La Jolla, CA: The establishment of licensed cannabis retailers is not independently associated with an increase in traffic crashes, according to data published in the journal Health Economics. A researcher affiliated with the University of California, San Diego examined county-level data from Colorado to assess the relationship between retail cannabis stores and trends in traffic safety. The investigator reported, “[T]he entry of retail cannabis …

Tommy Chong is a cannabis icon, having served as part of the Cheech and Chong stoner comedy duo for several decades. Chong is also an accomplished musician in addition to being a successful actor and comedian. Many people don’t know that Tommy Chong once served federal prison time due to his connection to his son’s bong company. For that matter, …

Washington, DC:  Jurisdictions that legalize adult-use marijuana access experience a sharp decline in the public’s use of unregulated synthetic cannabinoid products, such as Spice and K2, according to newly published data in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology. NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano found the study’s results to be unsurprising. “The limited popularity of these products is a predictable outgrowth of criminal marijuana prohibition. …

Jefferson City, MO: Secretary of State John Ashcroft issued a certificate of sufficiency to the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign, formally placing the adult-use legalization initiative on the November ballot. Missouri voters will join voters in Maryland and South Dakota, where similar adult-use measures will appear on the ballot. “Recent polling reveals that a majority of Missouri residents are ready and eager to end …

The overwhelming majority of Americans who acknowledge having ever used cannabis view it positively, according to nationwide polling data provided by Gallup. Among the nearly one-half of American adults who have tried marijuana, 70 percent say that it impacts most consumers in a manner that is either “very positive” or “somewhat positive.” Similarly, 66 percent of respondents affirm that cannabis provides positive effects upon …

Bismarck, ND: North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger announced today that a measure to legalize the private possession and retail sale of marijuana has met the requirements to appear on the November ballot. New Approach ND, the campaign organizers behind the effort, announced in July that they had turned in 25,762 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office – roughly …

Austin, Texas: Voters in five Texas cities will decide this November on local ballot measures to end low-level marijuana possession arrests. Activists with the group Ground Game Texas successfully gathered signatures from voters in the cities of Denton (population: 140,000), Elgin (population: 10,000), Harker Heights (32,000), Killeen (149,000), and San Marcos (64,000) to place marijuana-related questions before local lawmakers. In each instance, councilmembers moved to defer the issue to the November …

Athens, GA: Commissioners for Athens-Clarke County (population: 125,000) approved legislation last week eliminating criminal penalties for activities involving the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis. Under the newly approved local ordinance, minor marijuana possession cases will be punished by no more than a $35 fine. By contrast, state law defines minor marijuana possession as a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year …

Boston, MA: House and Senate lawmakers have advanced legislation (S. 3096) which seeks to promote greater diversity among those participating in the state’s licensed cannabis industry and that lays the groundwork for the establishment of on-site cannabis consumption facilities. Specifically, the measure creates a “Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund to encourage the full participation … of entrepreneurs from communities that have …