WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- It's been nearly six months since marijuana officially became legal in Washington D.C., but questions still remain about laws governing the drug in the District.

It's still illegal to sell it, but individuals above the age of 21 can have up to two ounces of marijuana or six plants.

Initiative 71, which passed overwhelming in November of 2014, is a significant change, but not everyone has noticed it.

"I really didn't notice any changes in the district," one woman told WUSA, "and I live in the district."

When asked, others said the same thing, that since the initiative things seem "pretty much the same."

For Alan Amsterdam, it's very different.

CINCINNATI -- He was once responsible for arresting pot users and dealers, now a former Cincinnati police captain is advocating for legal marijuana.

The pro-pot group ResponsibleOhio is launching a new ad campaign featuring retired Capt. Howard Rahtz.

In the ad, Rahtz talks about seeing the drug problem firsthand and that in his opinion, Ohio’s war on drugs doesn’t work.

“Simply put, they don’t work,” Rahtz said.

He goes on to call out the cost of the prohibition to Ohio alone and that “it’s time for marijuana reform so law enforcement can focus on cracking down on real criminals.”

Local ganja growers, particularly small farmers, are being urged to enter the formal market to benefit from the decriminalising of the product rather than seeking to operate in the underground economy.

With ganja being illegal, growers had to operate in the shadows, knowing that they faced long prison sentences and stiff fines if caught.

But with the amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which became law on April 15, 2015, paving the way for the legal introduction of medical marijuana, industrial hemp, and cannabis, the Government is warning that persons who have been profiting from the illicit ganja trade will soon be required to transition into the formal framework or face strong sanctions.

By Russ Belville

While South Africa’s parliament continues to struggle with whether to legalize dagga (marijuana) or just allow medical marijuana use, the rest of the African continent continues to produce and use cannabis at rates that rival North America.

The ban, over an entry about hashish that a court ruled contained illegal information, is lifted just hours after it was enforced.

Russia has cancelled a ban on the Russian-language version of Wikipedia after it caused controversy among internet users in the country.

The Russian communications watchdog told internet providers late on Monday to block access to the site in Russian after a court ruled an entry on hashish contained banned information.

Users across the country then reported they were not able to access the site.

Wikimedia RU, the group that supports the local version of Wikipedia, had earlier decided not to remove the article on charas, a cannabis resin, after a warning from the communications watchdog Roskomnadzor.

A meeting of the city's Planning Advising Committee (PAC) on Monday saw the committee approve a motion for establishing criteria for medical marijuana facilities.

Senior planner Mary Joyce-Smith presented the report to council and members of the public.

"What it's doing is setting up a critieria. You're always going to put it through site-plan [and] be aware of the regulations," Joyce-Smith said.

Joyce-Smith noted that there would be a 150-metre setback in residential areas for medical marijuana facilities and that all facilities would be located indoors.

The Experience of Colorado teaches that we should legalize the herb. Reports of a year and a half from the opening of coffee shops. Health spending is unchanged, crimes decreased and tax revenues increased. An example to follow, it also says it is anti-mafia.

This is a windfall for the state, at least potentially. If Italy liberalizes soft drugs, the public purse could earn up to 8.5 billion euro a year, a huge figure. Almost equivalent, so to speak, what would be needed today for the government of Matteo Renzi to avoid the VAT increase planned starting next year.

SEATTLE — Stephen Damgaard uses medical marijuana for nerve damage in his spine, eating a small brownie made with cannabutter each morning. The weed in the butter comes from one of Seattle's many medical dispensaries -- an untaxed and illegal medical pot shop that up until now has been tolerated by authorities. 

By RX MARYJANE

I’ve been fortunate to meet Carter Baird on a several occasions and am happy to say that he is a Cannabis Patients Ally. Already impressed by his intellect, I was happy to hear about his exciting video-blog adventure as The Pot Scientist.

In this piece, he makes a logical and reasoned argument about why the Colorado Board of Health should have decided to include PTSD as a condition for medical marijuana: research! 

As Carter says, “It’s not like anyone’s reputation was on the line because they DO NOT have randomized, double-blind clinical trials for the other listed conditions already approved. They’re not the FDA and they should stop acting like it.”