The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
New Mexico governor signs bill to legalize recreational pot
SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Monday legalizing recreational marijuana use within months and kicking off sales next year, making it the seventh state since November to put an end to pot prohibition. The…
Marijuana growing equipment may have caused LA explosion
LOS ANGELES – Equipment from a marijuana grow in a Los Angeles home’s garage may have caused an explosion that shattered the structures, trapping one man in the debris and sending another to the hospital with critical burn injuries, authorities…
Virginia becomes first Southern state to legalize marijuana
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana Wednesday, as lawmakers voted to approve Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed changes to a bill that will allow adults to possess and cultivate small amounts of the drug starting…
New Mexico primed to join US recreational pot wave
New Mexico is joining a wave of states that are legalizing recreational marijuana as its Democrat-dominated Legislature sent a package of cannabis bills Wednesday to a supportive governor. Lawmakers used a marathon two-day legislative session to push through marijuana legalization…
New York is latest state to legalize recreational marijuana
New York adults over the age of 21 can now possess and use marijuana — even in public — under a legalization bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, though legal sales of recreational-use cannabis won’t start for an estimated…
Virginia governor seeks to accelerate marijuana legalization
Adults in Virginia could legally possess and grow small amounts of marijuana beginning in July, about three years sooner than initially envisioned, under changes the governor proposed Wednesday to legislation passed earlier this year. “Our Commonwealth is committed to legalizing…
New York lawmakers agree to legalize recreational marijuana
ALBANY, N.Y. – New York is poised to join a growing number of states that have legalized marijuana after state lawmakers reached a deal to allow sales of the drug for recreational use. The agreement reached Saturday would expand the…
5 White House staffers lose jobs over drugs, marijuana use
Five White House staffers have been fired because of their past use of drugs, including marijuana, press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. Marijuana has become a delicate issue for President Joe Biden’s administration because 15 states and Washington, D.C., allow…
Virginia lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana in 2024
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to a bill that will legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales of the drug would also begin. With a compromise bill clearing the House…
Jamaica faces marijuana shortage as farmers struggle
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica is running low on ganja. Heavy rains followed by an extended drought, an increase in local consumption and a drop in the number of marijuana farmers have caused a shortage in the island’s famed but largely…
Kansas governor: Medical pot should fund Medicaid expansion
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly proposed Monday that Kansas should legalize marijuana for medical purposes and use the revenues to expand Medicaid health care for low-income residents, a top priority that the GOP-controlled Legislature has blocked over…
UFC won’t punish fighters for marijuana use in policy change
The UFC will no longer punish fighters for using marijuana in most cases, making a major change to its anti-doping policy. The world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion confirmed Thursday that it will no longer worry about positive tests for…
Man who was serving 90-year sentence for marijuana released
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – While serving a 90-year prison sentence for selling marijuana, Richard DeLisi’s wife died, as did his 23-year-old son and both his parents. His adult daughter was in a horrific car accident and suffered a paralyzing stroke…
House votes to decriminalize marijuana at federal level
WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled House on Friday approved a bill to decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level, reversing what supporters call a failed policy of criminalizing pot use and taking steps to address racial disparities in enforcement of…
UN agency removes cannabis from strictest drug category
BERLIN – The U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted Wednesday to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, which could impact the global medical marijuana industry. The Vienna-based U.N. agency said in a…