The Associated Press

Recent posts by The Associated Press

Washington state marijuana testing lab could lose its license

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A marijuana testing lab in Poulsbo, Wash., is at risk of losing its license after state auditors found suspicious results and practices.

Ouch! Washington state feels pot pinch since Oregon went legal

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Towns along the Washington border have felt competition from Oregon’s nascent state-regulated marijuana market more keenly than anywhere else. Revenue in those counties has seen a steep drop since last fall, even as overall Washington pot sales continue to climb.

This state may be the first to approve medical pot for menstrual cramps

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New Jersey lawmakers seem to agree with Whoopi Goldberg in introducing a bill that would loosen medical marijuana laws to allow women access to pot-based products for their menstrual cramps.

Have Vermont pot legalization efforts been nipped in the bud?

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Vermont pot legalization efforts this year may have gone up in smoke Friday, as a House committee passed a measure that calls for more study.

Three men accused of smuggling drugs between U.S. and Canada

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A 44-year-old Canadian man has been arraigned on drug-smuggling charges. Federal officials in Buffalo say Harinder Dhaliwal of Ontario was part of a group involved in smuggling cocaine and marijuana across the U.S.-Canadian border between 2007 and 2011.

University of Michigan Hash Bash draws thousands — and Tommy Chong

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An estimated 8,000 people — including Tommy Chong — attended at the annual University of Michigan pot rally in Ann Arbor in support of marijuana use.

Rhode Island marijuana legalization efforts to get a look-see at forum

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Rhode Island marijuana legalization will get some attention when the attorney general hosts a forum focused on learning from states that have legalized the drug.

Pot legalization issue finds advocates scrambling in Connecticut

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Even though two recreational pot legalization bills in Connecticut failed this session, proponents seek to keep the issue alive through public hearings.

Hemp farming in Tennessee hits the dirt after 2015 struggles

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Tennessee hemp farming will suffer this year because farmers don’t plan to grow hemp again due to profit shortfalls; they blame U.S. Customs, in part.

Medical marijuana questions could put a hurt on Pennsylvania patients

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Pennsylvania Senate backers of medical marijuana cite flaws in the House bill, which could delay getting the drug to cancer and epilepsy patients.

AP poll: 61 percent of Americans support legal marijuana

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Sixty-one percent of those surveyed by AP-NORC support legal marijuana; only a quarter believe marijuana use is ‘a very or extremely serious problem.’

Sprawling cross-border drug tunnel shut down; 1,350 lbs. pot seized

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U.S. authorities have shut down a cross-border tunnel that ran the length of four football fields from a restaurant in Mexicali, Mexico, to a newly built house in Calexico, California, following an investigation that netted more than 1,300 pounds of marijuana and resulted in four arrests.

Victory for South Dakota tribal hemp farmer as judge lifts decade-old ban

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A federal judge on Monday lifted a decade-old injunction prohibiting a South Dakota tribal member from producing industrial hemp, although other issues need to be resolved before he can grow it on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Marijuana advocate Shona Banda sues Kansas after state took custody of son

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Shona Banda is suing Kansas and agencies involved in removing her 11-year-old son from her home after he spoke up at school about her marijuana use.

Talking pot: Vermont House panels set marijuana hearing for March 31

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A legislative proposal to legalize the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana will be the topic at a Statehouse hearing later this month.

80-year-old pot dealer with wild life story gets 10 years in prison

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An 80-year-old man who ran a sprawling marijuana-dealing operation that covered several states, with records going back to 1992, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Pot and PTSD: Veterans aren’t waiting on research, which worries doctors

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A growing number of states are weighing whether to legalize marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. But for many veterans, the debate is already over. They’re increasingly using cannabis even though it is unapproved by the Department of Veterans Affairs because major studies have yet to show it is effective against PTSD.

Kentucky hemp production ramps up for 2016 harvest

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Kentucky hemp will step up production in the third year of testing its cash-crop potential, planting five times more in the next statewide pilot projects.

Leaders off the field: Former QBs push medical research funding on CBD

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Jim McMahon and Jake Plummer are among a number of former NFL players who believe cannabidiol, or CBD, could help millions who suffer brain injuries each year, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repeated concussions.

A crooked hand: Maine’s legal weed rests on signature of troubled notary

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The chance for Maine voters to decide in November whether to legalize marijuana comes down to the disputed signature of one person — notary and former lawmaker Stavros J. Mendros.
Mendros, who has a 2007 conviction related to his notary practice and who has been fined twice by the state ethics commission, helped organize the petition drive to get the marijuana question on the ballot.

Rhode Island governor open to letting voters decide on legalizing weed

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Gov. Gina Raimondo says she’s open to the possibility of letting Rhode Island voters decide if they want to legalize recreational marijuana.

Watch: Up-close look at dispensary’s butane hash oil extraction explosion

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A New Mexico medical marijuana dispensary has been fined for safety violations after an explosion badly burned two workers who were making butane hash oil.

Pennsylvania medical marijuana bill heads to Senate for final OK

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A bill to let Pennsylvania patients who suffer from a list of ailments obtain marijuana for therapeutic purposes easily passed the state House on Wednesday, leaving only approval by the Senate, which overwhelmingly passed a similar bill last year.

Georgia lawmaker scores with revival of his medical marijuana bill

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A push to expand the number of people allowed to possess medical marijuana in Georgia got new life Tuesday after a Republican lawmaker’s original proposal stalled in the state Senate.

Battle brewing on when to implement severe Montana pot restrictions

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Severe medical marijuana restrictions that would force the closure of large dispensaries should go into effect no more than 49 days after the Montana Supreme Court upheld a disputed 2011 state law, an attorney for the Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Officers charged with stealing snacks, vandalism in California pot shop raid

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Santa Ana dispensary raid: Three police officers were charged with misdemeanor petty theft and one with vandalism in a May 2015 raid on Sky High Holistic, which was operating without permits.

Montana medical marijuana advocates file petition, get restrictions delayed

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Medical marijuana advocates are asking the Montana Supreme Court to delay implementing a ruling last month that will limit providers to selling the drug to no more than three patients and force the closure of the state’s large dispensaries.

Pennsylvania medical marijuana: Sweeping bill under debate in House

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A proposal to allow marijuana to be prescribed for a list of medical conditions is being debated on the Pennsylvania House floor, where it’s facing changes before a final vote.

Strange twist in court case for suspected pot dealer who’s 80

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A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement that called for a five- to seven-year prison sentence for an 80-year-old man who’s accused of running a multistate marijuana-dealing operation.

Global drug policy can’t evolve unless U.N. changes mind-set, group warns

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The Global Commission on Drug Policy says the United Nations needs to scrap its outdated philosophy of prohibition and incarceration; the focus needs to be on decriminalization on treatment.

No changes for Utah marijuana laws: Bill for expanded CBD use killed

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Utah will not pass a medical marijuana bill this year. Lawmakers on Thursday killed the more restrictive of two medical marijuana bills introduced in the state. They rejected a broader plan earlier this week.

Hearts sink as South Dakota rejects bill promoting use of CBD for epilepsy

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George Hendrickson watched this week as his immediate hopes for treating his young son with a non-intoxicating compound in cannabis went down with a bill in the South Dakota Legislature. “Good old South Dakota, home of the dinosaurs,” he said.

Florida medical marijuana bill with ‘Right to Try’ expansion heads to gov

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Florida’s contentious medical marijuana legislation that would expand the so-called “Right to Try” act for terminal patients is headed to Gov. Rick Scott.

If Massachusetts legalizes pot, what can be learned from Colorado?

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Massachusetts may not be prepared for public health and safety issues associated with the potential legalization of recreational marijuana, a special state Senate committee that recently visited Colorado warned in a 118-page report on their findings.

Much-amended Utah medical marijuana plan still gets rejected

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A proposal that would have made edible marijuana products legal in Utah for those with chronic pain died Monday — concluding a more than yearlong effort that was severely stunted after the Mormon church came out in opposition last month.