Massachusetts

Provided Governor Phil Scott does not veto the measure when it hits his desk, Vermont will become the next state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
The House approved measure S.22 by a count of 79-66, setting the stage for legal weed in Vermont for adults over the age of 21, effective July 2018.
Should the Governor sign off, Vermont would be the ninth state in the U.S.

Last year, a total of four states voted to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. Although most of the attention has been focused on California, Massachusetts, and to some extent, Nevada, the small northeastern state of Maine is in the midst of constructing a lucrative cannabis market of their own.

While lawmakers are reluctant to become the first state in the country to allow social marijuana clubs, this hasn’t stopped lobbyists from using big bucks to help garner more influence over regulations.

What is the DUI limit for marijuana in states where it’s legal?As everyone is aware, recreational cannabis is now fully legal for adults up and down the West coast, as well as in Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, and D.C.  Psychoactive marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in twenty other states, and counting.Critics of legalization have complained that there will inevitably be a spike in drugged driving in these “green” states, due to increased availability and reduced social stigma.  The numbers do not necessarily prove naysayers’ predictions correct – at least not yet.

The majestically mountainous state of Vermont is known as a progressive bastion in the northeastern part of the United States, but somehow, neighboring states like Massachusetts and Maine have been quicker to pass legislation approving recreational cannabis. However, the last few months have shown that the state is nearing some form of legalization. 

Back in February, proposition H. 170 hit the floor of the Vermont House, aiming to legalize possession of marijuana.

(Photo courtesy Flickr.com/gageskidmore)


A bipartisan group of House Democrats and Republicans recently hashed out a $1 trillion budget for government spending, but none of which will be used to crack down on legal pot.
A new government funding bill will block the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute law-abiding medical marijuana companies operating in legal states, reports the Orange County Register.
The budget’s full text of the marijuana provision is as follows:
None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to any of the States

When Massachusetts voters acted to pass marijuana legalization back in November, the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy was formed to help usher in the ever evolving cannabis climate. The committee, chaired by Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Rep. Mark Cusack (D-Braintree), is tasked with transforming a piece of legislature into a functional and regulated marijuana market in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Beginning on Monday, the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy began hearing all of the cannabis-related bills designated to them — nearly 40 in total.

This past weekend marked Boston’s third annual New England Cannabis Convention. The event celebrated Massachusetts’ new recreational legalization laws, with vendors selling glassware, soil solutions, grow boxes, and app ideas throughout the Hynes Convention Center.

While some football fans throughout America will light up joints this 4/20, some players they root for will be peeing in cups. April 20 isn’t just a stoner holiday, the day also signifies when the NFL starts drug testing its players.
This Thursday, the league will send players messages notifying them of a drug test — and then the players will have “at most” three hours to provide a urine sample.