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Police kill man near California pot farms evacuated by fire
WEED, Calif. (AP) — Officers shot and killed a man who pulled a gun as they tried to keep him out of a complex of marijuana farms in an area of far Northern California where thousands of people were ordered…
Mexico high court mandates permits for personal pot use
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court ordered the government Monday to issue permits for the personal use of marijuana and for the growing of limited amounts of pot plants, after the country’s Congress took too long to approve a…
Washington’s ‘joints for jabs’ vaccine program falling flat
SEATTLE (AP) — It was designed as an innovative way to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, but Washington’s new “joints for jabs” program is off to a rough start. Officials announced Monday that the state’s nearly 500 licensed marijuana retailers could begin…
Global sting began by creating message service for crooks
SAN DIEGO (AP) — When the FBI dismantled an encrypted messaging service based in Canada in 2018, agents noticed users moving to other networks. Instead of following their tracks to rivals, investigators decided on a new tactic: creating their own…
Lawmakers discuss future of medical marijuana in Mississippi
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The leader of the organization that sponsored the voter-approved Mississippi medical marijuana initiative that was recently blocked in court says the program should be changed and improved by the state Legislature — but not by too…
Pot users welcome: Amazon won’t test jobseekers for cannabis
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Tuesday that it will stop testing jobseekers for marijuana. The company, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from…
Since the nose doesn’t know pot is now legal, K-9s retire
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Asking dogs to follow their noses won’t work anymore in states that have legalized marijuana. As Virginia prepares to legalize adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana on July 1, drug-sniffing police dogs from…
New Mexico proposes new rules for recreational pot growers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Tuesday took its first major regulatory steps toward legal production of recreational marijuana, publishing lengthy proposed ground rules for cannabis businesses that outline future licensing fees, quality controls, audit requirements and criminal…
Alabama governor signs medical marijuana legislation
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed medical marijuana legislation Monday as conservative opposition to the issue gradually faded after decades of debate. The program will allow people with one of 16 qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, a…
Mississippi justices toss voter-backed marijuana initiative
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi will remain in the minority of states without a medical marijuana program after the state Supreme Court on Friday overturned an initiative that voters approved last fall — a decision that also limits other citizen-led…
Alabama Legislature drops resistance, OKs medical marijuana
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama lawmakers overcame years of resistance and gave final passage to medical marijuana legislation on Thursday, capping a long and emotional debate in which key Republican lawmakers described switching sides in favour of the proposal. The House…
How the Gaetz probe grew from sex trafficking to medical pot
ORLANDO, Fla. – When Rep. Matt Gaetz vacationed in the Bahamas in 2018, he was joined by a doctor who donated to his campaign and a former colleague in the Florida Legislature. The Republican congressman, Dr. Jason Pirozzolo and Halsey…
Marijuana social equity: Seeds planted but will they grow?
DENVER – Terrence Hewing was working for a package delivery company in 2007 when police approached his cargo van in suburban Denver. He was early for a pickup, and someone out for a walk called authorities after seeing him napping…
Should states set pot policy by its potency? Some say yes
NEW YORK – As marijuana legalization spreads across U.S. states, so does a debate over whether to set pot policy by potency. Under a law signed last month, New York will tax recreational marijuana based on its amount of THC,…
Swap the crop? New York hemp farmers eager to grow marijuana
ALBANY, N.Y. – Legal marijuana is coming to New York and hemp farmer Samir Mahadin sees it as a potential lifeline. Farmers dealing with depressed prices for plants that produce CBD are eager to take part in a statewide marijuana…