News

August began with plenty of promise for the marijuana industry, but those high hopes went up in smoke on Aug. 11, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency released its long-awaited decision on whether it would reclassify marijuana.

The DEA denies the marijuana industry a victory

For months, the marijuana industry, cannabis supporters, and medical patients had hoped that the U.S. regulatory agency, with the recommendation of the Department of Health and Human Services, would reschedule marijuana from its current status of Schedule 1 -- which deems it an illicit drug with no accepted medical use -- to Schedule 2. This would have recognized that cannabis has an accepted medical benefit, and it would have allowed physicians around the country to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with very specific ailments.

However, the decision by the DEA denied the two petitions seeking to reschedule the still-illicit drug. The DEA leaned on three points in its explanation of the decision.

Read More:http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/28/the-marijuana-industry-pulls-victory-from-the-jaws.aspx

Now that over half the country has voted to legalize medical marijuana and another half-dozen could do the same this coming November, isn’t it time to start discussing why non-violent marijuana busts still account for over half of all drug arrests in the United States?

Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests made between 2001 and 2010, 88 percent were for simply possessing pot, according to the ACLU, and not large amounts. Those figures haven’t changed much in the past decade.

It begs the question: why are nonviolent pot offenders still behind bars in the four states where recreational weed is totally legal?

We all know the answer—the failed War on Drugs.

Read More:http://hightimes.com/news/californias-prop-64-underscores-absurdity-of-holding-pot-prisoners-in-states-where-its-legal/

Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has come out against a ballot measure set to go before the voting public in the upcoming November election that aims to legalize a taxed and regulated cannabis industry similar to the one currently underway in Colorado.

It was during a recent press conference that Laxalt, standing alongside the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association, took a stand against the concept of bringing a legal cannabis trade to Nevada, regurgitating the same played out propaganda that all of marijuana’s opposing forces across the nation choose to cite when speaking to the public about the so-called “dangers” of legalization: It will be a detriment to the children, lead to increased rates of addiction, and motor vehicle impairment along Nevada’s scenic roadways.

Read More:http://hightimes.com/news/politics/nevada-attorney-general-opposes-marijuana-cites-child-safety-concerns/

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The sponsor of a proposed initiative to repeal Montana’s medical marijuana law said Wednesday he won’t appeal a judge’s refusal to place the measure on November’s ballot, but instead will focus on defeating a separate initiative to expand medical pot distribution.

Billings car dealer Steve Zabawa told The Associated Press in an interview that there isn’t enough time for him to appeal to the Montana Supreme Court before Secretary of State Linda McCulloch’s office certifies the ballots and sends them for printing.

Instead, he said his Safe Montana group will focus on defeating I-182, a ballot measure that would ease restrictions on medical marijuana distribution.

Read More:http://hightimes.com/news/politics/anti-pot-initiative-sponsor-gives-up-montana-ballot-effort/

LANSING- The Michigan Court of Claims yesterday dropped an Opinion in the MILegalize vs. Everybody lawsuit, and Everybody seemed to be the victor.

On to the next step- the Michigan Supreme Court.

In June MILegalize submitted 354,000 signatures on petition forms to state elections officials- 100,000 more than the law required to place the issue on the books. How do you ignore an extra 100,000 signatures? By refusing to count or verify them. That’s exactly what the Bureau of Elections and the Board of State Canvassers did, citing a law 30 years old that has never been used before.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/marijuana-legalization-hits-michigan-supreme-court/

SEATTLE, WA  - The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) has approved WeedTraQR, industry-leading cannabis seed-to-sale tracking software, as a validated software provider for Oregon’s recreational marijuana program. The Seattle-based company has developed a platform that is compatible for integration with Oregon’s Cannabis Tracking System (CTS) to meet the inventory traceability needs of the state’s producer, processor, wholesaler, and research licensees. Operational for over two years in Washington with a rapidly expanding roster of clients, WeedTraQR lends proven expertise and hard-earned credibility to Oregon’s fledgling program.

WeedTraQR’s software will allow recreational cannabis producers, processors, and wholesalers to electronically transmit complete and accurate inventory and sales data into the state’s mandatory CTS, saving time and reducing the risk of error. All OLCC recreational marijuana licensees must participate in Oregon’s CTS; they can choose an approved third-party provider to integrate company sales and inventory data with the state’s system. One of only four providers validated for use by producers and processors, WeedTraQR pragmatically solves the inventory-tracking requirement in this early industry stage, turning traceability from burden to competitive advantage by supplying clients with data analytics and other operational resources. WeedTraQR also becomes the first ‘meta’ traceability software, reporting to the CTS in both Washington (BioTrackTHC) and Oregon (Metrc), making it an appealing option for companies with national aspirations and for those who currently license products in multiple states and want a consistent interface for all facilities.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/weedtraqr-seed-to-sale-software-certified-for-use-in-oregon/