out of their car.

Tumbleweed Express, as the planned drive-thru will be known, received a business license last year but didn’t open. The Parachute Board of Trustees approved Tumbleweed’s annual license renewal Thursday, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reported.


Spring 2017 MJBizCon
The drive-thru is expected to open for business in…

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NORML Forms Multi-State Workplace Drug Testing Coalition

DENVER, CO — The fact that 190 million Americans now live in states where marijuana has been legalized to some degree is raising a number of questions and issues about how to integrate the American workforce and marijuana consumers rights in regards to drug testing.

With medical marijuana is legal in 29 states and recreational marijuana for adult use in 8 states and Washington DC, millions of responsible and otherwise law-abiding adults remain at risk of being excluded from the…

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Beer Sales Fall In States with Legal Retail Marijuana Markets

NEW YORK, NY — Beer sales are falling in states that permit the retail sale of marijuana to adult consumers, according to an analysis performed by the New York-based research firm Cowen & Company.

Their analysis reports that beer sales by several of the larger domestic producers have “collectively underperformed” the past two years in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

They added, “With all three of these states now having fully implemented a [marijuana] retail…

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Teen Marijuana Use Down in Colorado and Washington

DENVER, CO — The federal government quietly published new national survey data this week that shows rates of teen marijuana use in Colorado and Washington — the first two states to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use — decreased more than the national average in 2014-2015. Fewer teens in the two states are reportedly using marijuana than in 2012-2013, just prior to the commencement of legal adult marijuana sales.    

The Substance…

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In Legal Marijuana States, Consumers Are Turning to Buds Over Beer

A new industry study says access to legal marijuana is having a negative impact on beer sales. That’s bad news for the brewing industry, but good news from a public health perspective.

According to the industry site Brewbound, the research firm Cowen & Company analyzed the beer industries in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington — three states that have recreational pot shops — and found that their beer markets have “collectively underperformed” in the past two years.

The…

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Report: Tax Revenue From Retail Marijuana Sales Exceeds Expectations

marijuana money - istock

WASHINGTON, DC — Tax revenue collection from retail marijuana sales in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington is exceeding initial projections, according to a report published by the Drug Policy Alliance.

The DPA study finds that marijuana-related tax revenue in Colorado totaled $129 million over the 12-month period ending May 31, 2016 – well exceeding initial estimates of $70 million per year. In Washington, tax revenue totaled $220 million for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2016….

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So Far, So Good: What We Know About Marijuana Legalization in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C.

3D Cannabis retail marijuana packaging

As Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada prepare to vote on marijuana legalization next month, all eyes are on the initial outcomes of those states that have already legalized marijuana. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two U.S. states – and the first two jurisdictions in the world – to approve ending marijuana prohibition and legally regulating marijuana production, distribution and sales. In the 2014 election, Alaska and Oregon followed…

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Report: Marijuana Legalization Has Had “Minimal” Adverse Impact On Health

Report: Marijuana Legalization Has Had “Minimal” Adverse Impact On Health

WASHINGTON, DC — The enactment of laws regulating the adult use, production, and retail sale of cannabis in four states has had negligible, if any, adverse impact on overall health and safety, according to an analysis commissioned by the CATO Institute – a Washington, DC think-tank.

Researchers from Harvard University and Western Carolina University assessed the impact of marijuana legalization laws in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington on a variety of health and safety outcomes, including drug use, suicide rates, substance abuse…

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MPP and Institute for Justice Fight for Free Speech in Alabama

Recently when attempting to lobby for marijuana policy reform in Alabama, MPP legislative counsel Maggie Ellinger-Locke discovered that she would have to travel to the Yellowhammer State and take an ethics class before she could speak with any lawmakers on the subject. This is a clear violation of free speech, and Institute for Justice is helping us fight back.IJ logo

Alabama Today reports:

Virginia-based public interest law firm Institute for Justice filed a new federal lawsuit on behalf of Maggie Ellinger-Locke and the Marijuana Policy Project…

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Washington State Surpasses $1 Billion In Retail Marijuana Sales

Washington State Surpasses $1 Billion In Retail Marijuana Sales

OLYMPIA, WA — Licensed retail facilities in Washington state have sold over $1 billion in marijuana flowers and cannabis-infused products since regulators began first permitting such sales two years ago.

Data compiled by the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board reports that legal sales have now yielded over $275 million in tax revenue.

Last month, state-licensed marijuana sales in Washington totaled $121 million – the highest monthly total yet reported by the Board.

In Colorado, retail sales of cannabis have totaled over $1.1 billion in…

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Lawyers Warned in Select States About Working With Medical Cannabis Firms

41961551 - need a lawyer handwritten on blackboard

By Omar Sacirbey

Professional ethics boards in a few states – most recently New Mexico and Ohio – have warned local attorneys that helping medical marijuana businesses can be a violation of professional rules of conduct.

The non-binding opinions could make it tougher for MMJ businesses in those states to get legal representation.

The recent opinions caution lawyers that assisting a cannabis business can be tantamount to helping a client break federal law, given marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

While differing…

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Appeals Court: DOJ Can’t Prosecute State-Legal MJ Businesses

In a big win for licensed marijuana companies, a federal appeals court in California ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice can’t spend money to prosecute cannabis businesses that comply with state laws.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the DOJ must comply with the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which Congress first adopted in December 2014. It prohibits the DOJ from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state marijuana laws.

The case wound up before the court, which covers…

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Ancillary Tech Firm Raises $410k for Infusion Projects

A Seattle-based startup that focuses on technology to infuse products such as sugar with THC has raised $410,000 to help fund its growth.

DeepCell Industries, which isn’t a marijuana plant-touching company but stays strictly on the tech-development side, licenses its technology to cannabis product manufacturers, according to GeekWire. The company already has trademarked tech licensed to a firm called Green Labs that pays DeepCell for its Ruby Cannabis Sugar brand, which infuses sugar with…

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Marijuana Trafficking Falls Following Statewide Legalization

Marijuana Trafficking Falls Following Statewide Legalization

WASHINGTON, DC — Federal marijuana trafficking prosecutions have declined significantly since the passage of statewide laws regulating the plant’s production and retail sale to adults, according to data provided by the United States Sentencing Commission.

According to the new report, the number of marijuana trafficking offenders prosecuted at the federal level fell dramatically after 2012 — declining from over 6,000 annually to fewer than 4,000 in 2015.

“The number of marijuana traffickers rose slightly over time until a sharp decline…

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Keef Cola, Kiva Confections Form Expansion Partnership

Colorado-based CanCore Concepts, owner of the popular edibles brand Keef Cola, and California-based Kiva Confections, maker of cannabis-infused chocolates, have struck a new type of licensing deal that will give each company access to the other’s home market.

Under the agreement, both companies will not only distribute but also manufacture each others’ products on their home turf.

That means Keef sodas and other edibles will be sold in the roughly 850 California medical marijuana…

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Cannabis Branding Company Raises $8M for National Expansion

A marijuana branding company with a portfolio that includes partners in three western states announced on Tuesday that it has raised $8 million to support an ambitious expansion plan.

The company, Las Vegas-based Strainz, said in a press release that the influx of capital will allow the company to continue building its portfolio in Colorado, Nevada and Washington State, as well as expand into other markets and keep adding to its staff.

To date, Strainz’ Colorado partner, the Bronnor…

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Washington State Cannabis Growers Upset With Inventory Tracking System, Urge Fixes

By John Schroyer

BioTrackTHC, one of the most prominent cannabis software firms in the country, is under fire from commercial cannabis growers who say the inventory tracking platform it developed for Washington State is costing them time and money.

A group of growers began circulating an online petition on March 19 calling for numerous changes to the state’s recreational marijuana program, including a possible overhaul of the system BioTrack developed and currently maintains.

The…

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Washington State Lawmakers Pass Limited Marijuana Policy Reforms

While there were over two-dozen marijuana-related bills introduced in Washington this year, only a handful passed before the regular legislative session wrapped up. Those that did pass now await Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature. They make improvements, but their changes are slight compared with many others that fell short this year.

Those before the governor include HB 2584, which would limit the amount of information a marijuana business must publically disclose about its operations. Another tweaks the procedural…

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UK Research Firm Names Top US Cannabis Vendors

London-based Technavio, a market research firm, has issued a report in which it names what it considers the top seven American marijuana vendors.

The report focuses on four markets: Arizona, California, Colorado and Washington State, as opposed to all 23 states across the country, to get a sampling of the larger market. The firms named are “the top seven leading vendors,” and the report includes 16 additional companies that are “expected to impact the market” between now and 2019,

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Washington Enacts MJ Product Recall Process

Washington State marijuana businesses are now subject to new rules under which various products can be recalled and even destroyed due to pesticide use.

The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board adopted emergency rules this week to address pesticides in cannabis cultivation, according to Seattle PI, and declared that the new rules “provide the ability to identify and remove products that have been found to pose a risk to public health in a fast and efficient manner.”

The new rules are 129…

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Hemp Cultivation Programs Get Green Light in MN, WA

Industrial hemp received the go-ahead this week in both Minnesota and Washington State, according to news reports.

Although the plant won’t yet be allowed to be grown by just anyone, a pilot program in Minnesota and a research program in Washington have gotten permission from their respective state legislatures to move forward. If they both prove fruitful, it could open up even more business opportunities in both states long term.

The Minnesota pilot program was okayed by the U.S. Drug…

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Oregon Marijuana Store to Open Cannabis Drive-Thru

An Oregon cannabis store that just opened across the street from a hospital also plans to ad a drive-up window.

Green Life Oregon opened in January, according to its website, across from Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach, Oregon. It wants to open the drive-up on April 20, 2016.

Manager Jeremy Paulson told the Curry Coastal Pilot that the location is no coincidence, saying the shop wants to offer patients alternative treatments to typical pharmaceutical medicines. The store apparently…

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ASA Releases New Report on State Medical Marijuana Programs

With the release last year of the first detailed analysis and comparison of state medical marijuana laws, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) created a patient-focused tool to identify effective programs and problem areas. That groundbreaking report was followed by the release of ASA’s new, far more detailed report on state programs, which reflects the many new states that have added programs as well as others that have improved their existing programs.

Like the original report, this latest white paper enables advocates, policy makers and…

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ASA Report Evaluates Medical Marijuana Programs Nationwide

ASA Report Evaluates Medical Marijuana Programs Nationwide

Patient Advocates Hope Report will Help State Legislators “Make the Grade” in 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) issued “Medical Marijuana Access in the US: A Patient-Focused Analysis of the Patchwork of State Laws,” on Tuesday. The annual report evaluates the array of differing state medical cannabis programs across the country from a perspective often overlooked in policy debates: the patients’ and provides policy makers with model legislation and regulations. With dozens of states already seeing legislative…

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WA County Sees Dip in Rec Sales After Oregon Launch

Not surprisingly, recreational marijuana shops in southern Washington State took a big hit in October once Oregon residents could legally begin buying limited amounts of rec cannabis in their home state.

Sales in Clark County, Washington, which is right across from Portland, dropped from $1.8 million in September to $1.1 million in October, the Columbian reported.

But shop owners in southern Washington remain upbeat about their long-term prospects.

Those stores saw an unexpected spike in…

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Mexico Moving Closer to Making Marijuana Legal

Our neighbor to the South is one step closer to making marijuana legal after a recent court ruling!

The New York Times reports:

The Mexican Supreme Court opened the door to legalizing marijuana on Wednesday, delivering a pointed challenge to the nation’s strict substance abuse laws and adding its weight to the growing debate in Latin America over the costs and consequences of the war against drugs.

The vote by the court’s criminal chamber declared that individuals should have the right to grow and distribute…

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New Gallup Poll Shows 58% of Americans Support Making Marijuana Legal

A Gallup poll released Wednesday shows 58% of adults in the United States think marijuana should be made legal, up from 51% in October 2014. Just 40% think it should remain illegal.

The national poll of 1,015 adults was conducted October 7-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%. The full results are available at here.

 

Americans’ support for legalizing marijuana is the highest Gallup has measured to date, at 58%. Given the patterns of support by age, that percentage should continue to grow in the…

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Washington: Tacoma Collectives Win Temporary Reprieve – Daily Chronic

TACOMA, WA – A dozen unlicensed medical marijuana shops won a temporary reprieve last week when a Washington state judge gave them time to prove they are operating legally in Tacoma.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson granted a temporary injunction despite the city’s argument that it had the right to shut down the pot shops immediately.

City officials said that only marijuana businesses licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board could operate in Tacoma, which planned to start closing unlicensed shops on Oct. 1.

The shops filed separate complaints seeking injunctive relief against the city. They are operating under a previous state law that allowed medical marijuana patients to form “collective gardens” to grow and sell cannabis.

A new law combines…

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2 Minutes Could Change the Lives of 3 Medical Marijuana Patients – Daily Chronic

Two minutes or less could help put an end to the federal war on patients and change the lives of the three members of the “Kettle Falls Five”!

Rolland Gregg, his wife Michelle Gregg, and his mother Rhonda Firestack-Harvey are three members of the “Kettle Falls Five,” a small group of family members and friends who were prosecuted and sentenced in federal court earlier this month for cultivating approximately forty-four plants in rural Kettle Falls, WA.

The three legal medical cannabis patients were sentenced to terms from one year to two years and nine months, for growing medical cannabis for their own personal use. Federal prosecutors have committed hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to unjustly prosecute and imprison these legitimate medical cannabis patients. Despite,…

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Final 3 Defendants in Kettle Falls Five Medical Marijuana Case Get Federal Prison

Patient Advocates Call On President Obama to Pardon All Defendants and Fully End Federal Prosecution of Medical Cannabis Patients

SPOKANE, WA — Kettle Falls Five medical marijuana defendants Rhonda Firestack-Harvey and Michelle Gregg on Friday were sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison in connection to federal cannabis cultivation charges. Fellow defendant Rolland Gregg received a sentence of 33 months.

All three were released pending appeal.

In March, the trio was acquitted of all crimes they were initially charged with, except for the “lesser included” charge of cannabis cultivation. The defendants were arrested in August of 2012 after the Drug Enforcement Administration seized cannabis plants on their property, which had been grown for medical purposes.

They were…

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Washington: Marijuana Law Changes Not Associated with Increased Teen Use

Washington: Marijuana Law Changes Not Associated with Increased Teen Use

Changes in marijuana laws are not associated with increased use of the substance by teens, according to data compiled by Washington’ Healthy Youth Survey and published by the Washington State Institute of Public Policy.

State survey results from the years 2002 to 2014 show little change in cannabis consumption by Washington teens despite the passage of laws permitting and expanding the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes during this time.

Self-reported marijuana use fell slightly among 8th graders, 10th graders, and…

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Larry Harvey, Defendant in ‘Kettle Falls 5’ Medical Marijuana Case, Dies of Cancer

Larry Harvey, Defendant in ‘Kettle Falls 5’ Medical Marijuana Case, Dies of Cancer

COLVILLE, WA — A northeastern Washington man at the center of a nationally watched medical marijuana case has died of pancreatic cancer, six months after the federal government dropped charges against him.

Larry Harvey was 71. He died Thursday in a hospital in Colville, Washington.

Harvey and four others-including his wife, two relatives and a friend- faced charges after they were caught about three years ago growing about 70 pot plants on their rural property near Kettle Falls. They were known as the “Kettle Falls Five.”

Harvey said he…

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Marijuana pushes the limits in the inexact science of DUID | News21: America’s Weed Rush

Here’s another interesting article from News 21’s cannabis legalization project:

One of the biggest struggles for legalization regulation is how to…

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Pierce County, WA to Dispensaries: Get Licensed or Get Out

TACOMA, WA — All unlicensed marijuana retailers — medical or recreational — in unincorporated areas of Pierce County, Washington, must obtain licensing by July 1, 2016 or close, officials said Monday.

“It’s important that these individuals know that after a certain date they will no longer be allowed to operate,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy in a statement Monday.

Pierce County, WACounty officials estimate approximately 60 marijuana retailers — mostly medical marijuana dispensaries — are currently operating in unincorporated parts of the county, and could be effected.

McCarthy added that it is not the County’s intention to force these retailers out of bushiness.  Instead, the county will work with dispensaries to obtain licencing before the July 2016 deadline.

“It is…

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Changes to Washington Medical Marijuana Law Takes Effect

OLYMPIA, WA — Several changes to Washington state’s medical marijuana law took effect on Friday.

The changes were made as part of Senate Bill 5052, the “Cannabis Patient Protection Act,” which was approved by lawmakers in April.

Among the regulations now in effect:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are added as qualifying conditions.
  • A qualifying condition must be severe enough to significantly interfere with the patient’s activities of daily living and ability to function, which can be objectively assessed and evaluated.
  • All new authorizations must be written on a form developed by the department and printed on tamper-resistant paper.
  • It is now prohibited to make marijuana concentrates with butane. Concentrates are still allowed, but highly flammable…

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Washington: Unlicensed King County Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Must Close

SEATTLE, WA — Fifteen unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated parts of King County are illegal and have one month to close, officials said Wednesday.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and King County Sheriff John Urquhart made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday.  The 15 affected dispensaries were sent letters earlier in the week informing them that they do not have state-approved licenses for the sale of marijuana and must close down their establishments, they said.

The 15 dispensaries in White Center, Skyway and other unincorporated rural areas of King County are operating illegally under a recently passed law that requires medical marijuana dispensaries to follow the same rules and regulations that recreational pot shops must…

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Washington State Marijuana Legalization: One-Year Later

New Report Finds Major Fiscal Benefits, Decrease in Violent Crime, No Increase in Youth Marijuana Use or Traffic Fatalities – And Massive Drop in Marijuana Arrests; Popular Support for Marijuana Legalization Remains Strong in Washington

As several states consider marijuana legalization initiatives, all eyes are on the initial outcomes of Washington’s marijuana law. In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first two states to pass laws taxing and regulating marijuana.

Wednesday will mark the one-year anniversary of retail marijuana…

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Washington Earns $70 Million in Tax Revenue from Legal Marijuana Sales in First Year

SEATTLE, WA — Washington launched its second-in-the-nation legal marijuana market with just a handful of stores selling high-priced pot to long lines of customers. A year later, the state has about 160 shops open, tax revenues have soared past expectations and sales top $1.4 million per day.

And who knows – the industry might even start making some money.

Washington pot farmers, processors and retailers have complained all year that heavy state and federal tax burdens, along with competition from an unregulated medical marijuana market,…

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Washington Passes Recreational Marijuana Reform Bill

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington’s legislature on Saturday passed a measure that that makes several changes to the state’s recreational marijuana laws, ranging from revising the market’s tax structure to zoning rules.

One of the main changes to the current system would be the elimination of the three-tier tax structure and its replacement with a single excise tax of 37 percent at the point of sale.

House Bill 2136 passed the Senate on a bipartisan 36-7 vote and now heads to the governor’s desk. The House passed the measure Friday on a 59-38 vote.

An amendment that passed Friday in the House removed language from the original bill that would have required local bans on licensed marijuana businesses to be approved by the jurisdiction’s voters.

To encourage more cities and counties to…

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Washington House Passes Modest Marijuana Tax Reduction Bill

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington House on Friday passed a measure that makes several changes to the state’s new recreational marijuana market, including eliminating the three-tier tax structure and replacing it with a single excise tax of 37% at the point of sale.  The current three-tier tax structure adds up to an effective tax of 44%.

House Bill 2136 passed the House on a 59-38 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration. An amendment that passed Friday removed language from the original bill that would have only allowed local bans on licensed marijuana businesses if approved by the jurisdiction’s voters.

To encourage more cities and counties to allow marijuana businesses, the bill directs the state to share pot revenue with jurisdictions that do so. It would also allow…

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Seattle to Close Unlicenced Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle will close dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries operating without a license, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday, part of a statewide effort to reconcile the unregulated system with the voter-approved recreational pot industry.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray outlined a series of regulatory changes in how cannabis operations will do business in the city, saying the rules will improve the marketplace for patients who depend on medical marijuana.

“We’re strengthening the recreational marijuana market and creating safer,…

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Four Washington State Marijuana Stores Caught Selling to Minors

Four of 22 stores tested for compliance were caught selling marijuana to underage shoppers

OLYMPIA, WA — Four recreational marijuana stores in Western Washington have failed compliance checks  by selling marijuana to minors.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB), working with investigative aides aged 18-20, checked 22 businesses for sales of marijuana to minors.  The minors are sent into bushiness selling age restricted products, and must either present their true identification, or none at, all if asked by a clerk.

In Washington, marijuana is available for purchase by those 21 or older at state licences retail stores.

This marks the first compliance checks since retail marijuana sales began in the state last year, and resulted in an 82% no-sales-to-minors compliance…

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Colorado Defends Marijuana Legalization Law; Asks SCOTUS to Drop Suit

DENVER, CO — States are free to legalize marijuana, Colorado argued Friday in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court in response to a lawsuit from neighboring states that have asked the nation’s highest court to shut down Colorado’s pot law.

The filing marks the first time Colorado has defended legal marijuana in writing. The federal government did not sue to block the state’s 2012 vote to legalize pot for all adults over 21.

Colorado said that Nebraska and Oklahoma should sue the federal government for not enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, not other states. Colorado said the states’ “quarrel is not with Colorado but with the federal government’s” approach to letting states experiment with pot law.

“Nebraska and Oklahoma filed this case in an attempt to reach across…

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Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Effort to Imprison Kettle Falls Five Defendants Pending Sentencing

DOJ continues to waste tax dollars trying to lock up family of medical marijuana patients, despite acquittal of almost all charges

SPOKANE, WA — Just one week after three medical marijuana patients were acquitted by a federal jury of all but one charge stemming from the widely watched Kettle Falls Five trial, US District Court Judge Thomas Rice rejected attemptsby the Justice Department (DOJ) to imprison the defendants pending sentencing on June 10th.

Judge Rice’s ruling comes just a day after defense attorneys filed their opposition to the government’s pre-sentencing detention effort.

The DOJ remains aggressive in its attempts to lock up the three family members, filing an emergency request for detention just one day after the jury reached its verdict. Apparently unsatisfied with a…

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Washington Town Opens First Government Run Marijuana Store

Cannabis Corner in North Bonneville, home to about 1,000 people on the Columbia River Gorge, will sell a range of marijuana products with all profits going back to the local community

NORTH BONNEVILLE, WA — A small town in southern Washington on Saturday opened the state’s first recreational marijuana store that is both owned and operated by the local government, officials said.

Cannabis Corner in North Bonneville, home to about 1,000 people on the Columbia River Gorge, will sell a range of marijuana products with all profits going back to the local community, city leaders said.

“It’s a really great solution for these small, rural communities that need to raise a little bit of revenue,” said Robyn Legun, general manager of Cannabis Corner.

“I think it’s a really viable option…

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Remaining ‘Kettle Falls Five’ Defendants Acquitted on 4 of 5 Charges

Three remaining Kettle Falls Five defendants found guilty of manufacturing less than 100 plants, likely to appeal

SPOKANE, WA — In an unexpected verdict Tuesday, the jury in a widely watched federal medical marijuana case from eastern Washington State, known as the Kettle Falls Five, acquitted the three remaining defendants of all but one charge of manufacturing less than 100 marijuana plants.

The charge carries no mandatory minimum sentence and defendants Rhonda Firestack-Harvey, 56, her son Rolland Gregg, 33, and daughter-in-law Michelle Gregg, 36, remain free until sentencing on June 10th at 10am.

In a prosecution and week-long trial that cost roughly $2 million tax dollars, the Obama Administration aggressively pursued marijuana trafficking charges against a family of patients who…

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Jury Selection, Opening Statements Made in Federal Medical Marijuana Trial of Kettle Falls Five

Three defendants still stand trial after dismissal of charges against cancer-stricken defendant, plea bargain by family friend

SPOKANE, WA — Trial began on Wednesday with jury selection and opening statements in a widely watched federal medical marijuana case against a family from eastern Washington State known as the Kettle Falls Five.

Last week, amidst mounting pressure, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed charges against defendant Larry Harvey, 71, who was recently diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

Earlier this week, defendant and Harvey family friend Jason Zucker accepted a plea deal, whereby he agreed to cooperate with the prosecution by testifying against his co-defendants in exchange for a single felony conviction and a recommended sentence of 16 months.

Three…

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