In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana, passing laws promoted by then-President José Mujica designed to set up the world's first nationally controlled marijuana industry.

Under the new laws, Uruguayans earned the right to grow small amounts of marijuana for their own use. On a larger scale, the federal government would allow private licensed growers to produce weed that would then be sold in pharmacies to registered customers at a fixed-rate price said to be as low as a dollar per gram.

By Sylent Jay

The Swiss cannabis landscape has been under scrutiny lately. Since January 2015, consumers of the plant residing in Switzerland have been targeted by the government, with the help of Customs personnel as well as of police forces.

Switzerland in backwards motion since 2005

During the ‘90s and early ‘00s, Switzerland was somewhat of a quiet haven for cannabis consumers, offering for instance many options in terms of hemp-related items; clothing, hygiene products, and even some not-made-for-consumption cannabis-based products such as pot-pourris. Large metropolises especially, were riddled with shops selling these types of articles.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas is taking its first step toward easing limits on medical marijuana - even as it imposes bans on synthetic forms of the drug.

A measure allowing some epilepsy patients to get low-THC cannabis oil, Texas’ first concession on medical marijuana, is one of nearly 700 new laws taking effect Tuesday.

Also kicking in are laws strengthening restrictions on synthetic marijuana.

So are laws scrapping criminal penalties for skipping school and ending the “pick-a-pal” grand jury system, which critics said created conflicts of interest.

Elected officials accused of ethics crimes will now be tried in their home counties and “revenge porn,” or posting explicit pictures of ex-lovers online, becomes a crime.

STEVENS POINT – Cities across Wisconsin have been slowly decriminalizing marijuana over the past several years by adopting local ordinances that levy only fines against those caught with small amounts of pot.

State law says anyone caught with even a little marijuana can be charged with a misdemeanor crime punishable by jail time and a permanent criminal record. But municipalities, for a variety of reasons, have been adopting local rules that allow first-time offenders to be charged with ordinance violations similar to traffic citations that carry only fines as penalties and don’t show up in Internet crime records.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A man sentenced to life in prison without parole on a marijuana-related charge was freed Tuesday from a Missouri prison after being behind bars for two decades — a period in which the nation’s attitudes toward pot have steadily softened.

Family, friends, supporters and reporters flocked to meet Jeff Mizanskey as he stepped out of the Jefferson City Correctional Center into a sunny morning, wearing a new pair of white tennis shoes and a shirt that read “I’m Jeff & I’m free.”

“I spent a third of my life in prison,” said Mizanskey, now 62, who was greeted by his infant great-granddaughter. “It’s a shame.”

LANSING, MI — Marijuana legalization is a "terrible idea," according to Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose home state will see a pot proposal on the ballot this fall.

"It sends mixes messages to young people about drugs," Kasich told MLive.com on Tuesday as he wrapped up a two-day swing through Michigan. "I don't think we should do that. We need to tell young people to stay off drugs."

Kasich acknowledged the distinction between marijuana and harder drugs like heroin but suggested that legalization could cloud the issue for young people.

Plants seized from farmer's fields were determined to be hemp, not marijuana. (RCMP)

Plants discovered in several farm fields in P.E.I. in late July are hemp, not marijuana say RCMP.

Cpl. Andy Cook of the Prince District Drug Unit said lab tests showed the plants had a low level of THC in them, which is the active ingredient in marijuana.

"They exhibited some signs that were also consistent with marijuana plants, so in the interest of determining definitively what we were dealing with we had them sent away and had a quantitative analysis done which showed the level of THC in them," said Corporal Andy Cook, who is in charge of the Prince District Drug Unit.

Bulgaria is the next European country to make headlines for cannabis. Member of parliament Velar Enchev Penkov will introduce legislation this month calling for the adoption of cannabis to treat illness in the country.

Uruguay’s President, José “Pepe” Mujica, also known as the “Pauper President” who famously drives a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, is stepping down from office. The “world’s most humble president” donated 90 percent of his salary to charity and departed his presidency with a nearly 70 percent approval rating.

Petitions are hitting the streets soon for a new proposed constitutional amendment that would fully legalize marijuana use, possession and cultivation by adults in Florida.

A political action committee called Floridians For Freedom, associated with a longtime marijuana advocacy group called the Florida Cannabis Action Network, announced Tuesday it has gotten state approval to begin seeking signatures to get their measure on the November, 2016, ballot.

The measure is distinct from another constitutional drive, run by United For Care and led by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, because Morgan's group wants to legalize marijuana for medical purposes only, while Floridians For Freedom wants it legalized for all uses.