Law & Politics
State Department: Obama Could Call for Global Drug Decriminalization
Just weeks ahead of the first high-level United Nations review of global drug policies in nearly two decades, a top U.S. State Department official said that other countries have the right to set their own approaches, including decriminalization. He also suggested that the Obama administration may go beyond merely tolerating other nations’ removal of criminal […]
Marijuana: Candidates for North Dakota Governor Disagree
It seems like the conversation about legalizing marijuana is popping up just about everywhere these days. On Thursday night, the question of whether to end cannabis prohibition came up during a debate between Republican candidates for North Dakota’s governor. With less than a month to go before a nominee is endorsed by party insiders at the […]
Senate Could Vote to Allow Marijuana Banking This Week
The U.S. Senate could soon vote to finally allow banks to do business with marijuana providers without fear of criminal prosecution. Due to current federal money laundering and drug laws, most financial services providers are reluctant to take on cannabis businesses as clients, even those that operate legally under state law. As a result, many marijuana dispensaries are forced to operate […]
Maine Marijuana Legalization Initiative Fails to Qualify for Ballot
Maine voters may have just missed their chance to make their state one of the next to legalize marijuana. The Maine Secretary of State’s office announced on Wednesday that cannabis reform advocates failed to collect enough valid signatures from registered voters in order to qualify their initiative for November’s ballot. Pro-legalization forces with the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol […]
California Democratic Party Reaffirms Support for Legal Marijuana
A measure to legalize marijuana is likely to appear on California’s ballot this November, and the state’s biggest political party supports the idea. The California Democratic Party, at its annual convention over the weekend, reaffirmed a platform plank supporting “the legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana, in a manner similar to that of tobacco or […]
State Legislatures Take Action on Marijuana
While most marijuana policy reform victories to date have been achieved at the ballot box via voter initiatives, lawmakers are increasingly taking action to change cannabis laws. Here are a few key upcoming state legislative developments to watch: Vermont By a vote of 17-12, the Vermont State Senate gave final approval to a bill to […]
National NORML Board Endorses AUMA Legalization Initiative in CA
At a board meeting held on Saturday, February 20th in Washington, DC, the NORML Board of Directors voted to endorse the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) voter initiative to legalize marijuana in California. The NORML Board reversed its former policy of waiting until an initiative has officially qualified for the ballot before endorsing it, […]
Bush vs. Sanders: Grading Presidential Policy on Marijuana Reform
As the festival of shame tours the country, pandering for votes and making promises they’ve little intention of keeping, the 2016 Presidential primaries have occasionally touched on the socially relevant topic of marijuana legalization during the Republican and Democratic debates. While both sides obviously hold opposing views on the legalization issue – one seems slightly […]
How Will Scalia’s Death Affect Marijuana Case at Supreme Court?
It’s been much discussed how the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday will greatly affect voting rights, abortion policy, campaign finance and even the 2016 presidential election. But it could also have big implications for marijuana legalization. This Friday, the justices are currently scheduled to discuss the lawsuit that Nebraska and Oklahoma filed against […]
Senior Citizens and Medical Marijuana Seniors: Natural Cannabis Healing
The Art of Growing Cannabis (Marijuana) While almost anyone can grow marijuana, it takes a certain knack, love, apppreciation & determination to improve your growing skills time after time with something that is different (improved) every time you grow (any strain). The plant itself is “living” Art. Like many things that come from Nature, besides […]