For growers who are looking at the potential for cannabis production but are trying to get a sense for the regulatory lay of the land – know that 2016 could be a watershed year for cannabis legalization.

That belief was echoed at the Cannabis Business Summit held recently in Denver, Colo., where many of the nearly 2,000 attendees felt that if California legalizes recreational (or “adult use”) marijuana, as looks likely, it could set up a domino effect for much of the rest of the country.

The devastated family of a Kaikohe community leader jailed for two years for cannabis supply has lodged an appeal.

Kelly van Gaalen✓, a 38-year-old mother of three, was sentenced to two years in prison for possession of cannabis for supply in the Kaikohe District Court on July 30 following a jury trial. She was charged with having 684g of cannabis, 24 times the personal use limit of 28g. 

She had two plants, including one that had grown "exceptionally well", a family spokesperson says.

"She was a victim of an exceptional gardening skill," the spokesperson says.

"You don't use a pile driver to pulverise a peanut."

The family applied for bail in Whangarei District Court on August 3. The application was declined.

Recently, a petition demanding the British government put the issue of cannabis legalization up for a debate managed to collect more than enough signatures over the course of just four days to force Parliament into action. Meanwhile, in the United States, a similar petition was launched around the same time on the White Houses’ We The People website that has barely garnered enough support to even be considered a threat to the sanctity of Uncle Sam’s prohibition model.

Although the topic of cannabis legalization often focuses on what is going on in the grand scheme of North American politics, the recent push to legalize weed in the United Kingdom suggests that the British population may actually be hungrier to win the fight against prohibition than their American counterparts.

Sharpe is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reforming drug policy and expanding harm reduction. He lives in Arlington.

TRENTON —Marijuana legalization activist Edward Forchion, better known as NJ Weedman, lost an appeal to overturn his 2010 possession conviction.

Forchion, who moved to California, sought to have his Burlington County conviction thrown out by claiming he has a medical necessity for the pot and that criminalizing the possession of marijuana violates his rights under the U.S. and New Jersey constitutions.

But an appellate panel, in its 31-page decision issued on Friday, didn't agree and upheld his conviction.

Reached on Saturday through Twitter, Forchion told NJ Advance Media that he plans to ask the state Supreme Court to consider his case.

An Arizona marijuana legalization drive reached a major milestone in their signature gathering campaign this week. Arizona’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project has collected 50,000 signatures in just 10 weeks.

Arizona Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol Political Director Carlos Alfaro said, “A meeting of the activists, communities, dispensaries and industry community, and Marijuana Policy Project coming together talking about alternatives.”

They are backed by the Marijuana Policy Project, which has passed legislation across the country for 20 years.
Alfaro said, “They have been changing laws regarding marijuana all across the country.”

Voice of OC via YoutubeCops allegedly eat edible marijuana and play darts after raiding a dispensary in Santa Ana, California. See Also What it's like to visit a marijuana dispensary in Colorado California's 'Birchbox of marijuana' delivers pot-infused candies, lotions, and dog treats to your doorstep Rand Paul is raising money with the weed industry

Florida marijuana activists have launched a voter initiative called “Regulate Florida,” which would amend the Florida constitution to legalize and regulate adult use of marijuana in the Sunshine State.

If the Regulate Florida measure makes it on to the November 2016 ballot, Florida voters could face two decisions about the future use of marijuana: one to legalize medical use and another to legalize adult use. The Florida Legislature would be in charge of taxation in either case.

Marijuana may be decriminalized in some states, but that doesn’t mean employers will turn the other cheek to an employee’s usage. Former local Oregon news anchor, Cyd Maurer, experienced this firsthand when she was fired from Eugene's ABC affiliate, KEZI-TV.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- ResponsibleOhio's marijuana legalization amendment isn't on the ballot yet, but it aired its first TV commercial Thursday night during the Republican presidential debate with a brief ad directing viewers to the campaign's website to "get the facts."

The 16-second spot that aired Thursday night on Fox News featured an African-American woman standing in front of a white background, telling viewers they might have heard about the plan to legalize marijuana and wondered "if this plan makes sense" and "how it will make Ohio safer."

But the woman doesn't go on to explain, instead telling viewers to watch more videos on ResponsibleOhio's website.