In May, Arkansas became the latest state to cash in on the sale of medical cannabis. Lines of people wrapped around a newly opened dispensary, drawing in customers from all four corners of the Southern U.S. state. “I see them standing outside the window with a big smile on their face,” said Bud Watkins, manager … Read more
Thailand recently became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize medical cannabis. Since the new law was passed in December, some medical cannabis advocates have expressed disappointment the legislation will effectively exclude the private sector from the lucrative industry, worth tens of billions of dollars globally, in favor of government agencies. U.S.-supported new agency … Read more
Canada became the largest country with a legal national marijuana marketplace in October. Power was first in line at a store in the eastern city of Saint John’s, Newfoundland. Canadian Ian Power was one of the first people to buy legal recreational cannabis in Canada, but he has no plans to smoke it. He plans … Read more
Almost 20% of all legal marijuana products submitted for testing to the California government since July 1 have been rejected. The testing has been especially tough on cannabis-infused cookies, candies and tinctures. Often, the products are frequently strong enough, according to data released Tuesday by the state’s Bureau of Cannabis Control. Sixty-five percent of all … Read more
It is now legal to smoke marijuana in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, but there’s a caveat. At 4:20 p.m. local time on Monday, July 30, the Georgian Constitutional Court legalized marijuana consumption while retaining laws against growing, storing and selling the drug. In the historic ruling that subverted decades of harshly restrictive drug … Read more
A Lebanese lawmaker has introduced a draft bill in parliament that would legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Speaking to the Associated Press, Antoine Habchi said he is proposing using the plant as alternative medicine to fight addiction and at the same time as a way to help Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley restore its … Read more
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced today that cannabis will be legal nationwide beginning October 17. The declaration comes after both houses of parliament voted to legalize the drug for recreational use, making Canada the first G-7 country to do so, and the second in the world following Uruguay. Trudeau welcomed the vote, tweeting: “It’s … Read more
If you want to sell cannabis or cannabis products, you must register with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) for a seller’s permit. Cannabis cultivators, processors, manufacturers, retailers, microbusinesses, and distributors making sales are required to obtain and maintain a seller’s permit as a prerequisite for applying for a license with the … Read more
Proposition 64 approving production, distribution, sale, and possession of adult recreational cannabis—passed by California voters in November 2016— ushers in a new era in the state. When the measure takes effect January 1, 2018, adult recreational use of cannabis will join medical use as a legal practice in California. But a shadow hangs over Proposition … Read more
It is no secret that cannabis occupies a strange place in the cannon of U.S. legislative history. It is both legal (in 29 states) and aggressively illegal (Federal). It is both recreational and medicinal. And it is portrayed as the boogie man for all manner of social ills, yet the U.S. government single-highhandedly engineered a … Read more