Two California initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana in the Golden State, one backed by billionaire and former Facebook president Sean Parker, came together this week to amplify their shot at landing a spot on the 2016 ballot. 

The collaboration comes after the two groups negotiated for weeks behind the scenes and came to the conclusion that competing against each other would weaken the possibility that either initiative would be on the ballot in California on Election Day. The state's Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform both support the initiative, Reuters reported.

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) - Grand Rapid's marijuana law approved by voters in 2012 will stand, after the Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the Kent County Prosecutor. The amendment to the city charter makes possession of small amounts of marijuana a civil offense similar to a traffic ticket.

Grand Rapids officers don't have to report marijuana cases to the prosecutor unless they involve someone with more than 2.5 ounces, the person is committing another crime, or it involves a grow operation.

The appeals court upheld the law, saying Grand Rapids voters amended the City Charter - not through an ordinance. It's a critical distinction under Michigan law.

Justin Trudeau, newly-minted Prime Minister of Canada and self-professed dabbler in pot, announced earlier this month that his Liberal Party would move ahead with plans to legalize marijuana as early as 2016. Ending prohibition was part of the party platform going into the October election and is a clear break from ex-PM Stephen Harper, who claimed (with a straight face) that marijuana was "infinitely worse" than tobacco.

Marijuana legalization's momentum continued last week, albeit outside of the United States.

The highly controversial drug, which has harnessed the spotlight in the United States and forced presidential candidates to step out of their comfort zones during national debates, is making headlines north of the border in Canada, where lawmakers are pushing ever closer to legalizing the drug for recreational purposes.

Canada moves toward legalization
As it stands now, marijuana is legal across Canada for medicinal or industrial purposes as long as you have a government-issued license. Recreational marijuana is also acceptable in some cities, but the laws governing recreational marijuana aren't universal across the vast expanse of Canada.

Marijuana advocates in the District of Columbia on Thursday threatened to work toward taking local lawmakers out of office if the D.C. Councilcontinues with an effort to establish new restrictions affecting the city’s recently enacted pot laws.

In the face of a proposal that aims to permanently prohibit “cannabis clubs” from popping up within city limits, representatives from the D.C. Marijuana Justice Campaign and other pro-pot activists told council members this week that they’ll fight back with a proposal of their own.

America's law enforcement officers have been seizing a record amount of property from citizens, often without charging them with a crime, under the practice known as civil asset forfeiture. Cops took more stuff from people than burglars did last year, according to FBI data.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The city's 2012 amendment to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana has cleared a final legal challenge.

State Supreme Court justices, in a split decision, declined to hear an appeal from Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth in a ruling issued Saturday, Dec. 12.

Since voters approved the measure in 2012 — making possession of less than 2.5 ounces of marijuana a civil infraction — Forsyth has sought to have it overturned.

He argued the amendment wrongly prohibits Grand Rapids police from enforcing state law, or reporting marijuana offenses to county prosecutors.

A new cookbook aims to do for weed what Julia Child did for French cuisine.

There is a significant difference between what you want to eat when you’re high and what you want to eat in order to get high. This is the conflict of the weed cookbook, a genre that aims to hook both stoners and home cooks alike by treating the friendly herb as more than just a psychoactive drug. And while the vape contingent might argue that theirs is a more efficient way to ingest weed without the health risks of smoking, the marriage of the home cooking movement and weed culture is inevitable, and full of possibility. 

On Dec. 10, 2015, the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing to talk about the Marijuana Decriminalization Clarification Emergency Change Act of 2015, a momentary law that prohibits marijuana intake in private clubs.

The nation’s largest marijuana policy organization upgraded Jeb Bush from a “D” to a “C-” in its 2016 presidential candidate report card on Friday following a radio interview in which the former Florida governor expressed support for decriminalizing marijuana.

According to a report from Marijuana.com:

“It’s one thing to say we should have decriminalization of marijuana. I support that,” the former Florida governor said in an interview with Joe Mathieu of Boston’s WBZ NewsRadio. Bush had not previously endorsed a removal of criminal penalties for cannabis possession.