For the first time ever, on Tuesday a major party candidate for President of the United States raised money from the legal weed industry.
Rand Paul, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky running for the Republican nomination for president, raked in thousands of dollars when he held a fundraiser in conjunction with the Cannabis Business Summit at the Denver Convention Center.
Later in the day he rallied with supporters and held a private fundraiser at the Denver Athletic Club.
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Forty-two years after Oregon became the first state to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, the state is taking its first steps along a road leading to state-licensed stores selling limited amounts of it to anyone over 21.
“Oregon has long been a pioneer on sensible marijuana policies,” said Anthony Johnson, chief petitioner on Measure 91, which on Wednesday makes Oregon the fourth state to adopt laws legalizing recreational use of cannabis for people old enough to drink.
He added though that he doesn’t expect much increased demand for it.
Smoking it in public is illegal, but in Portland police are discouraging residents from calling 911 to report smokers.
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People who make marijuana hash oil with hazardous materials at home will face felony charges in Colorado, and online bullies will be subject to penalties for harassment under new state laws taking effect Wednesday.
Licensed manufacturers of pot concentrates won’t be affected by the new law, but amateur cooks will be charged if they use materials like a flammable liquid chemical or compressed gas, both of which have been linked to explosions. More than 30 butane explosions were connected to hash production in 2014.
One of the sponsors of the law, Rep. Yeulin Willett, R-Delta, said that one benefit of the legislation is that it will allow law enforcement to make arrests before there’s an explosion, rather prosecuting cases after the fact. “Many jurisdictions felt that their hands were tied, and they could only respond after an accident,” he said.
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Washington state’s recreational marijuana law has a new tax structure under a measure signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee.
The new law eliminates the current three-tier tax structure and replaces it with a single excise tax of 37 percent at the point of sale — a change sought by the legal-pot industry. 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 also allows them to adopt more flexible zoning for where pot grows and stores can be located.
The passage of Initiative 502 in 2012 allowed the sale of marijuana to adults for recreational use at licensed stores, which started opening last year. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed and Inslee signed into law a measure that regulates the state’s medical marijuana system and reconciles the two markets.
