The Brookings Institution, a venerable non-profit research and education association which has been ranked the most influential think tank in the world, has issued a 21-page report entitled "Ending the U.S. government's war on medical marijuana research." For those involved in marijuana reform, or those who have ever wondered how we got to where we are today with federal marijuana policy, this report is an essential read.

WASHINGTON state expects marijuana sales taxes to bring in more than $1 billion over the next four years, according to a budget forecast published by the Office of Financial Management.

In the first year since legalising both medical and recreational cannabis, Washington collected $67.5 million in marijuana-related taxes, directed toward its general fund and health-related services.

This year, the state expects to pull in $154.6 million. As of Sept. 30, three months into the state’s fiscal year, Washington had already collected $37.6 million, said Steve Lerch, executive director and chief economist for the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

With weak polling and lackluster fundraising, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is struggling to stay in the 2016 presidential race. So far, some of his strongest financial supporters have come from a new, growing industry: legal marijuana.

As of Sept. 30, Paul’s second-biggest contributor is the National Cannabis Industry Association, a D.C.-based trade group that lobbies Congress on behalf of state-legal marijuana businesses. Since it was founded in the later part of 2010, the association has spent $200,000 on lobbying.

Welcomes Erica Reilly to the Team

Denver, Colorado (PRWEB) October 26, 2015

Amercanex, the American Cannabis Exchange, announced today that Erica Reilly has joined the company as the Director of Communications. She will be in charge of developing and implementing communications strategies and initiatives.

Reilly has an extensive communications background in the commodities industry, having previously worked at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Commodity Futures Brokers & Traders Association (CFBTA) and Greenberg Capital LLC. In these roles, she handled public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, employment communications and regulatory matters.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Amid Ohio’s intensifying campaign over legalizing marijuana, the face of Issue 3 is a green-eyed 4-year-old girl named Addyson Benton, who is learning to handle her Barbie trike.

“That’s the goal for this year, to get her to ride,” said Heather Benton, standing in the backyard of the rental house as Addyson slid into the seat, lifted her sunny face and beamed. “But it’s one thing at a time.”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Anchorage woman is looking for spice users and asking them to destroy their synthetic drug in exchange for marijuana.

Nicole Crites said she made her first spice-destruction transaction on Friday. Earlier this year, Alaska became the third U.S. state, after Colorado and Washington, to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults.

"Just driving down Karluk Street, anytime of day, you'll find people passed out from it," Crites said. "I don't see it addressed by anybody. I don't."

Her husband Michael Crites' Absolutely Chronic Delivery Company is sponsoring the effort.

(Hollister is one of the few executives in the cannabis space who have successfully completed a major funding)

How risky, really, is lending to Colorado’s marijuana industry? It depends on whom you talk to, and, whoever it is, you’re not going to come away feeling any better, or worse.

That’s because the unknowns abound, more than in any other business lending, and unknowns are anathema to lenders, as opposed to venture capitalists, who assess what is known, and then bet on it.

Both investor categories are making assumptions about future events, with lenders taking the conservative approach. It’s pretty hard to know what those events might be when you don’t even know the rules of the game.

Lawmakers may crack open a door for use of medical marijuana by protecting doctors involved in drug trials from prosecution.

Earlier this week, a group of lawmakers endorsed clearing the way for medical studies of cannabis oil — a non-psychoactive extract of the marijuana plant that’s illegal in Indiana.

The measure falls far short of the acceptance advocated by some parents and lawmakers. They want state clearance to use the controversial drug for all children with seizure disorders, not just those involved in a study.

Equally as important as the emotional connection (discussed in the first installment of this series) and the clarity of purpose (as discussed in the second installment), are the methods of expression used in developing a brand’s identity.

I like to think of the emotional appeal of a brand as the why, the clarity of purpose as the what, and the expression of brand identity as the how. The how is comprised of scores of subtle decisions: product nuances, tone used in copy writing, color palette decisions, visual symbolism, channels of communication, etc.