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Tribe destroying crop; hopes to work out solution with U.S. Department of Justice Buy Photo

Marijuana plants in the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe's growing facility Friday, Oct. 16, 2015, in Flandreau, S.D.(Photo: Joe Ahlquist / Argus Leader)Buy Photo

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is temporarily suspending its marijuana cultivation and distributing facilities and is destroying its existing crop as leaders seek clarification on regulations from the federal government, according to the tribe's lawyer.

Seth Pearman said the suspension is pivotal to the continued success of the marijuana venture and that tribal leadership is confident that after getting clarification from the U.S. Department of Justice, "it will be better suited to succeed."

On Tuesday, when Ohio's pot legalization initiative failed to pass, some marijuana legalization advocates lost the moral high ground in the debate to end marijuana prohibition.

For years now, the legalization side has positioned the arguments around themes of social justice and patient access. Legalization has to happen, the argument went, because black folks are four times more likely to be busted for weed. Being busted for weed meant a litany of harms, including searches, tickets, fines, arrests, incarceration and the loss of job, housing and educational opportunities. Prohibition meant moms with epileptic kids were risking felonies or considering emigrating for cannabis oil and veterans with PTSD and cancer and AIDS and MS patients would suffer.

Stephen Colbert thinks John Kasich seems "reasonable," but apparently not in his stance on marijuana.

Colbert hosted Kasich, the Ohio governor, on Friday's episode of the "Late Show."

Medical marijuana will be available for sale at eight dispensaries in Illinois as of Monday, November 9, 2015.

It’s only the first wave of dispensaries to open in Illinois.  State officials expect up to 15 dispensaries will be registered by the end of November 2015, and up to 25 will be registered statewide by the end of the year.

The first dispensary license was issued to a facility in Marion in August.

A dispensary called Nature’s Treatment was under construction near Stern Beverage in Milan, and awaiting approval from the state.

This morning, CBS posted a series of quotes from the newly appointed DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg regarding the legitimacy of medical marijuana. In his statement, he says that marijuana is not medicinal, and that smoking it has never been shown to be a safe or effective form of treatment for various conditions.

“What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal — because it’s not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine —that is a joke.”

The Department of State thinks that it’s just fine if Canada and Mexico decide to legalize recreational marijuana.

State Spokesman John Kirby answered a question at a Thursday press briefing about whether the recent federal election in Canada, as well as the Mexican Supreme Court ruling, would impact crime cooperation. The ruling established a constitutional right to recreational marijuana for personal use — for four individuals, leaving the country’s drug laws untouched. 

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Maryland

News Maryland

Maryland's nascent medical marijuana industry already booming

Medical marijuana license applications
Erin Cox / Baltimore Sun

After months of pressure from Oregon’s congressional delegation, Oregon State University announced Thursday it has requested federal approval to conduct research on industrial hemp, a non-intoxicating cousin of marijuana.

OSU faculty members have applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration for permission to do the work, which will focus on productivity, yield and growing conditions for hemp in Western Oregon.

That’s something that the state’s representatives in Washington have been advocating strenuously.