By Paul Armentano / NORML

Scientific discoveries are published almost daily rebuking the federal government’s contention that cannabis is a highly dangerous substance lacking therapeutic efficacy. But most of these findings appear primarily in obscure, peer-reviewed journals and often go unnoticed by the major media and the general public. Here are five new cannabis-centric studies that warrant mainstream attention. 

Early Onset Pot Use Isn’t Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Adulthood

The first New York City cannabis film festival, celebrating the influence of marijuana on cinema, is to take place on 26 September.

The Brooklyn-based event aims to elevate “cannabis culture by building a bridge between the film-making community and a new class of leaders and entrepreneurs”. Screenings of cannabis-related films will include shorts and a feature-length documentary.

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) – A prosecutor in southeastern Washington has charged three teens with felonies for marijuana possession, saying a new law demands the higher level of offense.

The Lewiston Tribune in Idaho reports the teens ages 14, 15 and 17 have been charged in nearby Asotin County with felonies that could net them up to five years in prison. The offense was previously a misdemeanor with a maximum 90-day jail sentence.

Asotin County Prosecutor Ben Nichols said Senate Bill 5052, which the Legislature passed and Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law this year, contains the new language.

“If you are a minor, a person under 21, it’s a felony no matter what,” Nichols said.

By Julia Wright

You're almost finished a half-marathon. Pulse pounding in your ears. Knees aching. Running isn't for quitters.

But today is unusually easy: you're focused on the cool breeze on your arms, the golden late-September sun reflecting off the lake, and the ice-cold beer you're going to enjoy. Forget the chaos that's happening in your body.

Runner's high? Yes, totally. But the reason you feel so fantastic today is also due, at least in part, to the cannabis you consumed an hour before lacing up. 

The case study in how a business can exist outside of the embrace of traditional banking — as, in this case, traditional banking is afraid of being done for money laundering, since the product in question is still illegal on a Federal level — continues.

NEW YORK -- U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told a group of marijuana industry professionals Monday that the federal government should reform laws affecting its medical use, allowing states to set their own policies.

The New York Democrat told members of the National Cannabis Industry Association that she's pushing for reforms she introduced last March with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Marijuana use is illegal under federal law but allowed in some cases in dozens of states. Gillibrand said more families would benefit from medical marijuana if they didn't have to fear federal prosecution.

Snoop Dogg has made no secret of his passion for cannabis - and now he's expected to court further controversy by launching a website dedicated to the drug.

The rapper revealed he's behind a new lifestyle platform called Merry Jane at a TechCrunch Disrupt event in San Francisco.

Speaking on stage, Snoop said the site will provide users with "all they need to know" about marijuana and feature videos and interviews with other high-profile users.

The site, which Snoop has worked on with media entrepreneur Ted Chung, is said to have the support of outspoken weed users Seth Rogen and Miley Cyrus.

Merry Jane will also have its own series where each episode focuses on an aspect of pot.

One of my old college professors is infatuated with United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. That professor has published several books dealing with female Supreme Court Justices, and recently published one specifically about the legal opinions that Justice Sotomayor has issued during her career. That college professor was my favorite when I was in college, and I still seek her advice to this day. As a result, I have always been a Sotomayor fan a little bit.

The Suquamish Tribe and the State of Washington recently signed and entered into the nation’s first marijuana compact to allow a Native American Tribe to cultivate, process, and sell marijuana within a state’s highly regulated marijuana system.  I previously blogged about how Washington was the first state to adopt a compacting system for tribes and regulated marijuana, but this signed compact reveals more about what tribes can expect when they “partner” with Washington State on cannabis.

The Red Headed Stranger just scored some green, in more ways than one.

A New York private equity firm is backing country singer and songwriter Willie Nelson’s endeavor to sell marijuana in Colorado and Washington.

Tuatara Capital is leading an investor group financing the Willie’s Reserve cannabis brand for sale in the two states’ recreational markets, “and also other states as regulations allow,” according to a news release.

“We’re really excited to partner with someone like Willie, who embodies this spirit of American entrepreneurship and conviction to a cause,” said Tuatara Chief Investment Officer Al Foreman.