The government of Catalonia has legalised marijuana, making the autonomous Spanish region the latest part of the world to loosen restrictions on use of the drug.

The cultivation, consumption and distribution of cannabis will be permitted for members of designated clubs after the region's parliament voted to regulate them.

It follows a campaign which gathered 67,500 petition signatures, forcing a government debate.

The bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana in Vermont has gone up in smoke, but legislators are saying: Wait until next year.

S.22, the Senate bill that would have allowed adults 21 and older to have up to 1 ounce of marijuana and to grow up to two mature plants and four immature plants on private property, would have taken effect in July.

Vermont legislators hoped a veto session that wrapped up last Wednesday would result in a path forward for the bill, the final draft of which included some of the compromises requested by Gov. Phil Scott, such as tougher penalties for underage smokers and those smoking around young children.

Almost every media report on marijuana legalization at the state level references the fact that cannabis remains listed as a Schedule I illegal drug in the U.S.

In another words, despite 29 states legalizing medical marijuana and eight states legalizing adult-use marijuana, the United States government still considers marijuana an illegal drug with no health benefits and a high potential for abuse.

But what exactly is a Schedule I illegal drug? Who does the scheduling and why? What are some of the other drugs on the list?

The following answer those questions and provides an overview of the five federal government drug schedules -- including the fact that the U.S. ranks marijuana as having a higher potential for abuse than cocaine, Vicodin and methamphetamines.

Letters were mailed to eligible license holders in the state, but Chris Thompson, the executive director for the Las Vegas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) said with few responses, tax commissioners approved a temporary regulation that would allow the department to make exceptions for non-wholesalers.

In May, the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada filed a complaint saying the booze wholesalers should have exclusive rights to the licenses and that a May 31 license deadline for the wholesalers should not be enforced.

At the end of May, a judge ruled in the alcohol wholesalers favor. But state officials have said they intend to appeal this ruling.

Eight employees of a Toronto marijuana dispensary are facing multiple charges following a police raid on Wednesday.

Toronto police said they executed a search warrant at a Canna Clinic at 213 Ossington Ave.

Police seized about 908.12 grams of marijuana oil, 73.5 grams of shatter, 8.3 kilograms of marijuana, and 42.7 grams of hash. They also took $4,941 of cash.

Petro Merkulov, 21; Pabo Ogunlesi, 22; Grad Murray, 29; Kavan Benthien, 28; Ruth-Lande Henry, 21; Eric On, 23; Joshua Hakimi, 23, and Katherine Klippenstein, 27, all from Toronto, were arrested during the raid.

They were all charged with possession schedule II substance, possession for the purpose trafficking schedule II substance, and possession proceeds of crime (under 5,000)

Lawmakers with the Massachusetts House and Senate failed to meet a self-imposed deadline to agree on a bill regulating the retail marijuana industry, according to the State House News Service.

Six-member conference committees had until 8 p.m. Thursday to file legislation to be considered Friday by the House and Senate, but the news service reports that lawmakers signaled no deal would be forthcoming.

The committees also failed to reach an agreement on a state budget.

Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure in November 2016 to legalize marijuana in the state. The House and Senate have since pushed distinct bills to regulate retail sales, with the branches clashing over tax rates and who has the authority to ban shops from communities.

Nevada, the only state where both gambling and prostitution are legal, is adding recreational marijuana to its list of sanctioned indulgences for adults, with sales kicking off at more than dozen shops beginning on Saturday.

As result of a legalization measure approved by Nevada voters in November, the state will join four other U.S. states and the District of Columbia in allowing recreational sales.

Authorized marijuana shops will be able to sell up to one ounce (28 grams) for recreational use by customers 21 years and older, said Stephanie Klapstein, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Taxation.

While it is still early days with the Cannabis Act  having only been tabled about two months ago, things have begun buzzing at the provincial and municipal level where issues such as sale, distribution and consumption will be legislated. Below is a coast to coast summary of what is transpiring at the provincial (and in some instances municipal) level.

British Columbia

Out on the West Coast, British Columbia is known around the world for its cannabis but getting a sense for how liberal the law might be in B.C. is challenging at the moment.

Who applied to grow medical marijuana in Ohio? The state isn't saying.

After legalizing medical marijuana last year, the state is setting up a massive program to oversee the businesses who grow and sell marijuana as well as doctors who recommend it to patients.

Those who want to grow the drug must apply with the Ohio Department of Commerce, which has already collected applications to be one of Ohio's 12 small-scale medical marijuana farms. But when The Enquirer requested those applications, seeking to report where marijuana growers might be located, the state said it didn't have to share the applications with the public right now.