Forty-four members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a formal letter to the authors of an upcoming federal budget bill requesting they write the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment into the measure to guarantee the U.S. government can't prosecute medical marijuana...
New Mexico's Medical Cannabis Advisory Board voted for the second time since November to expand the state's qualifying condition list for MMJ, but the health department chief is apparently obstructing such an expansion. The latest vote, last Friday, was to add another...
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission has had a change of heart. Instead of picking MMJ business winners and losers by random through a lottery, the commission will instead use a merit-based scoring system to award dispensary and cultivation permits. The change...
Seven Louisiana companies have applied to run a new medical marijuana operation overseen by the Louisiana State University's AgCenter, moving the state another step closer to a functional MMJ system. According to The Advocate of Baton Rouge, the applicants include...
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the formation of a new task force subcommittee that will focus, at least in part, on marijuana enforcement policies. The subcommittee - part of the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety - will tackle "a review of...
By John Schroyer
California marijuana businesses apparently have an ally in the governor’s mansion.
Many in the MJ industry are applauding a series of overhaul proposals issued Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown for his state’s regulatory system, which will begin overseeing the cannabis trade starting in January.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has issued a series of proposed changes to his state's upcoming marijuana regulatory system in an effort to reconcile differences between a 2015 medical marijuana oversight law and the new recreational cannabis ballot initiative voters...
The upcoming implementation of California’s state medical marijuana laws as well as the new recreational cannabis system have led to policy disagreements between those in the longstanding industry and organized labor, which is eager to get involved.
By John Schroyer
Marijuana reform appears to be gaining steam in Congress this year, although the passage of any pro-cannabis legislation remains an open question and most bills appear to face long odds.
Leah Heise, who became the CEO of Women Grow less than a year ago, announced this week that she's leaving the national cannabis event and networking company, effective immediately, to run her own medical marijuana dispensary in Maryland. While Women Grow searches for...
President Donald Trump's administration is getting increasing pressure - from his circle of advisers and beyond - to maintain the current status quo when it comes to the cannabis industry. The governors of the first four states to legalize recreational cannabis on...
By John Schroyer
Less than three months into the new Congressional session, 13 bills have been introduced – including eight last Thursday – that would change the federal government’s approach to cannabis.
Here is a look at the various proposals and their potential impact.
