A passel of parents protested a pot paraphernalia ordinance Tuesday for Colorado Springs, deeming it unnecessary, duplicative of state law and an attack on medical marijuana patients who are minors.

The law won preliminary City Council approval on a 7-2 vote, with Councilors Helen Collins and Bill Murray dissenting.

"This is seriously an overreach that will result in a police state," Murray said.

The city ordinance largely echoes state law, mandating that minors under age 18 cannot possess the paraphernalia unless they are medical marijuana patients. But the District Attorney's Office doesn't make marijuana-related crimes a priority, so a local law is needed to spur local prosecution, city documents say.

For new cannabis users, the urge to push the limit may seem like a fun idea until things start going haywire. It’s important to have some sort of clue about what direction to go in when heading into unfamiliar territory, whether it’s first timers getting their kicks in Washington or Colorado or folks who haven’t had the opportunity to indulge in their favorite plant for quite awhile.

Growing pot is really easy, and it will make you filthy rich, rich beyond your wildest dreams! In fact, you should quit your job, move to California or Colorado and fill your house with lights! What could go wrong?

Does this sound a little naïve to you? It should, but unfortunately that has been the mentality of so many pot entrepreneurs since the Ogden Memo de facto “legalized” medical marijuana in 2009. The problem is that in order to live off of growing or selling pot you absolutely have to treat growing and selling pot, well, like an actual job. 

Members of face difficulties that shift in size and scope on a daily basis. Growers and ancillary business owners are forced to navigate through strict compliance guidelines, cultivators need to maintain plant health without much in the way of vetted technology, and business owners in all walks of life face legal ramifications for working with what is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance. Regardless of which component of the industry one works in, better oversight and data is almost always advantageous (and, unfortunately, hard to come by). It’s my goal to increase the ability of cannabis entrepreneurs and business owners, specifically those involved in the grows themselves, to build their businesses without fear of compliance or legal issues.

Oregon medical marijuana patients who work at dispensaries will no longer be allowed to vape or smoke under rules proposed by the state health authority.

In response to the state's Indoor Clean Air Act, the Oregon Health Authority's proposed dispensary rules prohibit smoking, vaporizing or inhaling cannabis products by dispensary employees who are medical marijuana patients.

They may still consume tinctures or marijuana-infused edibles. Employees can't consume in an area of the dispensary that is visible to the public outside of the establishment or visible to patients or caregivers.

The Maryland Farm Bureau has declined again to support efforts to grow marijuana for medical purposes in the Free State.

Officially, the powerful agricultural lobby is taking no position on the fledgling industry. For the second time in as many years, a county delegation's attempt to bring the state group on board failed to make it to a vote before the full delegation.

"It's something I think a lot of members are watching other states to see how it plays out," said Matt Teffeau, the farm bureau's assistant director of government relations. "A lot of our members are interested in it, but it doesn't have the support to move forward."

For a number of years now, families of children with epilepsy have been relocating to Colorado from around the world to try to obtain a special marijuana extract known as "Charlotte's Web" that they had heard had an almost magical ability to reduce seizures. In late 2013 and early 2014, as the political movement to legalize medical marijuana was heating up, many of these parents traveled to state capitals around the country to plead for help in getting access to similar treatments.

Prominent Chicago chef Mindy Segal announced Tuesday she plans to create a line of cannabis-infused edible products for medical marijuana patients.

Segal, the owner of HotChocolate restaurant in Bucktown, has agreed to make a line of products for Cresco Labs, which plans to operate three cultivation centers in Illinois, according to an announcement by the company. Cresco maintains Segal is the first James Beard Award-winning celebrity chef to endorse products for the cannabis industry.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Women Grow, a national group of women dedicated to legally growing and marketing marijuana and marijuana-related products and services, is forming a West Michigan chapter. 

The group will host an initial networking event from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7 at Peppino's,130 Ionia Ave. SW, in downtown Grand Rapids. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 on the week of the event. 

"I would love to help communities learn how to embrace this instead of fighting it," said Jamie Goswick, organizer of the event.

BAY CITY, MI — Whether a Bangor Township couple broke the law by having too much "usable" pot in their medical marijuana growing operation is the point of contention in ongoing legal proceedings.

Sandra K. Dabrowski, 63, and David A. Dabrowski, 64, are both charged with delivering or manufacturing marijuana. The charge is a four-year felony. A preliminary examination for the couple commenced Tuesday, Dec. 8, in Bay County District Court.