Sometimes we observe a car wreck and rubber neck our way until it is out of our sight. I had that feeling during the hearings for Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh. As I listened to the testimony, it surfaced repeatedly that the incidents in question revolved around heavy drinking. The presumed assault was not committed by […]
marijuana legalization
Weeding out foreigners: strains over Thailand’s legalization of marijuana
Thailand is set to become the first Asian country to legalize medical marijuana, but a battle is brewing between local and foreign firms over control of a potentially lucrative market. With parliament set to approve the legislation as early as next month, Thai businesses and activists have raised concerns that a raft of patent requests […]
Cuomo to reveal ‘green new deal’ with marijuana on state’s 2019 agenda
It’s high time to decriminalize marijuana in New York, Democratic leaders are saying. Come the start of the legislative session in January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will reveal a “green new deal” of his own. Details are scarce, but the governor’s team promised it would consider the recommendations that the Department of Health released in July calling for […]
New Jersey Legalization Bill Allows Employers To Fire Over Marijuana Use
New Jersey residents eagerly awaiting the chance to use marijuana without fear of arrest will have one more hurdle to pass before they are home free: their employer. The New Jersey bill legalizing recreational marijuana includes an amendment that allows employers to prohibit employees from using drugs, even if it means testing for marijuana. “Even […]
Michigan Officially Legalizes Marijuana For Recreational Use
Legal marijuana has officially come to the Midwest. Under a new measure taking effect Thursday in Michigan, people ages 21 and older in the state can legally possess and use cannabis for recreational purposes. Michigan voters approved the initiative in November with 56 percent of the vote. Michigan’s Proposal 1 allows for the possession and […]
Medical marijuana bill passes in Utah after compromise gains support from Mormon church
Utah has passed sweeping changes to a new voter-approved medical-marijuana ballot measure under a planned compromise that secured support of the influential Mormon church but sparked a backlash from advocates. Supporters of the compromise cheered the vote, saying it would help suffering patients while creating safeguards against broader recreational use. “I believe this agreement was a landmark day […]
Marijuana will be legal in Michigan on Dec. 6: What to know
The official certification of the 2018 election results Monday begins a 10-day clock for legal weed in Michigan. But even though the law doesn’t take effect until Dec. 6, prosecutors in Michigan, including in Macomb and Oakland counties, are beginning to quietly dismiss low-level marijuana criminal charges that will no longer be a crime after […]
NJ Bill Legalizing Adult-Use Marijuana Gains Committee Approval
Legislation that would legalize adult use marijuana in New Jersey gained the approval of a Senate committee today. Sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari and Senate President Steve Sweeney, the bill, S-2703, would legalize the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and older and create an organizational and regulatory system to […]
Hearings Set for Marijuana Bill in New Jersey
Local municipalities will have the option of levying a 2 percent tax on weed sales for their own coffers, in addition to a 12 percent state tax on cannabis sales, under a long-awaited bill to make the drug legal for recreational use in the Garden State. That and other components of the proposed bill—sponsored by […]
While marijuana sales begin in Massachusetts, could New York next?
If New York chooses to follow Massachusetts’ lead on recreational marijuana, Tuesday provided a window in to what it might see. Hundreds of people swarmed the New England Treatment Access store on Tuesday morning as Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. The store is one […]
With Pritzker and Madigan on board, Illinois Dems push again for marijuana legalization
State Sen. Heather Steans and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy introduced legislation last March to legalize recreational cannabis in Illinois, but the bills failed in both houses of the Legislature. A lot has since changed in Illinois politics, and the Chicago Democrats now plan to give it another try. On Election Day, pro-pot Democrat J.B. Pritzker cruised to victory past […]
Mexico considers legalizing marijuana during its war on drugs
Mexico may soon legalize marijuana, a radical shift for a country whose prohibition on narcotics has been at the heart of its long and violent war against drug traffickers. Legislation submitted to Congress this month by the party of leftist President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would regulate cannabis, allowing it to be grown, sold and […]
First pass at legal marijuana could roll into New Jersey Statehouse in days, but full vote will require joint effort
New Jersey lawmakers could finally — finally — begin voting on legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in the state within two weeks. But as for when final votes will take place? That’s still up in the air. The top two leaders of the state Legislature said Wednesday they expect legislation making cannabis legal to be voted out of committee by the end […]
Aurora Cannabis Shares Gain on Post-Legalization Sales in Canada
Aurora Cannabis Inc., the first pot producer to report earnings since Canada legalized marijuana last month, gained as much as 5 percent in pre-market trading after profit and sales surged. Aurora posted C$29.7 million ($22 million) in revenue for the fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30, up from C$8.2 million a year earlier. Although the […]
Marijuana Seizures Up 140 Percent at US-Canadian Border Since Legalization
US Border guards have processed 108 marijuana seizures at the US-Canada border crossing between Buffalo, NY and Champlain, Ontario in October. That’s a nearly 140 percent increase from the 44 marijuana seizures made at that same border crossing during October of last year. And Chief Customs and Border Protection Officer Aaron Bowker says people shouldn’t […]
Canada Runs Low on Legal Marijuana Just Weeks After Its Approval
Canada is running low on legal pot three weeks after the government approved the use of recreational marijuana, a shortage that is sending some frustrated consumers back to the black market. At least three provinces — Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick — are facing a dearth of legal marijuana and two of them have seen outlets […]
North Dakota Voters Reject Recreational Marijuana Measure
U.S. efforts to legalize recreational marijuana use saw mixed results on Tuesday, as voters in Michigan approved a measure legalizing the drug while North Dakotans looked set to block it. Michigan became the 10th U.S. state to legalize recreational pot use, according to CNN and advocates. Its proposal also levies a 10 percent sales tax […]
Michigan becomes 10th state to allow recreational marijuana
Marijuana advocates scored a number of substantial ballot victories in the middle of the country on Election Day, chief among them the legalization of recreational marijuana in Michigan, which becomes the 10th state in the nation to approve recreational use of the drug. “Michigan will be the first state in the Midwest to end marijuana prohibition […]
