As November approaches, five states will have a ballot question around cannabis legalization. The odds of each state vary with some being near locks to those whose future is more uncertain. Many factors affect if a state will be open to legalization. Besides the obvious political stance of the state’s constituency along with other demographics (age, income bracket etc.) there is a difference into how legalization is put into law.In the case of Colorado 4 years ago, they enacted an amendment to their state constitution (Amend. 64). Washington on the other hand issued a bill (I-502). The biggest difference in terms of policy is that the Washington bill can be overturned and negated much easier than an amendment to the state’s constitution, which would have to go through the ...
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Tax Revenues
Legalizing marijuana would generate billions of dollars in tax revenue in a single year. Think of all the ways we could utilize the tax benefits from state to state, as well as on a federal level, helping our nation out of debt. Not to mention the money saved from funding regulations of marijuana use. Last year, Colorado benefited from cannabis legalization in many ways. They brought in millions of dollars each month, benefiting schools, as well as showing a large drop in crime through out the state. As the debate continues as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized, it is becoming more and more accepted in the minds of conservatives after seeing the positive affects in our sister states.One major problem we face as a country is providing medical and dental care to ...
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Schools Benefit from Marijuana Tax
Schools benefit from marijuana tax, and it has been proven time and time again. The legalization of marijuana has been a major debate for decades. Whether you are for or against the legalization, there are many, obvious, benefits to legalization. With the recent laws in over 20 states favoring the legalization of the plant, it is more of a debate than ever before. The main arguments opposing legalization are due to the lack of research supporting the benefits of medicinal marijuana and the lack of benefits it will actually have to the state once legalizing. But, over the last 5 years, we have begun to see the many benefits and with that, research is more and more in favor of legalization.The most obvious advantages are the tax revenues. In 2012, Colorado voted the ...
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Cannabis Legalization in Massachusetts
Cannabis Legalization in Massachusetts: a review of top policymaker opinions.Two weeks ago, Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, a campaign funded by anti-legalization advocates was launched with the support of the Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healy, and the Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh. The three formally came out against proposition 4 in an op-ed in the Boston Globe on March 4th. However, after reading the article, there are issues with their argument to keep marijuana illegal. Many assumptions are made in the op-ed that are contested or not supported strongly by the evidence. Those looking for alternative care should not be frightened or turned away because of misconstrued facts around marijuana. To make it simple, I’ve listed five discrepancies in the ...
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November Marijuana Ballots
November marijuana ballots are a big issue this year.As the acceptance of cannabis continues to grow across the United States, so do the amount of states that want in on the cannabis boom.At least nine states will vote on marijuana initiatives on ballots in November , 2016.Despite the federal government’s decision not to loosen restrictions on the drug, however ridiculous their reasons are.In five states — California, Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine — voters will be asked whether they want to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Recreational use when looked at through the Colorado model is when anyone in the state over the age of 21 can purchase cannabis legally, even those that are visiting.On the other hand, in states such as Florida, Arkansas and North ...
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Candidates Views on Cannabis
With October here we are almost to Election Day. It has already been a bumpy road with many candidates not being clear on where they stand on the issues. One of these issues is how they view the prospect of federal cannabis legalization. This issue has not been covered in the mainstream media extensively but there are some sources that give accurate depictions of where the candidates stand.Keep in mind that federal legalization is a complex initiative and even if the executive branch pushed for legalization, it would most likely be challenged in Congress after the decree is issued. When comparing the candidates views on cannabis there are some very different opinions and stances. Here are the four main candidates opinions on the question of cannabis ...
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Marijuana Delivery Services
Marijuana Delivery services: a growing trend for medicinal marijuana states.A new service within the cannabis community is the start of mobile medical marijuana collectives. These collectives have started in areas of the U.S where there is full legalization and in some localities where medicinal marijuana is legal. The push for cannabis delivery services have come after many dispensaries have had trouble with large volume and controversy associated with running a dispensary.However, many delivery services have been under fire from law enforcement officials. 3 months ago, Los Angeles city attorneys had shut down one of the largest marijuana delivery service in the country. The attorneys have said the delivery service violated certain restrictions associated with proposition D. Under ...
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What Are Oregon’s Cannabis Laws?
Oregon's cannabis laws are ever changing and evolving. Oregon is a state that decided back in 2015 to get on the legal cannabis bandwagon, and to get a piece of the pie when it came to marijuana's benefits. While it has been legal to use recreationally since July 1, 2015, and medically for some time before that, Oregon is still a state in transition as it moves from a place where marijuana was illegal, to a place where it is treated just like any other legal substance. Oregon's cannabis laws have changed immensely over the pass few years.
What Are Oregon's Marijuana Laws?
First off, marijuana is legal in Oregon both medically, and recreationally, at the state level. However, that doesn't mean it's something that's legal in every city and county. Individual jurisdictions within ...Read More
Illinois Cannabis Laws
With the nation's cannabis laws changing every time you turn around, it can be hard to keep track of where marijuana is legal, and in what capacity. For Illinois residents, it's important to remember a few basics. Recreational cannabis is illegal, medical cannabis is allowed if you're a member of the state's program, and you're more likely to get a fine than jail time if you're caught with a small amount of cannabis.
Illinois Cannabis Laws
At time of writing this the only legal way to smoke cannabis is to be part of the state's medical marijuana program, which will issue you a card to show authorities in the event you are confronted. This program has been slated to run through ...Read More
Oregon Cannabis Laws
Looking to learn about Oregon cannabis laws? Look no further.Oregon currently joins other western U.S. states where personal, medical, commercial, and industrial use of marijuana has certain degrees of legality. It's a great chance to move to Oregon and start a career in the cannabis industry, because more possibilities exist than you may know.Before moving there to start a career in this exciting field, it's a good idea to learn details about Oregon cannabis laws. Many legal analysts point out cannabis laws in Oregon are still in flux, despite the population there realizing the potential of making marijuana legal.Basically, you can consolidate all cannabis laws there into four categories. These fall under personal, medical, commercial, and industrial hemp.All of these give ...
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Medical Marijuana States: The Ever-Changing Map
Medical Marijuana laws for every marijuana state are always changing. The laws surrounding marijuana can be confusing, and understanding these laws in each state is ever-changing.Much of the difficulty comes from the fact that the Federal Government continues to consider non-medical marijuana illegal.Moreover, until very recently even medical marijuana was prohibited at the Federal level. The government has also made clear that it will no longer use Federal resources to enforce marijuana laws with the exception of drug trafficking.Despite the recent change, many states have taken it upon themselves to enact marijuana laws long before this Federal policy was enacted. Further complicating the confusion is that marijuana laws continue to change at the state level making ...
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DC Marijuana – A Trend toward Recreational Use
There are currently 25 states who have enacted legislation for legalized medical marijuana. Though the specific laws in each state differ, it shows a trend towards national legalization. Furthermore, the Federal Government has also been slowly shifting its stance, vowing to use Federal resources only for marijuana trafficking, not possession. Moreover, while these are very positive signs for proponents of legalization, there is perhaps a larger trend to be excited about: the legalization of recreational marijuana. Currently, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC are the only places in the United States to permit recreational use. In this article, we will examine the legislation in Washington DC and the current state of DC marijuana.
Medical to Recreational
In 1998, ...Read More
Police Warrants, Searches and Cannabis Laws
If you plan on growing medical marijuana it is vitally important to know and understand the cannabis laws in your state, and in your country.There are some times when law enforcement is allowed to conduct a limited warrantless search. One of those circumstances is known as stop and frisk or a “Terry Search”, after the case of Terry versus Ohio. In that case the Supreme Court decided that if an officer had an articulate able suspicion that a person might be armed they could pat them down for the officers own safety.So, this can happen to you whether you are in a car or whether you are walking, if the officer believes that they need to check for weapons for their own safety and they can explain why in court then they are allowed to do so. If while their conducting this limited pat ...
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Legalizing Marijuana
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America’s positive response to legalizing marijuana took a long and unexpected excursion through its choppy history.The country began its resentful attitude toward marijuana in general as early as the 1800s, through countless propaganda ploys established by the government; thus triggering a negative response from the people and consumers. It’s been a long climb back into the positive realm within America’s conscious. Let's take an in-depth look why.The number one and most important reason why medical marijuana has such a positive response from the public now is because the numerous amounts of pains, illnesses, and diseases it has a positive effect on. Studies have shown that people with the most severe diseases such as aids and other ...Read More
NYC Marijuana Laws
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New York remains one of the last states in the North Eastern area of the United States to have a medical marijuana program in place.Let's take a quick look at NYC marijuana laws.Attempts to create a favorable marijuana law have been unable to get through the New York state Senate for many years now.Recently Governor Cuomo has decided to try to run a program for research only that would abide by Federal Law and really, not help anyone in any way."We'll establish a program allowing up to 20 hospitals to prescribe medical marijuana," he said in his State of the State speech last week. "We will monitor the program to evaluate the effectiveness and the feasibility of a medical marijuana system."Polls in New York show more than 80 ...Read More
