In November 2014, the family of late musician Bob Marley announced the launch of what it claimed would be the first global cannabis brand, Marley Natural. The brand plans to begin offering cannabis products, including heirloom strains, in 2015. Their press conference was a far cry from what marijuana advertising has been in the past—ranging between word of mouth and non-existent. Rather than hearing about new strains from shady characters and being forced through the charade of “for tobacco use only” products, legalization means cannabis marketing can finally come out of the shadows and into the fore. Just before Marley’s family made their announcement, two more states, Alaska and Oregon—as well as the District of Columbia—legalized recreational use for adults over the age of 21.

If elected president, Christie says he'd stomp out legal weed. As governor, he's already done just that.

Earlier this week, Reason's Jacob Sullum wrote about New Jersey Governor and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie's pledge to enforce the federal ban on recreational marijuana, ignoring the will of the states that've legalized cannabis sales. 

The United States government has surprisingly allowed one of its most prominent drug warriors to admit that, despite more than 40 years of pot propaganda, marijuana does actually possess medicinal qualities.

In a column published last week by the Huffington Post, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, wrote that while many compounds of the cannabis plant are beginning to show evidence of a “range of uses in medicine,” cannabidiol, otherwise referred to as CBD, “appears to be a safe drug with no addictive side effects.” 

VAIL — Hawaii — where you can drop seeds on the sidewalk and they’ll grow legalized retail marijuana.

Rep. Della Au Belatti’s (D-Hawaii) bill passed in waning moments of this year’s Hawaii state Legislature allows eight retail marijuana shops in the entire state.

A dozen or so Hawaiian lawmakers were among 350 state legislators in Vail this week for the Council of State Governments West annual convention.

Along with everything else, they managed to squeeze in a field trip to Eagle County’s Green Mile, touring pot shops in Eagle-Vail.

Hawaii is starting small and they’ll see what happens.

“I admire the way Hawaii is baby-stepping into this,” said Bryan Treu, Eagle County attorney.

Military veterans are committing suicide. Prescription painkiller overdose deaths are skyrocketing. There is a national discussion around these issues. Medical marijuana can help. In these cases it could save lives. 

A special working group of Pennsylvania House Representatives is trying craft a medical marijuana bill for the lower chamber. A bill already passed the state Senate earlier this year. Two of their biggest issues are whether to include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain as qualifying conditions.

Senate Bill 3 includes PTSD but Rep. Ron Marsico's House bill did not.

Waiting for medicine

•July 2014: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the Compassionate Care Act into law, making New York the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana.

•December 2014: Draft regulations for medical marijuana released. They essentially control how patients access the drug, as well as how organizations grow and sell the drug.

•April 2015: Final medical marijuana regulations released. make any substantive changes to the draft regulations despite the comments.

DigiPath Labs Partners with Romer Labs to Validate Food-Borne Pathogen and Mycotoxin Testing Solutions for Cannabis DigiPath Labs
 

LAS VEGAS, July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/  DigiPath Labs, the cannabis testing subsidiary of DigiPath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP), is combining efforts with True North Laboratory of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Romer Labs, a leading global supplier of diagnostic solutions for food-borne pathogens, to investigate the applicability of utilizing Romer Labs' rapid diagnostic test kits to screen for food-borne pathogens and quantify mycotoxins present in cannabis.

TRENTON — As Gov. Chris Christie declares that legal marijuana would disappear if he were elected president, a new poll shows voters in his own state are becoming more open to the idea of legalizing pot.

A Farleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Friday morning shows 49 percent of New Jersey voters favor legalizing marijuana for personal use — an eight-point increase from January. 

At the same time, 46 percent are opposed, which is a six-point drop from the group's last survey.

One of the leading voices on marijuana policy reform wants to light up Rand Paul's foundering presidential campaign.

According to midyear filings released Friday by the Federal Election Commission, Marijuana Policy Project PAC donated to three entities supporting the Kentuckian's political ambitions: $5,000 to Rand Paul for America; $5,000 for his Senate reelection campaign; and $4,500 to Rand Paul Victory Fund, which the FEC report said supports his Senate campaign.

SPARKS, Nev. — Fifteen years after Nevadans voted to legalize it, medical marijuana was sold legally in the state for the first time Friday at a dispensary in a strip mall about 5 miles east of downtown Reno.

Dressed in polo shirts, tie-dyes and button-downs, about 75 people with medical marijuana cards lined up outside Silver State Relief, between a sub shop and pizza place in Sparks, to be among the first to buy as much as a half-ounce of pot for $195.

“It smells good in there,” said Dana Metz, 64, a retired General Motors worker who said he suffers from back pain, insomnia and anxiety. He was the first in line two hours before the doors opened just after 10 a.m.