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Virginia becomes first Southern state to legalize marijuana
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana Wednesday, as lawmakers voted to approve Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed changes to a bill that will allow adults to possess and cultivate small amounts of the drug starting…
Marijuana growing equipment may have caused LA explosion
LOS ANGELES – Equipment from a marijuana grow in a Los Angeles home’s garage may have caused an explosion that shattered the structures, trapping one man in the debris and sending another to the hospital with critical burn injuries, authorities…
New Mexico governor signs bill to legalize recreational pot
SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Monday legalizing recreational marijuana use within months and kicking off sales next year, making it the seventh state since November to put an end to pot prohibition. The…
Swap the crop? New York hemp farmers eager to grow marijuana
ALBANY, N.Y. – Legal marijuana is coming to New York and hemp farmer Samir Mahadin sees it as a potential lifeline. Farmers dealing with depressed prices for plants that produce CBD are eager to take part in a statewide marijuana…
Should states set pot policy by its potency? Some say yes
NEW YORK – As marijuana legalization spreads across U.S. states, so does a debate over whether to set pot policy by potency. Under a law signed last month, New York will tax recreational marijuana based on its amount of THC,…
Marijuana social equity: Seeds planted but will they grow?
DENVER – Terrence Hewing was working for a package delivery company in 2007 when police approached his cargo van in suburban Denver. He was early for a pickup, and someone out for a walk called authorities after seeing him napping…
How the Gaetz probe grew from sex trafficking to medical pot
ORLANDO, Fla. – When Rep. Matt Gaetz vacationed in the Bahamas in 2018, he was joined by a doctor who donated to his campaign and a former colleague in the Florida Legislature. The Republican congressman, Dr. Jason Pirozzolo and Halsey…
Alabama Legislature drops resistance, OKs medical marijuana
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama lawmakers overcame years of resistance and gave final passage to medical marijuana legislation on Thursday, capping a long and emotional debate in which key Republican lawmakers described switching sides in favour of the proposal. The House…
Mississippi justices toss voter-backed marijuana initiative
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi will remain in the minority of states without a medical marijuana program after the state Supreme Court on Friday overturned an initiative that voters approved last fall — a decision that also limits other citizen-led…
Alabama governor signs medical marijuana legislation
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed medical marijuana legislation Monday as conservative opposition to the issue gradually faded after decades of debate. The program will allow people with one of 16 qualifying medical conditions, including cancer, a…
New Mexico proposes new rules for recreational pot growers
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Tuesday took its first major regulatory steps toward legal production of recreational marijuana, publishing lengthy proposed ground rules for cannabis businesses that outline future licensing fees, quality controls, audit requirements and criminal…
Since the nose doesn’t know pot is now legal, K-9s retire
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Asking dogs to follow their noses won’t work anymore in states that have legalized marijuana. As Virginia prepares to legalize adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana on July 1, drug-sniffing police dogs from…
Pot users welcome: Amazon won’t test jobseekers for cannabis
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Tuesday that it will stop testing jobseekers for marijuana. The company, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart, is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from…
Lawmakers discuss future of medical marijuana in Mississippi
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The leader of the organization that sponsored the voter-approved Mississippi medical marijuana initiative that was recently blocked in court says the program should be changed and improved by the state Legislature — but not by too…
Global sting began by creating message service for crooks
SAN DIEGO (AP) — When the FBI dismantled an encrypted messaging service based in Canada in 2018, agents noticed users moving to other networks. Instead of following their tracks to rivals, investigators decided on a new tactic: creating their own…