Advocates of legal marijuana for medical and recreational purposes have racked up massive victories around the globe in recent years. Meanwhile, budding entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the newly liberalized drug climate to launch highly innovative cannabis-focused businesses and services. Follow here for the straight dope as we track all the latest ganja-related goings on.
Dec 11, 2013
Uruguay creates world's first nationalized marijuana market
Uruguay this week became the first country to legalize the cultivation, sale, and consumption of marijuana as part of a controversial plan to combat drug trafficking and cartels. As BBC News reports, the legislation was passed in the Senate late Tuesday after nearly 12 hours of debate. Uruguay's lower house passed the bill earlier this year, and President José Mujica — an outspoken supporter of the legislation — is expected to sign it into law.
Read Article >Under the law, Uruguayans over the age of 18 will be able to purchase up to 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of marijuana per month, while licensed growers will be limited to six plants per household. It's not clear when the law will go into force, though the country's drug control agency has until April to draft a comprehensive plan to regulate the industry. Growers, sellers, and buyers will have to be registered and licensed, while public health officials have already launched a campaign to raise awareness about the drug's side effects and potential dangers.
Sep 12, 2013
Colorado hashes out weed advertising rules
The Colorado Department of Revenue this week released a 136-page document detailing how the state will regulate retail sales and marketing of recreational marijuana. The document, published Tuesday, makes clear that weed vendors will be able to advertise on statewide television, radio, and newspapers, though they'll be subject to certain constraints. Both Colorado and Washington decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana in ballot measures last year.
Read Article >Under the regulations, marijuana retail outlets will be able to buy ads in state newspapers as long as they have "reliable evidence" that no more than 30 percent of the publication's readership is under the age of 21. The same goes for ads taken out on radio and TV. Pot vendors are prohibited from buying out-of-state ads and promoting drug tourism, though they can advertise on the internet under the same demographic constraints that apply to print, radio, and TV.
Aug 29, 2013
Justice Department won't challenge state laws allowing marijuana use
The US Justice Department won't be challenging state laws that permit the medical and recreational use of marijuana, it was announced Thursday. Attorney General Eric Holder revealed the news during a conference call with the governors of Colorado and Washington — both of which allow the drug to be used recreationally by adults. Simultaneously, in a memo sent to all US Attorneys, the DoJ outlined eight new "enforcement areas" around which attorneys will focus their prosecution efforts moving forward. These guidelines aim to prevent the distribution of marijuana to minors, curtail driving under the influence, stop marijuana from being diverted to states where it's illegal, and keep sales revenue out of the pockets of criminals.
Read Article >Marijuana remains illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, granting the Justice Department a path to intervene if it finds numerous violations in the legalized states. For Colorado and Washington in particular (where production, distribution, and sale are all authorized) the DoJ expects to see strict regulations that directly address the eight focus areas. "These schemes must be tough in practice, not just on paper, and include strong, state-based enforcement efforts, backed by adequate funding," reads today's statement from the Justice Department. The DoJ warns that "if any of the stated harms do materialize," it may seek to challenge the laws after all.
Jul 25, 2013
Colorado's weed problems could spell trouble for marijuana legalization
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Read Article >At first glance, Colorado's medical marijuana industry seems like an unmitigated success story. Hundreds of dispensaries and grow houses have sprouted up since the state began taxing weed sales three years ago, bringing in millions of dollars in extra revenue. Colorado's fiscal windfall has led many to herald its program as a model for other states to follow, but in the capital of Denver, things are in a state of disarray.
May 25, 2013
Medical marijuana users can drive drugged, rule Michigan courts
In Michigan, you can smoke marijuana and still drive a car. That's what the Michigan Supreme Court ruled this Tuesday, albeit on a technicality. Though Michigan has a zero-tolerance policy for driving "under the influence" of marijuana, it also has a law on the books that exempts medical marijuana users from any sort of persecution for its use. The court had to decide which of the two laws it wanted to uphold.
Read Article >Since Michigan doesn't actually specify an amount of marijuana in a user's system that impairs driving judgement enough to be considered "under the influence," simply outlawing drugged driving altogether went too far, argued the court. If the state could prove that a medical marijuana user was under the influence, the court decided, then they could be legally convicted for driving after using the drug.
Dec 14, 2012
Too high to drive? The strange potholes of drugged driving laws
How high is too high to drive? That’s the question lawmakers in Colorado and Washington are grappling with now that marijuana has been decriminalized across both states. The issue has sparked intense political debate over the past few weeks, and at this point, there doesn’t seem to be a clear solution in sight. While there is broad agreement that impaired drivers should be kept off the road, some worry that unreliable technology and murky science could lead to unwarranted convictions.
Read Article >Drugged driving remains illegal across all 50 states, and the recently passed pot laws in Colorado and Washington will do nothing to change that. Thus far, though, there’s no uniform system for determining whether a driver is in fact under the influence of marijuana. Some states police drugged driving by enforcing hard limits based on the chemical composition of a driver's blood. Under these standards, known as per se limits, drivers who test above a certain level for THC (the active ingredient in cannabis) are automatically subject to DUI convictions, much like those whose blood alcohol content (BAC) levels are in excess of .08 percent.
Apr 24, 2012
Medical marijuana vending machine uses fingerprint recognition for added security
When you're building a vending machine designed to dole out medical marijuana, security is a major concern — and the new Autospense doesn't skimp when it comes to security. In order to access their marijuana, patients need to go through a multi-step process that includes swiping a registration card, entering a PIN number, and scanning their fingerprints. And that's just during the day — when the marijuana dispensaries are closed the vending machine is locked up in a cage that can only be opened with a swipe of a registration card.
Read Article >The touch screen-equipped Autospense not only makes the process of buying medical marijuana more secure, but also makes tracking purchases and inventory much easier. As manufacturer The Dispensary Group explains, the machine "legitimizes and introduces a higher standard of business efficiency to a market that is commonly known for being chaotic, poorly managed, and counter culture."