MARIJUANA

In the midterm elections, Missouri approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state, joining Maryland. Recreational marijuana was rejected in Arkansas and North Dakota.

Voters will decide whether recreational marijuana can be used legally in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Recreational marijuana could be legal in half the country if the handful of states with cannabis measures on ballots this November pass them. States in the Deep South have not legalized marijuana for recreational use, for the most part, but many have enacted medical cannabis programs. The proposed constitutional amendment says recreational marijuana wouldn't be legal until July 2023, with a transitional period between Jan. 1 and July 1. — A North Dakota ballot initiative succeeded in placing the recreational marijuana question before voters this year. Biden also said he believes that as federal and state marijuana laws loosen, there should be limitations on trafficking, marketing and underage sales.

Pot is a popular topic on ballots again this election.

Recreational marijuana could be legal in half the country if the handful of states with cannabis measures on ballots this November pass them. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have measures on their ballots this fall for voters to consider legalizing recreational marijuana. A decade since Colorado and Washington approved recreational cannabis, prohibitions have fallen across the country: in big, populous states like California and New York and smaller rural ones like Maine and Vermont.

President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

An appeals-court judge this week chided Florida health officials for not following up on promises to grant additional medical-marijuana licenses as required by state law, saying potential applicants are “understandably frustrated” and offering a legal playbook for entrepreneurs who have been shut out of the cannabis market for years.

Florida health officials have released a highly anticipated rule setting THC dosage amounts and supply limits on products doctors can order for medical-marijuana patients.

Trooper Steve answers viewer questions.

Trulieve, the state’s largest medical-marijuana operator, and country-music legends The Bellamy Brothers are backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana by people 21 or older.

A Texas man was found with 17 pounds of marijuana in his car after deputies pulled him over for a traffic stop, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Marijuana: What you need to know (NCD)DETROIT — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have seized around 2,175 pounds of marijuana that were hidden in boxes of pool toys in Detroit last week. >> Read more trending newsThe U.S. Customs and Border Protection did an X-ray scan of a semi-truck along with a physical inspection by officers and a K-9 team, which led them to the discovery of 2,175 pounds of marijuana on May 11. WDIV says the marijuana was hidden in boxes of foam pool toys. The CBP seized the cargo and semi-truck. Last week, @CBP officers in Detroit intercepted more than a ton of marijuana from an inbound tractor trailer at the Ambassador BridgeFull details ☞ https://t.co/9krWzG3gN1 pic.twitter.com/t1DWRY3Guz — DFO Christopher Perry (@DFODetroit) May 19, 2022©2022 Cox Media Group

Deputies have released body camera video from a February wedding in Longwood where multiple guests complained of feeling ill, believing they had ingested marijuana-laced food, ultimately resulting in the arrests of the bride and the caterer.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging federal restrictions that can prevent people from buying and possessing guns if they obtain medical...

The House has approved a bill decriminalizing marijuana and letting states set their own policies on pot.

South Dakota's new medical marijuana law is changing less than a year after it went on the books.

How did marijuana get so widely accepted in the U.S., and where is it headed from here?

How did marijuana get so widely accepted in the U.S., and where is it headed from here?

Huge pot bust at Texas border Federal and local authorities collaborated Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, to thwart a marijuana smuggling scheme involving more than a ton of suspected marijuana. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)ROMA, Texas — Federal and local authorities collaborated Wednesday to thwart a marijuana smuggling scheme involving more than a ton of suspected marijuana. >> Read more trending newsAgents with the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sector, assisted by deputies with the Starr County Sheriff’s Office, seized the drugs with an estimated street value of more than $1.7 million on Wednesday from a travel trailer in Roma, Texas, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release. The authorities, working off a tip that the drugs were being staged at a Roma property, discovered the suspected marijuana concealed in a secret compartment in the travel trailer, the agency stated. According to the news release, the seizure netted a total of 10 arrests, including both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office found 770 of marijuana in a Viera mini-storage facility, according to a Facebook post from Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

A sophisticated marijuana growing operation was busted and two men now face charges after investigators were alerted to a case of power theft, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

New rules laying out the do’s and don’ts physicians must follow when certifying patients to smoke medical marijuana took effect last week, but it’s not clear that doctors or patients are fully aware of them.

Many marijuana-related criminal convictions will be expunged and some profits will go to communities disproportionately affected by illegal marijuana.

A proposed constitutional amendment to allow recreational marijuana in Florida won’t be on the 2022 ballot.

The federal marijuana ban is contributing to climate change

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Florida city has fired a top information technology manager for smoking marijuana — even though he been authorized by his doctor to use it legally for medical reasons. Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a measure legalizing medical marijuana in 2016. While Florida is one of numerous states that have legalized marijuana use partially or fully, it is still against federal law. In 2019, the city revised page 13 of its 15-page employee drug-use policy to read, “The use of marijuana by city employees, including medical marijuana, with or without a prescription, is prohibited." “He’s not trying to be a medical marijuana martyr,” Cormican said.

Could Florida be the next state to legalize marijuana in 2022? There are a number of related bills in both the House and Senate taking aim at how Florida handles pot-related crimes. Under House Bill 189 and Senate Bill 712, individuals with certain marijuana-related crimes would be able to petition the court to expunge their criminal history. It's past time to legalize cannabis for responsible adults, let small businesses into the industry AND use the additional revenue to offset unnecessary cuts to our public schools in the budget year!! https://t.co/ovlnsgm6Bh — Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) January 22, 2021In 2016, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to allow medical marijuana.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – While serving a 90-year prison sentence for selling marijuana, Richard DeLisi's wife died, as did his 23-year-old son and both his parents. Yet, 71-year-old DeLisi walked out of a Florida prison Tuesday morning grateful and unresentful as he hugged his tearful family. Rick DeLisi was only 11-years-old when he sat in the courtroom and said goodbye to his father. Is there somebody that can answer to this?”Rick DeLisi said his family fell apart after his father's sentence. “There's a feeling of who's responsible for this debt in my mind, and justice," said Rick DeLisi.

Connecticut police arrested two men and seized an estimated $15 million worth of marijuana after discovering a storage facility was being used illegally as a hub for pot distribution in the Northeast, authorities said Thursday. West Haven police said local officers and agents with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration found 1,700 pounds (770 kilograms) of marijuana on Wednesday when they stopped a U-Haul truck while investigating what they called an international marijuana trafficking operation. "The investigation revealed that individuals were utilizing a storage facility in West Haven as a hub to distribute large quantities of marijuana throughout the tri-state area," West Haven police said in a statement, referring to the area that includes Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. It wasn't clear if they have lawyers who could respond to the allegations. Fifteen states have broadly legalized marijuana, while 36 allow medical marijuana.

While we may not know if President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election for a while longer, there was one clear “winner” on election night, and that was recreational drugs. States across the country have been legalizing recreational marijuana every election cycle, and 2020 was no different. Residents in New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota all voted to legalize recreational cannabis, and South Dakota also legalized medical marijuana, along with Mississippi. South Dakota became the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the same election. For the first time in U.S. history, the state of Oregon decriminalized possession of hard drugs, as well as voted to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.

Tampa-based Florigrown LLC is challenging the 2017 law, which created a regulatory structure for the state’s medical marijuana industry. Several prospective medical marijuana operators have intervened in the case, hoping to gain access to what is forecast to be one of the nation’s most lucrative markets. Triangle’s principles hold medical marijuana licenses in Colorado and Arizona, according to court documents. “We are not allowed to use the statutes to hand out special favors to private corporations, which is exactly what has happened in the medical marijuana arena,” he said. “Ultimately, our goal is to provide affordable, safe medical marijuana to patients.

Ever wonder why the number 420 is associated with marijuana? Here's CBSN's Josh Elliot to explain.

Pot sales begin in Washington, but supplies are short Marijuana shops in Washington are preparing for even more customers, following the huge crowds that showed up for the first day of legal recreational pot sales in the state. Adriana Diaz reports from Seattle.

Cannabis Cup celebrates all things marijuana on 420 Day In Denver, more than 60,000 people gathered to listen to music and party for 420 Day -- the day to celebrate all things pot. Barry Petersen reports on the festivities and the award for the best marijuana in the U.S.