Tag Archives: MerryJane.com

Vermont is one signature away from legalizing recreational weed. In an unprecedented move in America’s legalization process, Governor Phil Scott has the opportunity to pass the first recreational legalization bill without a vote from the general public.

According to Vermont Public Radio, state lawmakers passed the bill, H.

One of the biggest benefits of cannabis legalization is the supposed end to the black market. After all, if legal, regulated pot shops are on block, what need is there for back-alley dealers? Well, according to a new report from the Cannabis Consumers Coalition, that might not yet be the case.

In a survey of daily cannabis users, less than 12% of respondents said they purchase their cannabis from a recreational dispensary. 23% said they cop at medical dispensaries, around 14% said they grow their own and less than 5% rely on independent caregivers.

 

After voters in California approved Prop 64 back in November, local policymakers shifted their focus towards loosening the laws against recreational cannabis use. While penalties for minor pot crimes have been effectively eliminated, there is still a number of Californians who remain behind bars on marijuana-related federal charges.

According to a study conducted by the Drug Policy Alliance, in 2015 alone, more than 2,100 people in California were incarcerated for offenses strictly pertaining to cannabis. After recreational legalization was approved, hundreds of these prisoners have filed petitions to have their charges dropped.

Some California municipalities have figured out one way to run illegal medical marijuana dispensaries out of town – shut off their electricity, water and other utilities they need to survive.

According to a report from the Pasadena Star-News, the city of Pasadena is planning to disconnect the utilities of those businesses that continue to violate the citywide ban on medical marijuana sales.

Now that Maine residents have approved recreational legalization in their state, it's up to the Maine Legislature to set the rules for the new market. The newly passed Marijuana Legalization Act limits the amount of growing space for recreational weed to 800,000 square feet, or 18.4 acres. However, lawmakers are now debating whether lifting this cap would weaken the state's marijuana black market or make it stronger.

Proponents of the cap believe that if cultivators overestimate demand and grow too much weed, they will be tempted to sell their overage to the black market.

With recreational legalization already on the books in 8 states and making its way to the ballot in a number of states in 2018, cannabis advocates in some parts of the country are already looking towards the next battle.

Federal lawmakers gathered in the nation’s capital on Wednesday in an attempt to jump start a proposal aimed at dragging the United States out of the seemingly bottomless pit of marijuana prohibition.

Earlier this year, Representative Thomas Garrett of Virginia began pushing a bill called the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act,” which calls for pot to become a part of legitimate American commerce.

Job applicants across the country are testing positive for recent use of marijuana and other drugs at the highest rate in 12 years, according to a new report by clinical lab Quest Diagnostics. An analysis of 10 million workplace drug screens has found that 4.2% of applicants tested positive for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamine, or heroin.

It’s no secret that the American cannabis industry is booming. But with Nevada set to start recreational sales early and California and Massachusetts following closely behind, it might be time to take a new look at the immediate financial possibilities of legal weed.

Thankfully, the 2017 Marijuana Business Factbook is here to do just that.

While cannabis is becoming more widely accepted as a safe and beneficial substance, the use of newer and more extreme psychoactive drugs has also grown more rampant. One of the primary obstacles for dealing with “bath salts” (aka "Flakka") and other psychoactive substances is the inability to fully test and study them. 

Currently, information on the use of bath salts is limited to data gathered from seizures and poisonings. Additionally, most people consuming these psychoactive drugs are unaware that they’re even under the influence.