Next month, thanks to entrepreneur and environmental activist Salimeh Tabrizi, M.Ed., more than 900 people will gather in Vancouver, B.C., to give thanks and offer protection to the cannabis plant.

But two days earlier, John Kelly said marijuana was "not a factor" in the war on drugs. Which one does he believe?

On Sunday, Homeland Security secretary John Kelly said marijuana was “not a factor” in the war on drugs. But in a speech today, he described cannabis as a “potentially dangerous gateway drug” and said the drug will play a role in building deportation cases.

In February 2017, Ciudadanos and the OECM presented a Non-Legislative Motion in Congress in order to regulate medical cannabis in Spain. Its objective is to address the needs and demands of Spanish patients, as well as to open a parliamentary debate about therapeutic cannabis – a treatment backed by scientific evidence. 

Nothing captured the mindless hysteria of prohibitionists quite like the 1936 film Reefer Madness, where pot users were portrayed killing people, committing suicide and going mad. Eighty-one years later, some people – such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions – still push falsehoods and propaganda about cannabis.

The war on drugs is too profitable to the State and the corporatocracy. Big Pharma funded propaganda campaigns in 2016 as nine states were voting whether to legalize medical and/or recreational cannabis. Thankfully, the propaganda had little effect, as all but one state voted for freedom.

The line-up for The Capital B this week is akin to a PG episode of narcos, it's got drugs, gold and computer hackers...

Speaking on JOE's business show Dr James Linden of Greenlight Medicines, said Ireland has the perfect climate to grow cannabis and he believes we have the potential to become the next cannabis growing capital of the world. Greenlight Medicines has so far raised €500k in funding from Irish investors  to research the potential effects of cannabis on diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and on chronic pain. Listen to the full interview with James Linden in the soundcloud link below, it's an eye-opener.

A prison sentence of up to 14 years for providing cannabis to youth is shaping up as one of the early points of contention as the Liberal government prepares to defend its landmark legislation to legalize recreational marijuana.

Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, makes clear in its opening passages that the main purpose of the legislation is to prevent young people from accessing cannabis.

Those opening statements are backed up with stiff penalties, including imprisonment for up to 14 years for providing marijuana to someone 17 or under.

Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould defended that provision during an interview with CTV’s Question Period, which aired Sunday.

Generation 2000 (G2K), the young professional affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), today said that all government ministries and agencies should work effectively together in building out a medical, therapeutic and scientific based cannabis industry while promoting a strong and balanced public education campaign that outlines both the benefits and risks associated with the plant.

“After the amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act in 2015, thereby allowing for the development of an industry, no stone should be left unturned in ensuring that it be made a reality. Several countries, including our neighbour the Cayman Islands, have rushed past Jamaica in an industry that Jamaica has a natural advantage”, said G2K Vice President, Edson  Carr.

The ambitious Democrat has put herself at odds with the US attorney general’s call for harsher drug policies – and it’s just the start of her plans.

In February, the newly-appointed US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, indicated he backed a hardline stance against marijuana. 

Also that month, the top prosecutor in the country’s third-most populous county announced that possession of small amounts of the drug would be decriminalised in the Houston, Texas, area.

“Cannabis is the next great American industry,” says Troy Dayton. As CEO of Arcview Group, Dayton works with over 650 high-net-worth investors who have poured more than $100 million into cannabis-related startups since 2010.

He calls early investors in the burgeoning marijuana industry “pioneers” who are hoping to stake their claims in the Green Rush.

Revenues from the US marijuana industry are expected to mushroom from $6.7 billion in 2016 to over $21 billion by 2021, according to Arcview Group research. Dayton predicts that explosive growth will happen, whether or not President Trump cracks down on legalized marijuana.

Last week, the federal government tabled long-awaited legislation to legalize and regulate non-medical cannabis use and supply in Canada. Under the proposed cannabis legalization plan, the provinces will be mandated and get to decide and design their respective cannabis retail distribution systems.

This is, by no means, a trivial responsibility. Rather, getting the design of retail models for cannabis right will be crucial for whether legalization will work for or against the paramount goal of furthering public health.