DES MOINES — Maria La France and Sally Graer say they are exhausted and frustrated, and highly critical of state lawmakers who oppose expanding Iowa’s medical cannabis program.

La France, Graer and other advocates for legalized medical cannabis oil spoke to reporters on June 3 at the Iowa Capitol as they made one final plea to state lawmakers this legislative session.

Joined by fellow advocates with the grassroots Iowans 4 Medical Cannabis Coalition, La France and Graer said they are exasperated with state lawmakers who refuse to consider expanding Iowa’s narrow medical cannabis law to allow for the treatment of patients with a variety of diseases like epilepsy, cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mississippi already decriminalized marijuana last year. They are the first state in the deep south to do so. The Louisiana state legislature only created a simple possession charge last week, and the penalty is still pretty serious. In Alabama, there is no simple possession law and one gram of cannabis has a maximum penalty of $6,000 and 30 days in jail.

Louisiana also just passed a limited medical cannabis law. Alabama and South Carolina are expected to pass full medical cannabis laws in the 2016 session.

LORAIN — The company that will grow marijuana at a proposed Lorain facility will allow its workers to organize into a union if voters approve a marijuana legalization constitutional amendment this fall, the company’s leadership announced Tuesday.

“This company will be a driver of economic growth in this community and will be an example of why respecting workers’ rights is simply good business,” Bobby George, principal owner of RG1 LLC, said during a news conference put on by ResponsibleOhio, the group pushing legalization of the medical and personal use of marijuana.

The Executive Director leads a virtual team of six to create a comprehensive entrepreneurial training for the cannabis industry. Previous experience should include leading a online training program for hundreds of participants. Core responsibilities include overall strategy, scheduling, budgeting, hiring, and supervising. 

This is an independent contract position paying a flat fee each month. You can expect to spend the most hours on this project September-November and February-April. 

Legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts would create thousands of jobs in a newly regulated market, snatch a lucrative business away from "gangs and cartels" and generate new tax revenues for government, according to the political director of legalization efforts in five states, including Massachusetts.

During a televised interview broadcast on Sunday morning, Matt Simon of the  Marijuana Policy Project told WCVB-TV's "On the Record" that he believes an initiative petition being drafted to legalize marijuana will be approved "overwhelmingly" after a debate over impacts in states where it is already legal, including Colorado and Washington.

(JTA) – Stepping into the lobby of the West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary where Dina Browner serves up buds to movie stars, it’s hard to miss the name Snoop Lion splashed across a hydroponic grow box painted red, green and gold.

The Rastafarian rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg didn’t have anyone to operate the custom-made indoor marijuana greenhouse that came as a gift from its manufacturer, so he asked his “doctor” to keep it filled with cannabis flowers.

Although she now serves an A-list clientele, Dina Browner first stepped into the medical marijuana biz to help out a friend with cancer

LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Stepping into the lobby of the West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary where Dina Browner serves up buds to movie stars, it’s hard to miss the name Snoop Lion splashed across a hydroponic grow box painted red, green and gold.

The Rastafarian rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg didn’t have anyone to operate the custom-made indoor marijuana greenhouse that came as a gift from its manufacturer, so he asked his “doctor” to keep it filled with cannabis flowers.

Our most recent interview features Robert Calkin, founder of Cannabis Career Institute, an innovator among marijuana schools. Robert is also president of the nation’s first and arguably most successful branded MMJ delivery service, Green Dot Delivery.

“One of my life lessons has been underestimating people’s ability to make something happen through sheer will.”

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Marijuana companies in California and Colorado have tabbed prominent American Indian leaders from the Dakotas to help prod tribes across the nation into the pot business.

Tex Hall, the former chairman of the oil-rich Three Affiliated Tribes, and Robert Shepherd, former chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota, are trying to recruit and assist tribes in producing high-grade marijuana products.

“Those who want to get in early are the ones who will really succeed,” said Shepherd, the tribal relations officer for Denver-based Monarch America Inc.

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America, behind alcohol and tobacco. It is estimated that nearly 100 million Americans use it.

Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C., recently have legalized marijuana’s recreational use and distribution. Many employers in Iowa are wondering how this trend will affect their workplace.

But frankly, unless federal and state laws are changed, the answer is not at all.

Remember, marijuana still is illegal under federal law (the Controlled Substances Act) and Iowa law. In fact, even in those states that legalized marijuana years ago (Colorado and Washington), many employers continue to drug test for marijuana in the workplace.