In advance of the country’s legalization of adult-use cannabis, last week a coalition of Canadian health agencies released their “Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines” (LRCUG)—a series of risk-reduction tips for all who’d imbibe the soon-to-be-legal plant. Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and endorsed by the Canadian Medical Association, the guidelines kick off with the mandatory nod to abstinence: “The safest way to reduce risks is to avoid [cannabis] altogether.” But from there they proceed with the kind of lucid talk from government officials that is but a dream in less-evolved countries like the US, where the federal government still classifies cannabis a dangerous narcotic on par with heroin and refuses to say much more.

Colorado officials announced Wednesday that they have busted a mammoth marijuana trafficking ring that pretended to be growing weed for sick people but was instead illegally shipping the drug to a half-dozen other states and bilking investors, including former NFL players.

A Denver grand jury indicted 62 people and 12 businesses in a case that involved federal and state agents executing nearly 150 search warrants in 33 homes and 18 warehouses and storage units in the Denver area.

The indictment was returned June 9 and announced Wednesday by state Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

“The black market for marijuana has not gone away since recreational marijuana was legalized in our state, and in fact continues to flourish,” Coffman said in a statement.

Emergency regulations passed June 26 have changed edible marijuana products expected to go on sale July 1 around Reno. These are some products that had been expected to be available but many will now require packaging changes or will be discontinued. Wochit

Nevadans will vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana this election.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Nevada marijuana dispensaries are going to have to get rid of or hastily sell any leftover edible marijuana products that become illegal starting this weekend. 

As the marijuana reform movement grows around the country and legal marijuana becomes a reality, the many great promises of legal weed are beginning to be realized. Reduced prices. More selection. Consistent supply. No legal troubles or safety concerns. No annoying or sketchy drug dealers.

Perhaps one of the most important, at least to some, is consistent and regulated quality. While the black market has certainly provided for us while the government got its act together, many of the marijuana smoked contained harmful pesticides, fungicides, mold, heavy metals, and even additives to make if feel like it was getting us higher.

Ever wonder how many people in the world consume cannabis? Well, if you're one of them, then you're in the company of 182 million, 999 thousand, 999 others.

Our neighbors to the north and south see the war on drugs as a failure and legal cannabis as an opportunity.

Just like that, Mexico joined Canada this month in making medical marijuana legal nationwide. And the Canadian Parliament is considering making adult-use marijuana legal across the nation by mid-2018.

All of this could potentially put legal marijuana businesses in the United States far behind their neighbors to the north and south.

Marijuana remains an illegal drug at the federal level in the United States, although 29 states and the District of Columbia have made medical marijuana legal. Another eight states, as well as the district, have made adult-use marijuana legal.

Illegal oil particularly showing up more often in packages from abroad.

It seems as if oil derived from hemp plants is become increasingly popular in Denmark, at least according to new figures from the state police and the tax authority SKAT.

The police confiscated almost 1,000 containers of cannabis oil in May and June this year alone – over twice as many as the 408 taken over the whole of 2016.

SKAT backs up the trend, noting that cannabis oil is increasingly making its way into Denmark in packages sent from abroad.

“Specifically cannabis oil is something that has begun turning up more in the last couple of years,” Preben Buchholtz, a deputy head at SKAT’s customs department, told DR Nyheder.

THC zero-tolerance

The legislature’s committee on marijuana legalization and regulation will hold public consultations across the province in July, the government announced Monday.

The committee made up of members of the government and opposition will use the report produced by the working group, which was released last week, as a guide for discussions with the public.

Here’s a list of the dates and locations of the hearings:

From food to products to building, industrial hemp is very environmentally-friendly.

Industrial hemp has many practical uses and has been used for thousands of years. Read up on 5 ways that hemp helps the environment.

Hemp for nutrition

Of course there are many high protein alternatives, but hemp is one of the best proteins to eat. Unlike other proteins like soy and quinoa, hemp does not cause soil erosion or require synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for a quality crop.

Utah’s neighbors to the west, south, and east all have legal, regulated cannabis markets for both medical and adult use. Now a new poll suggests that Utah voters want to legal medical marijuana in their state, too.

The Utah Patients Coalition survey, published Monday, found that of 402 Utah voters polled, 73% support a medical cannabis ballot initiative. Only about 20% were opposed, and 7% remain undecided.

Voters from nearly all demographic groups expressed support for medical marijuana, the survey found, included 64% of Republican voters and 63% of active voters who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.