For Marijuana Stocks U.S., Watch the News 

When it comes to marijuana stocks in the U.S., of course you need to be watching the markets to stay abreast of what’s happening in terms of stock prices. But something that can have an equal impact on shares is political news.

While this applies in one form or another to most products in the U.S., it is perhaps most pronounced in the marijuana market, and for good reason. After all, in many states, the drug is still totally illegal, and the majority of states still don’t allow pot as a legal recreational substance. And this makes U.S. political news of particular importance.

Why haven’t we legalised marijuana already? It’s a question brought to mind after reading Fairfax crime writer John Sylvester’s recent report on Melbourne as, in the words of assistant commissioner (crime) Steve Fontana, “the engine room of the country’s cannabis industry”.

Sylvester takes the reader behind the scenes of the old-style anti-pot crusade being waged by Fontana and his men, as “detectives from the Drug Taskforce […hit] crop houses at a record rate”.

Squint a little and it could be Chicago in the 1930s, with prohibition-enforcing lawmen pledging to take down the syndicates.

The United States Senate is an intentionally slow moving body when it comes to passing laws, but the nation's upper legislative chamber is even slower when it comes to catching up with the popular will of the American people. That's especially been on display when it comes to the nation's pot laws, but now there's a growing core group of senators who are vocally crying out for the federal government to catch up with the states, at least when it comes to medical marijuana.

Toronto police carried out more raids on marijuana dispensaries in the city Thursday morning.

A total of 12 warrants were executed in Toronto, with seven targeting British Columbia-based Canna Clinics store front locations, including the Queen St. W., and another in Kensington Market.

The other five raids in the city were at private residences.

Police seized illegal drugs and the proceeds from sales.

Toronto police corporate communications director Mark Pugash said the raids spanned across the country, with three other raids conducted at Canna Clinics locations in Vancouver.

“So far six people have been arrested,” said Pugash. “That number may change as people are in the process of being dealt with.”

Poland's lower house of parliament, which is controlled by the conservatives, on Thursday voted to make medicinal marijuana legal under certain circumstances.

The EU member follows in the steps of the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, as well as 23 US states and Uruguay, which in 2013 became the first country to make cannabis entirely legal.

Four hundred and forty lawmakers voted in favour—with two against and one abstention—of legislation to allow prescription-only cannabis-based medicine to be made at pharmacies using imported ingredients.

The law, which still needs to be approved by the senate and the Polish president to come into force, excludes the recreational use of cannabis.

Addyson Benton has come home.

To celebrate, her parents Heather and Adam Benton threw a bash June 17 for Addyson’s sixth birthday at EnterTrainment Junction, with pizza, cake, presents, grandparents, relatives and friends. Addyson and a young pal walked hand in hand around the venue, with Addyson smiling and pointing at the lights and train sounds.

“She’s been the ultimate factor on every decision,” said Heather Benton, brushing a hand over her daughter’s hair. “Her well-being is the only thing that matters.”

It appears the deadly synthetic opiate fentanyl is now being mixed with marijuana in some Ohio communities – sparking some concern that this dangerous trend could soon spread across more of the United States.

What started out as a rumor last week on social media networks has been confirmed as gospel. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said during a recent press conference with Senator Rob Portman that she has seen some cases in which fentanyl, a hardcore painkiller with a potency up to 100 times greater than morphine, has been mixed with marijuana.

1. Reaffirm support for the law. Issue a statement affirming the incoming administration’s commitment to the Controlled Substances Act with the goal of reducing, not expanding, the use of marijuana in the nation.

2. Coordinate with lower-level officials. Have the new attorney general prioritize reaching out to governors and key law enforcement officials in states that have legalized marijuana to work with them on enforcement of federal marijuana laws.

3. Reassert America’s drug position on the world stage. The White House should make clear that the United States continues to support the three international drug conventions, and that it intends to change its domestic policy to reflect that support.

Palo Alto’s ban on outdoor marijuana cultivation likely will be extended through 2018, or at least until city leaders sort out some policies.

If Palo Alto does not prohibit commercial cultivation by Jan. 1, marijuana businesses can get a state-issued license and open here, according to deputy city attorney Tim Shimizu.

California voters in November approved Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which makes it legal for anyone 21 and older to smoke marijuana.

The law also allows possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana, eight grams of concentrated marijuana and six marijuana plants for personal use, as well as legalized commercial cultivation of marijuana. Six marijuana plants are allowed in a greenhouse if locked and enclosed.