New Mexico poll: 3 out of 5 residents want recreational marijuana
Three out of five New Mexico residents support the legalization and taxation of recreational marijuana, according to poll results released Thursday.
The Associated Press
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D.C. Council wedged between a rock and a pot place on smoking club issue
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A bill to permanently ban marijuana smoking in private clubs in the nation’s capital revealed deep divisions on the liberal Washington, D.C. city council.
Drug traffickers ‘hiding in plain sight’ amid legal Colorado marijuana
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While Colorado’s legal marijuana industry is tightly regulated to keep pot out of the black market in other states, there are bad actors working outside the system.
It’s official: Florida medical marijuana will be on November 2016 ballot
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A proposed constitutional amendment to allow medical use of marijuana in Florida will be back on the ballot in November 2016.
Kansas Senate panel keeps brakes on medical marijuana issue
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A Kansas Senate committee wasn’t ready to endorse a narrow medical marijuana proposal on Tuesday,an action designed to spark more hearings.
Cash-strapped Colorado mountain town says ‘yes’ to marijuana grows
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Voters in a special election approved an ordinance to allow commercial marijuana grows in Hayden, Colorado.
A Cy of relief: Pro-pot Iowa State student group wins free speech case
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A federal judge ruled that Iowa State University administrators violated the constitutional free speech rights of student members of a pro-marijuana group.
Outcry forces Arizona lawmaker to drop effort to limit medical marijuana
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A Republican lawmaker has withdrawn a bill restricting access to medical marijuana — and apologized — after receiving hundreds of complaints.
California lawmakers scrambling to slow local bans on marijuana growing
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The California Senate on Monday approved a bill aimed at slowing a rush of cities and counties racing to ban marijuana cultivation.
Kansas Supreme Court voids local pot law in state’s largest city
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The Kansas Supreme Court has struck down a Wichita voter-approved ordinance that reduces penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Kansas law has no provision for statewide ballot initiatives and the Legislature has repeatedly rejected efforts in the past to liberalize marijuana laws in the state.
Veterans among opponents who say Kansas hemp-oil bill ‘not enough’
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A Kansas legislative committee heard from opponents of a bill allowing for medical hemp preparations to treat seizures. The dissenters said that a broader version of the measure could reverse rampant abuse of prescription drugs.
Saying tribes aren’t a ‘state,’ feds urge dismissal of Menominee hemp lawsuit
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The U.S. Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration say a lawsuit from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin seeking the right to grow an industrial crop related to marijuana should be dismissed.
Arizona Republicans propose tougher limits on access to medical marijuana
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Republican lawmakers are trying to amend Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act to make it more difficult for patients to access medication.
Kansas could see reduced jail times for marijuana misdemeanors
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The Kansas Senate is reviewing a bill approved by the House last year that would lessen penalties for possession and allow medical hemp preparations for seizures.
Legalized states taking fresh look at out-of-state marijuana investing
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States that have legalized pot are taking a fresh look at making it easier for out-of-state investors to get in the weed business, saying the industry’s ongoing difficulty in banking means they need new options to finance expansion.
Illinois medical marijuana advocacy group pushes for expansion
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A statewide coalition plans to launch a social media campaign to press Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration to expand the medical marijuana pilot program to more patients.
Florida medical marijuana still not a reality, two years later
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In the two years since the Florida legislature passed a law allowing highly restricted use of medical marijuana to help people with seizures, the measure remains in regulatory limbo, with more questions than answers.
Ohio group aims to get state pot amendment back on 2016 ballot
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A group hoping to put a marijuana legalization issue on Ohio’s ballot this fall says it won’t wait to see if state lawmakers act on medical marijuana and will push ahead with its proposal, despite the failure of a separate effort in November.
Keep Portland cleared — of pot smoke
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The World Famous Cannabis Cafe could face closure as complaints about public pot smoking drive enforcement of Oregon’s Indoor Clean Air Act.
Survey: Minnesota doctors feel conflicted about medical marijuana
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A new survey shows many doctors in Minnesota are reluctant to accept medical marijuana as a treatment option.
Arizona marijuana legalization looking like sure bet for 2016 ballot
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A proposal to legalize marijuana in Arizona is on track to qualify for the ballot but faces opposition over the number of dispensary licenses it allows.
Little by little, schools opening up to kids’ use of medical marijuana
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Fresh claims about the pediatric use of medical cannabis have prompted some districts to change their policy on students dosing during the school day.
Slow start: In all of New York, just 71 medical marijuana patients
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The New York medical marijuana program has 71 registered patients so far; the program launched on Jan. 7.
Massachusetts state senators to get inside look at Colorado marijuana
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Members of a Massachusetts Senate panel plan to visit Colorado next week to learn more about that state’s experience with the legalized use of recreational marijuana.
Enter ‘Mad Men’ — Marijuana industry turns to branding
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As the cannabis industry starts going mainstream, marijuana marketing faces trademark and legal challenges.
Oklahoma AG: Colorado pot laws have created ‘massive criminal enterprise’
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Oklahoma’s attorney general says his state and others are suffering from the export of marijuana from Colorado and wants the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether Colorado’s pot market violates federal law.
Kansas AG puts out statewide call for info on Colorado marijuana
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Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is gathering data from local law enforcement agencies in an effort to measure the impact of Colorado-purchased marijuana on the state.
Want to get into the Oregon weed biz? State now taking license applications
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Oregon recreational marijuana licenses are now being accepted. The state has no limit to the number of grower or retailer licenses it will issue.
Washington state marijuana retailers cope with falling pot prices
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As the price of marijuana continues to drop, Washington pot businesses are struggling to keep up with the changes.
New York medical marijuana program launches Jan. 7
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The New York medical marijuana program is off to a slow start: Only 150 physicians have completed the required registration with the state, and only eight of 20 dispensaries expect to open on Thursday.
Coming to New York: Certified kosher medical marijuana products
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A New York company called Vireo Health says it will soon offer the first certified kosher medical marijuana.
Cannabis is now the third Oregon product with a sales tax
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On Jan. 4, Oregon started collecting a 25 percent sales tax on marijuana products sold to people without medical cards.
6 in western N.Y. charged in Denver-Buffalo marijuana ring
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Federal authorities say six western New York residents have been charged with being part of a drug ring that distributed marijuana between Colorado and Buffalo.
College athletes and marijuana: Harsh punishments no longer the norm
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AP Exclusive: Some of the nation’s biggest universities, from Oregon to Auburn, have already eased their punishments as society’s views on marijuana use have changed.
Cops quash D.C. man’s edibles-for-donations biz — but he says it’s legal
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A man accused of running a mobile business that openly offered marijuana edibles for “donations” in Washington D.C. is adamant that he didn’t break any laws.
Colombia legalizes medical marijuana with president’s decree
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Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has signed a decree legalizing the growing and sale of marijuana for medical purposes.
Oklahoma AG to keep pursuing marijuana lawsuit against Colorado
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Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has said that he plans to continue to press the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to sue Colorado over its marijuana laws, despite objection from President Obama’s administration.
Hemp lip balm causes furor at Alaska military base — 400 tubes tossed
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Officials say they had to discard hundreds of tubes of lip balm that were distributed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richards after they were found to have hemp seed oil as an ingredient, which may contain trace amounts of THC.
Note to self: Hide seeds and stems BEFORE calling cops to report a crime
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A 21-year-old man who called police to report an attempted burglary wound up being arrested himself.
Mexico permits 4 people to legally grow, consume marijuana
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The Mexican government on Friday granted the first permits allowing the cultivation and possession of marijuana for personal use.
Florida man tending pot grow spooked by copter, mistakenly surrenders
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A man who authorities say was growing marijuana in a central Florida storage unit panicked when he heard a police helicopter hovering nearby and called 911 to surrender.
Canada marijuana legalization emphasized in Liberal agenda
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Canada’s new Liberal government again promised Friday to legalize marijuana in a speech outlining its agenda as Parliament resumes after the Oct. 19 election.
Illinois medical marijuana patients erroneously told to give up guns
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Nearly two years after Illinois decided medical marijuana users shouldn’t be prohibited from owning guns, several patients received letters from state police telling them their firearms cards were being revoked.
More gift-wrapped weed: $120K worth of pot found during Texas traffic stop
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A California man faces drug possession charges after a trooper searched his vehicle in northwestern Texas and found $120,000 worth of marijuana, including some neatly wrapped in holiday gift boxes.
Let’s talk pot: Mexico to hold national public debate on legalization
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Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto came out strongly against legalizing marijuana on Wednesday, the same day his government announced a national public debate on the issue.
Minnesota medical marijuana expands to allow pain patients
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Minnesota medical marijuana: Intractable pain will be added to the list of qualifying conditions in a long-awaited decision.
Want to open a marijuana business in Alaska? Rules are changing
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The board tasked with writing rules for Alaska’s recreational marijuana industry backtracked Tuesday and adopted stricter residency requirements for applicants for pot business licenses.
Update: Cancer patient gets medical marijuana card after court order
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New Hampshire health officials have approved a lung cancer patient’s application for an identification card that will allow her to buy medical marijuana in Maine.
Court: No medical marijuana immunity under Arizona DUI law
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The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that medical marijuana cardholders don’t have immunity from prosecution under a state DUI law that prohibits drivers from having in their bodies any amount of marijuana or its chemical compound that causes impairment.
