Marijuana

Poll: 91% of Americans Say Marijuana Should Be Legalized

As states continue to pass laws to legalize marijuana, support for its medical and recreational uses continues to grow, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

  • By Brent Woodie

A New Program in One State Will Help People Expunge Marijuana Convictions

A state-funded coalition of legal organizations will help Illinois residents navigate the process of criminal record expungement for pot-related offenses.

  • By Emma Coleman

Oregon Decriminalizes Hard Drug Possession, While Five States Pass Marijuana Ballot Measures

Measures to decriminalize drugs like magic mushrooms also racked up big wins on election night.

  • By Emma Coleman

First Came Legal Marijuana, Now Comes…Magic Mushrooms?

In some places where the marijuana decriminalization and legalization movement took hold, voters are being asked a new question: Should psychedelic mushrooms be next?

  • By Emma Coleman

Marijuana Companies Seek Disaster Relief

Marijuana businesses can’t access traditional insurance or federal disaster funds.

  • By Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Militia Group Plotted to Kidnap Michigan Governor, Feds Say

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | West Virginia selected for $500 million hyperloop site … Vermont moves ahead with retail marijuana … Library worker allegedly stole $1.3 million in printer toner ... Tofurky sues over Louisiana “burger” labeling law.

  • By Bill Lucia

Texas AG Says He Won’t Resign After Staff Accuse Him of Bribery and Other Wrongdoing

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Thousands of kids in Miami-Dade return to classrooms … Maine’s marijuana industry expected to get off to a sputtering start … de Blasio, Cuomo at odds over shutdown orders in some New York City neighborhoods.

  • By Bill Lucia

Altered Mindsets: Marijuana Is Making Its Mark on Ballots in Red States

Five of the six states where voters this fall will consider whether to legalize recreational or medical marijuana lean conservative.

  • By Justin Franz, Kaiser Health News

Pennsylvania Governor Suggests Selling Marijuana Through State-Run Stores

Gov. Tom Wolf isn’t the first governor to recently float state-operated marijuana retail. Pennsylvania currently runs hundreds of wine and liquor shops.

  • By Bill Lucia

Worried About Coronavirus? Stop Sharing Joints

Public health officials in states with legal recreational pot are warning residents to be careful how they consume it—and who they consume it with.

  • By Emma Coleman

Hot Hemp Pits States Against Feds

State officials warn new USDA rules could hurt the nascent industry.

  • By Sophie Quinton and April Simpson, Stateline

The Cannabis Industry Could Become the National Model for Labor Relations

COMMENTARY | Workers in the cannabis industry are rapidly unionizing with employer support. This trend, incentivized by state laws, could be a model for improved labor relations nationwide.

  • By Rebecca Kolins Givan
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Governors Talk Recreational Pot Legalization

At an event on Friday, a slate of governors spoke about the promises and difficulties in legalizing recreational marijuana.

  • By Emma Coleman

Legalizing Marijuana Could Help Fight the Opioid Epidemic, New Research Says

New research found opioids were prescribed less often in states where marijuana has been legalized for medicinal or recreational use.

  • By Emma Coleman

CBD May Be Natural, But Is It Safe?

The health benefits of cannabidiol are unclear, and many products hitting the market haven’t been made in clean, permitted facilities or tested for toxic pesticides, heavy metals and bacteria.

  • By Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Cannabis Banking Challenges Go Beyond Pot

Banks uneasy about pot money aren’t any happier about hemp.

  • By Sophie Quinton and April Simpson

Two Governors Pledge to Collaborate On Legal Marijuana Regulations

Neither New York or Connecticut allow for recreational pot yet. But governors of the two states are interested in setting consistent guidelines for it.

  • By Bill Lucia

Allowing Medical Marijuana in Schools

California could become the tenth state to allow K-12 students with valid prescriptions to take medical marijuana at school.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Leveraging Technology to Clear Criminal Records

Cook County, Illinois, will automatically expunge low-level convictions for marijuana offenses using software from Code for America.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Marijuana Tax Revenues ‘Highly Unpredictable,’ Researchers Warn

They urge states to be careful when planning for how to spend the money.

  • By Bill Lucia

Where Doctors Can Recommend Marijuana to Replace Opioids

Some states allow people with opioid addictions to get a medical marijuana card, but many medical experts oppose those policies.

  • By Sophie Quinton