Many California marijuana consumers looking to buy on Jan. 1 will have to wait
California recreational marijuana is official on Jan. 1, but consumers hoping to score some weed that day in some of its biggest cities are out of luck.
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Caution and confidence in smaller California towns as recreational marijuana goes legal
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While some towns and residents are excited about California’s move to legalize recreational marijuana, there is another prevalent sentiment: concern.
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The national opioid epidemic escalated in 2016, driven by an unprecedented surge in deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opiates, according to new data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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California is offering a second chance to people convicted of marijuana crimes, with the opportunity to have their criminal records cleared or the charges sharply reduced.
Maryland more than doubles number of medical marijuana dispensaries
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Maryland’s medical marijuana regulators on Thursday approved 12 new dispensaries, bringing the total number of fully-approved legal storefronts to 22.
“It’s a very tense situation”: Maryland dispensaries off to bumpy start with shortages, closures
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Many Maryland medical marijuana dispensaries have run out of inventory in the opening days of sales or have been forced to limit sales to preregistered patients.
Maryland medical marijuana FAQ as sales start: Where to buy, products, doctors and more
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Maryland medical marijuana patients can officially purchase cannabis products in December 2017. Get info on qualifying conditions, finding a doctor, where to buy & more.
As marijuana legalization reduces alcohol use, what is the public health impact?
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Alcoholic beverage sales fell by 15 percent following the introduction of medical marijuana laws in a number of states, according to a new working paper by researchers.
In Italy, the army is the nation’s medical marijuana provider. And that’s causing problems.
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In Italy, medical cannabis is legal, but the only place it can be legally grown is a heavily guarded military facility in Florence where, this year, two greenhouses produced a yield of about 220 pounds.
NFL-er Josh Gordon says he made $10,000 a month selling weed in college
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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon wasn’t just using drugs in college; he was selling them – making as much as $10,000 a month from the sale of marijuana, according to a new interview.
Sessions wants to put more cops on the opioid beat. Experts say that won’t solve the problem.
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If the opioid epidemic was simply a problem of supply – people being able to access drugs too easily – then a targeted new effort in Appalachia announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week would be a huge stride toward combating the crisis.
Marylanders are (finally) days away from being able to legally buy medical marijuana
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The first cannabis dispensaries are set to open in Maryland, nearly five years after state lawmakers legalized marijuana for medical use.
Kidnapped man about to be traded for 30 lbs of marijuana escapes car trunk at Mexican border
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Handcuffed and duct-taped, a man bolted from the trunk of a car, the driver of which was planning to turn him over for 30 pounds of marijuana.
Millions face pain, withdrawal as opioid prescriptions plummet
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There are millions of painkiller-dependent users inhabiting a vast gray zone somewhere between medical patient and drug addict, who are finding themselves suddenly abandoned in droves by the medical system.
A grow of your very own: Nation’s capital a hotbed for DIY cannabis
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From young tokers to elderly first-timers to avid gardeners, the grow-your-own scene has bloomed in Washington, D.C. For the customers crowding a grow store, home growing is on par with home brewing. The regulars swap tips, buy supplies, brag about their results.
Nelly not supposed to rap about weed in his upcoming Saudi Arabia concert
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Nelly, whose songs extol the virtues of marijuana, alcohol, and scantily clad women may be challenged as to repertoire.
Op-ed: Maine’s governor wants to ignore the will of voters. He’s not alone.
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State legislators across the country, including Maine, are resisting the will of the people by gutting or even repealing citizen initiatives.
Op-ed: Veterans using medical marijuana in defiance of backward federal policy
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Washington Post op-ed: Veterans’ compelling stories about how medical cannabis helped them differ starkly from VA’s federally imposed silence and lack of guidance.
White House opioid commission rejects medical marijuana as pain relief option
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President Donald Trump’s commission on the opioid crisis called Wednesday for a nationwide system of drug courts and easier access to alternatives to opioids for people in pain.
Here’s how much Virginia taxpayers are spending to jail marijuana users
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Over the past 10 years, Virginia police have arrested more than 133,000 people suspected of marijuana possession, costing taxpayers up to $10,000 per day.
Could taxes as high as 45% on cannabis bolster black market in California?
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High taxes on legal marijuana in California could have the potential to turn many consumers away from the state’s cannabis shops and toward the black market, according to a new report.
Cannabis consumers have more sex, study finds
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Regular marijuana users have about 20 percent more sex than abstainers, according to a new study from researchers at Stanford University.
Sessions: Drug addiction starts with marijuana. Trump: Just say no
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Speaking at separate events Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Donald Trump delivered remarks on drug policy that matched messaging straight out of the 1980s.
Trump declares opioids a public health emergency, stopping short of national state of emergency
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President Donald Trump declared Thursday afternoon that the opioid crisis – which is killing more than 100 people each day – is a public health emergency.
As Trump prepares to declare opioid emergency, victims of crisis want action more than words
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President Donald Trump promised during the campaign to aggressively take on the opioid crisis, but his efforts to address the public health epidemic since taking office have been more show than substance.
Maryland cannabis businesses cleared of conflict of interest, approved for launch
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Medical marijuana regulators in Maryland have approved licenses for two cannabis businesses that were under investigation for potential conflicts of interest.
Another sports leader has change of heart on marijuana ban: Ex-NBA commish David Stern
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Former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who tightened up the league’s policy on marijuana during his tenure from 1984 until 2014, has reversed his opinion on the subject.
Congress demands answers from DEA on spread of opioids
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Frustrated lawmakers threatened to subpoena information from the Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing the agency of delaying responses to their questions about wholesale drug distributors.
The models of Trump’s “impenetrable” Mexico border wall have not convinced everyone
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Prototypes of Trump’s border wall have taken shape this month in a California area known for border tunnels that could undermine a wall’s effectiveness.
Opioid commission members pessimistic that Trump, Congress will act
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Members of Trump’s commission to combat the opioid epidemic are increasingly worried the Trump administration will not have a robust response.
Majoring in cannabis: New four year degree puts students on the cutting edge of the industry
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The program, Medicinal Plant Chemistry, offered by Northern Michigan University, is the first 4-year undergraduate degree focusing on marijuana.
California cannabis growers are assessing the damages. After the shock, resignation.
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For California marijuana growers, the fires have compounded existing problems with the 2018 start of adult-use cannabis sales because of a regulatory mess.
Can President Trump solve the opioid epidemic?
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Can President Donald Trump solve the opioid epidemic? How much power does the White House have to stop a crisis that kills so many Americans each year?
Martha Stewart’s transformation from home guru to Snoop’s weed-joke homie
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The cultivation of New Martha Stewart, of Hip-Hop Martha, of Martha the Queen of Dank Memes, has culminated in “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” with Season 2 set to debut on VH1.
“People die”: Former DEA division chief fought big pharma and lost
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Joe Rannazzisi, former head of the Office of Diversion Control for the Drug Enforcement Administration, says he was pushed out by members of Congress and the pharmaceutical industry.
Top law enforcement urge Trump, Sessions not to lock up low-level drug offenders
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Law enforcement leaders sent a letter to Jeff Sessions and President Donald Trump, urging them not to return to arresting and imprisoning low-level drug offenders.
Under pressure, Justice Department creates internal watchdog for asset forfeiture program
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A unit will be set up in the Justice Department to oversee a policy that allows police to take cash and property from people suspected of a crime, even if they have not been charged.
NFL uses its muscle to endorse criminal justice legislation
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The NFL has decided to endorse a bipartisan criminal-justice reform bill that reduces mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders.
Trump calls drug czar pick “a great guy” but he will “look into” connections to big pharma
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Congressional Democrats reacted sharply to reports that Rep. Tom Marino steered legislation that reduced federal enforcement capabilities against drug companies.
Recreational marijuana is saving lives in Colorado, study suggests
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Marijuana legalization in Colorado led to a “reversal” of opiate overdose deaths in that state, according to new research published this week.
How Congress helped drug company lobbyists derail the DEA’s war on opioids
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In April 2016, Congress effectively disabled the Drug Enforcement Administration in its war against large drug companies suspected of releasing narcotics onto the streets.
“No simple solutions”: What the US government should do to combat the opioid epidemic
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If the United States hopes to come to grips with the opioid epidemic, two authorities on the crisis say there are specific steps the government must take.
Suspended NFL-er Josh Gordon says troubles started when Baylor coaches helped him pass marijuana drug tests
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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, suspended since 2014, is admitting to his substance-abuse problems in his attempt to return to the field.
IRS targeted nonprofits with names including “medical marijuana,” “progressive”
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A federal watchdog has identified cases in which the Internal Revenue Service may have given extra scrutiny to groups with names including “medical marijuana.”
World Anti-Doping Agency removes ban on CBD; THC still prohibited
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The World Anti-Doping Agency has removed CBD, an anti-inflammatory compound derived from cannabis, from its 2018 prohibited substances list.
Will Canada be able to fully legalize and regulate marijuana by July?
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Prime Minister Justin Tredeau vowed to legalize marijuana nationwide by next summer. It hasn’t been that easy.
FDA hints it may crack down on marijuana products that claim health benefits
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may start cracking down on unproven claims that marijuana has health benefits, the agency’s commissioner said Tuesday.
The devastating American opioid crisis… of 1908
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Opiates were wickedly addictive to early 19th century Americans, and their control became a cause celebre for Progressive-era reformers.
